Water and Fire~Chapter 70.2: Almost Me

 

Chapter 70.2: Almost Me

After a pause, he uttered another "Huh?" and said, "But why did President Ren suddenly go to Finance to check the expense reports? He used to be careless about expense reports. He didn't keep track of everyone's expense reports strictly. He believed that only by ensuring the well-being of his subordinates could he get his work done properly. And precisely because of his lax control, some people had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation over time. I actually knew who had bought the invoices, but since we were all so familiar with each other, I felt embarrassed to tell on them, so I kept it to myself. I didn't expect Mr. Ren to handle this matter so decisively, but I imagine there must have been a reason for him to do so. Qin Qianyu rubbed his chin and speculated, "I guess, after all, Mr. Ren probably saw that your expense report was pending, and he felt it wasn't appropriate for you to pay for your meals and travel expenses since you were just starting out and had a low salary, so he followed the clues and investigated why the reimbursement limit had disappeared. "

Hearing these words, Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat.

She was thankful that the kindhearted Qin Qianyu hadn't taken it too seriously; he truly was a sweet, sweet older brother.

But then again, if even he thought Ren Yan changed the rules because of her, it wasn't surprising that others would think the same.

Thinking of this, after finishing her chat with Qin Qianyu, Chu Qianmiao pondered for a moment and walked to Ren Yan's office.

Chu Qianmiao knocked on the door and entered. Ren Yan glanced at her from his computer for a moment, then asked in a flat voice, "What's going on?"

Chu Qianmiao pursed her lips and nodded in confirmation.

Ren Yan raised his chin, motioning for her to sit down in the chair at his desk.

Chu Qianmiao settled into the chair, speechless for a moment.

She figured out how to begin what she wanted to say.

Ren Yan, growing impatient, asked, "Are you all right again? Then get back to work."

Chu Qianmiao steeled herself and decided to let it go. She could start wherever she wanted.

"Mr. Ren, I have something to say to you. It might be a little abrupt, but I hope you don't mind. Well, if you do, I want to say it, too."

Ren Yan glanced at her, his gaze full of the message, "If you keep talking nonsense, get out of here."

Chu Qianmiao immediately said, "Mr. Ren, I feel that because I'm the only female employee in the department, even if you treat me as well as everyone else, it will seem like you're being extra nice to me. So, try to treat me a little worse from now on."

Just as she stood outside Ren Yan's office, she realized something.

The reason why Ren Yan suddenly changed his expense reimbursement policy was probably because of her.

Because she'd been too lazy to issue an invoice for dinner that day, Ren Yan's thoughts diverged, deducing why she'd been so lazy, then further corroborating his claims, ultimately leading to the decision to change the reimbursement system today.

So, ultimately, it was all because of her.

Ren Yan raised an eyebrow at her and asked coldly, "Am I treating you well?"

Chu Qianmiao looked at him and nodded slowly.

Ren Yan looked away. "You're overthinking it." After a pause, he added, "As for what others think of me, do you think I care?"

Chu Qianmiao pursed her lips and said carefully, "But I do care." She chose her words to express her feelings. "At work, I'm not afraid of hardship or working harder than others, but I'm afraid of hearing my abilities and efforts negated because of my gender or appearance. So," Chu Qianmiao looked up at Ren Yan, her gaze firm and bright, "Please, Mr. Ren, don't go out of your way to look after me in the future."

Ren Yan glanced at her for a moment, then raised the corner of his mouth to a smile.

Unruly and unruly, with a half-smile.

"You're overthinking it. I treat all of you equally. Don't think I'm changing the reimbursement process because of you. I'm just taking this opportunity to warn them that some things need to be done in moderation. If it takes too much of other people's normal reimbursement, that's going too far."

After a pause, Ren Yan raised his chin to Chu Qianmiao. "Are you okay? Go get back to work."

Chu Qianmiao stood up and left.

Ren Yan watched his office door close behind her, leaning back into his leather chair, clasping his hands in front of him.

He supposed she was right. Being a little cold toward her was indeed a form of protection.

From now on, he'll try to be a little cooler toward her.

The next day, Chu Qianmiao set off back to the project site in Shanghai. This time, she wasn't alone; Cui Xijie was with her.

Ren Yan felt that the Shanghai project had reached a fever pitch, and it wouldn't be appropriate for Chu Qianmiao to remain alone on the project. So he transferred Cui Xijie there, temporarily stationed in Shanghai.

Chu Qianmiao's admiration for herself grew. She and Cui Xijie chatted and laughed throughout the trip, feeling very friendly and agreeable, neither of them embarrassing the other.

Once on the project, Chu Qianmiao carefully studied Taoye Cinema's financials. Having not yet completed her finance course, she had focused on legal issues. Now that she had completed that course, she wanted to test whether what she had learned was merely theoretical and applicable.

After studying Taoye Cinema's financials and business operations, Chu Qianmiao also looked up annual reports from other companies in the film industry. While comparing them with other companies in the same industry, she messaged Qin Qianyu to ask if he knew who had chosen the accounting firm for the Shanghai acquisition.

Qin Qianyu replied quickly, saying that Mr. Ye Haorong from our headquarters had helped him contact them. What's the matter?

Chu Qianmiao said it was nothing, just a casual question.

The next day was Friday. While Cui Xijie was in the due diligence office, he usually visited his accountant or lawyer. It seemed he had a constant stream of financial and legal issues he needed to address, leaving him with no time to spend time with her. Chu Qianmiao said to Cui Xijie, "Brother Cui, there seem to be some financial and operational issues at Taoye Cinema Line."

Before she finished her sentence, Cui Xijie burst into laughter. "Qianmiao, are you talking about the financials? Hey, Qianmiao, aren't you a law student? I'm a finance major. I've carefully reviewed the company's financial documents. There's nothing wrong, don't worry. Oh, and by the way, this project must be handled well. The management at headquarters is very concerned. Um, I have to go to the accountant. They're desperately looking for me."

He spoke in one breath, not giving Chu Qianmiao a chance to interrupt. He then walked away, his strides brisk and natural.

Chu Qianmiao thought for a moment, then turned on her computer to write her weekly report. She sorted out the issues she considered and wrote them down.

"Mr. Ren, I'd like to report to you about some issues with Taoye Cinema Line. Based on the industry's development over the past two years and comparisons with other companies in the same industry, I believe Taoye Cinema Line faces a persistent lack of profitability. The overall growth rate of the film industry is slowing, and the company's key operating indicators are also declining. However, the company's advertising revenue has recently bucked this trend and grown significantly."

Taoye Cinema Line doesn't seem as rosy as it appears. She wrote down each issue in her weekly report and reported it to Ren Yan.

She had originally intended to discuss these issues with Cui Xijie. If they were confirmed to be issues, Cui Xijie would report them to Ren Yan in the weekly report. After all, he was the project site manager.

Unfortunately, Cui Xijie kept laughing. So she had to bypass him.

Ren Yan quickly replied to her email.

He asked, "Did you discover these through your own research?"