My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Villain L · “Art Class”

At the end of the shaded path stood the great iron gates of the Lan ancestral home. Before we even reached them, Xidoduo (the Golden Retriever) was already pacing back and forth at the entrance, tail wagging furiously, occasionally jumping up against the bars with soft, whimpering barks of affection. Taking advantage of the fact that no one in the garden had come to greet us yet, I leaned close to Phoebe’s ear. She was startled by my sudden move.

She instinctively flinched away. I wondered when she had become like a maiden from a secluded courtyard, blushing and acting shy at the slightest provocation. I asked playfully, “What are you dodging for?”

“You suddenly leaned in; it’s only natural for me to move away. It’s a normal reaction.”

“I didn’t see this kind of shyness when you slammed me against the wall the other day,” I countered.

She wasn’t in a hurry. It was as if she were determined to outlast me; she tilted her head with a look that said ‘I did it, so what?’ and stared up at me. “I slammed you—a weak uke—against a wall. What about it?”

Where did this woman learn such slang? I was stunned. She actually called me that? “Weak uke?! You… you… say that again!”

“Weak! Uke!”

“You’re the uke! How am I weak!?”

“You’re weak everywhere!”

I was about to keep arguing, but I suddenly stopped. I narrowed my eyes, scanning her, and finally let out a cold laugh. “I can’t be bothered to argue with you!”

With that, I walked forward without looking back. After just two steps, I spun around abruptly and thrust my face right in front of hers, nearly kissing her. She gasped and stumbled back several paces. She had never seen me act this boldly “naughty” before. She roared with mock ferocity, “You Feifan! I see you’ve forgotten the pain once the scar healed. If you don’t get a beating today, you aren’t leaving the Lan house!”

I burst into laughter. “Hahahaha! Once bitten, twice shy. Let’s see if you dare follow right on my heels again. That’s what you get for calling me a weak uke. I’m very petty and I hold grudges~”

Ignoring Phoebe’s expression, I walked to the iron gate and patted Xidoduo’s head. “Did you miss me? Did you? Sit. Down. Give me your paw~”

However, the moment I stepped into Qingfan’s room, my lighthearted mood vanished instantly. The child was very ill—it was far more than a simple cold. I walked to the bedside and knelt on the floor. A cooling patch was stuck to Qingfan’s forehead; seeing her temperature hovering near 40°C (104°F), I stood up immediately and demanded of Phoebe, “How long has she been burning like this? If this continues, she’ll get meningitis! She could die! Why haven’t you taken her to the hospital?”

Phoebe sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Qingfan’s burning cheek. She said calmly, “I’ve already taken her to several hospitals. They’ve confirmed it’s a common childhood illness—Kawasaki Disease.”

I reached out to hold Qingfan’s hand, only to find the skin on all her fingers peeling off in thick layers. In that instant, a surge of heartache exploded through my nerves. I pulled her hand into my arms and asked anxiously, “Why is the skin peeling?”

Phoebe sat down beside me and continued, “Peeling fingers is a symptom of this disease. The doctors are also frustrated; they say the peak age for this is four or five, but Qingfan is already seven. Theoretically, she shouldn’t have been so easily infected. We’ve used the strongest antibiotics, but they aren’t working. Fever-reducing shots are steroids, and the doctors don’t recommend using too many. After a specialist consultation, they decided to do a blood culture first. They are testing medications now, but the results aren’t out yet. It pained me to see her in the ward, so I didn’t let her stay in the hospital.”

I leaned over next to Qingfan and looked straight at Phoebe. “Something this serious… why didn’t you tell me?”

Phoebe froze for a second, then lowered her head, twisting her fingers. “You were the one who said… told me not to bother you…”

“Is that the same thing?!”

I raised my voice slightly in a scolding tone. Phoebe pursed her lips and kept twisting her fingers, finally answering softly, “I thought about you being at Guan Shuyun’s place. If I actively contacted you, she would definitely get suspicious. Although I don’t know what you’re planning, I didn’t want to make your situation more difficult…”

Just then, Qingfan shifted her body, interrupting us. Her eyes were half-lidded, and the fever had flushed her cheeks a deep red. I gestured for Phoebe to be quiet, then stood up and walked to the balcony outside the bedroom to light a cigarette. Phoebe followed me. “Smoke less.”

“You’re managing me now?”

“I didn’t manage you well enough before, which is why you’re like a wild person now.”

I looked down at the garden, noticing how quiet the ancestral home was today. I muttered, “Where is everyone? I haven’t seen a soul for ages.”

Phoebe leaned against the balcony railing with a helpless, bitter smile. “It used to feel lively because Xiao Fan and Little Xiao Fan were always noisy. No matter how few people there were, it felt full. Now it feels cold because you’re gone.”

I furrowed my brows slightly, trying to glimpse the deeper emotions in her eyes. She pretended to be fine and avoided my gaze, peeking back into the room at Qingfan. I couldn’t help but reach out and cup her cheeks. She looked back at me in panic. I tilted her chin up, forcing her to step back until she was pinned against the corner. I said with a wicked grin, “I’m just a ‘weak uke,’ what are you afraid of?”

Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She stammered, “W-what are you trying to do?”

“What am I trying to do? You tell me. There isn’t a soul in sight; what can I do?”

“You… you… in broad daylight, you wouldn’t dare play the rogue, would you?”

I slammed my hand against the wall, returning her earlier kabedon. I leaned in and sniffed near Phoebe’s ear. “I just want to smell the scent behind your ear. I’ve always loved this smell; I never get tired of it.”

Phoebe turned her head away, but that only played into my hands. The long-lost intimacy made my heart feel much steadier. I thought she would keep dodging, but in the next second, she wrapped her arms around my waist and turned her face back, giving me a fleeting “dragonfly” kiss on the tip of my nose.

Her cheeks were still scarlet, but she spoke playfully: “Why are you dazing off? Weren’t you being quite the tyrant just now?”

I looked at her in disbelief. “Since when did you start enjoying these ambiguous games?”

“You were the one who provoked me first!”

While the two of us were enjoying this brief moment of tenderness, Qingfan suddenly ran over barefoot, hugged my leg tightly, and began to sob with a raspy voice: “Da Fan! Waa… Da Fan!”

I quickly picked her up. Large tears welled in her bright eyes; she was shaking from her sobs. Even so, she didn’t forget to nuzzle her head against my face. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore… waa… Da Fan! Waa…”

Phoebe reached out to embrace both of us. She gently coaxed the child, “Sweetie, don’t cry. We’ll go lie on the bed and play, okay? Be good~”

I looked at Phoebe and couldn’t help but compliment her: “You know? You used to be so cold, but now you’re warm, flesh and blood. You’re looking more and more like a good mother.”

“During the days you weren’t home, I learned a lot of things.”

“So… do you know how to cook now?”

She shook her head and let out a wide, genuine laugh—one I had never seen before. She answered firmly, “That is the one thing I won’t learn. Because… I’m waiting for you to come home and teach me, hand-in-hand.”

I pursed my lips and didn’t respond. I carried Qingfan back into the bedroom. Phoebe took a call on the balcony, then walked back to the bed with a relieved expression. “Good news! The hospital called. They found an effective medication. Who would have thought? Penicillin actually works. We really went in a giant circle for nothing!”

I checked the time and realized I should head back. I stood up. “In that case, take Qingfan to the hospital soon. Don’t delay the treatment.”

At that moment, Qingfan grabbed my wrist. “Da Fan come with me!”

Before I could speak, Phoebe was already sitting beside the child, comforting her. “Da Fan has things to do and can’t come, but Mama promises for Da Fan that as soon as you’re better, she’ll come back and take you out to play. You have to be a good girl~”

This woman was truly shrewd; she didn’t even give me a chance to refuse! Qingfan held back her tears and silently held out her pinky. I feared this most—when she was obediently, pitifully quiet. I also reached out to hook my pinky with hers. “I won’t be a little dog (a liar). My sweet baby, get well soon!”

Phoebe then had the butler come up to watch Qingfan. As we were leaving, the little one called out at the top of her lungs, “Da Fan!”

I stood by the door, looking at her dotingly. “What is it?”

“Da Fan Mama! Hug me!”

I bolted back to her and knelt by the bed, hugging her tightly. “When you’re better, Da Fan will take you to the amusement park. Mama will come too. Whatever you want to play, Da Fan will stay with you. Whatever ice cream or cotton candy you want, I’ll buy it for you. You must listen to Mama at home.”

…

Phoebe insisted on walking me out. We found ourselves once again in the shaded avenue outside the ancestral home. I felt a bit sentimental. “You know? You rarely gave me validation, but children can’t hide anything. When she called me ‘Mama’ just now, I was truly moved. All these years of spoiling that girl weren’t in vain.”

“The three of us should have been living a stable life together. Too much has happened this past year. In the dead of night, I always reflect—if I had just faced the difficulties head-on when Qiao Xin first threatened me using the child, things wouldn’t have reached this point.”

She stopped walking, took my hand, and asked very seriously and stubbornly: “Feifan, tell me. Do you like Guan Shuyun?”

I continued to evade such topics. I immediately turned back toward the house. “Since Qingfan is sick, we shouldn’t have a dog in the house. I’ll take Xidoduo with me to raise for a while.”

Her voice choked up, but she persisted. “Why are you avoiding me? I’m not asking if you love me; I just want to know if you like her. If you don’t, I’ll be happy from the bottom of my heart. If you do… even if it’s a lie, I’ll wish you well.”

I remained calm. Looking at her reddened eyes, I could only feel the ache in my heart. Then, I continued to play dumb. “Is Duo Ran’s return from Germany going to be the moment you strike at Guan Shuyun?”

She fell silent, looking at me quietly. I found the answer in her eyes. Then, I smiled again. “I won’t interfere with your business, nor will I expose you. By the way, Guan Shuyun once told me you set Xidoduo on her to bite her. She hates my Golden Retriever. I’m going to take the dog over today and scare her one more time.”