Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 93

After Shen Zhibing returned to China, her communication with Qi Zheng did not completely cease. They would chat every two or three days, but it was mostly about work matters. Qi Zheng maintained a detached, objective, and neither overbearing nor humble attitude. It was better than the previous coldness, but there was no significant sign of softening.

Just after a group discussion ended, Qi Zheng rubbed her jaw, preparing to go to the burger joint behind the back gate for a bite to eat. The verbal sparring with the student from India had left her utterly exhausted.

Li Yunshan caught up from behind, draping an arm over her shoulder: “Qi Zheng, we don’t have class tomorrow. Let’s go out for a good meal tonight to satisfy our cravings.”

Qi Zheng smiled and declined: “Nice idea, but don’t forget we have two deadlines the day after tomorrow.”

Li Yunshan’s face dropped, looking annoyed and helpless: “How annoying. I can already imagine the pain of searching everywhere for those Indian classmates tomorrow night, yet still having to finish the group assignment on time.”

Qi Zheng was also tormented by this situation; sometimes, it truly was unsolvable.

It had been over a month since the semester officially began. Courses were accelerating, and group discussions and assignments had become commonplace. Qi Zheng overcame her initial shyness and awkwardness, speaking English frankly with everyone, and her progress was obvious in the short term.

However, she also had to thank the good “oral English teacher” she had encountered.

Zhuang Muqing stood outside the teaching building, hands in her pockets. A half-length scarf covered her graceful swan neck, but could not conceal her unique and outstanding demeanor.

Li Yunshan was speaking animatedly when she suddenly stopped and signaled to Qi Zheng: “Looks like you won’t be able to refuse today. Someone came specially to wait.”

Qi Zheng looked over, and her eyes met Zhuang Muqing’s gaze.

She quickened her steps down the stairs: “Didn’t you say you’d only have time tomorrow?”

Zhuang Muqing smiled brightly, her face adorned with light and delicate makeup, and radiating the open and bright temperament of an artist. Her clothing was simple yet tasteful. She was half a head shorter than Qi Zheng, but her figure was slender and well-proportioned, thanks to her childhood practice of ballet.

“I had a last-minute change of schedule, so I came over to see if you’re free.”

They had originally agreed to meet tomorrow, which was why Qi Zheng planned to finish her assignments today. She disliked rushing assignments right before the deadline; it made her anxious and insecure.

Qi Zheng took out her phone, sighed softly, and said: “You should have texted me first.”

Zhuang Muqing tilted her head, a little playfully yet nonchalantly: “No need to be so formal. It’s nothing important. If you were busy, we could just schedule it for another time.”

Qi Zheng secretly calculated in her mind, planning how to adjust and allocate her time appropriately.

Zhuang Muqing wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t mind that Qi Zheng hadn’t immediately accepted her invitation. Instead, she started a relaxed conversation with Li Yunshan.

Zhuang Muqing had received a call from her uncle a month ago, saying a friend had asked him to look after Qi Zheng. After hearing about Qi Zheng’s basic situation, Zhuang Muqing understood her uncle’s intention behind the call.

He was recuperating in New York, and while he accepted the favor of looking after someone, the person who would actually do it was her. Zhuang Muqing, who had just returned from Ethiopia with her team, did not make excuses to decline and contacted Qi Zheng the next day.

Perhaps her uncle had specifically instructed her, but Zhuang Muqing only said she was asked by her uncle to see if there was anything she could help with. Boss Zhuang had a good impression of Qi Zheng, and it seemed reasonable to offer some hospitality since she was studying in the US.

Qi Zheng didn’t want to trouble anyone, especially someone like Zhuang Muqing, who clearly wasn’t someone with too much free time.

Unexpectedly, after Qi Zheng politely refused the offer, Zhuang Muqing said: “How about this: I’ll help you practice your spoken English, and you teach me a few things about Haicheng.”

Zhuang Muqing was the only daughter of Boss Zhuang’s third younger brother. Years ago, Boss Zhuang ventured out alone, and as soon as he found his footing, he tried every way to bring his siblings out. The third brother was the one who fought side-by-side with him for the longest time.

Regrettably, among the younger generation, the most talented, Zhuang Muqing, was interested in the arts—photography, sculpture, design—but not in business.

The others either became doctors or lawyers. The rest simply wanted to eat, drink, and be merry, and Boss Zhuang was unwilling to entrust his life’s work to such people.

In the early years, most of his energy was spent surviving the corporate battles. Later, he focused all his effort on expanding the business and stabilizing its foundation. Only after achieving financial freedom did he finally have the time to reflect on his hometown.

It was a shame that few among the younger generation spoke authentic Haicheng dialect, let alone had any deep understanding of the city.

They were like cross-cultural individuals with yellow skin and black hair who were more familiar with Western culture.

With Zhuang Muqing’s proposition, Qi Zheng had no reason to refuse. With Zhuang Muqing’s help and corrections, her spoken English improved quickly. Coupled with her conscious effort to practice more in class, she was gradually finding her place in group discussions.

Qi Zheng knew that even though Zhuang Muqing said it didn’t matter, since she had come in person, it wouldn’t be right to let her effort be wasted. She adjusted her time and accepted Zhuang Muqing’s invitation.

“Yunshan, are you coming too?”

Hearing they were going to eat something delicious, Li Yunshan shamelessly tagged along.

After they got into the car, Zhuang Muqing confirmed the address again and then said: “A friend told me that the xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) place has excellent flavor, so I wanted to try it with you two.”

Li Yunshan was also a Southerner, her hometown not far from Haicheng. Just hearing xiaolongbao made her mouth water.

