Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 89

The next day at the company, immediately after starting work, Shen Zhibing called Yun Fei into her office. Yun Fei thought they were going to talk about Ding Meng’s matter, but to her surprise, CEO Shen brought up Qi Zheng.

“Are you two still keeping the frequency of contact at twice a week?”

Yun Fei nodded and added: “Recently, because of little Ding’s matter, we’ve been in touch a bit more.”

Shen Zhibing paused, then casually asked: “Under normal circumstances, how long do you talk each time?”

Yun Fei thought back: “That’s not fixed. If there’s a lot to discuss, we talk longer; if not, we just update each other on recent developments.”

Shen Zhibing seemed pensive, not entirely sure if she was listening intently.

But she didn’t stop questioning: “Did she mention if she’s lacking anything over there or needs the company to provide her with any resources?”

“No, she hasn’t. Every time I ask, she says things are pretty much sorted,” Yun Fei sighed softly, “Little Qi is sometimes too independent. I always feel like she’s shouldering everything herself.”

When at the company, a superior naturally wants subordinates who can stand on their own and not constantly seek the leader’s help. But privately, Yun Fei actually wishes Qi Zheng would speak up more and not always worry about troubling others.

“Communicate more with Anna. After school starts, if Qi Zheng needs anything, help her out,” Shen Zhibing said, then didn’t forget to remind, “Don’t let her know.”

Anna is Yun Fei’s classmate, currently working at B University. Although not in the Business School, at least there’s someone there, and an extra contact is always helpful.

After giving these instructions, Shen Zhibing still didn’t intend to let Yun Fei leave.

Yun Fei waited for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask her: “Is there anything else, CEO Shen?”

CEO Shen was a bit unusual today, seemingly stalling over something difficult to say.

Shen Zhibing pulled off the cap of her fountain pen, put it back on, pulled it off again, and slowly put it back on.

Only then did she slowly ask: “Has Qi Zheng mentioned me to you?”

Yun Fei was stunned for a moment and shook her head.

Even though the movement was minimal, the meaning of the denial was clear. Yun Fei saw a flash of disappointment and sadness in CEO Shen’s eyes. When she and Qi Zheng talked business, it was inevitable that CEO Shen would be involved, but she knew very well that CEO Shen’s meaning just now wasn’t that kind of incidental mention.

Yun Fei tried to search her memory but genuinely couldn’t find any instances of Qi Zheng actively asking about CEO Shen. Some time ago, Qi Zheng was quite concerned about CEO Shen, occasionally even proactively asking if CEO Shen had ordered food when working overtime.

It seemed their relationship had indeed deteriorated. But given CEO Shen’s reaction just now, could it be that Qi Zheng was the one who was unhappy?

Yu Xinyan’s gossip-filled chatter in the car that day suddenly came to mind. Yun Fei pursed her lips and secretly sized up Shen Zhibing. CEO Shen’s emotions looked relatively stable, apart from the brief moment of disappointment just now.

She weighed her words: “How about I remind her next time I contact little Qi? She just went to the US, so she definitely has a lot of new things to adapt to. Maybe she just forgot.”

It would be forgivable to say she forgot after one or two days of arriving. But now, whether she truly forgot or was pretending to forget was obvious.

Shen Zhibing remained composed: “I just want to know about her life over there. As her direct superior, it’s right for you to care about her.”

This statement was vague, and Yun Fei knew CEO Shen was giving herself an out.

Yu Xinyan naturally couldn’t get that kind of gossip from Yun Fei, but that didn’t prevent her from finding clues on social media. That weekend, she insisted on dragging Shen Zhibing out shopping and brought up B University several times along the way.

Shen Zhibing was so bothered that she finally couldn’t help but interrupt: “You said you were taking me to buy nice things. I haven’t seen any nice things; I’ve just been listening to you reminisce about B University.”

Yu Xinyan feigned dissatisfaction and retorted: “Are you saying you don’t remember B University? Who was it who suddenly posted a picture of the B University library at eleven at night?”

Specifically, it was a picture of the B University Business School library.

Shen Zhibing looked unconcerned: “I was tidying up old photos a few days ago, suddenly stumbled upon it, thought it was pretty good, and shared it.”

Yu Xinyan gave her a ‘who are you kidding’ look, then pulled her through several twists and turns in the busy commercial district to an inconspicuous shop.

There wasn’t even a proper sign. The storefront decor looked expensive and carefully designed, but it was also simple and low-key, making it hard for passersby to notice.

Yu Xinyan ignored the doubt in Shen Zhibing’s eyes, who seemed entirely unconvinced that such a shop would have anything good. She made a call, and soon someone came out to greet her.

“Hello, Miss Yu, welcome.”

Shen Zhibing reluctantly followed behind her, and once inside, it was like a completely different world from the outside.

Shen Zhibing, who was used to all kinds of scenes, immediately guessed that this definitely wasn’t a place selling ordinary goods.

But seeing Yu Xinyan’s familiar demeanor, it probably wasn’t her first time. Although she liked to have fun, she still had boundaries and a sense of propriety. She would never touch anything illegal or criminal, but she was interested in all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

Shen Zhibing sighed internally, thinking today was another day wasted being tricked into going out. She might as well consider it exercise.

Yu Xinyan saw her looking around, full of wariness and suspicion, and couldn’t help but laugh: “Don’t worry, I won’t sell you off.”

Shen Zhibing glanced at her, curving her lips, as if to say I doubt you’d dare.

Soon, the service staff led them to a more spacious area, surrounded by closed-door rooms. The lighting wasn’t very bright, giving it a bit of a role-playing game atmosphere.

