Water and Fire~Chapter 65.1: Also a Hope

 

Chapter 65.1: Also a Hope

Early the next morning, Ren Yan took Chu Qianmiao and Qin Qianyu to the target company, Taoye Cinema Line, to officially begin due diligence.

The due diligence lasted only one day. That evening, upon returning to the hotel, Chu Qianmiao received a call from Ren Yan.

"Come to my room."

Ren Yan's words were concise and to the point, and Chu Qianmiao's heart sank to her throat. Late in the night...

"Business." Ren Yan's second sentence was even more concise than the previous one, but it still made Chu Qianmiao's heart sink back into her chest.

She had already changed into her pajamas, but immediately changed back into her daytime work clothes. After a moment's thought, she tied her hair into a neat ponytail again. She'd heard Gu Miaoyu tell her that if she was meeting someone with no potential for a romantic relationship after dark, she should never wear her hair down. She flirted with it, though she couldn't see it herself, and so didn't know it, but in the dim light of the night, the way she tossed her long, straight black hair back looked rather coquettish.

Chu Qianmiao, tidying herself up, arrived at Ren Yan's room. Before leaving, she hadn't forgotten her leather notebook and pen.

Ren Yan was pacing around the room, packing his things. To avoid interrupting him, Chu Qianmiao stood in a corner.

As Ren Yan packed, he said to her, "It's so late, I should have asked you to come to the first-floor booth, but things are urgent here. I have to take Qin Qianyu to catch a flight to Zhuhai. There's an urgent project there, so you'll have to come to my room."

Chu Qianmiao was slightly startled to hear that Ren Yan and Qin Qianyu were about to leave.

"Boss, can I come with you?" she asked. Ren Yan paused briefly to pack his suitcase, then turned to Chu Qianmiao, who stood obediently against the wall, and gave a negative answer.

"No, you stay here."

Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat. She had never worked on an M&A project before. Could she possibly stay here alone?

Ren Yan noticed the notepad in her hand, pointed his chin at the desk in the room, and said, "This project isn't difficult. I'll now tell you how to handle the due diligence."

Chu Qianmiao quickly followed his chin's guidance and sat down at the desk. She spread out her notebook, taking a deep breath, and bracing herself for a hand full of writing.

"The main content of the due diligence should focus on Taoye Cinema Line's basic company information, assets, history, basic financial and tax information, business and technology, debts and liabilities, intellectual property, etc."

Chu Qianmiao listened attentively and took notes rapidly.

"Pay attention to the company's assets, especially the ownership of those assets. To put it bluntly, is Ling Wuyi actually the owner of the company to be sold to the listed company? Also, determine if there are any potential disputes regarding the ownership of Taoye Cinema Line."

Ren Yan paused, then continued, "You used to be a lawyer, and legal matters are your strength, but finance is your weakness. Now that you're working in an investment bank, you need to quickly improve your financial skills on your own. Even if you can't master them, you should be able to read financial statements and identify potential issues by cross-referencing them."

Chu Qianmiao wrote the words "Learn Finance" on her notebook, underlined them, and highlighted them.

After finishing the notes, she looked up and asked Ren Yan, "Mr. Ren, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Ren Yan paused packing his suitcase, turned to face her, and, with one hand on his waist and a raised eyebrow, asked, "I've only just said this much, and you're already impatient?"

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

She couldn't wait to get back to her room, not wanting to waste a second studying financial knowledge. She was just like that. Once she realized she had a weakness, she'd eagerly engage in frantic study the very next moment, aiming to address it.

"Boss, I'm wrong. Please continue." Chu Qianmiao tried to tuck her hair behind her ear, but missed. She realized she had a ponytail, so she reached back and smoothed it down from top to bottom. It swung behind her.

The room was lit with a soft yellow light, casting a shadow on her. Her face was fair and delicate, and the gently swaying ponytail evoked a youthful, charming air. She looked like a slightly bewildered little girl, stroking her ponytail, a touch naive, yet also a touch naive and charming.

Ren Yan glanced at her for a moment, then immediately turned away.

When he spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse, like a thread. "Remember, in addition to your own duties, you must also maintain timely and effective communication with lawyers, accountants, and appraisers. You'll have no problem with the lawyers; you're a professional by background. As for the accountants and appraisers, urge them to focus their work on verifying the authenticity of Taoye Cinema's profits and the accuracy of the valuation model they've built based on overall industry trends. This valuation model will then determine whether the cinema owner, Ling Wuyi, can truly deliver on his promises of profits for the next three years, and whether any of his profit targets have been exaggerated."

Chu Qianmiao's hands nearly broke from writing before she could keep up with Ren Yan's increasingly rapid speech.

She couldn't tell if he was nervous or just teasing her, but his words kept coming faster and faster.

Finally, after finishing her notes, she looked up at Ren Yan and asked, "Mr. Ren, I still don't know how to read valuation models. Financial knowledge doesn't come in a day."

Ren Yan didn't wait for her to finish, telling her, "I'll transfer Cui Xijie to this project as soon as possible, and he'll guide you through it. If you have any financial questions, ask him first. With his expertise, he should be able to help you." After a pause, he added, "If you still don't understand, you can ask me."

Chu Qianmiao nodded.

Then she glared at Ren Yan. Ren Yan glared back at her.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Ren Yan suddenly said.

"Chu Qianmiao simply couldn't figure out Ren Yan's pattern.

He seemed to have finished explaining things when he wasn't finished, but then it felt like there was more to it. Why was he so annoying?

Chu Qianmiao said, "Goodbye, boss," and stood up, clutching the notebook, and headed for the door.

As she reached the door, Ren Yan called her name again, stopping her in her tracks.

"Chu Qianmiao."

"Here," Chu Qianmiao replied eagerly.

She paused, turning back to Ren Yan and respectfully saying, "Mr. Ren, if you have any new funeral arrangements, please let me know."

Ren Yan looked at her, then suddenly tilted his head and sneered, then turned back to her. "You're just trying to piss me off by telling me about funeral arrangements?"

Chu Qianmiao quickly said humbly, "No, no, Chinese characters are so profound and extensive that it's easy to overthink things. It's not something you, the leader, have instructed me to do." She's really improved. She even realized I was deliberately trying to piss you off.

As if seeing through her inner complaints, Ren Yan narrowed his eyes and glared at her again.

Finally, he said, "If you don't like the company food, you can eat out. Just remember to get an invoice. You can also get invoices for your regular expenses. You can return to the company at the end of the month to post the invoices, and you can use the project's reimbursement quota."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

She remembered Qin Qianyu telling her that new employees didn't have any reimbursement quota during their probation period.

"Mr. Ren, do I have any reimbursement quota?"

Ren Yan looked at her and said, "Yes, you do."

"Is this special treatment?" Chu Qianmiao bit her lip and couldn't help but ask.

She didn't want special treatment.

Ren Yan looked at her and said, "You don't have an internship. You're a full-time employee." After a pause, he said, "When Cui Xijie first came to me, it was the same. There was no internship, he was directly a full-time employee."

Chu Qianmiao felt relieved and smiled at him. "Thank you, Boss." Under the soft yellow light, her smiling face looked like a piece of white jade, and her ponytail was still swinging.

Ren Yan looked away and turned back to packing. It was as if he didn't want to look at her a second time.