Water and Fire~Chapter 8: Do You Feel Wronged?

 

Chapter 8: Do You Feel Wronged?

The meeting finally concluded after the materials were reviewed. Chu Qianmiao fled to the tea room, cup of water in hand. At that moment, she thought she should hide and lick her mortified wounds.

Luckily, the company had reserved the tea room closest to them for their exclusive use. The employees wouldn't come and see her sullen, sullen face.

She gulped down a glass of cold water, but her face still felt hot afterward. She stood by the window, gazing into the distance, hoping that a farsighted perspective would heal her.

Qin Qianyu also entered, cup of water in hand. Chu Qianmiao turned to look at him and gave him a dry smile, uglier than a pinch on the inside of her thigh.

Qin Qianyu stood at the doorway of the tea room, glancing around. After clearing any enemies, he calmed down and temporarily put on his courage to comfort Chu Qianmiao: "Qianmiao, you're too thin-skinned. Just a few words from President Ren have you so mad? Your smile is like crying. Look at how President Ren lectures us. If we were as thin-skinned as you, we'd be dead."

Chu Qianmiao grinned, then smiled a smile even uglier than crying.

Qin Qianyu quickly stepped up his soothing tone: "Actually, you just haven't adjusted to President Ren's work habits and intensity yet. He's like this: if he sends you information, even if he says he'll hold a meeting in two days, you can't trust him. You have to read it that very evening. Otherwise, he could move up the meeting at any time, and then ask you questions you can't answer. Then, you'll be ready for his bullying."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

Why does it feel like this Mr. Ren's heart is like a needle in the sea... so fickle.

"But I really think what President Ren said to you was quite gentle," Qin Qianyu sighed again.

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

Brother, perhaps your aesthetic sense has been distorted by your boss's pressure, and you have some misunderstanding of gentleness...

"But, then again, there's something strange!" Qin Qianyu stretched his neck to the door again, checking around. After confirming it was safe, he returned and continued, "After all, you're from the lawyers' side, not from our brokerage side. I'm actually quite surprised that President Ren could directly criticize you for misremembering the meeting time."

Chu Qianmiao was also stunned when she heard this.

That's right, she's not from the brokerage, she's a lawyer. Why should she be so subservient to Ren Yan's lectures? "Generally speaking, President Ren will be harsh on us, but as for partners, as long as their mistakes aren't too egregious, he'll show some leniency and avoid direct barbs and sarcasm. So, Qianmiao, you've been wronged this time. President Ren doesn't really treat you as an outsider." Qin Qianyu rubbed the bottom of his water glass and began to offer advice. "So, next time President Ren speaks harshly about you, just confront him!"

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

...Why don't you confront him? Why are you all so docile as cats, leaving me to confront him?

As if Qin Qianyu could hear her inner thoughts, "You're not like us. We have to pack our bags and go home after we confront him. But you're from the law firm! Confronting President Ren not only gives you some relief, but he can't fire you. That way, we all feel good following you!"

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

...Brother, I'm afraid I won't live long enough to get back to the law firm to call for help after confronting the head of the brokerage firm!

"But actually, speaking of our CEO Ren," Qin Qianyu suddenly changed the subject. "He's just a big talker. He's actually quite calm and doesn't particularly care about anything. He might not get angry if you confront him," Qin Qianyu continued, "because he can fight you back a hundred times over."

Chu Qianmiao: "…………"

...He's so good at confronting, and that's called calm????

"And if you praise him, he might not be happy either. Because he thinks no matter how much you praise him, it's never enough, and it's never as good as the real him."

Chu Qianmiao: "………………"

...Brother, that's not calm, that's arrogance!!

"So don't get angry. Next time he says something about you, just argue with him. Don't give in!"

Chu Qianmiao: "……………………"

...Is this really just comforting? Isn't it just setting her up for trouble?

Chu Qianmiao had a vague feeling that Qin Qianyu and his men had been oppressed for too long and were using her as a test case for rebellion...

Chu Qianmiao cleared her throat and asked Qin Qianyu, "Um, Manager Qin..."

He interrupted her, "No, don't call me Manager Qin, that's too unfashionable! Call me Brother Qin, hahaha!"

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

...You said your leaders don't treat others as outsiders, and you're also...

Strangely, Chu Qianmiao didn't find Qin Qianyu's behavior frivolous; rather, it felt kind.

She relaxed, her embarrassment finally over, and she felt a little joking.

"Brother Qin, how can I confront President Ren? For example, at the meeting today, when he said, 'Did Lawyer Chu miscalculate the meeting time and not have time to look at the materials?' How should I confront him?"

Qin Qianyu was stunned by the question, his face blank.

"Qian Miao, I didn't expect you to take other people's advice so seriously!"

Chu Qian Miao humbly thanked him, "Being serious is what I should do." Then, even more modestly, she asked, "Do you think this is okay? Mr. Ren, I didn't remember the date wrong, I just wasn't paying attention. Being inattentive is a matter of attitude, but saying I remembered it wrong is implying that my brain isn't working. Attitude can be corrected, but a bad brain can't be cured. You can say my attitude is wrong, but you can't insinuate that I'm not smart! My brain is part of me, so this is a personal attack in the workplace. You need to apologize!"

After this sophistry, Chu Qian Miao felt that such talk was truly shameless.

But Qin Qianyu applauded and exclaimed in admiration, "Qianmiao, your rebuttal is absolutely brilliant! I'm convinced! I think President Ren is completely wrong. How could he attack you personally? Qianmiao, you must teach me how to defend myself even when I'm wrong!"

