81: Chapter 81 is different.

The meal was very pleasant.

Eight dishes plus a bottle of champagne, the three of them ate for nearly an hour.

After Zhang Qi paid the bill, the system's notification sound rang in his mind: a double cashback of thirty-three thousand six hundred yuan.

As he stood up, Zhang Qi glanced at Qian Mengsheng.

The young girl's demeanor today was different from before. When she used to dine alone with him, she was always relaxed, joking around, and occasionally even teasing him.

But today, she was much quieter.

Especially when she looked at Manager Chen Danni, her eyes held an indescribable complexity.

It wasn't hostility, nor jealousy, but more like—she was contemplating something.

Zhang Qi knew very well.

Qian Mengsheng had feelings for him; this had been evident since their dinner at the Japanese restaurant that day.

It was just that this girl had always been conflicted, wanting to get closer but fearing she'd lose face, constantly wavering.

Now, seeing that Su Ran and Manager Chen Danni were both with him, the scales in her heart finally began to tip.

But Zhang Qi didn't show it.

For Qian Mengsheng, he truly felt differently than for others.

This girl had enlightened him when he was at his lowest, and he remembered this kindness.

So he wouldn't use money or tactics to pursue her, as he did with Su Ran and Sun Yiyao.

What was meant to be would come naturally.

The three took the elevator downstairs and exited the Financial Center Building.

It was already dark in Shenzhen in the evening.

The CBD office buildings lit up, and the glass curtain walls reflected the lingering glow of the orange-red sunset.

"It's definitely too late to register the company today."

Manager Chen Danni glanced at the time on her phone and said, "The industrial and commercial bureau closes at five."

"Mm, we'll do it tomorrow." Zhang Qi nodded.

The three stood at the entrance of the building, momentarily without direction.

Zhang Qi looked left and right, his gaze falling on the entrance of the mall across the street.

"Let's walk around for a bit, help with digestion."

Neither of the women objected.

The three crossed the road and entered the mall.

The mall wasn't crowded in the evening; the lighting was soft, and the air conditioning was just right.

Zhang Qi walked in the middle, Manager Chen Danni on his left, and Qian Mengsheng on his right.

Passing men frequently turned their heads.

It would be strange if they didn't.

The one on the left, in a white shirt and black wide-leg pants, with neat, ear-length short hair, delicate and elegant features, exuded an aura of 'do not approach'.

A thirty-year-old woman, with a composed temperament, every gesture carrying the poise honed by ten years in the workplace.

The one on the right, a slender figure wrapped in a milky-white knit sweater, a low ponytail draped over her shoulder, her face full of collagen, skin glowing white.

A girl in her early twenties, her ponytail swaying as she walked, full of youthful vitality.

Two distinctly different beauties, circling the same man.

A passing middle-aged man stared for several glances, only to be sharply pinched on the arm by his wife beside him.

Zhang Qi didn't pay attention to these gazes.

The three walked around the mall, passing several clothing stores and then a dessert counter.

Qian Mengsheng looked at the counter for a moment longer, and Zhang Qi casually bought three servings, one for each of them.

After about twenty minutes of browsing, Zhang Qi felt a bit bored.

"What should we do?" he asked casually, chewing on his dessert. "Go see a movie?"

As soon as he spoke.

Qian Mengsheng, on his right, noticeably paused with her spoon.

Manager Chen Danni, on his left, nearly choked on her milk tea.

Zhang Qi turned to his right.

Qian Mengsheng was looking down, her earlobes flushed, staring at the dessert cup in her hands without speaking.

He then turned to his left.

Manager Chen Danni turned her face away, a faint blush on her profile, reaching up to pretend to adjust her short hair.

Zhang Qi: "..."

He suddenly realized.

Last night, he had thoroughly kissed Manager Chen Danni in the cinema.

Now, hearing the words "cinema" again, Manager Chen Danni was naturally a bit uncomfortable.

As for Qian Mengsheng—

Zhang Qi didn't know her situation.

But at this moment, she too was blushing.

Two stunning beauties, one mature and elegant, the other youthful and sweet, yet at this moment they were like two cats whose soft spots had been poked, each looking down, each feeling guilty.

Zhang Qi found this scene quite interesting.

"Never mind, let's not watch it." Manager Chen Danni spoke first, her pace of speech faster than usual. "There are no good movies."

As she said this, her gaze involuntarily flickered towards Qian Mengsheng.

She didn't know Qian Mengsheng had seen them last night. But the words "cinema" were too sensitive for her.

What happened in that dark space yesterday still made her face flush just thinking about it.

"Let's go home."

Manager Chen Danni cleared her throat, regaining some of her usual capable tone. "Get a good night's rest tonight, and we'll deal with the company matters tomorrow."

She said this very formally.

But Zhang Qi understood another layer of meaning—Manager Chen Danni, who had been tormented by him for most of the night yesterday and this morning, hadn't quite recovered yet.

"Alright, let's go back." Zhang Qi nodded.

