Water and Fire~Chapter 46.1: Reasons for Leaving

Chapter 46.1: Reasons for Leaving

One day, Chu Qianmiao rushed Ren Yan to the Jialeyuan due diligence site. During lunch break, Qin Qianyu and the others went to the cafe, leaving her and Ren Yan alone. She told Ren Yan that she and Gu Miaoyu would be moving out of his house as soon as possible.

"We're looking for an apartment recently and have already scheduled two viewings with the real estate agency. Today is Tuesday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday... Senior, we'll almost have your place available by the weekend," Chu Qianmiao said to Ren Yan, who was sitting at the desk across from her, his eyes downcast, intently poring over a document on his computer.

Ren Yan initially hummed, then after a moment's reaction, he raised his eyes and looked at Chu Qianmiao, his brows furrowed slightly. "You can stay in that apartment forever. You don't have to move out."

Chu Qianmiao shook her head. "That won't work. No merit, no reward. It's not right for us to live in your apartment for free."

Ren Yan frowned again and said, "Then don't stay there for free. Just pay me some rent."

Chu Qianmiao laughed dryly and waved her hands. "Senior, your apartment is so luxurious. It's spacious and well-decorated. We... can't afford it!"

Ren Yan thought for a moment and said, "Just pay me the rent you originally rented."

Chu Qianmiao said, "...Senior, isn't that inappropriate?"

Ren Yan: "Why is it inappropriate?"

Chu Qianmiao: "You're inappropriate. You're at a disadvantage!"

Ren Yan: "I told you to rent it, so just rent it. Don't be so pretentious." After a pause, Ren Yan furrowed his brows and added, "Why have you become so pretentious lately? A shabby house is worth all your fussing about."

Chu Qianmiao: "………………"

A shabby house? Flirting about poverty? She's being pretentious?

Chu Qianmiao really wanted to take a taxi to Kaifeng Prefecture and beat a drum to protest.

I've never heard of him forcing her to rent when she didn't want to, and then he called her pretentious. What a corrupt society! The worldview of investment banking elites has become so twisted.

Before Chu Qianmiao could even think of a retort to Ren Yan, she heard him say, "Do you have a lot of free time? Have you finished the first draft of Jia Leyuan's application? You've got plenty of time to waste on apartment hunting? So, stop wasting time on such frivolous things. Okay, I'll go back with you tonight, and we'll sign a rental agreement together, and it'll be settled."

He then dropped his gaze and continued editing the documents on his computer.

Chu Qianmiao: "………………"

Oh.

Chu Qianmiao felt a bit disoriented the entire afternoon. This was so strange, she thought. She clearly didn't want to rent, but Ren Yan insisted, and how did he end up making it seem like she was being unreasonable and making a fuss about something insignificant? It seemed like she couldn't argue with this investment banker. He'd gotten her sidetracked, and in the end, she'd lost everything.

After work that evening, Ren Yan kept his word and drove Chu Qianmiao back to the apartment.

Summer had already arrived, and Chu Qianmiao, perhaps because the heat made the atmosphere more lively, always felt more vibrant than those of the other three seasons.

The air conditioner was on in the car, and compared to the stifling heat outside, it felt like heaven.

And there was a handsome man in heaven. Chu Qianmiao felt strangely happy.

She looked out the window at the bustling crowds of people leaving work, thinking, "A woman's happiness is easy to come by. Sunny weather, good music, delicious food—all of these can instantly brighten her day." Oh, and, yes, there's someone you'd love to see sitting next to you.

She gazed out the window at the drowsy street scene just before dusk, a smile playing on her lips.

When Ren Yan glanced sideways at the right rearview mirror, he saw her beaming and blurted out, "What's up?"

Chu Qianmiao turned and smiled at him, "I think the weather's nice today. Good weather makes me happy." After a pause, she said, "Senior, summer is actually a time for skewers and beer. How about I treat you someday? Xiao Daogu and I have a special drinking spot. It's fantastic, and I don't take ordinary people there."

She had broached the idea on a whim. The thought immediately reminded her that Ren Yan never attended social events.

She quickly said, "Ah, I was just saying. Don't be embarrassed if you don't want to go."

