Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 40

Since the news of Lian Ao and Lin Muyun’s engagement broke, the shock and surprise in the socialite circle gradually faded, slowly turning into well wishes. Lian Ao didn’t show much reaction; he was still much the same as in the past. Lin Muyun tried on the gown that was just rushed to completion, turning twice in front of the mirror.

Their engagement banquet was next week. Although the time was a bit tight from the official announcement to the ceremony, having money meant there was no fear of not finding a perfect solution. The rush-order gown was ready, the banquet hall at the five-star hotel that had been fully booked was now available, and even some guests who originally couldn’t spare the time had agreed to attend.

It was predictable that this would be an engagement ceremony that would shake Haicheng’s high society, except that the protagonists were not in love. Because of the engagement, Lian Ao and Shen Zhibing officially fell into a cold war. Several of his attempts to show goodwill were coldly rejected by Shen Zhibing. Lian Ao’s pride surfaced, and he simply cooled down as well.

The number of times he had lowered his stance so much in these years was very few. In his opinion, Shen Zhibing was being a little insensible by not even giving him a chance to explain.

He had just finished a meeting, and the group of board members was still harping on the failure of the Yongfeng project. If the marriage alliance with the Lin family hadn’t been finalized, he might not even be able to stay comfortably on the board.

Lin Muyun called Lian Ao: “I went to try on the gown today. Why didn’t you come?”

Her tone was flat, not sounding unhappy, just like casually asking a neighbor why they weren’t seen throwing out the trash yesterday.

“I had a board meeting today, no time.”

“No matter how busy you are, you still have to keep up appearances. My mother asked me today, saying you didn’t seem to care about the engagement at all.”

Lian Ao felt a little irritated. He was never interested in these formalities, and he was being forced to compromise, so how could they expect him to personally supervise every detail?

“Then help me explain it to your aunt.”

“I’ve already said it. As for whether she believes it, I can’t decide.”

Shituan recently had a major project about to launch, and its liquid capital wasn’t entirely sufficient. Marrying into the Lin family was partly to strengthen their power and partly to get the Lin family’s guarantee when applying for a banking syndicate loan.

“I know, I’ll go next time.”

Lin Muyun looked at her freshly manicured nails and laughed: “Next time? Next time will be our engagement rehearsal. If you don’t show up, are you really planning to go up there and blunder on the day?”

An engagement needs a rehearsal? Lian Ao frowned, he really didn’t know much about these things.

“I don’t understand these. You arrange it. Just let me know in advance when the time comes.”

Lin Muyun heard his irritation and stopped teasing him, speaking seriously: “I’m not deliberately making things difficult for you. If you want the Lin family’s help, you should at least let them believe you genuinely want to marry me.”

Otherwise, what was the meaning of the marriage alliance?

Lian Ao sighed: “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Lin Muyun added, “Did you hear? Shen Zhibing moved Qi Zheng to her secretary’s office; it’s like having her follow closely.”

“Is that so?” No wonder there hasn’t been much news from the real estate company lately; so Qi Zheng went to the headquarters.

“I’ve seen her twice since I returned to the country. She has indeed changed, to the point where I almost don’t recognize her.” Lin Muyun’s tone was somewhat melancholic, as if she only showed some genuine emotion when talking about Qi Zheng.

“Even you say she’s changed, which shows this person is indeed not simple.”

“But I think she’s more charming and more interesting now.”

Lian Ao heard a deeper meaning and probed: “You haven’t given up, have you?”

Lin Muyun curved her lips: “I don’t want to lie to you. I am indeed still interested in her, and my interest is greater after meeting her. But don’t worry, whether as a fiancée or a wife, I will play my role well and won’t embarrass your Lian family.”

The implication was, what I do privately, don’t interfere.

Lian Ao also wanted to find out about Qi Zheng, and Lin Muyun was a good channel for information. But Lin Muyun was playful. If she still got entangled with Qi Zheng after marriage, it would be bad for both families if the news got out.

