Water and Fire~Chapter 117.1: Resolute and Beautiful

 

Chapter 117.1: Resolute and Beautiful

As soon as work started on Monday, Li Si wandered into Ren Yan's office. Lowering his voice, he asked Ren Yan, "Do you think Old Wu isn't as involved these days? Kan Qingzhou is so boisterous, and he's just turning a blind eye." Old Wu was Wu Jin, the head of the entire Beijing investment banking department.

Ren Yan raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

Li Si said to himself, "That's true. Old Wu will retire in two years. Why offend anyone before leaving? Besides, Kan Qingzhou is said to have connections at headquarters."

Ren Yan just raised an eyebrow. He always avoided discussing these internal company relationships.

Li Si was used to this. So, rather than seeking Ren Yan to discuss, it was more like he wanted to express his desire to talk.

"I just don't know who Old Kan's backer is at headquarters."

As he said this, there was a knock on Ren Yan's office door.

It was He Yihui, the head of Project Department 4, about the same age as Li Si, but slightly older than Ren Yan.

He Yihui nodded and greeted Li Si, then sat down beside him in a chair at Ren Yan's desk.

After settling down, he said to Ren Yan, "Mr. Ren, if you have time lately, I'd like you to spare a couple of days to help me look over my project."

Ren Yan's heart stirred, and his eyebrows raised slightly.

Perhaps the opportunity he'd been waiting for had arrived.

He asked He Yihui what the project was.

He Yihui said, "Well, our department is working on an IPO project, and it seems perfect, with no issues. But it's precisely because of this lack of problems that we always feel like something's amiss." He paused, then added, "The chairman's words sometimes make you overthink things. He once said the company was nearly losing money, and we quickly asked what happened, because the company's reported profits were good and met the listing requirements. But he immediately denied it, saying it was a slip of the tongue. Another time, he asked if the company could make a profit. We told him absolutely not, and that financial fraud would be punished, but he said he knew many companies were just making profits. His attitude is so unsettling."

Ren Yan listened quietly, nodding occasionally.

He Yihui said, "So, is there anything wrong with this company? Am I being overly sensitive, or is the chairman's words truly worth considering? I'm a little unsure. Mr. Ren, you're the most capable person in our Beijing investment banking department. I'd like you to take a look on-site for me."

Li Si chimed in, "I reviewed Mr. He's project last week. I didn't see any issues, but I do feel something's amiss. It makes me feel uneasy."

Ren Yan asked, "What about the lawyers and accountants? What did they say?"

He Yihui said, "They all think there's nothing wrong and have issued unqualified opinions."

Ren Yan pondered.

He Yihui added, "But I still feel a little unsure."

Ren Yan thought for a moment and said, "Mr. He, I have to work on the project tomorrow. I have an intermediary coordination meeting tomorrow afternoon, and I can't reschedule. I can't leave right now."

He Yihui's eyes darkened at this. Ren Yan's eyes lit up. "But I can recommend someone to take a look at your project."

He Yihui quickly asked, "Who?"

Ren Yan raised his lip slightly. "Chu Qianmiao."

At the mention of Chu Qianmiao's name, He Yihui hesitated undisguisedly.

To give Ren Yan face, he didn't directly express his disapproval.

"Although Chu performed well at the last core meeting, and her professional skills are quite solid, I can't see any problems with this project. Chu Qianmiao, is she up to the task?" he questioned.

Ren Yan smiled faintly and said, "Chu Qianmiao is very good at spotting subtle issues that others often overlook. You can ask Li Si for confirmation on this."

He Yihui turned to look at Li Si.

Li Si said, "That's true. Qian Miao is really good at spotting problems even in the smallest details. She was in charge of my previous private placement project, and there were many issues that I and the other project members overlooked, but Qian Miao discovered and resolved them all." He smiled and patted He Yihui on the shoulder. "Old He, don't tell me, I really think Qian Miao is the perfect person to spot problems on your project."

