Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 63

Jiang Youyou had no intention of returning after coming out with Qi Zheng; tonight’s gathering was truly boring. If Qi Zheng left, she wouldn’t even have anyone left to talk to properly. The other two sisters in her dorm, one couldn’t make it back from abroad, and the other had an unexpected family emergency, which was a bit of a shame.

“Does your President Shen need you for something urgent? If it’s not super pressing, could you give me a ride if it’s on the way?”

“Are you leaving this early too?”

Jiang Youyou looked helpless, as if saying “You know the answer”: “Tonight was truly disappointing. It was supposed to be a class reunion, but it turned into a comparison convention or a hook-up session. So annoying!”

Jiang Youyou hated those pretentious or messy relationships the most; her mouth was almost stiff all night.

Qi Zheng smiled but didn’t say anything. She was also annoyed, otherwise, she wouldn’t have preferred to stay in a quiet corner all night. But even so, someone still targeted her.

When she and Jiang Youyou left, they only said goodbye to the organizers and a few people standing nearby. The car should be arriving soon when someone suddenly called her name and jogged over from behind.

Qi Zheng and Jiang Youyou turned around simultaneously and saw it was Lin Hang. Earlier tonight, besides proactively handing over his business card, he had also spent quite a while chatting with Qi Zheng. It started with work-related matters, but the topic gradually shifted to her personal life. Qi Zheng had managed to escape by claiming she was hungry.

Jiang Youyou secretly chuckled: “He really was keeping an eye on you. Even leaving so discreetly, you got entangled.”

Lin Hang stopped in front of them, a little nervous: “I heard from the class monitor that you two have to leave early for something?”

Qi Zheng admitted frankly with a nod: “Yes, I have some urgent matters to attend to.”

Lin Hang knew he definitely couldn’t keep her, feeling a bit disappointed. But he was in sales, and even though he’d only been working for less than half a year, his performance was already outstanding. The commission income filled his pockets, and his confidence swelled accordingly.

He magnified this disappointment several times, showing an exaggerated reluctance on his face: “What a shame. I thought I could use this reunion to have a good chat with you all.” As he spoke, he specifically looked around, and asked with concern, “It’s hard to get a taxi at this hour. How about I drive you? I closed a pretty good deal last month and got a new car.”

Qi Zheng still smiled faintly and politely declined his offer.

Jiang Youyou, however, loved to watch the drama unfold and intentionally feigned great curiosity: “Lin Hang, how long has it been since graduation, and you’ve already bought your second car? This rate of upgrading is truly fast, almost keeping up with your speed of changing girlfriends.”

Lin Hang didn’t come from a wealthy family, but he had a way with words. He’d charmed girls constantly in school, so he naturally wasn’t short of girlfriends.

When he first graduated, to make it easier to run errands and to keep up appearances, he bought a used car. Now that his income was higher, the first thing he did was quickly replace the car with a brand new one.

Lin Hang was a little embarrassed. He pulled the car key out of his pocket. Qi Zheng glanced at it—it was one of those “Ma” brands (likely referring to a brand like Mazda or something similar, suggesting a mid-range car).

“How can a car be compared to a girlfriend? I’m just worried it’s not safe for you to wait too long for a ride this late.”

After speaking, he looked at Qi Zheng, as if certain she would agree. They all start by politely refusing, saying they don’t need it, but in the end, don’t they all end up getting into a luxury car? Lin Hang felt he understood Qi Zheng, who didn’t have a good family background, quite well.

He had actually noticed Qi Zheng when they were in school, but at the time, he felt she didn’t have many resources and wouldn’t be able to help him much in the future, so his interest quickly shifted elsewhere. Later, he occasionally heard rumors that she had befriended someone wealthy, but Lin Hang was busy dating and didn’t have time to look into it seriously.

Before this reunion, he had also heard quite a few rumors about Qi Zheng in the group chat. Lin Hang wasn’t too concerned about how she “climbed the ladder,” he only cared that she was now working with Shen Zhibing. People at Shen Group headquarters were always difficult to deal with, and new sales reps like him basically had no chance to get in contact with them.

He was exceptionally attentive tonight, wanting to build a relationship with Qi Zheng, but he found her to be even more distant than she was in school.

“No need to trouble yourself. I have a car coming to pick me up. Don’t let me keep you from the party.” Qi Zheng politely ushered him away, seemingly not noticing his intention to flash the car keys.

