59: Chapter 59 Qian Mengsheng: I'm going to suffer a lot!

Zhang Qi leaned back against the leather sofa in the bank's VIP room, his gaze resting openly on Manager Chen Danni's face.

This once-decisive, authoritative, cold, and beautiful female boss was now tightly pursing her red lips.

Her fair, delicate cheeks were flushed, as if stained with a layer of fine rouge.

Zhang Qi found it amusing.

This was the first time he had seen such an uneasy expression on Manager Chen Danni's face.

Usually, Manager Chen Danni always wore a cold expression and stiff professional attire, her gaze sharp enough to make new interns cry.

But now, that hard shell had been ruthlessly shattered by reality.

That high-and-mighty aura had vanished without a trace, replaced by a delicate, pitiful vulnerability unique to mature women.

It had to be said, this contrast was more attractive than simple beauty.

Manager Chen Danni felt a shiver down her spine under Zhang Qi's direct gaze.

An unprecedented sense of shame and annoyance surged within her.

Zhang Qi's playful gaze made her extremely uncomfortable.

Because of her striking looks, she had been subjected to such gazes her entire life.

She had worked hard precisely to ensure that no one would dare to look at her that way.

And now, she was actually being looked at this way by her former subordinate...

But she was truly out of options.

She had exhausted all her energy trying to cope with the upcoming financial audit.

Every day, not only did she have to scramble to raise money, but she also had to put on an indifferent facade at the company, terrified that others might notice something amiss.

Her current mental state was like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

How could she possibly have the energy left to pack, find a rental agent, and move house?

Besides, she had just finished renovating that apartment and hadn't been living there long; everything was just the way she liked it.

When people are at their most mentally fragile and insecure, they instinctively cling to familiar environments.

Moving to an unfamiliar rental would only cause her anxiety to multiply, perhaps even leading to a complete breakdown.

If she hadn't been pushed to this point, her pride would never have allowed her to lower herself and beg Zhang Qi.

Zhang Qi watched her conflicted expression and tapped his fingers twice on the sofa armrest.

He weighed his options.

Although this woman was a bit dense and hadn't offered any real sincerity in exchange for that five million in life-saving funds.

Still, letting her stay for a few days was just a matter of saying the word.

After all, they had been superior and subordinate for so long; helping with this small favor was no trouble at all.

"Fine, then you can just stay there for now." Zhang Qi nodded, his tone very casual.

Manager Chen Danni's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, suddenly settled, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Zhang Qi." She looked up, her eyes full of gratitude.

"Don't thank me just yet." Zhang Qi's lips curled into a smirk, and he added slowly,

"That house is mine now, and I'll be staying there at night too."

"As long as you don't find it inconvenient, Sister Danni."

Manager Chen Danni was stunned for a moment.

A man and a woman alone in one room.

In the past, she would have immediately given him a cold look and told him to get lost.

But now, circumstances forced her hand.

"I'm already very grateful that you're willing to take me in; it's no inconvenience at all." Manager Chen Danni forced a smile and thanked him again.

Although she spoke words of gratitude, an unspeakable sorrow welled up in Manager Chen Danni's heart.

She had worked so hard in the financial industry for so many years.

Staying up late to watch the market, writing reports—she hadn't even had time to date or be with a man.

She had finally saved enough for a down payment and decorated her dream home.

And now, because of one moment of greed, the house belonged to someone else.

She had to beg and thank someone just to sleep in the home she had decorated with her own hands.

What kind of situation was this?

Leaving the bank, they both got into the matte gray porsche 911.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat silent.

Zhang Qi held the steering wheel with one hand, skillfully controlling this multi-million dollar steel beast.

The roar of the engine echoed through the streets of Shenzhen.

He was in an incredibly good mood.

He now had a house, and his bank balance had broken through again, reaching the 30 million mark.

This feeling was truly addictive.

Zhang Qi now realized that it wasn't that he didn't like shopping; he just didn't like spending a lot of time buying cheap things.

If he could make one or two large transactions of millions or tens of millions every day, he would be more than happy to do so...

Manager Chen Danni sat in the passenger seat, her eyes vacant as she watched the street scene fly by outside the window.

Twenty minutes later, the Porsche pulled steadily into the underground garage of Yinhu Residence.

Zhang Qi unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the door.

"I'm going upstairs to check out my new place. You're heading back to the company, right?" Zhang Qi asked casually as he stood outside the car.

It was past five in the afternoon, but not yet time to get off work.

"Yeah, I need to go back and handle some work." Manager Chen Danni nodded and walked in her high heels toward her understated Volvo S60.

Zhang Qi didn't say anything else and turned toward the elevator lobby.

Manager Chen Danni sat in the driver's seat of her Volvo, watching Zhang Qi's back disappear behind the elevator doors.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and took several deep breaths, struggling to calm the heartache within.