Ren Yan, however, turned to look at her at a red light and said, "Wait until Jia Leyuan finishes the first draft of your application materials, then treat me."

Chu Qianmiao was a little surprised, but she smiled brightly and said, "Sure!"

Ren Yan drove the car to the bottom of the apartment building. The parking lot was packed, with only a narrow space barely big enough for Ren Yan's Mercedes.

Chu Qianmiao, fearing he'd scrape the sidecar while parking, volunteered to get out and help him direct the parking.

Ren Yan rolled down the window and heard her chirping, "Turn left, reverse, stop, move forward a little, then reverse again..."

In between turns, he glanced up at her. She was dressed in a white shirt and a tight skirt, her figure sharp and slender.

He suddenly remembered the first time he'd met her on the Hanhai project.

She was just like this, voluntarily directing everyone to park. He was sitting in the back seat when he heard Qin Qianyu, who was in the driver's seat, say, "Hey, this parking lot is new! The one directing parking is a pretty young woman."

He casually glanced out the car and saw her.

He stared at her, startled.

A voice sounded close by the window. Ren Yan turned his head at the sound and saw Chu Qianmiao leaning over, waving her hands in front of his face. She asked, "Senior, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly stop moving? You'll fall in if you hit it again!"

Ren Yan came back to his senses. He said to Chu Qianmiao, "I just thought about a work problem and got distracted."

Chu Qianmiao grumbled, but she was shocked.

A problem that could distract Ren Yan must be a serious one.

After parking the car, they went upstairs.

Chu Qianmiao unlocked the door with her key, entered the house, bent down to change her shoes, and found another pair of slippers to hand to Ren Yan.

As soon as she placed the slippers at Ren Yan's feet, she felt something furry rubbing against her ankle.

She looked closely and saw that the small, fluffy thing was actually a small, yellow kitten.

When she lowered her head, the little one also looked up at her. When their eyes met, it meowed sweetly, its eyes moist as if it were wearing oversized contact lenses.

Chu Qianmiao was instantly paralyzed by its meow.

She squatted on the ground and started talking to the kitten.

"Oh my little one! How can you be so cute? Whose baby are you?"

The kitten meowed twice more at her, then, with a flutter of its four short legs, slithered furryly to Ren Yan's feet.

Once at Ren Yan's feet, it rubbed against him vigorously as if on drugs, weaving in and out between his legs. Finally, it simply lay down at his feet, its four little paws raised to the sky, exposing its furry belly to him.

Ren Yan looked at the kitten, a little bewildered, and stared at it.

Chu Qianmiao crouched beside the little yellow kitten, looking up and waving at Ren Yan, urging him to squat down. "Senior, come here! It's asking you to scratch its belly! Hurry up, don't make the kids anxious!"

Ren Yan crouched down slowly.

He slowly extended his hand, slowly reaching out toward the kitten.

He had never done anything like this before, petting a tiny, furry pet. His slowness was hesitant and uncertain.

Chu Qianmiao couldn't bear his slowness, like he was trying to catch a hand grenade with his bare hands. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulled it over, and placed it on the yellow little creature's belly. Chu Qianmiao could feel Ren Yan's whole body tremble beneath his palm. Then he scratched the little creature's belly with his fingers.

The little creature meowed sweetly and coquettishly, completely overjoyed.

Chu Qianmiao released Ren Yan's wrist. She glanced up at Ren Yan, crouching across from her. A faint smile played on his lips. He was captivated by the little yellow-haired creature.

Gu Miaoyu ran out of the room in a panic, Shao Yuan following closely behind.

As she ran, she said, "Oh no! It looks like Sanqianshui has returned! I hope she doesn't make Miaomiao into soup..."

Before she even finished the word "soup," she saw Chu Qianmiao and Ren Yan, two elites, both in their professional attire, squatting on the floor by the door, caressing the cat with unseemly dignity.

Shao Yuan stood beside Gu Miaoyu, staring at her unblinkingly, as if she were the only one in the world. He said, "I told you not to worry. Miaomiao is so adorable, who wouldn't surrender to it?" He pronounced the word "miaomiao" a bit frivolously, but if you listened closely, it sounded a bit like Miaomiao.