Water and Fire~Chapter 45.1: The Anti-Marriageist (Second Revision)

 

Chapter 45.1: The Anti-Marriageist (Second Revision)

Chu Qianmiao was pressed against a chest.

The scent of that chest was familiar to her: fresh and pleasant, with a hint of wine. Under the white shirt beneath the couture suit, the lines of taut muscle were visible.

She tilted her head against that chest, meeting Ren Yan's gaze as he looked down at her.

She pressed against him, her heart pounding, her ears burning, her breathing ragged like a broken bellows.

She whispered "Senior," "Thank you." Her voice trembled and rasped, uncontrollably, a kind of excitement from surviving a catastrophe.

He could see the faint cleavage beneath the peak of the V-neck, the skin beneath it a dazzling white, so pale he dared not look any further. His gaze shifted upwards, revealing her red ears.

Then her face.

She looked up, calling him "senior," thanking him. Trembling, mute, pitiful, and incredibly obedient, she looked like a small animal.

He released her, and they both took a step back. The distance between them widened. He frowned, his voice a bit stern as he admonished her, "Can you be more careful? Don't walk around with your phone in high heels!"

Chu Qianmiao kept bowing her head and apologizing, "Okay, senior! I won't do that again, senior! Thank you for reminding me! Don't be angry, senior!"

Watching her like that, he lost his temper. He could never find anyone better at admitting mistakes and coaxing others.

They were still standing on the steps. Ren Yan interrupted Chu Qianmiao, "Alright, stop nagging."

Chu Qianmiao looked up at him and gave him a toothy grin.

In her smile, she was as bright as a dew-covered flower blooming on a summer morning. Ren Yan averted his gaze from her face and looked down the stair railing.

"Your phone's broken."

Chu Qianmiao slapped her forehead. It was the phone that fell, not her, but why did she seem so mad about it?

She had even forgotten to check on the damage.

She quickly turned around and hurried down the stairs, her high heels clattering.

Ren Yan's voice echoed behind her: "I just told you to go down slowly!"

She quickly slowed down, descending slowly and steadily.

Reaching the ground and running towards where the phone had landed, Chu Qianmiao was left with a pile of broken pieces.

She thought, "Oh no!" Her call with Tan Shen had been terminated. Given his personality, he'd probably already sent her hundreds of messages on WeChat, asking why she'd suddenly ignored him. Just thinking about it made her feel really bad.

Footsteps sounded behind her. She turned and saw Ren Yan following her.

He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets, stood two steps away from her, and asked, "Do you have a spare phone?"

Chu Qianmiao shook her head.

She, a newbie in the workplace, was different from the elites. She wasn't at the point where she needed to maintain multiple phones to handle her work.

Ren Yan looked at her, then looked away, glancing to the side. "I happen to have a new phone here. You can use it later."

Chu Qianmiao followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at a thriving money tree in the hallway.

Did he like that tree so much? He even looked at the tree when he spoke to her.

Chu Qianmiao's voice drew Ren Yan's attention back: "No, senior, I don't need a phone tonight. I'll just go to the mall and buy one tomorrow!"

Ren Yan's gaze was drawn back by her refusal. He stared at her, his gaze fixed on her face, refusing to extend beyond her chin. He said, "This phone is a gift from President Zhou. I don't need it, so it's perfect for you to have."

Chu Qianmiao thought for a moment, her eyes brightening: "Then...how about this, senior, I'll give you the price of the phone in cash!"

Ren Yan looked at her bright eyes and averted his gaze. He frowned, a little annoyed, and began his signature rhetorical questions: "When did you become so pretentious? Do you think I'd take your money? I said it was a gift, so why not just use it?"

Chu Qianmiao: "..." The pretentious accusation was completely dismissed from her. She was terrified.

She had a vague feeling that Ren Yan's mood was unsettling, a touch angry, a little irritated, and a touch world-weary. She wondered if something had happened to him at the party.

In any case, facing Ren Yan's expression, she feared he'd grab her by the scruff and throw her out if she said another word, so she quickly and respectfully obeyed.

"Okay, okay. Thank you for the phone!" she said with a smile.

Ren Yan glanced at her, then looked away. "Which room are you staying in?"

Chu Qianmiao quickly gave her the room number.

"Got it. I'll send it to your room later."

Chu Qianmiao thanked him again, then, seeing that Ren Yan looked unwilling to continue talking, she quickly retreated, carrying the broken phone upstairs and back to her room.

After Ren Yan saw her leave, he pulled his hand from his trouser pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed Qin Qianyu's number.

His fingertips trembled slightly, as if he'd had too much to drink. The soft, warm touch of her waist still lingered on his fingertips, a feeling that had made his fingertips drunk.

