Chapter
2: Meeting Without Knowing Each Other
The taxi drove all the way to the building where they had
agreed to meet. The dining area was on the first floor. Chu Qianmiao and Zhang
Teng got out of the car.
Just as they were about to pass through the revolving door,
Zhang Teng suddenly stopped. Chu Qianmiao almost failed to brake in time and
was thrown into the glass.
After struggling against inertia and barely catching her
breath, she heard Zhang Teng frantically say, "Oh no! I don't have
cigarettes!" He frantically patted his pockets, unable to make out a
single cigarette.
"No, I have to go buy some cigarettes. Wait here!"
Zhang Teng said, backing away, glancing around for a
cigarette shop.
Chu Qianmiao knew Zhang Teng well. He had one great strength
and one great weakness. His strength was that he wasn't as bossy as the other
partners. His weakness was his heavy smoking habit.
She stepped forward to stop Zhang Teng: "Lawyer Zhang,
go in first! I'll go buy you some cigarettes!"
Zhang Teng explained that the company, the brokerage firm,
and the accountants would all be attending lunch today. If everyone from those
parties had already arrived, it would be best for Zhang Teng to show up early.
Zhang Teng had clearly understood this and nodded:
"Okay, Qianmiao, please do me a favor!"
Chu Qianmiao said, "Okay," and turned to go look
for cigarettes.
After asking around, she quickly bought some cigarettes at
the basement supermarket across the street. After paying, she was in a running
position, ready to launch herself back into the building at lightning speed.
Then, she suddenly received a call from Zhang Teng. His voice, echoing like
someone in the hallway or stairwell, told her, "Qianmiao, don't worry.
Walk slowly. The people from the brokerage firm are stuck in traffic and
haven't arrived yet. They won't be able to serve their meal for a while."
Chu Qianmiao immediately stopped trying to launch herself
and walked normally.
As she crossed the street, she was struck by the bustling
and chaotic scene. The road had been clear when she'd just come, but after
buying a pack of cigarettes, it was completely blocked by cars. No one, no
matter whose car had the more valuable logo, was able to move forward.
She weaved through the backs of several cars to reach the
other side of the street. As she neared the bottom of the building, she
discovered the source of the congestion.
The roadside parking lot in front of the building was in
chaos. The toll collector had disappeared, and with no one to direct traffic,
people trying to leave and those trying to park were shoving each other, making
it impossible for those who wanted to leave to leave and those who wanted to
park to enter.
Chu Qianmiao was so overwhelmed by the chaotic scene that
she couldn't help but step forward and act as a makeshift parking attendant...
"Hey, big brother, please pull back a little, turn
left, and the guy inside will drive out!... Uncle, turn right a little. That's
okay, it's okay. I'm watching. Turn right a little, turn right a little more...
Stop! Okay, move forward!"
She separated the two cars that were stuck together. Both
the big brother and the uncle thanked her.
Chu Qianmiao couldn't stand being thanked. When she was
thanked, she couldn't help but continue to imitate Lei Feng and do good deeds.
Since the brokerage firm was stuck in traffic, there was no
need to rush, so she simply continued to help direct a few cars that were
likely to cause more congestion in the parking lot.
"Sir, turn left full, right! A little further, right,
right, stop!"
…
After directing several cars to park, the key part of the
traffic jam was cleared, Chu Qianmiao was about to retire.
Chu Qianmiao turned and saw a Mercedes parked in front of
her. The driver, a bright-eyed young man in his mid-twenties, was leaning out
the window to greet her.
Chu Qianmiao looked at the young man, then at the only
remaining parking space. The car next to it was parked a bit off-center, making
it even narrower.
"Could you find another spot? I think this one's a bit
difficult to park in." Chu Qianmiao offered the young man some advice,
taking in the Mercedes's slightly oversized black exterior.
The young man gave an embarrassed smile. "Look behind
me, there's a line of cars blocking me, I can't back out! I saw you were
directing pretty well just now. How about you help me direct them?"
The words "pretty well" struck a chord with Chu
Qianmiao's passionate nature. She craved praise, and when she did, she'd do
anything, especially anything to help others.
"Okay!" She stepped aside and helped the young man
direct.
"Turn left a little... too much, straighten it, and
start forward again!"
The Mercedes-Benz looked especially large at that moment,
and the young man rubbed the wheel several times. Finally, he had it right and
was about to back into the space, but then an S.Mart slipped into the spot like
a needle in a needle.
Chu Qianmiao and the young man were both stunned.
A slender man wearing sunglasses stepped out of the S.Mart,
his gait so radiant that it was hard to tell whether he was male or female.
The young man couldn't help but complain. "Hey, man,
isn't that a bit unkind? I've been rubbing it for ages, and you suddenly come
in like this. Isn't that a bad idea?"
The slender man shook his head. "I didn't see you
rubbing it for ages. I just saw there was an empty spot, so what's wrong with
me pulling in? Is it illegal?"
He twisted his waist and started to leave.
Chu Qianmiao had been mentally reciting Gu Miaoyu's
warning—don't meddle in other people's business, don't be a hot-blooded
hero—the next moment, she was so irritated by the slender man's behavior that
she immediately forgot what she had been saying.
She blocked the tall man's path from two steps away,
deciding to righteously...speak nonsense to scare him.
"Sir, please wait a moment. Could you please pull out
and clear this parking space?"
