Water and Fire~Chapter 71: A Heart Warms

 

Chapter 71: A Heart Warms

Chu Qianmiao looked at the questions Ren Yan had sent her. "These are all discoveries you made through your own research."

She pondered what Ren Yan meant by this, then replied with a hint of trepidation, "Yes, Mr. Ren, I did my own analysis. Is there anything inaccurate in what I wrote?"

Ren Yan's next reply arrived quickly. "Excellent analysis. You've made significant progress financially, which is excellent. I suggest you talk more with employees at all levels of Taoye Cinema Line and get their perspective on the company's real situation. Sometimes, chatting with grassroots employees can reveal many unexpected things."

Chu Qianmiao looked at the email, at Ren Yan's formulaic reply, and at his repeated "excellent" compliments. In that moment, she felt a surge of joy and excitement. She thought to herself, "What a mess!" She was in awe. Even at her age, even a little praise still made her feel like her bones were lightening, her whole body wanting to float.

Those nights she'd spent burning the midnight oil studying finance courses, the knowledge she'd accumulated at the expense of collagen and sleep, now seemed to have withstood the test of the most demanding examiners. It seemed as if those financial skills would become another weapon, besides her legal knowledge, that would allow her to overcome obstacles in investment banking.

She couldn't help but read the first two sentences of the email over and over again. The two "very good" words made her feel more and more like, "All the hard work was worth it."

About half an hour later, another new email notification popped up in the corner of her computer. It was from Ren Yan again.

Chu Qianmiao quickly clicked on it.

Ren Yan's email this time read, "If there are any issues on the project site in the future, please communicate with the site manager first. Focus on teamwork."

Cui Xijie was also on the cc list.

Chu Qianmiao read the email, and the pain she'd felt in her bones returned to her body. She was pulled back to her senses by an inexplicable emotion.

About five minutes after Chu Qianmiao received the email, Cui Xijie walked into the due diligence office, smiling broadly, holding a laptop.

He entered with a chuckle and said to Chu Qianmiao, "Qianmiao, next time you have something to discuss, remember to talk to us first. Okay? Don't do it like today. I just sent Mr. Ren a weekly report saying everything's going well on the project and asking him to rest assured. And right after, you sent Mr. Ren a weekly report saying there are a bunch of problems and flaws. Those perceived problems and flaws are just your own analysis. You're not a finance major, and those analyses haven't been systematically validated. And yet you just sent them to Mr. Ren. Qianmiao, aren't you undermining me?" He paused, his smile becoming even friendlier than before. "Mr. Ren emailed me about those issues not long ago."

He smiled throughout his words, his good-natured demeanor almost obscuring the underlying hostility within his words.

Chu Qianmiao imagined that if she righteously refuted Cui Xijie's words and reached out to slap his smiling face, it would seem petty and unreasonable. They're talking to you so graciously and patiently, why are you so anxious about the unreasonable ones?

So, imitating Cui Xijie's behavior, she also said with a smile, "Brother Cui, I discussed this with you earlier."

But before she could finish her words, Cui Xijie interrupted her.

Cui Xijie looked puzzled, "No, you didn't discuss this with me."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned, then continued with a smile, "No, Brother Cui, have you forgotten? I told you just now, before you went to see the accountant."

Cui Xijie interrupted her again.

He smiled firmly, saying, "No, you really didn't discuss this with me. Not on WeChat, not in text messages, and certainly not in emails. Qianmiao, I know you want to demonstrate your abilities to President Ren, but when reporting issues, try not to bypass higher levels in the future."

Looking at his smile, Chu Qianmiao suddenly understood.

She understood. Cui Xijie was certain she'd spoken about her concerns, not recorded them in chat or email. She realized that when she communicated with someone like Cui Xijie, she had to remember to keep records. She couldn't just say, "I think there's some financial problem with this project." Otherwise, he'd deny it, and her words would be treated as if they hadn't been said. She thought it was hilarious. She'd initially thought Cui Xijie was a smooth-talking, nice guy. But while he was a smooth-talker, he wasn't a nice guy. He was actually very difficult to deal with.

At that moment, she understood the meaning of Ren Yan's last email. Presumably, after she sent Ren Yan the weekly report, Ren Yan had sent the issues to Cui Xijie, asking him to clarify them. After explaining the issues, Cui Xijie likely defended Ren Yan by saying that Xiao Chu hadn't communicated with me about these issues and had sent them directly to you. It was understandable; she might have wanted to show off her abilities. I'll tell her not to do that again. She'll discuss the on-site issues with me first and then send them to you when she has a solution.

She had previously told Ren Yan not to be too nice to her. Ren Yan seemed to have taken this advice, so instead of defending her, he seemed to be defending Cui Xijie. He sent her an email, reminding her to communicate with the site manager and focus on teamwork.

Okay, every mistake makes you wiser. From now on, she'll remember to keep a record of even the smallest words she exchanged with Cui Xijie.

Two days later, Chu Qianmiao, after much hesitation, sent a message to Ren Yan, "Mr. Ren, will you be working on the project in Shanghai soon?"

Ren Yan quickly replied, "I don't have much time these days. I'll be busy."

He then replied, "If you have anything to say, talk to Cui Xijie first. He's a guaranteed employee and has the skills."

Chu Qianmiao thought for a moment and began typing. But after typing a lot, she still couldn't get her story across clearly. She thought again and decided to call Ren Yan directly.