Lin Hang moved the car key back and forth in his palm a few times, the key chain dangling from his finger: “Don’t be so polite with me. Reunions can happen anytime, but the opportunity to be of service to you is rare.”

Qi Zheng pursed her lips, her gaze shifting to the back of him; the car she was waiting for was about to arrive. Tonight was a class reunion, and Qi Zheng had intentionally not taken Uncle Yu’s car, yet she didn’t expect someone would actively offer to drive her.

Jiang Youyou had heard Qi Zheng say that someone was coming to pick her up, and it wasn’t the usual chauffeur. But going with Qi Zheng would definitely be more comfortable and relaxing than taking Lin Hang’s car, so she teased: “What ‘rare opportunity’? Don’t think that just because you graduated you can return all the knowledge you learned back to the teachers. You haven’t lived for a thousand years, not even a third of a hundred years. Salespeople just love to exaggerate.”

Lin Hang was inwardly annoyed, but he kept his smile plastered on his face. This job had added another layer of thick coating to his already thick skin.

Qi Zheng saw the car stop not far away, and after a moment, her phone rang.

“I know, I see it.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up the phone, Qi Zheng knew that if she didn’t speak clearly, Lin Hang could easily keep them there indefinitely.

“My ride is here. Thank you for your kind offer, please go back to the party.”

Lin Hang turned around, following Qi Zheng’s gaze, and immediately saw the car parked by the roadside. The car emblem was dazzling, not losing any of its luster in the night.

A Maybach… well, there was certainly no need for his ‘Ma’ car anymore. Lin Hang silently tucked the car key back into his palm, no longer showing it off.

Jiang Youyou followed Qi Zheng to the car. The window rolled down, and a face of unrealistic beauty appeared before them. She instantly inhaled sharply out of instinct.

Shen Zhibing was much better looking than what the media captured; beautiful enough to debut on the spot and it would be a crime if she wasn’t the center of attention. Jiang Youyou, who had just been relentlessly arguing with Lin Hang, couldn’t even speak now, standing dumbfounded beside Qi Zheng.

Seeing Shen Zhibing’s gaze turn towards her, Qi Zheng explained: “This is my university roommate, Jiang Youyou. She wants to hitch a ride home. I wonder if it’s convenient for you, President Shen?”

Shen Zhibing glanced at Jiang Youyou. A young, pretty, and lovely girl was nodding and smiling at her, her eyes filled with appreciation and shock.

She curled the corner of her lips slightly and said indifferently: “Get in.”

Jiang Youyou had long heard that Shen Zhibing was hard to deal with. Her brother had also mentioned that one time, he was negotiating a contract with Shen Group for a client and was utterly overwhelmed and stressed out by President Shen’s demands.

But she seemed quite nice to Qi Zheng. Jiang Youyou sat quietly in the car, not daring to stare excessively. The atmosphere in the car was a bit heavy. Shen Zhibing didn’t speak, and neither did Qi Zheng, so Jiang Youyou had no choice but to look down at her phone.

Xie Yilan texted her, asking why she left and why she hadn’t told her. Jiang Youyou clicked her tongue, thinking that this girl had studied for four years in college for nothing, her emotional intelligence hadn’t grown one bit.

After Jiang Youyou got out of the car, silence returned.

After the car drove for a while longer, Qi Zheng looked at the person next to her and asked, “President Shen, did you really want to go out for a late-night snack tonight?”

Shen Zhibing turned her face towards Qi Zheng, candid and calm: “Of course.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t have any social engagements tonight. After getting off work and returning home, she felt lonely alone, so she had originally wanted to ask Qi Zheng if her class reunion was over and if she wanted to go for a late-night snack together.

Unexpectedly, Qi Zheng was much more enthusiastic than usual, readily agreeing and even saying she would leave immediately. Shen Zhibing guessed that Qi Zheng had probably encountered something unpleasant at the reunion and wanted to escape early, so she moved up the time they had planned to meet.

“But you’re usually so busy. Why tonight…”

Shen Zhibing lightly tapped her fingertips on the armrest; she felt a little guilty about this.

Normally, she would definitely choose to put on a face mask, listen to music, or at the very least, do some yoga at home.

Following her psychiatrist’s advice, she consciously set aside a block of time each day for relaxation. But when she relaxed, she would think of Qi Zheng, and the dreams that disturbed her every few days.

She would even suddenly recall Qi Zheng’s scent, feeling that the faint fragrance could attract her even across air and distance. Since she wasn’t in the mood to do anything else, why not find an excuse to see Qi Zheng?

