Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 88

The voice from across the ocean came through the phone, Qi Zheng’s tone was both unfamiliar and familiar. After hearing it, Shen Zhibing unexpectedly felt a comfortable sense of physical and mental pleasure budding, along with a faint excitement.

She gripped the pen in her hand to steady her voice and emotions. Just like their usual meetings in the office, Shen Zhibing replied calmly: “Hello, Qi Zheng. I called you today to ask about some work details. A new person has temporarily replaced you in the secretary office, but they lack experience in compiling proposals.”

Qi Zheng used a fork to cut the fried egg into several pieces with one hand, listening silently, and then popped a small piece into her mouth. Sweet and sour, truly delicious.

However, upon hearing Shen Zhibing’s voice, her heart was filled only with bitterness, no sweetness.

From the day she left Haicheng, Qi Zheng had told herself to let go of everything there, and start anew here. That naturally included the relationship that was unexpected but suddenly happened, only to be abruptly stifled just as her love was beginning to bloom.

Shen Zhibing explained the general situation. Ding Meng’s performance was not entirely intolerable, but she was somewhat disappointed.

Qi Zheng spoke plainly after listening: “I left all the report templates with Secretary Yun before I left. General Manager Shen, you can ask Secretary Yun to forward them to Ding Meng. I don’t mind sharing these things.”

“Yun Fei has guided her, and the final report submitted also used your template,” Shen Zhibing sighed softly, “but the content of the report is always… lacking.”

A soulless template, a carbon copy.

Qi Zheng’s reports contained her opinions, her interpretations, her choices and suggestions, and naturally, her soul.

She hadn’t realized it before, but it wasn’t until someone else took over that Shen Zhibing discovered the depth of her professional chemistry with Qi Zheng.

Qi Zheng remained silent. This was a matter of individual difference, and there was nothing she could do to help.

Shen Zhibing hadn’t really expected to find a solution from Qi Zheng by making this call. It was she who had suggested Qi Zheng go to study, and it was perfectly normal for a new person to join the secretary office; Qi Zheng herself had been a newcomer last year.

But Shen Zhibing inexplicably felt this was a good reason to initiate contact. Listening to Qi Zheng’s flatter-than-usual voice, even though she couldn’t see her, her mood gradually improved, and she temporarily forgot the disappointment brought by Ding Meng’s work performance.

Qi Zheng took another bite of the fried egg and sipped the coffee beside her. The clock on the wall showed that only three minutes remained.

Qi Zheng didn’t rush her, nor did she ask if there was anything else, but she also didn’t take the initiative to start a new topic.

Finally, it was Shen Zhibing who proactively asked about her situation in the US, although another period of silence had passed in between.

“Are you adapting well in the US? F-city is quite different from New York, and many people feel a sense of letdown when they first go there.”

Qi Zheng remained indifferent, but truthfully replied: “I haven’t lived abroad before. For me, studying is more important, so the city’s influence doesn’t make much difference.”

Shen Zhibing seemed to perk up, wanting to share some of her experiences and anecdotes from her time studying at B University—experiences she had gone through many years ago. Most of the things that can still be brought up years later are pleasant or beautiful memories.

“If you have a chance, you should try the burger place near the back gate of the business school. The burgers there taste great, and the portions are generous. I heard the owner hasn’t changed, and…”

Just as Shen Zhibing’s memory box opened, she was suddenly interrupted by Qi Zheng.

“I’m sorry, General Manager Shen, time is up.”

Shen Zhibing was stunned, seemingly not having reacted yet, and casually asked, “What time?”

“The ten minutes we agreed upon.”

Shen Zhibing felt a bit annoyed, but she still checked the screen. It clearly showed the call duration was six minutes and thirty seconds. Where was the ten minutes!

Qi Zheng, however, calmly explained: “Ten minutes since our last message.”

According to Shen Zhibing’s usual habit, she should have hung up the phone without even saying goodbye, but today she was reluctant.

Qi Zheng didn’t seem interested in her shared experience, and Shen Zhibing didn’t continue.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”

Shen Zhibing thought the reason she had just emphasized “ten minutes” was because she had something important to attend to afterward. In a foreign country, many things require appointments, and missing the time slot to rebook can be troublesome.

Thinking that Qi Zheng was alone and had just arrived, having to handle many things herself, it was normal for her to be busy. Shen Zhibing suppressed the annoyance of being prompted to hang up and said gently, “If you have something important, go ahead. We can talk later.”

Qi Zheng agreed without hesitation, said goodbye, and then the call ended.

There were two small pieces of fried egg left on the plate. They were a bit cold, so Qi Zheng added some more ketchup and quickly ate them. The sourness in her mouth intensified. Despite the mild taste, she was stimulated to the point of almost tearing up.

After finishing her coffee, she put the cup, saucer, and the cutlery from the fried egg into the sink. There was no important matter to attend to. She simply didn’t want to have too much contact with Shen Zhibing. She couldn’t refuse work-related matters, but apart from official business, she didn’t want to have any more interactions with General Manager Shen.

Even though they had once been so intimate.

Even though Qi Zheng thought she had entered her heart, even if the space was small, there was at least some.

This kind of thing couldn’t withstand careful thought. Qi Zheng leaned on the sides of the sink, forcing herself to calm down quickly.

