41: Chapter 40 Taking the initiative without lowering one's status

Zhang Qi drove the car, following Su Ran's directions to the Vehicle Management Office.

With the Porsche Center's VIP green channel, the entire process was unbelievably fast.

Vehicle inspection, photography, license plate selection—it was smooth sailing all the way.

In less than half an hour, a brand-new set of license plates was in his hands.

After getting the plates, Su Ran didn't let the Vehicle Management Office staff lift a finger.

She rummaged through the trunk for the included tool kit and found a Phillips screwdriver.

"Brother Qi, let me help you install them." Su Ran held the license plates, looking at Zhang Qi with a beaming smile. "This is your first sports car, after all. Attaching the plates should be a ceremonial affair. I'll provide the service myself."

Zhang Qi didn't refuse; he leaned against the car door, watching the scene.

Su Ran took the tools and walked to the front of the car.

She was wearing an extremely form-fitting professional outfit today: a tight white shirt on top and a black hip-hugging skirt on the bottom.

The moment she squatted down, the skirt stretched taut, the fabric practically digging into her skin.

Her stunning waist-to-hip ratio was fully exposed.

Those perfect long legs, wrapped in ultra-sheer black silk stockings, were bent in an extremely seductive pose.

Zhang Qi smoked a cigarette, his gaze landing on her without any reservation.

He had to admit, the feeling of being served so diligently by a top-tier beauty who had set aside her airs was undeniably gratifying.

Especially since this beauty usually maintained the image of a cold, capable, and mature woman in front of others.

This sense of contrast was the most effective way to satisfy a man's desire for conquest.

The early autumn weather was still somewhat muggy, and with no shade in the Vehicle Management Office parking lot, the sun beat down directly.

After installing the front plate, Su Ran ran to the back of the car to install the rear one.

After working for a while, a fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.

A few strands of dark hair were dampened by sweat, clinging to her fair, delicate cheeks.

The back of her white shirt was also slightly damp, the fabric clinging to her skin and faintly revealing the silhouette of her black underwear underneath.

If an ordinary rough guy were to sweat this much, it would definitely result in a pungent, sour odor that would make people want to avoid him.

But a beauty was different.

The faint, high-end perfume on Su Ran, mixed with a woman's unique natural scent, was steamed by the heat, instead emitting an incredibly pleasant hormonal fragrance.

Bathed in fragrant sweat, it had a unique charm.

She stood up, gently wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and panted slightly.

The stunning fullness of her chest rose and fell dramatically with her breathing.

"All done." Su Ran turned her head, looking at Zhang Qi with moist eyes, and smiled as if asking for credit.

Zhang Qi crushed his cigarette butt and pulled a wet wipe from the car to hand to her.

"You've worked hard."

"It's no trouble at all, I'm serving Brother Qi." Su Ran took the wet wipe and wiped the sweat from her cheeks very naturally.

Her current appearance lacked some of the shrewdness and capability of the workplace, replaced by a hint of laziness and charm, which was extremely alluring.

"It's noon, let's go grab a bite." Zhang Qi glanced at the time on his watch. "Want to hang out with me this afternoon?"

"Sure, Brother Qi, I'll listen to whatever you say." Su Ran's voice was soft and obedient.

Zhang Qi opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.

Su Ran walked around to the passenger seat, sat down, and skillfully pulled the seatbelt to buckle it.

The matte gray porsche 911 emitted a low, thick roar, drove out of the Vehicle Management Office, and merged into the traffic of Shenzhen.

Zhang Qi chose a large, high-end shopping mall nearby.

It was the weekend, so the mall was extremely crowded.

The underground parking garage was even more packed, with many cars circling around looking for parking spots.

When this porsche 911 with its charming engine sound drove into the garage, it instantly became the center of attention.

Its streamlined body, aggressive front end, and the heart-pounding exhaust sound.

Passing pedestrians all turned their heads to look.

Zhang Qi was lucky; as soon as he turned a corner, he saw a car backing out.

He turned the steering wheel and steadily parked the car inside.

The car door pushed open.

Su Ran stepped out first with her long, beautiful legs wrapped in black silk, wearing seven-centimeter high heels, and got out of the car gracefully.

A luxury car.

A top-tier mature woman in black silk.

The combination of these two things was simply devastating to men.

The eyes of some men nearby instantly went wide.

Their gaze, originally just pure envy when looking at the Porsche, changed.

Once they saw Su Ran's graceful figure and charming face, those gazes turned directly into naked jealousy.

A top-tier sports car, and a top-tier beauty.

How the hell is anyone else supposed to live?

Why does one person get to have all the good things?

Zhang Qi pushed open the car door and stepped out, casually pressing the lock button.

Feeling the sour gazes—some overt, some covert—all around, he was surprisingly calm inside.

If it were the old, struggling financial worker from before, being stared at by so many people would definitely have made him feel awkward and uncomfortable, and he might even have subconsciously lowered his head and walked quickly away.

But now, he was extremely composed.

