Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 25

Shen Zhibing barely managed to drink a couple of sips, still looking unwell. Qi Zheng had seen her with stomach pain before, but today it seemed particularly severe.

“Should I ask the kitchen to make some porridge?”

Shen Zhibing shook her head. Sweat started to bead on her forehead, and her voice was weak: “No appetite. I won’t eat.”

Qi Zheng pulled Shen Zhibing toward her. Only then did she clearly see that the spot Ms. Shen was pressing wasn’t her stomach.

“Period?”

Shen Zhibing nodded with effort, her brows already tightly knitted.

“Go lie down first. I’ll get painkillers.”

That pain, the one that comes with a period, only women truly understood. Qi Zheng didn’t know if Shen Zhibing was prone to menstrual cramps, but seeing her in such unbearable agony, she figured it wasn’t a common occurrence.

Shen Zhibing was still concerned about the pile of documents, but Qi Zheng firmly pressed her onto the bed.

“How much can you possibly read when you’re like this! You’re a businesswoman; you must understand time cost. It’s more worthwhile for you to use this time to sleep and recover than to stubbornly endure it with zero efficiency!”

Shen Zhibing was too weak to argue. The recent overwork, combined with several recent social events where she had consumed cold food and alcohol, led to this devastating level of pain.

Qi Zheng went downstairs and asked Aunt Xin for a hot water bottle. Back in the room, she tucked it into Shen Zhibing’s hands and then turned up the air conditioning. Now, Shen Zhibing started to feel a bit warm.

“Either you’re hot or you’re in pain; pick one.”

Shen Zhibing gave Qi Zheng a listless look and chose to hug the hot water bottle and sleep.

As the painkiller started to take effect, Shen Zhibing drifted into a hazy sleep. Qi Zheng gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue. Turning back, she saw the desk completely covered with documents and walked over.

Although she often discussed the Yongfeng project with Shen Zhibing lately, the documents Shen Zhibing brought home weren’t all about Yongfeng. She had no interest in the other commercial secrets of the Shen Corporation.

After organizing the documents for Shen Zhibing, Qi Zheng watched her for a while before returning to her own room.

The Meeting

The next day, as usual, the real estate project team went to the headquarters to report to Ms. Shen. Qi Zheng was called away early by a phone call from Dong Xiao, saying they needed to make some last-minute data changes, so the whole team went in early.

Shen Zhibing’s complexion was slightly better but still lacked color. When she wore her professional suit, she appeared even more aloof and serious than when she was in homewear at the villa, especially in the cold, air-conditioned conference room, making her seem even more unapproachable.

Qi Zheng was no longer the one sitting in the corner, merely observing. After participating in several meetings, she was now occasionally singled out by Ms. Shen for questions, and sometimes even received pleading looks from other team members.

She was now increasingly resembling a true member of the project team.

Shen Zhibing had just taken her seat. Yun Fei went to fetch some supplementary materials she suddenly requested, and the meeting had not officially begun. While the rest of the project team was making final checks for their report, Qi Zheng suddenly stood up.

Her movement immediately made her the focus of the entire room; even Shen Zhibing looked at her. Dong Xiao, sitting next to her, was momentarily distracted and couldn’t grab her in time.

Qi Zheng walked directly to the wall and turned up the temperature of the central air conditioning, setting the fan speed to automatic so that almost no directional breeze could be felt. Only then did she turn back and smile at everyone: “I’m a little cold.”

Everyone was already wearing business suits. After she adjusted the temperature, the conference room became a bit warmer, but not to the point where they needed to take off their jackets; it simply lowered the comfort level slightly compared to before.

Shen Zhibing took a sip of hot water and gave Qi Zheng a deep look. She recalled Qi Zheng’s actions when she adjusted the room temperature last night and felt a slight stirring of emotion.

Yun Fei returned and distributed the documents to everyone as requested by Shen Zhibing.

“This is the latest data. Take a look.”

