My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The voice was neither high nor low, pressed down slightly, carrying a familiar calmness.

Ji Mingshu felt as if a bomb went off in her brain!

How could this be?

Why was he here?

As if to verify the possibility for her, Cen Sen knocked on the door once more.

"If you don't open it, I'm going to call someone."

"Don't!" Ji Mingshu instinctively blurted out to stop him.

At this moment, Jiang Chun chimed in from outside, shouting toward the men's restroom: "Ji Mingshu, you can come out now! Your husband has cleared the area; there’s no one left outside!"

Ji Mingshu: "..."

Good grief, compared to having this jerk see her current disheveled state, she would have preferred to charge out blindly before he arrived, or simply press the flush button to flush herself into the sewer and vanish from this world forever!

It was one thing that this young lady hadn't helped at all while standing outside for so long, but to actually summon the one person she least wanted to see just to watch her make a fool of herself—what on earth was she doing? Where was her brain? Did a breakup come with a built-in intelligence-debuff???

Cen Sen was clearly not very patient. Seeing no response and hearing no movement from her, he prepared to call his assistant, "Zhou Jiaheng..."

"Wait!"

Ji Mingshu raised her voice to drown him out. She reached out quickly, fumbling upward, and struggled to slide the bolt.

The next second, the stall door creaked open.

Cen Sen lowered his eyes to see Ji Mingshu squatting on the floor, appearing weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Her hands were wrapped around her knees, her face buried deeply in the crook of her arms, yet Cen Sen could still vaguely see her bright red ears through the gaps in her hair.

Before Cen Sen could speak, Ji Mingshu muffled a sentence: "My legs are numb. I can't stand up."

She was quite good at striking first to gain the upper hand.

Cen Sen's expression remained indifferent; he didn't respond.

Ji Mingshu waited for a long time without seeing any action. She couldn't tell if this jerk was feigning ignorance to watch her make a fool of herself, or if he was truly too dense to understand her implication. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and command directly: "Carry me out."

Cen Sen stood there motionless, his thoughts unreadable.

Ji Mingshu felt anxious, terrified that he might refuse just to spite her.

Fortunately, after a few seconds of silence, Cen Sen finally moved.

He unhurriedly unbuttoned his jacket, took off his suit coat, and draped it over her head.

Immediately after, he leaned down, wrapped one arm around her slender shoulders, slid the other under her knees, and scooped her up horizontally in one go.

The moment she was suspended in the air, the numbness in Ji Mingshu's legs peaked, as if thousands of tiny insects were stinging her feet and ankles. Cen Sen even gave her a little bounce as he held her, which instantly intensified the pins-and-needles sensation. She didn't know if he was doing it on purpose.

The restroom had been temporarily cleared by Cen Sen, so it was very quiet inside. Once they reached the outside, the mixture of chatter, laughter, and the rolling of suitcases made the environment noisy.

Ji Mingshu felt extremely guilty at the moment; everything she heard sounded like people whispering and pointing at her. She couldn't even bother to worry about the mockery she would face from Cen Sen later. Instinctively, she tucked herself into his chest, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hid like a coward, not making a sound.

Cen Sen smelled faintly of cold fir—crisp and clean. As she huddled against his chest, she couldn't help but take a few extra breaths of his scent.

Cen Sen noticed and glanced at her, but said nothing.

Outside, Jiang Chun was handing over her luggage to Zhou Jiaheng. Seeing Cen Sen shield Ji Mingshu completely with a "boyfriend-power-max" bridal carry, she felt a mix of envy and jealousy, while silently stabbing a needle into Yan in her heart.

In truth, she had always assumed that Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen were in a standard arranged marriage—showing affection when they had to appear together, but otherwise living their own lives and ignoring each other.

But after seeing this scene today, she felt that her eyes had been blinded by jealousy. She had secretly presumed their marriage was unhappy without knowing anything—it was simply too malicious. She was clearly a kind person; when had she become so malicious?

All the way to the parking lot, Jiang Chun followed behind them, reflecting in silence.

Sitting in the back seat, she watched Cen Sen carry Ji Mingshu into the car and drive off. Suddenly, she tore off the matching couple's watch she had with Yan, thinking indignantly: Today is another day the lemon tree has blossomed and borne fruit. To hell with scumbag men!

The sun outside the window was golden and bright. It was midsummer in the Imperial Capital; the sun was scorching, and the air was heavy and dry.

Sitting in the car, Ji Mingshu kept her head covered with Cen Sen's suit jacket, refusing to say a word.

Cen Sen didn't pay her any mind, remaining occupied with a phone call to a business partner.

After finally finishing the work call, a call from home came in. He glanced at the caller ID, then stole a look at Ji Mingshu before putting it on speaker.

"Ah Sen, did you pick up Xiao Shu?"

Upon hearing Grandma Cen's energetic voice, Ji Mingshu's ears instantly perked up.

Cen Sen responded with an "Mhm," adding, "I picked her up."

Grandma Cen urged on the other end, "Then hurry over! Sister Zhou made a huge spread of dishes today; she made everything you both like!"

Wait, going to Nanqiao Hutong for dinner? She was going to dinner at Nanqiao Hutong in her current smelly, ghostly state?

Ji Mingshu instantly popped her head out from under the suit jacket, shaking it frantically at Cen Sen.

Cen Sen looked at her, his gaze flat, saying nothing.

In a flash of inspiration, Ji Mingshu scooted over to his side, tentatively kneading his shoulders and massaging his back.

After enjoying ten seconds of massage service, Cen Sen switched the phone to his other hand and said, "Grandma, I have an unexpected meeting tonight. Xiao Shu hasn't adjusted to the time difference yet and is quite tired; she’s already fallen asleep in the car."

