My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

As the saying goes, "Three women make a play," and when Ji Mingshu, Gu Kaiyang, and Jiang Chun got together, they were likely staging a "deeply affectionate besties version" of a Republican-era spy thriller.

With Li Wenyin still across the ocean and yet to set off, Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun had already mapped out the difficult interview questions intended to make things hard for her.

Since Gu Kaiyang only knew Li Wenyin unilaterally through Ji Mingshu’s intermittent grumbling, and theoretically, Li Wenyin shouldn’t know she was Ji Mingshu’s best friend, Jiang Chun had even scripted a spy subplot for her: infiltrating the enemy’s internal ranks to uncover the real reason behind Li Wenyin’s return and her contingency plans.

However, this subplot was too difficult to pull off and carried the risk of immediate exposure, so both Ji Mingshu and Gu Kaiyang raised their hands to veto it.

In the midst of the three of them holding the script of the "vicious female supporting character" and furiously dissing the "white lotus" heroine Li Wenyin, the cover shoot unknowingly drew to a close.

Once the shoot ended, the female celebrity sipped some water through a straw, leaned in toward the monitor to look at the footage, and chatted with the photographer for a few moments.

Turning back to see Gu Kaiyang and Ji Mingshu, she walked over with a smile to greet them, as well as Jiang Chun, whom she didn’t know.

This actress was named Meng Xiaowei; she was a smooth operator in social circles with high emotional intelligence.

She had good fashion resources and was an acquaintance of Gu Kaiyang’s, and she would often run into Ji Mingshu at various fashion shows, exhibitions, and evening banquets.

Ji Mingshu had a decent impression of her; although they weren't in the same circle, they could still chat for a bit.

As they chatted, Meng Xiaowei suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Mingshu, you majored in interior design in college, right? I heard you were the one who did the Milan runway for Chris Chou two years ago. That show was amazing; I still remember it even now."

Having someone praise the only work she had been able to show off since graduation made Ji Mingshu feel very satisfied.

However, in order to maintain the indifferent posture of "Miss Ji being so used to being praised that it's no big deal," she only let out a dismissive, light laugh while uttering humble words with nonchalance.

Meng Xiaowei continued, "It’s like this: I have a friend who is a variety show producer at Xingcheng TV. They are currently planning a show focused on spatial design called 'The Designer.' It’s basically a format where amateur designers partner with celebrities to collaborate on designs."

"Among the people they originally invited, there was a beautiful designer from Taiwan, but her political stance was a bit problematic, so the production team is planning to replace her. I think you’d be a perfect fit, Mingshu, but I’m not sure if you’d be interested?"

Ji Mingshu: "A variety show for spatial design? Me?"

"Yeah! Mingshu, you’re so capable and your appearance is so good; the production team would definitely have no problems with it."

Meng Xiaowei smiled very sweetly, her eyes appearing extremely sincere.

Gu Kaiyang & Jiang Chun: "..."

Usually, they were busy praising the little canary’s beauty and had forgotten to add a little praise for her substance; they had lost this round of "rainbow farts" (flattery) in a complete and utter defeat.

The two exchanged glances, reading the same self-reflective emotion of "must truly reflect on this" in each other’s eyes.

Meng Xiaowei was still lobbying with continuous praise, every sentence hitting Ji Mingshu’s comfort zone perfectly without appearing overly sycophantic.

Moreover, her eyes were truly beautiful; when she looked at someone while speaking, she seemed exceptionally earnest. With this ability, even if she told someone that a dead thing was alive, they would probably believe her. If she went to sell health supplements, she would definitely be the annual top sales champion.

Ji Mingshu hadn’t heard such well-placed compliments in a long time, and she felt a bit carried away. Still, she was someone who had seen the world and wasn’t the type to just say "mhm-yeah-sure" to someone’s praise.

Actually, their social circle was very, very close to the entertainment industry, so it was relatively easy if they wanted to debut as celebrities.

In the past, the concepts of large clans were relatively conservative, looking down on "actors," and they absolutely forbade their children from showing their faces in public.

But the times had long since changed. In recent years, a massive amount of capital had flooded into the entertainment industry, and many of the "actors" whom the older generation looked down upon had begun to play the capital-operation game—and they played it very well. Among them, a portion already clearly had the momentum of the "new rich."

In a society where money is paramount, those with money and resources are the masters. Relying solely on the airs of a noble family while having only a hollow shell inside meant that, in reality, no one would bother with you.

Moreover, since the reshuffling of power in the 1990s, there hadn't been any truly "old money" in the traditional sense in the Beijing-Shanghai area.

Seeing that Ji Mingshu didn't reply, Meng Xiaowei thought she had concerns about appearing on camera and said softly, "Currently, the main thing is that the authorities have requirements for the amateur quota on variety shows; the amount of screen time given to amateurs really won't be that much, so you can rest assured about that."

"I just think this program is very suitable for you, and there will be other designers participating at that time, so you might be interested."

"How about this, consider it for a while. If you’re interested, you can tell me at any time." She turned her head and waved at the celebrity she was "shipping" a CP with. "Li Che, come over here for a second."

Li Che was a rising young heartthrob of the last two years, and the only male celebrity who didn't lack fans even while being tied to a "couple" (CP) image. His official age was 24, though he was actually 26. However, he looked clean and had the temperament of a sunny, boy-next-door type, not looking mature in the slightest.

Li Che walked toward them while drinking water.

Once he reached them, Meng Xiaowei introduced him to Ji Mingshu, "This is my friend, Li Che. He will also be participating in that The Designer program. You two can get to know each other; who knows, maybe there will be a chance for cooperation in the future."

She then introduced him to Li Che, "This is Miss Ji Mingshu, a very outstanding interior designer."

