Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 127

Qi Zheng was busy for almost the entire night, only managing a few hours of confused sleep before rushing to the airport. Shen Zhibing called her to say she had to go back to the family estate and couldn’t send her off. Qi Zheng was a little disappointed but didn’t think it was a big deal.

Hearing Shen Zhibing’s dejection, she, in turn, comforted her: “Won’t it be even better if you come to pick me up when I return?”

Shen Zhibing cheered up a bit, but still couldn’t be completely happy: “I could have sent you off and picked you up. Now that I suddenly lose one chance, of course it’s not good.”

Qi Zheng knew she was just struggling with her emotions and wasn’t truly bothered by the number of times.

After she hung up the phone, Li Yunshan looked at her in surprise and asked, “Qi Zheng, be honest, is something going on lately?”

Qi Zheng felt a little awkward. She had been busy falling in love lately and hadn’t had time to formally notify the people around her. However, her relationship with Shen Zhibing was not suitable for public disclosure at this time.

Seeing her difficulty and hesitation, Li Yunshan put away her joking manner and asked seriously, “Is it the one you were always thinking about in the US?”

Qi Zheng frowned. How did you know that too?

Li Yunshan looked calm: “Your ascetic state back then clearly showed you were suffering from a broken heart and using work to numb yourself. Looking at your radiant state now, if I can’t even tell this, how can I be your partner?”

What Qi Zheng was thinking was that even though they had agreed to keep a low profile for the time being, close people around her couldn’t be kept in the dark forever. It was better to be honest than to have others figure it out little by little—it wasn’t anything shameful.

But this matter wasn’t just hers alone, and she couldn’t immediately respond: “I need to discuss it with her.”

These words were an implied half-confession, and Li Yunshan’s eyes lit up.

“It really is a relationship! Your speed is impressive! Haicheng is truly your lucky place; you’ve had a double harvest of career and love since returning.”

Qi Zheng turned to look out the window, a slight smile on her lips. She also felt Haicheng was her lucky place.

Upon arriving in Yongcheng, Qi Zheng and Li Yunshan had several in-depth discussions with potential partner organizations and also surveyed the local market, discovering new characteristics.

“The number of customers in this category in Yongcheng truly exceeds my imagination,” Li Yunshan said, looking at the data provided by the relevant organizations, and sighed.

“We can consider setting up a pilot program in Yongcheng to compare with Haicheng.”

Li Yunshan understood Qi Zheng’s intention, but the company’s resources were limited at the moment. If they had to focus on Yongcheng while developing Haicheng, it would probably be difficult to maintain balance.

“It will definitely be tough in the short term, but if this market is indeed representative, I don’t think we should miss it. We can discuss resource allocation in a meeting after we return.”

They had secured Series A investment from the Shen and Dongming corporations this time, which was a significant amount. But for a project that required almost complete initial investment with no immediate return, Qi Zheng did not dare to be too extravagant.

“How about we stay in Yongcheng for a few more days and take a closer look?”

Qi Zheng agreed to Li Yunshan’s suggestion.

Hearing that she would be returning three days later than expected, Shen Zhibing was naturally disappointed, but knowing it was work, she just reminded Qi Zheng to take good care of herself in Yongcheng.

They called each other every day, and even though the conversations were short, they felt very content just hearing the other person’s voice amidst their busy schedules. It was also to reassure each other that they were both doing well.

Seeing Shen Zhibing’s downcast expression after hanging up the phone, Yu Xinyan teased her, “It’s just coming back a few days later, it’s not like she’s not coming back. You weren’t this melancholic when she was in the US.”

“I was just surprised, it’s not called melancholic, okay?”

They had planned to go to yoga tonight, and Yu Xinyan came to her office to find her, which was delayed by Qi Zheng’s call for a while.

What surprised Yu Xinyan was that Yun Fei, who usually joined them, wasn’t there today.

“I saw her at her desk when I came just now, how did she suddenly disappear?” Yu Xinyan looked around for a moment, confirming Yun Fei was nowhere to be seen.

“She left when work ended naturally. Yun Fei has her own life, why does she have to be here?”

Yu Xinyan felt a little unaccustomed: “She usually comes with us. Is it her time of the month today? But the timing doesn’t seem right, I remember hers is around the middle of the month…”

Shen Zhibing stepped into the private elevator, reminding her: “Are you planning to study the date there for much longer?”

When they reached the parking lot, Yu Xinyan was still looking lost and confused. Shen Zhibing, however, ignored this and said calmly, “I heard Yun Fei say that her family asked her to go back tonight, apparently to meet someone.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Xinyan’s ears immediately perked up, and her face showed a horrified expression.

“Meet whom?”

Shen Zhibing curled her lips: “Although I am her boss, I don’t interfere with her personal life. Who she meets and who she has dinner with after work is none of my business.”

These words, rather than helping, felt like ants burrowing into Yu Xinyan’s heart. She was distracted throughout the entire yoga session.

At this age, a sudden call home from family would certainly not be for a surprise birthday party. She herself had gone through this a few times, and only by almost speaking her mind bluntly and coldly did she find peace. Yun Fei must be experiencing the same thing.

Coming out of the gym, Shen Zhibing knew she wasn’t in the mood to go for drinks either.

“If you truly want to say something, you need to hurry. Not everyone can be waited for.”

Yu Xinyan slowly looked up, deep in thought.

“Even if you want to wait for someone, you should at least let her know you are waiting.”

