21: Chapter 21 Qian Mengsheng: He definitely likes me more!

Shenzhen, a village-in-the-city on the edge of Futian District.

In an old residential building, a one-bedroom apartment of less than forty square meters. This is where Qian Mengsheng and Su Ran rent together.

Qian Mengsheng changed into a pink ice-silk camisole nightdress.

The hem barely covered the base of her thighs, revealing two fair, well-proportioned calves.

She curled up her legs, wrapped her arms around her knees, and huddled into the somewhat aged fabric sofa.

Her large eyes, which usually always looked sharp and clever, were now staring blankly at the huge shopping bag with the LV monogram pattern on the coffee table, her gaze completely unfocused.

Her mind was filled with the nonchalant way Zhang Qi swiped his card that afternoon, and the scene of her best friend Su Ran and Zhang Qi chatting happily in the restaurant.

The more she thought about it, the more congested her heart felt.

On the open space next to the sofa, a pink yoga mat was spread out.

Su Ran was lying on the mat, doing a high-difficulty downward-facing dog pose.

She was wearing a set of black tight-fitting yoga clothes.

The outfit looked as if it had grown on her body, outlining her plump and firm hip line, her slender waist that could be gripped with one hand, and her proud upper body curves to perfection.

With the rise and fall of her breathing, her full chest seemed ready to burst out under the influence of gravity.

Su Ran finished the last stretching movement and exhaled a long breath.

She stood up, grabbed a towel draped over a chair to wipe the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and turned to look at Qian Mengsheng, who was still dazed.

This girl had been in this soul-lost state ever since she returned from the restaurant, not even in the mood to unpack that twenty-thousand-plus LV bag.

A helpless smile curled at the corners of Su Ran's mouth, but she didn't say anything, walking straight into the small bathroom.

Before long, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.

Ten minutes later.

The water stopped.

The folding door of the bathroom was pushed open.

Su Ran walked out.

She wasn't wearing pajamas, just casually wrapped her proud figure in a white bath towel.

The bath towel barely covered the crucial parts, exposing large areas of fair, smooth skin to the air.

Just having taken a hot shower, her skin had an alluring pink tint.

A few crystal-clear water droplets slid down her slender swan-like neck, flowed past her delicate collarbone, and finally disappeared into the deep cleavage at the edge of the bath towel.

Her two straight, slender legs moved alternately, carrying a unique laziness and charm typical of a mature woman.

Su Ran walked to the sofa and sat down next to Qian Mengsheng.

A scent mixed with cheap body wash and a woman's natural fragrance drifted over.

Su Ran picked up the comb on the table, and while grooming her wet long hair, she turned her head and looked at Qian Mengsheng with a calm gaze.

"Do you really like him?"

This sudden sentence was like a needle, precisely piercing the bloated balloon in Qian Mengsheng's heart.

Qian Mengsheng's body trembled slightly.

She slowly turned her head and looked at the best friend beside her, who was bright, generous, and had a body so good that even she herself felt a bit jealous.

The grievance in her heart was like a floodgate that had been opened, unstoppable.

"In the past…" Qian Mengsheng bit her rosy lower lip, her voice carrying a distinct nasal tone.

"I just thought he was a nice person, capable at work, and sincere to others. But to say I liked him, that was really not the case."

"After all, you know what he was like before, always revolving around that green-tea ex-girlfriend, not even able to take care of himself."

"But today…"

Qian Mengsheng paused, her mind once again flooded with the image of Zhang Qi wearing a high-end suit, wearing a Vacheron Constantin watch, and sitting calmly in the Japanese restaurant.

That kind of male charm wrapped in absolute wealth and relaxation was devastatingly lethal to a young girl who had just entered society.

"Today, when I was with him, watching him spend money, watching the way he talked, I really felt a bit…"

She searched for suitable words, wanting to accurately express her complex emotions of being moved yet afraid to express it.

But before she could finish, her fair cheeks had already flushed red, even her earlobes stained with the color of rouge.

This shy appearance had already spoken the rest of her words clearly.

Su Ran looked at her and shook her head slightly.

"Since you like him, why didn't you just say it directly in the restaurant earlier?" Su Ran's tone was somewhat frustrated that she didn't live up to expectations.

"At that moment, as long as you nodded and acted a little coquettish, the matter would have basically been half-successful. Instead, you had to push me out as a shield."

Qian Mengsheng buried her head in her arms, her voice muffled, carrying a bit of entanglement.

