Chapter 62.1: Death in My Hands
Upon receiving the summons, Chu
Qianmiao hurriedly rose and reported to Ren Yan's office.
As she reached the door, she tucked
her hair in, smoothed her shirt, and adjusted her business suit. Then she took
a deep breath and exhaled.
She knocked on the door, pushed it
open, and walked in, calling "Mr. Ren" with the most respectful
attitude expected of a subordinate.
Ren Yan raised his eyebrows
slightly and pointed with the tip of his chin at the chair across from his
desk. Chu Qianmiao understood and walked over to sit down, her back straight,
like the most obedient elementary school student in the class.
She looked at Ren Yan, seated in
the leather chair in front of his desk.
This was the first time she had
ever looked at Ren Yan as a direct subordinate.
He wore a dark blue suit and white
shirt, a matching blue shirt. His arms rested on the table, his hands clasped.
The sleeves of his suit were creased at his elbows, creating a sophisticated,
yet delicate, fold. He sat there coolly, his lips set in a straight line,
exuding authority. He gazed at her with a commanding demeanor. She couldn't
help but straighten her back again.
Chu Qianmiao thought that since she
had been so humble, Ren Yan would surely find nothing to fault with her. But
then...
"You just came here like
that?" Ren Yan asked a rhetorical question.
"Chu Qianmiao was a bit
confused. "Mr. Ren, I'm being slow-witted. How about you give me some
clear instructions?"
Ren Yan glanced at her, lowered his
head, pulled out a notebook from his desk drawer, and tossed it in front of Chu
Qianmiao with a snap.
Chu Qianmiao looked down. The
notebook was made of genuine leather, emblazoned with the Litong Securities
logo. It was clearly a high-end leather notebook custom-made by Litong
Securities. A notebook like this must be worth a fortune.
Chu Qianmiao averted her eyes from
the notebook and slowly looked up at Ren Yan.
Ren Yan's face was expressionless,
his tone cold and indifferent, "Remember from now on, when I tell you to
come to my office, or for a meeting, bring a notebook and pen."
Chu Qianmiao was stunned. He hadn't
even phrased this as a rhetorical question. "When you come to my office or
for a meeting, don't you know to bring a notebook and pen?" It was your
first day. Chu Qianmiao was flattered.
"I usually do this. Today was
my first day, and I haven't quite gotten used to it yet, so I forgot," Chu
Qianmiao said, making a modest excuse.
Ren Yan looked at her, raised an
eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Are you new here?"
Chu Qianmiao heard the hidden
meaning.
Previously, Jialeyuan's office
space was renovated, and the due diligence process was temporarily moved here.
You've been here quite a bit, and you're still not used to it.
Chu Qianmiao hesitated for a moment
before saying to Ren Yan, "I'm still a little unfamiliar with my new
role."
Ren Yan glanced at her calmly.
"Just focus on your work, and
don't be so pretentious."
Chu Qianmiao: "..."
Why was she being so pretentious?
"Although you used to work at
the law firm, there's nothing wrong with you claiming to be my subordinate at
the project site. You're not unfamiliar with this new role," Ren Yan
added.
Chu Qianmiao felt she couldn't
refute his argument.
Ren Yan changed the subject and
began to explain, "Chu Qianmiao, as your supervisor, I need to make you
understand on your first day that the investment banking department of a
securities firm is a very demanding place. As a lawyer, you previously played a
supporting role in the firm's IPOs, share issuances, and M&A projects. But
now, as a securities practitioner, you're the lead person on projects, taking
on the overall coordination. This means you'll have to weigh more pros and
cons, make more decisions, and shoulder more project responsibilities.
Furthermore, men and women are equal at work; you won't receive special
treatment simply because you're a woman. You'll be traveling a lot in
investment banking, and when it's your turn, you'll be the only one to go. No
excuses will be accepted. Can you do that?"
Chu Qianmiao nodded solemnly,
"Yes."
"It's not mandatory to clock
in at investment banking, but in principle, you should be no later than 9:45.
However, if you worked overtime the night before, you can come in a little
later the next morning."
Ren Yan spoke calmly, and Chu
Qianmiao listened intently. Ren Yan suddenly paused, frowning and asking her
rhetorically, "I gave you this notebook to use as a decoration."
Chu Qianmiao was startled for a
moment, then quickly lowered her head, flipped open the notebook, and started
writing.
"Write a weekly report every
Friday and send it to my email. The weekly report is linked to your year-end
bonus. Include your work and study progress for the current week, as well as
your plans for next week. You should also compare your progress with last
week's report to summarize your progress."
Chu Qianmiao scribbled away, a
little impressed.
After transcribing Ren Yan's words,
she looked up and asked cautiously, "Mr. Ren, what do you mean by
'study'?" Why do I have to study while working at your investment bank? I have to compare my work from last week, summarize this week's work, and
plan for next week's? How come I still get a degree after four years at an
investment bank?
Ren Yan narrowed his eyes at her,
as if she had asked him a stupid question. "Aren't you planning on taking
the CFA or CA exams?" Insurance agent: sponsor representative; CFA:
Chartered Financial Analyst; CA: Certified Public Accountant
Chu Qianmiao stiffened her neck and
swallowed hard, writing down each word in her notebook.
She hadn't expected that on her
first day at the investment bank, the first page of her notebook would be
filled with nothing but words about studying hard and making progress every
day.
