My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Her hand remained outstretched for about ten seconds before it successfully landed in a somewhat chilly embrace. A moment later, she felt her body leave the ground as she was scooped up entirely.

The NC-17 version of Cen Sen in her dreams really seemed to be the gentler one.

Ji Mingshu snuggled into his chest and mumbled a reminder, "I'm on my period."

The subtext was that he shouldn't even think about doing anything in her dream.

Cen Sen had no idea what was going through her mind. Upon hearing her mutter about her period in her sleep, his first thought was to ensure she didn't stain the bedsheets. He reached into the wardrobe, found a blanket, and tucked it underneath her.

In this day and age, there probably weren't many bosses left who were as considerate of hotel housekeeping staff as he was.

After settling Ji Mingshu down, Cen Sen tried to get up, but Ji Mingshu was exceptionally clingy when she wasn't feeling well. She wrapped her arms around his neck and refused to let go. It took a fair bit of effort for him to pry her claws off and shove her back under the covers.

Twenty minutes later, after Cen Sen had showered and climbed into bed, Ji Mingshu—as if equipped with a built-in heat sensor—rolled swiftly into his arms. She clung to him tightly, rubbing her face against his chest incessantly. Her pale lips pressed against his torso, their temperature faint.

Cen Sen originally intended to pull her away, but she unconsciously gave his chest a soft kiss, feeling incredibly soft and causing a tingling sensation to spread through him.

Cen Sen paused. A flicker of sympathy, something he hadn't felt in eons, briefly returned to life. He turned on his side toward her and drew her closer into his embrace.

He slept without dreams.

The next morning, Ji Mingshu woke up from a "bloody battlefield." Seeing Cen Sen beside her, she momentarily thought she was back at the Ming Shui Mansion.

Once she registered the hotel decor, she reached out a finger and poked him.

—No reaction, but he was definitely alive.

Why was he here?

Ji Mingshu didn't know that Cen Sen had had business in the capital the night before; she had assumed he had left for Star City the moment he sent that message.

That was why, after arriving in Star City yesterday, she had deliberately avoided contacting him—she simply didn't want to stay with him.

Who knew he would be like a lingering ghost, chasing after her?

Collecting herself, Ji Mingshu lifted the thin quilt and, clutching her stomach, shuffled toward the edge of the bed with extreme caution.

It wasn't that she cared about Cen Sen's sleep quality; she just couldn't make any sudden movements. If she were careless, the river of blood beneath her would surge forth like a second levee bursting.

Only after entering the bathroom and sitting on the toilet did she finally enter a "safe zone."

She rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hands.

Before long, she felt bored and picked up her phone to scroll through it.

Her inbox was flooded with unread messages. Aside from the daily greetings from her "sisters" who spent money like water, her aunt, Cen Yingshuang—who was often like a hermit—had actually sent her a WeChat message.

Cen Yingshuang: [Xiaoshu, are you and A-Sen together in Star City? Are you planning to stay for a few months?]

Ji Mingshu didn't think much of it and casually replied with a "Maruko Chan nodding" sticker, then typed: "Yep, looks like a month or two."

After hitting send, her fingertips paused as something occurred to her.

Her aunt was always obsessed with her experiments; why would she care whether they were domestic, international, in the capital, or in Star City? This message was likely asked on behalf of the family.

Was the family worried that... if Cen Sen stayed in Star City for too long, he might get involved with the An family? But hadn't the An family moved abroad years ago?

Ji Mingshu only had a superficial understanding of the past affairs of the Cen family. When Cen Yang left in her childhood, she had believed the adults' lies that he was simply going abroad to study.

She only learned the causes and consequences later as she grew up, but the entire Cen family remained tight-lipped about the matter, and outsiders knew very little.

A moment later, Cen Yingshuang sent another message.

This message confirmed Ji Mingshu's suspicions.

Cen Yingshuang: [Xiaoshu, you should know something about the An family's business. The An family recently returned to Star City, and the old man is a bit uneasy. If Cen Sen has any contact with them, please remember to let me know.]

The An family returned to Star City? In that case, the old man's anxiety was understandable.

Ji Mingshu pondered for a long time, repeatedly typing and deleting, before finally hitting send on the word "Okay."

It was just informing the family; it shouldn't be a big deal. Besides, Cen Sen might not necessarily contact the An family, and even if he did, he wouldn't necessarily let her know.

Having convinced herself that acting as a little spy was justifiable, Ji Mingshu finally felt less guilty. She stood up, washed her hands, and prepared to crawl back into bed for a nap.

But the moment she pushed the door open, she saw Cen Sen standing outside, looking as if he were about to knock.

Her heart skipped a beat, and any lingering sleepiness vanished instantly.

"You, you're awake."

"And?" Cen Sen looked at her calmly.

"Nothing," Ji Mingshu stammered. "Um... how did you get here? I got a huge scare when I woke up and saw you."

Cen Sen gave a brief explanation—omitting, of course, any mention of Li Wenyin.

