Water and Fire~Chapter 108.1: The Black Dress

 

Chapter 108.1: The Black Dress

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door.

Startled, she immediately pushed him away, listening intently. A lingering lingering l*st still lingered in her eyes; they were watery, her lips moist, and her heartbeat was beating faster and faster, like a drum.

Outside, footsteps clung to the floor, and voices clung to the air. Those sounds threatened to burst through the door at any moment.

Her hand rested on his chest, breathless, her face shrouded in fear.

After a long listen, she finally determined that the people from the adjacent private room had finished their tea and were exchanging farewells at the door.

She breathed a sigh of relief, but after this shock, she would never allow him to kiss her again.

She softly called him, "Senior, let's go!"

The call resonated deeply in his heart, and even though he was still enjoying himself, he surrendered instantly and willingly.

But with her hazy, dazed look, anyone who knew what she had just done would know. He fed her half a cup of tea, and the haze in her eyes finally cleared.

Putting the cup back, he raised his hand, rubbed her face, and wiped the wetness from her lips with his thumb. Seeing her so charming and lovely, he couldn't help but lean in and kiss her softly.

Then he held her and swung her, looking down at her, his lips slightly raised, and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go. I'll take you home."

Even after being taken home by Ren Yan, Chu Qianmiao's heart was still pounding, as if his kisses were like stimulants. Every time she felt his kiss, she felt her heart overloaded, her body burning with heat, her body on fire.

Even two glasses of cold water couldn't alleviate the tingling sensation.

As darkness fell, she sat by the window, gazing at the full moon in the spring night sky. As she gazed, the tingling sensation seemed to grow stronger.

She quickly averted her gaze.

She thought it was unacceptable to look at the spring moon too long, as it would likely transform into a lewd creature.

A little after ten o'clock in the evening, Gu Miaoyu returned home. She quickly ran out with her glass of cold water to ask a chicken soup expert for a cooling recipe.

She wore her hair in sexy waves, but her conversation was innocently rambling and never quite got to the point. Finally, Gu Miaoyu couldn't stand it anymore and, clutching her waist, asked, "Do you want to talk to me about what I had for lunch and dinner today, or do you really want to tell me about how you almost got eaten?"

Chu Qianmiao was so frightened that she nearly dropped her glass of water.

"How did you know?" she asked, her eyes wide with horror.

Gu Miaoyu grabbed the collar of her pajamas and pulled them down. She used her phone to take a picture of the red strawberry mark on her collarbone, then held the photo up before her eyes.

"Look at yourself. Look at what you've been bitten into!"

Chu Qianmiao's mind exploded with heat.

She pulled her pajamas up as hard as she could, trying to hide the shameful strawberry mark.

After the flush of l*st subsided, she leaned over to Gu Miaoyu and said, "Then I'll be frank, Guzi. Every day after he kisses me, I come home feeling all hot and h*rny. Tell me, isn't this too wanton and unrestrained for a woman?"

Gu Miaoyu turned her head and looked at her, looking at her like she was stupid. "Shuishui, you have to be brave enough to admit your desires. Didn't the old saying go, 'Eating is the way it is,'" she said. "You're at that age where you're full of energy, so it's normal for you to have this reaction. Don't be so self-conscious." Then she touched Chu Qianmiao's head.

Chu Qianmiao: "..."

She slapped Gu Miaoyu's hand away. "Don't be so h*rny! Just because you're not the same age as me, you're not as full of energy as a wolf or a tiger."

Gu Miaoyu admitted frankly, "I am."

"Chu Qianmiao choked.

After a pause, she asked, "How do you deal with this restlessness?"

Gu Miaoyu said, "Wait a minute. I'll wash up first. I'll send you something when I'm done."

As Chu Qianmiao lay in bed, getting ready for bed, she received a gigabyte of compressed p*rnographic content from Gu Miaoyu.

Chu Qianmiao unzipped it and spent half the night reading it.

She thought it was so good.

It made her want to lose her virginity.

Chu Qianmiao hired a female intern through a job recruitment process. Her name was Hou Lin. She had spent a year studying for a master's degree in the UK and was a lively and cheerful woman. Chu Qianmiao mentored her and used her as an assistant.

Chu Qianmiao felt she was a good match. Seeing her was like seeing herself a few years ago. She was willing to nurture Hou Lin and see young women become strong in the workplace. The future of women's workplace advancement depends on these young women gradually becoming stronger.

She always brought Hou Lin with her when she met with people to discuss projects. Privately, Qin Qianyu whispered to Chu Qianmiao, "Do you know what Hou Lin calls you in front of us?"

Chu Qianmiao asked.

Qin Qianyu replied, "She calls you Queen. She says that when you're out discussing things, you exude such a powerful aura that everyone, unless you're silent, will listen."

Chu Qianmiao laughed.

She wasn't being pretentious, but as a "General Manager," she needed to project the airs of a General Manager. That way, she could speak with authority and control.

Qin Qianyu also told her, "Old Liu and the others teased Hou Lin, asking her who was more handsome, General Manager Ren, and guess what she said."

