78: Chapter 78 The female boss is a little guilty

Zhang Qi pushed open the door to Manager Chen Danni's office, his movements as casual as if he were returning to his own home.

"Who is it? Don't you know how to knock?"

Manager Chen Danni looked up, the words on her lips coming to an abrupt halt.

The moment she saw who it was, a flash of panic crossed her normally cold face, and her voice softened immediately.

"Why are you here?"

These four words came out of her mouth completely devoid of the decisive, no-nonsense tone she usually displayed in front of her subordinates. They carried a hint of surprise, a hint of joy, and even a hint of... coquettishness.

She was stunned by herself the moment she finished speaking.

Manager Chen Danni glanced quickly toward the door to ensure no one in the hallway had noticed, then hurriedly reached out to pull the door shut.

The moment the glass door closed, the atmosphere in the office changed.

"I'm here for something, sit down and let's talk."

As Zhang Qi spoke, he strode behind the desk and plopped himself down into Manager Chen Danni's leather executive chair.

The back of the chair still retained the faint scent of her perfume, mixed with the natural fragrance of her voluptuous body.

Manager Chen Danni stood where she was, watching her seat being occupied. Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.

She pulled over a guest chair, preparing to sit opposite him.

But before her bottom could even touch the seat, her wrist was grabbed by a powerful hand.

With a firm tug from Zhang Qi, she was pulled directly over.

Manager Chen Danni lost her balance and fell into his arms.

"You—"

She instinctively wanted to struggle, but Zhang Qi's arm had already clamped around her waist, pressing her firmly onto his lap.

Zhang Qi looked down at the woman in his arms.

Today, Manager Chen Danni was wearing a sharply tailored white shirt made of a high-count cotton with a silky sheen, buttoned up to the second button, revealing a glimpse of her fair neck and delicate collarbones.

On her lower half, she wore black high-waisted wide-leg trousers, with the belt cinched tight, accentuating her slender waist that could be encircled by a pair of hands.

Her ear-length short hair was combed perfectly, and she wore a pair of tiny silver studs on her earlobes. Her makeup was so light it was almost imperceptible, but her brows were neatly groomed, and her lips were a soft, dusty pink.

She appeared entirely capable, cold, and aloof.

She was like a completely different person from the woman who had been wearing a tight leather skirt and panting in bed the night before.

Yet, it was precisely this appearance that made Zhang Qi feel an itch in his heart.

The Manager Chen Danni of last night was prey that had offered herself up, while the Manager Chen Danni of this moment was a high-and-mighty female manager.

To have her in his arms, right here in her own office, sitting in her own chair—this feeling was even more stimulating than last night.

Manager Chen Danni's body was as tense as a taut string.

She could feel Zhang Qi's hand resting on her waist, and through the thin fabric of her shirt, the heat from that hand made her scalp tingle.

This was her office.

There were dozens of employees sitting outside the door.

No matter how good the soundproofing was, it wasn't absolutely safe.

If someone were to push the door open—

Just imagining that scene made Manager Chen Danni feel her face burning.

"W-what is it? Just tell me quickly."

Her voice trembled slightly, and she unconsciously shifted her body, trying to put some distance between herself and Zhang Qi.

But Zhang Qi's arm remained motionless, even tightening a fraction.

"I want to register a company," Zhang Qi began, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "And I want you to run it for me."

Manager Chen Danni was stunned for a moment.

She had assumed Zhang Qi had come to see her for... that sort of thing.

It turned out to be business?

"Huh?" Her expression shifted from nervous to confused.

Immediately, professional instinct kicked in, and she quickly entered analytical mode.

"You should save your money," Manager Chen Danni frowned, her tone becoming serious. "In the current environment, this isn't a good time to start a business. The real economy is sluggish, consumption is downgraded; no matter how much cash flow you have, throwing it in doesn't guarantee you'll hear a splash."

She was genuinely looking out for Zhang Qi.

After all, although Zhang Qi had a lot of money, she didn't know the source. What if it was a one-off windfall? What if it was gone once spent?

After listening, Zhang Qi chuckled.

His hand slid from Manager Chen Danni's waist to her thigh, and through the fabric of her wide-leg trousers, he gave it a light pat.

It wasn't a heavy slap, but Manager Chen Danni still shivered all over.

"You don't need to worry about that," Zhang Qi's tone was certain. "In any case, you just need to know that even if the business fails, it won't hurt my roots."

Manager Chen Danni bit her lip.

Wouldn't hurt his roots?

In the past few days, Zhang Qi's spending could be described as throwing money around. Just the things Manager Chen Danni knew about were enough to leave her tongue-tied.

How much money did he actually have?

This question swirled in her mind, but in the end, she didn't ask it.

It was true that she was Zhang Qi's woman, but there were some things she shouldn't pry into. She had at least that much sense of boundaries.

"Then... what direction will the company take?" Manager Chen Danni changed the question.

"Start with physical stores first, then expand slowly later," Zhang Qi said briefly. "We can talk about the specifics later; today, we need to settle one thing first."

"What thing?"

"You resign."

Manager Chen Danni's body stiffened.

"Resign?" She repeated the word, her voice carrying obvious hesitation.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the nameplate on the desk that read "Analysis Department Manager."

From graduation until now, she had been at Zhisheng Finance for nearly ten years. She had started as a bottom-level analyst and climbed step by step to her current position. How many nights had she spent working overtime until dawn, how many cutthroat battles had she fought with peers for projects, and how many thrilling moments had she navigated while under pressure to make the right decisions.

This office and this title were what she had exchanged ten years of her youth for.

"If I work for you, then here..."

"Quit directly."

Zhang Qi didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence, his tone crisp, decisive, and unquestionable.

"You can't work for me while also being a manager here. Your energy would be split, and you wouldn't do either well."

Manager Chen Danni looked up at him.

The man's eyes were calm, but there was something in them that refused to be denied.

It wasn't a discussion; it was a notification.

In the past, if anyone had dared to speak to her in this tone, she would have flipped out long ago.

But now...

To her surprise, the emotion welling up in her heart right now wasn't the humiliation of being coerced.

It was a sense of... peace.

Someone was making decisions for her.

No more agonizing, no more weighing the pros and cons, no more carrying all the pressure by herself.

If Zhang Qi said to resign, then she would resign.

Manager Chen Danni was silent for a few seconds, then slowly pressed her face against Zhang Qi's chest.

Through his shirt, she could hear his steady, powerful heartbeat.

"Alright then."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of resignation-like tenderness.

"Then I'm completely yours to sell."

Zhang Qi looked down at her, reached out to pinch her chin, and lifted her face.

Their eyes met.

The sharpness and defensiveness in Manager Chen Danni's eyes were gone, leaving only a gentle, watery sheen.

"Write the resignation letter today," Zhang Qi let go of her chin, his tone returning to normal. "Handle the handover yourself, the sooner the better."

"Mm," Manager Chen Danni replied, straightening her body from his embrace.

When she stood up, her legs felt a bit weak, and she had to steady herself against the edge of the desk.

Zhang Qi also got up from the chair and brushed the non-existent dust off his pants.

"Oh, right," he paused when he reached the door and looked back at Manager Chen Danni. "Come out to eat with me in a while, Qian Mengsheng will be there too."

Manager Chen Danni nodded, then suddenly remembered something.

"Wait—Qian Mengsheng is going too?"

Her brows furrowed slightly.

She didn't know that Qian Mengsheng had caught them at the cinema the previous night.

But as Qian Mengsheng's supervisor, and knowing full well that Qian Mengsheng was also interested in Zhang Qi, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.