The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Adorable Little Cabbage, So Fresh and Green

◎The Adorable Little Cabbage, So Fresh and Green◎

Shu Heng had no mind for work that afternoon. She kept picking up her phone to see if there were any new messages in the gossip group chat.

The incident of a suspicious person being taken away by the police didn’t catch Shu Heng’s attention until someone heard from the front desk that Wang Yuanfei had left dejectedly. Only then did Shu Heng’s heart slowly settle.

Sister Li deserves a better person. Although Wang Yuanfei is decent in some ways, he’s still not good enough for her.

I’m not trying to put down Wang Yuanfei, I just hope Sister Li can find true happiness.

Shu Heng comforted herself, dispelling the guilt of bad-mouthing her benefactor, before turning her attention to her computer screen.

Completely absorbed in her work, Shu Heng didn’t notice that the office had become incredibly quiet at some point. The usual fragmented chatter was gone, replaced only by the clicking of mice and the tapping of keyboards.

After a while, Shu Heng instinctively reached for the water glass on her desk. She brought it to her mouth and realized it was empty.

“I just got some warm water here.” Li Jianwei’s voice came from her back right, and then a slender, elegant hand holding a glass appeared in Shu Heng’s line of sight.

“CEO… Li?” Shu Heng almost used the name she had in her head.

“Hmm. Can you keep up with the progress?” Li Jianwei asked, placing her hand on Shu Heng’s shoulder, stopping her from getting up.

“I can. My colleagues have been taking good care of me,” Shu Heng said, unconsciously gripping the glass. The warmth from the hot water quickly spread to her palm.

Li Jianwei smiled. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

Shu Heng shook her head, then immediately added, “If the company’s project needs me, I can come to the company and work overtime.”

“The pressure in the R&D department is indeed high, but I can guarantee you a normal weekend. I’m not some heartless boss who exploits employees,” Li Jianwei said with a smile, removing her hand and then pulling a ticket from her pocket. She used her fingertip to press it down on the table.

“If you don’t have any special plans for tomorrow, how about you accompany me to a performance?”

“It’s from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. I’ll send you home afterward,” Li Jianwei said, pushing the ticket toward Shu Heng.

Shu Heng’s eyes were drawn to the elegant fingers with their distinct joints. After nodding in agreement, she finally had the presence of mind to look at the words on the ticket.

Butterfly Lovers, a very famous Yue opera. So, Sister Li likes Yue opera.

“Being focused on your work is a good habit, but remember not to stay in your seat for too long. You should get up and move around once in a while.” As she was leaving, Li Jianwei couldn’t resist rubbing Shu Heng’s head.

After dealing with cunning old-timers, it really was suitable to come and look at a fresh, tender little cabbage.

Especially how undefended the little cabbage was toward her, it was truly adorable.

As soon as Li Jianwei left, the fragmented conversations in the office resumed, along with the more frequent tapping of keyboards.

In a small group chat without Shu Heng, messages were being updated at a very fast pace.

[To be honest, isn’t CEO Li paying too much attention to Xiao Shu?]

[She definitely is. On average, CEO Li comes to see Shu Heng once every three days. The last time we saw CEO Li with such high frequency was when we were rushing a project.]

[CEO Li even gave Xiao Shu performance tickets. If you changed the gender, that would absolutely be considered actively initiating a date, right?]

[They can date without changing the gender! You guys haven’t forgotten, have you? Xiao Shu was on the trending search with our CEO before, and many netizens were shipping them!]

[Sisters, I’ve found a blind spot! Is it after the CP video went viral that we started to reduce our collaboration with Guanglvdong? Do you think it’s because…]

[My rationality tells me that CEO Li isn’t someone who acts on her emotions, but it doesn’t stop me from getting my fill of the ship.]

[True, the reduction in collaboration with Guanglvdong is most likely because CEO Li sensed there was a problem with the patent. Don’t forget that when Xiao Shu was on the trending search, she was praising our system for being better than Rongguang’s.]

[But it’s still so shippable. If Xiao Shu and CEO Li really get together, maybe we can get some benefits from it too.]

Shu Heng, who was smiling foolishly at the ticket, had no idea that her colleagues were using their fast typing skills to come up with all sorts of things, and the bolder ones had even started betting on who would be more dominant during the evening’s activities.

There was no helping it. The pressure in the R&D department was indeed high. It was a rare opportunity to have some fun, so they had to make good use of it.

Even if Li Jianwei herself knew, she would only laugh it off.

…

The Huada New Year’s Day show started at 7 p.m., but as a well-known alumna, Li Jianwei certainly wouldn’t just go to watch the show.

At 3 p.m. that day, Li Jianwei brought her temporary assistant Shu Heng to Huada to meet with the school leaders. First, they toured the newly renovated dormitories, then walked through the school history museum, and finally took a picture with the party secretary and the president.