Shen Zhibing’s business engagements would never take place in such a location, and private gatherings with friends were even more out of the question. Only Yu Xinyan would bother to find a shop like this. Shen Zhibing decided she would humor her for a bit, but if she was expected to join in, there was no way.

Unexpectedly, the well-experienced CEO Shen was wrong this time. Behind the doors were not just rooms, but exquisite product display rooms. It was just that these products… were not exactly mainstream.

Shen Zhibing stood at the doorway, twitching her mouth, considering retreating, but Yu Xinyan grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.

“New stock has arrived. I’m a VIP, so I get to choose first.”

The same process as a luxury goods store. This stuff is following a high-end route? For the first time, Shen Zhibing felt unfamiliar with the development of the consumer market. Had she been out of touch with society for too long?

“Director Yu, you’re not paying attention to these things every day in the procurement department, are you?”

Yu Xinyan defended herself seriously: “I keep my work and private life separate. I pay attention to whatever Shen’s needs. But after work, I am me. I buy whatever I need.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She casually glanced around: “You, a person who’s been single for a long time and claims to have a secret crush, need these?”

Yu Xinyan carefully examined the batch of new products, very calmly saying: “It doesn’t hurt to know about them.”

After speaking, she looked at Shen Zhibing with a meaningful expression, from her face to her neck, and then down… but didn’t look further.

Old Shen’s figure was impeccable. As a friend of many years, she still couldn’t look too closely. Staring for too long would inevitably lead to… jealousy, hmph!

Yu Xinyan angrily pulled back her gaze and suggested to her: “I think you have a greater need.”

A surge of frustration caught in Shen Zhibing’s throat. She felt so innocent and speechless.

“Don’t look at me like that. I have a vivid memory of how radiant you looked at the beginning of the year.”

The beginning of the year. Shen Zhibing’s thoughts stalled for a moment, then quickly realized what she was referring to.

Yu Xinyan smiled: “The little dolphin I gave you before seems to not be satisfying you anymore. Let’s pick an upgraded version today.”

The little dolphin, that thing that was only glanced at and then relegated to a drawer by Shen Zhibing, was there a need for an upgraded version?

Shen Zhibing flatly refused: “I don’t need it, and I don’t use these things.”

“Do you perhaps want a live one?”

Shen Zhibing immediately became alert, but since she was facing Yu Xinyan, she didn’t treat her as an enemy.

Yu Xinyan sighed softly: “Old Shen, I saw the hickeys under your shirt collar one day. Don’t try to use the ‘my eyes are playing tricks on me’ excuse again.”

In fact, Qi Zheng was always very careful not to leave any noticeable marks. Perhaps the temperature in her office was a bit high that day, and her collar was slightly loose.

But Qi Zheng loved the area around her collarbone and always lingered there for a long time.

Shen Zhibing remained composed. Yu Xinyan was relieved when she didn’t deny it.

She came today with the intention of probing and trying to confront the issue. Shen Zhibing’s recent behavior had been very unusual. She hadn’t realized it herself, but both Yun Fei and Yu Xinyan could see it.

“It’s Qi Zheng, isn’t it?”

Yu Xinyan’s statement was not even a question anymore. But when her name was spoken by someone else, Shen Zhibing’s heart suddenly pounded.

“She…”

Shen Zhibing instinctively wanted to deny it but hesitated at that moment.

Her mind suddenly flashed back to the moment in her room that night, Qi Zheng’s instantly dimmed eyes, and her deeply sorrowful back. Feeling a pang in her heart, Shen Zhibing couldn’t bring herself to say similar words again.

“What ‘she’? She’s half a globe away from you now. There’s a twelve-hour time difference. You two are on completely opposite schedules, do you understand?”

Shen Zhibing wasn’t stupid. She had experienced this herself; how could she not know?

Yu Xinyan slowly walked with her past various display cases. This place was regularly open to VIP clients. Only one group of customers was allowed in at a time to ensure maximum privacy.

The clientele were mostly high-end customers, so the profit was considerable, and business was booming. However, it only had a reputation within specific circles, not seeking to go mainstream, nor planning to penetrate the mass market.

Yu Xinyan spotted a very cute cat-shaped item, with its mouth slightly pouting and its eyes squinting in a smile.

“This is nice. A kitten should be more comfortable than a little dolphin. Why don’t you buy one to take back?”

Shen Zhibing was impatient and didn’t even look: “I told you I don’t need it. I never even used the last one.”

Yu Xinyan wasn’t surprised by this. It would be strange if Shen Zhibing had used it: “You didn’t need to use it then. Now that Qi Zheng is in the US, can you still manage?”

“In your eyes, is that the impression I give? Director Yu, do we need to reacquaint ourselves?”

“Old Shen, we are both adults. Using these things is neither shameful nor rare. But you need to understand that when a person reaches a certain age, what they want is not novelty; it’s peace of mind.”

Shen Zhibing’s heart twinged with pain. The feeling of loss after waking up that night surged up again. She felt comfortable in her dream that night, but painfully uncomfortable after waking up. It wasn’t physical emptiness; it was sorrow from the bottom of her heart.

“Who doesn’t want the feeling of peace of mind? It’s just not that easy to find.”

Can she feel at peace? Shen Zhibing wondered. Maybe she had, but it was too fleeting and faint; she couldn’t clearly remember.

Whenever someone gently held her in their arms, with smooth skin touching, exchanging body heat, and someone embracing her from behind to spend the long dark night together, she felt at peace.