Water and Fire~Chapter 106.2: Aren't You Jealous?

 

Chapter 106.2: Aren't You Jealous?

After working overtime that evening, Chu Qianmiao and Ren Yan met up two blocks away. He walked her home.

Tonight, he was a little strange. He let her go upstairs directly, without any affectionate kisses.

After dinner and overtime, Chu Qianmiao lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness, lost in thought.

She thought he was upset, so she refused to be jealous.

In fact, she was a little jealous, but not much. When Li Tang told her about their past, she felt a flicker of jealousy. But she soon realized that if she got jealous, she would be playing into Li Tang's hands. After all, Li Tang and Ren Yan were living the past, while she and Ren Yan were living the future. If she dwelled on his past, wouldn't that just lead Li Tang astray?

After all, it was in the past, so she wouldn't be fooled.

She pulled the quilt over her, covered herself with it, closed her eyes, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

After Ren Yan arrived home, he called the nanny internally to ask how Grandma was doing. The nanny replied that Grandma had eaten, taken her medicine, and gone to bed. Oh, and she had also had a few pleasant conversations on the phone during the day, and had even offered to add an extra half bowl of dinner.

Ren Yan said, "Hmm," to indicate he understood, and hung up.

Then he stood up and poured himself a glass of wine. He stood by the French window, gazing out at the inky black night, and drank silently.

During the day, she'd said, "You have your past, I have mine."

In her eyes, his past was with Li Tang. She didn't care about his past at all.

And her past was with Tan Shen.

As he drank, he couldn't help but wonder what their past was like.

Thinking this way, he felt like he was having a falling out with himself.

Ren Yan had an inexplicable falling out with himself, and it only lasted two days before he gave up.

He had refrained from hugging or kissing her for two days. Just because she wasn't jealous of him, because he secretly resented her past with Tan Shen. He thought about how she and Tan Shen had once been in love, perhaps just like he and she were now, each day filled with thoughts of each other.

Thinking of this, he felt an inexplicable feeling, a subtle pain and panic that no one else knew. He even briefly doubted himself, wondering if he shouldn't have chosen to be with her, given his mindset.

But he quickly woke himself up and dismissed this absurd and terrifying assumption. He had pushed her away before, and what had happened? She'd let him go, while he was left to suffer every day.

She'd been so obedient for the past two days, so obedient that she'd do whatever he wanted. He'd drop her off, and she'd do it. He'd drop her off without kissing or hugging her, and she'd refused to kiss or hug him.

She was so obedient that he couldn't hold back.

On the third day, he was the first to give up.

They'd been working overtime for the past few days processing feedback, and everyone was still working as usual on Saturday. Before leaving get off work on Saturday night, he gave everyone the day off, saying they could all work on their own materials at home and could call to discuss anything.

Sunday was the third day of his self-deprecating behavior. He got up early in the morning and drove to her building. After two hours of waiting, at eight o'clock, he couldn't wait any longer. He called her and told her to bring her computer. He drove her to his apartment, where they could work overtime together on documents.

She came downstairs immediately.

As she burst through the daylight from the corridor toward him, he felt an indescribable surge of happiness surge through his chest.

In that moment, he wondered what he was wasting time on. Such a beautiful woman, she would only rush into his arms in the morning light.

He leaned against the front of the car, smiling, and opened his arms to her.

She buried her head in his arms, her arms wrapped around his waist.

She hid her face in his chest and muttered, thinking he'd stay angry with her.

Her voice was soft and aggrieved.

He stroked her head and smiled. She knew what he was getting angry about, but she let him.

She was such a cunning creature, knowing that unless someone figured it out themselves, no amount of persuasion would be of any use.

She raised her head from his embrace and said to him, looking both aggrieved and fierce, "I really don't want to know about your past with Li Tang. So, do you really want to know about my past with Tan Shen? If you want to know, just tell me. I won't withhold it if you tell me. Why are you getting so angry with yourself? You're already grown up, huh?"

If it weren't broad daylight, with people constantly walking around, he'd have wanted to kiss her moving mouth.

No matter what her past with Tan Shen was, no matter how deeply they had loved each other, the moment she threw herself into his arms, he told himself it didn't matter anymore.

She and her future life were only his.

Ren Yan had been about to drive Chu Qianmiao to the apartment to work overtime, but Chu Qianmiao said, "Our CEO Gu is at the office today, so no one's home. Come upstairs with me."

So, Ren Yan entered the apartment Chu Qianmiao and Gu Miaoyu shared.

