Water and Fire~Chapter 101: The Beginning of a Secret Affair

 

Chapter 101: The Beginning of a Secret Affair

After kissing for a long time, until her heart nearly burst out of her chest, Chu Qianmiao pushed Ren Yan away, gasping for air.

Her face burned, and her ears felt like they were on fire. She looked up at him, and his breathing quickened, his gaze shrouded in l*st.

Her face grew hotter, her heartbeat quicker, her breathing more erratic as he gazed at her. She didn't dare look at him any longer, and lowered her eyes.

He tiptoed, and she sat on top of him. He trembled, and the hand on his shoulder instinctively slid around his neck. Her eyelids also lifted, forcing her to look at him.

He stared into her eyes, his voice hoarse from the heat, and asked, "Can you be with me, huh?" The last syllable rose in his voice, like an aphrodisiac, stirring her heart and lungs.

"No," she said, defiantly.

He stared at her for two seconds, then kissed her again without a word.

This kiss was different from the previous one, passionate and lingering. He held her tongue, gently sucking on it, then bit her lips, gently and firmly.

She was completely utterly lost in his bite.

He released her, looked into her eyes, and asked again, "Can you be with me?"

She truly admired her own willpower. Even though she was completely lost, she still knew to say "no."

He looked at her, raised one corner of his mouth, and suddenly kissed her again.

This time, it was a kiss so long it could melt a person's bones. His tongue tore her apart, sending her flying into heaven.

As she regained her composure, she heard him ask again, "Now, do you want to be with me?"

His voice was almost unbelievably sexy, a low, raspy voice that could make someone ovulate prematurely.

She lowered her eyes, staring at a button on his chest. Unbuttoning it, he revealed a pair of prime pectoral muscles.

Beneath those prime pectorals were top-notch abdominal muscles.

Her heart pounded, and the blood in her ventricles seemed to be rushing through her nasal canal.

She remembered the two things Qin Qianyu had told her:

Is he good to you?

He's incredibly good. There's probably no man in the world who treats her better than he does.

Do you still like him?

Oh, not at all. Of course she was lying.

So

She sniffed, lowered her eyes, and replied, "Yes."

She had just rejected him twice, so this was formally revenge for his rejection of her. She felt better now.

So, then, let's take it.

He tiptoed her again, causing her to look up at him again.

He raised the corner of his mouth and looked at her, his gaze deep. He said nothing, simply watching her smile. His eyes held an unprecedented tenderness.

She felt uncomfortable under his unconcealed gaze, her face burning, her heart pounding. She felt as if she was completely exposed, as if he were revealing everything.

She raised her hand to cover his eyes, "Stop looking."

He pulled her hand down, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently, then began to nibble at her fingertips.

He sent a tingling sensation down her spine, right along with her fingertips.

She wondered with a shudder, "How could he be so good at flirting? This wicked old man!"

He released her hand, raised his to her chin, and coaxed, "Call me senior."

She stared at him, her teeth nibbling at her lower lip.

His eyes were glued to her lips, his voice rasping again. "Be good, scream for me, okay?"

"Senior,"

She whispered.

He held her tightly in his arms. Beneath her ear was his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as hers. It seemed his chest was thundering with energy.

She looked up and saw the corners of his mouth curled up in a satisfied arc.

Tsk, such an easy-to-please old man, a single word of "Senior" made him so charming.

Chu Qianmiao sat on Ren Yan's lap, leaning against his chest, trying to regulate her breathing and heartbeat. After a while, her heartbeat finally slowed, her face lessened, and her breathing evened out.

She stood up from Ren Yan's chest, looked at him, and asked, "Did you show favoritism for me with this private placement project?"

He looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "How do you think I showed favoritism?"

"If someone else in the department had signed, would you have gone to such lengths to get him to do it?" she asked.

"Of course," he said firmly. "I would have put in just as much effort and dedication."

"One more thing." She bit her lip. "You didn't let Cui Xijie sign off on Sun Yi's IPO project, but instead had the guarantor from Li Si's department sign off. Were you paving the way for me?"

If Cui Xijie had signed off on Sun Yi's project, the guarantor from Li Si's department would have had to wait until now to sign off on this private placement project. And she would have had to wait even longer, until their own department finished its IPO. The IPO project would have taken at least a year, while the private placement would have taken just over six months.

Was he playing favorites for her, trying to get her hired as an underwriter as quickly as possible? He didn't let Cui Xijie sign that project, but instead let someone from Li Si's department sign it, so that she would be the one signing the shorter-term fixed-increase project.

She didn't want that.

Ren Yan listened to Chu Qianmiao's question, pinching her chin and turning her face towards him.

He looked at her sternly and said, "Don't you think I'm too cunning and too confused about my personal and public duties?"

He told her, "At the time, I wanted Cui Xijie to sign on Sun Yi's project, but he exposed many problems at a critical moment. I decided not to let him sign for the time being because I felt it necessary to further evaluate him and see if he was a responsible person. If someone who lacks responsibility is appointed as an underwriter, how can he shoulder the burden of resolving the various problems that arise on the project?"