This was what Shen Zhibing and Qi Zheng were still discussing last night. To have it ready this morning showed Shen Zhibing’s incredible efficiency.

“It seems Yongfeng is very likely to be held by a nominee. Does that mean that Mr. Le is also involved?”

If that were the case, would Mr. Le still have the final say over the Yongfeng plot of land?

Shen Zhibing and Qi Zheng had noticed issues from Yongfeng’s transaction history over the years and then used Shen Corporation’s resources to investigate, naturally finding things that ordinary people couldn’t see.

“As long as Mr. Le doesn’t withdraw, Yongfeng is still under his control. Continue to follow up, and at the same time, keep an eye on the movements of Shiqun.”

The Shiqun matter was a source of distress for Shen Zhibing, yet one she couldn’t ignore. These past few days, she completely ignored Lian Ao’s calls and barely replied to his messages. The Yongfeng incident further deepened Shen Zhibing’s disappointment in Lian Ao. Their already precarious relationship seemed to have reached the edge of a cliff.

After the meeting adjourned, Qi Zheng was asked to stay behind by Shen Zhibing.

“I have a few more things to ask Qi Zheng. The rest of you can head back.”

After dismissing the project team, Qi Zheng was led into Shen Zhibing’s office. She was surprised to find that Ms. Shen’s office contained green plants, making it more lively than her room in the villa.

“Tonight, you’ll accompany me to Mr. Le’s youngest son’s birthday banquet.”

“Me?”

Shen Zhibing was tidying up her things, looking like she planned to go back with Qi Zheng.

“You wanted to study Mr. Le, didn’t you? Tonight is a good opportunity.”

Qi Zheng didn’t think so. She remembered that tonight’s birthday banquet was a significant scene in the original book. The original owner, as a substitute tool, was brought along by Shen Zhibing. Ms. Shen allowed others to gossip and point fingers at Qi Zheng’s identity behind her back but never spoke up to defend her until Lian Ao appeared.

The original owner only gained a sense of existence when Lian Ao showed up, as Shen Zhibing used her to provoke him. Since Lian Ao couldn’t vent his anger at Shen Zhibing, the resentment naturally fell on the original owner.

Offending both sides, such a banquet was truly like sitting on a bed of needles, feeling like a year was passing with every moment.

Qi Zheng really wanted to refuse and tried hard to find a reason. By the time Shen Zhibing had her bag ready, she still hadn’t found a suitable excuse.

“Ms. Shen, it might not be appropriate for me to accompany you to such an event. If others ask about my identity…”

Shen Zhibing paused, then said dismissively, “You are an employee of the Shen Corporation and work in the real estate project team. It’s perfectly justifiable to get to know Mr. Le. What is there to worry about?”

Huh? Had Ms. Shen somehow changed her tune?

Qi Zheng remained standing where she was. Shen Zhibing, being in a hurry, turned to urge her: “You’ll have many such social engagements in the future. You need to adapt quickly.”

The Birthday Banquet

Mr. Le’s youngest son had just graduated from university abroad this year, and the family was hosting a grand birthday banquet for him. The recent Yongfeng matter made Mr. Le a focal point in the industry, and since he was usually hard to get a meeting with, everyone took this opportunity to try and talk to him.

Jian Anni, having achieved some success in the media industry, had common ground with Mr. Le’s youngest son’s field of study and had legitimately received an invitation. As for Wu Qin and her sister group, they were still playing the role of wealthy second-generation hangers-on, tagging along with their fathers or elder brothers to join the fun.

To them, Mr. Le’s youngest son wasn’t important; what mattered was that Lian Ao would be there tonight.

Shen Zhibing took Qi Zheng back to the suburban villa to freshen up and selected a fitted suit for her from the clothes prepared by Aunt Xin. Qi Zheng was already tall, and it would have been a waste not to wear a suit or a small formal dress with that figure.