Li Che smiled and reached out a hand toward Ji Mingshu, "Hello, I’m Li Che."

"Nice to meet you, I’m Ji Mingshu."

Li Che was very polite, shaking her hand only briefly; the time was very short. After the handshake, he also thoughtfully greeted Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun.

These two celebrities had engagements afterward, so they didn't chat for long. Before leaving, Ji Mingshu still gave Meng Xiaowei an answer: "I’ll consider the program matter further; I’ll contact you once I’ve made up my mind."

Meng Xiaowei naturally nodded happily.

In the evening, the sunset slowly flowed across the sky, its colors varying in depth, permeating with a faint ambiguity, gentle and lingering.

Cen Sen’s car stopped promptly downstairs at Zero Degree magazine, waiting.

Ji Mingshu had been wobbling around all day in high heels and was quite exhausted. Upon getting into the car, she asked, "What are we eating tonight?"

Cen Sen said, "Going home to cook."

"You’re cooking?"

Cen Sen glanced at her, not responding, but his eyes were clearly retorting, "Or should you cook?"

Ji Mingshu was choked for two seconds, then rubbed her calves, "What are you planning to make?"

"Stir-fried bamboo shoots with chili, blanched lettuce, and braised pork ribs."

Braised pork ribs?

Ji Mingshu’s stomach seemed to feel even hungrier.

Cen Sen didn't have much work today, and before coming to pick up Ji Mingshu, he had made a detour to the supermarket. He had let Zhou Jiaheng go down to buy some vegetables and had specially instructed him to buy tender ribs.

Back at Ming Shui Residence, Ji Mingshu lay on the sofa playing on her phone, occasionally poking her head out to observe the progress of the braised ribs.

One had to admit, this "dog man" Cen Sen had a good brain. From childhood through college, his learning ability had been obviously superior to others, and after entering the group, he had quickly displayed exceptional working ability. Even cooking a dish at home appeared clean and skillful.

Looking from a distance, his figure was tall, slender, and elegant; standing by the kitchen island, he was a scene all on his own.

Walking closer, his shirt cuffs were rolled up, creating soft folds. His hands were thin and long with clear finger joints, and his technique for processing the ingredients was both sharp and aesthetic—very pleasing to the eye.

Ji Mingshu was someone who lived simply; she was very happy as long as she had food, drink, and money to spend.

When the braised ribs were served, she took a photo with great interest, added a food filter, and posted it to her Moments with the caption: "Husband's braised ribs / Heart."

It could be said that after two years of crazy photoshopping by a "million-dollar photo editor," she had finally shown off some real affection.

She ate with great interest too; although she picked up piece after small piece in a very restrained manner, her speed didn't lag behind anyone. Before she knew it, she had wiped out the entire plate of ribs all by herself.

From beginning to end, she hadn't once wondered why Cen Sen had acted so out of character today, taking the initiative to pick her up and then cooking the braised ribs she liked.

It wasn't until the two of them were watching a movie in the AV room at night, and she was pressed under Cen Sen while he started acting handsy, that Ji Mingshu vaguely sensed Cen Sen's real purpose.

Come to think of it, it had indeed been a while since they had done it.

For some reason, when kissed by Cen Sen, Ji Mingshu felt that he had a kind of... ascetically-restrained sexiness. His kisses fell densely and his breath was warm, causing the skin behind her ears to blush involuntarily.

This feeling was actually quite strange.

Previously, Ji Mingshu hadn't rejected Cen Sen’s advances; he was very hygienic, and his movements weren't crude. Anyway, intimate contact didn't give her any discomfort.

However, to say she liked it so much that she couldn't stop? No. It was just like completing a marital task—checking in once a month.

But this time, being with him, Ji Mingshu felt a little bit of joy and shyness in her heart.

Especially when she saw the desire rolling in his pupils and the reddening of the corners of his eyes, that joy and shyness seemed to deepen a little bit on their own.

In the late-night bathroom, filled with steam, Ji Mingshu was held in Cen Sen’s arms while they showered together.

She was exhausted, and although she wasn't sleepy yet, for some reason, she couldn't stop yawning while tucked into Cen Sen’s embrace. After yawning several times in a row, tears even welled up.

"Sleepy?"

"Not sleepy."

Perhaps intimate contact could strengthen a person’s dependence and attachment to their partner. A matter that had been pent up for several days without being mentioned suddenly came to Ji Mingshu’s mind at this moment, and she brought it up with great justification.

She poked Cen Sen’s Adam’s apple and asked, "That day, Shu Yang said your ex-girlfriend is coming back, and today Gu Kaiyang told me their magazine is doing an exclusive interview with your ex-girlfriend. What are your thoughts?"

"Li Wenyin?"

"You still remember the name quite clearly."

Cen Sen paused slightly, "I don't have any thoughts."

Ji Mingshu wasn't very satisfied with this answer, but forcing someone to make some strange guarantee would make it seem as if she really cared about him—that was too humble!

After thinking about it, she emphasized, "That’s better. Anyway, if you dare to cheat during the marriage and I find out, I’ll divorce you. You just wait and see."

Cen Sen realized he didn't like hearing the word "divorce" very much. He gave a rather perfunctory "Mhm" and didn't want to get entangled in this topic any further.

After soaking for a while, he let the water out, stood up, grabbed a thick, soft bathrobe to wrap around Ji Mingshu, and lifted her out of the bathtub.

On the way back to the bed, Cen Sen noticed that Ji Mingshu was lowering her lashes, toying with the belt of the bathrobe, and didn't look very happy.

For some reason, after he put her down, one hand remained gripping her waist while the other braced itself against the side of her head. He then suddenly brought up the topic he had put aside earlier: "You also said she is an ex-girlfriend. You should know that I’m not a person who likes to reminisce about the past.”