Shen Zhibing was wantonly indulgent in her dreams, but in reality, she was much more reserved and restrained. She knew this was a normal physiological phenomenon, but it was also undeniably linked to her occasional thoughts. She still hadn’t figured out the reason why Qi Zheng frequently appeared in her dreams, but she could no longer control her actions, wanting to be closer to her.

If she couldn’t eat it, smelling it might satisfy her craving. Shen Zhibing hadn’t realized what her next step would be, but her mood simply brightened when Qi Zheng sat next to her.

“Working too much in the past wasn’t good for my health,” Shen Zhibing looked at her meaningfully and said leisurely, “From now on, I need to balance work and rest and be responsible for my own health.”

Qi Zheng smiled upon hearing this: “It’s really great that you think that way, President Shen. Sometimes I worry that you’ll keep working and wear yourself out.”

Qi Zheng genuinely felt that Shen Zhibing was like a working machine, running non-stop, seemingly never getting tired.

If she hadn’t seen President Shen look pale, take painkillers, and still insist on working; if she hadn’t seen President Shen endure social engagements despite feeling unwell, her body starting to tremble yet still holding her back straight and maintaining perfect etiquette, she probably would have genuinely believed Shen Zhibing was a robot.

She also worried that Shen Zhibing was using work to numb herself, or even self-abuse, because of her emotional setbacks.

“Why do you look happier than me?”

“Of course! It’s a happy occasion when you take care of your body and focus on your health. President Shen, I’m happy for you.”

Qi Zheng’s smile originated from the depths of her eyes, every subtle detail reflecting her sincerity.

She was truly happy for Shen Zhibing’s return to normalcy.

Qi Zheng was speaking with a smile, her lips moving, her body shifting slightly, emitting a more pronounced fragrance. Shen Zhibing watched her from close range, her throat moving several times.

She listened to Qi Zheng’s words and murmured, “I do need to seriously consider my health.”

The psychiatrist had mentioned it, Yu Xinyan had also said it, and even she herself knew in her heart that suppressing things for too long would definitely affect her health.

Following Qi Zheng’s suggestion, the two went to a well-known late-night snack place, which was more accurately described as a small shop open all night.

“Their soy milk and youtiao (fried dough stick) are really good,” Qi Zheng began to introduce as soon as she got out of the car, afraid that Shen Zhibing might dislike the environment and turn away.

Shen Zhibing had changed into casual clothes tonight, her aura as a business strongwoman significantly weaker. She didn’t object to the place Qi Zheng suggested and readily agreed.

“Looks like you’re a night owl.”

Qi Zheng shook her head: “I’m just a bit hungry at night.”

Shen Zhibing paused in her step, as if a secret in her heart had been exposed. She looked up and scanned Qi Zheng, and only relaxed when she saw that Qi Zheng’s expression was normal and her eyes were focused straight ahead.

Pursing her lips, she followed Qi Zheng into the small shop. It was not yet ten o’clock, not the peak business hour, but there were still a few scattered customers in the shop.

“The same as in the morning?”

Shen Zhibing looked at Qi Zheng upon hearing her.

“Sweet soy milk and crispy youtiao again?”

This was Shen Zhibing’s habit when having breakfast at the villa.

“I can try something different. Give me a recommendation.”

Qi Zheng looked at the menu: “There aren’t many things here, but they all taste good. How about trying a savory shaobing (baked flatbread)?”

Shen Zhibing nodded in agreement.

This kind of shaobing used to be sold on the roadside, especially on winter nights, where they were stuck to the inside wall of a large iron jar, and taken out after a while, hot, crispy, and exceptionally fragrant.

Shen Zhibing naturally rarely ate it, and even when she did, it was specially made by the chef at home.

“What do you think?”

Shen Zhibing took a few bites and nodded: “Not bad.”

For President Shen to say “not bad,” it meant it was decent, at least satisfying to her.

Qi Zheng drank half a bowl of soy milk, her mood improving further: “There was a period when I came here almost every day.”

Shen Zhibing slowly finished the shaobing. She still wasn’t used to eating and talking at the same time. Compared to the few tables around them, they were eating very delicately.

“If you like it, you can tell Aunt Xin and have the kitchen make it regularly.”

Qi Zheng thought for a moment: “Something is always missing when it’s made at home; the taste is different.”

She looked around and realized: “It lacks a bit of the ‘smoke and fire’ of life (referring to the simple, lively atmosphere of everyday life/street food).”