Chapter 56.2: Sleep Here Tonight
She really wanted to take the video
and audio recordings and sue Qiao Zhixin. But the matter would surely cause a
huge uproar. With Qiao Zhixin's connections in the legal community, winning the
case wouldn't be easy. People wouldn't particularly care about the truth; she
would simply become the subject of a scandal. Most would criticize her for
making a fuss, while others would suspect she and Qiao Zhixin had had an affair
and were seeking revenge. Even if she finally won the case after much effort,
the punishment Qiao Zhixin faced would be a fine or detention. She would become
the center of public opinion, and every time she moved to a new place, male
colleagues would tell each other to stay away from her. If you even touched
her, she'd sue you for sexual harassment. Qiao Zhixin, on the other hand, would
be quickly forgiven by society, just like Zhang Teng, who had cheated.
How sad, she thought. This was once
again proving what Ren Yan had said: women in the workplace face a much more
difficult situation than men.
For a moment, she seemed to miss
Ren Yan. He was a rare leader who showed respect for female employees.
Zhang Teng resigned, and the
Jialeyuan IPO project needed a new signing attorney. Ren Yan helped Jialeyuan
submit an application to the China Securities Regulatory Commission to suspend
its review, pending completion of all necessary procedures for the change of
signing attorney before submitting an application to the CSRC to resume review.
Zhang Teng recommended another
partner, He Wei, to replace him as Jialeyuan IPO's signing attorney. (He Wei
appears in Chapters 1 and 55)
Chu Qianmiao had always remembered
He Wei as a moderate person, one who didn't easily offend anyone. But that day,
when Zhang Teng's wife came to the company to cause a scene, He Wei helped
disperse the crowd. Chu Qianmiao was grateful to him and gained a new
appreciation for him: he could be a man of integrity when it mattered most.
Chu Qianmiao thought life was
unpredictable. She had assumed that since Jialeyuan's project application had
been approved, she and Ren Yan would not see each other again for a long time.
But she hadn't expected them to meet again so soon.
Ren Yan brought Qin Qianyu to
Xinfeng Law Firm for a meeting regarding the change of signing attorney.
When she entered the conference
room, she looked up and saw Ren Yan. He looked exactly the same, unchanged. His
suit was impeccably tailored, his face handsome. Sitting in the sunlight, it
was hard to tell whether it was the light illuminating him or he himself
shining.
Chu Qianmiao thought it hadn't been
particularly long since she last saw him, yet it felt as if a lifetime had
passed. It turns out the greatest distance between people isn't in time, but in
the heart.
She smiled and called out,
"Mr. Ren." Ren Yan looked at her for a long moment before responding
with a "hmm."
He Wei also entered the conference
room. They began discussing the details of replacing the signatories.
Ren Yan and He Wei agreed that He
Wei would first issue a letter of commitment, acknowledging his acceptance of
all documents from the previous project, followed by a work report. He would
then replace all documents requiring the signatures of two lawyers and
re-authenticate all documents requiring legal attestation.
Chu Qianmiao sat by and listened
intently. She felt as if no matter how difficult or tedious a problem was, it
could be simplified and easily resolved with Ren Yan's help.
After the meeting, He Wei escorted
Ren Yan down the elevator.
Qin Qianyu stopped Chu Qianmiao and
wanted to catch up with her.
In the conference room, Qin Qianyu
said to Chu Qianmiao, "Qianmiao, your ponytail looks amazing today! If the
meeting hadn't been so formal, I would have just complimented you."
Chu Qianmiao laughed happily,
"Brother Qin, if you compliment me a few more times, I'll treat you to ten
meals."
Qin Qianyu stopped praising her and
changed the subject, "Now that Lawyer Zhang is gone, you're at Xinfeng,
and you're now considered He Wei's subordinate."
Chu Qianmiao shook her head,
"Not yet."
Now, she was in a delicate
situation, isolated from the various partner teams.
"Ah. So, what are your
plans?" Qin Qianyu asked with great concern.
"I haven't decided yet,"
Chu Qianmiao said.
Qin Qianyu raised his voice,
"If you ask me, you should just join us."
Chu Qianmiao smiled, "Even if
you want to change jobs, you have to wait until Jialeyuan goes public. Don't
forget, I'm Jialeyuan's other signing attorney."
She was also Jialeyuan's signing
attorney. If she changed jobs now, she would have to change signing attorneys
again. Besides, she didn't want to change. She had followed the project from
start to finish for a year, and she didn't want to hand it over to someone else
at the last minute. She had to add this project to her resume so that when she
changed jobs, the company that would take over her would see that she had
worked as an IPO for two years.
Qin Qianyu suddenly leaned over and
asked Chu Qianmiao, "Which one is Qiao Zhixin?"
Chu Qianmiao pointed to an office
outside the meeting room.
Through the glass wall, Qin Qianyu
observed Qiao Zhixin's expression and sighed, "He looks quite respectable,
and he's a partner. It shouldn't be hard for him to find a girlfriend. Why does
he keep harassing you?"