The apartment was old, with two bedrooms and a living room. Each bedroom seemed small to Ren Yan, and the living room was barely big enough for a sofa and a small coffee table. Compared to his own apartment, not to mention his own, it was like an ant and an elephant.

Tall and long-legged, he made the sofa look smaller when he sat on it. He and Chu Qianmiao worked overtime on their computers on the living room sofa.

Then the day stretched from dawn to dusk.

At noon, Chu Qianmiao ordered takeout, and the two of them ate a quick bite before continuing to write their research. By evening, they had finally finished a first draft of the material.

With the work done, Ren Yan patted his lap and said to Chu Qianmiao, "Come here."

Chu Qianmiao's face lit up, and she shyly sat on his lap, letting him hold her.

Without further ado or hesitation, he kissed her, filling the gap of two days even more profoundly.

Both of them were getting a little carried away, nearly having s*x on the couch when Ren Yan's phone rang relentlessly.

At first, Ren Yan ignored him, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping his hand into Chu Qianmiao's sweater.

When his fingertips touched the skin of Chu Qianmiao's back, Chu Qianmiao shuddered as the ringing phone jolted her awake.

With immense willpower and righteous determination, she yanked his hand free from beneath her sweater, picked up his wailing phone from the coffee table, and thrust it into his hand, inviting him to answer.

The call was from Li Si.

He took two deep breaths, evening out his recently rapid breathing, then answered the phone and asked Li Si what was going on.

Li Si's cheerful voice rang out from the receiver. Chu Qianmiao, nestled against Ren Yan's chest, could hear it clearly.

"Mr. Ren, Qianmiao, when are you going to finish using it? Hurry up! Once you're done, get her back on my project. I'm still waiting for the kernel."

Ren Yan raised his hand and rubbed Chu Qianmiao's lips. His voice was calm, but his eyes were thick with l*st and ambiguity. "I'm using it right now."

Chu Qianmiao's ears were on fire from his double entendre. She raised her hand and patted his chest.

"Hurry up and use it," Li Si said on the phone. "I'm relying on Qian Miao for this project now. I used to go days without a call, but now, when Qian Miao isn't there, I get multiple calls a day asking me what to do about this and that. "Old Ren, seriously, you have to return Qian Miao to the Tiantian Food project as soon as possible."

After hanging up, Ren Yan tossed the phone back on the coffee table and continued his quest. He bit Chu Qianmiao's earlobe, his voice low and hoarse, like a soul-sucking spell, asking, "Why are you so sought-after now, huh?"

Chu Qianmiao shuddered. Later, she thought, if Gu Miaoyu hadn't returned home in time, she would have jumped to the ground at the sound of the key at the door. She might have given herself to Ren Yan on that tattered sofa that day.

After the feedback and response materials were processed, everyone waited for the subsequent meeting for review.

This was Chu Qianmiao's second project since joining the investment bank, a complete IPO. This was the most challenging and grueling project she had ever worked on. During the project, she was nearly driven to collapse by the pressure of incredible people like Dou Shan.

Working on this project was exhausting, but it also brought her the most rewarding results. Issues like proxy holding, gambling, related-party transactions, and inadequate internal controls nearly derailed the project. But she ultimately overcame every obstacle. Looking back on the torment and suffering she endured, she feels it was all worth it.

She also passed the insurance agent exam on this project, another major achievement.

While she lost a colleague on this project, she also gained a 100% united team.

It was also through this project that she realized some of Ren Yan's words were true: rationality is important in the workplace. But she still didn't want to be a cold-hearted professional. She envisioned continuing to help those facing difficulties at work, such as Tang Jie and Lu Fang. However, she would only help if she could protect herself.

She thought she had now mastered both social interaction and emotional intelligence.

After a brief reunion, it was time for another separation.

After addressing Li Ya's feedback, Chu Qianmiao returned to the Tiantian Food project the next morning. That project was nearing its final stages, ready for submission after passing the company's core review.

Ren Yan's flight was two days later than Chu Qianmiao's, and he would also return to the IPO project two days later.

On the day Chu Qianmiao left, Ren Yan saw her off to the airport.

Chu Qianmiao consoled herself, telling herself not to be sad, because this was a farewell with a purpose. When she returned, she would likely have a different identity.

She happily said goodbye to Ren Yan. However, before going through security, Ren Yan grabbed her.

He turned up his coat collar, pulled her into his arms, and leaned down to kiss her. He ignored the public, ignored the fact that their combined age was sixty.

After releasing her, he touched her face and said, "Go ahead."

She almost thought she was a Pikachu.

The author has something to say: Ren Yan, you're not jealous, are you? Okay, I am.