182: Chapter 181 Qin Feng, You're a Gentleman with Your Hand on My Waist

Gu Qianqian put down her glass, her finger tracing a circle around the stem.

"The negotiation with Hanhang Heavy Industry is at nine tomorrow morning. The other side is bringing a legal team of six."

Her voice had returned to its normal frequency, as if she were finding a reason for herself to stop drinking.

"I need to stay sharp."

Qin Feng didn't respond, pouring himself another half-glass. The liquid left an amber film on the side of the glass.

The fruity aroma spread through the private room, the sweetness of osmanthus wafting into her nose.

Gu Qianqian's gaze lingered on the glass for two seconds.

She picked it up and took a sip.

Just one sip.

The dishes were served one after another.

Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, Braised Pork Balls with Crab Meat, and Salted Duck—the presentation was incredibly exquisite.

Gu Qianqian took a couple of bites before picking up her glass again.

"One last sip."

Qin Feng watched her bring the glass to her lips and gave a low "Mhm," not calling her out.

This was already the third "last sip" she had claimed.

Gu Qianqian put down the glass, and Qin Feng refilled it for her.

"No need to pour more."

"Alright."

The glass was already full.

Gu Qianqian stared at the glass for three seconds, reached out to pick it up, and took another sip.

This time it wasn't just a sip; she drank nearly half the glass.

Qin Feng saw the color of her earlobes begin to spread down to her neck.

Her fair skin flushed pink layer by layer, from the base of her ears to her neck, traveling down along her collar.

Her eyes were changing too.

That aloof, scrutinizing look was melting away, her pupils covered with a watery sheen, her focus slightly blurred.

"Your face is flushed," Qin Feng said.

"It's hot."

Gu Qianqian tugged at her collar, her fingers pinching the top button of her shirt, rubbing it against the buttonhole with her thumb and forefinger.

She raised a hand to wipe her forehead; fine beads of sweat were seeping from her temples.

The air conditioning in the room was set to twenty-two degrees, with cool air pouring down from the vent overhead.

It wasn't hot.

It was the alcohol.

Her fingers hesitated on that button for a few seconds before she finally undid it.

The button slipped out of the hole, and the collar opened up a bit.

The line of her collarbones emerged from beneath the fabric, extending to both sides, with a thin layer of sweat pooling in the hollow between them.

Further down, the satin shirt was stretched into curves, the fabric taut and rising and falling with her breath.

After the collar opened, that patch of skin, which had been hidden by black fabric all day, was suddenly exposed to the warm light. It was dazzlingly white, forming a sharp boundary with the edge of the black cloth.

Qin Feng's gaze lingered on her collarbones for a moment before moving to her face.

Enough. Keep it together.

He raised his teacup to mask his reaction.

"You can't handle your liquor. Stop drinking."

"Who says I can't handle it?"

Gu Qianqian ran her tongue over her lips and picked up the glass again.

This time, she drank more than half the glass.

When she put the glass down, her wrist knocked against the table. The glass tilted, spilling a few drops of wine.

Her gaze was starting to drift; when she looked at Qin Feng, her pupils were noticeably slower to focus.

Her lips, moistened by the wine, glistened with a watery sheen.

"Qin Feng."

"Mhm."

"Do you know, when I was at Morgan Stanley..."

Her voice suddenly dropped, her finger circling the stem of the glass.

"In my first year, I worked on a model for seventy-two hours and came up with the best valuation plan in the entire Asia-Pacific region."

"And then?"

"And then my white boss crossed my name off the front page of the report and replaced it with his own."

Her eyelashes drooped, and her voice trailed off.

"I went to see him, and he said, 'Sweetheart, this is Wall Street, not your college campus...'"

Qin Feng's finger paused on the rim of his cup.

"I didn't cry," Gu Qianqian's voice began to tremble. "I sat in the office restroom for twenty minutes, then came out and went back to work."

"What happened later?"

"Later, I spent three years climbing my way up to the position of Vice President."

She looked up, her eyes already rimmed with red. Tears brimmed in her eyes but didn't fall.

"Three years. Working over sixteen hours every day. No weekends, no holidays, no friends."

She bit her lower lip.

"Those white men in their forties and fifties... during meetings, they never looked at my face. Their eyes were always wandering downward."

"They thought I only got that position because of this face."

Her fingers gripped the stem of the glass, her knuckles turning white.

"Exactly what Wang Dehou said."

As she said this, her chin quivered.

Qin Feng looked at her hand gripping the glass.

Gu Qianqian's body tilted two degrees to the right, her shoulders slanting.

The alcohol was hitting her.

Her center of gravity became unstable, and she suddenly slumped to one side.

Qin Feng's right hand reached out from under the table, his arm blocking the direction she was falling.

