Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 72

Qi Zheng felt that her recent interactions with President Shen were a bit strange. Logically, things between them should have been awkward, and they should have minimized contact outside of work. After all, that night in Hong Kong truly exceeded the boundaries of a superior-subordinate relationship, and she hadn’t been drunk, nor had President Shen.

This left them without even the chance to blame it on alcohol.

After the acquisition plan officially launched, the newly formed special team was naturally fully engaged. Qi Zheng thought that such busy work would be enough for both her and President Shen to forget about that “accident.”

She had thought about it for a long time after returning, unable to find any reason why Shen Zhibing would be interested in her, and could only attribute it to an accident. Fortunately, President Shen hadn’t impulsively kissed her again lately, because their time alone had also decreased.

Shen Zhibing was not deliberately avoiding Qi Zheng; rather, since she decided to acquire the assets in Boss Zhuang’s hands, some people in the Shen family have objected. The first to stand up was naturally her second uncle, whose reasoning was simple: the required funds were enormous, the assets were of mixed quality, and it wasn’t worth the risk and trouble.

While these assets were considered desirable by other companies, they were indeed not the absolute best choice in the eyes of the Shen Group. Shen Zhibing knew this wasn’t getting a bargain, but it would significantly help the Shen Group’s industry transformation over the next three years.

Her second uncle obstructed her, first, because he was accustomed to opposing her, and second, because most of the businesses Shen Zhibing intended to optimize were closely related to him. Injecting new industries would accelerate the pace of transformation, meaning he would be kicked out even faster.

To this end, Shen Zhibing’s visits to the main residence noticeably increased. Besides explaining to her grandfather why the gambling industry had to be acquired along with the others, she also had to try her best to win the approval of other family members. The amount of cash mobilized this time was substantial, and it was considered a gamble for the Shen Group.

If a large financial group or speculative funds were to attack at this moment, the Shen Group would face risk. But as the future helmswoman of the Shen Group, Shen Zhibing couldn’t just play it safe. In this rapidly changing era, only by striving for novelty and change could true stability be achieved.

But she kept Qi Zheng in mind, often asking Yun Fei about Qi Zheng’s recent work situation. When the special team reported to her, she would also ask a few extra questions when it came to Qi Zheng’s turn. After a number of times, it naturally showed that Qi Zheng was special.

Leaders always prefer capable employees, and others only felt envy and jealousy toward Qi Zheng, without thinking about anything else. But Qi Zheng’s heart was also restless. She knew that night was an accident, but President Shen’s “concern” didn’t seem to stop because of it.

On the contrary, it became more and more frequent, and more and more obvious. Recently, she even actively invited her to play golf, claiming it was to teach her.

“Many business deals are actually finalized on the golf course. If you want to move up and connect with more people who have a say, you should master this sport as soon as possible.”

Qi Zheng gripped the club and pushed hard, but the ball grazed past the hole and stopped not too far away.

Shen Zhibing stood watching beside her and said, “Take the next shot.”

Qi Zheng knew this game looked easy but was actually not simple at all. She hadn’t mastered the real technique yet, but she had improved a lot compared to when she was in Hong Kong.

The second shot still didn’t go in. Qi Zheng tilted her head and sighed softly, “This ball really doesn’t listen to me.”

Shen Zhibing was amused by her feigned look of distress. She walked over, stood behind her, wrapped her arms around her, and held her hands, gripping the club again.

“Putting requires skill, and you need to coordinate the force from your waist. Follow my rhythm and try again.”

They were both wearing golf shoes. Shen Zhibing was slightly shorter than Qi Zheng, but embracing her from behind didn’t feel awkward at all. Qi Zheng’s heart raced, but seeing Shen Zhibing’s serious expression, her eyes focused on the hole not far away, made her feel that she was overthinking things.

But the softness pressed against her, the feeling on her back was too real, and Qi Zheng couldn’t help but recall that night on the sofa, the obstacle she had undone. And the fruit that she had repeatedly filled and nourished, seemed to summon her again.

She couldn’t help swallowing a few times, trying hard to shake off the chaotic memories that suddenly surged into her mind. But Shen Zhibing’s perfume, her body temperature, and her hanging hair made it difficult for Qi Zheng to concentrate on hitting the ball.

