Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 26

The moment Lian Ao appeared, he immediately drew the attention of most of the young women present, especially the socialites who had come specifically for him. Even CEO Le’s wife quietly joked with her husband: “You invited Young Master Lian over today; you’re definitely going to steal our son’s spotlight.”

CEO Le first smiled and reassured her: “Haoran is still too green; how can he compare with Young Master Lian?” He then sighed, a bit helplessly, “It’s not that I truly wanted to invite him, but given the current situation, it’s difficult for me whether he comes or not.”

Shiqun has been watching closely recently, offering terms that are more generous each time. Now they’ve almost reached a point where Shiqun is willing to agree to anything as long as Yongfeng says yes. This, conversely, made the seasoned businessman CEO Le feel that something was amiss. Compared to the slow pace of the Shen Shi side, which only made targeted improvements each time, Shiqun seemed more intent on winning simply to prove a point.

Nevertheless, appearances must be maintained. CEO Le reminded his son to be perceptive later and walked toward Lian Ao first.

Lian Jie had accompanied Lian Ao this time.

“It’s a great honor to have the two young masters of Shiqun grace us with their presence.”

“CEO Le, you’re too kind. How could we miss such an important occasion today?” Lian Ao pulled his younger brother, who was standing beside him, slightly forward. “I brought Lian Jie along to join the fun. I hope you don’t mind, CEO Le?”

“Not at all, I’m delighted you could come.”

After the pleasantries, CEO Le went to socialize with other guests. His youngest son had gone abroad for high school, so although it was called a birthday banquet today, almost all the guests were there for CEO Le’s sake.

Lian Jie glanced around and whispered, “Brother, CEO Shen is over there.”

Lian Ao knew Shen Zhibing would definitely be here today. He hadn’t been able to find her recently, so he planned to take this opportunity to talk to her properly, to at least prevent her from continuing to misunderstand.

Lian Ao pretended to glance casually in Shen Zhibing’s direction, his gaze not lingering for too long. He seemingly casually took a sip of his wine, but his brow furrowed slightly—who was that person standing next to Shen Zhibing?

Anyone who could stand so close to Shen Zhibing and linger for so long was certainly not just someone making idle chat. Yet, apart from Yun Fei, Shen Zhibing almost never brought any female to these kinds of events.

The female voice he had heard on the phone suddenly rang out, and Lian Ao guessed that was the person. Thinking this, he tried to seize the chance to scrutinize Qi Zheng a bit more, but Shen Zhibing and her companion had already moved to a different spot.

Wu Qin and her group had somehow gathered around, first chatting happily with Lian Jie, but their eyes were fixed on Lian Ao.

“Young Master Lian has been back for so long, yet we haven’t seen him attend many high society events. CEO Le must have great influence,” Wu Qin, who was never very articulate, said. If she hadn’t been lucky enough to be born into a good family, her life would likely be difficult.

Although Lian Ao didn’t have much affection for these socialites, to maintain his usual demeanor and image, he still gave a very gentlemanly response. Wu Qin’s eyes sparkled, but she dared not show a more exaggerated reaction.

Lian Jie coughed twice to ease the awkwardness. He was well aware of his brother’s popularity in elite circles. It was just that these girls would soon be heartbroken, as the partner designated for his elder brother wouldn’t be any of them.

Wu Qin resented being overshadowed by Shen Zhibing’s aura last time. She hadn’t found a chance to have a direct ‘battle’ with her today, so she wanted to provoke Shen Zhibing by using Lian Ao. Although Lian Ao and Shen Zhibing were extremely careful in their interactions, there were still rumors that their relationship was far from simple.

Whether it was true or not, she would test it out today.

Wu Qin wasn’t the only one who was curious; Jian Annie was too, but she wasn’t foolish enough to get involved herself. Fortunately, Wu Qin was brainless and competitive, making her the perfect person to carry this out.

Seeing Lian Ao arrive, Shen Zhibing felt a wave of irritation, with little joy and no desire for contact. Since their falling out that night at the old spot, she had been unwilling to communicate with Lian Ao or even contemplate how to handle their relationship.

When Lian Ao was in the UK, although they were far apart and had a time difference, there was at least a sense of connection, and they could exchange mutual care and concern during brief calls.