“I won’t stop you from playing, but don’t cross the line, or our agreement can be canceled at any time.” Lian Ao made a concession. He didn’t care who Lin Muyun was thinking of, as long as it didn’t affect his reputation.

Besides, he genuinely wanted to know Qi Zheng’s background. This person’s existence was the real threat to him.

Eric went to the golf course, the regular meeting spot with Shen Zhibing, as promised. He looked tanned from his trip and was in good spirits.

“General Manager Shen’s golf skills have improved again. Congratulations.”

Shen Zhibing had just completed a hole-in-one when she heard applause behind her. She handed the club to the caddie and got into the cart.

“Get in, I have something to tell you.”

Wearing sunglasses, Eric’s roguish smile made him seem even more out of place with Shen Zhibing.

“I heard from Yunfei that you want me to investigate a college graduate?”

Eric didn’t only work for money; the reason he had been helping Shen Zhibing for years was because she had saved him abroad years ago.

“Yes, she’s working by my side now.”

Eric looked at the slowly receding scenery on both sides: “You need me to investigate an employee’s background? Is Shen’s HR department going to be disbanded?”

Shen Zhibing surprisingly didn’t get angry: “She’s also living in my villa.”

Eric exclaimed, “This job comes with accommodation?”

Shen Zhibing finally said in a deep voice: “Eric.”

“Alright, alright, no more jokes. What aspects do you want me to check?”

“Everything.”

“A college graduate, how much is there to check? I believe her personnel file already contains half of it. I can look for the other half that’s not in the file.”

“Also, investigate her relationship history.”

Eric looked at Shen Zhibing in surprise: “General Manager Shen, are you even managing this?”

Shen Zhibing had always only cared about Lian Ao. Other people’s love lives were none of her concern. Even when Lian Ao was constantly involved in various scandals, Shen Zhibing never proactively investigated the backgrounds of those women.

It was truly rare for her to proactively investigate an employee’s past relationships.

“Fine, give me half a month.”

“As soon as possible.”

The engagement day was approaching. There were no major business engagements during this time, and Shen Zhibing and Lian Ao hadn’t even met from afar. The two were like parallel lines, with no intersection.

The Yongfeng project was taken by Shen’s, and they had defeated the highly competitive Shituan beforehand. This finally silenced those who had previously questioned Shen Zhibing’s favoritism towards the real estate company.

There were some adjustments to the heads of the branch companies after the mid-year meeting. Although her second uncle’s people weren’t completely moved out, there was progress nonetheless. Shen Zhibing’s career was getting smoother and smoother. Occasionally, she would smile bitterly, thinking that being unlucky in love and lucky in business might be true.

Qi Zheng knocked and walked in. She was gradually getting the hang of things, and Yunfei had started to entrust her with some simple tasks entirely. Her completion rate was good several times.

“General Manager Shen, there’s a problem with this data. I’d like you to take a look.”

Shen Zhibing took the report and saw a few circles drawn on it by Qi Zheng.

This was a procurement contract for Huatian Water Conservancy. Because the equipment had reached its service limit and needed a large-scale update, it was a huge procurement contract.

“Tell me your opinion.”

Qi Zheng pointed to the areas she circled: “The procurement price is incorrect.”

Shen Zhibing had seen this contract before and had some impression.

“It’s increased a lot compared to previous years?”

“No, it’s been suppressed.”

Large-scale centralized procurement indeed allows for some negotiation. Plus, with many companies competing in the last two years, there was no shortage of companies that would want to connect with an enterprise like Huatian Water Conservancy, even if it meant losing money.

Shen Zhibing was prepared to make only a small profit on this deal, so she hadn’t set a clear requirement for profit growth.

“Secretary Yun also explained to me that the unit price for bulk transaction procurement can be lower than the normal market price, and the price in the contract is indeed not outrageous.”

Shen Zhibing looked at her again. Since Qi Zheng knew all this, what was the problem she was referring to?

“But this contract has many hidden fees, various itemized costs.”