After the call connected, he asked Qin Qianyu, "How was your meal?"

Qin Qianyu quickly said, "Boss, I'm almost done. I'm being asked to drink. Do you have any instructions?"

Ren Yan said, "Come out after the toast and meet me at the stairs. There's no rush."

After giving his instructions, he put his phone away and headed for the stairs.

In the shadows near the stairs, Lei Zhenzi was leaning against the marble wall, greeting Ren Yan with a smile that looked like he'd just watched a good show.

As soon as Ren Yan reached him, he said, "Ren, you know what? I almost went blind just now! I thought I was watching a clichéd idol drama from ten years ago! But even though it was clichéd, it rekindled the heart of a young man who's been immersed in the world of love!"

Lei Zhenzi said coquettishly.

Just as they were about to go upstairs, they saw Chu Qianmiao holding her phone while video chatting as she walked down the stairs.

Lei Zhenzi could tell Chu Qianmiao was video chatting with a man. He glanced at Ren Yan's frost-bitten face beside him and guessed the man in the video might be Chu Qianmiao's ex-boyfriend.

Then Chu Qianmiao giggled at the man on the phone, and he felt the man's temperature drop several degrees Celsius.

Suddenly, the giggling girl stepped on empty air, and her phone flew down the banister, taking her with it.

He saw a flash of light before his eyes, and the man who had been beside him just a moment before, unfazed by the tug of his cr*tch, ran to the banister in two steps, grabbed the girl back, and with a whirlwind move, he hugged her tightly, protecting her.

It was a textbook example of a hero saving a beautiful woman!

"Ren, tell me, did you rip your cr*tch when you ran those two steps just now?" Lei Zhenzi asked with a frivolous look.

Ren Yan ignored Lei Zhenzi. He looked toward the banquet hall, waiting for Qin Qianyu to come out and find him.

He missed this brat. He'd taken his words seriously when he said there was no rush.

Lei Zhenzi, dissatisfied with Ren Yan's cold and pretentious attitude, poked him hard on the shoulder. "Hey, Ren, did you hear me? You just looked like you were in an idol drama. You've awakened my inner boy!"

Ren Yan frowned slightly, and with a look of disdain, he pushed Lei Zhenzi's prodding hand away, glancing back at him. "You're still watching idol dramas? Aren't those the stuff women watch?"

Lei Zhenzi rolled his eyes, his voice charming and alluring. "Is it okay for me to watch them with a woman?" He paused, then sighed. "Alas, I was just slow to react. It's so shameful that you rushed forward instead of me. This kind of heroic rescue is something that belongs to me dashing men. If I had protected Qian Miao, I'd probably be flirting with her, drinking tea under the moonlight!"

Ren Yan said coldly, "You talk too much. Shut up."

After a while, Qin Qianyu emerged from the banquet hall and stood at the door, looking around. Ren Yan stepped out from a dark corner and waved at him.

"Xiao Qin, here."

Qin Qianyu rushed over.

Ren Yan pulled out his room card and said, "Go do me a favor."

Chu Qianmiao returned to her room and didn't go downstairs again. Although she hadn't had time to eat, she didn't want to go downstairs again. She just wanted to wait for Ren Yan to bring her phone.

She figured she'd wait anyway, so she fixed her hair. After fixing her hair, she touched up her makeup, and after that, she smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress.

She had just started practicing her smile in the mirror when the doorbell finally rang.

She quickly ran to open the door.

Her face was wide with a smile, and she was about to call out "Senior" with a sweet smile, but when she looked closely, it was Qin Qianyu.

She quickly slammed the brakes on her tongue, nearly causing a tongue-biting accident. She called out, "Brother Qin!"

Qin Qianyu was startled by the wide smile on her face and took a step back. "Why are you so surprised to see me? Calm down. I'm married!"

"..." Chu Qianmiao thought he was drunk.

How could she explain to him that her surprised smile wasn't meant for him? If she couldn't explain it, then forget it. Just go for it.

"Brother Qin, calm down too. My ex-boyfriend is much more handsome than you... but he's also my ex-boyfriend. You... get what I mean, right? So, I have no intentions towards you."

Qin Qianyu patted his chest and kept yelling, "That's great! I almost scared you to death."

He handed Chu Qianmiao a cell phone box. "My boss sent this to you."

Chu Qianmiao took it and asked, "Where's Senior?" Why wasn't he the one delivering it to me?

Qin Qianyu said, "My boss said Mr. Zhou wanted to talk to him about something, and he asked me to bring it to you, fearing you might need it urgently."

Oh.

Chu Qianmiao thanked Qin Qianyu and closed the door.