But now, when she saw Lian Ao, all she could think of was naked competition, which could even be called betrayal.

Anyone from Shiqun could openly compete with Shen Shi, but Lian Ao could not. Shen Zhibing could neither forgive nor let go.

Seeing her looking glum, Qi Zheng naturally knew why. She had no intention of participating in this dramatic, angsty entanglement, but when she thought of the plot description for tonight in the book, she wanted to leave even more urgently than Shen Zhibing.

Since Shen Zhibing wanted to avoid Lian Ao, Qi Zheng immediately followed her closely. The two walked in sync out of the banquet hall to the small garden outside.

Apart from a lingering trace of heat in the air, the summer night wasn’t too unbearable.

Shen Zhibing’s high heels stepped slowly on the soft grass. She seemed suddenly weighed down with worry and remained silent. Qi Zheng walked beside her, the silence between them being harmonious at this moment.

“Qi Zheng, what do you think of me as a person?”

Qi Zheng didn’t understand why Shen Zhibing suddenly asked this. She thought for a moment and answered truthfully: “You’re very capable, but your temper is a bit bad.”

She used the word ‘bad’. No one had ever said that to Shen Zhibing’s face.

Seeing Shen Zhibing look at her with deep eyes, Qi Zheng shrugged helplessly: “I don’t want to lie to you; you haven’t exactly been nice to me.”

Surprisingly, Shen Zhibing didn’t get angry.

She withdrew her gaze, pondered for a moment alone, and then murmured, “At least you’re willing to tell me the truth.”

Her tone made it hard to tell if she was pleased or displeased. Qi Zheng pouted, wondering how she could find a chance to slip away early. Lian Ao had arrived, and she didn’t want to be caught in the middle as a tool.

However, not everything could go as she wished. Just now, she heard Lian Ao’s voice.

She and Shen Zhibing stopped walking, and Lian Ao was standing right where they had just passed.

“CEO Shen, I’m very happy to see you here tonight. Do you have some time?” Lian Ao slowly walked over, still perfectly gentlemanly.

If she didn’t know the plot, Qi Zheng probably wouldn’t be able to tell what kind of love-hate entanglement these two shared.

What a show they were putting on. Qi Zheng suddenly felt a little sympathy for Shen Zhibing.

But thinking of CEO Shen’s characteristic of going ‘brain-dead’ for love, she felt a headache and was conflicted, unsure whether to intervene or to leave.

Shen Zhibing stood still, watching Lian Ao approach step by step.

“What does Mr. Lian want to discuss with me?” Shen Zhibing also spoke in a formal, business-like tone, as if they had only ever crossed paths in the business world.

Lian Ao thought that Shen Zhibing was deliberately keeping her distance because Qi Zheng was next to her. So, he continued with the topic: “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you about the Yongfeng project and CEO Le.”

Tonight, CEO Le was the host, and it was reasonable for the executives of the two large companies to discuss the Yongfeng matter; it wasn’t the first time the topic had been mentioned tonight. Lian Ao believed his reason was flawless and waited with a confident smile for Shen Zhibing to dismiss Qi Zheng.

However, Shen Zhibing replied: “I’m sorry, we are here for a birthday banquet tonight, not to discuss business.”

Lian Ao’s smile froze on his lips, but he was tall and carried a natural air of authority. An undercurrent surged between the two, and the atmosphere was clearly about to turn sour. Qi Zheng tactfully offered to excuse herself: “How about I head back to the banquet hall first, CEO Shen?”

Qi Zheng truly wanted to leave quickly. She didn’t want to watch a live broadcast of a dramatic, angsty romance scene; she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from yelling at them. As a rational and clear-headed person, she genuinely couldn’t agree with the ‘brain-dead for love’ mentality, no matter how rich or beautiful the person was.

Just like CEO Shen—beautiful, wealthy, and capable. As long as she remained ‘brain-dead’ for love, Qi Zheng would not have a good opinion of her.

Lian Ao gave Qi Zheng a grateful smile, though there wasn’t much sincerity in his eyes. Qi Zheng politely nodded back, ready to walk away. Unexpectedly, Shen Zhibing suddenly grabbed her wrist, which landed right over the bracelet, causing a sharp pressure.

