The Cannon Fodder NPC Went Too Far [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Xia Yu supported her head with her left hand, holding a pen in her right, and meticulously reviewed a stack of financial statements, scribbling notes on a white sheet of paper. To an observer, it looked like she was analyzing the financials; to someone else, it might seem like she was deciding some major life event.
Shen Zheng shook her head with a smile, slightly covering her face with a document to prevent Xia Yu from getting embarrassed and angry.
The light and shadows from the window grew increasingly intense. The two of them were absorbed in their respective tasks, with only the faint rustle of turning pages in the air—a surprisingly harmonious scene.
“Shen Zheng, about this…” Xia Yu cross-referenced the numbers with the system several times. When she confirmed the figures on the account books still didn’t match up, she looked up at Shen Zheng, hesitated several times, and finally spoke.
Shen Zheng was flipping through a document and replied indifferently without looking up: “Use titles during work. CEO Xia.”
“Oh,” Xia Yu pouted slightly, mumbling under her breath: “So harsh.”
“I’m not harsh.” Unexpectedly, Shen Zheng heard her. She looked up, her expression mild, and explained seriously to Xia Yu.
“I’ll come over once I finish this task.”
Xia Yu blinked rapidly twice, then lowered her head as usual, grabbing her pen and fiercely writing two strokes on the paper, which were merely meaningless scrawls.
She stared anxiously at the scribbled lines, mirroring her own wildly beating heart. She silently pouted and muttered many complaints in her mind.
Unfair, too unfair. How can she be like this, how can she be so… so…
She couldn’t quite articulate the feeling. The usually serious and cold Shen Zheng had shed her sharpness. The severity in her eyes had subtly melted away, softening her gaze and tinging it with a faint smile. She was indescribably beautiful, unlike anyone else she had ever met.
“What are you thinking about? Focus.” A slender finger gently tapped the desk three times in front of her. Shen Zheng had appeared behind her at some point. She leaned over, looking down at the problematic financial report.
A few strands of hair fell from behind her ear, dangling lightly before Xia Yu’s eyes. Xia Yu blinked, her gaze following them closely like a kitten watching a feather toy. Then she traced the strands upwards, landing on Shen Zheng’s profile. She was secretly looking at her.
The faint scent of sandalwood wafted over. Xia Yu gently inhaled; it tickled a little. She felt as if her whole body was enveloped by that scent.
“It seems that as CEO Xia takes office, some people are getting restless,” Shen Zheng sneered, a trace of coldness flashing across her eyes.
She picked up a pen and circled a few spots, explaining each one to Xia Yu. After the explanation, she leaned against the desk, looking down at Xia Yu.
“I’ll let you handle this matter for practice. CEO Xia wouldn’t want the task of establishing authority to be delegated, would she?”
“Of course not. I won’t disappoint you, CEO Shen.” Xia Yu narrowed her eyes, returning Shen Zheng’s gaze without showing any weakness. The flame in her eyes was scorching and composed, full of pride and sharp ambition.
“Good,” Shen Zheng chuckled, reaching out to gently ruffle Xia Yu’s hair, which was slightly ruffled from excitement, and then turned to return to her own seat.
“Shen Zheng!” Xia Yu’s towering momentum was cut short by Shen Zheng’s incredibly natural gesture. She fiercely ground her teeth and called out loudly. Remembering Shen Zheng’s earlier reminder, she quickly corrected herself.
“CEO Shen! You can’t do that.”
“Oh? Can’t do what?” Shen Zheng paused, turned back, and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Under Shen Zheng’s astonished gaze, Xia Yu’s assertiveness weakened a bit. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to organize her thoughts, and finally blurted out.
“I’m 22 years old. I’ve already graduated from university. You can’t treat me like a child.” But with her flustered eyes and accelerated speech, she had no authority left.
“Alright, alright, I understand, CEO Xia,” Shen Zheng nodded noncommittally, signaling her to continue working, without seeming to have registered much of what she said.
At the intersection of dawn and dusk, the sky completely darkened. Shen Zheng looked at the time, tidied her desk, and spoke to Xia Yu, who was still engrossed in her work.
“Time to leave. Hurry up and pack. Do any remaining work at home. Why are you still staying at the company?” Seeing the surprise in Xia Yu’s eyes, Shen Zheng was utterly confused.
She was a capitalist, not a slave owner.
As long as efficiency and performance were guaranteed, why should she torment her employees and invite resentment?
The daughter of a former slave owner—Xia Yu—followed behind Shen Zheng, staring blankly at her straight back.
By the standards of modern people she had learned about, Shen Zheng was an exceptionally good boss.
She never worked overtime unless absolutely necessary, and even then, she took her own unfinished work home, not keeping it at the company. Not to mention, she paid five times the normal rate for overtime if an exception was made.
Though she appeared strong and overbearing, she never actually took advantage of employees, nor did she bully people using her authority.
The longer she spent time with her, the more she couldn’t believe the villain in the book was her.
The system, sensing Xia Yu’s doubt, pondered for a moment and said uncertainly: “It might be a matter of perspective. From the male lead’s standpoint in the book, isn’t Shen Zheng the living King Yama, the big villain? She opposed him repeatedly, seized his power, sabotaged his love, and almost crushed him.”
