Water and Fire~Chapter 46.2: Reasons for Leaving

 

Chapter 46.2: Reasons for Leaving

This little yellow kitten named Miaomiao, with its cuteness, coquettishness, playfulness, and clinginess, had captivated everyone in a single night. Chu Qianmiao no longer remembered that furry little beasts were meant for soup. Now, they had become her little ancestors, her life.

Ren Yan had also been captivated by Miaomiao. Chu Qianmiao was a little surprised. He had always been cold and indifferent, but she hadn't expected him to be so tender towards a kitten.

Oddly enough, Miaomiao ignored the other three people after seeing Ren Yan, circling around him. Chu Qianmiao wanted to hug it, but after less than a minute, it jumped out of her arms and ran to Ren Yan, meowing like a little flatterer.

Miaomiao rubbed its little head vigorously against Ren Yan's hand. Ren Yan stroked its soft, furry head, his heart softening. He had always thought Chu Qianmiao sometimes resembled a small animal, but now he finally understood what she truly resembled.

Isn't it that little creature right in front of you? It's so cute and adorable. When it's happy, it rubs against your legs and hands, meowing like a little flatterer, all in a sweet and adorable way. But when it's not, it'll bar its teeth and stretch out its claws with all its might. In short, it uses its cuteness to attack you, leaving you completely helpless. You can't do anything about it, either.

The little creature, Miaomiao, finally succeeded in enchanting Ren Yan. So captivated by this little creature, Ren Yan even forgot why he'd come to the apartment that night. As night fell, he and Shao Yuan had dinner at Chu Qianmiao and Gu Miaoyu's place. After dinner, he realized it was getting late and he had some paperwork to deal with, so he had to leave. As he was leaving, he saw Miaomiao squatting at the doorway, meowing at him tearfully. Why does she look so much like her?

He quickly looked away, opened the door, and went downstairs.

Once he got downstairs and into his car, it dawned on him that his trip had been for nothing. He'd completely forgotten about the lease agreement and all that.

That Miaomiao, or Miaomiao, really messed things up.

After Ren Yan left, Chu Qianmiao kidnapped Miaomiao and took her to her room. Tonight, she was going to separate Gu Miaoyu and Miaomiao, telling her she wanted to spend the night with this furry little creature all to herself.

After using her clothes to make a makeshift bed for Miaomiao and buying seven or eight cat beds online, she suddenly remembered that she and Ren Yan had been so engrossed in cats that they had completely forgotten about signing the rental agreement.

Chu Qianmiao was actually quite surprised. She had assumed Ren Yan would never develop a particular passion for anything. But she hadn't expected this little kitty named Miaomiao to win him over.

She texted Ren Yan, "Senior, it seems we forgot to sign the lease..."

Ren Yan replied quickly, saying, "Let's sign it tomorrow."

The next evening after get off work, Ren Yan came to the apartment again. But he was pestered by Miaomiao and had forgotten about the contract again.

The next few days went on like this. He'd rush to the apartment after get off work with the intention of signing a contract, but once there, he'd pet the cats and completely forget about the contract. Every night, however, he'd never miss dinner at Chu Qianmiao and Gu Miaoyu's place. It almost made Chu Qianmiao wonder if Ren Yan was just there for a free meal?

On Friday afternoon, after work, Ren Yan said to Chu Qianmiao again, "Let's go to the apartment. We really need to get this lease agreement sorted out today."

Chu Qianmiao: "…………"

Now, she had a translation app installed in her ear, and Ren Yan's words, "Let's go sign the contract," were automatically translated into "Let's go to your place to pet the cats and eat."

Chu Qianmiao saw that they were the only two left in the office, so she decided to let loose.

"Senior!" Chu Qianmiao said to Ren Yan, "Can you be more honest? If you want to see Miaomiao, just say you want to see Miaomiao, okay? Open your heart and be honest!"

Ren Yan raised his lips slightly, a half-smile on his face. "Yeah, I do want to see Miaomiao a little."

Meow. Miaomiao. A good name for this cat.

That evening, Chu Qianmiao and Ren Yan finally signed a house rental agreement. Something that had been dragging on for a week was finally settled. Chu Qianmiao transferred the rent to Ren Yan's card on the spot using her mobile phone.

She breathed a sigh of relief, as if a worry had been lifted. The feeling of freeloading had finally faded.

Relaxing, she didn't remember how she fell asleep on the sofa. She only remembered Ren Yan asking to use the bathroom and then leaving after he was done. She said, "Whatever, don't be shy. It's your house, your toilet. Feel free to use it." Then she collapsed on the sofa, cuddling the little cat and falling asleep before he could come out.

Later, she heard the cat meow twice, and she was awakened.

She opened her eyes. At that moment, she was nearly frightened to death.

She lay on the sofa, Ren Yan's head only a fist's length from hers. They were so close that their breaths brushed against each other's faces.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw him staring at her, his eyes unblinking. Her heart skipped a beat.

As if he hadn't anticipated her sudden opening of her eyes, his expression froze the moment they met. Then, as if feeling guilty about something, his eyes flickered.

The cat in his arms chirped again happily.

Chu Qianmiao looked at Ren Yan—he truly looked like a typical cat thief!

His guilty conscience, the meowing in his arms, and his overall state made Chu Qianmiao angry—

"Senior! You're being unkind!"

Ren Yan stood up, holding Meow, looking calm as ever. He asked, "Why am I unkind?"

