Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 21

Shen Zhibing held meetings for almost another full day. In addition to those required to keep the company running, she also had to find time to hear about the latest progress of the real estate company.

Approaching the end of the workday, Yun Fei asked her, “President Shen, do you need me to order dinner?”

Shen Zhibing had been eating dinner at the company for three consecutive days, after which she continued to work overtime. Yun Fei was a little worried about her health, but since President Shen was leading the charge to work so hard, she couldn’t really say anything.

“No need. Everyone can go home early today and we’ll resume tomorrow.”

No overtime? Everyone present felt like they’d just found money on the street, delighted. Shen Zhibing glanced at her watch. The agreed meeting time with Lian Ao was approaching.

“You should also get some rest tonight. Tomorrow will bring a heavier workload.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t explicitly tell Yun Fei what would happen tomorrow, but she could see the solemnity in President Shen’s eyes.

When Shen Zhibing arrived, Lian Ao had already prepared a rich dinner. He probably learned his lesson from last time and didn’t want Shen Zhibing to slip away while waiting.

“Xiao Bing, I heard you’ve been working hard lately, so I specially made your favorite fish fillets.”

Shen Zhibing took off her coat and sat down at the table. She was indeed tired and hungry, but her mood was not good about coming to the appointment tonight.

She was very busy. During the day, she was busy holding meetings and listening to work reports from various teams. In the evening, she had to go home to catch up on the materials she didn’t have time to read. She originally didn’t want to agree to meet today, but Lian Ao was particularly insistent, unlike in the past when he was more accommodating and understanding—he absolutely had to see her.

“You rushed to see me today, not just to make me fish fillets, were you?” Shen Zhibing smiled faintly. Lian Ao’s cooking was better than hers.

“I was too busy before. I hope to have more opportunities to cook for you in the future.”

Shen Zhibing’s heart stirred. In the past, upon hearing such words, her heart would have already softened and been filled with joy.

But today, she had something on her mind. These words, upon reaching her ears, only added to her annoyance.

Aside from being busy, she actually had the intention to avoid him. She didn’t want to conflict with Lian Ao over the Yongfeng matter, but given her personality, it would be impossible to pretend she knew nothing once they met.

Shen Zhibing deliberately spoke less, so Lian Ao was doing most of the talking.

He was more attentive than usual, saying many words of concern for Shen Zhibing, wishing he could personally take on her heavy workload.

Shen Zhibing had eaten half of her fish fillet and felt somewhat full: “I’ve been doing this work for many years, I’m already used to it.”

Lian Ao looked at her with deep affection. Since Shen Zhibing entered the room, he had hardly taken his eyes off her.

“Xiao Bing, I heard your company is also interested in the Yongfeng matter?”

Shen Zhibing’s hand, holding the cup, tightened, almost spilling the orange juice.

“That’s been public knowledge in the industry for a long time. You’re only hearing about it now? It seems Shiqun doesn’t care much about Yongfeng.”

The land Yongfeng was selling was a hot commodity; proper development was bound to yield rich returns in the future. Which group with real estate operations wasn’t coveting it? Yet, Lian Ao appeared unfamiliar and unconcerned with the news about Yongfeng. This deliberate pretense seemed a bit overdone.

Lian Ao’s expression subtly changed, but he still looked at her gently: “Shiqun is certainly interested in Yongfeng, but I care more about your health. Xiao Bing, don’t work too hard. A woman will eventually return to the family. You should consider yourself more.”

Shen Zhibing disliked it the most when people said this. There are indeed inevitable gaps in career development between men and women, but Shen Zhibing was an exception.

“Since I’ve become the successor of the Shen family, I haven’t considered ‘returning to the family’.”

Compared to Shen Zhibing, who was designated as the heir early on, Lian Ao’s situation was less clear. He needed to add to his status within the family to stand out from his peers. Yongfeng was an excellent opportunity that could allow him to hold his head high in front of the old men on the board.

“You’re always so stubborn. I respect your choice, I just hope you won’t be so tired.” Lian Ao sensed Shen Zhibing’s displeasure and wisely dropped the topic.

He tried to subtly steer the conversation back to the Yongfeng matter. Shen Zhibing seemed reluctant to talk about it. But Lian Ao really wanted to find out, and his repeated probing finally angered Shen Zhibing.

“What exactly do you want to know? Do you want to know the Shen family’s bottom line or its latest plan?”

Lian Ao’s face stiffened. Shen Zhibing rarely showed him a cold shoulder, let alone spoke sarcastically. Although she usually didn’t talk much, the limited tenderness she possessed was almost entirely reserved for him.

“I was wondering if Shiqun and the Shen family could possibly cooperate on the Yongfeng project once.”

Shen Zhibing laughed in anger: “Lian Ao, have you genuinely forgotten or are you pretending not to remember? Can our two families truly continue to cooperate? If we could cooperate, why would we…”

If the relationship between the two families could genuinely be reconciled, why would Shen Zhibing feel despair about their relationship? They both knew very well that the knot between the Lian and Shen families was very difficult to untie.

The future of this relationship was a topic they tacitly avoided. Shen Zhibing’s sudden bringing it up only led to Lian Ao’s silence.

“I didn’t want to ask you, but since you mentioned Yongfeng, I want to know, has Shiqun already made a move?”

The annoyance in Shen Zhibing’s heart, as this question was asked, had expanded to its limit. Whatever Lian Ao’s answer, it would lead to an explosion.

“Shiqun is contacting Yongfeng. This is just business competition, very common. Xiao Bing, please don’t misunderstand. This is the board of directors’ decision; after all, that project has great potential.”

