Water and Fire~Chapter 123.3: Unlocking the Secret 1

 

Chapter 123.3: Unlocking the Secret 1

The day after the incident, she went to the building's management to request the surveillance video from the previous night, but the security officer told her that the footage had been taken away.

It was later confirmed that the person who had taken the video was Qiao Zhixin, who was using it to threaten her into reporting the two "mistresses" who had stood up for her and beaten him.

It had been so long since that incident, and the building management only kept video footage for a few months, so it was unlikely she'd be able to see the footage from them.

She could only see it from Qiao Zhixin.

But Qiao Zhixin had already been taken away, along with his computer, hard drive, and files.

Chu Qianmiao kept tucking her hair behind her ears. It had been a long time since she'd done that gesture, a gesture that betrayed her inner nervousness or anxiety.

Suddenly, her hand stopped at her ear.

She thought of the USB drive Wang Jun had given her. It contained many photos and videos of Qiao Zhixin's travels, which she had skipped when compiling the report.

Perhaps the surveillance video from that night was somewhere within that folder.

She quickly retrieved the USB drive from the drawer and turned on her desktop computer. Her fingertips trembled with anticipation as she did all this.

The computer turned on, and she plugged in the USB drive. It took several tries before it clicked in properly.

She grasped the mouse with her right hand and clicked on the folder called "important."

Then she clicked into the photo folder, then the next one.

Holding her breath, she clicked through folder after folder. When she reached the twenty-something level, her hands stopped shaking.

In front of her was a folder called "Bitch."

She clicked it open with trembling fingers.

It was filled with photos Qiao Zhixin had secretly taken of her, mostly focusing on her legs in stockings.

Chu Qianmiao gritted her teeth and scrolled down the folder.

She saw a video file.

She clicked it.

The events of that night unfolded before her in the dark corner of the corridor.

Chu Qianmiao watched the video, revealing the true events of that night.

The more she watched, the more shocked she became. It wasn't just her hands that were shaking; her entire body was trembling slightly.

She had always believed that the two people who had beaten Qiao Zhixin that night were Ren Yan and Tan Shen.

But after watching the video from beginning to end, she realized that Tan Shen had not actually been seen with Qiao Zhixin that night.

The facts presented in the video are:

That night, she ran away first. Ren Yan went upstairs. He dragged Qiao Zhixin to a dark corner in the hallway and beat him violently.

Qiao Zhixin, however, didn't hit Ren Yan at all.

Later, Lei Zhenzi appeared in the video. He had rushed over, fearing Ren Yan would kill or injure anyone, so he separated the two men and dragged Qiao Zhixin away, toward the elevator, hoping to get rid of him and prevent Ren Yan from being implicated in a murder charge in his impulsive behavior.

From Qiao Zhixin's mouth movements during the dragging, he seemed to be cursing. Lei Zhenzi didn't tolerate him and punched him a few times before continuing to drag him. They disappeared from the frame.

At this moment, Tan Shen appeared in the video.

He was holding a lunch box. Oh, right, he had insisted on delivering takeout for her that night.

But upon seeing Ren Yan, he seemed to lose all control. He threw the lunch box at Ren Yan, pointed at him, and said something.

The video was silent, but judging by the body language, it seemed more like an argument than a conversation.

Ren Yan responded with a few words, his expression and movements no less violent.

Then the two men lunged at each other and engaged in a fistfight. Tan Shen landed a punch on the corner of Ren Yan's mouth.

Later, Ren Yan pushed Tan Shen away, unwilling to engage him further, and opened the stairwell door and left.

Tan Shen pointed at his back and yelled something. Then he left, too.

There was nothing more to it.

After watching the video, Chu Qianmiao's mind became even more confused. She tried to sort things out bit by bit.

So, the wound on Ren Yan's face that day wasn't caused by Qiao Zhixin at all, but by Tan Shen.

Tan Shen and Qiao Zhixin had never met that night, so Tan Shen truly had no idea what Qiao Zhixin had done to her.

She had always assumed that the two people Qiao Zhixin was referring to as those he was suing were Ren Yan and Tan Shen. But now it seemed that Qiao Zhixin was actually referring to Ren Yan and Lei Zhenzi.

So, what exactly is going on between Ren Yan and Tan Shen?

What exactly happened between them?

She suddenly remembered what Tan Shen had told her about Ren Yan being a treacherous man.

Her mind still rang with Ren Yan's cold voice: "I'm not that familiar with Tan Shen."

She froze in front of her computer, unsure what to do next.

Chu Qianmiao was awakened by the ringing of her cell phone.

Chu Qianmiao picked up her phone and saw it was Ren Yan calling.

She answered the call without saying anything.

Ren Yan called her, saying, "Don't rush out after get off work today. I'll be back to the office shortly." He paused, as if silently encouraging himself, and then said, "I'll tell you everything you want to know." "

Chu Qianmiao wondered why the tone of his last words sounded so strangely like a farewell.

What could have caused him to speak in that tone? Was it something that, if revealed, would end their relationship?

For a moment, she almost considered escaping by saying, "Forget about hearing those secrets."

But reason finally pulled her back. He had taught her that.

