Water and Fire~Chapter 125: Reported

 

Chapter 125: Reported

Ren Yan told Chu Qianmiao, "You don't have to leave. I'll leave."

Chu Qianmiao lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. After a moment, she raised them again.

"You don't have to do this for me. I can find a job on my own." There was a hint of an unspoken hoarseness in her voice.

"It's not for you," he said, looking at her. "I've already found a new job and was about to leave anyway." His voice was firm, not a lie.

Chu Qianmiao was stunned.

He already had a new job. So, his frequent visits to headquarters recently were probably paving the way for this matter.

She suddenly wondered if she hadn't announced her breakup yesterday, would she be unhappy or even a little angry hearing this news now?

So, he had arranged everything privately, but he never told her.

He always planned everything himself and said nothing. This was what she had admired about him before: he took on all the pressure at work without saying a word. But this also became the biggest chasm between them after they became boyfriend and girlfriend.

He said nothing, like a silent man. Come to think of it, there was no effective communication between them in private.

"Okay," Chu Qianmiao smiled, hoping it was appropriate and not inappropriate. "Then I wish Mr. Ren a successful promotion and prosperity."

Before she stood up, she pulled two items from her pocket.

The car keys he had lent her.

The necklace he had given her on their first anniversary.

She placed the two items on his desk. As she stood up, his composure suddenly cracked.

He called her "Qianmiao."

She stopped politely, standing in front of his chair to listen to him finish.

Ren Yan's eyes burned as he looked at her. He asked hoarsely, "If I had told you earlier that Tan Shen and I were cousins, would you still have broken up with me?"

Chu Qianmiao stared at him and asked a different question.

"Did you remember me from the beginning until we met again at Hanhai Home Textiles? Did you never forget me?"

She stood there, looking down at him, staring into Ren Yan's eyes.

Ren Yan sat at his desk and looked up at her.

His mouth remained silent, and he didn't speak, but his Adam's apple moved up and down. His Adam's apple answered her: yes, he always remembered her, never forgot her.

"Then why are you pretending not to know me?" Chu Qianmiao's gaze persisted, her questions incessant.

Ren Yan remained silent, his Adam's apple still moving.

"Because you made a deal with Tan Shen, promising to give me to him because I was Tan Shen's ex-girlfriend."

He almost dropped his gaze, trying to avoid her questioning.

She wouldn't let him escape, holding his gaze tightly. She smiled, a smile that looked even sadder than tears. "Ren Yan, am I just an object? Am I a plaything between you brothers? When you didn't want to love me anymore, you agreed to give me to your brothers. No matter how much I liked you, even if I confessed, you rejected me. And when you finally liked me, you decided not to give me to your brothers. You're teasing me again, no matter how hard I worked to turn the page on you." She turned to look out the window, her lips still curved, a glint in her eyes reflecting the sunlight. "Really, I feel like I'm a pretty miserable woman right now. I can't decide whether to love or let go. How could I be so unlucky, caught between you brothers?"

She took a breath, turned back, looked at Ren Yan, and smiled. "Then I want to be the one to break up with you this time. Is that okay?"

Ren Yan lowered his head.

After a while, he said, "Go out and get busy."

Chu Qianmiao didn't return to the meeting room. She went to the bathroom.

She locked herself in the cubicle, biting her hand and crying silently.

From yesterday's incident until just now, she had been completely dazed. It had happened so suddenly, and the anger and despair of being deceived overwhelmed her sadness, leaving her no time to cry, and even forgetting to do so.

But just now, when she spoke those words in Ren Yan's office, she realized that beneath her anger lay sadness, grievance, and tears.

And a hint of hatred.

Why?

Why had those two men put her in such an awkward situation?

She could even imagine why Ren Yan's grandmother, also Tan Shen's grandmother, objected to her and Ren Yan's relationship. A girl who was both close to her younger brother and older brother—what kind of relationship were they? Did they want to make fun of our family and turn it into a source of gossip?

But why did she deserve to be looked down upon like that? It wasn't her fault.

Hou Lin's phone rang. It was Hou Lin, asking where her boss was and when the meeting would resume.

She replied five minutes later.

Putting her phone away, she wiped the remaining tears from her face, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

That was enough. She didn't have time to dwell on her sorrow. Without her man, she still had her career to attend to.

Two days later, at work, Chu Qianmiao suddenly noticed that the entire Project 1 team had arrived.

Everyone had returned from the project.

Chu Qianmiao entered the office and saw Qin Qianyu there.

She quickly asked, "Brother Qin, are you done with your project?"

Qin Qianyu said, "No, the boss called us back abruptly and said there might be an announcement coming up in the next few days."

Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat. She had a vague idea of ​​ what Ren Yan was going to announce.

"Did the boss say when it would be announced?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Ah," Qin Qianyu asked, puzzled. "Qianmiao, you've been at the company a lot lately, meeting with the boss more often than we have. You should know better than me."

