Water and Fire~Chapter 141: Stealing Fat Meow

 

Chapter 141: Stealing Fat Meow

After Tan Shen and Li Tang left, Chu Qianmiao didn't let Ren Yan sit across from her. The aura of those two seemed to linger there, and sitting there would only bring bad luck.

They sat close together, huddled close together, and began to eat.

The waiter brought the dishes one by one. Seeing them huddled together, with an empty side, she smiled.

Chu Qianmiao also smiled and asked what was wrong.

The waiter quickly said, "Nothing, nothing. I just think you two have such a good relationship!"

Chu Qianmiao glanced at Ren Yan and teased him, "Are we good friends?"

Ren Yan glanced at her sideways, his face cold and unquestionable: "Of course."

His expression was in stark contrast to his words, yet it was strangely moving.

The waiter, her mouth full of dog food, retreated.

Chu Qianmiao began to praise Ren Yan: "You used to be too lazy to pay attention to Tan Shen, too lazy to pay attention, and gradually you ended up indulging him. But you performed very well today. Teacher Chu wants to give you a special compliment because you confronted him head-on!"

Ren Yan glanced at Chu Qianmiao from the side. The window was filled with sunlight. She sat close to him, the sun dancing on her face, illuminating her delicate skin like white porcelain. He thought she looked so beautiful this way. She blinked her long eyelashes, looked at the food on her plate, and spoke, every word a caring reminder to him.

"Remember to maintain this attitude from now on! You can't be like before, letting him rob you, letting him do whatever he wants, just enduring, hiding, and giving in. Facts have proven that enduring, hiding, and giving in won't solve problems; it will only encourage evil! Whenever something happens, you must bravely face it head-on! Yes, your uncle asked you to take care of him, but he didn't ask you to indulge him, right? He's done something wrong, and you're still enduring and giving in. Then you're also at fault. You're an accomplice in his worsening behavior!"

Ren Yan looked at Chu Qianmiao, watching her rosy lips move, listening to her words that were all about him. The loneliness and emptiness in his heart was gradually filled by her, and his cold heart was warmed piece by piece by her.

"Ren Yan, listen to what Teacher Chu is telling you..." Chu Qianmiao turned to look at Ren Yan, meeting his intense, focused gaze that had been fixed on her for who knows how long. For a moment, she almost forgot what she was about to say. "...Well, yes, you must overcome those illogical feelings of self-blame, indebtedness, and tolerance. You must cultivate the ability to confront challenges without feeling guilty. Do you understand? You can't let the debt of family ties weigh you down any longer. Do you understand?"

She stared at Ren Yan and continued in one breath.

Ren Yan didn't speak, but his eyes never left her. He watched her intently, listening to her. The curve of his lips grew deeper as she spoke.

Finally, when she asked him twice, "Do you understand?" he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her with a smile.

This was the lobby, not a private room. They were exposed to all the glances that were cast their way, intentional or not.

Chu Qianmiao's cheeks flushed. After being kissed for a few seconds, she finally pulled back shyly, pulling away from his lips.

"Hey, we're almost eighty years old combined. Be careful about your impact!" Chu Qianmiao licked her lips, her cheeks a faint pink, her eyes sparkling with envy as she spoke to Ren Yan with a sullen look.

Compared to her shyness, Ren Yan was calm and confident, not at all flustered by the public kiss. "I couldn't help myself," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

Chu Qianmiao was stunned. "What did I say that made you unable to help yourself?" She felt that every word she had just said was upright and without a trace of impulsive thought...

Ren Yan smiled at her. He raised his hand to touch her face, his palm filled with silent love and gratitude.

—You're like my guardian angel. You protect me so much that I can't help myself.

******

After dinner, Ren Yan drove Chu Qianmiao home.

On the way, they recounted the sinister, threatening words Tan Shen had uttered before leaving: "Since you're so brave and fearless, then wait for your punishment."

Chu Qianmiao asked Ren Yan, "What do you think he's up to? Is he bluffing, or is he seriously planning something?"

Ren Yan, steering while watching the road, pondered, "Based on his usual style, it's probably not bluffing."

Chu Qianmiao was silent for a moment, her heart sinking, but then it quickly settled.

"Whatever," she said, her voice brisk and clear. "We'll fight back. Defeating you is his life goal, but yours isn't as narrow, right? Why spend your whole life revolving around him and entangled with him? He's always scheming against others, and we won't get far. Similarly, if we're always worrying about how others are scheming against us, we won't get far either. So, let's just keep moving forward, and leave him behind!"

Ren Yan quickly turned to glance at Chu Qianmiao.

She was sitting in the passenger seat, beaming with joy, a figure of both wisdom and courage.

At that moment, he clearly felt that the young girl he had personally raised seemed to have surpassed his own level of sophistication.

***

Ren Yan dropped Chu Qianmiao off at her apartment.

When Chu Qianmiao got out of the car, he followed suit.

Chu Qianmiao turned and asked, "What's up? Why did you get off the car?"

Ren Yan stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and made his request as if it were a matter of course: "I want to go up to your house and see you."

"..." Chu Qianmiao looked at him amusedly. "Why? Do you want to use the restroom or get a drink of water? If you want the restroom, turn left and there's a public restroom. If you want water, there's a convenience store ten meters in front of you!"

She looked as if she wouldn't let Ren Yan go upstairs.

Ren Yan raised an eyebrow and gave a reason that was undeniable and would make anyone who contradicted it look inhumane: "I want to see Miaomiao."

"..."

