Water and Fire~Chapter 44.1: Glamour

 

Chapter 44.1: Glamour

Chu Qianmiao returned to her room and quickly got ready.

She first video-called Gu Miaoyu, asking her to teach her how to style her hair in a bun. She usually had long, straight black hair, so the art of hairstyling was a mystery to her. She struggled to learn, and only after Gu Miaoyu practically hung herself with her arms raised did she finally grasp the clues.

With this little insight, she was finally able to style her hair in a coiffed style. After finishing her hairstyle, Gu Miaoyu frowned at her through the video call. "I just feel like something's not right..."

Suddenly, Gu Miaoyu snapped her fingers and said to Chu Qianmiao through the screen, "I know! You combed your hair too straight and sleek! Come on, Shuishui, shake your head hard, like you're on drugs!"

Chu Qianmiao shook her head vigorously, nearly vomiting, until a few loose strands of hair finally swayed from her temples.

"Yeah, not bad! You look much sexier this way!"

Before ending the video call, Gu Miaoyu said, "Shuishui, send me a photo when you're fully dressed. Let me see your full, radiant self!"

Chu Qianmiao said, "Okay!", put down her phone, and began to apply makeup.

She didn't make herself too heavily, just a light touch to sculpt her features. After sculpting her eyebrows, applying powder, and applying a little lipstick, Chu Qianmiao looked in the mirror and thought she looked quite appealing.

Finally, she stood up and changed into a dress and high heels.

She picked up her handbag and stood in front of the mirror, looking herself from front to back. She felt she had put herself together to look photogenic.

She took a full-body photo of herself in the mirror with her phone and sent it to Gu Miaoyu, along with the caption: "Little Daogu, how's your sister Shui looking?"

Gu Miaoyu immediately sent a stream of drooling emojis, followed by another caption: "Do you want my life? Okay, I'll give it to you! I'll die, you're so beautiful!"

Having saved her life, Chu Qianmiao puffed out her chest and laughed three times, then opened the door and went downstairs.

The hotel Chu Qianmiao was staying in had a somewhat unusual structure. The lobby through the main entrance was actually on the second floor, and the thank-you reception was held in the banquet hall on the first floor. Going from the second floor to the first floor was much closer by taking the stairs than by elevator. The staircase wound its way down, each step clad in marble, the handrail as elegant and ornate as carved jade.

Chu Qianmiao climbed the stairs, holding onto the handrail. Wearing high heels and the slippery marble floor, she took each step carefully.

She was so focused on the ground beneath her feet that she didn't notice the two men standing at the entrance to the first-floor banquet hall.

Lei Zhenzi was in Shenzhen on a business trip and had called Ren Yan to arrange a meal, only to be summoned directly to the listing reception. Ren Yan specifically instructed Lei Zhenzi: Wear a suit, not a jacket, and be formal.

So, Lei Zhenzi appeared outside the banquet hall in a suit and tie. Even his formal attire couldn't hide his adorable presence, making him look like a scumbag. When Ren Yan emerged from the banquet hall to greet him, he was already chatting animatedly with the hostess at the entrance.

Ren Yan called Lei Zhenzi's name, interrupting his courtship. Lei Zhenzi turned his head to look at him and exclaimed, "Wow!" "Ren, aren't you looking a little too handsome today? Tsk! You're wearing that suit we had custom-made overseas last year? Didn't you say you'd wear it for your grandmother's 80th birthday? Even at thank-you receptions for a listed company with a market capitalization ten times that of Hanhai Home Textiles, you never seemed to care so much about your outfit. So, what kind of project is Hanhai Home Textiles that warrants such formality?" He paused, raised an eyebrow, and a sly smile played on his face. "Is it... someone you're dressing up for?"

Lei Zhenzi winked at Ren Yan. But he noticed Ren Yan didn't respond.

Ren Yan's gaze flickered over his shoulder, looking behind him.

Lei Zhenzi followed his gaze and turned to look back.

He couldn't help but whistle.

A beautiful woman was standing not far from them, carefully and focusedly descending the stairs, holding onto the handrail.

The woman wore a loose bun and a black V-neck dress. Her skin was so pale, almost transparent. The white skin exposed outside her gown created a stark visual contrast with the black of the dress, making her paler, even more delicate and sexy, yet within that delicate and sexy look, there was a charming purity. The dress perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure, its curves and peaks, its willow-like waist.

Her slender, fair neck and voluptuous collarbone formed a smooth, beautiful line, flowing down the V-neckline, undulating before tucked into the narrow point of the V, leaving a faint glimpse of a ravine. The scene was truly breathtaking.

When the beautiful woman raised her head even slightly, Lei Zhenzi's prepared whistle died on his tongue. He stared at the bright, slightly raised face and uttered, "Oh my god! Is that Qian Miao? Is that Qian Miao? That's Qian Miao!"

He sighed three times.

He was about to raise his voice to greet Chu Qianmiao, who was about to reach the last step, when Ren Yan nearly tugged him down, causing him to stumble.

Ren Yan dragged him by the arm, pulling him toward the banquet hall with such force that it seemed as if he had some ulterior motive.

Lei Zhenzi rolled his eyes in disapproval: "Ren, what are you doing? That beautiful girl just now was Qianmiao. How can you act so cold?"