Xia Yu was silent for a moment, her mind quickly flipping through the novel, turning to the final chapter to check Shen Zheng’s ending. She rapidly read through the descriptions and summarized it in a few words.
In essence, the villain was on the verge of taking the position of the Shen family head when she suddenly died in a car accident. Thus, the protagonist successfully stepped over the corpses of the villain and her own father, successfully inherited the Shen family, and continued his entanglement with the female lead. The novel ended.
What an absurd way to die, what a vicious ending…
Xia Yu felt like she had read a badly concluded novel. She was so angry that her chest heaved rapidly, and she muttered curses about the author under her breath.
After Shen Zheng got into the car, she saw Xia Yu still standing outside and urged her with a look.
Xia Yu, seeing this, quickly got into the car without looking. Only after sitting down did she realize, Huh, isn’t this the car that usually picks her up from the Xia house? Why is Shen Zheng here?
Xia Yu looked up at Shen Zheng, who was ignoring her after getting in, eyes tightly closed, leaning against the seat. Her eyes darted around, and she cautiously shuffled her hips, slowly inching closer to her.
Before she got too close, Shen Zheng suddenly opened her eyes, looking at her actions with a half-smile, and said flatly: “What are you trying to do?”
The movement startled Xia Yu. Xia Yu patted her chest and let out a cold snort.
Feeling guilty, she deliberately sat in a position not far from Shen Zheng, mimicking her posture. She poked Shen Zheng’s shoulder with her finger, her large eyes showing confusion: “Shen Zheng, shouldn’t you be going back to your own home?”
Shen Zheng raised an eyebrow at her question, drawing out her tone: “Well, right now I’m your…” She glanced at Xia Yu, pausing meaningfully, “Does it matter where I stay? Or does CEO Xia not welcome me?”
“No using titles outside of work,” Xia Yu retorted with a stern face, copying Shen Zheng’s earlier tone, refusing to answer her slightly suggestive question.
Even cuter, like a little black cat baring its claws, arching its back and growling at her. Shen Zheng wanted to tease her a little.
“Then what should I call you? Xia Yu?”
“Or Yu Yu~?” Shen Zheng suddenly leaned forward, getting close to Xia Yu’s face. Her long hair draped over Xia Yu’s shoulder, and her warm breath fanned Xia Yu’s face. It tickled.
Seeing Shen Zheng’s pretty face magnified and appearing just about a foot away from her, Xia Yu jumped three feet high as if burned by fire, quickly leaping away from Shen Zheng.
Heat rushed to her cheeks. She gritted her teeth, her fiery eyes glaring at the woman who was clearly smiling and teasing her.
“Shen Zheng!”
Noticing her reaction was unexpectedly large, Xia Yu gave a cold snort, chose the seat furthest from Shen Zheng, and turned her head away, ignoring her.
After a long time, so long that Shen Zheng thought she had gone too far and angered her, Xia Yu’s stiff voice finally came: “Just call me by my name.”
A muffled chuckle came from Shen Zheng’s chest, making Xia Yu’s already flushed face grow hotter.
After a few days of such bickering, Xia Yu was still sitting at her desk, reviewing the financial statements of the Xia Group.
Compared to the half-understood state of the previous days, Xia Yu could now be considered proficient, with her speed nearly doubled.
Xia Yu had an innate pride; if she was to learn something, she had to understand it thoroughly and be the best at it. Serious and obsessive, she would sit with Shen Zheng from morning till night, hardly taking a break, yet never once complained of hardship.
After a few days of what could be called ‘cramming’ instruction from Shen Zheng, Xia Yu was progressing rapidly. Although she felt like she was back in the Imperial Study.
But Shen Zheng was a good Grand Tutor. She wouldn’t hit her palm with a rod, wouldn’t scold her for never being as good as the princes, and wouldn’t report her to her parents for misbehavior or refusing to learn the Nü Jie (Precepts for Women)…
She would patiently break down the knowledge and explain it clearly. Even when she made a mistake, Shen Zheng would only lightly tap her forehead with a bent finger and encourage her to keep going.
Though Xia Yu didn’t say it aloud, she was quite grateful to her in her heart. Knowing that words were useless, she worked even harder, striving to finish her apprenticeship early and earn a lot of money to repay her.
The system, which had been quiet for some time, suddenly chimed in today. It chattered loudly: “Host, Host, the plot starts today. You must challenge the big villain with a few provocative words every day.”
Xia Yu stopped writing and said softly: “Can we skip the parts involving Shen Zheng and directly target the male lead?”
The system got stuck. The little blue circle spun a few times, and then it regretfully informed her: “After intensive system calculation, even if you perfectly complete all the scenes involving the male lead, you still won’t reach 50% restoration.”
“Although Shen Zheng is quite good to the Host, I still recommend that the Host follow the tasks released by the system. Completing every plot point, even if it’s missing words or sentences like the funeral scene before, at least gets you some points. It might just barely allow you to complete all missions.”
“I must remind the Host that if you do not reach the minimum required score line at the end of the mission, you will lose your life signs and be completely dead.”