Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 80

Shen Shijun only intended to probe and knock on the door today, not to get a definite answer. After all, he couldn’t interfere with the Secretary’s Office personnel, and it wasn’t too difficult for Shen Zhibing to protect Qi Zheng.

He lingered in her office for about half an hour. The two basically had nothing more to say to each other, and the atmosphere gradually became charged. Shen Shijun got up, straightened his suit, and gave her a final reminder before leaving: “Listen to second uncle’s advice as someone who has been there; while young people are good, they are ultimately not reliable enough. Xiaobing, don’t rely on them too much. Youth is a capital, but it’s also a risk.”

Youth. Shen Zhibing kept pondering the two words he said after her second uncle left. Qi Zheng was indeed young, fresh out of college, only twenty-two years old, a full six years younger than her.

She was young, her eyes clear and bright, full of vitality, and her physical strength was better than hers.

Shen Zhibing had been very busy and tired lately, so she simply allowed herself to let her thoughts wander. It wasn’t until Qi Zheng knocked and came in to deliver a report that she realized a full fifteen minutes had passed.

For President Shen, whose time was precious, spending fifteen minutes spacing out in the office was a luxury, and most of that time was spent thinking about things related to Qi Zheng.

She recalled the scene of their first meeting, their conversations while discussing cooperation, and the various things that happened after she took Qi Zheng back to the villa. She had always felt something was off, and after thinking about it carefully today, she realized that Qi Zheng started to change after being taken back to the villa.

Initially, Shen Zhibing disliked this change, feeling that Qi Zheng was no longer obedient and harder to manage. Later, she slowly discovered new admirable advantages in the changed Qi Zheng. Now, they had reached this point, but Shen Zhibing couldn’t define their relationship.

She adapted to Qi Zheng’s proximity and also yearned for it. She liked being treated gently by her, the joy that blossomed under her care. However, what she wanted to keep was just this joy.

“President Shen, this is the progress of the acquisition plan and the revenue assessment modified according to Boss Zhuang’s proposal.”

Shen Zhibing scanned the reports Qi Zheng delivered and handed back the one that needed her signature: “I’ll read the remaining two before leaving work.”

“Okay, I’ll go out first then.”

“Qi Zheng, wait.”

Qi Zheng turned around and stopped three steps away from Shen Zhibing’s desk.

She was wearing a light gray velvet shirt today, with the company’s winter uniform jacket over it. The overall dark color scheme made her look more mature than her actual age.

Shen Zhibing lowered her eyes, not looking at her. The fountain pen she had just used for signing was held horizontally in her hand, as if she was deliberating: “The matter of the photos is temporarily over, but to avoid similar incidents in the future, we need to be more cautious.”

Qi Zheng nodded, agreeing with the statement.

Shen Zhibing paused before continuing: “I think, from now on, we should maintain an appropriate distance in the company, or anywhere outside the villa.”

What she said was calm and objective, and indeed a reasonable request. However, Qi Zheng still felt a momentary sadness. Although brief, she could feel it herself.

“I understand.”

Qi Zheng didn’t ask for any explanation, nor did she express any incomprehension or dissatisfaction. She was calmer than Shen Zhibing when the request was made, as if she had just accepted an ordinary new task from her superior, nothing more.

Watching the back of her closing the door, Shen Zhibing’s thoughts were in disarray.

Qi Zheng did indeed follow her request and maintained an appropriate distance from her. In fact, their distance was never close, but Shen Zhibing still sensed a subtle change.

For example, this weekend, she wanted to invite Qi Zheng to play squash at Yunlu Garden, but the other party said she had a class reunion.

Why another class reunion? Shen Zhibing remembered they had one not long ago.

Qi Zheng explained: “This time it’s a pre-New Year gathering for out-of-town classmates before they go home. It’s actually a celebration funded by an early year-end bonus.”

Seeing her lighthearted tone, Shen Zhibing didn’t press to stop her.

Jiang Youyou was delayed by a project and couldn’t attend as she was out of town, so she could only participate via video call.

“Qi Zheng, don’t let them bully you tonight. Without me watching over you, you need to be careful yourself.”

Jiang Youyou’s so-called video participation only lasted for the first ten minutes before she had to return to work. After all, working overtime now was to be able to come back for the Spring Festival, and she didn’t want to be miserable like another team of colleagues, having to do reports in a hotel thousands of miles away on New Year’s Eve.

Qi Zheng became the focus of the night again. Most of these people had met at the last gathering, and everyone knew she went to Shen’s Headquarters after graduation. Later, they heard that she was highly valued by President Shen and was involved in several major projects soon after joining. This was invaluable and rare experience.

It would be more persuasive than past pay slips when job-hopping in the future.

Qi Zheng felt a bit down. She could have chosen not to come tonight. But she didn’t want to accept Shen Zhibing’s invitation to play ball. There was no specific reason; she just suddenly didn’t want to go.

Xie Yilan was more reserved than last time, greeting her very discreetly and consulting her on some business matters. The conversation was pleasant.

“I think this fruit wine tastes pretty good. Would you like a glass?”

Qi Zheng took the wine Xie Yilan handed her. It was a new product the bartender had just mixed, said to be specially made for the ladies present. Usually, she wasn’t fond of alcohol, but the atmosphere was nice tonight, and Qi Zheng also wanted to occasionally relax.

Anyway, the driver was waiting outside, so she wouldn’t drink until she was unconscious.

The taste was indeed good, and the fruit aroma was strong, but the base was vodka and gin, which had a big kick.

Qi Zheng drank two glasses in a row and felt a little dizzy. She leaned on the sofa, listening to a classmate next to her singing a slightly off-key song, and suddenly wanted to laugh.

