Chapter 122.1: He Says He Doesn't Remember

When Wang Jun came to see Chu Qianmiao, he was carrying a briefcase. There were other people in the due diligence office, so Wang Jun gestured for Chu Qianmiao to step outside for a few words.

Chu Qianmiao immediately stood up and left. They went together into a small, vacant conference room at the company.

Chu Qianmiao first asked Wang Jun, "You were called back to the law firm the day before yesterday. What happened? Was there any trouble?"

Wang Jun glanced at her. Chu Qianmiao felt that quick glance seemed a little different from usual. But the look appeared and faded so quickly, leaving her little time to savor it.

After glancing at her, Wang Jun said, "There is a little trouble. Qiao Zhixin is really nagging me, insisting that I did some of it for him."

Chu Qianmiao began to feel a little worried.

Wang Jun smiled and said, "But fortunately, yesterday I had a friend who, through his connections, helped me explain that I had no involvement in those illegal activities and that Qiao Zhixin had simply made up the story. He gave me the opportunity to prove my innocence."

Chu Qianmiao thought to herself that Wang Jun's friend was quite capable. She said to Wang Jun, "It's good that everything has been resolved. Now we can focus on the project."

Wang Jun looked down at his briefcase. Chu Qianmiao saw him pull out a stack of documents.

Wang Jun handed the stack of documents to Chu Qianmiao and said, "Qianmiao, you're right. Qiao Zhixin has already treated me like this. If I don't act decisively, he might actually end up getting me into trouble again." After a pause, he raised the materials in his hand and said to Chu Qianmiao, "These are all documents related to Qiao Zhixin's violations in the project. He concealed some documents, lied about them, and gave some forensic opinions without even verifying them. Take a close look at them. You should find many surprising discoveries."

Chu Qianmiao's heart was pounding as she took the materials.

She had waited for this moment for so long, patiently passing the statute of limitations for assault, building herself up, gaining the ability to fight back. Then, step by step, she planned and executed her plan. Now, all her calculated actions had finally yielded results and yielded fruit.

She solemnly accepted the materials from Wang Jun, thanked him solemnly, and promised that she would not implicate him in any way when she reported Qiao Zhixin.

Wang Jun smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if I'm involved. Qiao Zhixin wanted to kill me, and I fought back because I couldn't stand it any longer." As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something and reached into his briefcase for a second. When he pulled his hand out, a USB drive lay in his palm.

Wang Jun also handed Chu Qianmiao a USB drive. "These are some files I copied from Qiao Zhixin's computer. He once asked me to edit a file on his computer, and I was a bit prudent back then, so I copied over a folder called important. There's a lot in there, and I'm not sure if you can use it, but I'll just give it to you."

After a pause, he said a bit sheepishly, "Don't blame me for copying someone else's files. Qiao Zhixin was already trying to get me to take the blame, so I started being more cautious."

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "How could I blame you? I'd do the same if it were me."

Treat a gentleman with gentlemanly tactics; treat a villain with all possible means.

Chu Qianmiao took the USB drive and thanked Wang Jun again.

Before leaving get off work that evening, Ren Yan told Chu Qianmiao that he wouldn't be able to spend much time with her lately. Chu Qianmiao politely and considerately said it was okay, and told Ren Yan to focus on his own affairs.

Lately, he'd been making frequent trips to headquarters. Chu Qianmiao could sense a strange, high-pressure atmosphere within the company. Everyone anticipated something major was about to happen, but they weren't sure what it would be. They couldn't control it, so they simply hoped that when it did, the department head would take the blame, preventing it from affecting them.

Chu Qianmiao wondered if Ren Yan might be shouldering the responsibility for someone else in their department. She'd better bother him less for now, freeing up his energy and focus to deal with the more treacherous workplace situations.

Plus, she happened to have something to do tonight.

In the evening, Chu Qianmiao returned home and began organizing the documents Wang Jun had given her.

