Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 20

Returning to the suburban villa, Shen Zhibing remained silent, an extension of her mood during the ride. She simply gave a few brief instructions to Aunt Xin and went straight back to her room. Seeing that Shen Zhibing did not strongly insist that she come along, Qi Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Aunt Xin smiled and said, “Miss Qi, the room you used before has been tidied up. You are welcome to use it again anytime.”

Qi Zheng nodded her thanks, less reserved than the previous two times.

Shen Zhibing changed into a bathrobe and leaned against the bed, still contemplating the day’s events. She had done what she had always wanted to do with Lian Ao, but the feeling was different from what she had imagined. What puzzled her the most was that inexplicable urge to kiss him in the cinema.

She was not a person with strong desires, although she had experienced moments of passion over the years. However, the time spent with Lian Ao was minimal, and they both knew deep down that the aftermath of such impulsive moments would be an unbearable result, only increasing their pain.

Yet, in that moment at the cinema, she genuinely yearned for contact. Even a light touch might have brought stability to her stirred heart.

The struggle, the confusion, and a hint of loss made it difficult for Shen Zhibing to fall asleep. After long consideration, she finally arrived at a reasonable explanation: wasn’t this Qi Zheng’s purpose? To give her unreleased desires a target for projection.

In her dream, Shen Zhibing vaguely kissed a person whose face was blurred. She couldn’t see the person’s features, only feeling a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness. The moment their lips met, a heartfelt sigh of satisfaction and melancholy escaped her.

Qi Zheng also slept restlessly because she had received a call from Jiang Youyou before bed. Her friend mentioned that her brother’s business trip had changed and he would not be back soon. If Qi Zheng’s friend’s contract was truly urgent, they could discuss it via video call first.

The contract issue had always been a weight on her mind. Because of this agreement, she always felt inferior when interacting with Shen Zhibing. Thinking of the plot developments in the novel, she wanted to terminate the contract as soon as possible.

However, Shen Zhibing’s behavior so far was slightly better than she expected. Aside from being demanding in her words, she hadn’t truly restricted her much. Compared to what was written in the book, the current Shen Zhibing was quite restrained.

Qi Zheng was unwilling to become a self-lost, emotionally manipulated puppet like the original owner, especially the forced cooperation in the room, which she found unacceptable. Although President Shen had not done anything to her yet, it wouldn’t be long before she learned about Lian Ao’s impending marriage, and there was no telling how frantic the stimulated Shen Zhibing would become.

Qi Zheng saved the business card of Jiang Youyou’s brother that had been sent to her, thinking she must resolve the contract issue quickly.

The next day, when she woke up, Shen Zhibing had already left. Qi Zheng glanced at the wall clock; it was only 7:30 AM.

Aunt Xin explained, “The Third Miss has gone to deal with company matters. She instructed me before leaving that you may return to school today.”

The implication was that Shen Zhibing would not be coming back tonight.

Excellent, she had gained temporary freedom.

Old Yu still drove the Bentley to take Qi Zheng back. Outside the school gate, she ran into her counselor again. This time, the counselor walked over and asked, “Qi Zheng, how have things been lately?”

It was clearly a question about her job search. Qi Zheng asked Old Yu to leave first before replying to the counselor.

“Things are still the same for now.”

“Didn’t you say you had contact with President Shen? No follow-up?”

Qi Zheng hummed in affirmation, also considering where she should work after graduation. The original owner had waited solely for Lin Muyun’s arrangement and hadn’t taken the job applications seriously. While her classmates were submitting résumés and looking for internships, she was waiting for Lin Muyun’s news.

Now everyone else was settled, and only she was still struggling.

“Actually, it’s not necessary to go to Shen Shi. I saw a few other good companies are still recruiting, like Yongfeng. That’s a good choice too.”

Yongfeng was indeed facing a crisis, but in the eyes of these recent graduates, it was still an excellent choice, being a major corporation.

The counselor shook her head. “Yongfeng is not very good. They didn’t recruit many people this year. I heard they intend to cut down on their budget. However, I have recommendation opportunities for two companies here. Would you like to try them?”

There were still opportunities left? A recommendation from the counselor would at least get her past the résumé screening. Whether she succeeded in the interview would depend on her.

“Which two?”

“Come with me to the office, and I’ll give you the documents. You need to act fast on this. Contact the HR department this afternoon.”

When the counselor finally found the documents, Qi Zheng gasped.

The counselor didn’t notice her unusual reaction and continued to patiently persuade her. She had seen Qi Zheng get out of the Bentley twice and guessed that Qi Zheng’s background might not be simple, perhaps she didn’t lack a salary of a few thousand yuan per month at all.

However, she needed to have a destination. Going abroad, taking the postgraduate entrance exam, finding employment, or starting a business—any of these would suffice as an explanation. Yet, Qi Zheng was leisurely and hadn’t chosen any.

