I'm the demise's white moonlight of the bigshot - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Ji Ran returned to her office and took a deep breath, but she still felt something stuck in her chest, unable to dissipate. It wasn’t that she hadn’t liked him for a long time, but seeing him now didn’t bring her any joy or excitement.

Ji Ran stood in her office and looked out. Across from her was Shen Zhi’s office.

When he was promoted to Managing Director, the company had considered giving him a larger office, one befitting his new status.

But Shen Zhi had declined the offer, saying he was used to his current office.

Ji Ran had mocked him behind his back for putting on airs.

Now, she suddenly realized that she had indeed spoken ill of Shen Zhi quite a bit. She felt that her behavior was quite unprofessional, like being unable to match up to someone at work and resorting to petty actions and gossip.

Ji Ran covered her face in embarrassment. How had she not noticed how shameful her actions were before?

Soon, Fang Qian came in to notify her of a meeting.

Ji Ran had been on sick leave for two months, but the company couldn’t stop functioning because of her. Even her investment team had been absorbed into Shen Zhi’s team.

As she listened, Ji Ran realized something was off. From a work progress standpoint, Shen Zhi had been consistently working.

But it seemed like he hadn’t been in the company much.

During the meeting, Ji Ran sat to his left, and when she looked up, she could see his Adam’s apple. At twenty-seven, every part of him was more mature than it had been at seventeen.

He had taken off his suit jacket and was only wearing a shirt.

Perhaps because he wasn’t wearing a tie today, he had undone the top button of his shirt, revealing his slender neck.

When he spoke, his Adam’s apple moved slightly.

There was an inexplicable allure to it.

Suddenly, Ji Ran noticed something. If there was one thing that set the twenty-seven-year-old Shen Zhi apart from his seventeen-year-old self, it was that while he still had that same restrained appearance, there was now an underlying sexual magnetism.

It made her want to sleep with him.

Ji Ran shook her head vigorously. How could she be thinking such inappropriate thoughts during a meeting?

But her sudden movement caught everyone’s attention, and they all looked at her with puzzled expressions.

Even Shen Zhi, who had been speaking, paused for a few seconds before turning to her and asking in a deep voice, “Director Ji, do you have any issues?”

Ji Ran’s eyes widened.

No… nothing.

After all, she couldn’t very well tell Shen Zhi that she had been mentally undressing him in the middle of a meeting.

“If you have any concerns, you can raise them now,” Shen Zhi said calmly, exuding the composure of someone in a position of authority.

Ji Ran, of course, couldn’t say anything.

She shook her head again. “No, no, I think what you said is absolutely right. I agree.”

If you agree, then why are you shaking your head…

Ji Ran felt like her brain must have been damaged.

The others in the meeting room didn’t dare to speak. After all, there were many rumors about the two of them, and their discord was evident to all.

They had once been on equal footing, but ever since Shen Zhi was promoted to Managing Director, Ji Ran seemed to have lost her balance, finding fault with everything he did.

When the bosses fight, the underlings dare not interfere.

Shen Zhi paused, looking at her sincere expression. There was no trace of sarcasm in her tone, and a flicker of surprise and subtle joy passed through his eyes.

But he quickly lowered his head to look at the documents in front of him, concealing his emotions.

After the meeting ended, Ji Ran picked up her things and prepared to leave, but Shen Zhi spoke up, “Ji Ran, come to my office later.”

Ji Ran nodded in surprise.

But she was also quite happy. After all, going to his office meant they would have some time alone together.

When she followed Shen Zhi, they walked to his office together.

Shen Zhi’s office usually didn’t have the curtains drawn.

He turned to look at Ji Ran and asked, “Do you have any issues with your work?”

Ji Ran immediately shook her head. Of course not.

But as she looked at the various documents and files in front of her, she felt a sense of disorientation. It wasn’t long ago that she had been struggling with homework and striving to be top of her class.

Now, she was part of the corporate world.

The memories of being seventeen were still vivid, but they felt like a dream.

But deep down, Ji Ran believed that this wasn’t a dream.

That was the seventeen-year-old them, reuniting and getting to know each other again. Time had given her this opportunity to relive and experience life once more.

Shen Zhi looked at her, his gaze sweeping over her face before he lowered his eyelids. “You just got out of the hospital. You don’t have to come back to work so soon. I can help you apply for another month of sick leave if needed.”

Ji Ran hadn’t expected him to bring this up.

Suddenly, she realized that Shen Zhi wasn’t as cold as she had thought. He was actually quite considerate.

Right?

Even with a face as cold as ice, it didn’t stop him from having a warm heart.

Ji Ran looked at him with a smile in her eyes. “It’s fine, I’m all better now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wanted to come back to the office. I was starting to feel moldy staying at home.”

Her tone was light and teasing, the kind of familiarity that comes from knowing someone well.

Shen Zhi, who had been leaning against his desk and idly playing with the crystal nameplate on his desk, suddenly stopped. His fingers pressed down hard on the sharp edges.

The way she spoke…

Even someone as composed as Shen Zhi felt his heart racing at that moment.

Shen Zhi gripped the edge of his desk tightly and said in a low voice, “If you have any issues, you can come to me anytime.”

Ji Ran nodded understandingly and then left his office. As she turned, she noticed that the view from his office was quite good, allowing him to see everything in her office clearly.

Ji Ran didn’t think much of it and went back to her own office.

When she returned, Fang Qian immediately came in, looking nervous. “Boss, is everything okay? Did Director Shen call you back for something?”

“What do you mean?” Ji Ran asked, puzzled.

