The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Best in the World [2]

◎Professional Talent Lure◎

Shortly after the tech expo ended, Shu Heng’s information was compiled and placed on Li Jianwei’s desk.

Everything from first-place awards in student club activities to national-level honors was neatly listed.

In addition, a significant portion of the file was dedicated to her various student aid grants and past scholarships.

One familiar name made Li Jianwei pause. “The ‘Diligence’ scholarship at Hua University—is that the one our company sponsors?”

“Yes, you announced a donation of one million a year to Hua University five years ago to support students from low-income families,” the assistant said.

“That same year, President Wang of Guangludong also announced a sponsorship plan. Hua University, considering your engagement with President Wang, consulted you and combined the funds to establish the ‘Diligence’ scholarship.”

The assistant continued, “Some of the information in the file was provided to us by the university.”

Li Jianwei nodded, flipping through the pages. The next section detailed Shu Heng’s family background.

In short, a deceased father, a sick mother, indifferent relatives, and a diligent, hardworking her.

“Print out Shu Heng’s graduation thesis,” Li Jianwei instructed her assistant, putting down the file. “Find any journals and papers with Shu Heng’s name on them from the CNKI database as well.”

“Also, expedite the process of distancing ourselves from our collaboration with Guangludong. Don’t let the public confuse us.”

“Tell the public relations department to prepare for the public opinion fallout after Wang Yuanfei and I call off the engagement.”

“Okay.” The assistant jotted down the key points in his notebook, then flipped back to a previous page to report.

“President Li, according to feedback from the public relations department, the video of you standing up for Shu Heng at the tech expo has been edited and circulated. It currently has a lot of attention online.”

“As of an hour ago, the search volume for the topic exceeded 10 million, bringing positive benefits to the company. The stock price has also seen a small increase.”

Li Jianwei raised an eyebrow. “What video?”

The assistant took out his phone and opened the video link sent by the public relations department.

From the camera’s angle, the original video’s author was secretly filming. Shu Heng’s appearance took up most of the screen, with only a back view of the middle-aged man.

When Li Jianwei appeared, the camera zoomed in on her, specifically on her delicate features.

[Ahhh, the woman is so cool, I want to marry her!]

[This is how it should be, women helping women!]

[Am I the only one who thinks this pair is great? The female CEO vs. the workplace newbie, they are both so good-looking!]

[Just another publicity stunt, how boring. What do these women know about technology? They’re just for show.]

The comments at the top of the video were pleasant to read, but the comments section below was quite nasty, making Li Jianwei not want to look at it for long.

“Which platform was this video first posted on?” Li Jianwei asked, holding the phone.

Assistant: “Guangludong’s short video platform. However, the original video didn’t get much attention initially. It was only after it was reposted on Weibo and went viral that the original video gained traction.”

Li Jianwei watched the video again. It didn’t contain any unsightly shots of the two or awkward angles.

For a short video like this to not go viral on its native platform but instead gain attention on Weibo, there must have been some manipulation.

“Have the public relations department spend money to promote it and guide public opinion to highlight Shu Heng’s strengths, and at the same time, promote our system.”

Li Jianwei returned the phone to her assistant, while tapping the table with her fingers—a small habit she had when thinking.

“If the netizens like shipping them as a couple, mention that I’m a graduate of Hua University and emphasize the relationship between Shu Heng and me as an upperclassman and an underclassman.”

“Contact the original video author through a marketing account and have them release the final part where I spot a genius and recruit Shu Heng. Operate it appropriately.”

“If the video doesn’t gain traction on Guangludong’s platform, contact Wang Yuanfei in my name and ask him to cooperate with our marketing plan. Give him whatever price he asks for.”

Li Jianwei stopped tapping her fingers, a smile playing on her lips. “If he says politely that it’s his duty and he won’t accept money, then don’t give him a single cent.”

The assistant’s pen moved quickly, recording his boss’s instructions one by one, then arranging for the relevant departments to implement them.

…

Shu Heng’s Side

“Shu Heng, Shu Heng, have you seen that video?” Her lunch companion sat down next to Shu Heng, her eyes filled with the eagerness to gossip.

“Huh? What video?” Shu Heng looked up in confusion, still chewing on a potato.

Since the tech expo, Shu Heng’s workload had soared. Overtime was painful, but the improvement in her work skills made her very happy.

“You don’t know?” The lunch companion was shocked.

“Should I?” Shu Heng swallowed her potato.

Her companion took out her phone, opened a video she had saved, and babbled, “I can’t believe you don’t know. No wonder you’re so calm. You might be the only one in our office who hasn’t seen this video.”

