Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 13

Shen Zhibing often arrived at the company early. Shen Corporation’s office hours began at nine, but she was usually already in her office by eight-thirty, reviewing documents. Today, however, it was past nine before she showed up. Yun Fei called to ask after her, and once she confirmed it wasn’t because of illness, she proceeded with the day’s schedule as usual.

Yesterday’s report meeting had been long and filled with crucial matters. Knowing how much Shen cared about the branch offices, Yun Fei had rushed to finish the minutes overnight. As soon as Shen arrived, Yun Fei went to greet her.

“President Shen, I’ve already sent yesterday’s meeting minutes to your email.”

Shen nodded in satisfaction, her pace unbroken. The heels of her shoes clicked against the floor, yet her stride was steady, almost as if she were walking on level ground rather than in stilettos.

Tall to begin with, and always in heels, she exuded a natural presence that had long discouraged any suitors who lacked comparable stature or confidence—most bowed out after only a few encounters.

Yun Fei placed two documents on her desk. “These are the previous development plan for the Yongfeng lot and the internal valuation reports from the last three years.”

Shen valued Yun Fei’s ability greatly. She not only understood her but executed tasks with precision. Truly a capable right-hand.

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”

Yun Fei smiled, insisting it was her duty. She was about to leave when Shen suddenly spoke:

“This afternoon isn’t packed with important tasks. You can take off early and rest. Leave the rest to the others.”

By “the others,” she meant the second and third secretaries—both of whom Yun Fei had personally trained.

“I’m fine, President Shen.”

Seeing that aside from faint dark circles under her eyes Yun Fei seemed otherwise well, Shen didn’t press further. Shen herself had slept soundly last night and felt in excellent condition today. A pity she had an important dinner engagement later; otherwise it would’ve been a perfect night for overtime.

Because she’d arrived late this morning and hadn’t worked last night due to health reasons, a mountain of files awaited her. By the time she finished a round of reviews, lunch hour had long passed.

She pressed the intercom, and soon Yun Fei brought in a meal.

“I called Aunt Xin and ordered a light, easy-to-digest set for you.”

Since Shen disliked being interrupted while working, Yun Fei hadn’t disturbed her earlier, even as the lunch hour passed, waiting instead for Shen’s call.

Looking at the delicate container of fragrant porridge, Shen suddenly recalled Aunt Xin’s words—and last night’s meal. She had to admit, the porridge arranged by Qi Zheng had been exceptionally good.

Normally, Shen disdained such simple food. But last night, it had practically saved her life. In that moment of unbearable pain, it had felt like a ray of light breaking through the dark, a warmth that still lingered within her even now.

Out of nowhere, she asked Yun Fei: “If you were to give a girl a gift, what would be appropriate?”

Yun Fei was seated across from her, sharing lunch as usual. Outside of office hours, the two of them interacted almost like friends.

“That depends—what’s the occasion, and how old is she?”

Shen hesitated, her tone vague. “Just graduated from university, not yet working.”

“Then is it a graduation gift?”

Shen froze for a few seconds before denying it. “No. It’s to express gratitude.”

Though surprised, Yun Fei quickly focused on the task at hand. Shen’s request was for advice, not interrogation.

She couldn’t guess the recipient’s relationship to Shen, nor was she sure Shen was even the one giving the gift. So she went with a safe, balanced suggestion.

“Most young women like trendy things—bags, jewelry, things like that.”

Bags? Shen pictured Qi Zheng’s plain, boxy backpack and dismissed the idea at once.

“What kind of jewelry?”

Now certain that Shen meant to give the gift herself, Yun Fei grew more attentive.

“Something with a fresh and unique design. Perhaps a second-line luxury piece—not too flashy, but not cheap either.”

If this were a business gift, Shen wouldn’t have asked so many questions—she would’ve just let Yun Fei handle it. If it were among friends, Shen also knew enough about fashion to manage herself. She had exchanged gifts countless times.

So this person must fall somewhere in between.

After a pause, Shen proposed: “A bracelet, then. Filter by brand and style, narrow it down to five options, and I’ll choose.”

After lunch, Shen rested half an hour, then pushed through and cleared the rest of her workload. Nearing the end of the day, she planned to stop by the Shen family residence before heading to an important dinner with Yongfeng’s president. She needed to attend personally.

But Yun Fei came in, looking troubled. “President Shen, President Le of Yongfeng just called. He has something urgent tonight and needs to reschedule.”