After a pause, he continued, "Also, looking at the timeline, do you think Li Ya's project started much later than Sun Yi's? No, the time difference between the two projects was less than three months. If Cui Xijie hadn't caused trouble by encouraging the target company to raise the price and gain benefits during the period I was testing him, he could have been promoted to a full-fledged underwriter directly after Li Ya's approval at the meeting. So..."

He pinched her chin and shook it, saying, "I replaced Cui Xijie simply to give him more time to evaluate. It has nothing to do with you. As for Li Si's department's private placement project, no one knew it would happen in the future. It's just perfect for you to sign. We only recently won the contract."

He finally reassured her, "I didn't intentionally show favoritism for you." After a pause, he added, "But I do spend more attention on you. I can't help it. It's beyond my control. It's beyond my control."

Chu Qianmiao's heartbeat and breathing, which had finally calmed down, became erratic again, and her cheeks began to heat up again. She frowned and asked him, "Why are you so good at coaxing women?"

He smiled, "I've only coaxed one woman." He gently stroked her cheek with his fingers. "Qianmiao, I was planning to wait until you registered as an insurance agent before we could move on to this point, but you've completely shut me down tonight."

She listened to him, looked at him, her eyes bright as if washed, her cheeks flushed pink again. He had kissed her lips all night, leaving them soft and plump. There was a kind of charm hidden in her bones, and tonight, he brought it out.

Looking at her beautiful self, she sat in his arms, looking at him seductively. He held her, thinking that even if he lost control, it would be worth it, even if he held a knife to his neck and took his life right now, it would be worth it.

"Qian Miao," he called her.

"Yes," she replied.

"Lei Zhenzi's relatives have handed their company over to me to run the IPO. They came specifically for me. I have to complete that project before I leave. It's my way of repaying and fulfilling my responsibility to Lei Zhenzi and his relatives for their trust in me," he said.

"Yes," she nodded.

"So, for the time being, please keep our relationship secret. Is that okay?" He tentatively stated the crux of the matter.

Her face suddenly turned red again, and she nodded.

She looked at him seriously and said, "Then promise me not to give me special treatment during this time, or I'll feel guilty towards the other people in the department."

"Okay," he agreed.

Then he pinched her chin to make her look at him, whispering softly, "Why were you shy just now? What did you say that made you shy again?"

She lowered her eyes, refusing to look at him. Her heart pounded, her eyelashes fluttered, and she muttered, "Who has anything to do with you?"

He looked at the top of her head and smiled silently.

Did the thought of their new relationship make her blush?

He couldn't help but tease her again.

"Stay here tonight," he asked hoarsely.

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide, her face filled with nervousness.

"No, I can't. I have to work tomorrow. I-I have to go home and change."

Seeing her nervousness, he stopped teasing her. He hoped she didn't really think he was a frivolous, h*rny guy.

"I'll take you home," he said.

"I brought you back, and you're still sending me back?" she asked.

"I'll take you in a taxi, then I'll take another one to go," he replied matter-of-factly.

""

So why on earth had she driven him here tonight? She felt she was losing her mind.

Ren Yan took a taxi to drop Chu Qianmiao off at her apartment. When the taxi arrived, Chu Qianmiao told him not to get out and to take this taxi home.

Ren Yan ignored her and got out with her.

"I'll watch you go upstairs, then I'll leave." He gave such a compelling reason to get out.

Her face was burning again. She thought to herself that tonight was truly a nightmare. At 27, why was she still so shy?

She said "goodnight" to him and turned to go into the stairwell.

But he grabbed her back and looked down at her.

Her heart began to pound again. She wondered if he was going to kiss her again. Wasn't it a bit too damn cloying?

Luckily, he didn't. He simply touched her face and said, "Let's have dinner together tomorrow night." After a pause, he said, "Let's go to your favorite Japanese restaurant, okay?"

She blushed and nodded, "Okay."

He released his hand.

"Go ahead. I'll watch you go upstairs."

She quickly turned and slid into the hallway.

Chu Qianmiao had a wonderful sleep that night.

The next day, she went to work refreshed. Upon arriving, she received a notice from Gu Kai saying that the private placement project team would be on a business trip to the project early the next morning to conduct on-site due diligence.

Qin Qianyu immediately said, "We're only on a business trip to the IPO project for the next two days. We'll be parting soon, so brother, let's have a farewell dinner tonight."

The others immediately stood up and echoed, urging a dinner.

It was hard to refuse everyone's hospitality, and Chu Qianmiao, unwilling to spoil the fun, quietly messaged Ren Yan, "I'm on a business trip for a private placement project tomorrow. Everyone's planning a dinner party tonight, so I can't join you."

A moment later, another message arrived, "Why didn't anyone invite me to the party?"

Chu Qianmiao: ""

Hey, bro, your character who doesn't like to attend parties has been a bit of a mess lately, hasn't he?