Chapter 105: Do the Black Stockings Look Good?

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Do the Black Stockings Look Good?

Xu Wu could hardly believe it!

In just a few days, her monthly salary had jumped from 20,000 to 100,000—that already felt like a dream. So when Chen Xiao had just mentioned poaching a vice general manager for 1.5 million a year to assist her, she hadn’t expected her own salary to necessarily be higher than his.

After all, she wasn’t the most senior person in the industry. The only reason she could even hold this position was because of Chen Xiao’s trust!

She never expected Chen Xiao to raise her monthly salary all the way to 300,000, and that wasn’t even counting the company loaning her money to buy a house.

Chen Xiao had no idea just how many of Xu Wu’s problems this one move solved. She wished she could go home tomorrow, bring her parents over, and keep them by her side forever.

This was her dream, and she never imagined Chen Xiao would help her achieve it so quickly!

"Chen Xiao, why are you so good to me?" Xu Wu’s eyes grew misty.

Since they had first met, she and Chen Xiao had bickered every single day. Later, as they began collaborating on business, they grew closer and their friendship deepened.

But it surely hadn’t reached the point where he would take care of her like *this*.

’Good to her?’ Chen Xiao thought she was making a mountain out of a molehill. ’It’s just a 300,000 monthly salary, only a quarter of my current daily basic stipend.’

’And that daily basic stipend is just my pocket money. Is it really worth getting this worked up about?’

"Don’t overthink it. It’s nothing special," Chen Xiao said with a laugh.

"Why do you trust me so much?"

Chen Xiao replied with a perfectly straight face, "My social circle is too small. I really couldn’t find anyone else, so I had to make do with you."

He had expected Xu Wu to fly into a rage, but instead she shot him a soft glare and said, "You do the right thing, but you never say the right thing."

"Hey! Is this how you repay my kindness? I give you a raise, and you curse me out!"

"Then how would you like me to repay you?"

Her captivating eyes stared at him. Chen Xiao found he couldn’t meet her gaze, yet he was unwilling to admit defeat.

He blurted out, "I worked way too hard this morning, and my neck is acting up. You can give me a massage!"

He was sure she would refuse, but to his surprise, she agreed instantly.

"Alright."

Chen Xiao stared blankly as she approached, her every movement full of charm. She stood beside him, reached out with her delicate, jade-like hands, and gently placed them on his neck and shoulders.

She began to press down with a steady rhythm.

"You know, for someone with so many assets, you sure insist on working as a salesman, and so hard at that! What were you even doing at the office this morning to get this worn out?"

"Playing games. It wasn’t a good time to move around."

"...Serves you right!"

Her massage felt incredibly soothing. With his head lowered, Chen Xiao’s gaze inadvertently landed on her full, shapely legs, clad in black stockings. He gulped.

"What are you looking at?"

A delicate fragrance wafted to his nose—a mixture of her natural scent and high-end perfume that sent his heart into a flutter.

"The... the black stockings... No, I mean, they’re too opaque! I can’t see a thing!"

Xu Wu gave a soft, bewitching smile. She relished seeing him fall under her spell. Recalling how often he teased her, she felt a sudden thrill of vengeance.

"Do you like what you see?"

"I do! No, I don’t!"

Chen Xiao was talking nonsense, his mouth dry. He cursed inwardly, ’Damn you, System! Is this a side effect of having 100 Endurance? It feels like the Chen Family Spear has gained an Artifact Spirit and is about to fly out and slay the enemy on its own!’

"You don’t like them? Then I’ll just take them off."

Xu Wu made a show of reaching down to take off her stockings...

Chen Xiao’s eyes went wide. "Don’t, you don’t have to..." he said.

’But in his mind, he was screaming, ’You little demon, just do it! Stop talking and take them off already! Take them off!’’

Xu Wu smiled seductively. She hooked a finger under the fabric of her black stocking and pulled. It was incredibly elastic. She let it snap back, releasing a puff of fragrant air.

