Water and Fire~Chapter 31.2: Restraint

 

Chapter 31.2: Restraint

After he left, Qin Qianyu rushed over to Chu Qianmiao's desk and, with a venomous look on his face, poked her surface with his finger, as if stabbing her forehead. "Qianmiao, stop asking so many questions! Please! Our leader's sinister smile makes us feel like the sky is falling. From now on, even if you want to make him laugh, don't try to make him laugh like that!"

Chu Qianmiao quickly and humbly admitted her mistake and stood up to make tea for Qin Qianyu and the other three to apologize.

Qin Qianyu sipped his tea from his cup, spitting out two unsoaked tea leaves. He uttered, "Huh?" and looked at Chu Qianmiao. "I suddenly feel like President Ren was talking too much today. It's like he's trying to push you towards becoming a female CEO."

Chu Qianmiao climbed the pole: "Xiao Qin, remember the taste of this tea. It's the tea President Chu personally brewed for you before she became famous!"

Ren Yan left Jialeyuan and walked to the parking lot to get into his car. As he was about to start the engine, he realized he had broken another rule.

That night, after throwing his cup and phone away due to trembling hands, he stood by the window, gazing at the nightscape of Beijing, and thought calmly for a moment.

He admitted that he was attracted to her. But he and she were not suitable. They really shouldn't have a deeper relationship.

So, he made a rule for himself: from now on, keep a proper distance from her and, except during meetings, speak to her no more than five sentences a day.

He silently reflected on their recent conversation. Strangely enough, he remembered every single word of their conversation so clearly, without a single mistake.

They had exchanged eight sentences in total. Sixty percent over the limit.

So much.

A silent sigh erupted in his heart, puffing out through his nose. He started the car and stepped on the accelerator.

He thought he had disrupted his newly established inner order today and would have to be more careful in the future.

A few days in November, the weather suddenly dropped, freezing and cracking the water pipes in Jialeyuan's office building. After the pipes broke, the electrical system also failed. Dong Lan was furious. Her company was in the renovation business, and yet the plumbing and electrical systems in an office building were so vulnerable.

When the temperature warmed up a bit, Dong Lan decided to use the opportunity of chipping away at the walls and repairing the pipes to completely renovate the entire office, making it luxurious and upscale, giving it the air of a prestigious company. So, everyone crowded into a small, shabby, and run-down building to work.

The small office building wasn't a good environment, so Ren Yan and Dong Lan discussed it and decided to temporarily relocate to Litong Securities. He requested a medium-sized conference room from the company for everyone to discuss.

Dong Lan agreed and even sent a business car to bring copies of the company's documents to Litong Securities.

Chu Qianmiao began her workday at Litong Securities. The Jialeyuan project was currently in its mentoring phase. During this period, her duties included not only completing mentoring-related tasks but also conducting a more thorough due diligence to identify and resolve any issues with the company.

On Chu Qianmiao's first day at Litong Securities, she felt that with such close proximity, it would be easy for her to see Ren Yan. However, she didn't see him all morning. It wasn't until lunch break that Ren Yan wandered into the conference room.

Seeing him push the door open from outside the conference room, Chu Qianmiao suddenly felt a surge of joy. She couldn't understand why. It felt like she'd bought a ticket to an F4 concert, sat in the audience, and waited for ages before finally seeing them. The excitement she felt at the sight of them was irrational, yet it made her want to scream.

She was in the confined space of a conference room, not on a grand stage, so her screams were muted. She simply stood up and happily called out, "Mr. Ren!"

Ren Yan glanced at her indifferently, gave a formal "hmm," and then asked, "Are you getting used to it?"

Chu Qianmiao smiled, "Mr. Ren, this isn't my first time at Litong!"

Ren Yan glanced at her again, then, as if he hadn't thought of a response, looked away.

He tapped Qin Qianyu's desk and told him, "Order lunch and bring me one." He paused, "Order Japanese food from the building across the street."

With that, he left.

Chu Qianmiao hadn't had time to vent her compliments, as she loved the Japanese food from the building across the street from Litong.

She had no choice but to say to Qin Qianyu, "Brother Qin, the Japanese food in the building across from you is what inspired me to come to Litong. I love it!"

Qin Qianyu searched for the restaurant's phone number to order food, saying, "We all know you love it. President Ren asked us to order it, didn't he? It's not just you, we love it too. A takeout order is 180 yuan. What you put in your mouth isn't food, it's money."

The takeout arrived, and Chu Qianmiao, Qin Qianyu, and the other four dined in the conference room. Ren Yan ate in his office. Chu Qianmiao ate very slowly, taking a long time to finish. Qin Qianyu couldn't help but ask her, "Qianmiao, do you have a toothache?"

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

She had known Japanese takeout was a bit expensive, but she hadn't known it was this expensive. Her overtime meal at the law firm was just a 15-yuan Lihua fast food meal. But when Ren Yan asked her to order food while working overtime at Litong and asked what everyone wanted to eat, she said she wanted Japanese food. Ren Yan didn't hesitate and let Qin Qianyu order.

Only now did she realize that Ren Yan's cold face was just that, and while he might have insulted her when discussing materials, he never took advantage of her mouth.

She replied to Qin Qianyu, "I'll chew a few more bites and try to make the 180 yuan takeout meal look like 360 ​​yuan. That way, I'll earn an extra 180 yuan."

Qin Qianyu was amused by her.

After lunch, Ren Yan came over again.

He told Qin Qianyu, "Book a high-speed rail ticket for me online."

After he specified the time and place, Qin Qianyu said, "Mr. Ren, I still need your ID number."

Ren Yan said, "I'll send it to you on my phone when I get back to the office."

Qin Qianyu: "Actually, you can just tell me directly on WeChat when you book your ticket."

After he finished, he felt as if Ren Yan had glared at him.

Ren Yan left the meeting room.

Chu Qianmiao strained her neck to look out the glass wall of the meeting room. Ren Yan had already returned to his office.

She asked Qin Qianyu, "Is Mr. Ren going on a business trip?"

Qin Qianyu replied, "Yes, Mr. Ren has to attend an intermediary coordination meeting on another project."

Chu Qianmiao: "He doesn't know how to book tickets on his phone?"

Qin Qianyu's expression was exaggerated: "Of course! He even learned how to send red envelopes on WeChat!"

Chu Qianmiao smacked her lips. "What a veteran! I'm so envious! If I had this ability to not use the internet properly, I wouldn't be broke every year after Singles' Day!"

As she spoke, Ren Yan pushed the door open again.

He held a piece of paper with a string of numbers on it—his ID number. He placed it next to Qin Qianyu, seemingly doing so with a sense of ceremony.

Chu Qianmiao thought, Ren Yan seemed like a leader with a bit of a rebellious streak. The more Qin Qianyu insisted he could send it on WeChat without making a special trip, the more he insisted on making a special trip.

As she thought about it, she found it quite amusing, and the corners of her mouth curved up.

Ren Yan looked up and unexpectedly called her name: "Chu Qianmiao, what are you laughing at?"

Chu Qianmiao: "Huh?" She quickly flattered him. "Mr. Ren, my lips always bend when I see someone approachable and respectable. I guess they were deliberately trying to get your attention so I could say, 'Lunch was delicious! Thank you, Mr. Ren, for your money! Thank you, Mr. Ren, for your kindness!'"

Behind her was a row of glass windows, and sunlight streamed directly into the room, enveloping her and making her sparkle. Her eyes were bright, her teeth were white, and her smile was sweet.