Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 70

Shen Zhibing’s kiss came quickly and urgently, but was slightly more practiced and open than the last time. Qi Zheng was stunned by her sudden attack, but unlike in Hong Kong, she didn’t respond to her.

However, she also didn’t push Shen Zhibing away coldly, as she had in the past. Qi Zheng tightly pursed her lips, letting Shen Zhibing rampage between them but not giving her any opportunity to enter. After a while, Shen Zhibing grew impatient, seeming dissatisfied with Qi Zheng’s reaction.

Qi Zheng raised her hand to wrap it around her, then turned her own face away, actively ending the kiss.

Shen Zhibing was a bit annoyed, but couldn’t bring herself to utter a word of blame, only glaring at her resentfully. Yet, if one looked closely at her eyes, they would notice a faint trace of grievance deep within.

Qi Zheng hugged her, letting her rest her face against her shoulder, soothing Shen Zhibing’s emotions.

“Everything will pass, you have to believe in yourself.”

Shen Zhibing, who was still aggressive and absolutely dominant a second ago, softened in Qi Zheng’s soft words, losing her strength.

She relaxed her body, leaning completely against Qi Zheng, her cheek rubbing against her shoulder. Qi Zheng was wearing a B brand semi-long trench coat over her professional suit, and the fabric on the shoulder was a bit rough.

Shen Zhibing’s fair face couldn’t handle such friction; after rubbing a few times, she felt quite uncomfortable. She instinctively adjusted her posture, burying her face into Qi Zheng’s neck instead.

Qi Zheng gasped, stimulated by this sudden skin-to-skin contact, which made her heart pound even more than when Shen Zhibing had kissed her moments ago. But Shen Zhibing hadn’t noticed at all. She melted into the gentle embrace, allowing herself to openly and safely take a rest.

Qi Zheng also stopped talking, only patting her back gently and rhythmically. After a while, Shen Zhibing suddenly spoke: “Actually, you’ve known all along, haven’t you?”

“Known what?”

“Known who the person I wanted to provoke was when I approached you for a partnership.”

Shen Zhibing lifted her head from Qi Zheng’s neck, sitting up straight and slowly pulling away from her. Qi Zheng loosened her arms accordingly, vaguely embracing her from behind, but the contact was gone.

Qi Zheng didn’t answer, but her eyes were enough to explain everything. How could a clever person like Shen Zhibing not understand? She gave a bitter, self-mocking smile, shaking her head and saying, “Perhaps you all saw through it long ago. Only I stubbornly held onto this secret, thinking the whole world didn’t know.”

After speaking, she let out a heavy sigh: “All these years, I’ve been deceiving myself.”

This vulnerable yet authentic Shen Zhibing made Qi Zheng feel both familiar and sympathetic. As someone who had been through it, she knew too well how Shen Zhibing was feeling at this moment, and understood her emotions profoundly.

“It’s normal to meet the wrong person in a relationship. Who can guarantee that their first love will be successful?”

Shen Zhibing didn’t miss her past with Lian Ao, but she regretted the fact that she had been immersed in that fake relationship at the time.

“It’s my fault for not being mature enough back then.”

Lian Ao had actually said this before too. When they quarreled or were in a cold war, Lian Ao would sigh with a helpless tone: “Xiao Bing, you should mature as soon as possible, it will be good for both of us.”

Qi Zheng seemed to be touched: “The wrong person urges you to mature; the right person is willing to wait for you to grow.”

Shen Zhibing chewed on this sentence repeatedly in her heart, then felt relieved, smiling: “No wonder you moved on before me. Now, I have to catch up quickly.”

Seeing her mood improve, Qi Zheng was also happy. She had wanted to tell her not to kiss her casually in the future, but she couldn’t find a suitable opportunity.

Shen Zhibing drove the car out of the parking lot, not mentioning the kiss just now, but instead candidly brought up the high-society wedding at the end of the year. She was a bit surprised to hear that Qi Zheng had only seen the news in the media.

“You haven’t received an invitation?”

Qi Zheng shook her head, she indeed hadn’t.

Shen Zhibing contemplated for a moment, then asserted: “Lin Muyun will definitely send you one.”

Shen Zhibing had been busy with the preparations and arrangements for the acquisition since returning from Hong Kong, and it was about a week later before she had time to go to the psychology clinic. This interval was quite long since the last session, and the events that had occurred were much richer than before.

Shen Zhibing omitted the specific details, but still told the psychologist about the intimate contact that had occurred between her and Qi Zheng.

“I don’t deny that the feeling was good, it made me feel very comfortable. But after calming down, I still find it difficult to understand.”

The psychologist was quite calm about it, as if she had long anticipated such a development.

She asked calmly, “Which aspect do you find difficult to understand?”

Shen Zhibing hesitated for a moment. Although she didn’t mention a name, she was now completely open about the gender, no longer concealing or being vague.

“Why do I feel this kind of impulse towards a woman? I’ve read some reports that say some women turn to the same sex because they were hurt by men or disappointed in relationships.”

The psychologist listened with a smile: “Then, Miss Shen, do you think you fall into this category?”

Shen Zhibing shook her head: “I was indeed disappointed with my previous relationship, but I wasn’t so distressed that I would violate basic human nature.”

“Actually, you already have the answer in your heart, you just don’t want to face it, is that right?”

Shen Zhibing lowered her eyes. She often did this when making major business decisions. Now, she clearly faced a problem that was harder to judge than a business decision.

