Water and Fire~Chapter 32.1: I Want to Meet Her

 

Chapter 32.1: I Want to Meet Her

Chu Qianmiao calmed herself and made a final effort: "Senior, we've ordered a cake for you, and it'll be delivered to Chun K International Trade Store soon. The cake will be lonely without you!"

Chun K International Trade Store was the gathering venue Qin Qianyu had booked in advance.

Ren Yan remained unmoved, his attitude consistent, not worried about leaving the cake alone: ​​"Have fun."

Chu Qianmiao continued to struggle: "Senior, it's your 30th birthday after all!"

"Chu Qianmiao," Ren Yan called her name.

"Hey!"

"I don't celebrate my birthday," Ren Yan said. "I never do."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

"But thank you."

With this, Ren Yan was about to hang up.

Chu Qianmiao quickly called out to a series of seniors to try to stop him, "Just let me say one more thing!"

Ren Yan was surprised at how patient he was tonight. He paused to press the end button and said, "Go ahead."

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Senior, if you really can't come, we can't force you. We love you so much, and putting you in a difficult position would be like tearing our own flesh, right? So, compared to 'we'll be lonely if you don't come' and 'you'll be embarrassed if you come,' we'd rather grit our teeth and accept the loneliness ourselves than put you in a difficult position!"

Ren Yan listened to Chu Qianmiao's eloquent nonsense and actually wanted to continue listening, not in a hurry to hang up. He figured Qin Qianyu was right about what she said, and if she wanted to coax someone, she could really make them fall head over heels.

"But Senior, please promise us one thing: Don't turn off your phone or mute it. Please answer our call around midnight. We'll be using the words 'Happy Birthday' to express our deepest love and admiration for you!"

On the other end of the line, Ren Yan held the phone, his lips curled silently.

But his words remained concise, his tone still flat.

"Okay."

Chu Qianmiao, upon hearing his promise, couldn't help but test the waters, teetering on the edge of asking for more. "Senior, are you really not coming? We'll play finger-guessing games tonight, drink and sing, and we can even find lots of pretty girls to play games with! Pretty girls!"

Ren Yan hung up.

Chu Qianmiao stared at the abruptly disconnected phone for two seconds, stunned.

"Oh my god, Brother Qin, what kind of god is your leader? He's not interested in women, and pretty girls don't even tempt him!"

Qin Qianyu repeated his assessment for the hundredth time: "Our CEO Ren has a quiet personality and doesn't like to join in the fun. Well, if he doesn't come, we'll celebrate for him!"

"???" Chu Qianmiao decided to refute the "quiet personality" assessment. "Does this mean he's quiet and doesn't like to join in the fun? No, that's not it! That's aloof and withdrawn!"

Ren Yan moved the rattan chair to the floor-to-ceiling window. He turned off the lights. Living on the 25th floor, sitting in the dark room in the rattan chair, he swayed and stared out at the night sky. If it weren't for the windowpane, he'd feel like he'd merged with the black sky outside. He felt like he was floating in the endless black sky, suspended and aimless.

He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd celebrated his birthday. It was so natural, as if he didn't even have one. But now, he was suddenly reminded that he, too, had a birthday. This feeling was a bit strange and new to him.

She was the only person in the world who had taken his birthday seriously in recent years, who had even tried to get everyone to celebrate it. Even his grandmother had forgotten his birthday. He always felt a little sad on this day. But this year, the girl remembered his birthday and wished him a happy birthday.

His heart went from cold to warm, a warmth that made him tingle and numb.

He told himself to stay calm, not to act impulsively. He had to follow the rules he had set and maintain his inner order.

He sat in the wicker chair, rocking, blending into the night.

The phone screen flickered on in the dark room.

The girl occasionally sent him photos of the party.

The couch was littered with their discarded coats and scattered briefcases and laptop bags. Although it looked messy, that mess was actually a kind of liveliness. She sent a line under the picture: "Senior, look at them! What a mess they've made! You've got to come fix it!"

He raised his lip.

She sent another photo. A large fruit bowl was placed on the table. Grapefruit peels had been trimmed to resemble a large sailboat, and on the deck of the sailboat were watermelon, kiwi, and dragon fruit.

After sending the picture of the fruit bowl and the sailboat, she sent another line: "Senior, Brother Qin and I just played dice, and he lost. I challenged him to eat watermelon soaked in vinegar, but unfortunately, there's no vinegar. If only someone could bring a bottle of vinegar."

He shook his head and smiled.

The words were full of accusations, urging him to go. He thought she was boring, and he wouldn't read the next photo she sent.

But when the screen came back on, he held the phone up to his face again.

This time, the picture showed a large cake with candles on it, but it wasn't lit yet. His eyes flickered to a glance, and he spotted an A4 sheet of paper on the table next to the cake. On it was a color-printed, enlarged photo of his work.

He pondered the paper for a moment, then texted, "What's with that paper?"

Chu Qianmiao's message arrived instantly: "Senior, since you're not coming in person, we've arranged a stand-in for you! We'll light the candles, put up your photo, sing your birthday song, and then we'll bow to you afterward!"

Ren Yan rubbed his forehead with his hand.

What a stunt.

Are they forcing him to show up in person?

He stood up and paced slowly around the room, debating whether to go or not. As he paced, he seemed to have done something. Just as he realized what he had done, Chu Qianmiao's voice rang through the receiver of the phone pressed to his ear.

"Hello? Senior?"

A crisp, clear voice, a tone of surprise and joy.

He was silent for two seconds. When he spoke again, he heard himself ask, "Is your group over?"

"Not yet. We'll connect with you at midnight, light the candles, sing you happy birthday, and then leave!" She replied crisply. "Senior, I'll take a blown-up photo of you and send it to you later. I even smoothed your skin before printing it. So handsome!"

"Don't use that photo," he said. "Don't rush to leave." After a pause, he announced, "I'm going over now."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, like a moment of daze. Then she turned to announce to the others that he was going over. The next second, the thunderous cheers of his soldiers came through the receiver.

Just a few people, but they cheered with the momentum of a mighty army.

They made his heart swell. He raised his hand and pounded his chest.

Okay. He thought, let's indulge myself just once today, just this once.