My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Ji Mingshu had the driver head straight to the Junyi Group headquarters. The scenery outside the window blurred past, but she had no interest in admiring it. Whether her eyes were open or closed, scenes from her life since marrying Cen Sen played back in her mind on a loop.

She had initially wanted to notify Cen Sen beforehand.

But upon opening WeChat, she remembered she had already deleted Cen Sen’s contact. In the section for new friend requests, there was nothing from him either.

It was never supposed to be there, and she didn't even know why she had clicked to check with a heart full of "what if."

She thought quite seriously about whether some things in life were truly fated, such as: the fact that she and Cen Sen were destined never to be compatible.

She remembered when Cen Sen first arrived at the compound as a child. She thought this brother looked truly handsome, so for a rare moment, she proactively showed him kindness several times and even shared her favorite snacks with him. Yet, he remained silent and indifferent, paying her no mind.

After repeatedly offering her warmth only to be met with cold shoulders, she lost her patience. At such a young age, it even turned into a bit of love-hate; she gathered the other children in the compound to isolate him.

However, Cen Sen was a year or two older than her and her peers, and he didn't care at all about the isolation from this group of "immature brats."

From then on, throughout elementary, middle, and high school, Cen Sen was always two grades ahead of her. No matter where he was, he was an impeccable model student whom teachers praised endlessly; eight out of ten times he was the one on stage giving speeches.

She found it incredibly annoying. She felt growing disdain and impatience for his template-like existence. Sometimes when they ran into each other at school, she would walk right past him without glancing over, letting out a cold huff or blowing a bubble with her gum only to pop it with a "snap."

Cen Sen was even colder. He wouldn't even look at her, acting as if she didn't exist.

So later, when they accidentally spent the night together and logically ended up married, Cen Sen was still the same as he was in childhood—looking down on her in every way possible.

It was just that the adult world added a layer of disguise. He would wrap himself in a veneer of gentleness to keep her—this canary he didn't particularly like, but was willing to sleep with—in a gilded cage.

—Thinking back on how she jokingly told Gu Kaiyang that she was a canary, it was surprisingly fitting.

On a weekend morning, the Beijing CBD was still bustling with crowds.

The half-month-long hotel inspection had just concluded. Having just touched down in Beijing, he’d already held a meeting early in the morning. Cen Sen hadn't even had time to eat breakfast; as he walked toward his office, he instructed his assistant to brew a cup of black coffee.

"What's the situation? Which media outlet reported it?"

Back in the office, Cen Sen put on his glasses to continue reviewing the new hotel assessment documents at hand, taking the opportunity to ask about the earlier matter.

On the way back just now, Zhou Jiaheng had given him a rough idea in the car, but he had needed to focus on the upcoming meeting and hadn't been in the mood to listen to more details.

Zhou Jiaheng recounted the sequence of events in detail. After a slight pause, he added, "During the meeting, Ms. Zhang Baoshu and President Zhang both called to apologize. Both sides said it was a misunderstanding and the news would be taken down immediately."

"A misunderstanding." Cen Sen didn't even shift his gaze. While signing the bottom right corner of a document, he said calmly, "Call and tell Zhang Qi that Junyi has decided to stop following up on the West Suburb project. If personal affairs can drag down business partners, I find it hard to believe they can maintain a proper attitude toward their work."

Zhou Jiaheng lowered his eyes, "Yes."

Cen Sen changed the subject abruptly: "Where is your Madam?"

But before a reply could be given, he seemingly thought of something and continued himself, "Never mind. Cancel or postpone tonight's arrangements. Go get the bracelet that Mr. Xie sent last time."

Zhou Jiaheng said "Yes" again. Seeing that Cen Sen didn't speak further, he quietly exited the office.

The office fell into silence. Cen Sen rubbed his brow bone and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for half a minute to rest. He had a premonition that tonight would be another tough battle.

"Ma'am, may I ask you..."

"Move aside."

Ji Mingshu didn't even look at the building security. Clicking along in her high heels, her aura was cold and piercing.

The bodyguards, who were usually invisible in front of Ji Mingshu, finally stepped forward to explain her identity to the security personnel.

Ji Mingshu didn't look back to acknowledge them. She simply let them clear the path, wearing her sunglasses and hugging her arms to her chest, walking into Cen Sen's private elevator with an expressionless face.

"Who is that woman? She's so beautiful and has such an aura; she looks like a celebrity."

"She entered the executive elevator. She must be President Cen's girlfriend."

"But isn't President Cen married?"

"Then is that his wife?"

The front desk staff were whispering. The security guard took the opportunity to confirm the answer for them.

Yes, that's right, it was indeed President Cen's wife.

So, in the few minutes it took for Ji Mingshu to ride the elevator, the news of Mrs. Cen arriving in person to storm the executive office spread through the group chats of the entire conglomerate as if connected to 5G.

"The way the President's wife is coming in, looking so aggressive, I feel like she's here to catch him cheating."

"Catch him cheating? Is President Cen having an affair with any of the beauties in his assistant office?"

"That can't be it. Every time he goes out, the women stay a yard away from him. It'd be more likely to say he's having an affair with Assistant Zhou."

"Woman, you have caught my attention. Here is the pen, please arrange some fanfiction, thank you."

Although some sensed Ji Mingshu’s "catch-the-cheater" aura, because that small, obscure news story had been nipped in the bud on her way there, no one gossiped about that particular female star.