Fang Qian’s eyes widened. “You were zoning out during the meeting today, and Director Shen hates it when people zone out during meetings. So everyone thought he called you back to scold you.”

Ji Ran immediately denied it. “That’s not it at all.”

He hadn’t scolded her.

Ji Ran felt that everyone had the wrong impression of Shen Zhi, so she decided to speak up for him. “Actually, he’s not as cold and heartless as you all think. He called me into his office to check on my health, worried that I might be overworking myself.”

Fang Qian was stunned.

Ji Ran continued sweetly, “He even said he could help me apply for another month of leave. Don’t you think he’s very caring… towards his colleagues?”

She had almost said “towards me,” but she caught herself at the last moment.

Fang Qian was now in a panic. She had just gotten her boss back, and if Ji Ran took another month off, she would be left adrift again.

So she quickly said, “Boss, don’t fall for Director Shen’s trap.”

“What trap?” Ji Ran asked, confused.

Fang Qian leaned in and whispered, “Our company is really busy right now, and Director Shen is offering you more leave. Don’t you think he’s trying to sideline you?”

It wasn’t entirely Fang Qian’s fault for thinking this way.

After all, the two of them had been at odds before, and Ji Ran had complained about Shen Zhi countless times in front of her.

So it was natural for her to think this was a ploy.

But Ji Ran was immediately angered by this and said sternly, “Fang Qian, what’s wrong with you? How can you think of him like that? He’s definitely saying this out of concern for me.”

Seeing her so angry, Fang Qian was stunned.

Her boss hadn’t been like this before when she had agreed with her.

So Fang Qian had to accept the fact that Ji Ran seemed to have been bewitched by Shen Zhi.

“Do you have some issue with Director Shen?” Ji Ran glared at her.

Fang Qian was almost in tears from being wronged. “How could I have any issue with Director Shen? He’s my idol. I even voted for him multiple times in the ‘Most Handsome Investment Banker’ poll.”

Wait?

Ji Ran remembered that she had often spoken ill of Shen Zhi and had frequently complained about him in front of Fang Qian. She had always thought Fang Qian shared her sentiments, but it turned out she had been two-faced all along.

She asked coldly, “So all those times you agreed with me when I complained about Director Shen, you were just pretending?”

Fang Qian: “…”

Workplace life was hard. She was really struggling.

But Ji Ran didn’t want to pursue it further. After all, she had been the one to set the example. She could only blame herself for not setting a better one.

However, she looked at Fang Qian and asked in a dangerous tone, “You don’t like him, do you?”

Fang Qian shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum, and Ji Ran breathed a sigh of relief. Good.

But she still warned, “Then you’re not allowed to covet him in the future.”

He’s mine.

Seeing that Ji Ran seemed to be in a good mood, Fang Qian cautiously asked, “Director Ji, it seems like you don’t dislike Director Shen anymore?”

“Why would I dislike him?” Ji Ran retorted.

Fang Qian hesitated. “But before…”

Before, her boss had genuinely disliked Director Shen, always saying he was putting on airs. Of course, Director Shen had also always undermined her boss, meddling in every project Ji Ran was involved in.

Ji Ran said without hesitation, “Before, I was blind. Now, I’ve regained my sight.”

So she could see all his good qualities.

Fang Qian was utterly shocked. This was the first time she had seen someone badmouth themselves so thoroughly.

At lunch, to celebrate Ji Ran’s first day back at work, she treated Fang Qian to Japanese food at a nearby building. Since it wasn’t far, they didn’t take a taxi and walked instead.

On the way back, Ji Ran realized that while her nine-centimeter high heels were beautiful, they lacked soul.

They were exhausting to walk in.

Just as they were nearing the company entrance, Ji Ran saw a girl in the distance whose profile looked strikingly like Wen Qianxia. She was so surprised that she immediately turned and chased after her.

Fang Qian tried to follow, but Ji Ran waved her off, saying, “You go back to the company first.”

So Fang Qian didn’t chase after her.

But Ji Ran’s high heels made it impossible to walk quickly, and by the time she reached the spot, the girl had disappeared into the bustling crowd.

Ji Ran stood there, disappointed, and looked around for a while before finally turning to leave.

But as she turned, her foot got stuck. She tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge. When she looked down, she saw that the thin heel of her shoe had gotten stuck in a manhole cover.

She stared in disbelief at the scene.

She tried to pull it out with all her might, but the shoe seemed to be playing a joke on her, not moving an inch.

Ji Ran couldn’t squat down to take off the shoe and pull it out because she was wearing a short skirt. While it looked good, it was too short, and she had to be careful not to expose herself when bending over.

So Ji Ran stood by the roadside, feeling both embarrassed and helpless.

The midday sun was at its hottest, and people were passing by, but no one stopped to help.

Ji Ran tried to pull harder, but she was afraid that the delicate straps of her designer high heels would break before the shoe came loose. After all, these luxury shoes were made of fragile materials that couldn’t even withstand rain.

Just as she was about to give it one last try, even if it meant ruining the straps, she felt something gently draped over her waist.

When she turned to look, Shen Zhi was standing there, having just tied his suit jacket around her waist.

Her slender waist was now wrapped in his large jacket, completely covering the awkwardness caused by her short skirt.

After securing the jacket, Shen Zhi bent down and gently held her ankle, saying softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you pull it out.”

Suddenly, Ji Ran’s heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, and her throat seemed to clog up for a second.

Ranran, don’t be afraid, I’m here.

He always appeared when she needed him the most.