Though Yongfeng was in financial crisis and forced to sell off land, the lot itself was so valuable that Le had become a popular target. Shen had already tried to schedule this dinner three times before succeeding—and now it was canceled again.

“Did he give a reason?”

“He called personally, said it was a private matter, and asked me to apologize on his behalf. Since he emphasized it was private, I couldn’t press.”

Shen gave a cold snort. If he could call her secretary directly, why not call her himself? Passing along an apology through another—it was nothing but a flimsy excuse.

“Find out which companies he’s been meeting with lately.”

Plenty of eyes were on Yongfeng. But after Shen Corporation’s bold entry into the race, few dared compete head-on with her, knowing they lacked the strength.

Yun Fei hesitated. “I heard Shiqun is also interested in that lot.”

The moment she heard “Shiqun,” Shen immediately thought of Lian Ao.

“When did this start?” She forced herself to focus on business.

She had to win this lot. It wasn’t just about real estate development; it was also a test of her leadership and strategy.

“No word until recently. Seems they showed interest last week, but the news only spread officially yesterday.”

Shen frowned. She had clearly missed something.

Qi Zheng stepped out of the Bentley. Though she’d asked the driver to stop some distance from the school gate, she couldn’t avoid running into people she knew. Bracing herself, she ignored the sidelong glances from curious classmates.

“Thanks, Uncle Yu. I don’t think I’ll be going back to the villa tonight. You should head home after work and rest.”

But Old Yu wasn’t pleased. He insisted, even reluctantly: “I’ll wait nearby. If President Shen suddenly asks to see you, or if you decide to return, I’ll be close.”

Qi Zheng thought a moment, then asked: “Did President Shen scold you?”

With Shen Zhibing’s temper, failing to pick her up yesterday surely meant he’d gotten an earful.

But Old Yu shook his head quickly. “No, nothing from her. I just… couldn’t stop worrying last night. Kept thinking, what if you needed the car and I wasn’t there in time?”

It was clear he valued his job deeply. Qi Zheng sighed softly, choosing not to argue further.

Fine, let him wait in the Bentley. It wasn’t too hard a post. Later tonight, she’d explain things to Shen so he could leave without guilt.

She had barely stepped inside the school gate when Jiang Youyou suddenly popped out of nowhere, draping an arm around her shoulder.

Qi Zheng, tall and slender at over 172 cm, was still noticeably taller than Jiang Youyou, who barely cleared 160 even in heels.

“Qi Zheng, I saw you just now! You got out of a Bentley—with a chauffeur, no less.”

With Old Yu in his sharp uniform and gloves, there was no denying it.

“That car and driver belong to a friend. I stayed at her place last night and just caught a ride today.”

Jiang Youyou was in unusually high spirits, grinning ear to ear. Qi Zheng kept sneaking glances, worried she might be manic.

“When did you start hanging out with such wealthy friends? Catching Bentleys today—maybe next week it’ll be a Rolls-Royce.”

Qi Zheng immediately thought of Shen’s Phantom and mentally rejected the idea. She wanted nothing less than to ride in that car again.

She didn’t reply, and Jiang Youyou happily tugged her along, quickly changing the subject.

“Oh, right—you wanted to ask about some kind of contract? I talked to my brother today. He said you need to clarify what kind first before he can analyze it.”

Both her father and brother were well-known lawyers.

“It should be a sales contract,” Qi Zheng answered after a pause, then added: “More like a cooperation agreement, maybe.”

Jiang Youyou frowned. “Then what’s the subject matter?”

Qi Zheng reluctantly added: “Special services. With some compulsory clauses that aren’t really fair.”

She had no idea how else to phrase it.

Jiang tried to piece it together, hesitating.

“You’re sure this is a legal contract?”

“For now, yes. But I want to see if it can be made invalid.”

“That complicated?”

Qi Zheng gave a sheepish smile. “I’m asking for a friend. It’s tricky, so I need reliable advice.”

After all, Shen Zhibing’s lawyer was surely no ordinary one. If Qi Zheng wanted a peaceful dissolution, she couldn’t just approach any random lawyer.

“Your friends really are something,” Jiang sighed, making Qi Zheng curious.

“How so?” Bad luck, maybe?

“Either ridiculously rich,” Jiang said, looping her arm through Qi Zheng’s, “or ridiculously troublesome.”