The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The No. 1 in the World

◎Shu Heng, who is trying to be logically consistent◎

Li Jianwei wasn’t in a hurry to publicly announce the termination of her engagement. After confirming that public opinion on the internet was leaning towards Zhizhuo Technology, she shifted her attention to Shu Heng, who was busy preparing for her exams.

The graduate entrance exam usually starts in late December, and this year was no exception, scheduled for the second to last Monday and Tuesday of the month.

After the specific exam location was announced, Li Jianwei took a day off to drive Shu Heng there to familiarize herself with the test center.

The weather on Sunday wasn’t great. It was still a gloomy gray around noon, giving the feeling that it could rain at any moment.

After confirming the test center, the two of them chose a nearby noodle shop, ready for a steaming bowl of beef ramen on a slightly chilly early winter day.

The noodle shop was bustling, and most of the customers were test-takers the same age as Shu Heng. Their eyes were clear and their expressions simple, filled with beautiful expectations for the future.

The first steaming bowl of beef ramen was served and Li Jianwei pushed it in front of Shu Heng. The second bowl was for herself.

“I checked the weather forecast. It might rain tomorrow and the day after, and the road conditions here might get worse. I’ll have the driver pick you up and drop you off at the test center then. You just need to focus on your exam.”

“It takes half an hour to drive here from the apartment under normal conditions. I’ll have the driver leave an hour and a half early, to allow for some buffer time,” Li Jianwei said, stirring her noodles with chopsticks. The rising steam temporarily created a barrier between them.

“Thank you, CEO Li. I will do my best,” Shu Heng said obediently, picking up the vinegar bottle on the table to add to her noodle soup.

After receiving Li Jianwei’s kindness multiple times, Shu Heng had come to realize a fact. Rather than polite refusal, CEO Li would rather she accept it openly, allowing her thoughtfulness to have an effect.

“CEO Li, would you like some vinegar?” Shu Heng asked, holding up the vinegar bottle.

“Sure,” Li Jianwei moved her chopsticks.

“Is this okay?” Shu Heng tried adding a little to Li Jianwei’s noodle bowl. The dark red balsamic vinegar spread out in the soup, just like the warmth spreading in someone’s heart at that moment.

“Thank you,” Li Jianwei returned a brilliant smile, then lowered her head and continued to stir her noodle soup with her chopsticks.

Shu Heng was a little dazed. It wasn’t the first time she had seen CEO Li smile at her. But even as it became more frequent, the close-up, high-impact beauty still made her heart beat faster.

How could CEO Li be so beautiful?

It would be too wonderful to be able to work with CEO Li in the future!

After once again marveling at her incredible luck, Shu Heng turned her attention to her noodles and began slurping them up.

Steaming hot noodle soup is the perfect choice to warm a cold winter’s day. Soon after Li Jianwei and Shu Heng started eating, there were no empty tables left in the shop.

New customers who wanted to enjoy the delicious food needed to find a kind person to share a table with.

The table with only two people quickly became a target. A timid girl asked Shu Heng in a low voice if she could sit there.

“Of course,” Shu Heng moved her bowl inward, making enough space.

The girl thanked her in a low voice, hanging her backpack on the back of the chair. A fleeting glance at the keychain on the zipper caught Shu Heng’s attention.

“May I ask if you’re a student at Huada University?” Shu Heng asked, holding her chopsticks.

The girl was stunned for a moment. “Ah, yes, I’m a senior this year.”

“What a coincidence, I’m also a Huada student, but I graduated this year,” Shu Heng said with a smile. “I also have that keychain on your bag. If I’m not mistaken, did you participate in a volunteer activity organized by the student council?”

“Yeah, this is a souvenir from last year’s event.” Upon hearing that Shu Heng was an upperclassman from the same school, the girl’s expression visibly relaxed. “Are you also here to check out the test center?”

“Yes, me and…” Shu Heng suddenly got stuck, not knowing how to refer to Li Jianwei in front of others.

Whether it was “future boss” or “graduate school sponsor,” it sounded a little strange to say it directly.

“Hello, I’m her sister,” Li Jianwei spoke up in time, resolving Shu Heng’s little awkwardness.

“Hello, older sister,” the girl said reservedly.

“Hello,” Li Jianwei said with a smile.

When the girl looked up and saw Li Jianwei gently looking at her with a pair of beautiful, expressive eyes, she was so embarrassed that she lowered her head.