“Heaven knows how long it’s been since I had authentic xiaolongbao. Those frozen dim sum items from the supermarket can no longer satisfy my poor stomach!”

Her exaggerated tone and expression made Zhuang Muqing laugh, but she kept her focus on the road ahead.

Qi Zheng also wanted to eat xiaolongbao, but actually, she wanted xiaohundun (small wontons) even more.

She wouldn’t mention it herself, though. When someone specially takes her out for good food, how could she make another request besides expressing her gratitude?

Zhuang Muqing turned to ask Qi Zheng: “How about you? Is there any Haicheng food you miss a lot?”

When away from home for a long time, the stomach is the most honest part of the body. Qi Zheng was no exception. Of course, she missed it, especially with the drop in temperature and the inherent desolation of late autumn, which more easily stirred up homesickness.

And local cuisine was the most prominent form of that homesickness.

“I miss it every day. I can only rely on hard work in my studies to alleviate it.”

Li Yunshan exclaimed: “No wonder your grades are improving so fast. So you’re turning your yearning into motivation, got it!”

Qi Zheng pursed her lips, turning to look out the window at the local streetscape she was slowly getting used to. Her heart still felt empty.

She missed not only the food, but also the beauty.

The drive was quite long. Zhuang Muqing drove for almost an hour, and due to her unfamiliarity with the area, she circled around a few times before finally locating it with a friend’s ‘remote guidance.’

“There are quite a few people. It looks like it must be very good.”

Zhuang Muqing had only truly become interested in Haicheng in recent years, or more precisely, in the Haipai culture. But her uncle was usually strict and old-fashioned, and her father was obsessed with health preservation, so she didn’t want to discuss such topics with them.

Hearing that Qi Zheng was from Haicheng and around her age, Zhuang Muqing was delighted, as if she had finally found a companion she could discuss and share things with. So, whenever she found any elements related to Haicheng, she wanted to share them with Qi Zheng.

After waiting in line for half an hour, they finally sat down. Zhuang Muqing looked at the exquisite food in the pictures and ordered six different kinds in one go.

“Isn’t that too much?” Li Yunshan kindly reminded her, watching her rapid ordering.

“It’s alright. If we can’t finish, we’ll pack it up to go. It would be a pity not to try several flavors since we rarely come here.”

Someone involved in art naturally enjoyed trying all kinds of novel things. Zhuang Muqing had a sunny, open, and free-spirited temperament, which didn’t make people think she was unreliable. It only made them envious that she was able to freely pursue what she loved; that was probably the greatest happiness.

Besides xiaolongbao, Zhuang Muqing selected a few other dishes based on Qi Zheng and Li Yunshan’s suggestions. Qi Zheng finally ordered a serving of xiaohundun. She had almost decided against it, feeling they had already ordered a lot of other things, but her eyes had searched for xiaohundun the moment she saw the menu.

Shen Zhibing was out entertaining until very late the night before yesterday, so she simply had the driver take her to the suburban villa. Since meeting Qi Zheng, she was no longer so resistant to returning there. However, she was still reluctant to linger in the room Qi Zheng had stayed in, always feeling a vague sense of distress.

When Aunt Xin saw her coming downstairs, she greeted her: “Third Miss, breakfast is ready.”

Aunt Xin was still kept there. Shen Zhibing hadn’t explicitly said why, but she vaguely guessed it had something to do with Miss Qi. Because even though Miss Qi had been gone for so long, Third Miss had never suggested getting rid of the things she used or the clothes in her room.

Everything seemed to have been kept as it was before, even though Miss Qi was no longer there.

Shen Zhibing was not overly strict about food; as long as it was fresh and nutritionally balanced, she generally didn’t fuss much. But today, she suddenly asked the kitchen to make a bowl of xiaohundun. It wasn’t a difficult task, but since the kitchen hadn’t prepared it in advance, it required a wait.

Shen Zhibing glanced at the time. She had an important meeting this morning and probably couldn’t wait.

Seeing her rarely take the initiative to make a request, Aunt Xin suggested: “How about I have the driver go out and buy a serving?”

Shen Zhibing didn’t particularly want to eat something bought outside. While she was hesitating, she heard Aunt Xin add: “Miss Qi recommended a place before. It’s not too far from here, and the taste is quite good.”

Shen Zhibing’s eyes flashed instantly: “She said it was good?”

“Yes, Miss Qi even bought it back for us to eat together. It was indeed pretty good.”

“Then have the driver go.”

Shen Zhibing didn’t have any particular attachment to Haicheng traditional breakfasts like xiaohundun and scallion pancakes. She recalled her grandfather liked these things. By her parents’ generation, it was already a mix of Chinese and Western, less fixated on a single type of flavor.

The only times she remembered having xiaohundun was during her last business trip to the US when Qi Zheng was sick and wanted to eat it. Shen Zhibing and Yun Fei had tried it twice, and the taste was indeed good. She occasionally ate it later, but she rarely thought of it on her own, so she hadn’t had it many times in total.

When the thought of eating it came to her this morning, the craving became irrepressible. Fortunately, the place Qi Zheng recommended successfully soothed her.

The morning meeting went smoothly. The positive effect of a good breakfast continued to work, and Shen Zhibing felt her work efficiency was particularly high.

“Reply to the bank that all these documents will be sent over within three days.” Shen Zhibing had completed the final confirmation. As long as she secured this loan, the acquisition plan would face no obstacles.

She thought for a moment and said: “I will personally notify Boss Zhuang. You go handle other matters.”

Yun Fei agreed, but didn’t leave immediately. Shen Zhibing knew she had something else to say, so she paused and looked at her.

“CEO Shen, did you see the moment Miss Qi posted on her Moments yesterday?”