13: Chapter 13 Chen Danni

The call had ended long ago, but Sun Yiyao still held her phone up.

The supervisor's current attitude was completely different from before; this huge change left her unable to adapt for a moment.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently.

Previously, she only thought money could buy nice clothes and bags, but until this moment, she truly realized that money could also buy dignity and privilege.

As long as you can create value, those who are usually high and mighty would love to kneel and lick the soles of your shoes.

Zhang Qi watched her unpredictable expression, having no spare time to guess this woman's thoughts.

It was just an adult game, each taking what they needed.

He pulled back the quilt to get out of bed, walking towards the bathroom naked.

The sound of water started.

Sun Yiyao looked at the man's broad, sturdy back, her cheeks heating up uncontrollably.

When Zhang Qi finished washing up and came out wearing a clean and sharp outfit, Sun Yiyao had already forced herself to endure the soreness and tidied up the clothes that had been scattered all over the floor the night before.

"You just stay home today and get some good rest." Zhang Qi said casually while adjusting his cuffs.

Sun Yiyao nodded obediently.

She would definitely wait for Zhang Qi.

If Zhang Qi could order a few more bottles of wine tonight, even if he broke a few more and had to pay for them again, she would accept it.

...

Jiali Financial Building.

One of the landmarks in the Futian District of Shenzhen.

A green taxi stopped steadily in the plaza in front of the office building.

Zhang Qi pushed the door open to get out and closed it behind him.

The early autumn sun shone on him, bringing a hint of warmth.

He took out his phone and scanned the payment code on the car window.

"WeChat payment, sixty-two yuan." The taxi driver stepped on the gas and merged into the traffic.

Almost simultaneously, a familiar mechanical voice rang in Zhang Qi's mind.

[Ding! Detected host expenditure of 62 yuan, meeting the cashback conditions.]

[Double cashback triggered, 124 yuan has been transferred to the host's savings card ending in 9527.]

The phone vibrated.

Zhang Qi looked down at the screen.

The text message interface popped up.

"Your savings card account ending in 9527 has received 124.00 RMB, current balance is 171,793.50 RMB."

The amount wasn't large, but the feeling of watching the balance rise with every penny spent was truly addictive.

Zhang Qi put away his phone and looked up at the glass curtain wall that towered into the clouds.

In the past, standing here every morning, he felt that this building was like a steel beast with a bloody mouth wide open, wanting to drain people's youth and energy.

But now.

It was just a slightly taller building.

With a change in mindset, the perspective on the world naturally changed too.

He walked into the building and took the elevator straight to the sixteenth floor.

Zhisheng Finance.

Pushing open the glass doors, a familiar sense of oppression rushed towards him.

The sound of typing and the urging of phone calls intertwined, forming a standard picture of the suffering of a wage earner.

Zhang Qi walked inside with his hands in his pockets and a brisk pace.

Just after passing the front desk, a faint scent of Jo Malone Wild Bluebell perfume entered his nostrils.

"Brother Qi!" A crisp voice rang out from the side.

Zhang Qi stopped and turned to look.

Qian Mengsheng walked out of the pantry, holding a cup of freshly brewed Americano in her hand.

This girl's outfit was still on point today.

The upper body was a slim-fitting beige knitted short-sleeve, the material soft, perfectly conforming to her body curves, clearly outlining a silhouette that wasn't exaggerated but was notably perky.

The lower body was paired with high-waisted black wide-leg trousers, which not only elongated her leg proportions but also made her walk with a breeze.

Paired with that face wearing exquisite "no-makeup" makeup, full of collagen, it exuded the youthful vitality of someone just entering the workplace.

"Why didn't you come to work this morning?" Qian Mengsheng leaned in, her large eyes looking Zhang Qi up and down.

She lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of concern.

"Sister Danni even specifically asked me about your situation."

"I'm not planning to work here anymore." Zhang Qi said in a flat tone, with no intention of lowering his voice.

"I'm going to tell Manager Chen Danni now."

"Ah?" Qian Mengsheng was stunned, the coffee in her hand almost spilling out.

She widened her eyes, looking at Zhang Qi in disbelief.

"Not working here anymore?"

"Brother Qi, you don't have a fever, do you?" Qian Mengsheng quickly put down the coffee cup and reached out to check Zhang Qi's forehead.

"You know how bad the current environment is, and how many people are breaking their heads trying to get into our company; don't make an impulsive choice just because of the breakup."

In Qian Mengsheng's view, this was a typical case of Zhang Qi suffering from a broken heart, feeling disheartened, and wanting to escape reality.

She had been working for over half a year, and Zhang Qi had been guiding her hand-in-hand the whole time.

Zhang Qi had a good personality, strong professional abilities, and never held back his knowledge.

In this treacherous workplace, she was truly grateful to Zhang Qi, and they had an excellent relationship.

Hearing that Zhang Qi was going to resign, she was genuinely anxious.

"It's not because of that." Zhang Qi looked at her eager demeanor and smiled, interrupting her rambling.

