Water and Fire~Chapter 57.1: Hearing the News from Her

 

Chapter 57.1: Hearing the News from Her

While waiting for Jialeyuan's IPO, Chu Qianmiao remained in a delicate state of dissociation within Xinfeng Law Firm, not specifically belonging to any particular partnership.

After Zhang Teng's departure, a new partner, Wang Jun, arrived in his office. He was not yet thirty years old and had been personally trained by Qiao Zhixin, who had also pushed him to the position of partner.

Even with her degenerated tailbone, Chu Qianmiao could tell that this partner was undoubtedly a sympathizer with Qiao Zhixin. If she joined Wang Jun's team, she would be playing into his hands.

In contrast, she felt that He Wei could be temporarily relied upon. Judging by the fact that he had helped disperse the crowd when Zhang Teng's wife made a scene, he was quite a loyal person.

Before she decided to settle down with a particular partner, she was considered a general resource, readily available to any partner for tasks.

Chu Qianmiao wasn't afraid of hard work; she didn't feel disadvantaged by doing more. On the contrary, she believed that having work meant room for improvement. Whether it was He Wei, Wang Jun, or even, sometimes, Qiao Zhixin, she was willing to do whatever they assigned her.

Her quiet demeanor, her willingness to do the work, and her excellent performance earned her offers from both He Wei and Wang Jun.

He Wei formally invited her to join his team. Wang Jun also approached her, saying that if she joined his department, he would immediately request a salary increase from headquarters.

Chu Qianmiao considered that getting Jialeyuan listed would take more than a day or two. Even after resuming the listing application, she would still have to wait for the board's review and issuance approval. She couldn't continue drifting like this; she had to find a safe haven.

After careful consideration, she rejected Wang Jun and chose He Wei.

After Wang Jun learned of her choice, he unexpectedly met with her again. "I know you might be reluctant to choose my team for personal reasons, but I want to tell you: Qiao Lu is Qiao Lu, and I am me. Also, He Wei might not be as righteous as you think."

He spoke sincerely, and it did touch Chu Qianmiao somewhat. But Chu Qianmiao raised an eyebrow and said nothing, simply thanking Wang Jun for his kindness. She had learned the taboos of the workplace: people are most afraid of superficial conversations.

Later, she heard from a colleague sitting at a desk outside Qiao Zhixin's office that Qiao Zhixin had called Wang Jun into his office and yelled at him. She couldn't hear the exact words, but he clearly understood one thing: "If you can't even keep someone, aren't you a loser?"

Chu Qianmiao's heart sank. This was a day when she felt a little disappointed with human nature. Even though Wang Jun's words had been so heartfelt, proving he was Qiao Zhixin, it now seemed he couldn't escape Qiao Zhixin's instructions.

Chu Qianmiao believed the saying that all men are pigs.

They were all pigs who just opened their mouths and said whatever they wanted.

Later, while waiting for Jialeyuan's IPO, Chu Qianmiao joined He Wei's team. After welcoming her, He Wei privately asked her, "Did Wang Jun and the others approach you about it? Did they say anything bad about me in an attempt to get you to join? Ignore them; they like to cross the line when working on projects."

Chu Qianmiao smiled but said nothing more. It was best not to respond to something she hadn't witnessed firsthand.

Later, Chu Qianmiao realized what Zhang Teng had said earlier was true. As a latecomer to He Wei's team, she didn't immediately earn his respect and trust. So, initially, she was stuck doing tedious, exhausting work that didn't touch the core of the project.

Thankfully, she was able to persevere and complete each task beautifully. Even the other lawyers on He Wei's team couldn't help but praise her, saying, "Qian Miao is amazing! She's worked on two major IPO projects, yet she's so patient and composed even on such a small task."

He Wei later heard these words. He began assigning Chu Qianmiao to core project work.

Chu Qianmiao worked overtime daily on one of He Wei's projects, staying up late every day. He Wei had mentioned to her that her name would be added to the project later. Chu Qianmiao felt He Wei was very loyal and grateful. She even considered that even if Jialeyuan went public, if He Wei's project wasn't finished by then, she would still finish it before leaving.

He Wei was so kind to her, she couldn't just walk away midway through the project. She felt that doing so would be too unkind.

While she was helping He Wei with the project, Jialeyuan finally received the listing approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission and could go public.

But Chu Qianmiao decided to be a man of integrity and honor her promise, helping He Wei complete the project before leaving.

After Jialeyuan confirmed its IPO date, Chu Qianmiao received a call from Qin Qianyu.

Qin Qianyu informed her that Jialeyuan would be IPO the following week and asked if she would like to attend the bell ringing ceremony and the IPO reception.