Shen Zhibing thought she would explode on the spot, but after hearing Lian Ao’s answer, she remained calm.

“And what is your attitude? You represent Shiqun and are openly trying to steal my business?”

Shen Zhibing was a bit abnormal tonight, her words were sharp and aggressive. Lian Ao frowned, feeling somewhat annoyed.

“Yongfeng hasn’t promised to cooperate exclusively with anyone. Right now, everyone is competing fairly. You can’t say I’m stealing from you, after all, the Shen family hasn’t formally secured it, has it?”

Shen Zhibing finally heard the answer she had been avoiding but vaguely understood. She felt sad inside, but her expression remained stubborn and proud.

“If we’re going to compete fairly, then please don’t resort to so many underhanded tricks. The Shen family never minds meeting opponents, but we hope to meet an honorable one.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Shen Zhibing ultimately decided not to bring up the things Yun Fei had found out. The person she had loved deeply for years was repeatedly seen entering those lavish and seedy places with clients, breaking her heart.

“We have another month and a half. Who can secure Yongfeng will depend on who has the capability. Lian Ao, if you were eager to see me to discuss Yongfeng, then let’s not meet for a while.”

Lian Ao didn’t expect the atmosphere to suddenly become like this. Shen Zhibing’s reaction caught him off guard.

“Xiao Bing, don’t misunderstand. I wanted to see you because I missed you. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, we should get together.”

“Is that so? Well, I didn’t feel it, but thank you for the dinner anyway. I have other things to attend to, so I’m leaving now.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t even give Lian Ao a chance to drive her home. Sitting in the car, watching the familiar place grow distant behind her, her heart felt like it had been torn open.

“To the suburban villa.” She had planned to go back to Yunlu Garden, but Shen Zhibing suddenly didn’t want to be alone.

Aunt Xin had mentioned that Qi Zheng had been staying overnight at the villa during her training.

She suddenly wanted to see Qi Zheng.

Upon arriving at the suburban villa, Shen Zhibing found Qi Zheng in the kitchen.

“What is she doing?” Cooking was not one of the training courses Shen Zhibing had selected for her.

Aunt Xin explained: “Miss Qi finished her training early today and said she wanted to help make a late-night snack.”

“Finished early?” Shen Zhibing handed her coat and briefcase to a servant. She had been too busy with company matters lately to inquire about Qi Zheng’s situation.

“Miss Qi is a very fast learner; she’s one of those who over-delivers.” Aunt Xin was afraid Shen Zhibing might misunderstand Qi Zheng was slacking off, which would be bad.

Qi Zheng had been staying at the villa recently, and her relationship with them was becoming more harmonious. Aunt Xin also hoped that Shen Zhibing and Miss Qi’s relationship could improve, at least so that Shen Zhibing wouldn’t give her a cold face every time they met.

Qi Zheng came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of lotus seed soup: “President Shen, you’re here? Try this.”

Qi Zheng’s eyebrows were relaxed, her expression was natural, and her tone held no deliberate flattery or eagerness, nor any testing or scrutiny. It was just an ordinary greeting, which made Shen Zhibing’s tense nerves from the whole day suddenly relax.

The fish fillet earlier tasted good, but it was still a bit greasy. Afterwards, she had a conflict with Lian Ao, and her emotions affected her digestion; her stomach wasn’t feeling well right now.

The lotus seed soup was warm, sweet, and moderately soft. Shen Zhibing ate it slowly and grew to like the texture.

“President Shen, you look very tired. You should take care of your health.”

It was rare for Shen Zhibing not to find fault the moment she arrived; she was silent most of the time. Qi Zheng was not someone who held grudges. If Shen Zhibing didn’t make things difficult for her, she naturally wouldn’t proactively cause trouble.

“Company matters have been plentiful recently. How is your training progress?”

Qi Zheng had a love-hate relationship with the training Shen Zhibing arranged for her. She hated that President Shen arranged these things without consulting her, but the training content was indeed useful, and Qi Zheng was studying very seriously.

After hearing Qi Zheng’s reply, Shen Zhibing nodded in satisfaction: “Then you must hurry up so you won’t be too passive when you enter the company.”

“Enter the company?” Qi Zheng wondered, was Shen Zhibing really going to bring her into the Shen Group?

“I will fulfill the conditions in the contract.”

Qi Zheng felt a little worried. She didn’t want to get further entangled with Shen Zhibing. What if the contract was successfully terminated in the future, but President Shen was still her boss? Could anything be more frustrating than that?

“You don’t want to go to the Shen Group?”

Qi Zheng admitted frankly: “The Shen Group headquarters does not recruit undergraduate fresh graduates. I don’t want to be an exception.”

A company this big making an exception for her would likely lead to her being completely scrutinized before she even reported for duty. Qi Zheng didn’t want to become the focus of discussion, and even less did she want to be seen as someone who got in through the back door.

“The headquarters doesn’t recruit, but you can go to other subsidiaries. The real estate company has a project recently. If you can pass the assessment, you can go and learn the business.”

“Is it about Yongfeng?”

Shen Zhibing was surprised and raised an eyebrow: “You know about Yongfeng too?”

This matter was often reported in the financial news; anyone with an interest would know.

“Yongfeng Company’s development has had its ups and downs, and its stock has been a rollercoaster several times. Many people are paying attention.”

Shen Zhibing was not fooled by this explanation. She folded her arms and watched Qi Zheng for a moment, then slowly said: “Qi Zheng, have you been paying attention to the Shen Group for a long time?”