Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 65

Qizheng learned about the selection requirements and relevant procedures for the special task force through Yunfei. Shen Zhibing had not given her any special tutoring on this matter. She occasionally asked how her preparation was going, but as the interview date approached, she stopped asking altogether.

Anyone else might feel anxious because of this, but Qizheng was the opposite. She quite liked this kind of cold treatment from President Shen. She prepared diligently, seriously strategized, and didn’t have to worry that President Shen’s “special attention” would lead people to misunderstand that she could use connections.

Anything not earned through one’s own merit felt unsettling to hold, and could be suddenly taken away at any time.

With the experience of the last internal competition, Qizheng was much calmer this time. She specifically practiced and adjusted the areas where she hadn’t performed well in the previous interview, unwilling to make the same mistakes again.

Yunfei also tried her best to guide her, but this time it was President Shen personally conducting the interviews and selection, so she wasn’t sure what specific challenges there would be.

“Xiao Qi, don’t be too nervous. You should be familiar with President Shen, which gives you an advantage over others.”

Qizheng returned a smile to Yunfei’s comforting words, but honestly, she didn’t think Shen Zhibing would treat her any differently because of this “familiarity.”

Given President Shen’s style, she might even be stricter.

Qizheng took a deep breath and reviewed her self-compiled “interview question bank” once more.

This was a comprehensive summary she put together based on the job responsibilities she understood. She listed everything she could think of and then kept adding to it, truly turning it into a question bank.

Ever since her conversation with Shen Zhibing about the atmosphere of life at the late-night snack shop, Qizheng felt it was time to slowly integrate herself into the life here. Besides work, she had to live here, and life couldn’t only be about work.

The her at work was real, but if the her in life never adjusted, she would sooner or later become two separate people.

However, having been an observer for so long, it wasn’t easy to step into the game. Fortunately, Qizheng knew the plot, so she wasn’t afraid to take the first step.

Jiang Youyou was a good person, straightforward and honest. Aside from her occasionally fiery temper and tendency to be sharp-tongued, she didn’t have many major flaws. Overall, she was a friend worth having.

The original owner, due to Lin Muyun, was relatively distant from the other people in her dorm, naturally missing the chance to deepen her friendship with Jiang Youyou.

Qizheng was generous tonight, letting Jiang Youyou pick the restaurant freely.

“Wow, did you get another bonus?”

“My regular salary is enough to treat you, don’t worry.”

Jiang Youyou gave her an expression that said “I don’t believe you,” as she opened the restaurant discount list and scrolled down.

“We shouldn’t go anywhere too far, let’s pick a place nearby. We don’t want to be full and then miss the start of the show, that would be a loss.”

It was said that the performance at Crystal Alley was more stunning and exciting at the beginning than at the end. Many people arrived early, afraid of missing the first highlight.

Qizheng saw Jiang Youyou finally settle on a creative cuisine restaurant and smiled, nodding that she liked it too.

“It’s going to be very wild tonight, so I need to eat something light, lest I throw up after jumping around a bit.”

Qizheng watched Jiang Youyou expertly download discount coupons and jot down a few of the most highly recommended dishes online. She couldn’t help but ask, “Did some amazing person join your team recently? Why do I feel like you’ve become so much more humorous?”

“I’ve always been humorous, you just didn’t understand my sense of humor.” Jiang Youyou closed her phone and looked at Qizheng again, “Now you understand quite a bit, you’ve made great progress.”

The two laughed as they walked toward the chosen restaurant. To avoid the peak queuing time, they deliberately went early, eating dinner just after five o’clock.

“I need to buy two Xiaofang cakes when we pass the bakery. I’m definitely going to get hungry later.”

“You’re the one afraid of throwing up, and also the one afraid of being hungry. Do you have two people living inside your body?”

Jiang Youyou ignored her, firmly executing her plan: “This is called being thoughtful. Besides, having two personalities is also fine, I think you have at least two.”

