Water and Fire~Chapter 111.1: It's His Fault

 

Chapter 111.1: It's His Fault

On Sunday, after dropping Ren Yan off at the airport, Chu Qianmiao took a taxi back to Zhufeng Auto Parts.

As soon as Ren Yan got off the plane and arrived at the hotel, he video-called Lei Zhenzi on his phone.

As soon as the video connected, Lei Zhenzi was startled by his expression.

"Why do you look so upset?" Lei Zhenzi said, his peach-shaped eyes glaring. "Honestly, since I've known you, the only time you've been so emotional is when you've been telling me about your family affairs. So, what's going on this time?"

Ren Yan gave a wry smile, curling one corner of his mouth. "Is it that obvious?"

He succinctly and directly recounted the incident involving the bag purchase and the money transfer.

After hearing this, Lei Zhenzi said, "Isn't that a good thing? Didn't you always think that this kind of girl could be independent? She's sensible, easygoing, and not clingy, without so many entanglements. Wasn't that the reason you agreed to be with Li Tang in the first place?"

Ren Yan raised his hand to support his forehead, then lowered it. "Don't be sarcastic." After a pause, he said, "But Qian Miao's behavior makes me feel that she's made a clear distinction between me and her. She doesn't put her heart entirely on me. She's kept a part of herself."

Lei Zhenzi saw that Ren Yan was genuinely troubled, so he stopped teasing him and asked seriously, "What about you? Did you keep yourself?"

"No," Ren Yan answered decisively.

Lei Zhenzi smiled. "So, you feel it's unfair, Ren? I didn't expect you would be so fussy about relationships."

Ren Yan looked at him, silent.

The blush on Lei Zhenzi's face faded briefly. His expression even took on a hint of vicissitudes. "But my Ah Ren, love is like this. There's no such thing as fairness. The one who prefers always has to be humble. Look at me, so flirtatious! Every time Sister Sheng calls me, I abandon my dignity and run to her like a dog. What can we do? We can only be humble. Who told us to be willing?"

Ren Yan remained silent, neither comforting himself nor trying to persuade Lei Zhenzi. They were both trapped in love at this moment.

On the plane, he had been wondering why Chu Qianmiao's remarks about her independence had made him feel so tight in his chest. Then, in a moment, he finally understood.

When you love someone deeply, you want to be bound by a bond. You want to be responsible for them, and you want them to be responsible for you. And perhaps the most effective way to achieve this bond is through marriage.

He suddenly heard Lei Zhenzi on the other end of the video chat, his gloom vanishing as he burst into laughter. "Ren, why do I feel like Qian Miao seems more relaxed after you two hit home plate, and you seem even more clinging to it? Hahahahaha, so it was you who was the one who was ruthless. Hahahaha, Ren, I'll never be able to die in peace seeing you in this state today."

Ren Yan expressionlessly clicked off the video.

By Monday, Chu Qianmiao was working with renewed energy. She had done a good job coordinating the project, and everyone was cooperating. So far, the project had been progressing smoothly.

Sometimes, she would discuss legal issues with Wang Jun, and they had a good understanding of each other.

Sometimes, she would discuss financial matters with Tang Jie, and Wang Jun was also present on several occasions. After hearing her and Tang Jie's discussion for the first time, Wang Jun seemed quite surprised and said to her, "Qian Miao, I never thought you'd be so proficient in finance now."

Chu Qianmiao smiled and said, "This is all taught by our boss. Our boss told me back then that if I didn't pass the insurance agent exam, I'd be fired."

Tang Jie laughed as he heard this. "That sounds like Mr. Ren's style—a bit cold and cool."

"And a bit scary," Hou Lin replied, shrinking her neck.

Everyone laughed.

Chu Qianmiao thought about how she hadn't been afraid of Ren Yan when she first met him on the Hanhai Home Textiles project. She wondered if it was just the bliss of knowing him back in college.

