Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 91

Shen Zhibing lowered her eyes and looked at the things in Qi Zheng’s hand, guessing it was her dinner. She and Yun Fei had rested at the hotel after getting off the plane, and she hadn’t brought Yun Fei with her. She just hadn’t expected Qi Zheng to return so late. She had waited in the car for nearly an hour.

“You’re eating just this for dinner?”

Qi Zheng glanced down at the simple packaging of the campus takeout: “It’s enough to fill me up.”

Shen Zhibing looked at the time, it wasn’t particularly late, and suggested: “Studying is hard work, just filling up isn’t quite enough. Do you want to go out for dinner? My treat.”

Qi Zheng shook her head and stated frankly: “I spent a long time in the library after class this afternoon. My brain is about to stop working, and I want to go back and rest.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t force her, and the two stood silently downstairs at the apartment building.

Occasionally, people entered and exited, and Qi Zheng moved slightly to the side, afraid of bothering others.

But she didn’t invite Shen Zhibing upstairs. She knew that the CEO appearing here at this hour was definitely not just passing by. She just hadn’t figured out how to be alone with her.

Finally, Shen Zhibing spoke first: “Aren’t you going to invite me up for a sit? I was in the car for quite a while, and I’d like a cup of coffee.”

Qi Zheng turned around to enter the password, and stood to the side, holding the door open for Shen Zhibing to enter first.

Seeing her struggling a bit with one hand, Shen Zhibing instinctively wanted to take the pasta and pizza from her, but Qi Zheng avoided her.

“The things aren’t heavy, I can manage myself.”

The meal was a single serving, so it was indeed not heavy, but Qi Zheng’s exceptionally distant attitude made Shen Zhibing freeze for a moment.

Before coming, she had guessed that Qi Zheng wouldn’t be the same as before, but she hadn’t expected the feeling she would have when truly facing it.

It was hard, very hard, extremely hard to bear.

But she didn’t show any signs of displeasure and respected Qi Zheng’s decision. Shen Zhibing sped up slightly, walking ahead to the elevator and pressing the button.

Once in the elevator, before Qi Zheng could speak, Shen Zhibing directly pressed the seventh floor.

At first, Qi Zheng was a little surprised, wondering how the CEO knew which floor she lived on. Then, she realized how slow her reaction was; the cost was paid by the company, and she kept in contact with Secretary Yun, so the CEO could easily find out by asking casually.

The two didn’t say much in the elevator until Qi Zheng opened the apartment door and invited her in.

“Sorry, I only have disposable slippers.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t mind at all, taking off her high heels and putting on a pair of slippers that Qi Zheng had just taken out of the shoe cabinet.

This apartment only bore the marks of Qi Zheng’s single life; Shen Zhibing quickly concluded this after looking around.

A sense of relief, inexplicably, washed over her, along with a joy that surfaced from nowhere, diluting the disappointment brought by Qi Zheng’s cold attitude just moments ago.

Qi Zheng put her things in the kitchen and genuinely started brewing coffee.

“The Italian coffee machine I ordered online hasn’t been delivered yet. Currently, I only have American coffee. Please don’t mind, CEO Shen.”

Shen Zhibing stood at the entrance of the semi-open kitchen, watching Qi Zheng busy herself, and said calmly, “It’s fine.”

The style of the apartment was very similar to Qi Zheng’s: simple, neat, pure, bright, and with a faint warmth.

Qi Zheng poured the coffee and placed it on the table, saying a little awkwardly, “There’s not much to eat at home. If you haven’t had dinner, CEO Shen, I can order some takeout for you.”

“No need. If it’s not too much trouble, just cook me some instant noodles.”

Qi Zheng loved to eat the Nissin Demae Iccho noodles, especially the sesame oil flavor. Aunt Xin had told her this, and for some reason, it suddenly came to mind.

Sure enough, there were a few packs of instant noodles stocked at home. Qi Zheng felt embarrassed to let Shen Zhibing watch her eat her own dinner, so she cooked the noodles and added a fried egg.

“I can only manage this much. I didn’t know you were coming, so I didn’t prepare beforehand.”

Shen Zhibing hadn’t had much of an appetite, but eating together with Qi Zheng across a short, narrow dining table in this small, cozy apartment suddenly made the food in front of her look appetizing.

She glanced at Qi Zheng’s pasta and couldn’t help but smile: “The school chef’s skills are still the same.”

Qi Zheng had also complained to her classmates from China that the school cafeteria food shouldn’t be tried unless absolutely necessary.

“Did you also find it difficult to eat when you were studying, CEO Shen?”

Shen Zhibing rarely puckered her nose playfully, slightly exaggerated, and emphasized each word: “Extremely difficult to eat, the memory is vivid.”

Qi Zheng was amused by her tone, and the atmosphere finally softened a little.

Shen Zhibing told her about the situation with meeting Boss Zhuang this time. Qi Zheng was no longer in charge of the specific work, and Shen Zhibing didn’t want to add any extra burden to her.

However, Qi Zheng seemed quite concerned about the matter of the few casinos and proactively asked about them.

Shen Zhibing shook her head and sighed lightly: “The board of directors still disagrees, so the funds can’t be fully secured. But I’m already negotiating with the bank to apply for a partial loan.”

Seeing that Qi Zheng already had a solution, Qi Zheng guessed that this trip to the US was likely the last one. She felt a bit sentimental but also found it reasonable, so she didn’t say anything more.

Shen Zhibing finished the fried egg and most of the bowl of noodles, but Qi Zheng left quite a bit, only managing to fill herself up with the pizza.

“Next time you spend a long time at school, go buy food at the burger place behind the Business School. The taste is really good.”