“Am I perhaps…” Shen Zhibing stopped speaking and immediately self-denied.

“That’s impossible. For the past two decades, I’ve never had feelings for any person of the same sex, nor have I felt any anomaly when interacting with them.”

Shen Zhibing felt that she was straight and couldn’t be straighter, showing no signs of becoming gay.

The psychologist didn’t speak. Shen Zhibing anxiously turned to look at her, hoping to get affirmation from her to support her previous statement.

“Miss Shen doesn’t need to be overly constrained by traditional views. The world of emotion is not all black and white. There is research that supports your previous point, but there is also another research finding, which is that you cannot control the gender of the next person you meet.”

Shen Zhibing had also heard of this, and Yu Xinyan had also emphasized that the reason she was so resolute in liking Yun Fei was simply because she was Yun Fei.

Could it be that Qi Zheng was also such a special person to her?

Shen Zhibing suppressed the turmoil rising in her heart. This was not the liberation she wanted. She had just freed herself from an exhausting relationship, how could she enter into a more complicated and uncertain entanglement so quickly?

However, the desire to kiss her, to hug her, and to have real skin-to-skin contact with her was also real.

It was manageable when it was only in dreams, but in Hong Kong, Qi Zheng truly gave her comfort with her lips and teeth, and the body’s response was undeniable.

She liked it very much, enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again.

Shen Zhibing didn’t hide her true thoughts. She was honest with the psychologist, hoping to see the dilemma she was in clearly through the eyes of a professional.

“What should I do next? Should I indulge my thoughts or maintain a controlled distance?”

“That depends on whether Miss Shen intends to take responsibility for this.”

“If this kind of thing is consensual, why be constrained by ‘responsibility’? I’m just not sure if I’m really suited for such a relationship.”

Shen Zhibing had even considered taking Yu Xinyan’s advice, buying some self-comfort tools to have some fun. But the warmth and delicate touch she yearned for could not be provided by tools.

She didn’t want cold, heartless tools; she wanted gentle interaction.

When she first returned from Hong Kong, a few faint red marks were still subtly lingering on her chest. Although very light, when Shen Zhibing saw them in the mirror, she still uncontrollably thought of that night.

But now, besides remembering that night, she also remembered the tenderness of being held by Qi Zheng in the car, which she also liked.

She liked it very much, and wanted to savor it again and again.

“Miss Shen can try to have an open and honest conversation with the other person. Perhaps you both have similar thoughts,” the psychologist maintained her professional smile and encouraged, “Don’t set too many limitations for yourself.”

Before the consultation ended, the psychologist gave Shen Zhibing another business card and recommended: “This is a gender and relationship expert with extensive research and clinical experience. Miss Shen can contact her if needed.”

Shen Zhibing thought to herself, the longer the treatment, the more her problems seemed to be increasing.

When she came out of the psychology clinic, she unexpectedly ran into Lin Muyun outside the building.

She was with Lian Ao and also looked like she was entering the building.

This building housed many private clinics and studios opened by experts, with a private environment, and most clients were people of status and influence.

Shen Zhibing thought for a moment and guessed they were here for pre-marital counseling.

Meeting face-to-face, Shen Zhibing didn’t even consider avoiding them, only nodding lightly in acknowledgment, ready to walk past. Lian Ao had been looking at her. Shen Zhibing only made eye contact with him briefly at first and showed no other special reaction.

Lin Muyun, however, called out to her: “CEO Shen, what a coincidence to run into you here. Are you also here for a consultation?”

Shen Zhibing stopped, stood still, and smiled: “Private matter, inconvenient to answer.”

Lin Muyun didn’t press, but while she had only been walking side-by-side with Lian Ao, she now suddenly leaned over and took his arm, saying with a look of happiness: “We are getting married at the end of the year, and our parents insisted on us coming for some pre-marital counseling, saying they are worried we are too young and won’t know how to understand each other and live well after marriage.”

Lian Ao couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this, feeling a bit anxious yet forced to look at Shen Zhibing calmly, only to find that the other person never gave him a glance.

Shen Zhibing’s gaze briefly rested on the place where Lin Muyun was holding Lian Ao, then she said calmly, “It seems your parents don’t have enough confidence in this marriage. You certainly need to put more effort into managing your life together after the wedding.”

Marriages in high society are never easy, especially those based on mutual benefit. Lin Muyun’s face flushed from the retort, but she couldn’t say anything, and had to smile and pretend to accept Shen Zhibing’s advice.

“CEO Shen is about the same age as me and will soon face such a challenge too. If you ever need it, I can recommend a marriage counselor.”

“I won’t enter into a marriage with someone who requires deliberate management, but I still wish you both the best.”

Shen Zhibing was about to turn and leave when she heard Lin Muyun say, “Be sure to come early on the wedding day, CEO Shen.”

“Certainly.”

Watching Shen Zhibing get into her car, Lian Ao’s face was full of displeasure. Just as he was about to shake off Lin Muyun’s hand, she proactively let go.

“What nonsense were you just talking about?”

Lin Muyun sneered: “We’re getting married soon. Legally, after we register, we’ll be partners tied to the same boat.” As she spoke, she coldly looked at Lian Ao, “How long are you planning to hide this old flame of yours?”

Lian Ao realized that Lin Muyun was not at all as carefree and indifferent as she had seemed when she first returned to the country. As they interacted more frequently while preparing for the wedding, he felt that Lin Muyun’s intentions were not simple.