56: Chapter 56 Manager, you don't want to lose your job, do you?

The two stood at the entryway, staring at each other in shock.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment.

"Holy crap, why is it you?"

Hearing such a colorful expletive come from the usually cold and glamorous Manager Chen Danni was truly a stark contrast.

Zhang Qi couldn't hold back his reaction either.

Shenzhen had a permanent population of nearly twenty million; the odds of this happening were barely higher than winning the jackpot in the lottery.

Manager Chen Danni was completely stunned.

She widened her eyes, staring fixedly at Zhang Qi, who was standing at the door.

He wore high-end casual wear with an excellent texture, though the brand was unrecognizable, and the Patek Philippe on his wrist was faintly reflecting light.

Most importantly, there was an air of calm composure about Zhang Qi.

Was this really the same subordinate who, just a few days ago, had been sneakily slacking off in their office?

Manager Chen Danni's head was buzzing.

Agent Liu Wei, who was standing to the side, was also completely confused.

He looked at Zhang Qi, then at Manager Chen Danni.

"Sister Danni, Mr. Zhang, do you two... know each other?" Agent Liu Wei asked tentatively.

Manager Chen Danni took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in her heart.

She glanced at Agent Liu Wei, then looked at Zhang Qi.

"Zhang Qi, are you... are you looking to buy a house here?" The expression on Manager Chen Danni's face was quite vivid—partly embarrassed, but mostly surprised.

She knew the housing prices here all too well.

The average price for a flat in Yinhu Residence was over eighty or ninety thousand per square meter. With this one-hundred-eighty-square-meter unit, plus her top-tier interior renovation, the listed price was a full sixteen million.

She had struggled and climbed for so many years in the financial world to reach the position of Analysis Department Manager, only barely managing to save enough for the down payment on this place while carrying a heavy mortgage.

And yet, look at Zhang Qi.

He hadn't worked at the company for more than a few years, and she knew better than anyone the measly fixed salary he earned each month.

Now, he was actually going to buy a house here with full payment.

Exactly how much money had he made from his investments?

"Uh, yeah." Zhang Qi nodded.

The expression on his face was also a bit strange.

The once aloof, confident, and capable female superior was now standing before him, her face showing undisguised embarrassment.

This massive role reversal didn't make Manager Chen Danni look pathetic; instead, that touch of awkwardness gave her a vivid, feminine charm he hadn't seen before.

Agent Liu Wei stood nearby, his heart thumping.

It was over; the commission for this deal was likely gone.

The buyer and the seller were actually acquaintances.

"Um..." Manager Chen Danni reached up to tuck her short hair behind her ear and turned to look at Agent Liu Wei.

"Little Liu, we know each other."

"You shouldn't be needed for this deal; let us talk by ourselves."

"You can head back first. I'll transfer a big red envelope to you in a bit. Thank you for your hard work today."

Agent Liu Wei was a smart man.

In the agency business, the thing they feared most was the buyer and seller bypassing the agent.

But in a situation like this, there was nothing he could do.

After all, they knew each other. Even if they pushed him aside, they would still negotiate, and at least Manager Chen Danni was willing to send him a red envelope...

"Alright, Sister Danni. Then you two talk. If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime."

Agent Liu Wei offered a fawning smile, tactfully retreated, and closed the security door behind him.

Click.

With the door closed, only Zhang Qi and Manager Chen Danni remained in the spacious living room.

The atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

"Sister Danni, isn't your job quite stable? Why are you selling your house out of the blue?" Zhang Qi asked curiously, breaking the awkward silence first.

Manager Chen Danni crossed her arms over her chest, causing the silk white shirt to stretch to an astonishing curve.

She stared straight at Zhang Qi, her tone carrying a hint of irritation.

"Isn't it because of you!"

Zhang Qi was left completely confused by this statement.

This blame was being shifted in such an inexplicable way.

"And what does this have to do with me?" He spread his hands, looking innocent.

Manager Chen Danni didn't answer immediately.

She walked to the island in the open kitchen, poured two glasses of warm water, and handed one to Zhang Qi.

"I heard from the agent that you want to buy this place with full payment."

Manager Chen Danni changed the subject, looking at Zhang Qi with burning eyes.

"Can you give me the bottom line? How much have you actually made, kid?"

Zhang Qi took the glass and took a slow sip.

"Well, about that..."

Of course, he couldn't say.

Seeing him hesitate, Manager Chen Danni waved her hand.

"Forget it, no need to say."

She understood the rules and knew the principle of making a fortune quietly in the financial world.

"That's your business; I won't ask."

"But I bet you must have made quite a lot. To dare to pay over ten million in full for a house, you must have at least one hundred million in cash!" Manager Chen Danni said with a firm tone.

"It's not quite that much yet." Zhang Qi replied truthfully.

It was indeed not over one hundred million, just over sixteen million in cash.

It was just that he could get double cash back on his spending, so his actual purchasing power was even more terrifying than having one hundred million.

