Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 79

After hearing Eric’s stance, Shen Zhibing understood her meaning: “I’m only offering a suggestion. The complete solution is definitely still to find the person behind this. But I can’t guarantee how long it will take, you need to be mentally prepared.”

“You continue to investigate.”

Hanging up the phone, Shen Zhibing’s face remained grim, her lips tightly pressed. The phone was clutched in her hand, tapping lightly yet insistently on the desk. Yun Fei had been sitting across from her the whole time. She couldn’t hear the entire content of the call, but she had roughly guessed the meaning of President Shen’s words.

Shen Zhibing collected her thoughts and asked, “Has the internal network issue been dealt with?”

“The IT department has completely cleared it out, but because the technology used by the other party was a bit complex, it sacrificed the entire company’s office time, about half an hour.”

“Tell the technical department to keep a close eye on things. I don’t want this kind of incident to happen a second time.”

“It’s already been emphasized. The head of the technical department will come tomorrow to give a detailed report on the cause of the failure and subsequent measures to strengthen internal network management.”

Shen Zhibing was very satisfied with Yun Fei’s work ability and didn’t need to spend too much time worrying about this aspect. But the photos had already been sent, the people who needed to see them had seen them, and the effect had been achieved.

Burying the dead only helps with next time.

“How is Qi Zheng?”

Yun Fei shook her head: “I just told her to go home and rest for a day, but she refused.”

Shen Zhibing sighed inwardly, considered the situation, and decided: “Give her a week off, starting this afternoon.”

“Understood, I’ll tell her shortly.”

Yun Fei thought for a moment and asked again: “President Shen, what are your plans regarding this matter?”

“Before Eric finds out the truth, I don’t want to make too many moves, lest I say too much and make mistakes, putting me in a passive position.”

“But the impact of this matter is indeed not good. Why would the other party suddenly drag Qi Zheng and your relationship into it? Such rumors are really excessive.”

Shen Zhibing was thinking of more than just this. She could forcefully suppress the rumors within the company. But if this information were published on public media, with her identity as the Vice President of Shen Corporation, it would be difficult to avoid attracting attention.

“Immediately contact the relevant media, and have the public relations department prepare in advance for a response. This matter cannot be allowed to expand further; it must be resolved internally.”

Yun Fei understood the gravity of the situation and, without any delay, took the instructions from President Shen and went to carry them out.

The first thing she did after leaving the President’s office was to notify Qi Zheng of her holiday. This time, it wasn’t a suggestion but an order.

“Xiao Qi, staying at the company right now will also affect your work state. It’s better to go back and rest first. Take a holiday, and come back when the matter is resolved. This is also a form of protection for you.”

Qi Zheng’s face had been somber ever since she saw those photos and the strongly suggestive comments at work. The others in the secretarial office didn’t dare to speak to her or know how to comfort her. After all, the matter also involved President Shen, and they didn’t understand the inside story, so they dared not speak carelessly.

“Okay, thank you, Secretary Yun.”

For the matter to escalate to this point, it definitely wasn’t Yun Fei who so strongly insisted on her taking a holiday; Qi Zheng easily guessed it was Shen Zhibing’s instruction. She was in the eye of the storm now, and it was indeed not appropriate for her to stay at the company. But she wanted to talk to President Shen, to see what the other party was thinking or how she planned to respond, as this was a matter concerning two people.

Now it seemed that Shen Zhibing had no intention of consulting with her. Qi Zheng quickly packed her things, finished handing over her urgent tasks, and left. After she was gone, Yun Fei reminded the other staff in the secretarial office: “Recently, be extremely cautious with your words and actions. Try not to touch upon topics related to Xiao Qi or President Shen.”

Qi Zheng noticed that Uncle Yu’s driving route had changed today, and he kept looking around nervously.

“Uncle Yu, this… doesn’t seem to be the way back to the suburbs, does it?”

“Miss Qi, President Shen instructed me to be careful of the surroundings when driving you in the future.”

Qi Zheng understood; it was probably to prevent being photographed again. So, the route home had changed, and there was an extra car following behind for protection. Qi Zheng, however, thought that perhaps she should buy her own car.

But she couldn’t say this to Uncle Yu. He was just a conscientious driver, and saying it might make him feel like he was about to lose his job, causing unnecessary panic.

“Thank you, Uncle Yu.”

Old Yu clearly felt apologetic, thinking it was his lack of caution: “It was my oversight for not doing my job well and causing trouble for Miss Qi.”

Shen Zhibing hadn’t told Old Yu exactly what happened, but the fact that President Shen personally called him to be extra careful while driving in the future, and even specially assigned an extra car to follow, was enough to show the severity of the problem.

Three days after returning to the villa, Shen Zhibing still hadn’t visited. It was natural for President Shen to avoid suspicion during this sensitive time, as no one knew if they might be photographed. But she hadn’t even called. Qi Zheng thought about it and felt she should still talk to her.

The call connected but went unanswered. She sent a message to Shen Zhibing, asking her to call back when she had time.

Shen Zhibing returned the call close to eleven o’clock. Her voice was tinged with deep fatigue and the smell of alcohol. According to Yun Fei, President Shen had almost daily engagements with the relevant leaders of the Mian City affairs this week.

“What do you need?”

“President Shen, drink something to sober up. It’s bad for your health to push yourself.”

Shen Zhibing pressed her temples, forcibly suppressing the occasional waves of nausea in her stomach. Listening to Qi Zheng’s concern through the phone, she suddenly felt irritated: “If you called just to say that, you can hang up now.”