“In addition to the one million that I donate every year to help financially struggling students, I plan to add another two million to invest in research projects for students in the computer science department.”

Li Jianwei spoke at the dinner table, immediately drawing the attention of the school leaders. “As for the specific allocation of the funds, I’ll have to trouble the department head to handle it.”

“It’s me who should be thanking you, CEO Li. With your sponsorship, many students can work with a free hand,” the department head quickly stood up and took a big gulp without saying a word. “I thank you on behalf of the computer science students.”

“I’ll have someone prepare it immediately. We’ll announce this good news during the show,” the vice president added.

“Jianwei, I’d also like to express my gratitude to you on behalf of the students,” the president said last, raising his glass to Li Jianwei. “Thank you for sponsoring financially struggling students for the past five years, and also for extending a helping hand to students who need research funding.”

Li Jianwei raised her glass in acknowledgment. “If it weren’t for the cultivation and help of the school’s professors, Zhizhuo Technology wouldn’t have been able to expand so quickly. I’m just giving back to the school a little.”

Li Jianwei and the leaders exchanged pleasantries to maintain their relationship. Shu Heng, who was sitting on the side, froze at the president’s words.

As a student who had been sponsored by a scholarship, the words “five years” and “one million” were very familiar to Shu Heng.

But wasn’t the “Diligent Learning” scholarship a charity fund initiated by CEO Wang, with an initial two million and an additional one million every year, used to sponsor financially struggling students at the school?

Why, according to the president, was it a scholarship maintained by Sister Li’s annual one million?

Shu Heng was a little uneasy, but she also knew that it wasn’t the right time to ask. She kept the doubt in her heart until she was alone with Li Jianwei.

“Hmm? What do you want to ask me?” Li Jianwei turned to look at Shu Heng. There was still a slight flush on her cheeks from drinking, which made her expression even gentler.

“Sister Li, wasn’t the ‘Diligent Learning’ scholarship initiated by CEO Wang?” Shu Heng looked up. Her mind was unconsciously drawn to the slightly gleaming, expressive eyes again.

“Is that what Huada is promoting?” Li Jianwei raised an eyebrow.

Shu Heng blinked and told her what she had experienced, “The school organized a meeting between the students and the sponsors. CEO Wang attended at that time, and the recipient of our thank-you letters was also CEO Wang.”

Li Jianwei frowned slightly and put her hand on Shu Heng’s head. “After I took over the company, I was the first to propose giving back to my alma mater and decided to sponsor one million for the school’s financially struggling students every year.”

“It just so happened that Wang Yuanfei and I got engaged, and he also contributed one million. Later, this money was merged into the ‘Diligent Learning’ scholarship.”

“I was a bit busy with work at the time, so Wang Yuanfei volunteered to be in charge of supervising the implementation of the funds. I thought he would continue to donate one million every year like me, but I didn’t expect that I would pay the money and he would take the credit.”

Originally, Li Jianwei didn’t do this one million donation for a good reputation. As long as the money was used by the people who needed it, it didn’t matter if Wang Yuanfei took the empty glory.

However, Li Jianwei really didn’t expect that Wang Yuanfei only contributed one million in the first year, and then relied on his thick skin to turn the money she donated into a joint sponsorship.

Before, when she found out that Wang Yuanfei had attended in her place, Li Jianwei didn’t turn back to question her assistant about whether she had forgotten to tell her about it.

The reason was simple. One was Wang Yuanfei, who was scheming for her family’s property, and the other was her considerate assistant who had been with her for more than six years. Li Jianwei naturally knew who she should trust.

Furthermore, if Li Jianwei really turned around to question her assistant about something that happened more than a year ago, no matter what the assistant’s answer was, it would more or less affect the trust between them.

It has to be said that Wang Yuanfei’s ability in other areas was mediocre, but he was very good at certain underhanded tricks.

After learning the truth, Shu Heng was stunned for a long time. But after she came to her senses, a furious feeling of being deceived filled her chest.

“How could Wang Yuanfei do that! It was clearly you, Sister Li, who has been the kind person sponsoring us all along!” Shu Heng was so angry that she wanted to throw a combination of punches at the air.

Especially when she thought about the things she had said to Wang Yuanfei, Shu Heng felt like a complete fool in front of him.

When she had vowed to repay him, Wang Yuanfei must have been secretly overjoyed, smug about how clever his methods were, gaining her gratitude without spending a dime.

“He’s so shameless! When I wanted to leave Guanglvdong, he even acted like a benefactor, making me feel too embarrassed to resign!”

Shu Heng started grinding her teeth. The more grateful she had been to Wang Yuanfei before, the more she hated him now.

“At least Wang Yuanfei did a little bit. At least he made sure my money was really used by the students who needed it,” Li Jianwei said reassuringly, subtly adding fuel to the fire.

