My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

...?!

For a few seconds, Ji Mingshu didn't understand at all what Gu Kaiyang was talking about.

As for the name "Zhang Baoshu," only the character "Shu," which was homophonous with her own, left a brief impression on her mind.

"What? Who and Cen Sen?"

The moment the words left her lips, Ji Mingshu remembered the modifier Gu Kaiyang had used—that "shameless woman."

Her expression froze abruptly, and without a word, she pulled her phone from her bag and opened Weibo.

This affair hadn't yet fermented in the public sphere, so there was no relevant news on the homepage. Furthermore, in terms of ranking, Zhang Baoshu was at best a fourth or fifth-tier celebrity; unless one paid for trending searches, who would be bored enough to take the initiative to care about the private love life of such a mediocre, obscure star?

Ji Mingshu stared at the search bar, not knowing what to look for, and briefly fell into a daze.

When exactly did she first gain the consciousness that she would eventually enter into a family arranged marriage? She found she couldn't quite remember.

She also couldn't recall when the sordid affairs of the wealthy circles became something so numbing, ordinary, and commonplace to her.

There were just too many such things.

In her own Ji family, the eldest uncle she had always respected kept three mistresses behind everyone's back, one of whom was three years younger than her.

Her aunt never cared, always maintaining the feudal posture of the "legitimate first wife," holding the attitude that "you can have colorful flags fluttering outside, but the red flag at home must never fall."

Her parents, who only left her with vague impressions, also had nothing to do with the "loving couple" dynamic she had subconsciously assumed existed.

After becoming an adult, she discovered by chance that the two of them having her seemed to be only to prove that their reproductive functions were fine and to give an account to both families; once she was born, they washed their hands of her and stopped caring.

Later, they both died in an accident while they were out pretending to be a loving couple; she didn't know if that could be considered a late retribution.

In the eyes of outsiders, she, Ji Mingshu, was an orphan who had lost both parents, but her uncles and aunts spoiled her as if she were the pearl in their palm—what an incredible stroke of good fortune earned in a past life.

The facts were indeed as such; her first and second uncles treated her like their own daughter, and none of her cousins had lived as luxuriously or comfortably as she had since she was a child.

But she had also known from a very early age that being treated like a daughter did not mean she was their daughter. This kindness was something that required the marriage of her second half of life as an exchange condition.

Therefore, from the very beginning when she married Cen Sen, she had prepared herself that the two of them would not live in mutual respect or grow old together.

There was no immense love, but there could be immense wealth; come to think of it, that seemed quite fair.

It was just that when she stood here and suddenly learned the news of her husband’s infidelity, she didn't know why, but she first felt bewildered, and then felt a bit panicked and distressed.

"Shushu, don't... please don't cry. You must absolutely not cry..."

Gu Kaiyang coaxed her in a low voice, flustered and incoherent. Seeing that she was about to lose her balance, she hurriedly helped her to the sofa to sit down.

Ji Mingshu didn't actually want to cry. As she sat on the sofa, she subconsciously crossed her legs to the side, lightly rested her hands on her knees, and kept her spine straight, assuming her usual elegant sitting posture. However, her eyes were unfocused, and her hands were trembling slightly.

After about a minute, she suddenly said, "Let me see what they captured."

Gu Kaiyang didn't move.

Ji Mingshu: "It's fine. Let me see."

She wanted to see, and it was only a matter of time before she did. Gu Kaiyang was very clear on this point. After a long silence, she moved her fingers.

This exposé was a video plus several photos. The title of the exposé actually had nothing to do with Cen Sen; it was about Young Master Zhang Qilin of Fengchang Culture and Tourism secretly meeting Zhang Baoshu late at night. They were described as being intimate, and the words "suspected to be in a passionate relationship" were used.

The long text inside introduced the powerful background of Fengchang Culture and Tourism, as well as the illustrious achievements of this Young Master Zhang in his hunt for beauty. However, among the pile of evidence released, aside from blurry candid shots where you couldn't tell who was who, the rest were ten consecutive photos of Zhang Baoshu and Cen Sen in front of a car.