That morning, after Chu Qianmiao had looked through company documents, she took Hou Lin out for a while. Shortly after returning in the afternoon, Wang Jun came to see her.

Wang Jun asked her, "Qianmiao, have you reviewed the company's history?"

Chu Qianmiao nodded to the draft document under her, "I'm reading it."

Wang Jun flipped through the documents, turning to the company's first capital increase. He asked Chu Qianmiao to read it.

After reviewing it, Chu Qianmiao and Wang Jun called Tang Jie to a meeting with Du Xiaofeng. Chu Qianmiao also called Hou Lin, asking her to take notes and study.

Arriving at Du Xiaofeng's office, Chu Qianmiao asked him to please call Mr. Liu Zheng as well, as this matter concerned him.

Liu Zheng immediately arrived.

With everyone present, Chu Qianmiao didn't waste anyone's time and got straight to the point.

"Mr. Du, Mr. Liu, the thing is, when we were reviewing the company's history, we noticed that Mr. Liu wasn't among the shareholders when it was first established, but you were already working there at the time."

Du Xiaofeng said, "Yes, I and a few other small shareholders founded the company, but Mr. Liu has been working hard since its inception, focusing on technology."

Chu Qianmiao nodded and said, "Yes, I noticed that Mr. Liu had a non-patented technology, and you later invested in the company using this non-patented technology."

Liu Zheng nodded and said, "Yes."

Chu Qianmiao said, "Mr. Du, Mr. Liu, the thing is, according to the Company Law, non-patented technology must be evaluated and valued before it can be used as capital contribution. However, you didn't evaluate and value this technology when you invested, so this is a flawed investment, which will affect the company's listing."

Du Xiaofeng and Liu Zheng both asked, "Then how can this impact be eliminated?" Chu Qianmiao smiled and said, "Mr. Du, Mr. Liu, before we discuss how to address the investment flaws, we need to first explain Mr. Liu's technology to you two."

She asked Wang Jun to first explain to Du Xiaofeng and Liu Zheng what "job achievements" meant.

"Simply put, a work-related achievement is an intellectual product produced primarily by staff using the company's material and technological resources. The ownership of this work-related achievement belongs to the company." Wang Jun paused and told Liu Zheng, "Mr. Liu, your non-patented technology was developed with the company's resources, so it should be considered a work-related achievement."

Liu Zheng looked at Wang Jun with some confusion, then at Chu Qianmiao, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Chu Qianmiao smiled and said, "Mr. Liu, what I'm saying is that the technology you're contributing is actually a work-related achievement. Its ownership belongs to the company, so you can't use it as your own property to contribute to the company."

Liu Zheng's face darkened. "My technology belongs to the company."

Chu Qianmiao turned and said to Hou Lin, "Show Mr. Liu the information on the work-related achievement."

Hou Lin immediately stood up and handed Liu Zheng the pre-printed materials. Liu Zheng frowned as he read them.

When Chu Qianmiao had almost finished reading, she spoke again.

"Speaking of work-related achievements, we previously worked on a project that also caused quite a stir due to this very issue. At the time, the company had a very important patented technology, and the holders were several technicians. They thought the technology was theirs, so they took advantage of the company's IPO plans to negotiate with the boss, demanding shares and a payout before they would transfer the technology. If the conditions weren't met, they wouldn't transfer the technology. This would have affected the company's IPO."

Du Xiaofeng asked, "What happened next?"

Chu Qianmiao smiled and said, "Later, we discovered that the technology was a work-related invention, and ownership originally belonged to the company. Those technicians couldn't make a fuss anymore, as it would have been pointless and embarrassing."

Wang Jun said, "I've heard about this. You handled the situation beautifully back then."

Chu Qianmiao smiled, "It's because our boss is so wise."

Then she turned to Liu Zheng and said, "Mr. Liu, the current situation is that your technology actually belongs to the company. Regardless of whether it was originally valued, it cannot be used to invest in your shares. Therefore, regarding the investment issue, our suggested solution is that the company first reduce its capital, subtracting the portion corresponding to the investment in this technology, and then increase its capital. Mr. Liu, you will then make up this portion of the investment with cash of the equivalent value."