The slender man twisted his waist and bared his teeth.
"Why? Is this land yours?" He swung his hips and walked away, taking
two steps to stand in front of Chu Qianmiao. He practically snorted.
"Please move aside. You're blocking my way."
Chu Qianmiao repeated to herself several times, "Don't
get angry. No one will take your place if you get mad." Finally, she
suppressed the urge to bend down and grab a brick.
The young man driving the Mercedes got out, seemingly
wanting to rush over to help Chu Qianmiao. The rear window of the Mercedes
rolled down, and someone inside called out, "Xiao Qin," halting the
young man's steps.
The young man leaned over and said, "Boss, please don't
stop me. I've seen some mean-spirited people, but I've never seen anyone this
mean-spirited. Let me go over and do it to him!"
The man in the car spoke with a hint of laziness in his
voice, "I'm not going to stop you. Just try to be reasonable and don't
start a fight." After a pause, he added, "Protect that girl."
The young man said, "Got it," rubbed his hands,
and turned his head, turning his attention to the battle between the two people
on the other side.
He noticed a subtle shift in the situation; the girl was
once again gaining the upper hand.
She raised her voice, a crisp, commanding tone silencing the
slender man's grumbling: "Sir, please listen. I'm a lawyer with the law
firm in this building. The parking space you're occupying is a reserved space
provided to our law firm by the building. The person in the Mercedes is my
client. So please move your car immediately, or I'll call a tow truck."
The slender man pushed his sunglasses up to the top of his
head and grumbled again: "You say you're a lawyer, so you're a lawyer. But
I also say I'm the Chief Justice, so doesn't that give me the right to rule
over you? Tsk!"
Chu Qianmiao mentally praised him, calling him
"idiot." He really wasn't afraid of tiring the judges. He just
blindly assigned them tasks. Judges are responsible for deciding cases, not
lawyers.
She chuckled: "Do you think it's my clothes that don't
match, or my ID card?"
She was wearing a business suit and pulled her ID card from
the jacket pocket. Her fingers happened to be on the "Xinfeng"
inscription on the "Xinfeng Law Firm," revealing the name and her
formal photo to the slender man.
The slender man looked at her, then at her ID card, and
hissed.
Chu Qianmiao said firmly, "Please move your car
immediately, or I'll really call a tow truck."
The tall, slender man, with his waist twisted and his
androgynous gait, returned to S.Mart and drove away.
Chu Qianmiao put away her ID card and said to the young man
who had gotten out of his car to watch the excitement, unable to get a word in:
"Alright, please park in! We've got the angle right, you can just back
in."
The young man hesitated: "This... isn't good? Isn't
this your law firm's designated parking space?"
Chu Qianmiao chuckled: "I don't even know if there's a
law firm in this building. I'm a lawyer at another firm. I was just saying that
nonsense just now because I couldn't stand that guy's brazen behavior in broad
daylight!"
Chu Qianmiao saw the young man's eyes widen and his smile
deepen.
"Okay, you've got a spot to park. I'm leaving too.
Bye!" Chu Qianmiao said, turning and walking off with a dashing demeanor.
The young man got back into the car and carefully backed the
Mercedes into the parking space.
After parking, Qin Qianyu turned and said to the person in
the back seat, "Mr. Ren, this girl is interesting. She's a real Lei
Feng!"
The person in the back seat casually glanced out the window
at the figure, a faint smile curling up one corner of his mouth. "Hmm,
quite interesting."
***
Chu Qianmiao turned around upon entering the building and
found the wrong place. After running back to the information desk for
directions, she hurried to the right place. Just as she was about to arrive,
she received a text from Zhang Teng. Zhang Teng told her that the brokerage
firm had arrived and that if she hadn't bought cigarettes yet, forget it and
hurry over.
Chu Qianmiao quickly replied, "I'm outside," then
put her phone away, caught her breath, and looked up to knock on the door.
Two waiters opened two magnificent bamboo doors from the
inside, revealing another world before Chu Qianmiao's eyes. A large, revolving
dining table, covered with a dazzling white tablecloth, surrounded it by chairs
each as imposing as a single sofa.
It was obvious this was going to be a luxurious lunch.
Chu Qianmiao stepped into the room. Just as she was about to
apologize to the people inside, she glanced up and saw the face of the person
sitting at the round table facing the door.
She froze in her tracks, forgetting even to say, "I'm
sorry I'm late."
She stood there, thinking: She's delusional! Maybe last
night's dream has come true. Maybe the wish Xiao Daogu made for her that
morning is coming true...
That handsome man sitting there—isn't that the protagonist
of her dream?
Suddenly, she heard Zhang Teng calling her.
"Qianmiao, what are you standing there for? Mr. Ren is
greeting you!"
Chu Qianmiao turned to look at Zhang Teng, who immediately
informed her, "The person across from you is Mr. Ren Yan, Managing
Director of the Investment Banking Department of Litong Securities. Mr. Ren
just greeted you!"
Chu Qianmiao's hearing was shaken by the word "Ren
Yan."
It was really him.
She snapped back to her senses and quickly turned around,
bowed, and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Ren!"
Ren Yan, sitting there a separated by time, as handsome as
ever, smiled at her faintly. It was a smile that was a little polite, a little
distant, a little formal.
"Hello," he said.
His tone was so calm. As calm as if this was their first
encounter, as if he had never known her before.
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