My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The silence in the private room lasted for three seconds. Cen Sen, Jiang Che, and Zhao Yang all looked at Shu Yang in unison. Cen Sen and Jiang Che were composed, but Zhao Yang’s disdain and irritation were written all over his face.

Yet, Shu Yang’s skin was thicker than the silt at the bottom of the Yellow River. By now, he was still valiantly pretending that nothing had happened, turning back with a look of surprise. "Oh, Xiao Shu, you’ve finally arrived! Come, come, come, let Brother take a look—where did this great beauty come from!"

Ji Mingshu gave a tight-lipped, insincere smile, clutched her bag, and swung it across his head.

He was used to playing the part, and immediately started "Ouch, ouch"-ing.

"Shut your mouth. I haven't even complained that your hair is too greasy and dirtying my bag, what are you crying about?" Ji Mingshu wanted to roll her eyes.

The two of them, both with the name "Shu," had been bickering since they were kids, and everyone was long accustomed to it. Since they were now trading barbs, the others were sensible enough not to get involved.

Jiang Che played a pair of Queens as if nothing were wrong; Cen Sen followed with a pair of Kings, and Zhao Yang tapped the edge of the table. "Pass."

After thoroughly disparaging Shu Yang from head to toe and achieving an overwhelming victory as she did every time they bickered, Ji Mingshu sat directly beside Cen Sen.

Cen Sen gestured toward his poker hand. She took it as a matter of course, and with great self-assurance, peeked at Jiang Che and Zhao Yang’s cards, then rearranged her playing order accordingly.

"9, 10, J, Q, K, a straight; three 4s with a pair; a pair of 5s—there, I’m out."

"...What the hell." Zhao Yang covered his cards and stretched his neck forward to look. "Who can handle that?"

He hadn't seen this way of playing for years, and he was still a bit stunned by the nostalgia.

Ji Mingshu had already begun settling the stakes. "One bag for you, three for you."

"Why three for me?" Jiang Che lifted his eyes lazily and asked.

Ji Mingshu: "He’s a doctor in a white coat serving the people and saving lives, while you’re just an unscrupulous bourgeois capitalist exploiting the masses. What’s wrong with you having three?"

Zhao Yang instantly felt an illusion that he had gotten a huge bargain.

Ji Mingshu continued, sounding righteous toward Jiang Che: "Besides, your buddy just said that whoever earns more money should contribute more to the canary. You having three is very fair."

Jiang Che was unimpressed. "Oh, he’s not my buddy."

...？

"That’s not what I just said, right?" Shu Yang had a head full of question marks, turning to look at Jiang Che. "No, is it really worth turning your back on someone over three bags?"

Jiang Che: "Then you buy them."

"Fine, I'll buy them! I'll buy ten!"

Ji Mingshu switched expressions as quickly as turning a page, smiling and resting her chin in her hands. "Thank you, Brother Yang."

Shu Yang never thought before he boasted. Now that he had come to his senses and remembered the price tag of Ji Mingshu's bags, he felt his heart bleeding.

He turned, wanting to provoke Cen Sen to recoup some of his losses. "Brother Sen, how do you usually abuse her? You don't even buy her bags, and she has to come pitfall us?"

Cen Sen wasn't moved by his provocation at all, saying blandly, "Xiao Shu is more frugal and good at managing the household."

Ji Mingshu also offered a smile fitting for a "frugal and virtuous housewife" at the right moment.

Shu Yang: "..."

OJB K, you two are a perfect match; please lock yourselves up and don't come out to harm the law-abiding citizens anymore. :)

At the gathering that day, Ji Mingshu scammed and swindled over a dozen bags. Everyone let her win because they hadn't seen her in a while and enjoyed teasing her.

Ji Mingshu, meanwhile, filled in for Cen Sen, making up for the corner of the atmosphere where he was notably inactive.

Everyone was intelligent; for the rest of the time, no one brought up the minefield that was "Li Wenyin."

