Water and Fire~Chapter 77.2: One Person Plays Three Roles

 

Chapter 77.2: One Person Plays Three Roles

The next morning, she woke up feeling both relieved and a little disappointed, wondering if her girlish heart had died, leaving her indifferent to so many kisses.

After packing up and arriving at Li Ya's due diligence office, she was surprised to find that Qin Qianyu and the others looked frightening, all pale and sallow. They were all in a state of dejection. Qin Qianyu leaned his head against his back, reading a manuscript. Liu Lifeng groaned on the table. Cui Xijie leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back and taking a deep breath.

She quickly asked Qin Qianyu, "Brother Qin, what happened? Did you guys eat poisonous mushrooms at the hot pot yesterday?"

Qin Qianyu grumbled, "Forget it. You were kidnapped yesterday. I really regret not going with you. Yesterday was a hell of a day. President Ren not only joined us for hot pot, but he also drank like crazy. He got us all to drink six bottles of Moutai Qianmiao. Four of us, six bottles of baijiu! He made us all vomit."

When he mentioned the word "vomit," Liu Lifeng groaned in agreement, leaning over the table.

Chu Qianmiao's jaw dropped.

What was going on?

She glanced around the office, didn't see Ren Yan, and asked, "Where's Mr. Ren? Did he throw up too?"

Qin Qianyu said, "He acted fine the whole time, but he went to the restroom twice. Each time he came back, he forced the alcohol out of his system like he'd used the Six Meridians Divine Sword, and continued drinking without batting an eyelid. I seriously suspect he went to throw up and then came back to drink. Yesterday, I think he drank more than two bottles by himself."

Chu Qianmiao's eyes bulged.

"Mr. Ren, what great event must have happened? Why is he drinking like he's losing his life?"

Qin Qianyu groaned, "I don't want to know what great event it is. I just want him to never come to our staff gatherings again. It's too horrible, too deadly."

Liu Lifeng groaned again, leaning on the table, as if to support Qin Qianyu.

After a while, Ren Yan arrived.

Chu Qianmiao noticed his pale face.

Qin Qianyu asked, "Boss, are you okay?"

Ren Yan glanced at her and said coldly, "Do I look okay?"

Qin Qianyu shrank back and went back to reading the manuscript.

But Chu Qianmiao had a feeling that Ren Yan was indeed ill; she had clearly seen him rubbing his stomach.

She thought he must have vomited yesterday, and quite violently.

If she had drunk two bottles of baijiu, she would have died instantly.

It was unimaginable how he could have drunk so much yesterday.

Ren Yan didn't know what had happened to him yesterday. He wanted to get drunk, to numb himself, but the alcohol seemed to be working against him, making him more sober the more he drank.

He vomited twice, something he had never done before. He had never vomited before.

His body was clearly being overwhelmed by the alcohol, but his mind, defying his wish for a moment of confusion, remained lucid.

By the end of his drinking, he could already feel his hands shaking uncontrollably, his stomach protesting with convulsions and pain.

Back at the hotel, he dug at his throat, trying to relieve himself. But nothing came out except bitter water.

Then, his stomach was in a rage all night, continuing until work in the morning, when he went to Qian Siji's office for a meeting and then returned.

He didn't know if he was angry with his stomach or if he simply wanted to see himself in some physical discomfort. Physical discomfort was always better than mental discomfort. Regardless, he didn't plan on finding stomach medicine to soothe his rebellious stomach.

He didn't let on that he'd been working with a stomach ache that day, but after returning from the meeting with Qian Siji, he found a box of stomach medicine on his desk. A sticky note, written in elegant handwriting, said to him, "Mr. Ren, your stomachache can be serious or minor. Take some medicine."

His heart felt like it was being clenched by a fist, bleeding and then returning, a strange feeling of pain and relief, a moment of death and resurrection.

He looked around, but the owner of the handwriting wasn't in the room.

He asked, "Where's Chu Qianmiao?"

Liu Lifeng, slumped over the table, groaned, "She was summoned by Ke Mingjun to review documents with Lao Qin."

He sat down and took some stomach medicine.

His irritable stomach finally calmed down, the pain subsided.

After everyone returned, he announced, "Li Ya's restructuring has been successfully completed, and the next phase will be the coaching phase. Qian Siji is hosting a dinner for various agencies tonight."

After the announcement, Qin Qianyu was the first to wail, "This is f*cked! If I drink any more tonight, I'll probably die!"

Liu Lifeng continued to groan, slumped over the table, while Cui Xijie leaned back in his chair, gasping for air.

Chu Qianmiao glanced back at Ren Yan.

I don't know if he took his medicine.

Can he still handle that evening's dinner?

At dinner, Chu Qianmiao witnessed the utterest idealism.

The people at the company were usually so perceptive, but tonight they were completely blind. No one could tell that Ren Yan was looking unhappy, and no one believed him when he said he couldn't drink. They stubbornly insisted that it would be impolite of Ren Yan to not drink. "You're naturally fair, so don't use your natural beauty as an excuse for not drinking." They only believed what they wanted to believe, what they thought they wanted to believe.

