Water and Fire~Chapter 68.2: Are You Tempted?

 

Chapter 68.2: Are You Tempted?

They soon found one.

In the car, Chu Qianmiao asked Tan Shen, "Did you call the traffic police?"

Tan Shen laughed, "How could I possibly have that ability?" After a pause, he said, "Yesterday, when I was returning to the hotel, I noticed that every evening at the end of the workday, there's a traffic police officer directing traffic at the intersection not far from the hotel. So, with that road congested just now, the police must have gone over to check it out."

Chu Qianmiao was silent for a moment, then said, "Why didn't you insist that the couple in the back seat get out of the car?"

Tan Shen smiled and said, "Needless to say, the driver got the ticket and kept complaining to the couple about how unlucky they were. If they had gotten out earlier, nothing would have happened. The couple, tired of hearing that, would have argued with the driver. In short, neither of them had an easy time this whole trip. It's like saying, 'Evil will be punished by evil.'"

Chu Qianmiao glanced at Tan Shen's profile. He smiled slightly, staring straight ahead, slowly analyzing everything.

She suddenly realized that she had truly underestimated him. He wasn't naive at all; he was a ruthless fellow.

They took a taxi to the internet-famous hot pot restaurant.

Because it was dinnertime, the line was long. Tan Shen went to get a number. Chu Qianmiao looked and nearly blacked out. There were thirty tables ahead of them.

She snorted, her whole body twitching. "How long will it take to get to this place? By the time we get to the table, we'll probably be starving."

Though a little disappointed, she still suggested to Tan Shen that they try another place.

Tan Shen asked her, "Do you really want to eat here?"

Chu Qianmiao said, "Just because you really want it doesn't mean you can get it. Forget it." There are so many things in this world that you really want, but not everything can be fulfilled. There are always requests that go unfulfilled, and there are always regrets of unfulfilled requests.

But Tan Shen told her, "No, if it's something you want, I'll make sure you get it."

He told Chu Qianmiao to sit in the waiting area and not to worry about him; he'd be back soon.

He left for a while and returned with a number very close to the front. If the number was called, it would be this table.

Chu Qianmiao was startled and asked, "Where did you get the number?"

Tan Shen winked at her and said, "Anyway, there's no murder or arson."

Just as Chu Qianmiao was speculating, a simple-looking young couple came out and smiled at Tan Shen as they passed. Tan Shen thanked them, and the couple quickly said they were welcome. Then, turning to Chu Qianmiao, they smiled and said, "Your boyfriend is so thoughtful of you. Happy birthday, and I wish you happiness."

They left, leaving Chu Qianmiao a bit bewildered.

It seemed as if Tan Shen had taken on the power of her parents tonight, deciding her birthday.

She feinted a kick at Tan Shen and asked, "Did you tell them it was my birthday tonight?"

Tan Shen smiled and dodged. "I said you're my girlfriend, and it's your birthday today. You wanted to have some hot pot here, but I had to catch a train soon. I showed them my ticket and asked if they could transfer the number to me."

Chu Qianmiao felt a mixture of emotions. She sensed Tan Shen's thoughtfulness, but she also felt a bit bad for the young couple. Today wasn't her birthday, after all, yet they'd given her and Tan Shen the number they'd finally secured, and they'd left without eating.

Tan Shen, sensing her frustration, put his arm around her shoulders, rocked her, and consoled her, "Don't be so rude. I didn't treat them unfairly. After they transferred their number to me, I gave them a thousand yuan."

Chu Qianmiao: ""

Ha, man, you're amazing! You even managed to find a scalper number for a hot pot meal."

After happily finishing their hot pot meal, Tan Shen took a taxi back to Chu Qianmiao's hotel. He then went to the lobby to pick up his luggage and prepared to board the taxi to the station.

The hotel doorman helped him stuff his suitcase into the taxi trunk. Tan Shen stood in front of the car and said goodbye to Chu Qianmiao.

He suddenly felt reluctant to leave. Chu Qianmiao, influenced by his mood, felt a bit reluctant too.

The week passed by bustling with activity, but with Tan Shen gone, she was left alone in Shanghai again.