“Your first job after graduation is important for accumulating experience and building a foundation for your future career development. The salary is not the most important thing; what matters is the space for growth.”

“I know. I will consider it carefully.”

Qi Zheng returned to her dorm and filtered through the list of prospective companies she had previously compiled, sending out résumés one by one. She had actual work experience, but under the original owner’s identity, no one would believe her.

She had to first secure a job and then look for opportunities to switch later. After sending out her résumés, Qi Zheng casually opened the official website of the Shen Group and looked at the positions they were recruiting for. The entry requirements were all quite high.

Shen Zhibing’s personal profile was actually on the site. Although she had interacted with President Shen several times, Qi Zheng still read the profile carefully. She was indeed beautiful, rich, capable, and born into a good family—a complete life winner.

If only she wasn’t so blind in matters of love, President Shen would be a perfect person.

Qi Zheng closed the Shen Group website and opened the Shiqun Consortium’s website, wanting to see information about Lian Ao. Surprisingly, there was none. She had to search on Baidu, where she found that Lian Ao had quite a few scandalous news items.

Most of them ended with a retraction from Shiqun, but could those blurry photos captured by the media really all be coincidences? Qi Zheng couldn’t understand why such a wealthy playboy could make Shen Zhibing so devoted.

Did Shen Zhibing have a masochistic tendency? Qi Zheng recalled the book’s plot but found no evidence. However, she knew very well that President Shen was extremely dominant when “training” the original owner.

Jiang Youyou’s brother was out of town, but he had already started discussing the contract via WeChat with Qi Zheng. After understanding the general situation, he suggested reviewing the contract, which made Qi Zheng hesitate.

After all, her name was on the signature line.

This matter was temporarily put aside. Fortunately, Shen Zhibing had not contacted her for several days, nor had she forced her to return to the suburban villa.

Few of the résumés she had sent out received a reply. Most companies that conducted campus recruitment had already met their quotas, and Qi Zheng had missed the last bus.

But Qi Zheng didn’t give up. She was fully prepared for every interview opportunity provided, as she genuinely needed a job to support herself.

One day, just after finishing an interview, she suddenly received a call from Aunt Xin.

“Miss Qi, are you available to come to the suburban villa today?”

“Is something the matter?”

“President Shen previously instructed us to find a trainer for you. The people are all here now, just waiting for you.”

Qi Zheng was confused. When did this happen? Why didn’t she know?

Aunt Xin spoke kindly and politely, unlike Shen Zhibing’s commanding tone, so Qi Zheng couldn’t help but ask a few more questions. Only then did she realize that President Shen had essentially found her wanting.

“President Shen also hopes you can adapt to the workplace as soon as possible. These trainers are very professional, and I believe they will be of practical help to Miss Qi.”

Qi Zheng agreed with this. When she worked before, only outstanding employees had the opportunity to attend company-paid training. Continuous learning was necessary for long-term career development.

“Then I’ll come over this afternoon.”

**

Recently, Shen Zhibing had been so busy she practically lived at the company, attending endless meetings every day. She had met with President Le of Yongfeng, whose attitude was unclear and seemed unmoved by the terms the Shen Group had offered.

Shen Zhibing realized that what the other party wanted might not be just money. But given Yongfeng’s current situation, if they didn’t want money, what else could they want?

Yun Fei brought in another stack of documents, also looking tired. “President Shen, these are the company documents you requested, detailing transactions with Yongfeng over the past six years.”

Yun Fei was somewhat confused about why Shen Zhibing suddenly wanted to see this information. “Most of these are lesser-known companies, some of which have already gone bankrupt. Won’t focusing on them be a waste of time?”

Shen Zhibing focused on reading. “Yongfeng’s attitude this time is very ambiguous, which is not what a company facing major financial pressure should look like. So I suspect that the previous crisis was a smokescreen they intentionally released.”

Yun Fei had also sensed something, but wasn’t it more important to study the competition right now? For example, Shiqun’s actions were becoming increasingly obvious, practically on the verge of officially announcing their competition with the Shen Group.

“Shiqun is merely a competitor, but we must first thoroughly understand our true target. Our focus is Yongfeng, not Shiqun.”

Aunt Xin had reported that Qi Zheng had begun the training, and the progress was smooth, with excellent feedback from the trainers. Shen Zhibing stopped asking about it. She currently didn’t have the spare energy to manage a workplace rookie like Qi Zheng. She had to figure out the Yongfeng matter as quickly as possible.

Lian Ao also noticed Yongfeng’s wavering attitude. He had thought that after two dinners with President Le, the matter was largely settled. However, the Shen Group still hadn’t given up, and Yongfeng had suddenly cooled down, catching him off guard.

He hadn’t contacted Shen Zhibing for some time. This was a sensitive moment, but he still wanted to try to probe for some news about Yongfeng from her.