Water and Fire~Chapter 24.1: It Smells So Good, So Good

 

Chapter 24.1: It Smells So Good, So Good

Chu Qianmiao's eyes rolled as she told Gu Miaoyu, "Hurry up and change your clothes and soak them in the basin, or the juice stain won't come out."

Gu Miaoyu quickly got up, changed her clothes, and soaked her shirt, stained by the apple core, in the basin. She did all this very quickly, fearing her train of thought about Chu Qianmiao's life would be interrupted.

After she finished, she returned to her previous seat, sat on the floor, rested her chin on the coffee table, and began to recall what she had asked.

Just as her train of thought was about to connect, Chu Qianmiao's cunning words interrupted her connecting thoughts.

"How's work going lately?"

Gu Miaoyu's mood was instantly swept away by this question, without hesitation.

"Ahhh, just thinking about this gives me a headache!" She wailed, holding her head. "What should I do? I doubt I'll be able to make it in home design. The company said they'll be implementing a last-place elimination system at the end of the year, and whoever has the lowest performance will be fired. It's already the end of the month, and my performance hasn't improved. What should I do, Shuishui? I might be finished!"

She wailed so hard that the balls on her head shook.

Chu Qianmiao leaned over and patted her head. "It's okay, it's okay. I'll support you."

Gu Miaoyu cupped her face. "Chu Lu, I love you."

She stood up abruptly, her face determined. "But don't worry. I won't need you to support me unless it's absolutely necessary. I won't give up easily. I'll face life with a smile. I'm going to fight Tu Xiaorong to the bitter end. I'll let her know." She raised her arms to the sky. "Girls like us, raised on chicken soup, never give up."

Chu Qianmiao looked up at Gu Miaoyu, feeling like she was seeing a Chinese Ultraman. She felt a slight headache.

After working overtime, Chu Qianmiao went to bed. Lying there, she felt a little sleepy, not enough to induce sleep. She struggled with the decision of whether to watch a TV show or not.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and chose not to.

She was afraid she'd be possessed by a dream again. Ren Yan was always so aggressive now. Even with him like this, if she still cast him as the male lead in her dreams, she couldn't get over it.

Turning over, she suddenly felt a little sleepy. A vague realization dawned on her. It was strange, she thought. She'd clearly been in a serious relationship with Tan Shen, but why, ever since she started working, the man she'd been dreaming about always had Ren Yan's face?

Before falling asleep, she tossed and turned, wondering, perhaps this is what it means to be constantly disturbed by what you can't have.

The next day brought another hellish day. Chu Qianmiao quickly washed up and rushed to Litong Securities. The deadline for submitting the planned filings was drawing near. Ren Yan had gathered the lawyers and accountants from the corporate securities firm, and everyone had gathered to meticulously review the filings.

Ren Yan was still as strict and fierce as ever. Chu Qianmiao felt like she'd been mistreated for so long that she'd become Stockholm-like. She no longer cared about the trampling on her pride and the suppression of her dignity. Only numbness filled her mind. Numbly and quickly, she accepted instructions and executed them. No need to overthink, no need to ask questions, just do it.

Qin Qianyu told her, "This is how working in an IPO program is: the closer you get to the end, the more exhausting it gets. By the end, even if someone hits you, you won't feel the pain."

After these days of toiling, Chu Qianmiao's eye sockets had sunken. Looking in the mirror, she even thought, after finishing this project, she could immediately be an extra in a zombie movie, bitten by a zombie, without the need for makeup.

After everyone reviewed the application materials together, Ren Yan led them to Rongda, officially beginning the application preparation process.

At Rongda, the application materials were printed, bound, and submitted to the China Securities Regulatory Commission—the final step in the application process.

This was Chu Qianmiao's first visit to the legendary Rongda. This was the final stop for application materials. Although she had never been there before, she had always heard many legends about Rongda.

This was a magical printing shop, where nearly 90% of the IPO application materials in the country were printed and produced. Rongda's annual revenue exceeded 100 million yuan from printing IPO application materials.

Chu Qianmiao had long heard that Rongda's printers, or document makers, were quite remarkable. Besides their expertise in typesetting, they naturally developed a familiarity with application materials due to their extensive experience working with IPO projects. Sometimes, many securities firms would come to prepare documents, even asking the makers if they needed to submit them to the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

This time, she had the opportunity to personally visit Rongda for the final shift before the application was filed, and she felt strangely excited.

She met Ren Yan, Qin Qianyu, and the others at the Rongda entrance. She followed them inside.

Rongda wasn't as luxurious as she had imagined. Compared to Litong's newly renovated interior, it almost looked outdated.

In mid-September, Rongda was packed with people. All the securities firms were frantically preparing, desperate to submit their materials to the China Securities Regulatory Commission before September 30th. Otherwise, after that date, the application materials would have to be returned, forcing them to add another quarter's worth of work. Here, she saw many brokerage firms, lawyers, and accountants, all with the same glazed eyes as she did, crowding the aisles.

Time was running out. Chu Qianmiao realized this the moment she entered Rongda and joined the throng.

Chu Qianmiao followed Ren Yan and Qin Qianyu, watching them constantly greeting people along the way. She wondered how they knew everyone.

As they went upstairs, she quietly asked Qin Qianyu about this question.

Though his eyes were bruised from working overtime, Qin Qianyu told her about the group he had just greeted. Those people, so-and-so from this brokerage firm, so-and-so from another, were all my alumni, my direct seniors and juniors.

Chu Qianmiao sighed.

It turns out that alumni reunions aren't just held on campus; they can also be held at Rongda.

Qin Qianyu also said, "When you've completed more projects and prepared more materials here, and you've become familiar with everyone at various brokerage firms, you'll be able to greet everyone as you walk through the corridors of Rongda. It'll feel like you're walking down the red carpet."

Chu Qianmiao smacked her lips, thinking, this truly is the prelude to the IPO extravaganza.

Ren Yan had arranged for Qin Qianyu to have an office and two guest rooms at Rongda. This was all arranged through some personal connections. In the overcrowded month of September, even having a room to use was a real challenge, so no one could complain about it being a bit cramped.

And yet, the room was indeed a bit cramped. Corporate brokers, lawyers, and accountants sat huddled together. Several tables were joined together to form a long conference table. Laptops covered the desks, their power cords tangled together, practically sprouting thick hair from the tabletop.

The densely packed conference room was filled with a tense and high-pressure atmosphere.

Ren Yan also called Pei Xincheng, the head of another department within Litong's investment banking department. He was the other signing agent for the Hanhai project.

With everyone assembled, Ren Yan led the group through the materials, confirming the final draft for submission.

Qin Qianyu and Sun Yi were constantly running up and down the stairs, printing and copying the materials.

The room was filled with the crisp clicks of right-clicks, the swish of scroll wheels turning pages, and the clatter of keyboards. Everyone's anxiety was distilled to the point of collapse.

Yu Yue bought everyone plenty of food and drinks to prevent anyone from overexerting themselves and collapsing from shock. During the day, everyone held meetings in the office; those who couldn't hold on could rest in the guest rooms. At night, Yu Yue and Qin Qianyu stayed at Rongda University while the others went home, gathering here early the next morning.