She wasn’t as heartbroken as before, but she was still sad. Hearing Shen Zhibing’s voice involuntarily brought up many memories. Her heart would still beat faster, because it was drawn by instinct.

But reason kept reminding her: Shen Zhibing doesn’t love you, stop being delusional, and stop… hoping.

No hope, no disappointment. Qi Zheng thought she would heal her heart, as long as she completely removed Shen Zhibing from her life.

Doing housework was a good option. Qi Zheng’s classes hadn’t officially started yet. These past few days, she had been nearby to open a bank account, familiarize herself with the local supermarkets and some restaurants, and the rest of the time was spent cleaning.

Having been used to living in a suburban villa, she was even a little unaccustomed to doing housework when she first arrived. Qi Zheng did a part each day, and gradually tidied the apartment into a space she liked.

Compared to the suburban villa, this apartment near the school was truly small and simple. Qi Zheng hadn’t requested to rent a luxuriously decorated, high-end apartment, as those costs would eventually have to be repaid by her.

She wasn’t planning to return to Shen’s Group; this time, she would be breaking another contract.

Qi Zheng shook her head with a bitter smile. Why was she constantly working hard to earn money for breach of contract fees?

The emotional fluctuations brought by General Manager Shen’s sudden call were gradually smoothed out during her housework. Qi Zheng would still be sad, but she wouldn’t dwell on it forever. She just wanted to quickly withdraw from a relationship that had no future.

After ending the call with Qi Zheng, Shen Zhibing had no desire to work, so she simply clocked off. She emerged from her office with her bag and was surprised to see Ding Meng was still there.

“You haven’t gone home even though it’s after work?”

Besides the urgent event proposal that needed to be issued today, there was no work that required overtime. Yun Fei was not a boss who liked to squeeze her subordinates’ private time; unless necessary, she didn’t advocate frequent overtime.

Shen Zhibing also disliked the culture of overtime; she valued efficiency more.

Ding Meng hadn’t had the chance to be alone with Shen Zhibing before. Since joining the secretary office, she had encountered her several times, but was always intimidated by General Manager Shen’s presence. She was a little nervous now.

“I want to seriously study the reports that Qi Zheng left behind again.”

Qi Zheng was not a petty person. The templates she left behind were not things with all the content cleared out, leaving only titles and frameworks. She merely erased important data, and concealed relevant calculation processes and special factors, leaving at least sixty percent of the content.

This made it easier for Ding Meng to study and familiarize herself with the material, but reaching Qi Zheng’s level would take time.

Shen Zhibing suddenly changed direction and walked towards Ding Meng’s desk, which made Ding Meng even more nervous.

Shen Zhibing stood beside her, not looking at her much, but at the computer screen.

On it were three reports Qi Zheng had rushed out within a week at the end of last year. At the time, Shen Zhibing had found quite a few faults, but Qi Zheng was always able to quickly revise them according to her ideas.

After watching for a while, Shen Zhibing continued to stare at the screen and said languidly, “Are these reports very difficult?”

Ding Meng used to write reports in the Planning and Development Department, only the focus was different. She had a bit of inertial thinking, coupled with the greater psychological pressure in the secretary office, so this time she was overly nervous and performed below par.

Based on her actual ability, she wasn’t that bad.

“Familiarize yourself quickly, but there’s no need to deliberately imitate. Everyone has their own style, and templates are only a reference.”

General Manager Shen’s encouragement gave Ding Meng considerable confidence, but she didn’t understand Shen Zhibing, so naturally, she couldn’t pick up the other meaning.

Shen Zhibing disliked “counterfeit” Qi Zheng. If one couldn’t capture the “soul” of Qi Zheng’s report, there was no point in blindly imitating.

Returning to Yunlu Huayuan, Shen Zhibing still felt a little strange inside. She played squash for a while, and then went home to take a hot shower.

She checked her phone; it was only ten o’clock. She suddenly remembered that it must be ten o’clock in the morning in F-city, a time when many shops and business establishments were opening one after another, gradually bustling with people.

Shen Zhibing went online and opened a website she hadn’t logged into for a long time. It stored many photos and diary excerpts from her school days. There was nothing extremely private, but she had been too busy with work after returning to China to reminisce about her youth.

But now, Qi Zheng had gone to F-city and was about to begin a year and a half of study at B University’s Business School. This feeling was a bit subtle, like Qi Zheng was going back to her past, walking the path she had walked, and seeing the sights she had seen.

That night, Shen Zhibing dreamed again, the kind of dream she hadn’t experienced for a long time.

The face of the person intertwined with her in the dream was clear: it was Qi Zheng. Perhaps because she recognized the person from the start, Shen Zhibing completely relaxed in the dream, reliving those shared dance moments with her.

It was too real, no longer the sudden, regrettable, and depressing end of the past. Instead, she experienced a deeper emptiness and sense of loss.

Shen Zhibing woke up slowly, not rushing to take a shower, letting the stickiness linger on her body and disturb her. She was a bit absent-minded, and couldn’t help but think of Qi Zheng, who would always actively clean her up afterward. And her lowered eyes; even without looking, one could feel the care and concern from her movements and strength.

Shen Zhibing’s heart inexplicably clenched, followed by a deeper sense of loss and a persistent, faint ache.

She felt satisfied in the dream, but waking up, she realized that the warmth she craved wasn’t just like that in the dream. What she truly wanted… was that person by her side.