Teacher Shen, however, was still seriously explaining the technique for putting the ball into the hole, seemingly unaware of Qi Zheng’s change: “Your waist needs to be fully relaxed before applying force, and then built up; this will make it a bit easier. Then your arms also need to be relaxed, not too stiff, and you need to pay attention to controlling the angle and strength of the stroke.”

Qi Zheng felt that she couldn’t continue like this. She straightened her back slightly, which made her appear a little taller than Shen Zhibing again. However, the arms wrapped around her still hadn’t let go, and the person behind her hadn’t left. Following Shen Zhibing’s instructions and with her guidance, Qi Zheng successfully sent the ball into the hole.

“Very good, remember this feeling and practice more in the future.” Shen Zhibing was very happy with their coordination and let go of Qi Zheng, walking forward a few steps.

Watching her back disappear, the heat source behind her instantly vanished, bringing with it a slight chill and an indescribable sense of loss.

Qi Zheng pursed her lips, adjusted her emotions, and smiled as she followed, “Okay, I’ll practice one more time on the next shot.”

Leaving the golf course, Shen Zhibing asked where she was going. She already knew that Qi Zheng had arranged to have dinner with Jiang Youyou tonight.

“You can just drop me off at Xiting Road intersection.”

“You’re eating there?”

That was a transportation hub, very busy, but there were very few well-known restaurants.

“Jiang Youyou said there’s a delicious hot mutton dish nearby.”

Shen Zhibing drove her to the designated location. Before she got out of the car, she suddenly called out to Qi Zheng, “Don’t eat too much mutton.”

“Why?”

“It’s easy to get ‘internal heat’ (shànghuǒ).”

Qi Zheng was still puzzled. Shen Zhibing released her hand from the steering wheel, reached out to her lips, and gently stroked them with a light laugh: “Your mouth is so dry it’s almost blistering, and you still dare to eat mutton.”

Qi Zheng’s face and earlobes turned red. She nodded repeatedly and quickly opened the door and got out of the car.

Watching her figure disappear, Shen Zhibing lightly squeezed her fingertips, which seemed to still retain her warmth. Thinking of Qi Zheng’s red ears, she inexplicably wanted to laugh, and a warmth surged in her heart. She wanted to touch them, and also wanted to kiss them a little.

When she met Jiang Youyou, Qi Zheng had just put her lip balm back into her bag.

“You’re about to eat, why are you putting on such thick lip balm?”

“It’s too dry, afraid of cracking.”

Jiang Youyou smiled and led her towards the hot pot restaurant, “Your lips are already very moist, no need to be so picky.”

“But just now someone said my lips were too dry…” Qi Zheng stopped halfway through. She realized belatedly that President Shen was probably teasing her.

She had been a little nervous at the time, so she overlooked the smile at the corners of Shen Zhibing’s mouth and in her eyes.

Now that she thought about it carefully, President Shen’s goal was probably just to touch her lips.

Just a touch… Qi Zheng’s breathing became disordered again. Fortunately, Jiang Youyou spoke up in time.

“Luckily I made a reservation, otherwise we’d be waiting forever today.”

As the weather turned cooler, more people were eating hot pot, and since it was the weekend, there were even more customers waiting for a table.

“How is it, was my recommendation right? The mutton here is incredible, and with this sesame sauce, it’s even better.”

The taste was indeed good, especially the mutton, which was very delicious after being briefly boiled in the pot and immediately eaten.

“How was it, did you make any progress playing golf with President Shen today?”

Qi Zheng’s chopsticks paused. Thinking of Shen Zhibing’s close, hands-on teaching, her face began to feel hot. Fortunately, the steam from the pot was constantly rising, completely hiding her reaction.

“It was pretty good.”

“I truly think your President Shen is such a good person, spending such valuable time teaching you how to play golf. Even novels wouldn’t dare to write this.”

Qi Zheng also felt that Shen Zhibing was indeed thoughtful towards her. It wasn’t uncommon for wealthy people to be generous, but for someone so busy to be willing to take the time to be with her was indeed extraordinary.