Li Jianwei, who had no idea how much of a blow she was to a young, appearance-conscious girl, raised her eyebrow and couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

Has Huada been specializing in cultivating shy, honest students these past two years? Why are they all afraid to make eye contact with me?

“My sister also graduated from Huada. She’s our upperclassman,” Shu Heng said with a smile.

After discovering that the younger student was even shyer than herself, Shu Heng instantly felt an extra sense of responsibility on her shoulders.

As an upperclassman, she had a duty to help the younger student get through this small awkward moment, just as CEO Li helped her.

“What’s your major, younger student?” Shu Heng took the initiative to start a conversation.

“Journalism,” the girl pushed up the glasses on her nose and spoke timidly. “But my direction for graduate school is law.”

Shu Heng was surprised. “Are you switching majors for graduate school?”

The girl took her noodle bowl, thanked the clerk in a low voice, and then replied, “Yes, I’ve looked into the employment situation for my major. If I can’t get into a state-owned enterprise… the jobs I can find don’t really appeal to me.”

“I don’t really like the reporting style of news media on various platforms now, so after thinking it over, I chose to switch majors for graduate school. Rather than making up stories, I hope to help people who have been slandered clear their names.”

The rising steam couldn’t hide the light in the girl’s eyes. “News media can expose the truth and speak up for the vulnerable, and so can legal professionals.”

Shu Heng was infected by the younger student’s emotion, and her tone became excited. “That’s right, you’ll definitely achieve your wish and become a very excellent legal professional!”

“Thank you, older student.” The girl smiled, her attitude became more natural, and her tone more familiar. “Older student, are you planning to go back to school to see this year’s New Year’s Day show?”

Shu Heng tilted her head slightly. “Is this year’s New Year’s Day show open to the public?”

“It’s open to alumni. The two of you just need to apply in advance on the official account. The spots are first-come, first-served in principle,” the girl said. “I heard they’ll be inviting famous singers to perform, and the selected acts are of very high quality.”

“Li… Sister, do you want to go and see?” Shu Heng called out the new address, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

Is this address okay? Will CEO Li think I’m being a little presumptuous?

Li Jianwei didn’t mind the address and said, “The school invited me. If you want to go, just come with me then.”

Shu Heng blinked, and when she remembered that Li Jianwei was a well-known alumna, a glimmer of understanding flashed in her eyes. “Then, I’ll have to trouble… Sister Li to take me.”

“You’re welcome,” Li Jianwei replied with a smile.

The girl who had already started stuffing noodles into her mouth couldn’t help but secretly observe the two upperclassmen, feeling a little confused.

Is it just my imagination? The two upperclassmen don’t look like bl00d-related sisters. They look more like a new couple.

The atmosphere between them is harmonious, and their attention is also on each other. It’s just that they’re too careful about their image when they talk, so their wording is overly polite and restrained.

Wait, what am I thinking? How can I gossip about the two upperclassmen? That’s a serious sin!

…

After the exam ended, Shu Heng felt a sense of relief.

After tidying up her related materials, Shu Heng began to go to Zhizhuo Technology from nine to five, working hard to catch up on the progress she had fallen behind on during her exam preparation.

After working for three consecutive days, Shu Heng heard a piece of news from a colleague during her lunch break.

“Is CEO Wang from Guanglvdong pursuing CEO Li? Why? Didn’t they get engaged already?” Shu Heng’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and she stopped taking notes.

“I’ll tell you an internal secret, don’t spread it outside,” a colleague from the R&D department slid closer on their ergonomic chair and lowered their voice. “Actually, our CEO has already terminated her engagement with Wang Yuanfei, it just hasn’t been announced to the public yet.”

“Many people in the company have probably guessed it. The collaboration between the company and Guanglvdong has been decreasing since a few months ago, and there are no plans to continue authorizing patents that are about to expire.”

“We all think this is great. Someone as excellent as CEO Li can be beautiful on her own. There’s no need to get engaged to someone she doesn’t like.”

Shu Heng subconsciously ignored the information that followed and was filled with only the words, “our CEO has already terminated her engagement with Wang Yuanfei.”

That’s strange. Why is my first reaction to hearing this news not surprise, but a little bit of joy?

It must be because I think CEO Wang isn’t good enough for Sister Li, so that’s why I’m thinking this way.