“But he’s not the one who’s in charge of reviewing the financially struggling students, is he? It was the teachers and upperclassmen who visited us and understood our situations!” Shu Heng was even more angry, her tone even a little frustrated.

“Sister Li, that’s not right for you to think that! You’re the one who paid the money, and the teachers and upperclassmen are the ones who put in the effort. Why does all the credit go to Wang Yuanfei?! This is not right! You can’t tolerate this kind of appropriation!”

“And it’s not just you who’s been deceived, it’s us too! How can we genuinely thank a bad guy who stole the credit?! He doesn’t deserve our thanks! And he doesn’t deserve to receive our handwritten thank-you letters!”

“No, I’m going to tell my classmates. They can’t be kept in the dark and be deceived by a bad person!”

Shu Heng got more and more agitated, looking even more furious and wronged than Li Jianwei, the person it happened to.

Looking at Shu Heng, who was meowing like a puffed-up little kitten, Li Jianwei’s face showed a doting smile. She gently rubbed her head.

“Okay. But you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be attending the New Year’s Day show, and the school will publicly announce my donation to the scholarship then,” Li Jianwei said softly. “I’ll personally go on stage and accept the honor that belongs to me. Does that work?”

Shu Heng’s puffed-up little face began to turn red. She didn’t know if it was from anger or embarrassment. “Sister Li, you must take back everything that belongs to you! I’ll also tell the classmates who thanked the wrong person and let them know the truth!”

“Okay, I’ll count on you then.” Li Jianwei moved her hand away and still couldn’t resist pinching Shu Heng’s puffed-up cheek.

“Not angry anymore?” Li Jianwei’s voice rose at the end, making Shu Heng’s heart itch, and her momentum instantly disappeared.

“I’m not angry. I’m just upset for you, Sister Li.” Shu Heng lowered her head, her voice dropping three octaves, and whispered, “Wang Yuanfei is so mean. He’s not a good person.”

Li Jianwei’s lips curved into a smile. She used her fingertips to pick up the stray hairs by Shu Heng’s ear and carefully straightened them out for her.

That’s the way to think. Wang Yuanfei is not a good person. A bright future is only with me.

So, put all your trust in me and work hard for me for the rest of your life!

…

Li Jianwei sat with the school leaders. Shu Heng, who came as her assistant, was in the second row, surrounded by veteran teachers from the school, which made her look especially unique.

Shu Heng was a bit prim and proper at first, trying her best to sit up straight and make sure she didn’t embarrass Li Jianwei if the camera panned to her.

But when the host introduced the special guest Li Jianwei, Shu Heng couldn’t help but applaud loudly, and her face was filled with a sense of pride.

“You’re a graduate of Huada? You look a little familiar,” the teacher sitting next to Shu Heng was drawn to her and started a conversation.

“Yes, professor. I graduated this year, from the computer science department,” Shu Heng said, placing her hands on her knees like a good student.

The teacher subtly glanced at the pass hanging around Shu Heng’s neck. “You work at Zhizhuo Technology?”

Shu Heng nodded, then shook her head. “I’m only a part-time intern right now. I’m preparing for the graduate entrance exam. If it goes well, I’ll officially join Zhizhuo after improving my skills.”

The teacher asked curiously, “What’s your major in the computer science department?”

“My initial major was Artificial Intelligence, and later I double majored in Data Science and Big Data Technology,” Shu Heng replied honestly.

There were many students who double majored at Huada, but there was only one student who was also an outstanding graduate this year.

After recognizing that the person in front of her was Shu Heng, the teacher’s tone became much gentler, and the conversation went from a simple exchange of information to a deeper discussion.

Shu Heng had no guard against the professors at Huada. She basically answered whatever the teacher asked. Not to mention, this teacher looked very elegant, and the two fine lines at the corners of her eyes gave her the kindness of an elder.

Just like that, after only three performances on stage, Shu Heng poured out her background and thoughts to the teacher.

“You have a very clear plan for the future. Work hard and strive to make Huada proud of having you as a student,” the teacher said with a big smile, offering encouragement.

After the donation ceremony ended, the teacher left early and went outside to make a call to a contact on their phone.

“I met the student I mentioned to you tonight. Li Jianwei really thinks highly of her and even brought her to the meeting with the school leaders.”

“Of course, I know the value of an outstanding graduate from Huada. I was only worried at first that the kid’s personality wasn’t good, and that she would be as utilitarian as the male student Old He took on because of her background.”

“I have no objections now. She’s a very down-to-earth girl. If you want to take her on, go ahead. It would be good for her to work under you, and she might even be able to watch over your meals for me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already talked to my students about the infringement case. The process is underway. If there are no surprises, the trial will begin after the New Year, and we’ll have no problem winning the first instance.”

“Mm-hmm, got it. I’ll drive slowly. Wait for me to get home.”