Chu Qianmiao felt a slight headache: "Brother Qin, please don't try to learn that!"

After saying that, she felt like she deserved a beating. How shameless would someone be to make such a defense?

But Qin Qianyu still walked away, cup in hand, with a look of admiration on his face.

Two seconds later, she thought she heard Qin Qianyu scream near the door. Annoyed, she didn't bother to look, so she took another glass of cold water and gulped it down.

After finishing, she straightened her head and wiped her mouth, stunned.

While she was tilting her head back to drink, Ren Yan entered with a cup in hand.

"Mr. Ren, Mr. Ren..." Having just been caught in a meeting, her greeting was weak and guilty.

Ren Yan curled his lips slightly, a hint of sarcasm, a hint of sarcasm, but it didn't seem to be there.

"Personal attack?" he asked, but those were the first words that came out of his mouth.

Chu Qianmiao's legs gave way, and she nearly fell to her knees. She steadied herself on the windowsill, repeatedly saying, "No, no! Personal attack or anything like that. I was just talking nonsense..."

She wanted to scratch the glass! How had he heard all that nonsense...

"So I don't need to apologize?" Ren Yan still had that half-smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ren. I was wrong. I didn't control my words. Please don't be sarcastic and insult me!"

Ren Yan glanced at her, causing Chu Qianmiao to lower her head. She lowered her head and listened as Ren Yan opened the lid of his cup to collect water. After he finished, he finally left with the cup.

Chu Qianmiao turned and banged her head against the glass.

"Who is this?! Is the second calabash clattering with super hearing?!" she muttered miserably, the way she couldn't help but mutter to herself when embarrassed.

Feeling a noise behind her, Chu Qianmiao stopped and turned back.

She felt like her heart was about to burst again...

Ren Yan had actually come back again!!! To get the lid for his cup...

Ren Yan still looked at her with that half-smile.

Chu Qianmiao forced a smile: "Mr. Ren, I was just going over the functions of the seven calabash calabash calabashes..."

Ren Yan glanced at her but didn't say anything immediately.

After a moment, he called her, "Chu Qianmiao."

He was actually using her full name.

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

"Do you feel like, 'You're a lawyer, I'm a broker, I can't really control you,' but I said that to you in the meeting, so you're feeling a little aggrieved?"

Chu Qianmiao suddenly couldn't meet Ren Yan's piercing gaze.

She lowered her head and said, "No, I'm not aggrieved. It's true that I wasn't well prepared. Besides, Lawyer Zhang also said that if I have any shortcomings in the project, I'll need Mr. Ren's guidance." Actually, with Zhang Teng's words in mind, Ren Yan's actions today weren't excessive.

But for some reason, the shame and remorse she felt from Ren Yan's words were more traumatic than from anyone else's.

She heard Ren Yan put the lid on the cup. The fine bone china made a crisp sound. She raised her head in response, her eyes meeting Ren Yan's again.

This time, Ren Yan caught her gaze, not letting her evade. He looked her straight in the eye and spoke.

"Chu Qianmiao, you're being too unfocused right now. Since you called me your senior, I might as well say a few more words to you today. You should know that women face a more difficult situation than men in the workplace. Compared to men, it's harder for women to access the same resources, earn the same respect, and receive the same opportunities for promotion. Women also have less time to work hard. So if you continue to be so unfocused, your future as a successful person will be a distant dream."

Ren Yan said, then turned and left the tea room.

His words struck Chu Qianmiao's eardrums like a hammer.

She was stunned, but also awakened.

Looking back at herself, she realized that she was too carefree and unfocused. She only had the goal of becoming an elite like Ren Yan, but she didn't put in the hard work. She spent her days laughing and making friends, having fun.

If this continued, her ambition to excel would be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Think of Qin Qianyu and the other three people. They were all brought up by Ren Yan. They weren't much older than she was, but they already had the air of an elite. It was Ren Yan who was using his high-pressure tactics to accelerate their development. He was helping them improve their lives.

Chu Qianmiao's chest swelled. She trotted out of the tea room, chasing Ren Yan's back.

That figure, lean and handsome, shone like a beacon for sailors.

She ran to Ren Yan's side, slowed down, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

She took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Ren, please don't be so polite next time. If I do something wrong again, please point it out to me directly, just like you did today!"

Ren Yan paused, stood still, turned to look at her, and raised an eyebrow.

"Then I hope you don't cry."

Chu Qianmiao patted her chest and said, "I definitely won't cry. Anyone who cries is a donkey!"

Ren Yan glanced at her, his lips twitching as if he were about to say something. But he said nothing. Then, that twitch of his lips turned into a seemingly random smile. He turned and walked away, cup in hand.

***

After lunch, everyone returned to the office and went about their business.

Qin Qianyu got up and went to Ren Yan to discuss the issue. Shortly after he returned to his seat, a profile picture popped up on the lower right corner of Chu Qianmiao's computer.

Qin Qianyu told Chu Qianmiao in a chat, "Just now, I saw Mr. Ren searching for a really weird keyword on his computer!"

Chu Qianmiao replied, "What keyword?"

Qin Qianyu: "Mr. Ren is searching for 'Whoever cries is a donkey'. I asked the three people next to me, and they don't know what it means. Do you know what it means? If you do, tell me. I'll find a chance to explain it to our boss and flatter him! Mr. Ren caught me this morning as soon as I left the tea room. I have to seize every opportunity to perform well!"

Chu Qianmiao's stomach twisted, and she nearly vomited her lunch.