The paparazzi's professional standards were clearly in question, as they hadn't even been able to tell Zhang Qilin and Cen Sen apart, yet they had still churned out several thousand characters of analysis.

Although the photos hadn't captured Cen Sen's face clearly, his car model, the wedding ring and watch on his hand, the profile of his face as he smiled, and Zhou Jiaheng standing not far away, were all strong, corroborating evidence of his identity.

Not to mention Ji Mingshu, who was skin-to-skin with him; she could identify his figure at a single glance.

He was actually smiling.

He was smiling at a third-rate star whose name she had never even heard of.

Was he always this gentle and considerate with other women? In bed, did he also tell other women that his wife was just a boring vase?

Ji Mingshu's brain felt like it was about to explode.

The impact of seeing the images and hearing the news was not on the same level at all.

There was another video of them spending eight intimate hours together in Zhang Baoshu's apartment, but Ji Mingshu no longer had the courage to click on it. Her hand clutching the phone was trembling; she didn't know how she had managed to control herself from throwing the phone against the wall.

She suddenly remembered when the two of them got married. According to the demands of both families, they had held a Chinese-style wedding that she didn't like.

At the time, she had thought, she didn't like the person anyway, so what importance did the form of the wedding have? Just muddle through it.

She had been very carefree and calm then, and before the wedding, she had even set "three rules" for their married life with Cen Sen.

The first of those three rules was that their persona as a loving couple must not collapse—no matter how they played around outside, they must never stir up trouble or openly slap the other in the face.

Cen Sen had promised very briefly at the time, only saying the two words "I won't," and she had believed him.

She hadn't expected that in just three short years, this solemn promise would overturn.

She also hadn't expected that when this moment truly arrived, her heart would feel so sour, bloated, and dull with pain. It wasn't just the surprise and anger of being slapped in the face by this jerk; it was more of an suffocating, stifling feeling of grievance that left her unable to breathe. If asked to explain it specifically, she couldn't.

Seeing her like this, Gu Kaiyang also felt terrible.

The two had met while studying abroad. Gu Kaiyang had been a poor student whose family had scraped together every penny to send her out, not daring to have a moment of slack, while Ji Mingshu was a heaven-favored daughter surrounded by stars.

When she had first gone abroad, she heard in the overseas student circle that Ji Mingshu, who was studying interior design, had bought a house on a whim just to make her project achieve the best effect. There were also rumors of how untouchable her family background was.

As a sheltered new student at the time, she had been heavily shocked, and she had never expected that a legendary figure in the international student circle would take the initiative to have more interaction with her.

Having known each other for so many years, Ji Mingshu had always been the most dazzling star in the sky.

Staying with Ji Mingshu for a long time, she felt that it was a wonderful thing that such beauty existed in this world.

She didn't want to see the star fade and fall one day.

She walked silently to Ji Mingshu’s side, wanting to offer some comfort.

But Ji Mingshu didn't even lift her head, only saying softly, "Let me be quiet."

Gu Kaiyang turned to look out the window, covered her forehead, rubbed her face, and exhaled silently.

After a while, she quietly exited the office.

When she exited, she left a very thin gap in the door, not wanting people outside to see what Ji Mingshu looked like right now.

Her little fairy should always be beautiful and vibrant.

"Hey, isn't your group shooting the dual cover for Zhang Baoshu and EE today?"

With Gu Kaiyang presiding and a low-pressure atmosphere throughout the editorial department's main office, someone suddenly barged in and asked this, prodding at a sore spot.

Immediately, the person seemed to remember something. "Did it get cancelled because of that Zhang Baoshu incident? That man isn't Young Master Zhang, is he? It's President Cen from Junyi."

She looked at Gu Kaiyang. "Oh, by the way, isn't President Cen the husband of your rich socialite bestie? Do you still have the mood to sit here instead of going to comfort her? Or do you wealthy socialites enjoy wearing a little green on your heads?"

The malice was suddenly apparent.

"Shi Qing, I don't want to argue with you today. You’d better get the hell out of here right now."