Fees? Shen Zhibing listened and seriously read the document again. This time, she also saw the problem.

The several data points Qi Zheng circled were scattered. The newly added fee items were listed under different content categories, and they didn’t look special at first glance.

However, if these fees were singled out, it would be found that many of them were redundant or simply meaningless.

Someone had tampered with the contract, setting up false entries to extract funds.

“You break down this contract again and clearly list all the fees. If you don’t have previous contracts, ask Yunfei for them.”

Qi Zheng had actually started doing this, but with Shen Zhibing’s support, she certainly had more convenience in accessing resources.

After she went out, she told Yunfei about it. Yunfei also took it seriously, reviewed the document, and indeed found something unusual.

“I’ll give you temporary access. You can view the files you need in the shared database. But keep this quiet for now. Talk after the data is clear.”

Yunfei was busy with another time-sensitive project recently, so she let Qi Zheng handle the contract matter independently.

Shen Zhibing received the engagement banquet invitation from Shituan. Lian Ao’s and Lin Muyun’s names were tightly next to each other, burning her eyes.

She had been working late these two days. She had thrown the invitation into her drawer, unwilling to look at it, but it constantly lingered in her mind.

“General Manager Shen, will you attend the engagement banquet the day after tomorrow?” Yunfei came to confirm Shen Zhibing’s schedule. Although she knew it would stimulate the General Manager, she had to ask.

Shen Zhibing was silent for a long time, but finally said firmly: “Go.”

Yunfei looked at the General Manager’s lonely face, unable to say anything more, and silently turned away.

“Call Qi Zheng in.”

As soon as Qi Zheng entered the office, she saw Shen Zhibing standing with her arms crossed by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking outside, lost in thought.

“General Manager Shen, you called for me?”

Shen Zhibing slowly turned around and looked at her deeply: “The night after tomorrow, you’ll accompany me somewhere.”

The day after tomorrow? Qi Zheng thought for a moment. It must be Lian Ao’s engagement banquet. Everyone had been discussing it recently, but no one dared to do it in front of the General Manager.

“Get yourself ready, don’t let me lose face.”

Get ready? I look fine, thought Qi Zheng, looking down at herself. A decent professional suit, a tall figure, clear skin—she was already much more energetic than when she was in school.

“Find a professional image consultant and make yourself look more mature.”

Mature? No matter how mature she was at this age, she couldn’t look that mature. The General Manager’s request was a bit demanding.

Shen Zhibing was somewhat annoyed. If she was absent from the engagement banquet, it would be tantamount to declaring that the rumors about her and Lian Ao over the years were likely true, and it would also make Lian Ao and Lin Muyun laugh at her.

But if she went alone, she honestly wasn’t sure if she could hold up.

Seeing Qi Zheng still stunned there, Shen Zhibing was a little displeased: “If you don’t understand this, let Aunt Xin help you.”

Thinking of the devil training courses Aunt Xin had previously arranged, Qi Zheng repeatedly waved her hands: “I’ll handle it myself.”

But she had to remind the General Manager: “General Manager Shen, deliberately pretending to be mature or young against natural laws will be very jarring.”

Shen Zhibing was confused by her words, which ironically made her less sorrowful.

“I just want you to be a little more mature so you won’t look too out of place walking with me. I didn’t say I want you to suddenly age.”

Qi Zheng smiled awkwardly: “I’ll do my best.”

As Qi Zheng left the office, she thought, it’s a good thing General Manager Shen didn’t insist on her dressing according to Lian Ao’s style, as the original plot dictated; that would be truly jarring.

She wasn’t very skilled in this area, but Jiang Youyou was quite knowledgeable. When Qi Zheng called to ask her out for dinner, Jiang Youyou readily agreed.

After dinner, the two went shopping. Jiang Youyou was very familiar with the new products each season, constantly introducing and recommending them to Qi Zheng, which gave her a headache.

“It’s a rare opportunity for you to accompany the big boss to a social event, so you certainly can’t be casual. Leave this to me.”