Before getting in the car, Tan Shen leaned forward, leaning closer to Chu Qianmiao. With a smile, like a romantic, he asked in a sly voice, "Qianmiao, after this week, have you felt even a little attracted to Teacher Shen?"

Chu Qianmiao chuckled, "Let's go, hurry up, isn't that corny?"

She was actually a little touched. But for some reason, she still felt a little short of falling in love. She figured Ren Yan had rejected her so harshly that her feelings were still being rebuilt.

Tan Shen stood up, smiled, and said, "Not really."

It's okay if you lose it, Teacher A Shen isn't in a hurry. Qian Miao, if you have questions in finance class from now on, please remember to ask Teacher A Shen and no one else.

Chu Qian Miao laughed, "That's enough, that's enough. Teacher A Shen, get in the car and get out of here. I'm going to be so upset waiting for you any longer."

Tan Shen smiled at her. Suddenly, he leaned forward, leaning in close to Chu Qian Miao, and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Chu Qian Miao was stunned for a moment by his sudden, intimate attack.

Tan Shen leaned down slightly, looking into her eyes as usual, his voice becoming more charming. "We used to kiss each other, but now, just a kiss on your cheek makes my heart beat faster. Why am I becoming more innocent as I get older?"

Chu Qian Miao roared from the depths of her heart, "Get out of here! If you dare to touch me or say anything again, I'll beat you to death."

Tan Shen laughed and got into a taxi.

The driver started the car and drove out. Tan Shen looked back and saw Chu Qianmiao enter the hotel. He turned back.

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror and chatted, "So sweet, is she your girlfriend? You two are so well-matched, both good-looking."

Tan Shen smiled faintly and said, "Not yet." After a pause, he added, "But she will definitely be."

The day after Tan Shen returned to Beijing, Cui Xijie arrived in Shanghai. He was there to monitor the Taoye Cinema Line project site for two days.

He would return to Beijing in two days, and Chu Qianmiao had to stay on the project. Seeing that it was already the end of the month, Chu Qianmiao prepared the invoices and asked Cui Xijie to take them back to the company for her reimbursement.

She had just joined the investment bank and her salary was not high. After deducting rent, utilities, transportation, phone bills, and daily expenses, there was hardly anything left. Therefore, the reimbursement money was a vital supplement for her. With it, her life would be much more relaxed.

She was somewhat looking forward to the reimbursement money arriving.

But when the payment date came, her account was still empty. Chu Qianmiao thought about it and decided to ask about it. She didn't want to bother Ren Yan with such trivial matters, but it wasn't a good idea to ask Cui Xijie directly about this matter, as it would seem like she was questioning him.

She found the company directory and searched for the number of Ms. Bao, the finance manager.

She called her to inquire.

Ms. Bao from the Finance department replied, "Xiao Chu, the reimbursement quota for your Shanghai project has been exhausted. Your reimbursement forms will be temporarily on hold. Once your Shanghai project is completed and the company receives the subsequent project funds, we will reimburse you all in the order you were on hold."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned. "No way!" She quickly composed herself and said, "Ms. Bao, the thing is, our Shanghai project is new, and the initial project funds have just arrived. And this month is the first reimbursement date for this project, so the reimbursement quota should be sufficient."

Ms. Bao said, "Wait a minute, let me take a look." After a moment, she told Chu Qianmiao, "Oh, that's right. The initial project funds for your department's other two projects haven't arrived yet, but the initial funds for the Shanghai project have arrived, so your CEO, Ren, has asked that the reimbursement forms for the other two projects be transferred to the Shanghai project first. However, there are too many invoices for those two projects, and you submitted them a little late. According to the order, by the time your reimbursement quota is due, there will be no more."

Chu Qianmiao paused for a moment, then asked, "Sister Bao, what about Cui Xijie, the other person working on our Shanghai project? Are his reimbursements for that project also pending?"

Sister Bao clicked her mouse twice and said, "Oh, him. His reimbursements for the Shanghai project are pending." After a pause, she added, "But the reimbursements transferred from the other two projects have already been reimbursed."

Chu Qianmiao said, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Sister Bao."