Her shoulder leaned against his arm.

The moment her full weight pressed against him, Qin Feng pulled his arm back and naturally gathered her into his embrace.

Her back pressed against his chest.

The satin fabric of her shirt slipped at the point of contact, forcing his palm to grip tighter to steady her.

Through the thin layer of satin, the warmth of his palm met the heat of the skin at her waist.

Her waist was so narrow he could barely get a grip; as his fingers closed around it, his fingertips pressed into the soft flesh beneath the fabric.

A portion of her shirt had been pulled out from her skirt's waistband, the hem rolling up to reveal a small patch of skin on her side.

That patch of skin was flushed pink from the alcohol, so delicate that his fingers didn't want to move once they touched it.

Gu Qianqian's body slid down half an inch in his arms, the back of her head brushing against his shoulder.

With her collar open, looking down from Qin Feng's perspective—

He pulled his gaze back and looked at the ceiling.

Fine. Today is a test of my self-control.

"Qin Feng..."

Gu Qianqian's voice drifted up from near his shoulder, muffled and nasal.

"Mhm."

"Before returning to China, I thought running a business here would be easier."

Her fingers unconsciously pinched the fabric of Qin Feng's suit sleeve, rubbing it repeatedly.

"And the result?"

"The result was that when I took over Qinsheng Group, the finances were fake, the ledgers were fake, and even the approval processes were fake."

Her voice grew lower and lower, her breath smelling of alcohol.

"Wang Chao and his father had hollowed out most of the company, leaving a mountain of bad debts, and the shareholders were all just watching for the fallout."

Her fingers tightened around his sleeve.

"They're just a bunch of bastards."

Qin Feng's brow twitched.

"People like Wang Chao and his father belong in prison."

Gu Qianqian rubbed her head against his shoulder, as if nodding.

"Right, prison. If they aren't locked up, there's no way to answer to the shareholders."

As she spoke, her eyes were half-closed, her voice incredibly soft.

"You did well..."

"In all of Jinling, no one dared to touch the Wang family, but you took them down all by yourself."

"Impressive."

She rubbed against his shoulder again.

"Truly impressive."

[Ding! Detected extreme admiration from Gu Qianqian! System points +3,500!]

[Ding! Detected extreme shyness from Gu Qianqian! System points +2,800!]

[Ding! Detected the special emotion of "dependence" from Gu Qianqian! System points +4,000!]

Qin Feng looked at the notifications flooding his mind, nearly unable to keep a straight face.

When this woman was sober, she was a walking perpetual motion machine for points.

When drunk, she was a points nuke.

Gu Qianqian's body slid down another notch; this time, she simply buried her entire head in the crook of Qin Feng's neck.

Her forehead pressed against his neck, her nose brushing just below his Adam's apple.

Her breath hit his skin—warm and carrying the scent of green plum and osmanthus wine.

"Qin Feng."

"Mhm."

"I'm glad you were here today."

Her voice was slurred, her lips brushing against his collar.

"If you hadn't been in the hallway, I would have been alone... I wasn't afraid of him, but..."

"But?"

"But the company would have lost all its face."

Her fingers were still rubbing his sleeve, her strength fading.

"If word got out tomorrow that the CEO of Qin Sheng was cornered and cursed out in a hallway by a deposed former shareholder, the stock price would drop at least two points."

Qin Feng looked down.

Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, her ears bright red, and the ends of her hair rested on his shoulder.

With her collar open, the curves of her skin below her collarbones were faintly visible under the light,

rising and falling slightly with her breath.

The satin of her shirt clung to her curves, the fabric tightening at her waist,

stretching downward to reveal a smooth silhouette.

His arm around her waist felt that curve,

and beneath his palm was the soft, warm touch wrapped in fabric.

Qin Feng's Adam's apple bobbed.

A gentleman.

He repeated it to himself three times in his mind.

"Aren't you afraid I might not be a gentleman?" Qin Feng's voice was very low.

Gu Qianqian didn't answer.

Her breathing became more even, her eyelashes brushing against his neck as she blinked twice.

She wasn't asleep; she was just lingering in a half-dreamy state.

"Mhm... you're a gentleman."

She murmured slurringly, her lips brushing his collar again.

"A gentleman with his hand on my waist..."

Qin Feng's fingers twitched at her waist.

This woman still wanted to settle old scores even when she was drunk.

Gu Qianqian's breathing grew shallower, and more of her weight pressed onto him.

Her fingers let go of his sleeve and dropped, resting on his knee.

Qin Feng looked down at the woman in his arms.

Her eyelashes cast two small shadows under the light, her lips slightly parted, with the luster of fruit wine still lingering on them.

Her red lips were inches away.