After writing down the words
"study hard and make progress every day," Chu Qianmiao asked Ren Yan,
"Mr. Ren, do you have any other instructions?"
She meant, "If there are no
instructions, I'll leave now and not disturb you." Ren Yan looked at her,
his lips curled up in a half-smile. "Of course I have more instructions.
Do you think that's all I just gave?"
Chu Qianmiao: "..."
Ren Yan pointed his chin at her
notebook, motioning for her to take notes. "I'll only say what I'm going
to say once. If you want to take notes, write them down quickly."
Chu Qianmiao: "..." She
regretted not bringing her phone with her to record the meeting.
"We hold a regular meeting
every two weeks. Everyone summarizes the problems encountered on their current
projects, shares project experiences, and discusses solutions. Absence is
generally not allowed. Those working on projects out of town must participate
in the discussions via conference call."
"We have training sessions
from time to time. I'll invite outside experts to give lectures. Absence is
generally not allowed."
"As I mentioned earlier, I'll
inevitably travel frequently, and I generally don't allow refusals. Travel
expenses are reimbursable. As for how to post invoices, there are specific
requirements. If you don't follow the rules, they won't be reimbursed. Ask Qin
Qianyu to tell you how to post invoices later."
"You're actually familiar with
this office environment. Next, please familiarize yourself with your new role
as quickly as possible." Ren Yan's tone shifted, his voice tinged with a
hint of teasing as he finished his words.
His pace was so inconsiderate that
Chu Qianmiao nearly broke her arm while writing.
After finally finishing her notes,
she looked up and met Ren Yan's gleaming gaze.
"Chu Qianmiao," Ren Yan
said, looking her straight in the eye. "When you were all laughing and
joking before, I told you that if I had you working under me, you would have
died countless times. So from now on, please be alert, be careful, and work
hard. Try not to die at my hands. Remember, there's no room for stupid mistakes
working for me."
Chu Qianmiao listened, tucking her
hair behind her ears. She felt strangely as if she'd been threatened with
death.
Ren Yan's final words were:
"Get out."
Leaving Ren Yan's office, notebook
in hand, Chu Qianmiao felt a sense of relief. She felt as if all their personal
connections, all their love and hatred, had vanished when she officially
addressed him as "Mr. Ren" as a direct subordinate. Today, they were
strangers once again, meeting and interacting with each other for the first
time in the workplace.
Though he was still the same Ren
Yan, with a warm exterior and a cold heart, who didn't hold grudges, no one
could truly enter his heart and soul.
Chu Qianmiao emerged from Ren Yan's
office and returned to her workstation. Before she could put down the notebook
in her arms, Qin Qianyu, who sat next to her, spun his chair and slid over to
her.
"Brother, what did Mr. Ren ask
you to do?" Qin Qianyu asked quietly.
Chu Qianmiao placed the notebook on
the table, opened it, and showed him what she had just written down with the
speed of a broken hand.
Qin Qianyu glanced at it and said,
"You studied medicine some time ago, didn't you? Your handwriting is
almost flying." After deciphering the content, he was slightly surprised.
"Just let me tell you all this. President Ren even called you in to
explain it himself. He's so inexplicably approachable and doesn't take himself
too seriously." Finally, he glanced at Chu Qianmiao's notebook and said,
"Huh?"
This "Huh" took
seventy-two turns.
He flipped the cover of the
notebook over and took a quick look, questioning, "Why did you write
something in Mr. Ren's notebook? And why did you bring his notebook out after
you wrote it down?"
Chu Qianmiao: "Huh?"
Qin Qianyu turned to look at her
and gave her a serious explanation. "This is a notebook the company
custom-made for each sponsor representative. I really want one. I've been
nagging Mr. Ren for a long time, and he always says, 'If you want one, just
pass the exam and become a sponsor representative.'"
Through Qin Qianyu's retelling, Chu
Qianmiao could perfectly capture Ren Yan's aloof, arrogant, and provocative
tone.
"So, how did you sneak Mr.
Ren's notebook out?" Qin Qianyu asked again.
Chu Qianmiao answered honestly,
"Mr. Ren said he gave it to me."
Then Qin Qianyu jumped to his feet
and dashed off to Ren Yan's office.
Chu Qianmiao: "..."
What's wrong with everyone in this
department? Why do they always rush into the boss's office mid-sentence?
After a while, Qin Qianyu returned
dejected.
He sat down at his workstation and
sighed deeply.
Now it was Chu Qianmiao's turn to
swivel over to him and whispered, "Brother Qin, what's wrong?"
Qin Qianyu looked at her, his face
full of resignation. "I just went to see Mr. Ren and told him I wanted a
leather-bound notebook, but he wouldn't give it to me. He actually wouldn't
give it to me. I asked him why, but he gave it to you. Of course, brother, I'm
not picking on you. I'm just addressing the matter. Mr. Ren said that because
you're the only woman in the department, he's giving you a leather notebook. He
asked if I had any objections. If so, you can ask for it. I'll just have to ask
for it."
Chu Qianmiao couldn't help but
burst out laughing.
She discovered that while Ren Yan
was a ferocious demon at work, ready to kill over a single punctuation error in
the prospectus, he made his subordinates feel genuinely comfortable around him.
Anyone with any concerns could simply stand up and rush to his office to raise
them. Think of Liu Lifeng, or just now, Qin Qianyu.
She wondered if, as Qin Qianyu had said, Ren Yan truly cared about nothing besides work, his desires so paltry that nothing mattered to him.
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