Li Wenyin was Cen Sen’s ex-girlfriend, with a scandal period lasting three years and an actual tenure of three months.

In truth, an ex-girlfriend wasn't a topic that couldn't be mentioned, but the key was that Li Wenyin and Ji Mingshu did not get along at all. They had been at each other's throats since middle school, leading to plenty of unpleasantness.

Furthermore, while Li Wenyin appeared carefree, she would express her lingering feelings for Cen Sen from time to time.

In the first year of Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen’s marriage, Li Wenyin had become a sensation on Weibo with a little story about her first love: "My Ex-Partner Got Married."

Although that post was later deleted by Li Wenyin herself under the excuse of "not wanting to disturb the other party's life," it had been widely reposted online and was still being cited by people now and then.

Heading home after the party, Ji Mingshu didn't speak the entire way. She looked out the window, at her phone, and at the rearview mirror, attempting to observe the micro-expressions on Cen Sen’s face through every reflective surface available.

But Cen Sen had no expression, let alone any changes. He slept as soon as he got in the car, yet his brain seemed equipped with a radar, waking up the moment they arrived home.

Ji Mingshu didn't know why, but she was just angry and didn't want to pay any attention to him.

Cen Sen was completely unaware of her little mood. He had originally intended to recharge his batteries to have a marital life at home, but he didn't expect that when he came out after a shower, Ji Mingshu was already dead to the world. He didn't care much, only mentally pushing the date for their marital life further back.

The magazine shoot that had been postponed due to the Zhang Baoshu incident had resumed. The people at Zero Degree had changed to a different on-screen couple, but the dress still needed to be borrowed as scheduled.

Ji Mingshu found that dress incredibly annoying now—she wished she could just gift it to them. Naturally, she agreed instantly.

On Thursday morning, she took Jiang Chun with her to Zero Degree, intending to let this "little earth-goose" receive some fashion cultivation.

The on-screen couple shooting today consisted of current trending idols who had become popular due to collaborating on an idol drama. They both had many "solo" fans and "CP" (couple) fans. The fans had different stances and would fight every three days and curse every five, successfully turning these two, who couldn't even name a real work, into major traffic stars.

"The lighting on Ah Che’s side, bring it a little closer... Yes, yes, just like that."

Gu Kaiyang was wearing a trendy little suit, standing in the studio with her arms crossed, directing. She had been in her new position for a while, and her posture as an associate editor was becoming increasingly pronounced.

Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun sat in a corner of the studio, whispering to each other while watching the shoot.

Ji Mingshu: "What were you doing last night? I was planning to ask you to go watch a movie, but the call wouldn't go through."

Jiang Chun: "It wouldn't go through? Maybe the signal was bad. Tang Zhizhou invited me to watch a movie last night."

Ji Mingshu turned to look at her. "After the 'Bada Shanren and Strawberries' incident, the guy surnamed Tang is still willing to deal with you?"

Jiang Chun: "What do you mean? Even though my cultural literacy isn't high, I’m very sincere, okay? After you told me, I sent him a WeChat apology. He said it was fine and even praised me for being cute."

Ji Mingshu looked at Jiang Chun with an expression that said, "Is he blind?"

Jiang Chun forcibly praised herself for a bit, then remembered the little intimacy she had felt while watching the movie with Tang Zhizhou last night. Her ears turned red, and she couldn't help but reach out her "goose claw" to pat her, forcibly changing the subject: "Don't talk about me; what exactly is going on with Cen Sen and that Z-list little green tea? I didn't even see the cause or the process, so how did it get to the result?"

Ji Mingshu: "I already said it was a misunderstanding. I didn't even remember that woman's name. What good does it do to ask me?"

It was true that asking Ji Mingshu about this was useless. From start to finish, the only thing she had confirmed was that Cen Sen hadn't cheated; she didn't know or care about anything else.

However, Gu Kaiyang knew the ins and outs clearly. Once the photographer took over the shooting, she explained the "extra chapter" of the matter to Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun, roughly detailing how Zhang Baoshu had acted out and how tragic her downfall was.

