Water and Fire~Chapter 59.1: Let It Be For Now

 

Chapter 59.1: Let It Be For Now

Ren Yan arrived home and went to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw a self he had never seen before.

The man in the mirror had a sullen face, a cold, murderous look in his eyes, and a murderous aura. His suit jacket was fine, but the cuffs and front of his shirt were stained with blood.

He frowned as he took off his jacket, untied his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. As he unbuttoned, his irritation began to creep up and he began to wreak havoc. He simply ripped the remaining buttons open. They shattered and fell to the ground.

He tossed the shirt directly into the trash can.

Stained with that scumbag's blood, it was still stained no matter how he washed it. It was better to throw it away.

He looked up in the mirror. He had never looked so miserable before; even the corners of his mouth were cracked.

He turned on the faucet and rinsed the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He had been so careless that he'd even gotten hit.

Sprinkles of cold water poured over his face, and his rationality gradually returned.

He had indeed acted impulsively tonight. In the past, when faced with something like this, he would have immediately gathered evidence and punished the scumbag through legal means.

But tonight, he lost control. On the way to Xinfeng Law Firm, he called Chu Qianmiao. But no matter how many times he called, she wouldn't answer.

Her lack of response frightened him, and he nearly stepped on the accelerator.

Finally arriving downstairs at Xinfeng Law Firm, he hurriedly parked the car and rushed into the building, only to see Chu Qianmiao running out in panic.

She nearly trembled as she crashed into his arms. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear, her vision unfocused. He saw that half of her face was red and swollen.

At that moment, he threw away all reason, all thoughts of the law and doing what's right. All he wanted was to brutally beat that piece of trash.

He rushed upstairs and dragged that scumbag into a dark corner of the hallway.

He had been to Xinfeng Law Firm before, back when Jialeyuan was changing their signing attorney. He had once secretly smoked by the window in that dark corner of the hallway—he remembered there were no security cameras there. That was where he beat Qiao Zhixin brutally, like a man gone mad.

Qiao Zhixin seized the chance while he was shaking his wrist—he scrambled away in a panic, crawling and stumbling as he ran.

He chased after him for a few steps, but when he couldn’t catch him, he let it go.

He looked away from the mirror and lowered his head to glance at his hand. His knuckles were all torn up—busted from beating that piece of trash. He turned on the faucet and let the water run over the injury.

Cold water streamed down, and the pain in his hand was sharp. He'd always been the type to endure, to stay composed. But tonight—tonight was the first time he'd ever lost control like this. Truly, the first time.

 After turning off the faucet and drying his hands, Ren Yan grabbed his phone, intending to call Chu Qianmiao to check on her. As his fingers curled back around the phone, his ripped fists throbbed with pain.

He kept calling, but as usual, Chu Qianmiao didn't answer.

He was truly worried.

He tried to recall Gu Miaoyu's phone number, but soon realized he couldn't remember the 11-digit number. He regretted not saving her number after Gu Miaoyu called him. At the time, he figured, since their interactions would be less frequent, why bother saving her number as her best friend?

But now, it seemed inevitable that he and Chu Qianmiao would be connected. Even if there wasn't a romantic connection, he wanted to protect her as much as possible at work.

After some thought, he contacted Shao Yuan, who was overseas, and asked for Gu Miaoyu's phone number.

Gu Miaoyu answered the phone quickly.

He paused for a moment, then asked Gu Miaoyu, "How is she?"

Gu Miaoyu was kind tonight, not keeping him in suspense. She said, "This has nothing to do with you."

She said, "She was confused when she got home, but she didn't cry. She just said she had a headache. She took some headache medicine and is now asleep. Do you want me to wake her?"

Ren Yan immediately replied, "No, I'll contact her tomorrow."

Gu Miaoyu hesitated on the phone and asked, "Mr. Ren, did you go upstairs to teach that scumbag a lesson after we left?"

Ren Yan was silent for a moment, then replied, "Yes."

Gu Miaoyu sighed, "Mr. Ren, thank you for helping Qian Miao." After a pause, she added, "I hope you didn't mean well but ended up doing something wrong."

As soon as the call with Gu Miaoyu ended, Lei Zhenzi's call rang in.

As soon as Ren Yan answered, Lei Zhenzi's thunderous voice and exaggerated tone filled the receiver.

"Where are you? Are you home?" Lei Zhenzi asked anxiously.

Ren Yan grumbled, "I'm home."

Lei Zhenzi let out a long sigh, finally relieved, and then immediately began complaining, "Honestly, Ren, you were so impulsive heading west today. You were in such a hurry to obtain the scriptures? The pilgrimage is a collaborative endeavor for several people. You'd be damned if you took me with you. I told you, I took a taxi west of the city, but I got into an accident and a traffic jam halfway. I'm really impressed. Why is my fate so bizarre? Is it just because I have a divine name?" Lei Zhenzi rambled on, finally asking, "Ren, are you okay tonight?"

Ren Yan rubbed his forehead and told him indifferently, "Nothing. I'm going to bed. Hanging up."

After hanging up, he climbed into bed. Lying there, his gaze unfocused, staring into the darkness. He pondered the evening's events and ultimately decided that Chu Qianmiao would be best served by immediately switching jobs to Litong.

Gu Miaoyu took Chu Qianmiao home. She trembled the entire way, her eyes unfocused.

When they arrived, Gu Miaoyu wrapped her in a blanket, held her close, and tentatively asked what had happened.

Chu Qianmiao's voice trembled slightly with uncontrollable trembling as she recounted the events.

Gu Miaoyu felt like rushing out and killing someone. She told Chu Qianmiao, "Shuishui, let's call the police. We can't let that scumbag go."