Chu Qianmiao smiled. "I've been leading the project team through the application materials lately, so I haven't had much time to think about anything else."

Qin Qianyu looked at her, examining her from side to side for a moment before nodding. "You look a lot more haggard. It seems the pressure of doing a full-scale contract is quite intense. You've never looked this haggard working on a project before. I think you've lost weight."

Chu Qianmiao smiled. "Not really. It's all about losing weight these days," she said, ignoring him. She didn't want anyone to detect emotional damage beneath her haggard appearance.

"So, did the boss tell you when he planned to make the big announcement?"

Qin Qianyu shook his head. "He said it would be around these next few days. He said he was waiting for the right moment."

The next day, all Litong employees received an internal email.

There were major personnel changes at company headquarters. Ye Haorong, the former second-in-command, stepped down and returned home. The third-in-command was promoted to second-in-command, taking Ye Haorong's position.

Privately, Qin Qianyu told Chu Qianmiao, "You've been at Litong a shorter time than I have, so you don't know as much as I do about some things."

Chu Qianmiao thought to herself, "Even if I've been at Litong longer than you, I might not know more about some things than you do." Qin Qianyu, with his uniquely naive, older brother demeanor, effortlessly coaxed gossip from everyone wherever he went. People were never on guard against him, a good-natured, older brother.

"This Ye Haorong, although second-in-command, actually has quite a reach. Sometimes even the chairman has to listen to his opinions. He was originally quite optimistic about our CEO Ren and was interested in recruiting him as his own. Oh, and he assigned Cui Xijie to our CEO Ren's side. You still remember that, right?"

Chu Qianmiao nodded. She didn't remember many names among the headquarters leaders, but Ye Haorong had left a lasting impression. After all, she had worked on a project Ye Haorong had contracted, and it was she who discovered the problems and ultimately terminated the project.

Qin Qianyu continued, "But ever since that time, he introduced an acquisition project to our CEO Ren—the one where Yilai Pictures acquired Taoye Cinema Line." He paused, then slapped his forehead. "Hey, what else can I introduce? This project was handled by you and Cui Xijie."

After sighing, he continued, "Didn't you discover the problems with this project, and CEO Ren called it quits? Then he took over everything and told Ye Haorong that the project couldn't go ahead. Ye Haorong was very upset, and he's been a sworn enemy of our boss ever since."

Chu Qianmiao remembered the situation vividly.

She felt a little sad now. How could she remember the ending of that project so clearly and precisely?

That acquisition project had problems, and it was Ren Yan who shouldered all the pressure and decisively ended it. She still remembered the last day on the project, when she opened the window and saw Ren Yan standing under the golden ginkgo tree downstairs. He stood in the golden field, looked up and waved at her, smiling and telling her to pack her things and come back to Beijing with him later. (Chapter 72)

Chu Qianmiao felt a dull pain in her heart at the thought.

She pounded her chest, picked up her water cup and took a long sip, washing away those memories of the past.

She also remembered why Ye Haorong was unhappy. Qin Qianyu had said that Ye Haorong had likely arranged for someone to hold shares in Taoye Cinema Line on his behalf, so that he could collect the profits after Taoye Cinema Line was acquired by a listed company. Therefore, he had actively promoted the acquisition, even though Taoye Cinema Line carried the risk of a large external guarantee. (Chapter 72)

"Later, Cui Xijie betrayed his superiors, and the leadership asked him to resign. Cui Xijie was introduced by Ye Haorong, which was like a slap in the face to Ye Haorong. From then on, Ye Haorong had a deep grudge against our General Manager." Qin Qianyu raised his voice and slammed the table. "Did you know that Ye Haorong even continued to support Kan Qingzhou to deal with our superiors?"

Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat.

So, Kan Qingzhou's backer at headquarters turned out to be Ye Haorong.

Qin Qianyu glanced outside, making sure no one was passing. Lowering his voice, he told Chu Qianmiao, "Through your brother Qin and I've made numerous inquiries, I've learned that President Ren was a major driving force behind the personnel changes at headquarters. I suspect our leadership, no longer willing to tolerate Ye Haorong, went to counsel President Ning, the company's third-in-command, and fanned the flames, allowing him to overthrow Ye Haorong and become second-in-command."

Chu Qianmiao felt her previous suspicions were confirmed. So, Ren Yan's recent visits to headquarters were undoubtedly related to the personnel changes.

She asked Qin Qianyu if the method used to bring down Ye Haorong was similar to what they did with Taoye Cinema Line, finding evidence of Ye Haorong holding shares on behalf of others in external companies, allowing him to privately benefit from the companies' IPOs or acquisitions.

Qin Qianyu clapped his hands and said, "Brother, you're so smart! I have to admit you're so good at drawing inferences from one example."