The employees knew she had arrived, and Cen Sen wasn't so blind or deaf that he remained oblivious. Besides, she was followed by bodyguards; clearing a path for her was something he had tacitly permitted.

When Ji Mingshu reached the 68th floor, the office door was already wide open for her, and Cen Sen's row of high-powered assistants stood up in a line to welcome her.

Ji Mingshu’s face remained expressionless. She gave herself a mental pep talk and walked into Cen Sen's office without stopping for a second.

Cen Sen was sitting and working, wearing a pair of thin, light-gold-rimmed glasses, giving off a refined, scoundrel-like air.

Ji Mingshu stopped in front of his desk. She muttered a silent "ready" in her heart, then slammed the printed but unbound divorce agreement onto his head—

"Divorce."

She had silently adjusted her tone several times on the way over, aiming for a cold, high-class texture that held a touch of disdain mixed with indifference, and a hint of condescension mixed with finality.

After speaking, she crossed her arms over her chest again, looking down at him from above with a scornful gaze.

"..."

Cen Sen closed his eyes, pressed his hand on the papers, and after three seconds of silence, pressed them flat onto the desk. He didn't look up, remaining in a brief silence.

In fact, the moment he knew Ji Mingshu had run over to Junyi, he had prepared himself. He had even thought about how to simplify the explanation and shorten the time wasted on nonsense.

But, he had to admit.

He had never once thought that Ji Mingshu would bring up a divorce.

Since returning to the country, Ji Mingshu seemed to be creating surprises for him, and this "divorce" was the crowning achievement of them all.

He took off his glasses, gently pinched the bridge of his nose, and then turned on the projection equipment behind Ji Mingshu.

"Look back."

Ji Mingshu subconsciously looked behind her.

A dashcam video soon appeared on the screen. Although the device hadn't recorded the person's face, Ji Mingshu quickly matched it to the photos she had seen at the magazine office.

The audio from the dashcam was a bit noisy and not very clear, but the office was dead silent. She listened intently and seemed to catch keywords like "not as good as my wife" and "wash your face and sober up."

Just then, Zhou Jiaheng knocked on the door.

Cen Sen: "Come in."

Zhou Jiaheng walked inside. Seeing Ji Mingshu, he didn't seem surprised; he nodded politely and then reported to Cen Sen in a matter-of-fact tone: "President Cen, I have conveyed your meaning to President Zhang, but he still wishes to speak with you personally."

"Put the call through."

Zhou Jiaheng complied, then placed the red velvet jewelry box he was holding onto his desk. "This is your Madam’s bracelet."

With that, he quietly exited.

Soon, Zhang Qi's call was connected to the office, and Cen Sen put it on speaker.

Then Ji Mingshu listened as Zhang Qi, the free explainer, rattled on about the sequence of events. In short, according to Zhang Qi, Cen Sen was an innocent, incorruptible Tianshan snow lotus, completely unswayed by beauty.

Cen Sen only grunted occasionally, fiddling with the diamond bracelet in his hand. Once Ji Mingshu understood, he hung up the phone.

"..."

Ji Mingshu stared straight at the bracelet in his hand.

She recognized it; it was a Van Cleef & Arpels piece auctioned off at Christie's. The final price hadn't been exaggerated—she vaguely remembered it being over a million US dollars—and she had actually liked it a little.

No, that wasn't the point she should be focusing on.

She regained her composure.

Oh, so, she had been miserable all the way from the magazine office, recalling the past and anticipating the future, filling her head with wild fantasies and almost crying her eyes out over this "dog man," ruining her persona—all of it was just a misunderstanding.

...How spectacular.

Her sentimental sorrow vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a faint, lingering embarrassment for the absurd internal drama she had performed along the way.

"Still want to divorce?"

"..."

Silence was the little canary in this moment.

Cen Sen loosened his tie, looking at her with a calm expression. "If I haven't done well enough and you truly can't bear it and insist on a divorce, then I will respect your decision."

"However, Mingshu, you might need me to help you recall the prenuptial agreement. After a divorce, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue collecting rare-leather Birkins, flying on private jets to Milan for fashion shows, or bidding on a 15-carat Sri Lankan Padparadscha diamond ring without blinking..."

"Wait," Ji Mingshu was now clear-headed, "I think... I can endure it a little longer."

The faint embarrassment deepened just a little.

Ji Mingshu hadn't expected him to be such a chatterbox even without being "online"; he actually knew about her love for collecting Birkins and bidding on various gems and diamonds, and had even brought out a slightly pretty bracelet to bribe her right now.

Naturally, she was deeply moved and joyfully chose to accept it.

Hearing Ji Mingshu's answer, Cen Sen didn't know why, but a weight lifted from his heart.

He remained calm, stood up, walked over to Ji Mingshu, and lifted her wrist to put on the diamond bracelet.

The subtle scent of fir trees wafted toward her. Ji Mingshu's earlobes turned a little red. She didn't know why, but beyond the embarrassment, there was a small, uncontrollable joy in her heart.

She hypnotized herself: It must be because I'm so happy I can continue to spend money like water. Yes, that's exactly it.

She suppressed her lips, which were trying to curl upward, cleared her throat, and emphasized: "If you really do cheat, I really will divorce you. I'll let it slide this time, I forgive you."

"Much appreciated.”