Gu Kaiyang's gaze moved away from the screen and landed coldly on the person who had come in; the words she spoke were also very cold.

Wherever there are people working, there is never a shortage of office politics. The rivalry between Gu Kaiyang and Shi Qing had started the moment they joined the agency, moving from the shadows into the light, with an endless, bitter animosity.

Usually, when Gu Kaiyang was with Ji Mingshu, she would vent about Shi Qing as soon as work was mentioned. Over time, Ji Mingshu also took note of this person.

On a few occasions when they ran into each other at the magazine office, Ji Mingshu had casually dissed Shi Qing’s outdated fashion sense, saying she was only fit to work for a menswear magazine, which led to Shi Qing being secretly mocked by people in the office for quite a while.

Although Shi Qing didn't dare to do anything to Ji Mingshu openly, she kept a clear tally in private, wishing for the day she could make this pair of sisters—Gu Kaiyang and Ji Mingshu—repay the debt with interest.

It was clearly that "day" now.

"Can't even handle the truth? She’s not here, so why are you flattering her? Isn't it just because you see she has money and want to hug her thigh? Speaking of which, why don't you have her introduce you to a rich, handsome man so you can marry into wealth and be a rich wife? It’s so easy. If you end up wearing a little green, so be it; what is there that can't be sacrificed for money?"

Shi Qing was being quite aggressive, and her expression was exceptionally ugly.

Gu Kaiyang slammed her keyboard down with a "smack," looking like she was about to rush over and fight. The junior editor next to her hurriedly held her back, whispering, "Gu-jie, let it go, let it go."

This year, Shi Qing had been suppressed by Gu Kaiyang at the magazine office. Having finally found an opportunity to vent her anger, she naturally grew more and more unbridled.

"You still want to hit someone? Do it! Come on, come on, hit me."

"What did I say wrong? Isn't Ji Mingshu usually very arrogant? Her eyes being higher than the top of her head and her overbearing attitude—isn't that just relying on her husband having some stinking money? Don't think I don't know what she counts for in the Ji family! How is the Ji family raising her any different from raising a 'Yangzhou thin horse' in ancient times? At most, her status seems more legitimate. What is there to be so high and mighty about? Does she dare to divorce? She wouldn't even dare to let out a fart!"

Gu Kaiyang’s eyes were red with anger. "Get out of the way! No one, not a single person, is holding me back! If I don't tear this bitch apart today, I’ll change my surname!"

Before Gu Kaiyang could finish her sentence, the door to the deputy editor's office was pushed open with a "bang!"

Ji Mingshu was wearing a pair of lace-up high heels today, the heels meticulously polished into the shape of the brand's logo. As they stepped on the marble floor, they made a rhythmic tapping sound. The silk ribbons, slightly lustrous, wrapped around her thin, white ankles and were tied in a knot, possessing a cold, exquisite beauty.

She tapped her way on these heels, stopping right in front of Shi Qing. Her gaze slowly moved from top to bottom, and she reached out, slightly lifting Shi Qing's chin.

"What do you count for?"

She had reapplied her lipstick; the color was a matte-textured true red, and her lip shape was perfectly exquisite. The words she spoke were light, slow, and very cold.

Just as Shi Qing had said, standing there, she possessed a natural, innate overbearing aura.

Ji Mingshu: "The bag is fake, and the ring is a classic T-brand style copied by a designer from a picture. You have no respect for design, so how are you qualified to work at a magazine?"

The moment she was exposed, Shi Qing's brain went "buzz," and she was so humiliated that her ears and neck turned bright red.

"Can't stand me, right? So as long as I’m slightly dissatisfied, you have to jump out and humiliate me, right? But remember this: no matter how down and out I, Ji Mingshu, become, it will never be your turn to gossip about me."

The hand lifting Shi Qing's chin suddenly loosened, as if she were repulsed by the dirt, and she pulled a piece of paper from a nearby desk to wipe her hand.

The office area was deathly silent.

After wiping her hand, Ji Mingshu put on her sunglasses, picked up the documents she had just printed in Gu Kaiyang's office, and walked out, not leaving behind even a hint of an expression.