Something that Shen Zhibing recommended multiple times wouldn’t be too bad; this time, Qi Zheng gladly accepted her suggestion.

“How is class?”

After dinner, and already on the second cup of coffee, Shen Zhibing didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.

“It’s alright. The course just started, mostly theoretical classes. But my speaking level is a bit unstable.”

“That’s normal. Practice more, speak more, and it will improve quickly.”

Qi Zheng nodded, indicating that she would continue to practice.

Afterward, the atmosphere returned to silence again. This time, it seemed like it was time for someone to leave.

Qi Zheng had practically given up all initiative, being neither proactive nor enthusiastic, only politely cooperative. Shen Zhibing held the mug with both hands, her index finger lightly tapping the rim, as if gathering her thoughts.

Qi Zheng didn’t know what the CEO wanted to say, but seeing her so solemn, she waited patiently.

She thought, whatever the CEO might say now, it couldn’t be more shocking than what was said that day. What did she have to worry about? Yet, she was still a little nervous.

Shen Zhibing sighed softly, her voice a little deep: “Qi Zheng, actually, I came today because I want to formally apologize to you.”

Qi Zheng looked up, somewhat surprised.

Having started, Shen Zhibing continued in one breath: “I said very hurtful things that day, without considering your feelings. That was my fault.”

Qi Zheng didn’t speak, but her mood was a little low, clearly triggered by the memories of that day.

“During that time, the matter of the intranet photos had just happened, plus my second uncle was constantly testing the relationship between you and me, and someone was looking into my past. These factors combined led me to impulsively say those words to you.”

Qi Zheng gritted her teeth, her brows slowly furrowing, struggling to control her emotions.

If these words had been revealed to her that night, things might not have come to this.

But this couldn’t change Shen Zhibing’s view of their relationship.

“CEO Shen, I understand your situation and the pressure you were under at the time, and I know you didn’t want to be affected.”

Qi Zheng spoke very slowly, and with great difficulty, but she didn’t avoid the issue.

Since Shen Zhibing had formally apologized, she should also give a formal response.

Shen Zhibing saw that she still didn’t utter a single complaint, and even stood in her shoes to express understanding, which moved her somewhat. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Qi Zheng made her feel secure; she was always so calm and forgiving.

But the next second, Qi Zheng said: “I can understand, but I cannot accept.”

The faint smile that Shen Zhibing hadn’t had time to fully display froze on her lips, and the heart that was gradually relaxing suddenly tightened, making her feel at a loss.

She had not expected Qi Zheng to give her such a response. Even if she was still angry, complaining, or even crying, those would have been reactions Shen Zhibing considered normal.

However, now, Qi Zheng calmly understood her, yet rejected her.

“Qi Zheng, actually, I…”

She didn’t finish, perhaps only hesitating for a few seconds. Qi Zheng looked up at her, and after those few seconds of her faltering, she gave a bitter smile.

“CEO Shen, the feelings I invested cannot be treated as if nothing happened. Similarly, the feelings that were hurt cannot be treated as if nothing matters just because of one apology.”

Qi Zheng’s words clearly indicated that she cared, she cared about Shen Zhibing’s denial of their intimate relationship.

Shen Zhibing caught something from the fleeting change in Qi Zheng’s expression just now but couldn’t guess what she meant.

She clearly saw Qi Zheng’s eyes, which brightened for a moment, and then quickly dimmed.

Shen Zhibing found she couldn’t bear to see this. Such sudden dimming; she had seen it once that night, and it was enough to make her heart ache until now.

“I know you have a reason to be angry, and I also know that a simple ‘I’m sorry’ can’t smooth over the hurt. I just hope you understand my position. I’m not trying to completely cut off our relationship. I just felt that under the current unclear circumstances, we should temporarily maintain the status quo.”

Qi Zheng smiled bitterly and shook her head. This could be considered a belated explanation, although its significance was minimal, having it was better than nothing.

Shen Zhibing looked at Qi Zheng, hoping to see a slight change on her face, but what she saw was still a look of indifference, even more sorrowful.

She took out a brocade box from her purse, which contained the bracelet Qi Zheng had taken off.

“Please take this back for now, okay?”

Qi Zheng looked at it, her thoughts a bit scattered, and her heart a little sore.

Shen Zhibing thought she hadn’t refused, so she took the bracelet out of the box, and just like before, tried to put it on Qi Zheng.

Only this time, she was more careful and gentler than before.

When the bracelet wrapped around Qi Zheng’s clean, white wrist, the coolness stimulated her skin, jolting her thoughts awake.

Qi Zheng suddenly pulled her hand back. Shen Zhibing was caught off guard, and the bracelet dropped directly onto the table.

“CEO Shen, this gift is too precious. For whatever reason, I cannot accept it,” she took a deep breath. “There shouldn’t be any more entanglements between us outside of work.”

Shen Zhibing’s hand remained suspended in the air for a moment before she slowly picked up the bracelet and put it back into the brocade box.

She had no experience dealing with this kind of situation, or rather, she had no strategy at all.

She also hadn’t expected Qi Zheng’s attitude to be so resolute.

In the year she had known her, Qi Zheng had never changed. What she wanted to refuse, she would not compromise on.

“I was too impatient.”

Qi Zheng’s nose suddenly felt sore, the pizza in her stomach was still causing trouble, and she suddenly felt unwell all over.

She didn’t keep Shen Zhibing any longer. When the CEO stood up to leave, she followed behind her to open the door.

“I’ll come find you for dinner tomorrow. I know a very good restaurant nearby.”

Qi Zheng watched her change her shoes and accompanied her to the elevator entrance but declined her invitation.

“CEO Shen, I have class tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about me. It’s already in the past.”