Water and Fire~Chapter 1.2: Seeing Him Again in My Dream

 

Chapter 1.2: Seeing Him Again in My Dream

After making their wishes, Chu Qianmiao and Gu Miaoyu snatched the candles and broke their large white steamed buns in half for breakfast. With the last bite still choking on their mouths, they rushed into the subway, each in a state of combat, to their respective jobs. They were caught in the morning rush hour crowd, wedged between people, and people... and people, being wedged between them while also wedging others.

This had been their daily routine for the year since they graduated from university. It was tough, but there was also a sense of purpose.

Arriving at the law firm, she had just sat down at her desk when a colleague who had arrived earlier patted Chu Qianmiao on the shoulder and said, "Lawyer Zhang is looking for you."

Chu Qianmiao quickly stood up.

Lawyer Zhang's full name is Zhang Teng. He was her mentor. He had been guiding her through projects since she joined Xinfeng Law Firm. In a firm like Xinfeng, with its numerous projects and complex interpersonal relationships, newcomers couldn't get by without a mentor.

Zhang Teng is considered a formidable figure in Xinfeng's Beijing non-litigation practice. In his early thirties, with thick eyebrows and prominent eyes, he possesses a handsome, masculine demeanor. He's already been promoted to partner at Xinfeng. However, he's not yet an equity partner; he's currently a salaried partner, primarily responsible for liaising with securities market projects, including IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and refinancing.

On the way to Zhang Teng's office, Chu Qianmiao pondered somewhat nonsensically: He called me over so early in the morning, so maybe he's also going to put a candle on a steamed bun to wish me a happy birthday.

After knocking on the door and entering, Chu Qianmiao was taken aback.

...Zhang Teng was actually holding up a white steamed bun.

Zhang Teng, who had just raised a steamed bun and hadn't even brought it to his mouth, saw Chu Qianmiao staring intently at the food in his hand. His heart skipped a beat, and he reluctantly asked, "You didn't have breakfast either?"

Chu Qianmiao quickly caught herself, nodding vigorously, "I did!" It turned out she'd been overthinking it; it was someone else's breakfast. "Lawyer Zhang, please, please!"

Zhang Teng breathed a sigh of relief, finally taking a bite of the bun with peace of mind.

"Lawyer Zhang, you're such a prominent person, and you're only eating this for breakfast? It's so choking! I'll go downstairs to Qingfeng and buy you two juicy, filling-filled buns!" Chu Qianmiao fawned, making a gesture to open the door.

"Wait a minute! Stand there, stop joking!" Zhang Teng turned the half-filled steamed bun in his hand, revealing the red bean paste inside. "I have filling!"

Zhang Teng finished the steamed bun in a few bites, freeing his hands to flip through the documents on the desk. Looking up, he said to Chu Qianmiao, "I called you here to tell you. I saw that it's been a year since you've been licensed. Hurry and get your license. Then you can be the handling lawyer and sign documents on projects." He raised his hand and pointed at Chu Qianmiao. "You're such a careless kid! I have to keep an eye on your own business!"

Chu Qianmiao slapped her forehead. She said she had a feeling something was going to happen today. It turned out that besides celebrating her birthday, she could also go from paralegal to lawyer!

***

As Chu Qianmiao emerged from Zhang Teng's office, she ran into Qiao Zhixin, a partner in the office next door.

Xinfeng Beijing has three partners responsible for capital markets. Besides Zhang Teng, Qiao Zhixin is one of them. The other partner is He Wei. Chu Qianmiao doesn't interact much with either of them.

The three partners are all about the same age, in their thirties. But Qiao Zhixin, who diligently maintains his appearance, clearly looks more radiant than the others.

When Qiao Zhixin saw Chu Qianmiao emerge from Zhang Teng's office, he raised an eyebrow, a look of half-smile on his face.

He always had that expression. Chu Qianmiao knew that some of her female colleagues and partners liked Qiao Zhixin's style and found it particularly appealing.

Qiao Zhixin spoke first: "Hey, Xiao Chu, why are you so beaming so early in the morning?"

Chu Qianmiao: "...?"

She hadn't slept well last night, feeling completely numb. She wondered where Lawyer Qiao had extracted this "brightness" from her features...

She gave a dry laugh and called out, "Good morning, Lawyer Qiao."

Qiao Zhixin continued, "You're so beaming! You know Lawyer Zhang got another IPO project, right? You're probably happy to know your year-end bonus is settled!"

Chu Qianmiao was stunned. Then her mind raced, and she understood.

No wonder Zhang Teng had told her to get her license so early in the morning, saying she could be the lead attorney and sign the documents for future projects.

So that's what happened. Zhang Teng had secured another IPO project, and it looked like he was bringing her along.

This time, she was truly beaming.

"Thank you for your kind words, Lawyer Qiao!" She smiled at Qiao Zhixin.

Qiao Zhixin raised an eyebrow and said, "Look at Xiaochu's smile! All the flowers in and around the house are about to bloom!"

...Chu Qianmiao almost shivered at the corny compliment.

***

Back at her seat, Chu Qianmiao still felt something was amiss. Even though she'd experienced her birthday, her one-year license, and the chance to participate in an IPO project all morning, that feeling of "predestination" still lingered within her.

She found her lawyer registration form and, as she filled it out, felt as if something else was about to happen.

She just didn't know if it was a windfall.

It was almost lunchtime when Zhang Teng called her.

"Xiaochu, hurry downstairs and meet at the building entrance."

Chu Qianmiao hurried to the building entrance.

Seeing her, Zhang Teng hurriedly said, "Come on, I'll take you to the China World Trade Center for lunch. We can talk while we walk."

He also said that parking was difficult there, so they should take a taxi instead. He wouldn't drive.

After getting in the taxi, Zhang Teng told Chu Qianmiao the story behind the dinner: "There's a home textile company called Hanhai Home Textiles. They're planning to go public. They've already booked a brokerage firm and an accountant, but they're still short of a lawyer. A friend of mine helped me connect, and we have a good chance of winning the deal. The company, the brokerage firm, and the accountant are having a lunch meeting, and my friend intervened to get me in. I'm taking you to the lunch meeting now, and we'll try to use this meal to actually secure the deal."

Chu Qianmiao thought this was probably the IPO project Qiao Zhixin had been talking about. It turned out the project hadn't even been finalized yet, but Qiao Zhixin had teased her about it. She didn't know what his mindset was.

Chu Qianmiao asked Zhang Teng, "Lawyer Zhang, who's the brokerage firm for this project?" If the brokerage firm was strong, the IPO would be much easier for them, the lawyers.

Zhang Teng told her, "It's Litong Securities. In the year since you've been at Xinfeng, our entire firm hasn't had any projects with Litong Securities. But you should know that Litong is a major brokerage firm with considerable strength. Be smart and say things that people like to hear. We'll try to seal this deal over this meal, and also establish long-term cooperation with the Litong team. They have so many projects under their belt. That way, our team's performance will be guaranteed. You don't know, Qiao Zhixin has been watching us closely!"

Chu Qianmiao nodded solemnly, "Okay, just wait and see!" Then she asked curiously,

She asked, "Who's the project manager at the brokerage firm?"

Zhang Teng replied, "I don't know him. He seems to be a fairly young insurance agent." After a pause, Zhang Teng added, "But he's said to be a very capable person."