Transmigrating Into the Beautiful CEO’s Doomed Substitute - Chapter 98

After returning from the United States, Shen Zhibing quickly handled the backlog of work. With the acquisition plan officially completed, she had new goals, and work never gave her a chance to breathe.

Shen Zhibing had just finished a departmental meeting and asked Yu Xinyan and a few other department heads to return to her office with her.

Xin Jia had already assembled the special task force, and they were waiting for her in the CEO’s office.

“CEO Shen, everyone is here.”

Shen Zhibing nodded, “Help me move the next meeting to the afternoon. I won’t take any calls before noon.”

Xin Jia looked at the expressions of the people following Shen Zhibing and guessed there would be new developments from today’s departmental meeting, so she tactfully left.

Once in the office, everyone quickly found a vacant seat, then heard Shen Zhibing say, “The acquisition plan was just completed, and this is how you choose to surprise me?”

The crowd remained silent, no one wanted to speak first and be the scapegoat. Shen Zhibing looked around, her gaze landing on Yu Xinyan: “Director Yu, please explain the situation in the Procurement Department first.”

“The contract error was a human oversight. I will investigate it as soon as possible.”

Shen Zhibing’s face remained serious: “Didn’t the last incident with Huatian Water Conservancy provide enough of a lesson? Yet, someone has made the same mistake again this time.”

Yu Xinyan said gravely, “It shouldn’t be a new problem, but rather an old issue that wasn’t thoroughly investigated before.”

Shen Zhibing questioned the other department heads one by one, receiving largely similar explanations. She was even stricter than in the meeting just now, clearly very dissatisfied that these issues still existed.

“We allocate enough resources and time every year for departments to conduct self-checks, yet the problems keep increasing year by year.”

Shen Zhibing knew that scolding them wouldn’t immediately solve the problems, but increasing the pressure appropriately was necessary, otherwise some people would always take her words lightly.

“That’s all for today. I hope this is the last time I have to call you all in for this sort of matter.”

Shen Zhibing finally kept Yu Xinyan alone, her expression softening somewhat.

“It seems CEO Shen is ready to make a move and change the headquarters staff.”

Shen Zhibing glanced at Yu Xinyan, and the two shared a knowing smile.

When the Miancheng branch company ran into trouble before, the trouble was significant, but Shen Zhibing acted decisively, performing a swift, drastic cut. She paid the fine, canceled the business, and even didn’t hesitate to pay out of pocket, ultimately keeping the negative impact strictly confined to Miancheng.

However, she took the opportunity to thoroughly investigate all branch company operations, replacing many with her own people. Now, most of the branch managers are her trusted people, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

“If I don’t make a move, Uncle will eventually use the headquarters as a weapon. I don’t want this place to be a mess, and I don’t think Grandpa would want to see that either.”

Yu Xinyan casually played with the pen in Shen Zhibing’s pen holder, reminding her, “It’s best to let the Internal Audit team take action first. Some departments have a heap of issues; they won’t need you to step in, they’ll fall into trouble on their own.”

Shen Zhibing thought the same way. She divided the departments needing rectification into several categories, and the easiest to deal with were the high-problem areas.

“I will arrange for Internal Audit to step up its efforts.”

Yu Xinyan suddenly brought up a name that Shen Zhibing hadn’t noticed before.

“Internal Audit got a new recruit last month, named Jiang Youyou. She was Qi Zheng’s classmate.”

Although Qi Zheng was suspended, she had referred her old classmate to HR before she left. Internal Audit happened to be short-staffed, and Jiang Youyou performed well in the interview and was successfully hired.

Not getting into the Finance Department, Internal Audit was still a relevant field, and at least it was better than the hard work of “one year equals three years” in an accounting firm.

**

Jiang Youyou was kept behind by CEO Shen after the meeting. Although she was a newcomer, she had relevant experience from the accounting firm, quickly got the hang of the job, and performed well.

“CEO Shen, do you have any other instructions?”

This afternoon’s meeting was specifically held by Shen Zhibing with the Internal Audit team, and the purpose was clear: to intensify the audits of the various headquarters departments. Internal Audit was already unpopular, but this task was bound to offend more people.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s almost time to clock off, and I’d like to have dinner with you.”

Jiang Youyou: ???

Seeing her look of shock and confusion, Shen Zhibing felt a little awkward herself. But, being someone used to big occasions, she quickly adjusted and said calmly and without changing her expression, “I heard from HR that you were referred by Qi Zheng, so I wanted to chat with you.”

So it was because of Qi Zheng.

Jiang Youyou had always felt that Qi Zheng’s determined departure, completing all formalities at lightning speed and heading to the US without a second thought, had something to do with CEO Shen.

When Qi Zheng first arrived in the US, she also deliberately avoided topics about Haicheng, clearly not wanting to talk much about domestic matters. Jiang Youyou naturally assumed that she had fled abroad to nurse her broken heart after being rejected by CEO Shen.

“I often had to travel for business when I was at the firm, sometimes for months at a time, and I didn’t quite adapt, so I asked Qi Zheng to help me look out for recruitment opportunities. But aside from the referral, she didn’t help with anything else.”

Jiang Youyou was afraid CEO Shen might misunderstand and think Qi Zheng had used connections to help her get in, especially since her joining wasn’t during the traditional hiring season. It just so happened that a colleague chose to return to family life after giving birth, creating a sudden vacancy.

Shen Zhibing found Jiang Youyou’s nervous explanation a bit amusing.

“I was just inquiring about the situation, no other meaning.”

Jiang Youyou muttered to herself, Is CEO Shen planning to give her a secret and difficult mission? For example, infiltrating enemy territory to gather intelligence, or being the big villain who exposes things others dare not reveal? In any case, she’s a newcomer. If she messes up, the worst is a punishment or dismissal, and then a private compensation fee.

