Water and Fire~Chapter 100.1

 

Chapter 100.1

That day, Ren Yan's office became extremely lively.

After Chu Qianmiao left Ren Yan's office, Li Si entered immediately after lunch.

A moment after Li Si entered, Kan Qingzhou and Xia Fengyong also entered.

Qin Qianyu and Chu Qianmiao exchanged a glance, and Qin Qianyu whispered, "Wow, the boss's office is quite lively this time."

Within a minute of his words, a real "liveliness" could be heard from Ren Yan's office. Kan Qingzhou was shouting loudly inside. His voice was so loud that even though Ren Yan's office door was closed, the glass door couldn't block the sound waves, and both Chu Qianmiao and Qin Qianyu could hear what Kan Qingzhou was yelling.

"Li Si, I already told you about this project. Now you're telling me Ren Yan told you before me. You're obviously just trying to fool me, aren't you?"

There was a brief pause. Chu Qianmiao assumed Li Si was explaining something. His voice wasn't loud enough to carry through, so all that was heard outside was a brief pause.

Then Kan Qingzhou's voice started yelling again, "This project must be signed by Xia Fengyong from our department. He passed the exam before Chu Qianmiao, and based on seniority, he should have priority over Chu Qianmiao. Why should Chu Qianmiao interfere?"

Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat. The source of this "commotion" turned out to be Xia Fengyong and her, over who would sign off on the private placement project.

Another brief pause in the office. Chu Qianmiao could faintly hear Li Si's voice. It seemed he was also a little emotional, his tone rising a bit.

Then Kan Qingzhou continued, "Oh, Li Si, you said your guarantee had signed off on Ren Yan's project, so this time you let Chu Qianmiao sign off on yours as a favor to Ren Yan. So, you two are exchanging benefits."

Chu Qianmiao and Qin Qianyu exchanged glances.

What a nasty lie he was talking about.

Of course not.

Liu Lifeng, at the workstation behind them, was furious. "Kan Qingzhou's mouth must have been rotten in a manure pit, how could it stink so badly?"

Li Si, in the office, was also furious. "Old Kan, do you know how to behave? This is called a fair resource exchange. Stop blaming me for a profit-sharing scheme. Just like you say that, you even want Xia Fengyong to sign off on my project. You're really audacious!"

Kan Qingzhou's voice grew louder and louder. "Li Si, stop giving me that crap. Since that's the case, let's get this straight today. Wasn't this project assigned to you by headquarters? I asked Xia Fengyong to sign off on it after consulting with headquarters and he approved it. The higher-ups have already approved it. Why do you still want Chu Qianmiao to interfere?"

Li Si's angry voice rang out clearly. "Don't use headquarters leadership to pressure me. Have you ever done anything for my department? Not at all. Yet, when it comes to taking advantage, you have the nerve to come and take advantage of me with such a clear conscience. Kan Qingzhou, I think you're quite amusing."

After a pause, Li Si let out a laugh. "Besides, as for him, Xia Fengyong, he was lucky to pass the exam. I know his professional abilities well, and he's nowhere near Chu Qianmiao's."

Xia Fengyong's voice rang out, loudly and unhappily. "Mr. Li, it's a bit unkind of you to talk like that."

"Shut up," Ren Yan said this time. "Get out! Everyone here is your superior now. You have no say."

The next second, there was a knock at the door of Ren Yan's office.

Chu Qianmiao looked back. It was Xia Fengyong pushing the door open, storming out.

But as soon as he walked out, he walked back to the door. Standing there, he turned around and pointed in her direction, his movements and voice provocative. "Chu Qianmiao, come in. Let's talk it out face to face. Let's discuss why you were able to sign before me. Is it because you're young, beautiful, and good at coaxing the boss?"

His words were already insidious.

Before Chu Qianmiao could stand up to hit him, Qin Qianyu, who was at the workstation next to her, and Liu Lifeng, who was at the workstation behind her, both stood up and rushed towards Xia Fengyong.

"Watch your mouth," Qin Qianyu said fiercely, pointing at Xia Fengyong as he walked towards him.