When they arrived, Mr. Le was at the door to welcome them. Although Mr. Le had been avoiding Shen Zhibing regarding the land plot, he absolutely could not slight her tonight.

“Ms. Shen, you’ve taken time out of your busy schedule to come. I thank you on behalf of my son.”

“You’re too kind, Mr. Le.”

Shen Zhibing led Qi Zheng into the banquet hall. Jian Anni, with her sharp eyes, spotted them immediately. Following her subtle hint, Wu Qin and the others looked over.

“Shen Zhibing is truly enviable. Not only is she an heiress, but she’s also so beautiful. If I had her looks, I’d be willing to be a little poorer.”

Wu Qin countered, laughing, “Don’t brag. What good is being beautiful without money? You wouldn’t even be able to dress up. Do you think her beauty doesn’t need other things to enhance it?”

The implication was that Shen Zhibing’s expensive custom-made gown played a significant role.

“You don’t understand. In today’s society, as long as you’re beautiful enough, you’ll eventually make money.”

The group chatted in low voices, but Jian Anni’s attention was fixed on Qi Zheng.

Seeing that she wasn’t joining the discussion, Wu Qin gently nudged her: “What are you spacing out about?”

“I keep thinking the person Shen Zhibing brought tonight looks a little familiar.”

Upon hearing Jian Anni, the others also started paying attention to Qi Zheng.

They were quite far away and couldn’t clearly see Qi Zheng’s appearance. Wu Qin looked for a long time before exclaiming quietly, “How could it be her?”

Jian Anni already had a vague impression of Qi Zheng. Seeing that Wu Qin recognized her, she eagerly wanted the answer.

Wu Qin, seeing the gossipy faces of the others, smirked proudly and lowered her voice: “Do you all remember Lin Muyun’s little shadow from before?”

With this reminder, Jian Anni immediately remembered.

Qi Zheng used to follow Lin Muyun, but Lin Muyun had never taken her to such formal events. They were only occasionally seen together at private gatherings.

But since Lin Muyun went abroad, Qi Zheng had not been seen again.

“Then how is she suddenly following Shen Zhibing? Could it be that Ms. Shen the Third also has that kind of preference?”

This group felt a mixture of envy, jealousy, and resentment towards Shen Zhibing. They envied her daily but hated her when their families criticized them for not measuring up to her. It was all her fault for setting the bar too high—who could possibly reach it!

When they heard that Shen Zhibing might have a special preference, they became more excited than if they had snagged a limited-edition handbag. They cornered Wu Qin, insisting she tell them more.

“I wasn’t close with Lin Muyun either, but once, I accidentally saw them hugging in the restroom, and Lin Muyun even kissed her cheek.”

Hiss. This definitely wasn’t just ‘socialist sisterhood.’ The inner cheering continued.

“Then do you think Shen Zhibing knows about this? I just heard she brought an employee. Is she deliberately hiring Lin Muyun’s little shadow to spite Lin Muyun?”

Wu Qin took a sip of champagne, breathing out slowly: “You probably haven’t heard that the Lin family and the Lian family are considering an alliance through marriage, just waiting for Lin Muyun to return.”

“WTF!” Lian Ao was actually going to marry Lin Muyun? The hearts of these socialite daughters were stimulated, and they temporarily put aside their discussion about Qi Zheng.

Jian Anni, however, kept staring at the two people not far away. She just felt that Qi Zheng was different from how she had seen her before.

Shen Zhibing’s condition was still not great today. Qi Zheng stayed beside her, watching her calmly exchange pleasantries with everyone who came to greet her, seemingly completely unaffected.

Finally getting a brief moment alone, Qi Zheng took the wine glass from her hand and, from an unknown place, produced the lukewarm water she had prepared beforehand.

“You should drink less alcohol today.”

Shen Zhibing smiled faintly, took the cup, and slowly began to drink. There was a commotion at the entrance. Following the sound, the familiar and complicated figure appeared.