Then, she started the car, drove out of the garage, and headed toward Zhisheng Finance.

Half an hour later.

In the Shenzhen CBD, at Zhisheng Finance.

The elevator doors opened on the sixteenth floor.

Manager Chen Danni stepped out of the elevator, her heels clicking rhythmically against the marble floor.

The moment she stepped out of the elevator, the fatigue, uneasiness, and vulnerability on her face were completely hidden away.

Her delicate face was once again covered in frost.

Her gaze became sharp and calm.

She had transformed back into the "she-devil" who made the entire analysis department tremble in fear.

She pushed open the doors to the analysis department.

In the spacious office area, the sound of typing keyboards and hushed discussions intertwined.

Seeing Manager Chen Danni walk in, the previously somewhat noisy office area instantly quieted down.

Several employees who had been slacking off and chatting immediately straightened their backs, eyes fixed on their computer screens, feigning extreme focus.

Manager Chen Danni said nothing, simply walking slowly down the aisle of the office area.

Her cold, sharp gaze swept over every employee's workstation like a searchlight.

This was her unshakeable daily habit.

As a department manager, she had to maintain this air of authority at all times to keep the cunning staff under her in check.

But today, her mind was not at all on the employees' work efficiency.

Her mind was entirely consumed by that five-million-yuan financial hole.

Even with the house sold, she was still five million short.

The company's financial audit was drawing closer, like a Sword of Damocles hanging over her head, ready to fall and crush her at any moment.

She had been thinking about it the entire way here.

The only person with the ability—and the potential—to help her get through this crisis was Zhang Qi.

Zhang Qi could casually pull out 16 million to buy a house in full; five million was definitely not an impossible sum for him.

However, the problem was, why would Zhang Qi help her?

Aside from their professional interactions, they had no personal relationship whatsoever.

The fact that Zhang Qi had added a few hundred thousand to the house price earlier was already more than enough kindness.

If she were to ask to borrow five million directly, she would likely be ruthlessly rejected.

She had to find a way to identify a breakthrough that could persuade or move Zhang Qi.

To move someone, one must first understand them.

But her understanding of Zhang Qi was limited to the fact that he had been a reliable worker at the company, occasionally slacking off on the sly.

As for his true personality, what he liked, or what he cared about, she knew nothing.

Just as she was frowning and deep in thought,

her gaze swept over a workstation in the corner of the office area.

A young, fashionable girl was sitting there.

She was wearing a slim-fitting knit sweater, sporting delicate, light makeup, and was currently chewing on her pen while blankly staring at a data report on her computer screen.

Manager Chen Danni's footsteps faltered slightly, her gaze lingering on the girl.

Qian Mengsheng.

Manager Chen Danni remembered clearly that ever since Qian Mengsheng had joined the company six months ago, Zhang Qi had been the one mentoring her.

Zhang Qi hadn't just taught her how to read the market and write analysis reports; their relationship seemed good privately, and she could often see them laughing and chatting together.

If it came to understanding Zhang Qi, there was absolutely no one else in the entire analysis department who knew him better than Qian Mengsheng.

Moreover, Qian Mengsheng was a simple girl with no ulterior motives; it would be easy to get information out of her.

At this thought, Manager Chen Danni's eyes narrowed slightly.

If she wanted to handle Zhang Qi, digging for information from Qian Mengsheng was definitely the right starting point.

Manager Chen Danni did not hesitate.

She stopped in her tracks, looked at Qian Mengsheng not far away, and spoke in a cold tone.

"Qian Mengsheng, come here."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it sounded jarringly abrupt in the quiet office.

Without pausing, she turned and walked straight toward her private office.

The sound of her high heels clicking on the floor faded into the distance.

The other employees in the office area all looked up, casting sympathetic and gloating glances at Qian Mengsheng.

In the analysis department, being called into Sister Danni's office alone was never a good thing.

At best, you'd get a dressing-down; at worst, your performance bonus would be deducted.

Qian Mengsheng had been staring blankly at her computer screen, her mind still replaying the chaotic mess she had seen at Su Ran's place last night.

When she heard Manager Chen Danni call her name, she shuddered, and the ballpoint pen in her hand dropped onto the desk.

After Zhang Qi had resigned and left, all the work he had been responsible for had been dumped on her.

She wasn't very proficient in the work to begin with, and today her mind was completely occupied by thoughts of Zhang Qi and Su Ran; her productivity was atrociously low.

She had been working on a simple industry analysis report all morning and half the afternoon, and she hadn't even managed to smooth out the introduction yet.

Manager Chen Danni was very serious about her work and had zero tolerance for incompetence.

Could it be... that she had noticed her low productivity today and wanted to punish her?

"Brother Qi, oh Brother Qi, you left so easily, but I'm going to suffer for it!"

Qian Mengsheng inwardly lamented, looking as if she were heading to the execution grounds as she stood up and walked toward Manager Chen Danni's office.