"What are you talking about? Say it again if you dare!" Liu Lifeng was even more aggressive than Qin Qianyu.

Sun Yi and the others also stood up at their workstations, ready to support the second echelon of the front line.

Chu Qianmiao felt a warm feeling in her heart. The unity of this small group touched her deeply.

But before Qin Qianyu and Liu Lifeng could reach the scene, a hand shot out from the doorway and grabbed Xia Fengyong by the collar. Xia Fengyong's neck jerked back.

Chu Qianmiao saw that the arm belonged to Ren Yan.

He grabbed Xia Fengyong and turned to Qin Qianyu and Liu Lifeng, who had already rushed to the door, and said, "You two should go back first. I'll call you if anything happens."

Qin Qianyu and Liu Lifeng retreated.

Then Ren Yan grabbed Xia Fengyong, his face stern, and shouted at him, "Xia Fengyong, are you mentally ill? You're standing outside my office, speaking ill of my subordinates. Uh, who are you talking to? Uh, who are you being so arrogant about?" His two "hmms" were so jarring that they made my scalp tingle.

Kan Qingzhou rushed over, yelling, "Ren Yan, let go of my subordinates! You're bullying me!"

Ren Yan turned to look at him, spun Xia Fengyong around, and threw him towards Kan Qingzhou. "You should get your people under control first. Stop being so ignorant of the rules and always resorting to insubordination."

Xia Fengyong bumped into Kan Qingzhou, coughing and rubbing his neck.

Kan Qingzhou's face was livid, and his fingertips trembled as he pointed at Ren Yan. "Okay, okay, wait. I'll call the head of headquarters. We'll see who gets to sign off on this project."

Kan Qingzhou led Xia Fengyong away. As they passed Chu Qianmiao's workstation, Xia Fengyong glared at her fiercely.

Chu Qianmiao glared back. Qin Qianyu and Liu Lifeng stood beside her, pointing at Xia Fengyong. "Try glaring at her again!"

Sun Yi and the others also stood up, fully committed to supporting her.

Xia Fengyong followed Kan Qingzhou, not daring to lash out any further.

Chu Qianmiao felt a warm surge of emotion once again.

The "lively" moment had come to an end. Chu Qianmiao sat down at her workstation.

She thought this project looked a bit difficult. She wondered who had caused trouble for whom, her or Xia Fengyong.

She thought for a moment, carefully crafting her words, then stood up and headed for Ren Yan's office.

Knocking on the door, she entered and called out, "Mr. Ren."

Ren Yan looked up at her and asked, "What's going on?"

He looked calm and composed, as if the recent bustle hadn't happened in this room.

She thought he was truly a master of emotional management.

She sat down in the chair in front of his desk and said, "Boss, if getting Mr. Li's signature on this project is too much trouble, then forget it. I'll just wait a little longer. It's the same thing."

Ren Yan had been working on the materials with his eyes downcast. Hearing her words, he put his pen down and looked up.

He looked at her and said, "No, we won't wait."

Ren Yan's tone was decisive and resolute, carrying a reassuring force.

Chu Qianmiao's heart, which had been beating unsteadily, inexplicably began to settle.

But she still said, "Boss, I'll wait, it's okay. Don't let you offend the headquarters leaders again."

He had already offended one person because the theater chain merger project didn't go through. If he offended another now, he'd have a whole league of haters at headquarters.

Ren Yan looked at her, his voice formal, "Don't overthink it. Even if it wasn't you this time, but someone else in the department waiting for the promotion to insurance agent, I would still be fighting for them. You work hard for me. If I don't step up to fight for your interests when it's my turn, what kind of leader would I be?"

Chu Qianmiao's heart pounded at these words. She felt she couldn't find a more responsible and responsible leader than Ren Yan.

"Don't worry about this. Leave it to me. If you don't have anything else to do, go out and work. Look over the information on the previous private placement projects the department has worked on and familiarize yourself with them beforehand," Ren Yan concluded.

Next, Chu Qianmiao was reading the draft of a previous private placement project her department had worked on. After a few days of studying, a piece of news arrived.