"But…"

"Before he got rich, I never expressed anything. Now that he has just made a fortune and become wealthy, if I go and say I like him…"

"What would that look like?"

Qian Mengsheng raised her head, her eyes slightly red. "It would make him think I'm very gold-digging, that I'm just after his money."

Su Ran heard this, and the comb in her hand stopped.

She laughed softly, as if she had heard an extremely funny joke.

"What's wrong with being a gold digger?"

Su Ran's tone was terrifyingly frank, without the slightest concealment or guilty conscience.

"Don't we go to work early and late every day, go to sales, look at customers' faces, just to make money?"

"Money can buy beautiful clothes, high-end cosmetics, and can let you not have to squeeze into this village-in-the-city where even the streetlights are broken."

"A man having money is in itself a part of his charm and strength. If you like someone who is handsome, it's called being a face-control; why does liking someone with money become unforgivable gold-digging?"

Qian Mengsheng was left speechless by this rapid-fire argument.

But the bit of aloofness in her bones still made her feel somewhat unacceptable.

"So." Qian Mengsheng was even more depressed, her voice lowered by an octave. "You don't like him at all, you just added him on WeChat in the restaurant today and said you wanted to get to know him, just because he has money!"

"Yes!" Su Ran answered righteously, without a second of hesitation.

"He has money, he's not ugly, he knows how to dress himself, and he has a good temperament. Why wouldn't I like him?"

Su Ran put down the comb, turned around, and pressed her hands on Qian Mengsheng's shoulders.

Those long, beautiful eyes stared straight into Qian Mengsheng's eyes, her expression becoming unprecedentedly serious.

"Mengmeng, listen to me."

"It's not that I insist on coming out to snatch a man from you at this time."

"It's just that in this society, opportunities to cross social classes might only happen once or twice in a lifetime."

"Brother Qi is a genuine high-quality man now, he has money, and he doesn't have that nouveau riche tackiness. This kind of man is the top-tier hot commodity in the marriage market."

Su Ran's tone intensified a bit. "If you don't make a move, there will be other women throwing themselves at him tomorrow."

"I know your personality." Su Ran sighed, her eyes showing a bit of helplessness and clarity.

"You have thin skin and aren't that proactive. You want that kind of pure affection, don't want to carry the reputation of a gold digger, and are afraid he will look down on you."

"So, let me do it."

Su Ran let go of her hands, leaned back on the sofa, and crossed her long legs.

"I don't care about any reputation; I just want to live a good life. I can also put down my pride and proactively seize this opportunity."

"I can provide him with emotional value and can accompany him to any occasion without losing face. This is originally an exchange of mutual needs."

These words, so blunt they were almost cruel, hit Qian Mengsheng's heart like a heavy hammer.

Qian Mengsheng opened her mouth.

"I, I…"

She didn't know what to say. Refute? Su Ran's words were reasonable. Admit it? The sourness and unwillingness in her heart were surging wildly again.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and her vision became blurry.

Su Ran looked at her best friend who was about to cry and couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.

She sighed and reached out to touch Qian Mengsheng's hair.

"Mengmeng, look at you."

"You don't even have the courage to compete with me, your best friend, and you don't even dare to have a big fight with me."

"With this weak personality of yours, how are you going to compete with the wolf-like women outside in the future?"

"Those gold diggers and socialites will use any means to get ahead. What do you have to compete with them?"

Qian Mengsheng lowered her head completely.

A tear hit the back of her hand, creating a water stain.

Speechless.

She really did have this kind of personality. Easily retreating when encountering things, caring too much about others' opinions, always wanting to keep that worthless dignity.

Su Ran patted her shoulder, her tone softening a bit.

"Don't worry."

"If I really manage to land ashore and become a rich wife, I will definitely not ignore you."

Qian Mengsheng didn't speak.

She buried her head in her knees, listening to Su Ran's categorical guarantees, but a secret expectation rose in her heart.

Ranran is beautiful, has a good figure, and knows how to handle things.

But Brother Qi has known me for so long.

For over half a year, we were in the same office every day, I called him Master, and he taught me how to make spreadsheets hand in hand.

Today he even took me to eat such expensive Japanese food and bought me an LV bag.

The way he looked at me clearly had warmth too.

He must like me more!

Qian Mengsheng secretly cheered herself up in her heart, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her nightdress.

...

At the same time.