“You don’t have to leave first, we’ll go back together.”

Lian Ao’s last trace of a smile vanished. Now he was finally certain that Shen Zhibing’s recent avoidance was more than just a simple misunderstanding.

If they were in a private place right now, Lian Ao would certainly use his old trick, step forward and hold her, soothing and coaxing her with a warm embrace and gentle words. But now, he couldn’t.

“CEO Shen, give me a chance!” He lowered his voice and emphasized his words, hoping Shen Zhibing would understand his meaning.

Even Qi Zheng understood, so how could Shen Zhibing not have gotten the message? But she simply didn’t want to keep yielding to Lian Ao on every matter. She pulled Qi Zheng and started walking back the way they came, toward the banquet hall.

It was already difficult to walk on the lawn in high heels, yet she walked very quickly, forcing her to lean slightly on Qi Zheng.

“Don’t stop, keep going.” Shen Zhibing stubbornly maintained her aloof posture, refusing to give Lian Ao a chance to explain.

In her view, there was nothing to explain about the Yongfeng matter. Lian Ao had deceived her, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that was the fact.

Lian Ao stood on the lawn for a moment, highly frustrated. He had never expected Shen Zhibing to take this attitude. They had known each other for many years, and Shen Zhibing’s outbursts were usually minor emotional episodes. This time, it felt almost like a complete break, which made Lian Ao feel uneasy.

Lian Jie came out of the banquet hall to find him and saw him standing there moodily smoking a cigarette.

“Brother, the birthday banquet is starting. Everyone is waiting for you.”

Lian Ao extinguished the cigarette, adjusted his emotions, and returned to the banquet hall with Lian Jie. He consciously looked for Shen Zhibing and saw her and Qi Zheng standing even closer together.

“Who is that person next to CEO Shen?”

Lian Jie had inquired earlier: “They say she’s an employee of Shen Shi, currently working in the real estate project team, probably here to network with CEO Le.”

Wu Qin, who had been clinging to Lian Jie all evening just to be close to Lian Ao, was standing right behind Lian Ao now.

Wu Qin sneered: “I’m afraid her identity is more than just that.”

The two Lian brothers turned back to look at her. Wu Qin looked up at the tall, handsome Lian Ao, her heart pounding. She blurted out everything she knew: “She used to be with Lin Muyun; they were very close. I don’t know what happened, but now she’s become CEO Shen’s person.”

Wu Qin put particular emphasis on the four words ‘CEO Shen’s person,’ laced with ambiguous meaning.

Sure enough, Lian Ao frowned, glanced at Shen Zhibing’s location, and asked, “Who exactly is she?”

Wu Qin looked calm, but her heart was already cheering. “Qi Zheng, I remember that name. She’s a student from Haida University.”

Just graduated? Lian Ao was a little surprised that such a person could be by Shen Zhibing’s side. Furthermore, just now, Xiaobing, who always kept her distance from people, had pulled her hand without hesitation.

Lian Ao’s thoughts were a little confused, so much so that he didn’t hear what Wu Qin said next until Lian Jie called him twice, bringing him back to attention.

“Brother, Wu Qin just asked if we had any news to announce regarding the Lin family?”

This was already a very restrained way of putting it. Lian Jie had already read the full implication in Wu Qin’s gossipy eyes. But his brother had forbidden him from speaking carelessly about this matter, so he didn’t dare discuss it freely.

Lian Ao had never actually agreed to the family’s arranged marriage, only saying he would decide after Lin Muyun returned to the country. He hadn’t paid much attention to Lin Muyun before and hadn’t known that Qi Zheng was connected to her.

If she was interested in Qi Zheng, she might not agree to the arranged marriage. Lian Ao felt it necessary to investigate the background of this ‘Qi Zheng’.

Shen Zhibing stayed with Qi Zheng all evening, never letting her leave, even when people came up to exchange greetings. Lian Ao’s gaze always drifted over from not far away, seemingly unintentionally, but Shen Zhibing ignored him completely, showing no reaction.

Qi Zheng watched with a cold eye, finding their behavior quite childish, but at least she wasn’t being provoked, which was much better than she had expected.