Chu Qianmiao glanced at him and
asked, "How do you know who Qiao Zhixin is? Do you know he keeps harassing
me?"
Qin Qianyu choked, then chuckled
under Chu Qianmiao's high-beam gaze. He told the truth, "Lawyer Zhang
mentioned this when he was discussing the need to change the signing attorney
with President Ren. He said you're in a tough situation at Xinfeng, with wolves
in front and tigers behind. Well, Lawyer Zhang still cares about you." Of
course, there were also their leaders involved. These words came out of the
back-and-forth conversations between Ren Yan and Zhang Teng. Of course, he also
cared about Chu Qianmiao. This girl seemed to have a natural tendency to
attract attention, and this attention wasn't necessarily related to
relationships; for example, it was just full of brotherly love.
Qin Qianyu patted Chu Qianmiao's
shoulder with a righteous gesture. "It's okay, little brother If he
harasses you again, call me and I'll help you get rid of him. Brother Qin will
always be your Brother Qin, even after the project is over."
Chu Qianmiao was a little touched.
"Thank you, Brother Qin," she paused, then added, "But it's
okay. I've got him under control."
Qin Qianyu left the basement and
found Ren Yan.
On the way back to Litong, he
drove, and Ren Yan sat in the back seat.
As the car pulled out of the
basement and into daylight, Ren Yan narrowed his eyes and asked Qin Qianyu
calmly, "How is she doing?"
Qin Qianyu replied as he drove,
"It's pretty much the same as Zhang Teng told us. She's in a pretty bad
situation right now."
"What does the man who
harassed her look like?" Ren Yan asked.
Qin Qianyu described Qiao Zhixin's
appearance. "He looks quite respectable, with a perm and some wild hair.
He looks like a bit of a flirt."
Ren Yan remained silent.
Qin Qianyu glanced at him in the
rearview mirror and said, "Boss, Qian Miao told me she's got that guy
under control. She's full of tricks, so maybe she's set a trap for Qiao Zhixin
to fall into and give her some evidence."
Ren Yan paused for a moment, then
said, "That kind of lecher might be more concerned about evidence when
he's rational, but once he's drunk and his lust gets the better of him, he
loses all reason."
Qin Qianyu groaned, "Then I'll
have to call Qian Miao later and warn her to stay away from that lecher if he's
drunk."
Ren Yan looked out the window and
said casually, "That's what you said, don't mention me."
"Qin Qianyu didn't quite
understand why the boss didn't want to leave his name behind for good deeds.
"Why, Boss?"
Ren Yan, still looking out the
window, said calmly, "I'm afraid she'll overthink things and have feelings
for me. You know I don't want to get married."
Qin Qianyu almost stepped on the
brake pedal by mistake. "Boss, you're such a fool! Who wouldn't want such
a wonderful girl to like you? But you're afraid of this? Well, okay, but that's
just your style."
Ren Yan looked out the window at
the autumn scenery, watching the yellow leaves blown by the wind and fluttering
on the road. He remembered the moment he saw Chu Qianmiao push the door open
while sitting in the conference room today.
She had a ponytail, a white shirt,
and a one-piece skirt. He had never seen her with a ponytail before, and it
looked so youthful and neat.
She greeted him with a smile,
calling him President Ren. Her eyes were bright, her teeth were white, and she
was incredibly lively. She didn't let anyone know she was in a difficult and
awkward situation. She was truly a strong woman, able to quickly smile no
matter what pressure or grievance she faced.
After get off work that night, Ren
Yan didn't go home. He drove back to the apartment.
He hadn't dared to visit her since
she moved out, fearing that her scent would be too strong for him.
He thought he could go check on her
now; her presence should have dissipated considerably.
But once he entered, he realized
otherwise. Her presence was still everywhere. It seemed as if her shadow was
still everywhere. She'd crouched by the doorway, teasing Miaomiao; she'd been
working overtime with him in the study, face to face, on materials; she'd set
up a bed for Miaomiao in her room.
The large bed in her room was
always cluttered with books and materials.
On the sofa, she seemed to be lying
there, asleep, just as she had that day. He crouched over, Miaomiao scratching
his paws in her arms. Afraid of waking her, he brought it over, then stared at
her for a moment, a little possessed.
She suddenly opened her eyes and
looked at him.
All these scenes were still vivid
in his mind.
The room was empty, yet her
presence, her scent, was still everywhere.
He walked into the room where she'd
slept. The large bed was still covered with black sheets.
She hadn't taken them away. She'd
said black was a good color for sleeping.
As she spoke, she sat down on the
bed, patted it, and kicked her legs. The black sheets made her already fair
arms and calves appear even whiter, a white as beautiful as jade and porcelain.
He took off his suit jacket and sat
on the bed. There, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. A sense of
fatigue and laziness washed over him. He leaned back and lay down.
A faint, sweet scent lingered in
his nostrils.
He closed his eyes.
I'll sleep here tonight, he
thought.
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