Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 102

Shen Qixing sat in Shen Zhifang’s office, glancing around, occasionally checking her reaction. He only saw her deleting and adding to a list, apparently not satisfied with the report.

“Does President Shen feel that the punishment from Human Resources is not severe enough, or that the list of punished personnel is incomplete?”

The internal audit was halfway through, and most departments had issues to some extent. But the severe issues could not wait until the audit’s conclusion; they required immediate action.

“I don’t have many opinions, but the positions vacated by these people must be filled as soon as possible.”

“Human Resources is already prepared for that. This is the talent reserve list; I’ve had them categorize based on ability and professional background. Do you think this arrangement is appropriate?”

Shen Zhifang signed the disciplinary decision. As for the reserve list Shen Qixing provided, she said she needed a few days to consider it.

Shen Qixing took the signed document but had no intention of leaving. He casually mentioned, “I heard Qi Zheng came back for a visit and then left early again.”

Shen Zhifang looked up, ready to hear what he wanted to say.

“She graduates in just over a month. I wonder what plans President Shen has?”

Shen Zhifang’s expression was composed. She put down her fountain pen and counter-asked, “What aspect of plans are you referring to?”

“When she returns, will she continue to work in the Secretary’s Office, or do you plan to assign her to another department? With an MBA from B University, she’s considered overseas talent. The business departments recently have quite a few vacancies; it’s a good opportunity.”

“We’ll follow the procedure. The position she can reach depends on herself.”

According to the procedure, someone who returns to the company after completing a sponsored program typically returns to their original post first. However, Human Resources conducts internal interviews and assessments, meaning they are given priority for promotion opportunities.

Seeing that Shen Zhifang didn’t seem to have any intention of giving Qi Zheng special treatment, Shen Qixing chuckled, “I understand what President Shen means now.”

After Shen Qixing left, Yun Fei came in to deliver materials and saw Shen Zhifang holding her phone, lost in thought.

“President Shen, this is the supplementary investigation result just sent by the internal audit.”

“Put it down.”

Suddenly, Shen Zhifang called out to Yun Fei, “Recently, has Qi Zheng mentioned her plans after graduation to you?”

“She’s been busy with her graduation thesis and group projects. I was afraid of disturbing her, so I haven’t contacted her much.”

Shen Zhifang pondered. It seemed Qi Zheng hadn’t mentioned her desire to stay in the US to anyone else.

“President Shen, do you have other arrangements for Qi Zheng’s return?”

As Qi Zheng’s graduation date approached, the Secretary’s Office was already preparing a welcoming ceremony.

“No special arrangements.” She thought for a moment and then said, “Tell Human Resources to transfer two more people over.”

Yun Fei found this strange. When Qi Zheng first left, only Ding Meng was transferred. Why would they need two more when she was about to return?

“Is President Shen planning to assign Xiao Qi to another department?”

Under the recent internal audit storm, quite a few people were dealt with, including middle management like business managers. Qi Zheng’s work ability was unquestionable, and now with the academic upgrade and the ‘gold-plating’ of overseas experience, promotion was only natural.

Moving from the Secretary’s Office to a business department for faster career growth would indeed be beneficial for her future career development.

Shen Zhifang was silent for a while, then just shook her head.

“I have my own arrangements. You go ahead and request the transfers.”

Qi Zheng’s resignation letter hadn’t been handed to her yet. Shen Zhifang wasn’t sure if Qi Zheng would return. That night on the mountaintop, she had wanted to speak up and keep her back several times, hoping she would return to the Shen Corporation.

But she had also seen Qi Zheng’s longing and vision for the distant future. Shen Zhifang reminded herself not to clip her wings.

This feeling of suppressing her own desires was very unpleasant, but Shen Zhifang couldn’t express it to others, yet she ultimately couldn’t bear to let go.

She asked Eric to help investigate the US market environment, which led to him teasing her for worrying too much. However, the news Eric brought back half a month later proved her vigilance wasn’t wrong.

“I have to admire you on this point. You are truly brilliant in business.”

Shen Zhifang had no time for Eric’s flattery: “What did you find?”

“Recently, a newly established fund claims to specialize in helping international students who want to start a business. Doesn’t that sound like quite a coincidence?”

Shen Zhifang frowned. It sounded suspicious from the start.

“What is its background?”

“Offshore registration, established less than two months ago. Fresh out of the oven, the money’s still hot.”

“Keep an eye on it. Notify me immediately if you find anything else.”

“Everyone loves money, and it’s impossible to guard against. Just watching this is useless. If you’re truly worried about Qi Zheng, you might as well just give her the money directly.”

Shen Zhifang rejected this suggestion without even thinking: “She won’t take it.”

If Qi Zheng just wanted money, she wouldn’t have gone through such hardship to challenge herself.

It was this very aspect of Qi Zheng that attracted Shen Zhifang even more.

Only now did she realize that the Qi Zheng whom Lin Muyun had scornfully talked about in the car outside the school had long been reborn. Or perhaps, Lin Muyun had never truly witnessed Qi Zheng’s charm, which is why he so superficially and vulgarly believed she was merely a weak woman who relied on others for money.

Qi Zheng appears gentle and unassuming, but her inner self is as resilient as bamboo, making her captivating.

“It seems too good to be true when a pie falls from the sky. Now it’s not just a pie, but money falling directly. Anyone it hits would be dazed.” Yu Xinyan was skeptical after hearing about the mysterious fund.

