The Cannon Fodder NPC Went Too Far [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
She changed her mind.
Shen Zheng lowered her eyes and scanned the freshly printed agreement. Qin Assistant seemed to have briefly mentioned every clause while she was busy, and some details she couldn’t quite recall, but it didn’t matter. Shen Zheng chuckled lightly and tore it into shreds.
“The original agreement is void. Draft a new one.”
“Huh?” Qin Assistant looked at the still-nonchalant Shen Zheng, not quite understanding her meaning for the first time.
“Forget it, I’ll draft it myself. Thank you for your trouble.”
“Yes, CEO Shen.” Qin Assistant dutifully followed behind Shen Zheng. As an assistant who had been with Shen Zheng since graduation, for seven or eight years, she maintained her professional composure and did not show any expression of surprise.
Whatever CEO Shen said or did must have its deeper meaning.
After her knee injury healed, Xia Yu, who had been restlessly exploring the Xia family estate and was thrilled to discover a massive paddock, finally played to her heart’s content. Covered in sweat, she returned home, took a comfortable shower, and emerged from the bathroom in a bathrobe with damp hair.
She immediately ran into an unexpected guest on the sofa. Shen Zheng was lounging lazily, legs crossed, focused on the documents in her hand, her slender fingers occasionally turning a page. Her relaxed posture did nothing to diminish her inherent nobility.
Hearing the movement, she looked up and smiled at the confused Xia Yu.
Xia Yu, seeing Shen Zheng who had disappeared for a few days and suddenly reappeared, frowned, feeling that something about Shen Zheng was different.
Seeing Xia Yu staring at her without speaking, and thinking that young people nowadays value their privacy or dislike others entering their rooms uninvited, Shen Zheng offered a rare, gentle explanation: “I saw your door wasn’t closed. I happened to be looking for you about something, so I came right in.”
Xia Yu simply said “Oh.” Water droplets dripped from her hair, tracing paths along her cheeks and neck down to her delicate collarbone, collecting in the slight hollow. With her shallow breaths, they gently undulated like ripples on water. She didn’t notice this at all. She casually wiped her hair with a towel and asked curiously: “Shen Zheng, don’t you need to go to the company today?”
Shen Zheng subtly shifted her gaze, not directly answering her question. Instead, she took out a black-and-white agreement and turned it face-up, placing it squarely in front of her.
“I personally came to deliver the agreement to you, to prevent you from making a scene,” Shen Zheng said as she casually tapped the agreement, with a tone that held an elusive emotion.
“Have a look. Sign it if you agree.”
Xia Yu puffed out her cheeks, mumbled a few words, and then seriously began to read the agreement.
She hadn’t been idle these past few days, familiarizing herself with the surroundings and quickly catching up on the general knowledge of this world, so she was no longer a complete illiterate.
She traced each word with her finger, her lips silently forming the words as she read. She would even pause after a few sentences to understand their meaning.
Shen Zheng sat beside her, resting her head on her hand, looking down at her, and was surprisingly not impatient. If Qin Assistant saw this, she would be dumbfounded. CEO Shen’s time was always precious, and anyone signing a contract with her who was this slow would have been thrown out long ago.
The usually sharp and authoritative look in Shen Zheng’s eyes was faintly tinged with amusement. She’s salvageable. As a decision-maker, even if she didn’t fully understand everything, carefully studying the clauses was much better than just blindly flipping through and signing.
Perhaps because she had mentally designated Xia Yu as part of her inner circle, Shen Zheng exhibited more patience with her. Since she had decided to cultivate her into a confidante, she didn’t mind spending a little more time teaching her.
After careful review, Xia Yu looked up and smiled at her with sparkling eyes. In short, even while constrained by Shen Zheng, she would still be the controlling shareholder of the Xia Group.
She seemed to recall something, and a rare trace of embarrassment appeared on her usually proud face. Even her bright eyes dimmed a bit as she stammered: “But… I don’t know how.”
“It’s alright if you don’t know how; you can learn. I’ll teach you,” Shen Zheng’s expression softened, and her voice became gentle. As long as she was willing to learn, she was a good child.
“From now on, come to the company with me every day. I will teach you to learn.” Picking up the agreement signed with Xia Yu’s name, Shen Zheng sealed the decision without waiting for Xia Yu’s consent.
She lifted the agreement clamped between two fingers with a good mood and turned to walk out. Halfway there, she seemed to remember something and involuntarily instructed: “Remember to apply medicine to your hand injury.”
“Remember to blow-dry your hair before sleeping, so you don’t get headaches later.”
Xia Yu didn’t react until Shen Zheng quietly closed the door, remaining stunned and staring blankly at the door.
“Host, Host, what’s going on? What happened?” The system, which had been off-duty and powered down, finally arrived, spewing questions like a machine gun.
Xia Yu summarized it in a few words, and the system gasped in shock: “What should we do? What should we do? Why is the plot deviating further and further? According to the novel, Shen Zheng was supposed to send someone to deliver the agreement your father drafted, where Shen Zheng manages all of the Xia family’s assets and shares, and you just receive a monthly allowance.”