If it’s money, it’s not completely out of the question, but being dismissed shortly after joining would be a bit embarrassing.

Jiang Youyou’s thoughts wandered. Shen Zhibing had already tidied up her things and stood up, ready to leave: “What do you like to eat?”

Jiang Youyou couldn’t refuse CEO Shen’s kind invitation, nor did she dare to go to a place that was too casual, but she also felt going to an overly expensive place would make her seem superficial.

After much thought, she decided to use Qi Zheng as a guide.

“Let’s go for local private cuisine.”

Qi Zheng seemed to have mentioned that she once went to a certain restaurant with CEO Shen for a business discussion, and CEO Shen was quite satisfied with it.

Shen Zhibing paused for a moment after hearing her, then smiled warmly: “Okay, let’s go to the place you mentioned.”

This was Jiang Youyou’s first time here as well. Remembering the name was purely a flash of inspiration. She was grateful that Qi Zheng had helped her from a thousand miles away.

Shen Zhibing was a little puzzled by her unfamiliarity but didn’t say anything. After Jiang Youyou finished ordering and the waiter was dismissed, Shen Zhibing asked casually, “Have you never been here before?”

Jiang Youyou was completely unfamiliar with Shen Zhibing. She mostly knew about the business magnate from the media and others’ accounts. Qi Zheng occasionally mentioned things to her, but rarely involved personal matters, so Jiang Youyou still felt distant from her.

“To be honest, Qi Zheng mentioned it to me, saying the food here is delicious.”

Jiang Youyou spoke very carefully and reservedly, afraid of implicating her friend, as no boss would like to have these things revealed by a subordinate. So she only mentioned Qi Zheng and didn’t link her to CEO Shen. Surely this wouldn’t be a problem?

She secretly observed CEO Shen’s expression, thinking about how to explain if CEO Shen asked further or got angry. In short, I absolutely must not let Qi Zheng be misunderstood.

Unexpectedly, not only was Shen Zhibing not angry, but she even smiled, which was rare: “Really? Did Qi Zheng say she likes coming here?”

Jiang Youyou had to admit that CEO Shen’s aura in the company was very strong, enough to intimidate everyone. But when she smiled, it truly felt like a gentle breeze, making all the bones in her body feel relaxed.

“Yes, she said the food here is quite authentic, with a light flavor, yet still traditional.”

Shen Zhibing listened quite intently, seeming ready to let Jiang Youyou continue. But this was just her forced explanation, and it would soon be exposed if she kept talking, so Jiang Youyou awkwardly picked up her teacup and took a silent sip.

Shen Zhibing waited a moment, and seeing that she didn’t continue, she proactively asked, “Then did Qi Zheng ever say which dishes she particularly likes?”

Jiang Youyou was quite familiar with this. After all, they had been out to eat many times, and Qi Zheng’s preferences were quite consistent.

She rattled off several dishes, only realizing after the fact that some were not among the items CEO Shen had just ordered.

Shen Zhibing still showed no displeasure; instead, she was very interested, signaling the waiter to take another order. She was satisfied only after adding the dishes Jiang Youyou had just mentioned that she hadn’t ordered before.

Throughout the evening, CEO Shen only spoke briefly about work at the beginning. The rest of the time, she was talking trivialities with her. All topics would eventually circle back to Qi Zheng. Initially, Shen Zhibing was quite reserved, but later she became very direct, even asking, What does Qi Zheng like? What about Qi Zheng…

Even after Jiang Youyou returned home and took a shower, she could still hear CEO Shen’s cold, yet curious and somehow indescribable tone echoing in her ears. Ultimately, all the wonderful sounds distilled down to two words: Qi Zheng.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to Qi Zheng: [Qi Zheng, are you there?]

Qi Zheng had just finished class. She only had two morning classes today and planned to go to the library.

When she received Jiang Youyou’s message, she had just bought coffee, so she simply gave her a voice call.

“You’re not just getting off work now, are you?”

Since Jiang Youyou jumped ship to Shen’s, it had been a while since she complained about the hardships of working overtime.

“More terrifying than just getting off work, would you believe it?”

Qi Zheng was a little curious about what could make Jiang Youyou like this: “You didn’t get some kind of mysterious mission, did you? Like being sent to scout out Africa?”

Shen’s recently expressed interest in expanding its business in Africa. People sometimes joked that they might be sent as pioneers, but the compensation was also very substantial.

Jiang Youyou wasn’t one to keep people guessing. Hearing Qi Zheng teasing her, she couldn’t help but hum: “It’s much more exciting than going to Africa! I had dinner with CEO Shen tonight, isn’t that amazing?”

The smile at the corner of Qi Zheng’s mouth faded slightly, but her tone remained normal: “New employee benefit?”

“It’s all because of you!”

“Because of me?”

A thought flashed through Qi Zheng’s mind, but she dared not dwell on it, afraid it would bring disappointment.

Before she could speak, Jiang Youyou had already started recounting all of Shen Zhibing’s trivial questions from dinner. After she finished, she realized how good her memory was!

“So tell me, isn’t this all your fault? I only met CEO Shen once before, at most taking a ride with her. After tonight, I feel like I’m about to become her encyclopedia, code name—’Qi Zheng Little Encyclopedia’!”

Qi Zheng, however, wasn’t swayed by Jiang Youyou’s emotion. She was indeed surprised, not expecting CEO Shen to still be interested in learning about these things after returning to the country.

She had thought that after rejecting Shen Zhibing on her birthday, their relationship would be fixed at that of a boss and subordinate.