"Were you trying to see if I was asleep, and if so, steal Meow away?" Chu Qianmiao asked, scrambling up from the sofa, her words deduced like Detective Conan.

Ren Yan stroked the cat's head twice, looked up at Chu Qianmiao, and admitted, "Yeah. But you're awake, aren't you?"

Chu Qianmiao:

"…………"

Investment banking is in a slump. Even the industry's biggest names are stealing cats.

With Miaomiao as her companion, Gu Miaoyu's job search frustrations were alleviated. But even with Miaomiao's adorableness, she couldn't remain jobless forever.

Due to the aftermath of her previous cyberbullying incident, her job search remained difficult. Employers politely declined to hire someone with a shady past.

Chu Qianmiao desperately wanted to help Gu Miaoyu.

She wanted to submit her resume to Jialeyuan for her.

She shared this idea with Ren Yan, saying she wanted to send Gu Miaoyu's resume to the securities representative, An Ruda. An Ruda had a good relationship with them and might be able to help.

But Ren Yan frowned slightly and reminded her, "You forgot that when Sui Huan was fired, Dong Lan issued a strict order: anyone found to have gained access through connections will be killed without mercy. So, if you go to An Ruda, you'll actually be making things difficult for him."

Chu Qianmiao was a little anxious. She explained, "I'm not asking President An to help arrange for Xiao Daogu to work at Jialeyuan through the backdoor. I just want to get Xiao Daogu an interview opportunity. Whether Xiao Daogu stays will depend on whether her skills are enough to impress the interviewer." After a pause, she said, "The current situation is that if I don't help her submit her resume, her resume won't even make it to the interview stage. The HR staff will reject her application as soon as they see the name Gu Miaoyu printed on it because of the negative online information about her."

Ren Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Give me a day to think about it. I'll see how to best handle this matter."

Ren Yan didn't have to think for a day. That afternoon, Chu Qianmiao received a call.

It was from Shao Yuan. He told Chu Qianmiao, "Senior Chu, here's the thing: I've already contacted Jialeyuan's HR manager and told Gu Miaoyu to come in for an interview. I called you to give you a heads-up and ask you not to go to the securities representative to submit her resume. This way, we'll avoid having to recommend the same person through two different channels, someone with a reputation for controversy. That would be too blatant, and if Jialeyuan's chairman found out, it could backfire."

Chu Qianmiao asked Shao Yuan, a bit puzzled, "Are you... familiar with the executives here? Are you confident in your connection with the HR manager? You might not know, but Jialeyuan's chairman, Dong Lan, has issued a strict order. She said anyone found to have gotten in through the backdoor will be killed without mercy!"

Shao Yuan hesitated on the other end of the line, as if making up his mind. Then he said, "Senior Chu, can you keep a secret from the young lady? Actually," he paused, "Dong Lan is my mother."

Chu Qianmiao held the phone, her mouth wide open.

Who was it that kept saying "Beijing University"? Beijing isn't that big, isn't it? Isn't everyone just spinning around in circles?

She asked Shao Yuan: "If you wanted to keep it a secret, why did you tell me your true identity?"

Shao Yuan's answer was: "I have no choice but to trust you. After all, when you investigate the relationships among Jialeyuan's directors, supervisors, and senior executives, you'll need to investigate their spouses and children. So even if I don't tell you now, you'll find out sooner or later."

Chu Qianmiao realized at that moment that although Shao Yuan was three years younger than Gu Miaoyu, he was three times more cunning than Gu Miaoyu. She no longer had to worry about Gu Miaoyu finding a younger boy to worry about. This boy might be more mature than both her and Gu Miaoyu.

"I'll keep it a secret for you," Chu Qianmiao said to Shao Yuan, "but if you do anything to hurt Xiao Daogu, I'll beat you up."

Thanks to Shao Yuan's covert manipulation, Gu Miaoyu finally secured an interview. During the interview, she proved herself with her abilities and ultimately landed a job as a designer at Jialeyuan Design Department.

Chu Qianmiao was ecstatic. She could go to and from get off work with Gu Miaoyu every day, becoming inseparable.

Shao Yuan soon joined Jialeyuan as an intern—Dong Lan had him intern with Ren Yan in investment banking.

Shao Yuan and Gu Miaoyu met secretly every day.

Chu Qianmiao caught them twice but kept quiet. Back at the office, she felt a little melancholy.

Ren Yan asked her what was wrong.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was in the room, she confided her deepest concerns to Ren Yan: "Senior, what should I do? Shao Yuan seems to be dating our little Daogu."

Ren Yan remained calm: "If they want to date, then so be it. What's the problem?"

Chu Qianmiao spread her hands worriedly: "But you know Shao Yuan is Dong Lan's son! Dong Lan is so class-conscious. It's a wonder she'd even consider girls like us, from humble backgrounds, like Daogu and me! If she knew her son was dating someone who's so incompatible and three years his senior, she'd definitely break them up." Chu Qianmiao held her forehead and sighed. "I'm really worried that Daogu might enjoy a relationship for a while, but if it doesn't work out, she'll be heartbroken!"

Ren Yan was writing as he listened to her. At the last sentence, his hand trembled, and the tip of his pen actually scratched the paper.

"Senior, what do you think we should do about this? Should I stop them before they get too deeply involved?" Chu Qianmiao asked.

Ren Yan looked at the hole in the paper and said calmly, "It's better not to meddle. You can't interfere with other people's affairs. The only thing you can control is yourself."

He was speaking to her, but also to himself.