Shu Heng leaned in to look, and when she saw Li Jianwei’s figure appear in the video, the corners of her mouth subconsciously curved upward.

“That’s the video of President Li helping me out,” Shu Heng explained happily. “President Li is much more beautiful in person than in her profile pictures, and she’s a very nice person.”

Her companion raised an eyebrow, sliding her finger down to a new video.

Shu Heng observed seriously: “I know President Li graduated from Hua University. She’s a famous alumna. My advisor even mentioned her.”

Her companion said nothing, just kept scrolling and playing another video.

Shu Heng frowned slightly. “Why is there also a video of President Li giving me a business card? Is the card blurred out? What if someone uncovers President Li’s private number from it?”

“Huh? Don’t you have any other thoughts?” Her companion was shocked.

Shu Heng tilted her head, then a look of sudden understanding appeared on her face. She spoke under her companion’s expectant gaze, “You don’t have to worry. President Wang was there when President Li gave me the card. He won’t mind this and won’t fire me because of it.”

“Didn’t you see all those comments on the video?” Her companion’s tone was full of exasperation. “They’re all saying you and President Li are a great match and a good couple!”

“They… they are?” Shu Heng scratched her face awkwardly.

Shu Heng’s attention was so focused on Li Jianwei that she hadn’t even noticed what the comments at the top of the video were saying.

After rewatching the video, a slight blush appeared on Shu Heng’s face. “I do admire President Li a lot, but President Li and I are not in that kind of relationship. President Li just purely invited me to work for her company.”

“If I may be so bold, have you contacted President Li privately?” her companion asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

If it were her, and she had the opportunity to be in the same video as a CEO of a listed company, she would definitely seize the chance.

Shu Heng shook her head honestly. “No. President Li told me to contact her when I felt like changing jobs. Right now… I don’t have that thought yet.”

“You’re not even a little tempted?” her companion asked in a low voice. “To be honest, your major isn’t suited for a job as a jack-of-all-trades assistant. You’d be better off working as a technical developer at President Li’s company.”

“I don’t mean to say your current job is bad. This is just my personal opinion, and I won’t tell anyone else,” her companion added hastily.

Shu Heng poked the beef brisket in her bowl with her chopsticks, a bit absent-minded. “I know, but I can also learn a lot in my current position. I want to wait until my contract expires before I consider jumping to President Li’s company.”

Companion: “Did you sign a one-year contract with the company?”

Shu Heng shook her head. “It’s three years, just like all of yours. But I’ll only be 25 in three years, so it shouldn’t be too late, right?”

Her companion looked at Shu Heng with a complicated expression. Only a recent graduate who hadn’t been beaten down by society yet could have such a naive thought.

“Twenty-five is definitely not too late, but President Li won’t wait for you for three years,” she said earnestly, patting Shu Heng’s shoulder.

“Everyone in the industry knows how much potential Zhizhe Technology has. If you look for a job in three years, the graduates from the next three years will be your competition. To put it bluntly, by then, President Li might not even remember you.”

“Opportunities are always fleeting. If you don’t seize them when they appear, you miss them completely.”

Shu Heng lowered her head without a word, her expression filled with hesitation.

Seeing this, her companion didn’t say anything more. She had already given enough advice. The final choice was up to Shu Heng.

…

The Betrayal

“You’re resigning?” Wang Yuanfei looked up, his surprise undisguised. “Why? Is it because of Li Jianwei?”

“President Wang, I’ve seriously considered it. My major isn’t very suitable for my current position.” After a week of internal struggle, Shu Heng finally gathered the courage to hand in her resignation letter.

“I know, but my previous assistant is on a business trip. After a few months when he returns, I’ll transfer you to the technical department,” Wang Yuanfei said soothingly. “I think highly of your abilities and won’t let you stay in a unsuitable position forever.”

Wang Yuanfei continued, “Were you misled by those videos online? Did you think Li Jianwei really appreciates you?”

Seeing that Shu Heng didn’t speak, Wang Yuanfei continued his spiel. “Those videos are just her marketing ploy. You spoke highly of Zhizhe Technology’s system, so as the owner, Li Jianwei definitely couldn’t remain indifferent.”

“She even specially talked to me about this, asking me for more exposure on our platform to guide netizens’ attention toward Zhizhe Technology’s products.”

“But she didn’t mention you. It was probably just empty courtesy at the time. From what I know, the minimum education requirement for Zhizhe Technology’s R&D team is a master’s degree.”

Seeing Shu Heng’s expression waver, Wang Yuanfei pressed on. “You’re still young, so it’s normal to take some polite words seriously.”