However, Qi Zheng was still unsure about Shen Zhibing’s attitude towards her. Yet, her body’s reaction was becoming increasingly straightforward and clear: she did have feelings for Shen Zhibing.

“Didn’t you say last time that a colleague in your group was dating a manager? What happened later?”

Jiang Youyou was surprised that Qi Zheng was interested in this kind of office romance gossip, but still excitedly shared the follow-up with her: “It was a total drama. This girl is not ordinary. She was ambiguous with the manager on one side, and then immediately went to sit on the partner’s lap. Isn’t that amazing?”

Qi Zheng frowned, what kind of messed up stuff was this?

She originally wanted to ask about the possibility and rationale of workplace relationships, but she didn’t expect it to be this kind of soap opera love triangle.

“But the funniest thing is, these three people can actually chat and laugh in the pantry, leaving all of us dumbfounded. There’s only one conclusion: none of the three are in true love.”

How could true love tolerate others coveting your person? Not even a second glance is acceptable.

Qi Zheng silently ate the fish ball in her bowl. Jiang Youyou watched her through the steam for a long time, and saw that she still hadn’t recovered her focus.

“Qi Zheng, do you have feelings for your President Shen?”

Qi Zheng was startled. She wanted to deny it but couldn’t completely say something against her conscience. She was still not good at lying, especially to people she considered friends.

Her hesitation confirmed Jiang Youyou’s suspicion even more.

“You are incredible, actually falling for such an aloof person. She’s not just a little high up, she’s probably only a tiny bit lower than Mount Everest.” Jiang Youyou gestured a small section with her pinky finger.

Qi Zheng gave a wry smile, “I haven’t thought that much.”

“However, someone like President Shen is very attractive. It’s normal to develop feelings after being around her for so long. But this time, you need to be cautious.”

Qi Zheng knew she meant that she was afraid of repeating the past, since the original person had dated Lin Muyun and the ending wasn’t good.

“I really haven’t thought that much, don’t worry about me.”

Jiang Youyou put away her joking and spoke with sincere, yet carefully measured concern: “I have no prejudice against any orientation. If you still choose to go down this path, I will respect your choice. But this path is difficult, especially in society, it’s not as tolerant as in school.”

Qi Zheng certainly knew about the societal pressure. She had experienced it and endured it. The person she thought could weather the storm with her had abandoned her first.

“I understand, I won’t mess around.”

**

After parting with Qi Zheng, Shen Zhibing went home, took a shower, changed clothes, and went to a bar. As soon as she entered, she saw Yu Xinyan sitting at the bar happily chatting with the bartender. She walked over and had just sat down when the familiar bartender mixed her a Long Island Iced Tea as usual.

“President Shen looks lonely tonight.”

Yu Xinyan smiled as she looked her over, moving the bag next to her to her lap: “So I brought you something good.”

Shen Zhibing saw her mischievous smile and knew it wasn’t anything good.

“I told you, I don’t need it.”

Yu Xinyan continued to smile, not discouraged: “You don’t need it, but what about little Qi?”

Shen Zhibing frowned, “What does it have to do with her?”

“Don’t hide it from me. That day in Hong Kong, was there really nothing between you two?”

Shen Zhibing took a sip of her drink and refused to answer.

Yu Xinyan didn’t press for details. She took the item out of her bag and stuffed it directly into Shen Zhibing’s bag: “Open it when you get home, use it or not, it’s up to you.”

Shen Zhibing had intended to return to Yunlu Huayuan but temporarily changed her mind and asked the driver to go to the suburban villa. After returning, she heard from Aunt Xin that Qi Zheng hadn’t come back yet, so she went upstairs first.

The gift Yu Xinyan gave her fell out of her bag. Just by looking at the packaging, she knew it was a product for women.

Shen Zhibing casually opened it. It was a small dolphin shape, pure and clean sky-blue, and looked quite cute. She held it in her palm and looked at it for a while, but had no interest, so she put it back in the box and shoved it into a drawer.

She looked at the mirror in the bathroom. The marks on her chest had completely disappeared, but the feeling Qi Zheng had brought her remained.