He even met the jealous gaze of a passerby, causing the other person to guiltily look away.

This was the confidence brought by money.

Situations like this would only become more frequent in the future, and he had to get used to this feeling.

The two took the elevator straight to the high-end dining area on the top floor of the mall.

Zhang Qi didn't bother asking for Su Ran's opinion at all; he made the decision to walk into a high-end Cantonese restaurant with decor featuring strong Lingnan characteristics.

Su Ran had no objections to this, following obediently by his side like a very well-behaved little wife.

They were led by a waiter to a semi-private booth by the window.

Zhang Qi grabbed the thick, gold-stamped menu and, without even looking at the prices, flipped directly to the signature dishes page.

"One serving of fish maw chicken soup, one serving of abalone in golden broth, a steamed leopard coral grouper, a serving of crispy roasted pork belly, and add a side of blanched choy sum."

After ordering, he closed the menu and handed it to the waiter.

"That's all."

The waiter quickly entered the order into the handheld device and smiled as they verified: "Sir, the five dishes you ordered come to a total of 4,200 yuan, including an 8% service charge. Shall I place the order for you now?"

"Place the order, and settle the bill while you're at it." Zhang Qi took out his phone and brought up the payment code.

The waiter scanned it with the barcode scanner with a beep.

Payment successful.

In his mind, the crisp mechanical voice arrived right on schedule.

[Ding! Detected that the host has spent 4,200 yuan on himself, meeting the cashback conditions.]

[Double cashback triggered. 8,400 yuan has been transferred to the host's savings card ending in 9527. The source of funds is absolutely safe; please use it with confidence.]

[Current cumulative consumption: 5,228,538.50 yuan.]

A text message notification from the bank popped up at the top of his phone screen.

"Your savings card account ending in 9527 has received 8,400.00 RMB. Current balance: 5,281,825.50 RMB."

Zhang Qi put away his phone, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a sip, his expression unchanged.

Su Ran, sitting opposite him, had watched with her own eyes as Zhang Qi paid 4,200 yuan by scanning the code without batting an eye.

Her hand holding the teacup tightened slightly, her knuckles straining, her mood extremely complicated.

Four thousand two hundred yuan.

That was her base salary for working eight hours a day at the Porsche dealership, putting on a smiling face to serve customers, and working herself to the bone for a month.

For this four thousand yuan, ordinary people have to endure their boss's annoyance at work, squeeze into crowded, sweat-smelling subways during rush hour, and compare prices on Pinduoduo just to buy a piece of clothing.

But in this man's eyes.

This was merely a lunch to fill his stomach.

This massive class gap was something most people couldn't handle.

But this didn't make her feel inferior; instead, it only strengthened her resolve.

She had to have this man.

She had to win him over, even if it meant dying for it.

Soon, the exquisite dishes were served one after another.

Su Ran took the initiative to act as a server, picking up the soup ladle to serve Zhang Qi a bowl of rich, golden fish maw chicken soup first.

"Brother Qi, try this soup; it looks very nutritious."

Throughout the meal, Su Ran was actively providing emotional value.

She had very high emotional intelligence and was constantly initiating topics of conversation.

Chatting about the local customs of Shenzhen, the weird customers she encountered at the Porsche dealership, and even discussing a few popular recent movies.

She spoke in a witty and humorous way, with a perfect sense of boundaries—never making people feel annoyed, nor letting the atmosphere turn cold.

Zhang Qi ate the tender fish meat of the leopard coral grouper while casually responding.

The two chatted happily, and the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

But as the meal drew to a close, a trace of worry gradually surfaced in Su Ran's heart.

She discovered a fatal problem.

Zhang Qi wasn't being proactive with her at all.

Since the start of the meal, Zhang Qi hadn't asked about her personal life, hadn't inquired about her romantic history, and hadn't even made a single slightly flirtatious probe.

It was as if he were really just having a casual meal with a car salesperson.

However, Su Ran could clearly feel that the way Zhang Qi looked at her was not innocent.

That gaze, when it swept over her tight white shirt or the long legs wrapped in black silk under the table, carried a man's most primitive and straightforward desire.

Zhang Qi was definitely interested in her!

This was an extremely strong woman's intuition, and Su Ran believed in it firmly.

Since he was interested, why wasn't he being proactive?

Su Ran bit her chopsticks, her mind racing.

If Qian Mengsheng, that love-struck airhead, were sitting here, she would surely rely on her girl's reserve in this situation, continuing to put on airs and waiting for the man to pursue her.

But Su Ran was too clear-headed.

A super high-quality male god like Zhang Qi, who could pay for a 2.6 million yuan sports car in full on the spot, definitely wasn't lacking for women.

He wasn't being proactive because he didn't need to be.

In this game between men and women, Zhang Qi held the absolute initiative.

Since he wouldn't be proactive, she would just have to be proactive herself.

But how exactly should she be proactive?

Just take off her clothes and say, "I'm not going back tonight"?

That would be too cheap, practically like an escort.

She had to be proactive, but she couldn't make herself look like an easy woman.