Qin Qianyu told Chu Qianmiao, "Yesterday, headquarters put pressure on General Manager Li Si to use Xia Fengyong's signature. After receiving the order, General Manager Li summoned General Manager Ren to his office. General Manager Li told General Manager Ren that he was truly sorry and that he had no choice. General Manager Ren said it was okay and that he fully understood."

Chu Qianmiao thought that those of them working on projects at the grassroots level couldn't get past headquarters.

So, she decided to let go of the idea of ​​signing on to become an insurance agent for this project. If she couldn't get it, she shouldn't force it; accepting the situation was the best option.

She asked Qin Qianyu, "Brother Qin, how do you know all this?"

Qin Qianyu raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course I know," he paused, then said, "General Manager Ren asked me to do something for him, and he told me the whole story before he did it."

"What is it?" Chu Qianmiao asked tentatively.

"What can't be said now? Boss Ren won't let me. I'll tell you everything from beginning to end."

After he mentioned Ren Yan, Chu Qianmiao's curiosity faded.

She wouldn't let herself continue to be a source of affection for Ren Yan.

After headquarters officials finalized Xia Fengyong's signature on the private placement project for Li Si's department, Kan Qingzhou and Xia Fengyong, feeling incredibly arrogant and self-righteous, believed they had the upper hand over Ren Yan. They would frequently pass by Project 1's office area, flaunting their sarcastic expressions as they passed.

Kan Qingzhou once stood in the hallway and taunted Chu Qianmiao, "Little Chu, next time I have a project you can sign, come over and sign mine, haha."

Before Chu Qianmiao could retort, Liu Lifeng jumped in, "Hey, President Kan, by the time you have a project, it'll be hundreds of years. By then, Chu Qianmiao will have signed eight hundred of our own department's projects. After all, our President Ren is so capable and has so many projects."

Kan Qingzhou was so out of sorts by his taunting that he could only dryly say, "Is that how you talk to your boss?" and walked away.

Chu Qianmiao wanted to applaud Liu Lifeng. He was so brilliant when he was taunting Kan Qingzhou.

Later, Xia Fengyong came over to show off his prowess, his words implying, "Look, what was the point of all that arrogance? In the end, I still had to sign."

This time, it was Qin Qianyu who shooed him away. "Xia Fengyong, what's that smell about you? You're a grown man wearing perfume! Why aren't you killing your mother?"

After Qin Qianyu's words, Chu Qianmiao also noticed a greasy scent on Xia Fengyong.

Xia Fengyong glared, yelling, "You're the one wearing perfume, you're the one wearing perfume!" and walked away embarrassedly.

Because they couldn't sign off on Li Si's private placement project, everyone came over to comfort Chu Qianmiao, telling her not to get upset. Although the IPO project the department was currently preparing had a long lead time, there would surely be shorter ones later, after all, President Ren had such extensive connections.

Chu Qianmiao wasn't upset at all; she was quite open-minded. But she appreciated hearing everyone's words of comfort; she felt a warm warmth in the collective.

But Ren Yan didn't comfort her, nor did he call her over to say anything.

Normally, if this project had failed, Ren Yan should have called her into his office to say something, perhaps first announcing the failure with regret, then comforting her, and finally encouraging her to keep working hard and that there would be opportunities in the future.

That was the right approach.

But Ren Yan said nothing. Chu Qianmiao didn't know if he was too embarrassed to speak to her, or if he was thinking something else. She couldn't tell from his expression. She wanted to ask Qin Qianyu, see if she could get anything out of him. But Qin Qianyu's mouth, when he wanted to gossip, was like a power amplifier, impossible to shut up; when he didn't want to talk, it shut tighter than a clam's shell, impossible to pry open.

When pressed, he only said, "Just know one thing: our leader is the best leader in the world. He always does more for us than he says. He's the most worthy man in the world."

Chu Qianmiao: ""

Luckily, she'd heard about Qin Qianyu and his wife's past love affairs, otherwise she'd have suspected Qin Qianyu had become gay after meeting Ren Yan. Since she couldn't find out anything, Chu Qianmiao simply accepted her situation and prepared to join everyone on the new IPO project.