“Why did everything change when you woke up? Based on the agreement you just signed, even though the decision-making is controlled by Shen Zheng, a large portion of the company’s monthly profits will be drawn. She has also given you immense autonomy, like a subsidiary company under her own. You earn money for her, and she acts as your safety net.” The system analyzed the agreement Xia Yu signed in detail.
Then, it couldn’t help but sigh with emotion: “She’s so nice! She’s nothing like the ruthless and cold-blooded villain in the original book.”
After sighing, it remembered its mission and cried without tears: “Can the rest of the plot still proceed? She’s so nice, it makes us feel bad about continuing to target her.”
“Isn’t there still the male lead? A 50% restoration score doesn’t have to be achieved solely through Shen Zheng,” Xia Yu’s mind conjured a sickening face, and she narrowed her eyes with a hint of coldness.
She holds a grudge.
Shen Zheng handed the recovered agreement to Qin Assistant for filing, while she sat at her desk, her expression subdued, unusually distracted from her official duties.
She looked up at the busy Qin Assistant, opened her mouth, but under Qin Assistant’s questioning gaze, Shen Zheng ultimately didn’t ask her question, merely waving her hand to indicate she should get back to work.
She realized, after thinking it over, that there was no one around her who could give her an answer. Asking Qin Assistant was useless; like her, Qin Assistant had neither dated nor had children, so she probably wouldn’t know more. Asking her group of frivolous friends—she didn’t know which nerve she had hit, but she suddenly felt that this topic was too embarrassing to bring up. As for asking that group of old fossilized relics, she wouldn’t even consider it, not unless she was dead.
Shen Zheng sighed deeply. She never thought she would be stumped by such a question one day. She supported her head and pondered for a moment longer. Catching sight of the glowing computer screen, she suddenly had an idea.
Most people these days like to browse the internet; perhaps pooling collective wisdom would offer a solution.
Her slender fingers hovered over the keyboard. She carefully considered her words, thoroughly analyzed her current feelings, and earnestly posted her query.
My agreement-husband, whom I haven’t officially married, died. Before he died, he entrusted his daughter to me. Originally, she was constantly making a fuss and was annoying to watch. I didn’t want to get involved, only intending to ensure her safety and let her manage on her own, keeping our distance. However, after spending a few days with her, I realized she wasn’t as spoiled and foolish as I thought. Instead, she’s somewhat endearing and recklessly vibrant, like a little sun, and was raised very well by her father. Both her parents are gone. If I don’t look after her, she’ll likely be bullied by those people. Thinking this, I feel a sense of pity and a desire to take her under my wing and teach her how to establish herself.
What kind of feeling is this? How should I interact with her in the future?
After the post went live, the thread briefly stayed blank, then was instantly flooded with comments.
Top comment: Blogger, you’re pitying the young girl, and your maternal instinct is overflowing. Children who have lost a parent are always sensitive. The blogger needs to be more patient and tolerant of her temper; perhaps it wasn’t her intention. You also need to pay more attention to the little girl’s physical and mental health. I wish the blogger good deeds a good reward, and I thank you on the little girl’s behalf for your kindness and effort.
Is that so? Shen Zheng stared slightly blankly at the word “Maternal Instinct” that was constantly highlighted and bolded in her mind. Seeing the post grow hotter and eventually stacking up into a tall thread, with people discussing how to improve relationships with rebellious children or stepchildren.
Is this the case? It seemed somewhat plausible when put that way. But she still felt like something was odd.
Ah, ah, ah! The blogger didn’t even say how old she is! How can you all assume this is maternal love? That’s too arbitrary! If she’s an adult, wouldn’t this be ‘Stepmother Literature’? Ah, ah, ah! The excited howls were quickly drowned out by the ensuing comments, and her comment went unnoticed.
The next day, Shen Zheng, who was always punctual, strode into the company wearing a sharp black suit, her slender eyes downcast, moving with swift efficiency.
The difference from usual was the little shadow following behind her, mimicking her demeanor. Xia Yu was dressed in a similar black suit, her almond-shaped eyes wide and looking around curiously. Her chin was slightly lifted, like a proud little phoenix.
“CEO Shen, this is…” Qin Assistant, who was waiting nearby with files to report on the day’s stock market, paused, walked over, and asked softly.
Shen Zheng stopped, looked up at Xia Yu, who instantly straightened her back, and introduced her seriously: “This is Xia Yu. Add a desk for her in my office and bring over the Xia Group’s financial statements for the past few months. Thank you for your trouble.”
Qin Assistant nodded, then saw Shen Zheng turn to Xia Yu and instruct: “This is Qin Ying. She has been my assistant for many years and is my most trusted confidante. If I am not around in the future and you have any urgent matters, you can look for her.”
Hearing this, Xia Yu’s lips curved slightly, her eyes and eyebrows shining with brilliant, clear light. She extended her hand to Qin Ying and said crisply: “Hello, Assistant Qin. I’m Xia Yu. Please guide me in the future.”
“You’re too kind, Miss Xia. We’ll support each other,” Qin Ying tried hard to suppress her gossip-filled inner thoughts, politely shook hands with Xia Yu, and then directed people to set up the office Shen Zheng requested.
Isn’t this CEO Shen’s stepdaughter by agreement? She complained about her before, and now she’s changing the agreement for her and having her follow her to the office. What exactly is going on?