She first checked the USB drive. It was a mess, with dozens of folders nested within one folder, including photos and videos of Qiao Zhixin's travels. Chu Qianmiao's head was spinning. Skipping the travel photos and videos, she spent several hours sorting through the other documents.

Those few hours of daze were quite rewarding.

She identified several issues within the organized documents.

Afterward, she sorted through the paperwork.

By the time the sky was a faint pale sky, she had sorted through all the documents. Despite a sleepless night, she wasn't tired at all. She watched the sun slowly rise from the horizon outside the window, her heart swelled with energy and hope, illuminated by its orange-red glow.

Qiao Zhixin was truly doomed this time. He was completely doomed.

During the day, she reported the organized documents, then took half a day off and went home to catch up on some sleep.

She slept from dawn to dusk. After getting up to drink some water and go to the bathroom, she returned to bed and slept from dusk to dawn.

When she woke up again, she felt refreshed, her heart and chest open and clear like never before. She felt, in a way, like she'd been reborn.

The hurt she'd endured could finally be put behind her.

After settling the matter of reporting Qiao Zhixin, the project's on-site inspection followed. Having rested well, Chu Qianmiao began to focus on her own project.

Under her overall leadership, despite the constant stream of eccentric people and incidents within the company, she maintained steady control over the project's progress, meticulously adhering to the schedule.

After collaborating on two projects, she, Tang Jie, and Wang Jun had developed a strong rapport, and last week's project acceptance inspection went smoothly.

Next up was Litong Securities' on-site inspection of the project, followed by the core project work.

The day after Chu Qianmiao's good sleep, the project welcomed an on-site inspection by Litong's quality control department. Li Tang was once again among the QC team members. Besides Li Tang, the other on-site inspector was the head of the Quality Control Department.

Ren Yan didn't come that day, leaving Chu Qianmiao with full responsibility for the project, leaving her to independently handle all aspects.

When Chu Qianmiao faced Li Tang again this time, the situation was vastly different from her last time at the Liya project site. Last time, she was a small-time employee, the project's "Little Chu," having to field Li Tang's numerous, meaningless questions.

But this time, she was the overall project leader, Ms. Chu, the signing agent, and she had to deal with Li Tang's supervisor. Li Tang, however, couldn't approach her yet; her subordinates, Hou Lin, Lu Zhong'er, and Wang Sian, had to deal with her.

Chu Qianmiao took Li Tang's supervisor on a tour of the company's production and office operations. They walked in front, with Li Tang and Hou Lin following behind. As she spoke to Li Tang's supervisor, Li Tang could only listen from behind.

In that moment, Chu Qianmiao felt a sense of reality. It was as if she was walking in front, Li Tang behind. She truly had left her behind.

Thinking of Li Tang's behavior at the overseas returnee reunion over three years ago, Chu Qianmiao smiled and said to herself, "See, you've left her behind. You can finally hold your head high."

Chu Qianmiao and her team had done a solid job on the project, and the QC leader didn't find any major issues during the on-site inspection.

Before the on-site inspection was over, he praised Chu Qianmiao profusely, "You're truly someone brought up by President Ren. You've done a solid and beautiful job on this project, and it's saved our QC department a lot of worry."

After the inspection was over, the QC leader and Li Tang returned to Litong.

After their car drove away, Chu Qianmiao turned to the rest of the project team and said, "The on-site inspection went smoothly. Now, after we pass the core verification, we'll start preparing the application materials."

Everyone couldn't help but cheer and high-five. Hou Lin was especially happy. This was her first time working on a project, and every milestone she achieved was like a milestone.

She jumped up and down with joy, as if passing the on-site inspection would immediately lead to a direct approval process.

Chu Qianmiao looked at Hou Lin and felt as if she were seeing herself a few years ago. Counting the years, it must have been five years ago. Back then, she was working on the Hanhai Home Textiles project, the first project she'd ever worked on. Like Hou Lin, she felt like she'd accomplished something significant and important in her life with each milestone she completed.

In the blink of an eye, she had transformed from the Chu Qianmiao of those days into the CEO of today.

