Water and Fire~Chapter 19.2: Do You Have a Boyfriend?

 

Chapter 19.2: Do You Have a Boyfriend?

During the meeting, Ren Yan's barrage of questions irritated Qin Qianyu. Just as Chu Qianmiao had said, he impulsively said, "Why don't we let Lawyer Chu discuss this issue from a legal perspective?"

He felt a twinge of regret after he finished speaking, and his gaze filled with guilt as he met Chu Qianmiao's. Chu Qianmiao, however, gave him a reassuring look before logically laying out three key points.

When she finished, Qin Qianyu looked at her with surprise. Not only him, but she also noticed Ren Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Ren Yan said, "Lawyer Chu's explanation was very thorough. It's clear you've done a lot of preparation." After a pause, he added, "Thank you for your lawyers' cooperation with the brokerage firm."

Chu Qianmiao felt delighted by the praise. She suddenly realized the added value of hard work beyond personal growth—it can bring unexpected recognition, which is sure to make people feel like they're quite a person.

At the meeting, the operations department discussed Hanhai Home Textiles' plan to expand its nationwide presence with physical stores, aiming to rapidly expand sales. However, these stores will incur some initial costs, and profitability will take time to materialize. This, in turn, will impact the company's profits for this year and next. They discussed with Ren Yan whether this impact on profits would affect the company's IPO.

Ren Yan helped them with the calculations. (The story's timeline, the present, is several years ago.)

Chu Qianmiao casually suggested, "Why don't we try strengthening our e-commerce operations? We could set up an e-commerce subsidiary specifically responsible for online sales and market development."

Ren Yan was the first to look up at her.

"Go on."

Chu Qianmiao tucked her hair behind her ear, concealing a sudden nervousness. Then she said, "Honestly, many of my friends don't go out of their way to buy a set of sheets and pillowcases anymore. They buy directly online. Furthermore, developing online e-commerce is much cheaper than brick-and-mortar stores. Physical stores have high overhead and inventory pressures, and they can only serve local customers. E-commerce is different; they can ship nationwide. I heard Jack Ma say in a speech that in the future, competition between countries won't be about how many people you have versus how many I have, but how many internet users you have versus how many I have. Therefore, the internet will be the primary battlefield in all fields, and the online shopping community will continue to grow. Furthermore, not only will the main battlefield of consumption be online, but finance, education, and healthcare will also shift online. So, instead of increasing investment in physical stores, companies should increase their investment in e-commerce."

Hanhai is a traditional home textile company that operates an e-commerce business, but it's not fully developed. The company attendees said they would consult someone after the meeting to determine whether physical stores offer higher returns on investment or e-commerce offers greater profits.

Around noon, the meeting concluded, and the company attendees suggested treating everyone to a light meal. Ren Yan politely declined the meal, explaining that he had to return to the company for a meeting soon and needed to pack up his things in the office.

So, the companies and agencies each took their own lunch break.

Chu Qianmiao, clutching her computer bag, walked side by side with Qin Qianyu in the corridor. Qin Qianyu gave her a thumbs-up. "Qianmiao, for others, a day apart feels like a long time, but for you, even a night apart, I'm impressed! How come you're so outstanding? Last time at the meeting, you were even getting bullied by CEO Ren, but this time, you saved your brother Qin from a dangerous situation! Outstanding, absolutely outstanding!"

Chu Qianmiao bowed modestly. "This is all thanks to the constant support from Qin, Tang, Lu, and Wang, who have helped me, a student who's still struggling. I want to thank all four of you!"

She praised all four of them, making them all happy.

The four of them planned to head straight to the company cafeteria, laptops in hand. "We're having noodles for lunch today. If we're late, the braised pork won't be available, and we'll just have to lick the egg sauce!" Qin Qianyu said.

Chu Qianmiao, who didn't like braised pork, wasn't in a rush, so she decided to take her things back to the office first.

"Brothers, come on, give me your computer bags. I'll take them back for you!"

Her enthusiasm was surging, not treating herself like a little girl, and she wouldn't let Qin Qianyu and the others treat her like a little girl.

When Chu Qianmiao forcibly snatched Qin Qianyu's computer bag from him, he couldn't help but say, deeply moved, "Qianmiao, you truly are my brother!"

Chu Qianmiao returned to the office, carrying several computer bags.

When she reached the door, she didn't reach out to open it, but instead backed away and pushed it open with her back. She stumbled backward into the house, singing a tuneless song.

"The other day I passed by your door, and you were carrying a bucket of water, pouring it out. It splashed on my shoes—" As she sang, she spun around, her vision blurring. The laptop bag she was carrying swung, hitting something, and then she felt a damp, cold sensation on her feet...

Looking closely, she saw the person before her, who had made her blurry, was Ren Yan.

He was carrying a briefcase and a bottle of water, drinking as he walked toward the door. Before he could finish, Chu Qianmiao swung the laptop bag around, knocking the bottle off its side.

The water spilled out, splashing right onto Chu Qianmiao's feet.

Chu Qianmiao was stunned, staring at Ren Yan. Ren Yan didn't react for a moment, but he was also looking at her. She continued to sing the song subconsciously.

"—You didn't say anything to me, you just squinted at me; you didn't even say sorry, you didn't even say anything about compensating me for my socks and shoes..."

The last two lines were just fabrications; they weren't in the original song at all.

Her off-key singing actually made Ren Yan laugh.

"Shut up and stop singing. I'll compensate you for your shoes and socks."

Chu Qianmiao was delighted and put everyone else's laptop bags back in their places.

Turning around, she realized Ren Yan hadn't left yet.

He handed her a tissue. "Wipe it first, I'll compensate you later."

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "No need." "I was just kidding!"

She squatted down to clean her shoes.

Ren Yan looked at the top of her dark head and asked, "Where are they? Why did they let you carry things alone?"

Chu Qianmiao quickly looked up and explained, "They didn't ask me to carry them. I rushed to do it myself. I'm strong, and it would be a waste if I didn't take more things! It's like the saying, 'A thief never leaves empty-handed?' No, no, that's not a good saying!" She laughed to herself.

Ren Yan looked at her pale, smiling face, looking up, as if he saw a small white flower blooming in the early morning, still as fresh and tender as dew.

He looked away and asked, "Did you stay up late reading materials again when you got home last night?"

Chu Qianmiao straightened up and nodded, "Yeah!"

"Very good." Ren Yan looked at her again and said, "You've made great progress."

Chu Qianmiao was delighted by his praise, and she beamed with praise. "This is all thanks to your advice, Senior!" She swung her left wrist in front of Ren Yan's eyes, showing him the dial on her wrist—it was lunch break, so she didn't break the rules by using a personal name.

Ren Yan chuckled softly, wondering why she was so quirky.

He suddenly asked, "Did you come up with the idea for the e-commerce subsidiary yourself?"

Chu Qianmiao nodded, blinking, and asked, "Ah, Senior, are you going to continue praising me?"

Ren Yan said, "You look like an online shopping girl."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

Then her smile returned.

This time, it was Ren Yan who was a bit surprised. "I said you were an online shopping girl. Can you be this beautiful?"

Chu Qianmiao's eyes curved, and she smiled happily, "I put the emphasis on the word 'girl' in that sentence, and the more I listened, the happier I became!"

Ren Yan glanced at her sideways, finally unable to suppress a smile.

"What song was that?" He suddenly changed the subject.

She was startled for a moment and replied, "Splashing Water Song."

He nodded and left.