He Yihui thought for a moment, then turned to Ren Yan and said, "Then let Xiao Chu help me with my project. But if she can't spot any problems, I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Ren, to personally take a look later."

Ren Yan agreed. He picked up the phone and made a call.

As soon as the call connected, he asked, "Qian Miao, are you in a hurry to start the preliminary due diligence on that project?"

"Not really. I still need to have two more rounds of talks with the company's head to finalize some matters. It's still early to start," Chu Qian Miao replied.

"Okay," Ren Yan said. "Set aside a week and work on something else."

After a pause, he said, "Come to my office now."

After hanging up the phone, he casually told Li Si and He Yihui, "She just took on a project on her own and is currently conducting preliminary due diligence. She's quite busy."

He Yihui raised an eyebrow at this. Li Si, less reserved, said directly, "Qian Miao is amazing. She can even take on projects on her own."

Chu Qianmiao was slightly surprised upon entering Ren Yan's office.

Li Si and He Yihui were both there. With Ren Yan, several of the company's most prominent directors were gathered together. Director, Managing Director

She greeted Li Si and He Yihui.

She turned to Ren Yan and asked, "Mr. Ren, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Ren Yan nodded and said, "Tomorrow, go with Mr. He to their department's project to take a look."

Chu Qianmiao replied, calm and confident. Li Si looked at her, then smiled and said to He Yihui, "Mr. He, you might not know this, but I was the one who interviewed Qianmiao to come to our company. Even then, I felt Qianmiao had great potential."

He turned back to Chu Qianmiao and said with a smile, "Qianmiao, you were one way when I hired you, another way when you worked on the Tiantian Foods share issuance project, and now you've changed yet again. Qianmiao, you're becoming more and more stylish."

Chu Qianmiao quickly smiled back, saying, "I don't get proud when others praise me, but it's different when you, Mr. Li, praise me. I really can't help it. I think I have to be proud for a minute."

Li Si, caught in the invisible compliment, laughed heartily and said, "I'll give you two minutes, so you can be proud twice as long."

Chu Qianmiao and Li Si both laughed, and He Yihui smiled beside them. The atmosphere suddenly became very harmonious.

Chu Qianmiao took advantage of the cheerful atmosphere to ask He Yihui some basic questions about the project company. Each of her questions hit the nail on the head. He Yihui answered her questions one by one, his expression growing more relaxed with each answer as she hit the key points.

Chu Qianmiao would occasionally offer some delightful remarks after his answers.

"Mr. He, you truly understand the project. You've memorized the company's financial data for three years down to two decimal places. That's incredible! We usually just give rough estimates."

"Mr. He, your memory is truly exceptional in our company."

After answering her questions, He Yihui offered, "I'll send you a package of company documents later." After a pause, he offered, "Qianmiao, give me your ID number later. I'll have someone in my department book your flight."

Chu Qianmiao quickly asked, "Can I bring one more person? It's my intern."

He Yihui replied, "No problem."

He Yihui left, carrying two pieces of white paper with ID numbers written on them. Li Si followed him out.

"You two can chat. I guess you have something to tell Qianmiao," he said to Ren Yan before leaving.

Ren Yan and Chu Qianmiao were the only ones left in the office.

Chu Qianmiao felt that without anyone else around, Ren Yan's gaze on her changed.

His eyes were like those of an old father watching his child succeed on the college entrance exam.

"He Yihui is a serious and arrogant person. It's not easy to earn his approval and recognition. It's a sign of your ability that he proactively booked you a ticket."

Ren Yan looked at Chu Qianmiao as he spoke. His eyes were as bright as torches, fixed directly on her face.

Even though they were talking about business, Chu Qianmiao felt the heat of those two gazes burning her cheeks.

She licked her lips, then looked up to see Ren Yan's eyes narrowed.

She called out, "Boss."

Ren Yan came back to his senses and hummed.

Chu Qianmiao asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Ren Yan thought for a moment and said, "When you're on He Yihui's project, you must be incredibly focused. Even if you can't find any major issues, you must at least find some minor ones. You can't go home empty-handed."