Qizheng was stunned, thinking that Jiang Youyou had also noticed her state.

Shen Zhibing hadn’t sent Qizheng a single message today. There was no need to mention work matters, but having spent the previous few weeks together and texting being normal, the sudden break in communication felt a bit strange.

Jiang Youyou was eating an avocado fish fillet, biting the spoon to lick the avocado paste clean. Seeing Qizheng occasionally look at the phone on the table, she asked, “Do you still have work today?”

“No.”

“Then why do you keep looking at your phone?”

Qizheng pushed the phone further away: “Did I? I was just checking the time.”

Besides, she hadn’t been looking constantly.

Jiang Youyou continued eating the paste, and Qizheng didn’t look at her phone again.

Crystal Alley chose a larger bar for tonight’s event. Although they called it a concert, it was at best a live show. But for them, who used to only sing in bars, it was a considerable step forward.

Qizheng looked at the sea of people around her and felt emotional. If the original owner were standing here tonight, she would probably be in tears, just like the people next to her.

All to witness the person she truly liked taking a step toward success.

Driven by the atmosphere around her, she also began to feel anticipation. Jiang Youyou took out the glow bracelet they received at the entrance and handed it to her: “Want to wear it?”

Qizheng lowered her head and saw the flashing silver light of the bracelet, pausing for a moment.

Jiang Youyou thought it was inconvenient for her to put it on herself, so she took the bracelet back, saying, “Here, let me help you put it on.”

Qizheng subconsciously reached out but was burned by the silver light and immediately switched to her other hand.

Jiang Youyou had seen the bracelet before and wasn’t surprised by Qizheng’s action, assuming she didn’t want to add weight to the same hand.

“That bracelet of yours is quite expensive, don’t forget to take it for regular maintenance.”

Qizheng herself would never buy such an obvious luxury item that was a rip-off. Hearing about regular maintenance, she thought of her car.

Sometimes it was indeed bothersome, and this bracelet was not practical at all compared to the car.

After a while, the lights suddenly dimmed, and then several light beams swung across the venue, sweeping over the entire crowd a few times.

This was a customary way to warm up the crowd, but the people who came tonight were unusually excited. Those few simple light beams were enough to ignite everyone’s enthusiasm.

Some people had already started whistling, and others were cheering. Qizheng couldn’t help but take two steps back.

“Tonight is definitely going to be wild. Look at those people, they look crazy.” Jiang Youyou was more excited than Qizheng but wasn’t quite dancing yet.

The show started with little talk, jumping right into two explosive songs that immediately pulled the audience’s emotions to the max. No wonder they said you couldn’t miss the start of Crystal Alley’s performance. Even Qizheng, the calm type, was tapping her feet to the rhythm.

Shen Zhibing originally wanted to rest at home but was dragged out by Yu Xinyan: “Every time you asked me out, I always made time. Today, no matter what, you have to accompany me.”

Shen Zhibing looked at the excited crowd, feeling a bit out of place: “When did you start liking this kind of music?”

“I’ve always liked it. Back when I was abroad, did I ever miss a music festival?”

Before Shen Zhibing could respond, Yu Xinyan had quickly slipped a bracelet onto her wrist and pointed, emphasizing: “Don’t take it off. If you do, you’ll feel even less connected to this place.”

The performance became increasingly exciting. Shen Zhibing didn’t usually pay attention to this kind of band, but she couldn’t deny that today was indeed a performance not to be missed. She sensed the energy of youth and wild abandon from the wildly swaying figures around her. The carefree spirit of her younger days was precious but so fleeting that she didn’t dare recall it easily.

Yu Xinyan pulled her to squeeze forward, getting closer to the stage.

“I heard there’s a special segment later.”

Shen Zhibing instinctively resisted this kind of crowd-engagement segment. Her luck was pretty good, and she often got picked in such situations.