So, glass after glass of wine, wrapped in the warmth of the offer, poured toward him. Not drinking would be impolite, and how could they work together in the future if it wasn't polite?

Ren Yan had no choice but to drink a few more. After a few drinks, his face grew paler. But those blind people at the company grew even more blind, unable to detect the abnormality in his expression.

Chu Qianmiao felt that the drinking table was sometimes even more inhumane than the underworld. Damn it!

Cui Xijie was incredibly cunning. After two drinks, he ran out and vomited, then was carried back to the hotel.

Only Chu Qianmiao, Qin Qianyu, and Liu Lifeng were left to support Ren Yan.

Chu Qianmiao felt it was time to return the favor. He had blocked so many drinks for her before, and tonight was the time to repay him.

Chu Qianmiao skillfully directed the drinks offered to Ren Yan by the company to herself. Initially, Ren Yan refused, taking the drink and drinking it before her.

Later, Chu Qianmiao discussed with Qin Qianyu and Liu Lifeng, who were completely exhausted from drinking. "See Mr. Ren's face? He's so pale he's almost in the morgue. If he drinks any more, we'll probably have to buy him burial clothes. You two have no fighting power left. If you drink any more, you'll probably have a stomach bleed. So, right now, I'm the only one who can protect the leader's precious life. But the leader won't let me go into battle, so how about you two help him out and lock him down?"

These two were both fanatical Yan protectors. After confirming that Chu Qianmiao could indeed hold some alcohol, they formed a united front with her, sitting on either side of Ren Yan. If Ren Yan tried to stand up and grab Chu Qianmiao's glass, they would use their four arms to lock Ren Yan's two arms.

Ren Yan was so angry they laughed, "Are you letting a girl take my place?"

Qin Qianyu said tragically, "Boss, I've confirmed this. My brother Qian Miao can actually drink more than me. Let her charge ahead for a while. When she's almost done, I'll take her place and I'll handle the gastric bleeding."

Ren Yan was chained, unable to move. Watching Chu Qian Miao chug one glass after another, his heart clenched like a fist. The strange pain and relief of losing blood and then returning it, of dying and then coming back to life, assaulted him again and again.

He was surprised to discover that she could actually hold a certain amount of alcohol. She was good at talking, and she never felt at a disadvantage when she drank. When she toasted, she could always get everyone in the company to drink too. She could easily convince someone to drink two glasses with just half a glass.

She acted like several people, tricking an entire company. It really felt like she had avenged him.

But even a good alcohol tolerance has its limits, and it seemed she had reached her limit.

Fortunately, the banquet finally ended. She hadn't let down those who had flocked to toast her at the beginning. Before she reached her limit, she either sowed discord or fanned the flames, causing them to drink themselves into a frenzy.

He couldn't help but curl his lips.

How could there be such a clever girl, like a living treasure?

She was fine at the end of the banquet, but on the ride back to the hotel, swept by the spring breeze outside, the alcohol kicked in, and she became completely bewildered.

By the time the car arrived at the hotel, Qin Qianyu and Liu Lifeng were no longer able to help anyone else. They could only watch over each other and help each other get into the elevator and into the room.

And the drunken girl was left to him.

He helped her out of the car and noticed that she walked like she was treading on cotton, one foot deep, the other shallow, and regardless of how deep, she always stepped on his foot. After stepping on him, she grumbled, claiming that something had hit her foot.

He was almost laughing at her stepping on him.

He simply lifted her up and carried her sideways.

She was so light, fluttering like a butterfly in his arms, and his heart began to clench again. Even when she was drunk, she wasn't bothering him at all. She closed her eyes, leaning against any place she could lean on, snuggling up to any place she could cuddle, nuzzling in, and then falling asleep with her eyes closed.

Like a kitten. Her long, thick eyelashes trembled occasionally, their upturned tips like a kitten's claws, tickling the heart.

She gripped the front of his suit, gripping with such force that countless radiating wrinkles formed.

He carried her to her room. He walked slowly. He wished he could be even slower.

But no matter how slowly, he reached her room.

He fished the room card from her dress pocket and swiped the key to unlock the door.

He carried her to the bed. She closed her eyes and refused to let go of his clothes.

He had no choice but to call out, "Chu Qianmiao."

She was drunken and dozed off, but when she heard her name, she actually opened her eyes a crack and answered, "Here."

It was a rather naive sound.

He was startled.

He couldn't help but call out, "Chu Qianmiao" again.

Her voice changed, a drunken smile playing, and another "Here."

He was trembling all over.

He called out, "Chu Qianmiao" again.

Her smile was like a carefree child's, and she changed to a third, playful, soft voice, and answered, "Here."

She still clutched the front of his shirt, smiling at him with an unfocused smile.

He looked at her too, and through her present self, he saw her from a few years ago. Back then, she had actually played three roles, bravely and frantically answering for all three.