CEO Wang is indeed a good person, and his sponsorship allowed her to successfully complete her studies. But CEO Wang’s reputation in his private life isn’t good. Her former dinner companion had gossiped a few times about it.

It’s said that on the live-streaming platform under Guanglvdong, many streamers have a murky relationship with CEO Wang. Although there has been no solid evidence, marketing accounts on other platforms have made suggestive revelations.

“CEO Li doesn’t like Wang Yuanfei?” Shu Heng suddenly came back to her senses when she heard the last sentence.

“Of course! Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or the Qixi Festival, as long as it’s a workday, CEO Li will come to work. If CEO Li and Wang Yuanfei were really a thing, how could they not see each other even once a month?” the R&D colleague said confidently.

As one of the most valued members of the R&D department, she was able to know whether the boss was at work today or not.

And from the conclusion that her boss was almost always at work, it wasn’t hard to deduce that her boss was not in a relationship.

“Xiao Shu, you have to remember, you’re already a member of our Zhizhuo Technology, so don’t care about your former boss anymore,” the R&D colleague said earnestly, patting Shu Heng on the shoulder.

“Follow CEO Li and you’ll never regret it! CEO Li isn’t some evil capitalist, she’s a conscientious entrepreneur!”

Shu Heng kept nodding her head, which was still filled with news about Li Jianwei. As she thought about it, the corners of her mouth would unconsciously turn up.

So Sister Li and CEO Wang aren’t in that kind of relationship. That’s really great!

“Look at the group chat, Wang Yuanfei is here again with roses. Guess if CEO Li will accept them this time?” The appearance of another voice made Shu Heng’s upturned mouth freeze, and she instinctively pulled out her phone.

Shu Heng wasn’t in the R&D department’s work group chat, but she had joined the a group chat for employees without leaders.

A group member had sent a picture ten minutes ago. In the picture, Wang Yuanfei was wearing a suit and tie, holding a large bouquet of roses in his hands.

Shu Heng frowned subconsciously. Lunch break would be over in five more minutes. For Wang Yuanfei to come at this time, wasn’t he clearly disturbing Sister Li at work?

No, not only is he delaying Sister Li’s work, but he’s also affecting the work status of other employees in the company. He’s really bad at choosing the right time.

I don’t mean to say anything bad about CEO Wang, it’s just that what he’s doing isn’t appropriate.

Shu Heng silently made a mental note, she wasn’t willing to be too sharp in her criticism of someone who had been kind to her.

…

Li Jianwei’s avoidance was within Wang Yuanfei’s expectations, but he was very surprised that a streamer under his company was taken away by the police.

After hearing the reason why the police took the person away, Wang Yuanfei’s eyes changed again and again. He flatly refused to mention that he knew the streamer and continued to maintain his image as a devoted lover.

Wang Yuanfei: “It’s okay. If Jianwei is in a meeting, I’ll just wait for her in her office.”

The assistant kept a smile on her face. “What a coincidence, CEO Li’s office is being cleaned. Shall I take CEO Wang to the reception room?”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you,” Wang Yuanfei held the bouquet of roses and walked into the reception room under the curious gazes of some employees.

He waited for a full two hours. By the time Wang Yuanfei successfully saw the person, the hot tea in front of him had already been changed five times.

“I’m sorry, the afternoon meeting time was set in advance and cannot be changed on short notice,” Li Jianwei pulled up a chair and sat down at the head of the table, her tone businesslike. “Is there something you need, CEO Wang?”

“The theater troupe you like has a performance tomorrow night. I wonder if I have the honor of going with you?” Wang Yuanfei looked at Li Jianwei with a loving gaze.

“These are the two best seats. I specially asked a friend to buy them,” Wang Yuanfei offered the bouquet of roses, with the performance tickets placed in the middle.

Li Jianwei used two fingers to pinch the tickets and put them in her pocket in a very natural way. “Thank you. If I have time, I’ll go.”

“I have to see a client in a bit. Please excuse me,” Li Jianwei stood up and left without looking back.

Wang Yuanfei, who was still holding the bouquet of flowers, felt like he had been toyed with. He was like a clown, waiting for two hours only to be met for less than two minutes.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, constantly comforting himself in his heart.

It’s okay, it’s okay. At least Li Jianwei didn’t reject my performance tickets. Today wasn’t a wasted trip.

Before he could fully exhale, Wang Yuanfei noticed something was wrong again.

Li Jianwei had taken both tickets, and the performance required a ticket to enter. How would he get in then?