Ren Yan's voice was low when he answered, as if he were in a meeting.

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Mr. Ren, I'm sorry I didn't know you were in a meeting. I'll call you later."

But Ren Yan lowered his voice and told her, "Wait a moment."

After about ten seconds, she heard Ren Yan's voice return to normal. A faint voice came over the phone, greeting him, calling him "Mr. Ren."

Chu Qianmiao thought he must have left the meeting room and was in the hallway.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Ren Yan's voice, carried over the signal, sounded clear and magnetic.

Chu Qianmiao bit her lip and said, "I've discovered another problem on the project." She paused, "It's a pretty big one."

Ren Yan was silent for a moment, then replied, "I'm not telling you in an email. If you discover any problems, talk to the project site manager first. Don't go around him and tell me directly." After a pause, he actually offered a little explanation, "This will help you maintain a good relationship with the site manager."

Chu Qianmiao understood Ren Yan's intentions. Even without his explanation, she would have understood.

So she was willing to listen to him, willing to swallow even a small bite when Cui Xijie bit back at her. For her own sake, she wouldn't tolerate any grievances. But for Ren Yan, even if it had nothing to do with romantic relationships, she was willing to endure a little. She couldn't find anyone else in the workplace willing to nurture her as wholeheartedly as he did.

She could discuss other issues with Cui Xijie first, but this one didn't seem feasible.

She thought for a moment, then said to Ren Yan, "Mr. Ren, how about you listen to this question first?"

Ren Yan was silent again, then said, "Okay, go ahead."

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Mr. Ren, the point is, as a target company acquired by a listed company, Taoye Cinema Line may have deliberately undisclosed external guarantees, and the amount of these guarantees is significant, which could potentially impact Taoye Cinema Line's continued profitability."

After she stated the question, Ren Yan on the other end of the line fell silent for a moment.

In that moment of silence, Chu Qianmiao knew Ren Yan was thinking. This showed that he took the issue very seriously.

Chu Qianmiao felt encouraged by the momentary silence.

Ren Yan spoke again, asking, "Since it's an undisclosed matter, how did you find out about it?"

Chu Qianmiao immediately replied, "Mr. Ren, do you still remember Mu Jie?"

Ren Yan asked, "Who?"

Chu Qianmiao wasn't surprised. He hadn't even remembered the name of Yu Lizi, the company's receptionist, who had been with them for years, so it was normal for him not to remember Mu Jie.

"It's Mu Jie, the author and film and television planner who came to the due diligence office one day during lunch break to ask me about copyright protection," Chu Qianmiao said, emphasizing the hints to further jog Ren Yan's memory. "It's the one you asked me what I wanted from her."

Ren Yan gave a faint "Oh."

Then he asked, "But as a film and television planner, how could she have been exposed to matters involving guarantees?"

And if this guarantee really existed, it seemed to have been deliberately concealed by their boss, Ling Wuyi. How could a moderately important film and television planner have known about it?

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Didn't you tell me to chat more with their employees? So, I chatted with Mu Jie. As we chatted, we became closer. She remembered how I'd helped her defend her rights and told me some things. She said that although she now makes a living as a writer, she used to study computer science. While her academics weren't particularly impressive, she was no problem installing computer systems or fixing minor issues. So, when leaders' computers weren't working properly, they often asked her for help."

While Mu Jie was cleaning a senior executive's computer, the executive's chat software automatically logged in after turning it on. She hadn't meant to look at it, but she scanned the chat content.

It turned out that Ling Wuyi had another company besides Taoye Cinema Line. In the chat box, Ling Wuyi urged the executive to quickly coordinate the merger, lest the loan company come knocking and demand the money, and Taoye Cinema Line's guarantee for the trading company would become undisclosed.

Mu Jie realized she had inadvertently uncovered a secret. And this secret weighed on her.

"She told me that, on the one hand, she hoped the company would be successfully acquired so everyone could continue to have a job. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but tell me that Ling Wuyi, the owner of Taoye Cinemas, actually had another company outside, a trading company. Although his name wasn't on it, it was indeed his. That trading company was doing well before, but a series of transactions went wrong, leading to a crisis and nearly shutting down. To revitalize the trading company, Ling Wuyi borrowed money from a private lender, using Taoye Cinemas as collateral." Chu Qianmiao paused, then continued, "So now it seems that Ling Wuyi may not be able to repay the loan when it's due, so he plans to repackage Taoye Cinemas and sell it to a listed company. At least he can get some money first."

Chu Qianmiao changed the subject. "Mu Jie said she accidentally snooped on the boss's conversation and should have kept it confidential. But after thinking it over, she felt the boss was deceiving her. She also felt that as a project staff member, I would be implicated. Since I had helped her, she didn't want me to be held responsible for not conducting a thorough due diligence. So, after much deliberation, she couldn't help but tell me what happened."

Ren Yan chuckled softly on the other end of the line and said, "Your good deed was not in vain this time."

Chu Qianmiao's heart warmed.

A voice came over the phone. It was Yu Lizi from the front desk, calling Ren Yan.

"Mr. Ren, the chairman asked me to call you back. He was asking why you disappeared in the middle of the meeting."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

He had just been in the chairman's meeting. He had actually run away from the chairman's meeting just to answer her call.

Chu Qianmiao's heart warmed again.