Yu Xinyan sighed softly: “How do you know I haven’t tried.”

Yu Xinyan got to know Yun Fei first, and then became familiar with Shen Zhibing. Regarding the earlier history between her and Yun Fei, both had always been tight-lipped. Shen Zhibing also didn’t ask much; this matter had become a mystery after so many years.

Shen Zhibing wasn’t the only one notified of the delayed return; Zhuang Muqing also received a call.

“A’Moon, I’m so sorry, the dinner we scheduled has to be postponed. Yunshan and I have to stay for a few more days.”

After listening to Qi Zheng’s explanation, Zhuang Muqing was still cheerful: “Work is important. Just find me when you’re done and back. You said you’d be back three days later, so let’s have dinner the day you return.”

Qi Zheng refused without thinking: “That day won’t work, I have an appointment.”

She had changed her return time, and with a noon flight, it was unknown whether Shen Zhibing could spare time to pick her up. She wasn’t even sure if Shen Zhibing would be free that evening, but the first person she should see after returning from a business trip should naturally be her girlfriend.

Zhuang Muqing didn’t notice the anomaly: “You truly are a busy person. Alright, let me know when you’re free.”

Qi Zheng had left immediately after the exhibition that day, so by the time Zhuang Muqing extricated herself from the crowd, she couldn’t find her. Hearing from Li Yunshan that Qi Zheng was last seen leaving with CEO Shen, she naturally assumed they were discussing business.

After that, Qi Zheng had been very busy. The only time she could arrange a meal with her was after her business trip. However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Zhuang Muqing. Giving her some buffer time to prepare more thoroughly was also good.

It was after the exhibition, while reviewing and organizing her works, that she was startled to realize she had incorporated many elements related to Qi Zheng into her art over the years. To be precise, she had been unknowingly attracted to Qi Zheng for a long time, and this feeling became more obvious after coming to Haicheng.

It wasn’t until the final masterpiece was completed that she understood that attraction had turned into affection.

She thought, perhaps she could try dating Qi Zheng.

Her assistant helped her pack and noticed she was spacing out after the phone call, so she couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher Zhuang, are you preparing a new work again recently?”

“No.” She thought for a moment, then felt that a new relationship might also count as a new experience, “Not a work, but something I’m equally looking forward to.”

Her eyes were sparkling, her mouth had a subtle curve, and occasionally there was some uncertainty and well-concealed nervousness. This artistic temperament was too charming; the little assistant’s eyes were glued to her.

Sure enough, Shen Zhibing had a meeting on the day Qi Zheng returned from her business trip and couldn’t leave, but she still insisted that Uncle Yu pick her up. After saying goodbye to Li Yunshan at the airport, Qi Zheng went directly to Yunlu Flower Garden.

Aunt Xin was overjoyed to see her return.

“Miss Qi, are you hungry?”

“Aunt Xin, I’m not hungry, I want to shower first.”

Qi Zheng wanted to get a set of pajamas but felt the time wasn’t quite right. She initially planned to find a set in her suitcase but habitually opened Shen Zhibing’s wardrobe.

The left and right sides were clearly reorganized. The left side was still the clothes she had seen before, while the right side was hung with many new clothes with tags still attached, but the colors were clearly ones she usually liked to wear.

Without asking, Qi Zheng already knew who those clothes were prepared for.

No wonder Shen Zhibing dragged her to shop for so long before the business trip, making her try on this and that, and pressing her for her opinions on different styles of clothing.

It turned out it was to quietly buy her so many clothes while she was away.

Qi Zheng picked out a sky-blue casual outfit. She usually wore dark-colored suits at work to emphasize stability. Naturally, at home, there was no need to be so deliberate; being her most authentic self was the happiest.

She woke up from her nap at almost five o’clock and heard a noise outside, sounding like Shen Zhibing had returned.

Indeed, CEO Shen hadn’t even had lunch; she compressed all the day’s meeting gaps and left the company at four in the afternoon.

Before Qi Zheng could even open her eyes, a familiar scent wafted over, and then her forehead was kissed.

“The business trip was hard. Get up and eat.”

Qi Zheng reached out and hugged her. Shen Zhibing simply sat down, leaning on her.

“I missed you so much.”

Listening to Qi Zheng’s heartbeat and feeling her presence was still not enough to soothe the longing of nearly half a month.

Shen Zhibing lifted her head, rubbed against her, and touched her lips: “I missed you too.”

Qi Zheng barely rested after returning. Many things were waiting for her to coordinate and plan, and many event details were waiting for her final approval.

After a short meeting, Li Yunshan reminded her: “Reporters from Haicheng Finance will be here this afternoon. They will first take pictures of our work environment, and then it’s your exclusive interview.”

“I remember. I’ll familiarize myself with the script again after lunch.”

Haicheng Finance was a well-known local financial magazine, with top online and offline sales. This was different from the interviews she had with small media outlets in the US. This meant Qi Zheng was formally entering the mainstream media’s view and was her stepping stone into Haicheng’s business community.

“Don’t be nervous, you’ll definitely be fine.” Li Yunshan patted her, but she herself was more nervous than Qi Zheng, taking several deep breaths.

This interview was an important opportunity to formally introduce Qi Zheng’s team to the public, and they couldn’t afford not to take it seriously.

The author has something to say:

Who said our CEO Shen can’t do anything? CEO Shen can trim nails now! (Proud)

It’s the beginning of winter today, envelopes will be dropped randomly in this chapter. Love you all!