"I see." Grandma Cen was very understanding, "Then take Xiao Shu home to rest first; come over for dinner next time."

"Alright."

Grandma Cen added, "Don't work too hard, take care of your health."

Cen Sen replied "Alright" again.

Only after the call ended did Ji Mingshu let out a long sigh of relief. She stopped the shoulder massage and, as if nothing had happened, sat back in her seat.

Cen Sen was likely accustomed to her fickleness and didn't make much of it. Ji Mingshu herself felt a bit guilty, staring out the window and refusing to turn back.

But the more she looked, the more she felt something was wrong—

That's not right; this is the road back to Ming-Shui Residence.

She realized it and turned to glare at Cen Sen, but he had already crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back into the seat to close his eyes and rest.

Cen Sen had been on a business trip for the past two days and had only flown back to the Imperial Capital from Star City two hours ago. After exiting the airport highway, he received a call from Nanqiao Hutong and learned that Ji Mingshu was returning home today.

He had Zhou Jiaheng check her flight time, and it was a coincidence that the flight from Paris had just landed.

So, he had ordered the driver to turn around and head back to the airport, planning to pick up Ji Mingshu and go to Nanqiao Hutong for dinner together.

He had originally stayed in the car, letting Zhou Jiaheng go down to pick her up. Who would have thought that not only did Zhou Jiaheng fail to find her, but he called back to report that he heard a young girl shouting on the other end: "President Cen, your wife is trapped in the men's restroom and can't get out!"

Recalling that scene, Cen Sen subconsciously rubbed his brow bone.

It was already dusk when they returned to Ming-Shui Residence. Ji Mingshu walked inside wrapped in the suit jacket, never removing her sunglasses, her lips pressed tightly together.

She walked quickly, and as soon as she entered the house, she headed straight upstairs to run a bath.

Hearing the water, Cen Sen merely glanced up before continuing to change his shoes.

By the time he walked to the refrigerator to grab some water, a string of miserable screams erupted from upstairs: "Ahhhhhhh!!!"

This scream was clearly not out of accident or fear. Although it was only a short syllable, Cen Sen could hear the profound frustration and regret of, "How could I do something so stupid," "My lifelong reputation has been destroyed just like this," and "Mom, let me die again."

He gave a light, mocking huff and took a drink of water.

Cen Sen held a video conference downstairs that lasted nearly two hours.

Seeing that there was no more sound from upstairs, he went up to check, only to find that Ji Mingshu was still in the bathroom and hadn't come out.

He knocked on the door from outside, "Ji Mingshu?"

"What."

"Are you addicted to staying in the restroom?"

The moment he finished speaking, the glass door was shoved open heavily.

Ji Mingshu wore a hair-drying cap and was wrapped only in a bath towel. After removing her makeup, her face was clean and clear, still carrying a rosy glow from the steam. Her collarbone, arms, and calves were fair and slender, and she looked both innocent and sexy.

She walked out barefoot and specifically leaned in toward Cen Sen, "Sniff it, is there still a smell?"

She didn't know if she had been hallucinating from the stench of that men's restroom, but she felt as if she was covered in a foul odor.

Cen Sen's voice was low, "Yes."

"?"

Ji Mingshu immediately wanted to lower her head and sniff herself.

Cen Sen hadn't had a release for many days and couldn't withstand the temptation. His Adam's apple bobbed; suddenly, he pulled Ji Mingshu into his arms, pressing her against himself. His hand wandered from her spine to her tailbone, while he leaned to her earlobe and asked, "Trying to bribe me?"

"???"

What kind of logic is that?

Ji Mingshu's mind went blank for a second, and then came a whirlwind. She felt herself being lifted off the ground, then suddenly tossed onto the bed.

It wasn't until she lay beneath Cen Sen, feeling the coolness in front of her, that she realized: Cen Sen thought she was intentionally seducing and bribing him so he wouldn't mention the men's restroom incident again???

Very good. As expected of a Harvard graduate—this logic was outstanding; why hadn't she thought of it?

Ji Mingshu suddenly took the initiative to wrap her arms around Cen Sen's neck and asked righteously, "If I'm bribing you, are you accepting it?"

Cen Sen's pupils were filled with visible desire, his voice rolling low.

"Accepting."

This gift of a bribe was slightly heavy.

Ji Mingshu felt like she had been tossed around in life-and-death cycles several times. She had already soaked in the bath for a long time, and then the "battlefield" somehow spread back to the bathroom. After soaking twice in one day, she felt like she was going to be pruned into a raisin.

In the middle of the night, Ji Mingshu woke up and found that Cen Sen was not beside her.

She was a bit hungry.

She had bathed upon returning, then served her "financial backer," and now lying in bed, she felt like her front was stuck to her back.

After struggling for about five minutes, she dragged her weak legs downstairs to find something to eat. She didn't expect that as she reached the stairs, she would catch the scent of fragrance wafting from the kitchen island.

She looked over subconsciously and happened to see Cen Sen with his shirt sleeves rolled up, deftly dishing food from a pot.

"It smells so good, what are you making?" She approached, "Pork rib rice?"

Cen Sen said "Mhm," rolled down his sleeves, picked up the plate of mouth-watering pork rib rice, and walked toward the dining room.

Ji Mingshu followed eagerly.

Cen Sen turned back and glanced at her, "I didn't make any for you."

"?"

"Why?"

As soon as she asked, she felt something was off. She had a feeling he would answer like a villain in an R-rated novel: "Heh, little enchantress, didn't I feed you enough just now?"

But reality is often more stark than imagination. Just as that thought flashed through her mind, she heard Cen Sen say, "I thought that since you stayed in the men's restroom for so long, you wouldn't have an appetite to eat."

So that's what he meant by accepting her bribe?