Water and Fire~Chapter 10.2: Someone Repents

 

Chapter 10.2: Someone Repents

After the meeting, Chu Qianmiao felt elated because her speech had been recognized again, and a smile spread across her face. But Ren Yan, like a firefighter, immediately gave her a mental dry ice blast.

"Xiao Qin, from a practical perspective, do you think the Hanhai Home Textiles patent issue is difficult to resolve?" Ren Yan asked Qin Qianyu as the three of them walked back to the office.

"Not much," Qin Qianyu said, a bit puzzled, wondering why Ren Yan suddenly asked this question. "When we've encountered this kind of problem before, haven't we almost always prioritized this solution?"

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

She understood. Ren Yan was trying to tell her that this problem was actually quite simple, and she shouldn't be so complacent.

Chu Qianmiao's head, like a sunflower without light, began to droop.

"Your analogy today about a child falling from the left hand to the right was excellent. It was the key to convincing the three patent holders." Ren Yan spoke to Chu Qianmiao side by side.

After that, he relaxed his pace and quickly walked forward.

Chu Qianmiao stared at his back, stunned, feeling as if she had just experienced a series of twists and turns.

She thought she had just received another invisible reminder from Ren Yan—she really should improve her composure in the future.

******

The day after the meeting, a technician named Di Chong came to the due diligence office to see Chu Qianmiao.

He stood at the open door and knocked, looking a little shy and awkward. A sheepish smile played on his face, he hunched his waist slightly, and rubbed his hands together.

Even his voice was a little nervous, listening carefully: "Lawyer Chu, may I bother you for a moment? Two other technicians and I have some questions for you!"

How could Chu Qianmiao refuse such a polite, almost humble tone? She immediately stood up and walked to the door. Two others, Du Ran and Zeng Qiang, were waiting outside.

This time, Du Ran was representing the three of them in the conversation with Chu Qianmiao. He asked her a number of legal questions, such as: After they acquired the shares, would their value appreciate significantly after going public? How long would it take to liquidate them? If they sold all their shares, would the patent still be relevant to them? If the patent no longer had anything to do with them, was this deal a good fit? Would they be better off exchanging the patent for company shares, or selling the patent directly for cash?

Chu Qianmiao answered their questions one by one.

"The shares you hold are equivalent to original stock, and they will undoubtedly appreciate significantly after the IPO. There will be a lock-up period after the IPO, after which you can gradually sell the shares for cash. However, if the company is performing well and you're not in dire need of funds, it's best not to sell the shares. As shareholders, you can enjoy dividends! That's a recurring income. And if you were to sell all your shares someday, you'd undoubtedly make a considerable fortune, far more than you could possibly make by selling the patents alone."

The three men, having resolved their doubts, appeared content.

Du Ran breathed a sigh of relief, as if he'd finally let go of some hesitation.

Di Chong thanked Chu Qianmiao with his intellectual shyness.

"Thank you, Lawyer Chu, for explaining this to us in such detail. You're so kind! Did we interrupt your work? I'm so sorry!"

Chu Qianmiao kept saying, "No, no, don't be so polite."

Before leaving, Di Chong stuffed a handful of hazelnuts into Chu Qianmiao's hand. He said, a little shyly, "This is a specialty from my hometown. Lawyer Chu, please try some. If you like, I'll bring you more in the future!"

Returning to the office with the hazelnuts, Chu Qianmiao felt a surge of satisfaction at having helped others. She, Qin Qianyu, and the other four divided the hazelnuts among themselves.

Qin Qianyu couldn't help but praise her, "Qianmiao, I've noticed you're truly enthusiastic! Not only do you volunteer to direct traffic, but you're also incredibly helpful in answering the people's questions! A true Lei Feng! A living Lei Feng!"

Chu Qianmiao chuckled, "As a Communist Youth League member, this is what I should do!" After a pause, she added, "Brother Qin, do you feel this way? The satisfaction you get from helping a wealthy person is different from the satisfaction you get from helping an ordinary person!"

Qin Qianyu hinted at not understanding what she was saying.

Chu Qianmiao further explained, "Let me put it this way. Mr. Ren is the richest man here, right? If you make tea for Mr. Ren, he's not in need of you, and he might even complain that your tea isn't high-quality or tasty enough! But if you make tea for someone in a company, like those three technical staff just now, they'll be so grateful and thank you! Which do you think gives you more satisfaction?"

After she finished speaking, she saw Qin Qianyu winking at her and fiddling with his features, as if he were almost switching them around.

Chu Qianmiao was gradually developing a bad feeling.

Ren Yan wasn't standing right behind her, was he?... But she hadn't heard Ren Yan was coming to the project site today... It wasn't right for a managing director of an investment bank to be on-site every day. He really didn't take himself seriously...

But watching Qin Qianyu, almost crushing his features as he glared at her, a strong desire to survive surged within her.

"But then again, if we ever get the chance to make tea for Mr. Ren, it would definitely be a great opportunity to improve our taste! The tea Mr. Ren drinks is a testament to his taste! Following Mr. Ren, we'll definitely gain experience! This kind of experience is definitely not comparable to satisfaction. Satisfaction is just a feeling, a false one. But experience is something special. Once we acquire it, we can show it off: Look, everyone, I have such good taste thanks to Ren Yan. Are you convinced?"

Qin Qianyu was stunned by her nonsense. If Ren Yan hadn't been staring at him, he would have given Chu Qianmiao a thumbs-up.

"Lawyer Chu." Ren Yan, standing behind Chu Qianmiao, listened to her nonsense and called her name.

"Huh?" Chu Qianmiao turned, a look of surprise. "Oh! Mr. Ren, you're here! What a coincidence! You must be King Cao Cao, we were just talking about you!"

"Chu Qianmiao." Ren Yan called her by her full name this time.

"Here!" Chu Qianmiao replied reflexively.

Ren Yan's lips suddenly curled up into a smile. "Could you please make me some tea?"

"..."

That smile was truly beautiful, but also a little scary.

"What kind of tea would you like, Mr. Ren?" Chu Qianmiao asked.

"Something that shows off my taste." Ren Yan walked past her and headed for the desk.

Five minutes later, Chu Qianmiao brought a cup of ground green tea—the only kind in the company's tea room—that refused to sink, no matter how hot the water was—and shakily placed it in front of Ren Yan.

Ren Yan looked up, raising an eyebrow at her. She saw the threatening rhetorical question between his brows: Is this tasteful tea?

Before Ren Yan could even utter the question, she quickly said, "Mr. Ren, I think with your handsome appearance, anything you drink will be tasteful!"

Behind her, Qin Qianyu couldn't help but chuckle.

Ren Yan looked at her for two seconds, then lowered his head.

"Thank you." His voice seemed to tinge with laughter.

***

A few days later, the patent evaluation results came out. Based on the valuation, the three patent holders would receive a very fair share of shares.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

But just before signing the agreement, Chu Qianmiao heard Ren Yan tell them that among the three, Du Ran had taken the lead in reneging.