Chu Qianmiao was genuinely curious about the answer. This was a show of charm between her and her man.

She asked Qin Qianyu, "What did she say?"

Qin Qianyu: "Her exact words were, 'If our country allowed women to marry women, I'd go all out and pursue our President Chu. Our President Chu is a blast, okay? President Ren is so cold, I'm afraid.'"

Chu Qianmiao smiled and shook her head. That night, she'd felt jealous of Ren Yan. He dropped her off, and before letting her out, he pinched her cheek and asked, "I heard you're attractive to both men and women now, huh?"

Chu Qianmiao had to flatter him for a while before finally appeasing him.

The next day at work, Chu Qianmiao asked Hou Lin to book a private room at a restaurant on Financial Street for lunch. She wanted to meet Tang Jie to discuss the Zhufeng Auto Parts business.

Hou Lin made a restaurant reservation and texted her the time, address, and room number.

Chu Qianmiao always took Hou Lin with her when she went out to discuss matters, to broaden her horizons. But this time, she thought for a moment and said to Hou Lin, "Eat something by yourself at lunch. You don't have to come with me."

Today, she wanted to discuss something special with Tang Jie.

At lunch, Chu Qianmiao and Tang Jie entered the private room one after the other. They were already close friends, and without anyone around, they didn't seem to be so polite. They sat down and ate, chatting as they ate.

Tang Jie asked Chu Qianmiao, "Have you decided which law firm to hire for this project?"

Chu Qianmiao put down his chopsticks, wiped his lips with a tissue, looked up at Tang Jie, and said, "How about Xinfeng Law Firm?"

When Tang Jie heard the name of Xinfeng Law Firm, he thought for a moment and said, "Oh, Xinfeng. My best friend and a partner at Xinfeng named Wang Jun went to school together, and they have a pretty good relationship. There's also a partner at Xinfeng named Qiao Zhixin. I don't know how he's regarded by the outside world, but I've heard from my friends that he's not very good at handling projects. Besides them, there seems to be another partner at Xinfeng named He Wei, but I don't know him at all."

After a pause, he asked Chu Qianmiao, "Which of these three lawyers are you considering working with?"

Chu Qianmiao didn't rush to answer his question. When she heard Qiao Zhixin's name, she suppressed her disgust and frowned slightly.

She thought that after a year, she would be much calmer when she heard the name again. Unfortunately, she still hadn't cultivated enough, and couldn't achieve complete indifference.

She asked Tang Jie, "Brother Tang, tell me first about this Qiao Zhixin. How is he doing this project underhanded?"

Tang Jie said, "We're so close, and since you're asking, I won't hide it from you. But my friend told me this privately. Just listen and get the message. Don't tell anyone else."

Chu Qianmiao quickly assured him that she would just listen and get the message.

Tang Jie told her, "My friend and Qiao Zhixin worked on a project together. Qiao Zhixin was required to provide an additional forensic opinion based on the existing materials. Without this, the materials couldn't be submitted. Normally, the fee for this forensic opinion was optional, a few tens of thousands of yuan. But Qiao Zhixin took the opportunity to exorbitantly ask for five million yuan."

Chu Qianmiao's eyes widened when she heard this.

Five million yuan for a forensic opinion? He had the nerve to ask for it.

"The company was furious at the time. Changing law firms on short notice wasn't feasible, but they were unwilling to give Qiao Zhixin five million yuan, as they couldn't apply for the project without him. The company was stuck there," Tang Jie said.

"How was the matter resolved?" Chu Qianmiao asked, taking a sip of tea.

Tang Jie said, "Wang Jun privately advised my friend to go and give the company some advice. He told me to talk to Qiao Zhixin again and record the conversation. If Qiao Zhixin still insisted on demanding five million yuan before issuing a forensic opinion, the company could report the recording to the Bar Association. The worst-case scenario would be a complete disaster for everyone involved."

Chu Qianmiao raised an eyebrow.

Tang Jie continued, "Later, Qiao Zhixin gave in."

Chu Qianmiao asked, "Wang Jun was brought up by Qiao Zhixin and promoted to partner. Why would he dare to suggest such a move? Isn't he afraid that Qiao Zhixin will punish him if he finds out?"

Tang Jie said, "Right now, only you, me, my buddy, and Wang Jun know about this. It was actually Wang Jun who came up with the idea." After a pause, he added, "That's why I just told you not to tell anyone else."

Chu Qianmiao nodded, reassuring Tang Jie. Inwardly, she was grateful for Tang Jie's trust in her.

She heard Tang Jie continue, "My buddy and Wang Jun were classmates and are familiar with each other. My buddy also said that although Wang Jun was brought up by Qiao Zhixin, he's really not the same person as Qiao Zhixin."

Chu Qianmiao looked at the tea in the cup, a tea leaf floating on top. Her thoughts drifted with it. She blew away the tea leaf and took another sip of water. As the sip went down, she had an idea.

She looked up at Tang Jie and said, "Why don't we try collaborating on this project with Wang Jun?"

Tang Jie replied without hesitation, "Sure, it's up to you."