Shenzhen St. Regis Hotel, panoramic executive suite.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's neon lights were like flowing rivers of light, extending to the end of the line of sight.

Zhang Qi sat on the spacious and soft leather sofa.

He held a glass of ice water he had just poured from the bar, with fine water droplets condensing on the glass wall.

He didn't turn on the main light in the living room; only the light and shadow from outside the floor-to-ceiling windows projected in, outlining his profile in light and dark.

This suite costs over eleven thousand a night, and the environment is indeed impeccable.

Compared to that rental house in the village-in-the-city full of the smell of sewers, this is simply heaven.

It's good to be rich.

Zhang Qi tilted his head and took a sip of ice water.

In the bathroom behind him, the sound of splashing water was coming.

The sound of water hitting the tiles was exceptionally clear in the quiet suite, making one's heart inexplicably rise with a fire.

Zhang Qi turned his head and looked towards the bathroom.

The partition of the bathroom was that kind of semi-transparent frosted glass.

The light inside was on, clearly projecting a graceful figure onto the glass.

It was an extremely exaggerated S-curve.

Even through a layer of glass, one could see the waist that could be gripped with one hand, as well as the full and perky curves.

The water flowed down that curve, and one could vaguely see her raising her arms to rub her hair.

This scene, half-hidden like a beauty behind a pipa, made people feel even more dry-mouthed than seeing it directly.

Zhang Qi's Adam's apple rolled slightly.

Last night in the rental house, because they drank alcohol, and Sun Yiyao was a novice, the two of them didn't really let go.

Coupled with spending money outside all day today, his spirit was in a state of extreme excitement.

Now that he was idle, this suppressed evil fire rushed up completely.

Fortunately, Sun Yiyao didn't wash for too long.

The water stopped.

A few minutes later, the frosted glass door of the bathroom was gently pushed open.

A white mist mixed with the fragrance of high-end body wash and warm water vapor drifted out.

Sun Yiyao walked out barefoot, stepping on the soft carpet.

She didn't have any extra clothing on her, just used that large white bath towel from the hotel to tightly wrap her body.

The length of the bath towel just covered the base of her thighs.

Two straight, well-proportioned long legs without any excess fat were completely exposed to the air.

Just having taken a hot shower, her originally fair and tender skin was now showing an alluring pinkish-red, like a ripe peach.

Her hair wasn't completely dry yet, draped wetly over her rounded fragrant shoulders.

Water droplets fell along her hair strands, dripped onto her collarbone, and slid into the depths of the bath towel along the deep cleavage.

That delicate and charming peach-blossom face had no makeup, but because of the steam from the bathroom, it looked even more tender and dripping.

She stood timidly at the bathroom door, her hands unconsciously clutching the edge of the bath towel.

Her eyes were a bit evasive, yet carried a bit of expectation, secretly looking at Zhang Qi sitting on the sofa.

Zhang Qi looked at this scene, and the glass in his hand was placed directly on the coffee table.

Without any hesitation.

He stood up, stretched his long legs, and strode towards Sun Yiyao.

The man's pace was extremely fast, carrying a kind of irresistible oppression and strong aggressiveness.

Seeing his eager appearance, Sun Yiyao was not afraid, but instead, a trace of irrepressible joy flashed in her heart.

At least this meant that Zhang Qi was very obsessed with her body.

In this cruel real world, a rich man willing to be impulsive for you is a woman's greatest capital.

Before she could arrange the expression on her face, Zhang Qi had already arrived in front of her.

A strong male hormonal scent instantly wrapped around her.

"Brother Qi…"

Sun Yiyao just softly called out two words.

The next second, she only felt a whirl of heaven and earth.

Zhang Qi's sturdy arms directly wrapped around her waist and the back of her knees, carrying her like a trophy of his own, hoisting her onto his shoulder.

"Ah!"

Sun Yiyao let out a short exclamation, instinctively reaching out to hug Zhang Qi's neck.

Zhang Qi ignored her exclamation and walked a few steps to the huge, soft KingSize bed.

His arms loosened.

Sun Yiyao was thrown out.

Her body sank into the mattress that was as soft as a cloud, the white bath towel instantly spread out in the tumble, exposing large areas of breathtaking scenery to the air.

Before she could even adjust her posture, or even say a complete sentence.

Zhang Qi had already taken off his clothes, revealing his well-defined muscles.

A robust and powerful body, carrying a scorching temperature, pressed directly on top of her.