At the word "call the police," Chu Qianmiao shuddered. She threw aside the blanket and began frantically searching her body.

She searched her body thoroughly, finally sitting dejectedly on the bed. She told Gu Miaoyu, "I lost my recorder. What about Xiao Daogu? Without it, I have no evidence."

She panicked, her eyes filled with regret and fear. But she didn't cry.

Gu Miaoyu felt truly sorry for Chu Qianmiao. She couldn't bear to let her face the police in her state. She applied a facial mask to her face and soothed her softly, "Shuishui, it's okay. The recorder must have been lost at your law firm. Let's look for it tomorrow. When we find it, we'll call the police, haha."

Chu Qianmiao was soothed. Then, clutching her head, she complained of a headache. Gu Miaoyu found her two headache pills, which she took and fell asleep.

She slept for almost two hours.

When Chu Qianmiao woke up, she had calmed down. She had overcome her panic and fear and returned to her old self.

Gu Miaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Chu Qianmiao was one of only two strong women in the world. Well, the other was her own boastful self.

Gu Miaoyu told Chu Qianmiao, "Ren Yan called."

Chu Qianmiao had just woken up, her mind still a little fuzzy. She hummed a little.

Gu Miaoyu hesitated, about to say something when her phone rang again.

This time, it was Tan Shen. When Tan Shen had just returned to China and treated everyone to dinner at a barbecue restaurant, he'd asked for Gu Miaoyu's business card, promising to introduce her to anyone who wanted to renovate their house.

But since Tan Shen was calling so late today, Gu Miaoyu assumed his topic had nothing to do with renovations.

Sure enough, as soon as she answered the phone, Tan Shen started to ask, "Qian Miao, why didn't you answer my call? I've called so many times, but she didn't answer. What's her plan?"

Gu Miaoyu looked at Chu Qianmiao, covered the phone, and whispered, "It's Tan Shen. Do you want to answer?"

Chu Qianmiao thought for a moment, remembering that Tan Shen had promised her a midnight snack before the incident.

She had completely forgotten about it.

She reached out, took Gu Miaoyu's phone, and said "Hello."

Tan Shen's angry voice softened at the sound of her "Hello." He said, "Qian Miao, I didn't see you tonight." His words sounded deeply aggrieved. Chu Qianmiao felt her tongue stiffen as he spoke. It seemed his alcohol level was higher than before he'd said he'd bring her midnight snacks.

After a moment of aggrieved silence, Tan Shen immediately asked, "Qian Miao, are you okay?" Suddenly, his tone shifted, his voice rising, his tongue growing stiffer, making it hard to tell whether he was drunk or sober. "I beat him up. If he dared to do that to you, I'd beat him to death."

Chu Qianmiao digested his words before asking, "Did you meet Qiao Zhixin?"

She had previously mentioned to Tan Shen during casual conversation that a partner at the law firm was eyeing her.

"But how did you know he attacked me tonight?"

The sound of vomiting came from the phone, distant yet near. Tan Shen had vomited.

Followed by the vomiting, there was the sound of rinsing his mouth. There must have been someone else with him, and that person offered him water to rinse his mouth.

"What did you just say?" Chu Qianmiao could almost smell the drunken odor of Tan Shen through the phone.

"Oh, I remember. You asked me how I knew." Tan Shen seemed to be swaying, his voice swaying with his body. "I couldn't find you at the law firm, so I went to look for you in the hallway, and then I saw him. I asked him where you were, and if he was harassing you again. He actually cursed me out. I'm going to beat him to death."

Tan Shen's tongue grew stiffer, and from the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was barely conscious. Yet he continued, "Qianmiao, I didn't see you, I was just thinking about you."

Chu Qianmiao felt a moment of emotion. No matter what, he stood up for her without hesitation.

She asked him, "Are you hurt?" Qiao Zhixin was a formidable figure.

Tan Shen initially said "No," then quickly changed his tone, his voice weak and aggrieved. "Yes, my face is swollen. He punched me, and I'm disfigured. Because you, you have to be responsible for me."

Chu Qianmiao sighed and asked, "Did you go drinking again after that?"

Tan Shen drunkenly complained, "Why don't you answer my calls? I'm upset, and I'm worried about you."

Chu Qianmiao felt exhausted. She had just gone through such a tragedy, and now she had to worry about comforting Tan Shen's heart. But she couldn't help but comfort him, and he took the blame for her.

The phone suddenly answered, and it was a woman.

As soon as the voice spoke, Chu Qianmiao knew who it was.

It was Li Tang.

"Our company's investment department is having a dinner tonight," Li Tang's voice, as usual, held a hint of arrogance amidst its coldness. "Tan Shen ran out midway, saying he was going to bring you some midnight snacks. When he came back, his face was bruised, as if he'd been in a fight. Then he just sat there, constantly on his phone and drinking, and he got drunk." After a pause, Li Tang asked, "We're not leaving yet. Do you want to come see him?"

Chu Qianmiao gave a silent, bitter smile. In her current state, she couldn't bring herself to visit Tan Shen.

"No," she told Li Tang. "I'm stuck."

Li Tang chuckled softly. "You're much tougher than I thought, yet you manage to make Tan Shen completely captivated."

Chu Qianmiao didn't bother to argue.

"Okay, I'll have a colleague take Tan Shen home later," Li Tang's voice remained cold, tinged with arrogance. "I'll treat you to coffee some other day."

Chu Qianmiao returned the phone to Gu Miaoyu. Gu Miaoyu couldn't help but say, "Who wants a sip of her coffee?" Her tone was condescending.

Chu Qianmiao smiled blankly. She couldn't argue with anyone tonight.