"Miaomiao should want to see me too."

"..."

Chu Qianmiao finally failed to hold the door closed and let Ren Yan go upstairs and into the house.

But Ren Yan was right about one thing. Miaomiao really did want to see him. The moment she saw him, she started to run wild. Wherever Ren Yan walked, her plump body swayed with him, her front legs raised in a adorable display of cuteness. She clung to Ren Yan's trouser legs and meowed non-stop, not stopping until Ren Yan's head or belly landed on her.

Chu Qianmiao had seen it all: Miaomiao turned into a spineless little whimper whenever she met Ren Yan.

While Ren Yan was playing with the whimperer, he was carefully crafting bait to lure Chu Qianmiao into a conversation.

He held Miaomiao in his arms and said, "Raising Miaomiao alone is tough. I'll raise her with you from now on."

Chu Qianmiao replied, "Okay."

Ren Yan stroked Miaomiao's head and said, "Then let's get married."

Chu Qianmiao: "…………???"

—Had she fallen for his proposal again?

Chu Qianmiao calmed down and asked Ren Yan, "Aren't you a non-marriageist?"

Ren Yan put Miaomiao down and answered her seriously, "Lei Zhenzi has analyzed it for me. I'm not against marriage, I'm afraid of it."

"So, you're not afraid of it anymore?!"

Ren Yan looked at Chu Qianmiao, his words clear, calm, and heartfelt. "Human psychology is truly amazing. One mindset can always heal another. From the moment I wanted to establish a bond with you, my fear of marriage was completely shattered."

Chu Qianmiao didn't know what to say. She thought human psychology was truly amazing. In her initial attempts to draw closer to him, she had subconsciously shifted her outlook on life and values ​​toward him. Now his fear of marriage had been overcome by a desire for a bond, but she couldn't shake it off.

She sighed inwardly and said to Ren Yan, "You have to give me some time."

—Give me some time, let me reconcile the ideals of marriage that you had so vexed me.

That night, Chu Qianmiao experienced the idiom "letting the wolf into the house."

Using the excuse of petting the cat, Ren Yan stayed from day to night, from the living room to the bedroom, and even onto the large, square bed.

He lingered all night.

He did leave early the next morning, but he also took Miaomiao with him.

When Chu Qianmiao discovered Miaomiao had been stolen, she was both furious and amused. She rushed to the office and sent a message to Ren Yan, denouncing him for forcing a man like Mr. Ren, a prominent figure in society, to stay overnight at someone else's home and then steal a cat. Her message was a complete distortion of his humanity and his moral degradation.

Ren Yan quickly replied with a message. His tone was aloof, but the content was unbearable: "My labor fee for last night was 600 yuan. Could you please pay it to me, Ms. Chu?"

Chu Qianmiao rested an elbow on the desk, sneered, and transferred the 600 yuan.

After transferring the money, she was about to throw her phone away when a new message popped up:

"Teacher Chu, would you like to come to Teacher Ren's house tonight to see the cats?"

Chu Qianmiao was so angry that she threw the phone away.

—What kind of person is this?! How come he gets worse after getting down to earth?

***

By the next weekend, Chu Qianmiao was pining for Miaomiao. And yet, Ren Yan was using Miaomiao as a pretext to talk her into marriage, his words all the same: If you want to see Miaomiao, you'll agree to marry me, okay?

Chu Qianmiao sometimes had the illusion that Ren Yan had been possessed by some thief!

Later, Ren Yan relented, finally agreeing to take her home to see Miaomiao, even without mentioning marriage.

Friday night, as soon as work finished, Ren Yan took Chu Qianmiao to his 200-square-meter home.

This was Chu Qianmiao's first time truly entering Ren Yan's territory, and she felt a little nervous and uneasy. She knew the building where Ren Yan lived. It was an upscale community with two units per floor, and all the apartments were large.

Ren Yan took Chu Qianmiao on a tour of his home. Chu Qianmiao saw what the absurd mansion looked like and understood why Ren Yan was able to maintain such a healthy diet year-round. Besides his bedroom, study, and guest room, his home even had a dedicated gym.

Every room was bright and spacious, especially Ren Yan's study and bedroom, whose floor-to-ceiling windows looked like they could be used as a set for a TV series about wealthy families.

What surprised Chu Qianmiao was that there was a rocking chair by the window of Ren Yan's study. She couldn't help but smile at it, thinking that he had really transformed himself into a veteran cadre who enjoyed solitude.

After the tour, Ren Yan took Chu Qianmiao to see Miaomiao. Even Miaomiao had a large room to herself, as pampered as a fat young master.

The fat young master was enjoying herself in the mansion's main room. When Chu Qianmiao picked her up and started to walk toward the door, she suddenly struggled to the ground, butt sticking out, and ran back to her room. Then, like a demon, she nudged the door with her head, hoping to keep Chu Qianmiao out.

Chu Qianmiao was furious, laughing and scolding Miaomiao, calling her a traitor who despised the poor and loved the rich. Miaomiao meowed happily, as if responding to her "yes, yes," and Chu Qianmiao was so angry that she stamped her feet and laughed.

Miaomiao's room was near the door. Standing there, Chu Qianmiao could clearly hear the door opening and closing across the street, as if someone was leaving or returning.

Chu Qianmiao glanced at Ren Yan and asked him casually, "Who lives next door to you? Is he easy to get along with?"

Ren Yan looked at her, paused, and replied, "My grandmother lives next door."

Chu Qianmiao's heart skipped a beat.

She finally understood why he didn't take her home before.