She said, "Okay, senior. I'll wait for you." "

After hanging up the phone, she walked out of the office. Her mind was still abuzz, as if she could hear many voices, yet it felt as if she was the only one in the world.

As she walked through the office area, she thought she heard someone talking about the insurance agent who had left Project 1 earlier, Cui Xijie. After leaving Litong, he never registered as an insurance agent and eventually switched careers from investment banking to investment. He was now thriving at an investment firm.

Chu Qianmiao walked to the conference room door amidst a flurry of conversations.

Before entering, she patted her face and told herself to be professional. Lunch break was over, so she worked hard. She could bring up these personal worries during her evening rest. Right now, she should focus on her work.

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and walked into the conference room with her head held high.

Chu Qianmiao had been working very professionally all afternoon. As the workday was about to end, she told everyone to go home and rest. They wouldn't work overtime tonight and would come back early tomorrow.

Everyone dispersed. She returned to the office to wait for Ren Yan.

Ren Yan sent her a message, telling her there was some traffic and he might be late, and asked her not to worry.

She replied, "Okay."

Just as the message went through, the company receptionist, who hadn't left work yet, knocked on her door. "Ms. Chu, Mr. Tan wants to see you."

When Chu Qianmiao heard the last name, she immediately wanted to say, "Just say I'm not here."

But it was too late.

Tan Shen followed the receptionist without hesitation and appeared at her office door.

Chu Qianmiao could only say, "Thank you for your hard work. If you have nothing else to do, please leave." "

The office was deserted. The receptionist turned off the lights and left.

Tan Shen, hands behind his back, walked into Chu Qianmiao's office.

He then pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back and handed them to Chu Qianmiao. The roses were still drenched in water, each one a vibrant crimson, brimming with succulent beauty.

Chu Qianmiao refused to take the flowers, simply asking, "What does this mean?"

Tan Shen suddenly knelt on one knee.

Chu Qianmiao nearly jumped up.

"Qianmiao, I know you still have me in your heart. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so anxious for me to examine myself and prevent Qiao Zhixin from getting involved," he said, holding the roses toward Chu Qianmiao.

Chu Qianmiao thought he was crazy. She felt like she was going crazy too.

"Tan Shen, get up! Do you know where we are? This is my company, where I work. Get up! Get out!"

Tan Shen couldn't take her words in, lost in his own emotions. "Qian Miao, if you promise me, promise me we can start over, I'm willing to change all the bad habits you don't like, okay? From now on, I'll never have close contact with other girls again. If you're upset, even if it's just a glance, I won't be upset, okay?"

Chu Qian Miao felt like she was going crazy. She stepped forward to pull Tan Shen up. "Can you get up? It's time to get off work, but if someone comes back to get something and sees you like this, how will I explain it?"

Tan Shen still couldn't take her pushback. "If you don't promise me, I won't get up."

Chu Qian Miao was truly cornered by his pushback.

She looked at him and thought, okay, I have to tell him.

"Tan Shen, I have a boyfriend. Get up." "

After she finished speaking, she saw the affection on Tan Shen's face finally give way to disbelief.

Tan Shen stood up and asked Chu Qianmiao in disbelief, "You have a boyfriend now, who is he?" His voice was cold and sinister.

Chu Qianmiao said, "You might be able to guess. It's Ren Yan." "

Hearing that name, Tan Shen's expression plummeted into madness.

He flung the rose to the ground. "Impossible, impossible," he muttered, his emotions nearly frantic. "He promised me not to be with you, so why can't he? If you break up, I won't let him have you. You must break up."

Chu Qianmiao was startled and frightened by his words and his expression. She couldn't help but take two steps back, leaning against the office wall.

She took a breath and asked Tan Shen, "Why did Ren Yan promise you not to be with me? What's your relationship with him? What's the deal between you?"

Tan Shen looked at her and suddenly smiled, a smile that was both sinister and eerie.

"Wait a minute! I'll call him over and have him tell you in person." He pulled out his phone and made a call, telling the person on the other end where he was.

The call ended immediately. He put his phone away, still smiling a sinister and eerie smile, and said to Chu Qianmiao, "He's getting anxious, haha."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Qianmiao's office door was flung open.

Chu Qianmiao turned to see Ren Yan running in like the wind.

Ren Yan entered the room, looked at Chu Qianmiao, then at Tan Shen. His eyes and voice were cold as he asked Tan Shen, "Why are you here?"

Tan Shen, however, smiled at him. "Stop pretending to be distant with me, cousin."

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

"Cousin," she repeated in disbelief.

She looked from Ren Yan to Tan Shen, her voice almost trembling. "What's your relationship?"

Tan Shen smiled nonchalantly. "Like I said, we're cousins." He emphasized the word "cousin." "His mother is my aunt."

Tan Shen suddenly clapped his hands and slapped his head, then smiled at Chu Qianmiao, saying, "Oh, by the way, when we were dating, I took you to meet my grandma, right? My grandma are his grandmother."

A bomb exploded in Chu Qianmiao's mind.

The author has something to say: Today is a workday, and this chapter is too long, so I'm writing now. Sorry, sorry.

Actually, before reading this chapter, you should go back and read chapter 59. That chapter is full of foreshadowing.