Chu Qianmiao, feeling deeply moved, said to everyone, "Let's celebrate tonight. I'll treat."

Everyone was very happy at the dinner that evening, and it was already 10:30 PM when they finished. Before the meal ended, Chu Qianmiao said to everyone, "Okay, after this meal, everyone should continue working hard tomorrow. Let's quickly complete this project and submit it for approval. Then we'll be done."

Her encouragement galvanized everyone, their blood boiling with energy. They almost took a taxi back to the office to work overtime, driven by the drunken enthusiasm.

It was past eleven PM when Chu Qianmiao drove Ren Yan's SUV home.

Gu Miaoyu was working overtime in the living room, drawing by the light. Miaomiao, a furry, yellow ball of flesh, curled up in her lap, snoring soundly, occasionally rubbing her face with her fleshy paws.

After Chu Qianmiao finished washing up, she asked Gu Miaoyu, "I'll stay with you for a while."

Gu Miaoyu waved her away like a fly. "Go to bed! I need to finish this drawing. I'm probably going to be in jail this night." She stroked her yellow cat's head twice and said, "Meow, I'll keep you company."

Chu Qianmiao got up and went to make some midnight snacks and heated up a cup of milk, bringing it to Gu Miaoyu. "Eat and drink, then get some rest. You own the company after all. You can't get fired if you can't produce a drawing in one night, right?"

Gu Miaoyu ate and drank as she bowed to Chu Qianmiao. "Shui Zhuangshi, I'll be grateful to you forever."

Chu Qianmiao changed into her nightgown and prepared for bed.

Just as she lay down, before she could even warm the covers, her phone, which had been placed beside her pillow, began to vibrate frantically.

She picked it up and saw the caller ID and the time.

It was past midnight. It was Ren Yan calling.

She quickly answered the call and softly called out, "Senior."

Ren Yan's voice sounded slightly hoarse, like the hoarseness of someone who hadn't spoken in a while. It was also the hoarseness of arousal.

He called her "Qian Miao" in a hoarse voice. After a moment, he asked, "Are you asleep?"

Chu Qianmiao quickly replied, "Not yet. I was just getting ready."

"You're home alone."

"No, Xiao Daogu is here too."

Ren Yan took two deep breaths on the other end of the phone, then said, "If you're not asleep yet, come down and sit with me for a while."

Chu Qianmiao immediately threw off the covers and got out of bed. She grabbed a coat and threw it on before heading out. Passing the living room, she said to Gu Miaoyu, "Ren Yan wanted to see me. I'll go down and sit with him for a while. I'll be back soon."

Gu Miaoyu looked up and gave her a roundabout "oh."

Chu Qianmiao's usual thick skin was etched in her cheeks.

Chu Qianmiao ran downstairs, her coat draped over her shoulders. She searched for Ren Yan and his car for a long time but couldn't find them. It wasn't until Ren Yan's voice echoed from a shady corner that she turned and saw him and his Mercedes-Benz hidden in a vast expanse of shadow under the moonlight, so dark it felt like another dimension.

Ren Yan was standing outside the car, leaning against it. She ran over. The night was so quiet that the clatter of her running feet sounded like the beat of a drum.

As she got closer, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she looked up at Ren Yan. His chin was tinged with blue, and his stubble had begun to appear, adding a touch of unruly coolness to his handsomeness. He looked a little haggard, clearly having been busy with something grueling during the day, working until midnight, even to the point of growing stubble.

Chu Qianmiao thought it must be something going on at headquarters that had reached a fever pitch. The more things reach this point, the more agonizing they become. Whoever can endure this moment will ultimately be the winner.

A little distressed, she raised her hand to touch Ren Yan's chin. His stubble pricked her fingers, a slight sting and numbness.

"Senior, if you're really tired, why don't you just go home and sleep? Coming to see me makes you even more exhausted," she murmured, her voice soft and tender, reserved only for him.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it on his lips. Then, pulling her arm, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered huskily in her ear, "Let me hold you for a while."

Chu Qianmiao quietly gave him the hug.