Then he turned to Qian Mengsheng.

"Mengsheng, your place is in Longgang, right? It takes over an hour from here."

Qian Mengsheng looked up, the blush from earlier still lingering in her round, almond-shaped eyes.

"Mm... it is quite far."

"How about you come back with us and stay for a night today?"

Zhang Qi's tone was very casual, the same as when he used to ask her at the company if she wanted to order takeout together. "It'll save you the commute, and we can go straight to business tomorrow morning."

Qian Mengsheng's fingers tightened around the dessert cup.

Go back and stay with him?

The old Qian Mengsheng would definitely have found an excuse to refuse.

It's too late and inconvenient, I have to work tomorrow, I need to get something from home—any reason could smooth things over.

But today.

"Okay."

Qian Mengsheng nodded, her voice softer than usual.

After saying that word, her entire face, from her earlobes to her neck, turned red.

She lowered her head, poking the dessert in the cup with her spoon, not daring to look into Zhang Qi's eyes.

Her heart was pounding.

Manager Chen Danni watched this scene from the side, her lips moved, but she said nothing.

The three discarded their dessert cups and took the elevator down to the basement parking lot.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Zhang Qi remembered a problem.

He stopped at the elevator entrance, looking at the matte gray porsche 911 ahead.

Two-seater.

Only two seats.

Now there were three people.

Zhang Qi looked at Manager Chen Danni, then at Qian Mengsheng.

The two women also realized, their gazes simultaneously falling on the sports car.

The atmosphere was silent for two seconds.

A scene involuntarily flashed through Zhang Qi's mind—Qian Mengsheng and Manager Chen Danni squeezed into the passenger seat. Manager Chen Danni's wide-leg pants, Qian Mengsheng's high-waisted dress pants, two pairs of long legs stacked together, pressed tightly in that narrow cockpit.

That image was indeed quite stimulating.

But it was clearly unrealistic.

"I drove here." Manager Chen Danni spoke first, pulling a car key from her bag.

"I'll drive back myself; you take Mengsheng."

As she finished speaking, her gaze lingered on Qian Mengsheng for a moment.

Not a warning, nor dissatisfaction. Just a... confirmation.

Then she turned and walked away.

Her black high heels clacked crisply on the concrete floor of the parking lot, a steady rhythm, her posture tall and straight.

Only Zhang Qi and Qian Mengsheng were left in the parking lot.

Zhang Qi walked towards his Porsche, pressing the remote key. The car lights flashed twice, and the door lock sprang open.

He pulled open the driver's side door and looked back.

Qian Mengsheng stood three steps away, her hands clasped in front of her, her fingertips nervously twisting the hem of her knit sweater.

The parking lot lights shone on her face, her fair skin almost glowing. Her low ponytail hung over her right shoulder, a few wisps of hair clinging to her ear.

The milky-white knit sweater had a soft texture under the lights, making her look both obedient and nervous.

She didn't move.

It wasn't that she didn't want to get in the car; she was hesitating which foot to step in with first.

Zhang Qi looked at her expression and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Why are you standing there, get in."

Qian Mengsheng bit her lip, walked over quickly, and pulled open the passenger door.

As she bent to sit in, the neckline of her knit sweater slid down slightly, revealing a section of her fair collarbone.

She quickly reached up to pull her collar, then pulled the seatbelt over and fastened it.

After completing the entire sequence, she placed both hands neatly on her knees, sitting ramrod straight, looking forward.

Like an interview.

Zhang Qi got into the driver's seat and started the engine. The flat-six engine emitted a deep roar, echoing in the empty parking lot.

The car slowly backed out of the parking space and headed towards the exit.

Qian Mengsheng in the passenger seat didn't say a word.

Zhang Qi could smell her scent. It wasn't perfume; it was the natural, slightly milky body odor of a young girl.

In the narrow cockpit of the 911, the distance between the two of them was less than thirty centimeters.

Qian Mengsheng's breathing was very light, but it was clearly audible in the quiet car.

The car exited the parking lot and merged into the evening traffic.

Red light.

Zhang Qi rested one hand on the steering wheel and turned his head to glance at Qian Mengsheng.

The young girl sat as straight as a stick, her face slightly turned towards the car window, as if looking at the night view outside. But Zhang Qi could see the redness on her earlobes, spreading down her neck and into her collar.

"Why are you nervous?" Zhang Qi's tone carried a hint of amusement.

Qian Mengsheng's shoulders trembled slightly.

"No, not nervous." Her voice was a little shaky.

Zhang Qi didn't speak again. The green light came on, and he pressed the accelerator.

The 911 accelerated into the night, its engine sound becoming deep and prolonged. The streetlights outside the window swept past, casting alternating light and shadow on Qian Mengsheng's face.

Her fingers quietly gripped the fabric of her pants on her knees.

Her heartbeat was so loud she could hear it herself.

She didn't know what would happen tonight.

But she knew that from the moment she got into this car, some things had already changed.