This was bad. Chen Xiao felt his Demon-Subduing Pestle was about to break free on its own. He knew he had to slam on the brakes—he absolutely had to!

He chanted silently in his heart: "Xiangjun, righteous spirit, return to your throne! Suppress all demons!"

An image of Zhao Xiangjun’s unearthly beauty instantly flashed in his mind. With a faint smile, she seemed to say to him, "Chen Xiao, you pervert!"

It was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. He was jolted back to his senses. When he looked at Xu Wu again, she was watching him with a teasing expression, her stockings still on.

"Ahem, ahem. President Xu, you can go get back to work. I just remembered something and need to make a call."

Xu Wu hummed in acknowledgment, picked up her files, and walked away. The sway of her hips was noticeably more exaggerated than usual, and the ripples she created nearly pulled Chen Xiao back under her spell.

Once she was out the door, Chen Xiao wiped the sweat from his brow. ’That was too dangerous! Way too dangerous!’

No wonder they say that on Tang Monk’s journey, the stop in the Women’s Country was the first truly great trial!

Back in her office, Xu Wu gulped down several large mouthfuls of cool water. She picked up a mirror and looked at her own flushed, pretty face, a wave of bashfulness washing over her.

At the same time, she silently cursed Chen Xiao for having a lecherous heart but no guts.

Xu Jia had originally planned to stay for a few more days. But now that Chen Xiao had arranged everything for her new job, she needed to go back and discuss the matter with her husband in person.

So that afternoon, Zhao Xiangjun took her to the high-speed rail station.

This farewell was different from the one a year ago. Back then, she had been sad for days.

They lived so far apart, and with her busy work schedule, there were very few opportunities for them to meet.

This time was different. She was confident Xu Jia’s husband would agree to Chen Xiao’s arrangement, which meant she and Xu Jia would be able to see each other often from now on!

「In Liu Haoran’s office」

Fang Qiang and Zhao Hui were sitting across from his desk.

The three men were studying the floor plans sent over by Ganglong International.

Ganglong had offered them three locations to choose from for the Yino Company store. It was unbelievable.

Retail spaces at Ganglong were notoriously hard to secure. Getting even one was a stroke of incredible luck, let alone being offered a choice of three!

Of course, with their professional expertise, Liu Haoran and Fang Qiang could distinguish a good location from a bad one at a glance.

The reason Zhao Hui had been invited was so he could start learning the ropes.

Without Liu Haoran having to ask, Fang Qiang was already giving a detailed analysis, covering everything from customer traffic flow and brand positioning to the layout of the units themselves.

After finishing, he added a bit of flattery for Liu Haoran’s benefit, "Well, that’s my take. It’s hardly comprehensive. Ultimately, Boss, you’re the one who has to make the final call."

"Ah Hui, what do you think?" Liu Haoran asked Zhao Hui.

A hint of disdain flashed in Fang Qiang’s eyes. He couldn’t figure out what was so special about Zhao Hui, or why President Liu seemed to favor him.

The more he saw it, the more threatened he felt.

Zhao Hui was clueless about site selection. After thinking for a long moment, he said, "I don’t really understand these plans. I was just thinking, maybe we could go to the site for a day and count the foot traffic at each spot during the same time periods."

Fang Qiang immediately scoffed, "Xiao Zhao, that just shows your inexperience. That’s a brute-force method from ages ago. It’s completely inefficient!"

Zhao Hui countered, "For a store this important, spending one day isn’t excessive. Besides, we’ll only get closer to the truth by observing it in person. What if the information on these blueprints is incomplete?"

Fang Qiang shook his head contemptuously and said to Liu Haoran, "Boss, I think we need to lock this down quickly before any complications arise. Xiao Zhao’s idea is just too naive."

"Let’s do what Ah Hui suggests," Liu Haoran said. "We need to be thorough with this location."

With Liu Haoran’s final word, the color drained from Fang Qiang’s face.