Liu Zheng pondered and asked, "This means that I must quickly pay a large sum of money to the company, correct? If I don't make up the difference, I won't get any shares in the company."

Chu Qianmiao nodded. She gave Liu Zheng some time to digest the thought, then asked, "Mr. Liu, do you approve of this operation?"

Liu Zheng laughed and said, "How could I not approve? You gave me clear examples earlier. It's useless for me to disagree."

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Mr. Liu, you're being overly cautious. I was just speaking from the heart. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize."

Then she asked Du Xiaofeng, "Mr. Du, what do you think? Is this solution okay?"

Du Xiaofeng immediately stated, "That's fine, but Old Liu is my brother. You can take as much of your investment as you can. I'll make up the rest."

Liu Zheng immediately became anxious and said, "No, no, absolutely not. That's not the case. I should have made up the difference myself. Old Du, I absolutely cannot let you pay for this. I'll make up the difference myself."

The problem was resolved. After the meeting, several people emerged from Du Xiaofeng's office. As they walked, Wang Jun said to Chu Qianmiao, "I didn't expect the problem to be solved so smoothly. I thought Liu Zheng would be very upset."

Chu Qianmiao smiled.

Hou Lin couldn't help but remark, "It went smoothly. That's because President Chu met with President Du this morning to discuss matters."

While reviewing the materials that morning, Chu Qianmiao discovered the capital contribution flaw. She immediately took Hou Lin to see Du Xiaofeng. She brought Hou Lin along partly because she wanted her to learn from her and partly to avoid being alone with Du Xiaofeng.

When she brought this up with Du Xiaofeng, he told her something else.

"Actually, Old Liu wanted to invest in cash back then, but his family owned a small factory that went bankrupt due to poor management. He was short on cash, so he told me to use his technology to cover the cost first and then top up when he had more money. But he's been holding me back ever since, and he hasn't mentioned the money again. I look tough, but I'm actually very sensitive, so if he doesn't bring it up, I won't be able to ask for it."

Chu Qianmiao said, "That's perfect. Now's the opportunity. You can ask for it."

Du Xiaofeng said he was worried that asking Liu Zheng to pay up now would cause him to have a reaction, so he pleaded with Chu Qianmiao to come up with a plan.

"He doesn't have to pay up all the money. I can help him with some," Du Xiaofeng said generously.

Chu Qianmiao thought for a moment and said, "That's easy. Our agency will play the bad guy, and you, Mr. Du, will play the good guy. I'll point out to Mr. Liu our previous projects and explain that the results of his work belong to the company, so the technology can't be used for his investment. He'll need to make up the difference. Then, you can step in and tell him what percentage of the investment you'd like to cover. I'm sure Mr. Liu will appreciate your kindness."

Du Xiaofeng looked at Chu Qianmiao with deep emotion. "Ms. Chu, although you're young, you're very organized. You're not shy about helping. I, Old Du, thank you so much. If you need any help from me in the future, just let me know."

After listening to Hou Lin's description, Wang Jun said to Chu Qianmiao, "Qianmiao, you're amazing! I saw you had it all planned out long ago."

Chu Qianmiao smiled.

Tang Jie thought for a moment and said, "No wonder Liu Zheng said in the meeting just now that President Du shouldn't have paid for this. It turns out the money he was supposed to contribute hasn't arrived yet."

Afterward, the company held a shareholders' meeting, reduced its capital, and published a notice of the capital reduction in the newspaper. Liu Zheng then increased its capital with an equivalent amount in cash. Du Xiaofeng insisted on helping Liu Zheng with half of the money, but Liu Zheng refused. Du Xiaofeng said he would provide Liu Zheng with other means in the future.

The issue of the capital contribution was thus resolved to everyone's satisfaction. The project continued to move forward.