Yun Fei also felt the matter was strange and needed caution: “It was suddenly established hastily at this critical juncture, the amount is not large, and the targeting is so obvious. Could it truly be aimed at Xiao Qi?”

The information Eric provided became more detailed, which made Shen Zhifang believe it wasn’t a coincidence. After considering it, she invited Yu Xinyan and Yun Fei to her home to discuss countermeasures.

“Old Shen, you should just help Qi Zheng if she wants to start a business. Then you wouldn’t have to play a deduction game across half the globe like this.”

“If I help her, it wouldn’t be the entrepreneurial path she desires.” Shen Zhifang was not hesitant or regretful about this. “She wouldn’t accept it.”

Yu Xinyan pointed to the documents spread on the table: “It’s obvious now that this money is aimed at Qi Zheng, practically given for free. Besides you, who else would be willing to spend real money to back her?”

Yun Fei had only recently learned about Qi Zheng’s plan to stay in the US after graduation. She then understood why President Shen had requested the transfers earlier.

She had witnessed the effort President Shen had put into Qi Zheng during these days. Although President Shen didn’t say anything, she must be hoping for a response. However, Xiao Qi’s circle of friends still seemed not entirely open to her.

Yun Fei and Yu Xinyan had a tacit understanding. They no longer specifically asked President Shen about it. They would casually chat on their phones, taking the opportunity to “share” the new content from Qi Zheng’s Moments with President Shen.

“Obtaining funding is definitely a good thing, but we must determine if the money is benevolent or malicious.” Shen Zhifang was uneasy. Perhaps there was too much deception in the business world, making it difficult for her to view people’s intentions with kindness right away.

“Yun Fei, take one million US dollars from my private account and establish a fund under a shell company to rival the other one.”

“Does President Shen want to package it and then give it to Xiao Qi?”

“If she wants initial start-up capital, let her figure it out herself. My fund is to prevent others from harming her.”

Letting Qi Zheng fly freely was easy to say but hard to do. Shen Zhifang was used to controlling everything, yet she had to repeatedly caution herself to be patient and restrained in this matter. She was afraid that exerting too much force would cause her to completely lose the opportunity.

Yu Xinyan sometimes felt a bit sorry for her and jokingly asked, “Qi Zheng is excellent, and you two were happy once, but if salvaging the relationship is too painful, why torment yourself?”

Although Yun Fei didn’t explicitly say so, she somewhat agreed with Yu Xinyan’s sentiment. She had once thought President Shen would be happier if she was with Xiao Qi, but if it was only painful without happiness, what was the point of persisting?

Shen Zhifang didn’t explain much. She said softly, “If I could, do you think I wouldn’t let go?”

She had initially thought she could.

But compared to the anxious pursuit of an uncertain ending, absolute despair was even harder for her to accept.

She had thought Qi Zheng was just a passerby in her life, but now she wanted to keep her for a long time.

As Qi Zheng’s graduation date drew near, Shen Zhifang’s insomnia increased. She often stood by the window late at night, a slowly burning cigarette between her fingers, letting her thoughts drift across the ocean.

She learned from Yun Fei that Qi Zheng’s graduation thesis had been basically finalized and approved. She also knew that companies had responded to the resumes Qi Zheng had sent out, and she further knew that Qi Zheng had been preparing for her start-up venture without any hesitation.

Shen Zhifang hopes she succeeds, yet she is also somewhat afraid of her success.

She finally truly understood those theories and concepts that were so obscure and difficult to grasp, and she finally understood that her active desire to do more for Qi Zheng was not entirely out of compensation.

She hopes Qi Zheng lives well, yet fears Qi Zheng lives too well and forgets her.

Qi Zheng and Li Yunshan stared at each other, looking at their messy hair, not bothering to tease one another.

“It’s absolutely infuriating! What are these foreigners doing! They want excellent grades but are unwilling to put in the hard work. It’s a shame they act so actively in class, always speaking, speaking!”

Qi Zheng was also annoyed. Her start-up plan was aimed at the Chinese international student community, which was too niche for a market like the US. The final Business Plan assignment required a presentation to the entire class and all professors, and the teams that reached the finals would also face questions and scrutiny from corporate executive guests. The pressure was considerable.

Qi Zheng wanted to use this opportunity to verify if her plan was theoretically feasible and also to apply for B University’s seed fund. However, the other students in her group were unwilling, reasoning that the target customer base was too small to scale, and they didn’t understand Chinese culture, making it difficult to collect enough accurate relevant data.

Li Yunshan, however, was very supportive, not just because of their friendship, but because she also felt it could be an opportunity.

“Qi Zheng, if they really won’t cooperate, let’s switch to a simpler project just for the assignment. We can work on your start-up plan privately. I’ll find other Chinese students. There’s no need to waste time and energy convincing those ignorant foreigners.”

Thinking of those people’s disapproval, even contempt, for this overly niche market, Qi Zheng understood that Li Yunshan had a point.

“Okay. Wisely letting go of unsuitable teammates is better than dragging down a project with potential.”

The next day, Qi Zheng went to the other group members and explained her thoughts and decision. Surprisingly, she even received praise. If this had happened before, she would probably have thought about it for several days and found it difficult to speak up, but now it had become a simple matter.

Author’s Note:

There will be an extra update in about an hour and a half. Mwah.