“They say they’re going to randomly select an audience member to perform on stage. If they get everyone’s approval, the lead singer of Crystal Alley will specifically sing a song for that person.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t understand. Was it hard to get the lead singer to sing a song?

Yu Xinyan gave her a smug look that said “I knew you wouldn’t know,” and leaned closer, saying loudly, “The lead singer is incredibly badass. He doesn’t take requests or selections from the audience. It’s always ‘take it or leave it.'”

So stubborn? Shen Zhibing couldn’t help but glance at the stage again. A slender man with long hair, a blend of wildness and melancholy, certainly fit the band vibe.

This style of band was difficult to fully market, as satisfying customers was key to market success. Clearly, Crystal Alley had the talent but chose to stick to their own style. Shen Zhibing understood this but didn’t entirely agree.

At her core, she was a businesswoman. In her eyes, a product that couldn’t profit in the market had no potential.

When Shen Zhibing snapped out of it, it was already time to pick someone. They were surrounded by people. At this point, even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t, and doing so would only attract more attention, as the venue was limited in space and people.

Yu Xinyan was more excited than before. She loved this kind of excitement and shook Shen Zhibing’s arm, saying, “If they really pick you later, just go up and perform a dance. Forget about the lead singer singing for you, people might even run after your car when you leave.”

Chasing after Shen Zhibing’s taillights wasn’t unheard of. When she was studying abroad, one crazy admirer actually did that.

Naturally, he didn’t run far before being apprehended by Shen Zhibing’s bodyguards, and now Yu Xinyan still brought it up as a joke.

“Don’t get too smug. Didn’t you say recently that your bad luck was over and your good luck was starting? Maybe the lucky one will be you.”

Shen Zhibing’s words were light, but they sent a chill down Yu Xinyan’s spine.

The fast music stopped, and the light beam didn’t fall on their side. Yu Xinyan said it was a pity, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At their age, they were probably past the stage where they could confidently perform on stage.

Especially Shen Zhibing. If she were exposed under the title of Vice President of the Shen Group, the pressure from the Shen family would be immense. She had already decided that if they were “lucky” enough to be chosen, she would go up on stage instead of Shen Zhibing.

All eyes turned to where the light beam had settled. For some reason, the person was slow to come up on stage, causing a small commotion.

The host walked over, interacting with the person. Occasionally, bits and pieces of their conversation came through the microphone, likely because the person wasn’t prepared and was reluctant to go on stage.

Yu Xinyan stood on tiptoes, trying to see the situation over there, but only saw a sea of heads.

“President Shen, you’re too calm. Aren’t you curious who got selected?”

Shen Zhibing was removing the bracelet. She felt a bit itchy, perhaps it was too cheap, and the friction on her delicate skin caused a slight allergy?

“We’ll know when they get on stage. No need to rush.”

“Why aren’t you this relaxed when negotiating business?”

Yu Xinyan hadn’t forgotten the urgency from the CEO’s office whenever a project was due, acting as if a moment’s delay would cost millions.

“Business and leisure, how can they be compared?”

The host must have convinced the person with something, and the “lucky audience member” finally followed him onto the stage. The light beam followed their figures from below the stage all the way back up. Yu Xinyan and Shen Zhibing looked over simultaneously.

Yu Xinyan froze, then turned to ask the person next to her: “Are my eyes playing tricks or does she just look like her? Why does that person look so much like Qizheng?”

It took Shen Zhibing a while to retract her gaze, and she calmly replied, “It is her.”

Yu Xinyan was still a little surprised and kept sighing: “Haidong is so big, the stage is so small. Destiny is truly wondrous.”

She paused, then concluded: “But what a coincidence!”

Shen Zhibing looked toward the spot where Qizheng had been standing below the stage. The people who had been watching the commotion had largely returned to their original places, and now she could clearly see that area.

She vaguely remembered the girl. She must be Qizheng’s roommate, Jiang Youyou.