“I wanted to ask, how are you planning to handle the photo incident? Do you need any cooperation from me?”

Shen Zhibing was silent for a while and didn’t say much to Qi Zheng: “Just rest assured during your holiday; you don’t need to worry about the rest.”

“But, this is not just about you.”

Shen Zhibing was probably truly uncomfortable, even feeling like she wanted to vomit. She hadn’t had the time to properly deal with this matter yet. In the afternoon, Shen Qixing specially went to the secretarial office, saying that HR wanted to talk to Qi Zheng to understand the situation.

Yun Fei said that President Shen had arranged for Qi Zheng to take a holiday, and the matter was temporarily blocked. But Shen Qixing didn’t give up and insisted on hovering around Shen Zhibing’s office. He only left disappointed after failing to pry anything out.

The hidden smugness at the corner of his mouth was much more obvious than before he left; clearly, he was waiting for a good show.

“I said, you don’t need to worry about this matter. I will handle it, understand?” She repeatedly emphasized and raised her tone, sounding very much like she did at department meetings. Qi Zheng’s heart skipped a beat.

“Okay, I understand. Thank you, President Shen. I won’t disturb your rest. Good night.”

Hanging up the phone, Shen Zhibing felt a wave of vexation and discomfort.

The day before Qi Zheng’s holiday ended, Yun Fei called her: “Xiao Qi, you will officially return to work tomorrow.”

Qi Zheng tentatively asked: “Has the matter been resolved?”

“It’s basically resolved. Don’t have any psychological burden; everything will be fine.”

Secretary Yun’s voice was still gentle, calming Qi Zheng’s slight uneasiness. But she was also curious about how it was resolved; why hadn’t she heard a whisper of it?

Yun Fei smiled when she heard her confusion: “President Shen has officially made a statement, denying the baseless claims in the post and emphasizing that she has always greatly appreciated your work ability and talent, saying you are a highly valued potential newcomer.”

“Just that?”

“Yes, just that. President Shen’s attitude is enough to quell these rumors, so you don’t have to worry.”

Qi Zheng didn’t press for details. She figured she would see for herself when she returned to the company tomorrow.

Sure enough, when she returned to the office, she saw the statement personally signed by Shen Zhibing. It was published through the internal network, covering all the propagation areas the previous post had affected.

The wording style clearly belonged to Yun Fei, but the signature on it was indeed Shen Zhibing’s. Qi Zheng read it seriously from beginning to end. President Shen defined the content of the photos as taking Qi Zheng to various business occasions to quickly cultivate her social skills and establish business connections. President Shen also stated that Qi Zheng’s smooth promotions were due to her excellent work ability and her capacity to create profits for Shen Corporation and offset losses, encouraging everyone to learn from her.

Finally, President Shen emphasized that there was absolutely no relationship between her and Qi Zheng beyond that of an employee and a superior, and the misunderstanding caused by the shooting angle simply did not exist.

The entire statement was concise yet directly addressed and explained all the malicious smears in the post. Unless someone deliberately wanted to think otherwise, the matter was indeed concluded.

Qi Zheng closed the interface and leaned back in her chair. The coffee next to her was a bit cold, and her heart felt a little cold too. She knew this was the best solution under the current circumstances, but she was still a little lost. Perhaps she was disappointed that President Shen hadn’t discussed the decision to issue the statement with her, or perhaps it was the emphasis at the end of the statement, which redefined the relationship she had imagined.

In President Shen’s eyes, were they still just superior and subordinate?

With the release of the statement, employee discussions came to an immediate halt. The heads of various departments also specially held departmental meetings, emphasizing that private discussion on this topic was no longer permitted.

But some people were unwilling to miss this opportunity. Shen Shijun, who had been consuming his salary with a board member title under the pretext of needing to “recuperate” for many years, repeatedly obstructed Shen Zhibing whenever she intended to push for reform. There were his loyalists and cadres he had personally groomed both on the board and in various departments, and it still required quite some time for Shen Zhibing to remove them one by one.

Shen Zhibing had just finished explaining the significance and necessity of the acquisition of Boss Zhuang’s assets at the board meeting when Shen Shijun followed her back to the office: “Xiao Bing, let’s talk.”

Shen Zhibing knew he must have come prepared today, but she couldn’t break the facade.

“Second Uncle, how do you have time to idle here in my office?”

“That thing earlier, are you just going to let it go?” Shen Shijun tilted his head toward the door, indicating the outside, “Are you planning to keep that little secretary of yours?”

Shen Zhibing knew who he was talking about and what matter he was referring to. This matter had temporarily passed within Shen Corporation, but not for her Second Uncle.

“The statement has already made it very clear. Does Second Uncle still have any doubts?”

Shen Shijun was clearly much more astute than his disappointing son. Seeing Shen Zhibing’s cold demeanor, he still maintained a leisurely and genuinely worried appearance on her behalf.

“Rumors don’t start without a reason. Although the matter is indeed ridiculous, Xiao Bing, you also need to reflect on whether you have been too aggressive in your appointments lately?”

Shen Zhibing understood what he was hinting at: that she had secretly scouted and transferred young business backbone personnel from various departments to form a special team. The early confidentiality work was done very well, and the formal announcement and subsequent procedures moved extremely quickly, leaving Shen Shijun no time to react.

These individuals, who were with Shen Zhibing, would still be loyal to Shen Zhibing even if they returned to their respective departments to become new core figures. Shen Shijun certainly didn’t want this phenomenon to occur, but it was too late to stop it.