“I still remember you said during your interview that you were able to get where you are today because of the scholarship I donated to Hua University. You wanted to use the knowledge you learned to create value for the company and repay me.”

“I’m willing to give you this opportunity. Once my previous assistant comes back, I’ll definitely arrange a technical position for you.”

Thinking of the scholarship she received in college, Shu Heng’s resolve wavered further. But her lunch companion’s words were still clear in her mind. “President Wang, I…”

“I understand,” Wang Yuanfei said, pushing the report back to her. “Take this back for now. In the future, if you’re ever unhappy with your position, I’ll put in a good word for you with Jianwei and have her arrange a spot for you at Zhizhe.”

“If she doesn’t give me face, I can introduce you to other even better companies.”

As the CEO of a video platform, Wang Yuanfei was good at manipulating people. With just a few words, he completely wrapped the naive Shu Heng around his finger, while also subtly using moral blackmail.

With Wang Yuanfei having said all the good and bad things, Shu Heng, unable to find a reason to resign, could only take back her resignation letter and leave with a frown.

Were the things President Li said to her just empty courtesies?

But if so, why did President Li insist on giving her the business card?

Back at her desk, Shu Heng opened her phone contacts and stared at the numbers she had memorized, deep in thought.

President Li was a busy woman. If she really called, would she seem inconsiderate?

Before Shu Heng could decide, the name “President Li” appeared on her screen.

Shu Heng’s hand moved faster than her brain. The phone was answered just one second after it started ringing.

“Hello, President Li?” Shu Heng gripped her phone tightly and licked her lower lip.

“You memorized my number?” A cool yet gentle voice came through the earpiece into Shu Heng’s ear.

“Yes,” Shu Heng responded blankly.

A soft laugh entered Shu Heng’s ear. “Then why haven’t you called me? Do you not like Zhizhe Technology, or do you not want to work for me?”

“No, no, I don’t dislike you, President Li, it’s just…” Shu Heng pursed her lips. Thinking of Wang Yuanfei’s words, her confidence faltered.

Shu Heng lowered her gaze. “President Li, I’m worried that my abilities are limited and that I won’t be able to meet your expectations.”

When she heard only faint breathing from the earpiece, Shu Heng became even more flustered, thinking she had said the wrong thing. She quickly added, “President Li, I will work hard to improve myself until the day I am qualified to join Zhizhe.”

At this moment, Li Jianwei was not angry as Shu Heng had expected. Instead, she was browsing an email on her computer.

“You’re willing to join Zhizhe Technology, but you’re worried your skills aren’t good enough?” Li Jianwei summarized the key points.

Shu Heng: “Yes. I… I heard that the entry requirement for an intern in Zhizhe Technology’s R&D team is a master’s degree.”

“It’s a master’s degree, indeed,” Li Jianwei said with a light laugh. “I remember your grades in school were excellent. Why don’t you consider continuing your studies?”

“Huh?” Shu Heng was caught off guard by the suggestion.

“You don’t have to worry about the tuition fees. As long as your grades are good enough to pass the university’s second-round interview, I will cover your tuition and miscellaneous fees. You just have to work for me for five years after you graduate,” Li Jianwei offered.

“Professor Gong Li mentioned you in her thesis acknowledgments, saying that a tool you developed was very useful for her research. Our company happens to have a close collaboration with Professor Gong Li. We can have dinner together sometime and talk about that.”

Hearing the name “Professor Gong Li,” Shu Heng’s breathing hitched.

Anyone in the AI field knew the value of that name.

Shu Heng had been lucky enough to develop a useful tool that she had a little bit of contact with Professor Gong Li.

“President Li, doesn’t Professor Gong Li only accept Ph.D. students?” Shu Heng’s voice trembled, her heart pounding in her chest.

Li Jianwei: “She did before, but she’ll be taking on one master’s student next year. That’s an internal secret.”

With everything said, Shu Heng naturally knew what to choose.

Shu Heng was very grateful to Wang Yuanfei for funding the ‘Diligence’ scholarship and wanted to repay him by working for him.

But if the other choice was Zhizhe Technology and Professor Gong Li, then Shu Heng could only say sorry to Wang Yuanfei.

“President Li, I will work hard to prepare for the exams! I won’t disappoint you!” Shu Heng held back her excitement. If she wasn’t still at her desk, she would have let out a scream.

“I look forward to your performance.” Li Jianwei showed a smile that indicated everything was under her control. She knew Shu Heng wouldn’t be able to resist the carefully prepared trap.

Wang Yuanfei was still too inexperienced to compete with her for talent.