Manager Chen Danni sighed.

She pointed to the large leather sofa in the center of the living room.

"Come sit."

"I really wouldn't feel comfortable telling anyone else about this. It's only because it's you that I can bring myself to say it."

Zhang Qi walked to the sofa and sat down.

He studied his beautiful superior sitting opposite him.

Manager Chen Danni was dressed quite elegantly today—a white shirt paired with black high-waisted wide-leg trousers.

But on that cold and exquisite face, there was currently less of her usual decisiveness, and more of the helplessness and exhaustion that comes from being beaten down by reality.

She sat with her legs crossed, leaning back against the sofa, her gaze lost as she looked at the mountain view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"That day you brought up your resignation in the office, saying you had made a fortune from investments."

"Although I signed the papers to let you go at the time, I was actually a bit uncomfortable in my heart."

Manager Chen Danni's voice was not loud, as if she were talking to herself.

"To be precise, it was resentment."

"I graduated from a prestigious university's finance department and have worked as an Analysis Department Manager at Zhisheng for so many years."

"Every day I stare at the market, analyzing all sorts of data reports."

"Don't I understand investment better than you, kid?"

"Why should you be the one to get rich first?"

Manager Chen Danni turned her head to look at Zhang Qi, a self-deprecating bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"That night, I went back and couldn't sleep for half the night."

"Tossing and turning, my mind was full of your smug face."

Zhang Qi rubbed his nose.

It seemed he had been a little too high-profile when he left that day.

He had even teased her.

"I had a sense of resentment in my heart."

Manager Chen Danni continued, her tone gradually becoming heavy.

"This feeling made me decide to take a gamble."

"Coincidentally, a large sum of company funds passed through my hands recently, which needed to go through a few days of processing."

"I had been keeping an eye on a stock I was very optimistic about, and all the data indicated there was going to be a big surge."

"So I decided to misappropriate those funds and go in to make some quick money."

Hearing this, Zhang Qi raised his eyebrows slightly.

Misappropriating public funds to speculate on stocks.

This was an absolute red line in the financial industry.

Once discovered, not only would she lose her job, but she would also have to go inside and sew sewing machines.

A woman like Manager Chen Danni, who was usually extremely steady and capable, would actually make such a low-level mistake.

"I knew there was risk, and it was illegal."

Manager Chen Danni's hands were tightly clasped together.

"But I thought at the time, if a kid like you could get rich, I'm an Analysis Department Manager, how could I be worse than you?"

"As long as I get in and out quickly, earn the spread, and put the money back, no one would know."

"So, I hardened my heart and threw the money in."

Manager Chen Danni's expression was very helpless, even carrying a trace of regret.

These words were truly hard to say for someone who was usually aloof.

Admitting in front of her former subordinate that she had done something stupid out of jealousy was harder than killing her.

It was only because it was Zhang Qi, the "culprit" who triggered her impulse, that she was able to let go of her inhibitions and speak about it.

Hearing this, Zhang Qi understood everything completely.

No wonder Manager Chen Danni said "Isn't it because of you" as soon as they met.

Come to think of it, there really was a factor of his own in this.

If it hadn't been for the financial strength he displayed when he resigned that day, she wouldn't have lost her composure.

But in the end, the main reason was that Manager Chen Danni herself had developed greed and was too confident.

As for the rest of the story, there was no need for Manager Chen Danni to continue.

Zhang Qi could guess the ending with his eyes closed.

It must have been that the stock she was optimistic about had plummeted.

Not only did she not make quick money, but she also got the misappropriated public funds trapped inside.

Now the transfer deadline was approaching, and the company's finance department was about to audit the accounts.

If this money couldn't be filled, once the matter was exposed, it wouldn't be as simple as losing money.

In order to fill this huge hole and keep her job and freedom.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and urgently list this almost-new house, which she had just finished renovating and hadn't lived in for long, for sale.

No wonder the agent said the owner was selling urgently.

She was really desperate to save her life.

Zhang Qi leaned back on the sofa, looking at the beautiful superior in front of him, who was slightly pursing her red lips, her face full of helplessness and unwillingness.

Manager Chen Danni's defenses were completely down at this moment.

Without the aura of a career woman, she was now just an ordinary woman facing a huge crisis with nowhere to turn.

The full curves wrapped under that silk white shirt rose and fell slightly with her somewhat rapid breathing.

Her long legs were crossed, exuding a charm unique to a mature woman.

Zhang Qi felt no sympathy at all.

The financial market was inherently a place that ate people without spitting out the bones.

As an adult, one had to bear the consequences of their own mistakes.

However.

Looking at Manager Chen Danni's pitiful appearance, while she stubbornly refused to break down.

A classic line, extremely inappropriate yet very fitting, suddenly popped into Zhang Qi's mind.

He recited it silently in his heart, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve into a playful arc.

"Manager."

"You wouldn't want to lose your job, would you?"