Qian Mengsheng stopped talking, staring suspiciously at Zhang Qi's face.

Only then did she notice that Zhang Qi's state today was very wrong.

No dark circles, no stubble, and none of that decadence and hopelessness common after a breakup.

On the contrary, he was radiant, his brows exuding an indescribable sense of composure and confidence.

Those eyes were frighteningly bright, not at all like a miserable young man who had just been dumped by a green tea bitch.

"Then what is it for?" Qian Mengsheng blinked, probing half-jokingly.

"Did you strike it rich?"

Zhang Qi looked at her and nodded very seriously.

"Yeah."

"???" Qian Mengsheng was dumbfounded.

She was just being witty, not expecting Zhang Qi to actually admit it.

"Really struck it rich?" Her voice involuntarily rose an octave, causing colleagues at nearby workstations to glance over.

Zhang Qi was thick-skinned and didn't care about others' gazes.

He put his hands in his pockets and spoke right away.

"I've been doing financial analysis for five or six years, and I've been doing some investments on the side. Now, I'm basically financially free."

He had already thought of this excuse.

The financial industry is inherently close to money; while myths of overnight wealth are rare, they aren't non-existent.

Using this excuse to cover up the huge wealth brought by the system's cashback was most appropriate.

"Damn..." Qian Mengsheng gasped.

She circled around Zhang Qi, as if wanting to re-acquaint herself with this mentor who had been guiding her for over half a year.

"Brother Qi, you really are hiding your true colors."

"Before, you said you spent all your money on your girlfriend; I thought it was all true."

Zhang Qi touched his nose, somewhat speechless.

That was indeed true before, damn it.

But he couldn't just say he awakened a system after being dumped.

"What I spent was just small money." Zhang Qi lied without changing his expression.

"The big money is all saved up."

"Brother Qi is awesome!" Qian Mengsheng gave him two thumbs up directly.

Her gaze towards Zhang Qi changed completely.

Before, she thought Zhang Qi was a nice guy, but his personality was too soft, too humble in front of women, like a spineless simp.

Now it seemed.

This was no simp; this was clearly a max-level boss pretending to be a newbie in the starter village to experience life.

Not only rich, but also knew how to disguise himself, and even broke up so cleanly and decisively.

"I always thought you were a simp, played by women in the palm of their hands." Qian Mengsheng leaned in closer, lowering her voice, her tone full of admiration.

"I didn't expect that it was actually you playing women in the palm of your hand; you are truly high-level!"

Listening to her logically sound mental gymnastics, Zhang Qi's mouth couldn't help but twitch twice.

It would be a waste of talent if this girl didn't go write novels.

But this was fine, saving him from having to explain anything else.

"Alright, enough talk." Zhang Qi patted her shoulder, ending the conversation.

"I'll go find Manager Chen Danni to talk first, and I'll treat you to a meal later."

"Alright Brother Qi, then you go ahead." Qian Mengsheng waved with a smile.

She stood in place, watching Zhang Qi's tall and straight back walk towards the manager's office.

In those beautiful big eyes, there was less sympathy and more blatant admiration.

It's a woman's nature to admire the strong.

She didn't like those spineless simps without boundaries.

But for a successful man who was deep and unrevealing, powerful, and knew how to play the pig to eat the tiger.

The attraction was much greater.

At the end of the corridor.

Analysis Department Manager's office.

Zhang Qi stopped in front of the door and raised his hand to knock twice on the frosted glass door.

"Knock knock."

"Come in." A highly recognizable female voice came from inside.

The voice was slightly husky and magnetic, not sharp, but rather exuding a laziness unique to a mature woman.

And the unquestionable composure of someone who has long been in a position of power.

Zhang Qi pressed the door handle and pushed the door open to enter.

Inside the spacious office, the air conditioning was on high.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, there was a large solid wood desk.

Behind the desk sat a woman.

Manager Chen Danni.

The pillar of Zhisheng Finance's Analysis Department.

Today she was wearing a perfectly tailored black professional suit.

This outfit might look stiff on others, but on her, those plump curves forced it to stretch into a breathtaking arc.

The white silk shirt worn underneath was slightly open at the collar, revealing a long, fair neck and a hint of something profound.

Her short hair was trimmed neatly, revealing small earlobes.

A pair of thin-framed gold glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, the eyes behind the lenses long and sharp.

In her early thirties, she had shed the naivety of a young girl and was at the stage where she was so ripe she was almost dripping water.

Her whole being radiated an intellectual, cold, and highly oppressive mature woman's charm.

Hearing the door open, Manager Chen Danni looked up from the desk piled with documents.

Her gaze passed through the lenses and landed on Zhang Qi who had walked in.

Her two slender willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She put down the signature pen in her hand and leaned back against the large leather chair back.

Her hands were crossed and placed on her lower abdomen, just watching Zhang Qi quietly.

"You don't answer calls, and your messages are shorter than state secrets."

"What, did this breakup hit you that hard?"