He beamed with satisfaction at this. "Now that Ye Haorong has been eliminated and President Ning has taken over, our department has a strong foundation."

Chu Qianmiao smiled but said nothing.

Qin Qianyu and Chu Qianmiao chatted for a while, then went for a walk. Chu Qianmiao went back to the conference room to continue reviewing materials.

During her lunch break, she returned to the office for a packed lunch. As she was eating, Qin Qianyu blew through the door like a gust of wind.

His face was filled with astonishment. He rushed to Chu Qianmiao and called out to her, his voice trembling as if he were about to cry. "Qianmiao, Li Ya caused the scandal. Litong Securities and our President Ren have both been disciplined."

Chu Qianmiao's pen tumbled to the table with a thud.

Chu Qianmiao quickly turned on her computer. She had found the administrative penalty decision on the regulatory agency's website.

She investigated reports that the listed company, Liya Manufacturing, had a serious issue of proxy holding, with the holder being a government official. Furthermore, a gambling agreement existed between Liya Manufacturing and its investor, Yingji Capital, before the IPO. The sponsor claimed in its sponsorship materials that the gambling agreement had been resolved, but according to the report, the gambling agreement continued privately after the IPO.

In response to these two reports, the regulatory authorities issued administrative penalty decisions to the sponsor, Litong Securities, and its representative, Ren Yan. Litong Securities was held accountable and fined, while Ren Yan was issued a warning letter for failing to exercise due diligence and detecting the proxy holding and gambling agreement during his due diligence.

Chu Qianmiao's hands and feet chilled as he looked at these two revelations.

While a yellow card warning isn't as severe as disqualification, it's a significant penalty for a sponsor representative. It jeopardizes a professional's reputation, prestige, and even their future. Litong Securities will become a key target of regulatory oversight due to this penalty, and future projects submitted by Litong will be closely monitored. Ren Yan's position at Litong, amidst the turbulent personnel changes, will become awkward and difficult. Even the newly appointed CEO, Ning, might not be able to protect him.

Chu Qianmiao clenched her fists, wondering why the proxy holding and the VAM agreement had been the only issues they'd focused on during the project, and they'd dedicated the most time and effort to their due diligence. Why had they been the ones to cause such a commotion?

She gritted her teeth and thought, damn Qian Siji, damn Li Ya for that.

But who had reported these two issues? How could he have known something that even the sponsor hadn't been able to uncover through due diligence?

Her mind was in a tizzy.

She heard Qin Qianyu say, somewhat sadly, that Litong Securities might let Ren Yan go. He muttered anxiously, "If he leave because of this, even if he want to go to another brokerage, they might not be willing to take him on at this critical juncture. What will our leaders do?"

She immediately became furious.

Even if Ren Yan leaves, he should have found a new job and decided he didn't want to work anymore, not just be fired in such a disgraceful manner.

In the afternoon, Ren Yan arrived at the company. He called everyone in the department together. He didn't send them to the conference room; he gathered them in his office.

He looked at each of his subordinates.

Chu Qianmiao, Qin Qianyu, Liu Lifeng, Sun Yi, Lu Zhonger, Wang Sian, Yan Yunqiang.

He figured they'd all heard about him, because their faces were filled with anger and sadness.

He smiled at them. He'd never smiled like that before, the corners of his mouth curled up.

This smile was too outwardly expressive for him, unfamiliar to him.

He smiled at them and said something.

"I'm sure everyone has heard about what Li Ya did. Because of this,

"I'll leave Litong Securities." As he finished speaking, his men's eyes welled up.

Even hers did.

"You don't have to be like this. To be honest, I was planning to resign too." He pulled a piece of paper from a drawer and placed it on his desk, facing his men. It was a resignation letter. "I called you all back because I wanted to tell you this, but I was waiting for the right moment. As luck would have it, I wanted to tell you after Ye Haorong returned home, which is today."

He smiled again. "I just didn't expect Li Ya to trigger the bomb before I resigned. Now I don't have to submit my resignation letter, which saves a lot of trouble. So don't be sad. Remember what I told you about the project?"

He glanced at Chu Qianmiao, Qin Qianyu, Liu Lifeng, and Yan Yunqiang.

"All good things must come to an end, especially in investment banking. Your rapid career advancement is a result of your repeated job-hopping." So, perhaps one day in the future, everyone here will say goodbye to each other, pursue better careers elsewhere, and embark on new career paths. That might not be a bad thing, so when that happens, there's no need to be overly sad.

Chu Qianmiao's nose suddenly felt sore.

She remembered these words; they were what Ren Yan had said to them during the Liya project.

It was ironic. The first time he said these words was when Liya was involved, and the second time he said them was because of Liya.

Damn Liya.

She heard Ren Yan say to them, "Don't be overly sad. I'll make arrangements before I leave."

After a pause, he said, "You all should leave. Chu Qianmiao, stay for a while."