Chu Qianmiao calmly told Qin Qianyu, "Brother Qin, I'm not going this time. Lawyer He is super busy with a project. He and I are both practically swamped, you know? Plus, we're going on a business trip next week."

Qin Qianyu uttered a "Huh?" and said, "Lawyer He said he'd be going."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned for a moment and said, "Then I'll ask Lawyer He."

That afternoon, she contacted He Wei, who said, "Oh, Qianmiao, Mr. Ren from Litong has informed me of the dates for Jialeyuan's bell ringing and IPO reception. I have to go. If you're going on a business trip to the project, you'll have to go on your own. I believe in your abilities; you can handle it."

Chu Qianmiao accepted the arrangement. Compared to attending Jialeyuan's IPO reception, she actually preferred the business trip. She wouldn't run into Ren Yan on the project, and she wouldn't have to constantly remind herself not to call him "senior" instead of "Mr. Ren," which was exhausting. Besides, finishing the project sooner would allow her to resign sooner.

After receiving the confirmation, she called Qin Qianyu and said, "Brother Qin, I won't be attending the bell ringing ceremony or the listing reception. I have to go on a business trip."

Qin Qianyu sighed, a little regretful, and hung up.

A moment later, Chu Qianmiao's phone rang again. She picked it up and was surprised to see Ren Yan's name on the caller ID.

She took a deep breath and answered the call.

Ren Yan's voice was cold, and he said bluntly, "As another signing lawyer for the Jialeyuan IPO project, aren't you sorry you won't be attending the bell ringing ceremony and the thank-you reception?"

Chu Qianmiao calmly told him, "Mr. Ren, I do have to go on a business trip that day. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lawyer He."

Ren Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll ask him."

Shortly after hanging up, He Wei called Chu Qianmiao internally and asked her to come to his office.

"Qianmiao, come over here for a moment."

As Chu Qianmiao entered, He Wei said to her, "Look, Mr. Ren from Litong Securities called me and asked if you were sure you couldn't attend the bell-ringing ceremony at Jialeyuan. He sounded a little suspicious that I didn't want you to attend the bell-ringing ceremony and the reception." After a pause, he said, "But our project does require someone to be on-site, so it's either you or me."

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Lawyer He, I'll go on the project business trip, and you can attend the bell-ringing ceremony."

Chu Qianmiao left He Wei's office and called Ren Yan back, telling him, "Mr. Ren, I do need to go on the business trip. It wasn't Mr. He forcing me to do it, but the project simply couldn't schedule it."

Ren Yan was silent for a moment before saying, "I hope you've made the right decision."

Chu Qianmiao felt a little bewildered as she hung up the phone.

After the weekend, He Wei went to Shenzhen for the bell-ringing ceremony, and Chu Qianmiao boarded a flight to Shanghai for a business trip.

She returned to Beijing after three days of toiling away on the project. She'd barely slept during those three days, effectively condensing a five-day business trip and workload into just three.

Back in the Beijing office, she found He Wei beaming, as if he were celebrating a happy occasion.

A colleague whispered to her, "Lawyer He went to Shenzhen to attend Jialeyuan's IPO reception, and the leadership from headquarters also attended. They praised Lawyer He for his timely and effective handling of the Jialeyuan project, as well as his excellent and efficient handling of the Shanghai project. They said he'd be promoted from salaried partner to equity partner this year after completing the Shanghai project."

Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

That afternoon, she reported to He Wei on the progress of her trip to Shanghai. She told him that the project was waiting for a lawyer's work report.

He Wei asked her to write it.

Chu Qianmiao worked overtime until nine in the evening, not even having time for dinner.

At nine-thirty, He Wei arrived at the law firm, his hair still wet and carrying a gym bag. He looked like he'd just returned from the gym. He put his things back in his office, came out, and asked Chu Qianmiao, "How's the report coming along?"

Chu Qianmiao quickly replied, "Almost done, Lawyer He."

He Wei then said, "Send it to me. It's already 9:30, go home and have dinner."

Chu Qianmiao sent the document to He Wei, thanked Lawyer He, packed her bags, and left.

At 11:00 PM, she received an email. He Wei had sent the work report to the project owner, cc'd the head of the law firm, and cc'd several other people, with her at the end of the list.

From the email's subject line, it seemed the progress of the Shanghai project's business trip and the efficient completion of the work report were entirely the work of He Wei, and had nothing to do with her, Chu Qianmiao.

Chu Qianmiao spent a long moment reading the email before realizing that He Wei was taking all her hard work as his own.

She remembered He Wei's promise that her name would be added to the project. But that hadn't happened yet.