It was such a good night, yet why were they holding microphones singing about how hard it is to love someone?

Such melancholic love songs were the favorites during her adolescent phase. Back then, they hardly had any dating experience, but they would cry listening to songs. In contrast, after surviving the love battlefield bruised and battered, their hearts hardened and became numb.

Qi Zheng closed her eyes, waiting for the dizziness to pass, when she suddenly felt someone approaching. Before she could react, there was a cool, soft touch on her cheek.

She instantly opened her eyes and sat up with a slight jolt, clearly seeing it was Xie Yilan.

The other party, seeing her intense reaction, first bit her lip in embarrassment, then smiled and made an excuse for herself: “I was drunk and didn’t sit steady just now, sorry.”

It wasn’t too exaggerated, but Qi Zheng didn’t like people getting close to her casually. Unless she accepted it herself, she had no interest in this kind of proactively offered, free warmth.

Lin Muyun was like that, and Xie Yilan was the same. Only with Shen Zhibing was it an exception.

Whenever Shen Zhibing leaned in and teased her with her lips, Qi Zheng didn’t push her away; instead, she hugged her tightly, moving in, closer and closer, to a distance unreachable otherwise.

Xie Yilan’s light-as-a-feather stolen kiss completely sobered Qi Zheng. She stood up to leave. Unable to keep her, everyone saw her out. Lin Hang was also there tonight, but he hardly spoke to her.

After last time, he seemed to have applied to add Qi Zheng on WeChat, but it was not accepted.

Qi Zheng couldn’t be bothered with these social formalities. If she felt uncomfortable in such a setting, leaving was the only option.

She had no obligation to make everyone happy, and she didn’t need to please or cater to anyone.

“Uncle Yu, I want to walk alone and clear my head with the wind.”

The Bentley slowly followed behind her. Qi Zheng walked by the small river. This was not a suitable environment for a walk on a winter night.

But she liked the biting chill of the cold wind mixed with a slight dampness, which, when it hit her nose, helped to clear her mind faster. This was completely different from the ambiguous, warm dampness in Shen Zhibing’s bathroom. In that environment, Qi Zheng would only sink deeper into indulgence.

She recalled the scene of dancing with Shen Zhibing in the bathroom, thinking of Shen Zhibing transforming in her hands, and Shen Zhibing complaining, “I’m so tired,” while resting on her shoulder.

But the cold wind kept blowing, waking Qi Zheng up to the reality. The reality was, President Shen said, to maintain an appropriate distance.

So, except for the villa, the distance between them was always so far.

She remembered the book’s description of that villa—it was a luxurious place that could only be called a gilded cage. Shen Zhibing only went there when she wanted to relax and indulge, where she would do those indescribable things to the original protagonist.

In a trance, Qi Zheng suddenly remembered that the plot had not completely changed direction, only some details had changed. For example, in the villa, they indeed had intimate acts, but President Shen was the one who was ‘eaten’.

Qi Zheng walked aimlessly, and her phone vibrated in her pocket.

It was Shen Zhibing’s call. She answered it.

“Qi Zheng, are you still at the class reunion?”

“No, it’s over. I’m taking a walk.”

“Walking this late?” Shen Zhibing hesitated, then asked, “Alone?”

Qi Zheng held the phone and looked around. Besides vendors rushing home or hurried pedestrians who had just finished working overtime, there was indeed only one person like her deliberately seeking the cold wind.

“I’m the only one outside the car. Uncle Yu is in the car, so it’s two people, barely.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t acknowledge her joke, saying calmly: “The temperature is low at night. Don’t wander for too long. Go back and rest early.”

The call ended abruptly, seeming to have been made just to ask if the reunion was over.

But President Shen wasn’t at the villa and hadn’t asked her to do anything else. Qi Zheng felt she still didn’t understand Shen Zhibing enough.

Qi Zheng walked for a while, finally feeling tired. She got into the car and said with slight apology: “Sorry, Uncle Yu, I brought the cold air into the car.”

Uncle Yu sensed that Miss Qi probably had something on her mind tonight, but he just smiled genuinely and accelerated steadily.

Shen Zhibing looked at the photo sent to her on the phone screen not long ago. It was Qi Zheng being photographed at the class reunion. The woman, whose background was still unclear, was kissing her face.

And Qi Zheng, who always maintained calmness and clarity, was actually leaning on the sofa, looking quite enjoying it.

Shen Zhibing sat in a sullen mood for a while, then picked up her car keys and went to the suburban villa.

Qi Zheng hadn’t even tied the belt of her bathrobe after showering when she saw Shen Zhibing was in her room.

“President Shen, why are you here?”

Yunlu Garden wasn’t far from here, but suddenly showing up late at night was too abrupt.

Shen Zhibing got up from her desk, walked slowly toward her, and pulled her back by the bathrobe belt. They retreated together to the desk.

Shen Zhibing casually pushed away the chair she had just sat on, her lower back resting against the edge of the desk, looking at her ambiguously: “Suddenly missed you, so I came to see you.”

Qi Zheng pursed her lips, thinking, had President Shen been drinking again tonight?

Before she could verify, the familiar, soft lips were pressed against hers: “Let me check if you’ve been secretly drinking.”

Qi Zheng gasped, but there was no retreat. Shen Zhibing’s “check” was continuous and deep, bringing out the last bit of alcohol in her.

The desk was much warmer than the washbasin. Its texture was a bit rougher but not as icy. The only thing Shen Zhibing didn’t like was that the hard surface left her fingertips nowhere to cling to.