"She was a little girl with a promising future. Now, it’s over—she’s been directly blacklisted. You tell me, of all people, why did she have to provoke Zhang Qi? That young master is incredibly vengeful."

"Besides, these little girls have tasted the flavor of the spotlight; it's impossible to expect her to quit the industry and find a nine-to-five job. Anyway, the road ahead is going to be very difficult for her."

Jiang Chun recalled that identical "little white lotus" who had stolen Yan Yu and couldn't muster even a shred of sympathy, only commenting, "Isn't it just her own doing?" After a slight pause, she asked about something else: "By the way, what about that person you mentioned named Shi Qing?"

Gu Kaiyang raised her eyebrows and made a throat-slashing gesture.

Jiang Chun: "Fired?"

Gu Kaiyang: "Yes. Speaking of that, I still find it quite strange. The matter that day was, at the end of the day, a personal grudge between her and me. Shushu said it wasn't her who did it, so I don't know why the group decided to fire her."

Jiang Chun had a sudden brainstorm and looked at Ji Mingshu. "Could it be your husband?"

"…?"

"Sis, do you read too many novels?"

Jiang Chun was stunned by her incredulous expression and fell silent for a moment, beginning to doubt the rationality of her own deduction.

Ji Mingshu, however, upon hearing Jiang Chun say that, first thought it was a fantasy, but upon closer reflection, she felt it wasn't entirely impossible.

Taking advantage of the halftime break, she sent a WeChat message to Cen Sen.

Ji Mingshu: [I had a fight with a woman at Gu Kaiyang's magazine office a few days ago, and that woman was fired.]

Ji Mingshu: [Observing secretly.jpg]

She was distracted, waiting for Cen Sen’s reply, but Cen Sen seemed busy and there was no movement for a long time.

During this time, Jiang Chun went to the restroom, and Gu Kaiyang came back after taking a phone call.

When she returned, Gu Kaiyang’s expression was somewhat strange.

Ji Mingshu looked up; as soon as she saw this expression, she recalled the fear of being told she had been "cheated on" a few days ago. "What's wrong with you? You have that weird expression again."

Jiang Chun also happened to return, wiping her hands while adding, "Are you constipated?"

"No, I just received notice of a personality interview."

"Who? Her husband? Showing off their affection on the magazine?"

Jiang Chun had a full-on novel brain; she pointed at Ji Mingshu without a second thought.

Gu Kaiyang paused. "Her husband's ex-girlfriend."

Jiang Chun & Ji Mingshu: "..."

The atmosphere suddenly became subtle and awkward.

To ease this awkwardness, Jiang Chun asked a question from the depths of her soul: "Then... isn't your Zero Degree a men’s fashion magazine? Why are you interviewing a woman?"

"Isn't there a woman being shot on the cover right now?"

Gu Kaiyang pointed backward, then immediately added, "I'll think of a way; this topic doesn't necessarily have to be Li Wenyin. But Li Wenyin should be back in the last two days."

She could find a way to reject this interviewee, but she really couldn't stop the person from flying back into the embrace of Motherland.

Just then, Ji Mingshu’s phone rang.

Cen Sen: [I did it.]

Ji Mingshu looked at these three short words and paused for a moment.

Cen Sen: [Are you at the magazine?]

Ji Mingshu: [Nodding obediently.jpg]

Cen Sen: [Then I'll come pick you up after work.]

Ji Mingshu looked at the brief conversation on the screen and, for some reason, felt a little happy.

She couldn't help but curl her lips up, then sat up straight, brushed her hair, and said to Gu Kaiyang with great nobility and coldness: "No need, just do her interview. I’d like to see what kind of flower she can spout out."

Jiang Chun sat to the side, silently drinking milk. After hanging out with Ji Mingshu so much, she always felt that her subtext was, "If this little b*tch dares to talk nonsense, see if I don't kill her."