Ren Yan spoke righteously: "I don't think she's that beautiful. Let's get down to business. I'll take you to meet Mr. Zhou Hanhai. Maybe there's an opportunity for you two to collaborate in the capital market. Let's go."

Chu Qianmiao went downstairs, feeling a little excited and expectant. She secretly wondered if Ren Yan would think she looked a little better than usual tonight.

She usually wore a business suit, either trousers or a tight skirt, and rarely wore makeup. It was a rare opportunity for her to dress so openly and flamboyantly as she did today.

She half-hoped to get some compliments from him about her stunning appearance tonight.

She went downstairs and into the banquet hall. Acquaintances she met along the way were full of amazement and compliments. They would say, "Oh? Is that Lawyer Chu? You look so beautiful tonight!"

The compliments made her both shy and eager—she wondered what Ren Yan would say about her.

But she scanned the area but couldn't find Ren Yan. It wasn't until the reception was about to begin and she found her seat that she saw Ren Yan and Lei Zhenzi walking towards the main table.

That table was occupied by a host of important figures: besides Zhou Hanhai, the guests and the heads of intermediary agencies.

She sat at a table next to the main table with Qin Qianyu, Sun Yi, and the others.

When Qin Qianyu saw her, he exclaimed, "Wow!" several times, exclaiming that she looked stunning tonight.

But despite being praised as stunning, she still couldn't attract Ren Yan's attention. Even Lei Zhenzi turned to greet her with a wink, giving her a thumbs-up and mouthing praises about her beauty, but Ren Yan refused to look her way.

She felt a little deflated for a moment, feeling a loss without his attention and praise. But she quickly perked up—because, at Lei Zhenzi's urging, Ren Yan finally turned back to look at her. He gave her a faint nod, a greeting. She smiled at him, a brilliant smile, but he met her smile with a blank expression.

It was as if, in his eyes, she looked no different tonight than she did in her usual business suit.

Her straight back suddenly felt a little strained. It seemed as if sitting so gracefully was no longer necessary.

The reception soon began. A renowned host took the stage to introduce the program, followed by speeches from government officials. Interspersed throughout were a dazzling array of performances, including singing, dancing, and acrobatics. Then Zhou Hanhai took the stage to give his speech.

Then Ren Yan, representing the agency, took the stage.

Chu Qianmiao sat in the audience, looking up at Ren Yan.

He stood in the glow of the stage, confident, calm, and graceful. She thought he looked surprisingly handsome today. His slim-fitting suit accentuated his height, long legs, broad shoulders, and straight back. Standing there, he instantly outshone all the male celebrities she'd ever admired.

She quietly raised her phone and captured him on stage.

After all the speakers had delivered their speeches and all the scheduled performances concluded, Zhou Hanhai invited all the agency project team members present to come on stage for a group photo. He even invited Lei Zhenzi, with whom he had been chatting happily, to join him.

Chu Qianmiao followed Qin Qianyu onto the stage.

The crowd was so large that Zhang Teng was dragged to the central area by the accountant. She thought she'd just stand to the side, but Qin Qianyu forcibly pulled her from the edge toward the center, squeezing through the crowd until he was next to Ren Yan.

After settling into position, Qin Qianyu turned to Chu Qianmiao and said, "Silly child, why are you standing to the side? You need to understand your position. You and I are both trusted confidants of our leader. Confidants should stand in the center, understand?"

Chu Qianmiao nodded quickly, understanding, and thanked Qin.

Next to Qin Qianyu was Ren Yan, who was next to Zhou Hanhai. To Zhou Hanhai's other side was Lei Zhenzi.

While she was talking to Qin Qianyu, Ren Yan, who sat next to him, never glanced in their direction. Instead, Lei Zhenzi, across from Zhou Hanhai and Ren Yan, leaned forward to greet her, winking at her and praising her again for looking so beautiful tonight.

Chu Qianmiao quickly returned the compliment, praising Lei Zhenzi for looking incredibly handsome in his suit.

After the idiom "incredibly handsome" was uttered, Ren Yan finally turned to look at her, but his gaze was dull, and he quickly retracted it.

Chu Qianmiao couldn't help but pout. She didn't even realize she was making a slightly unhappy expression, but Lei Zhenzi caught it.

Suddenly, a hand reached out, grabbing Qin Qianyu. Chu Qianmiao turned to see that it was Lei Zhenzi who had grabbed Qin Qianyu and brought him to his side. He said, "I need to ask Xiao Qin something. Xiao Qin, stand next to me."

He then tugged Chu Qianmiao again, pulling her closer to Ren Yan: "Don't leave any space. There's no room next to you!" Then he pulled Qin Qianyu back to his side.

All of a sudden, she was standing next to Ren Yan. She tilted her head, met Ren Yan's, who was also glancing down at her, and called him "Senior."

Ren Yan frowned slightly, then relaxed. He hummed, nodded, and turned his head to look forward.

She inhaled a fresh, clean scent from him, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

The cameraman in front asked everyone to stand still and look forward. The person next to her jostled her, causing her legs to buckle and her body to sway, leaning closer to Ren Yan.

The cameraman called out to everyone, "Look here, look here!"

Ren Yan placed his hand on her waist, helping her steady herself.

The cameraman said, "Cheese!" and clicked his flash, a flash of white light capturing everyone in his camera.

The little gestures they'd unintentionally made in the crowd—her leaning against him, his embrace around her—were also captured in the camera.