Judging by his tone, he already knew she was going to participate in the show? Seizing the opportunity to change the subject, Ji Mingshu said, "Right, I'm going to the TV station this afternoon to sign the contract. Lend me your lawyer."

"Mm. I'll have Zhou Jiaheng arrange it for you."

Ji Mingshu nodded and stepped aside to let Cen Sen pass.

Cen Sen entered the bathroom, and she thoughtfully helped him close the door.

Only once the door clicked shut did she grab the handle and let out a long, relieved sigh.

Star City was always hotter than the capital. With summer coming to an end, the afternoon temperature was still nearly 40 degrees Celsius. The camphor trees by the roadside were baked to a bright sheen, their leaves drooping—an indispensable stroke in the languid city landscape of the afternoon.

After finishing her lunch and taking a beauty nap, Ji Mingshu spent two hours getting dressed before she was finally presentable enough to go out.

The driver and the lawyer were drifting in and out of sleep in the car. It wasn't until 3:00 PM that they finally picked up Ji Mingshu and headed toward the Star City Broadcasting and Television Building.

The person responsible for receiving Ji Mingshu was a production assistant for the show The Designer. At first, Ji Mingshu was quite unhappy; she was astounded that someone would dare send a mere assistant to receive her.

But later, she didn't know what came over her, and she started empathizing with the girl, thinking, An assistant is an assistant; the poor girl has it hard enough.

The assistant had never encountered a non-celebrity with such airs. Before she could even say a few words, she found herself intimidated and completely on the defensive.

Fortunately, the contract had already been drafted by the production team—it was a standard template for all non-celebrity participants—so she only needed to be responsible for watching the person sign it.

However, Ji Mingshu didn't reach for the contract. She looked at the man sitting on the other sofa. "Lawyer Wang, please take a look at this."

The assistant: "..."

She even brought her own lawyer? That’s insane.

The man called Lawyer Wang took the contract, put on his glasses, and began to review it meticulously.

"Clause 1.12 only imposes privacy restrictions on my client, Ms. Ji, but places no such requirements on the production team. I find this quite unreasonable."

"Clause 2.09, regarding copyright ownership, is too vaguely defined. The copyright of any work designed by my client during her participation in the program should unconditionally belong to my client."

"Clause 3.01, which manages my client's social media accounts for promotional purposes, is defined too broadly and fails to impose appropriate constraints regarding timeliness. It is highly unreasonable."

...

Lawyer Wang chattered on, pointing out over a dozen loopholes in one breath, his tone sounding almost like a condemnation of the production team's legal department for their lack of rigor.

The assistant was completely bewildered.

Wait, she’s not even a star! Why is a non-celebrity participant being so demanding about the contract? Everyone else just signs it without even looking.

She gathered her wits and said firmly, "Um, Ms. Ji, our contracts use a standard template. Everyone signs the same one; there won't be any problems."

Lawyer Wang: "You are not the person in charge of the program, so your assurances hold no legal significance."

The assistant: "..."

Ji Mingshu had just finished hypnotizing herself into accepting the hospitality of an assistant, but now that Lawyer Wang had pointed out so many loopholes, her already poor temper instantly reverted to its natural state. "Get your person in charge over here."

The producer is busy entertaining Li Che right now; where would they have time for you?

The assistant grumbled silently to herself, standing there motionless.

Ji Mingshu, however, didn't have that much patience. While putting on her sunglasses, she said, "Since your production team is so lacking in sincerity, then there's no need to sign this agreement."

"Wait, Ms. Ji!" Even though she was just a nobody, she couldn't let the contract fail on her watch. The assistant hurriedly apologized. "I am truly very sorry. The contracts we issue—even for celebrities—are based on this template with minor revisions. If Ms. Ji is dissatisfied, I will contact the producer right now to see if we can make the appropriate adjustments."

Now that sounds like something a human would say.

The assistant asked her to wait a moment and hurried off to another VIP reception room on the same floor.

Li Che was there today to record the show, and since the recording had finished, they were about to sign his contract. The producer was personally hosting him, explaining the contract terms to the legal team he had brought along, point by point.

Just as they were about to finalize things, the assistant knocked on the door.

The producer asked: "What is it? Has that Ms. Ji already signed?"

"Ms... Ms. Ji brought a lawyer with her," the assistant stammered. "The lawyer thinks some clauses in the contract are unreasonable and need to be revised."

The producer frowned, thinking exactly what the assistant had thought before: She’s not a star, who’s trying to take advantage of her? She’s getting on a Star City channel show and is still being such a pain. She really doesn't know her place.

This producer had some history with Meng Xiaowei and had originally wanted to invite the "on-screen couple" of Meng Xiaowei and Li Che to stir up some buzz.

But Meng Xiaowei and Li Che had already agreed to cut ties privately, so they weren't suitable to record the show together anymore.

A few days ago, Meng Xiaowei had strongly recommended Ji Mingshu to the producer. On one hand, she felt Ji Mingshu was a great fit for the show and that it would be a nice favor to do; on the other, she felt that Ji Mingshu’s image and temperament were excellent, and it would be even better if she could pair up with Li Che to spark some romantic interest.

The producer had also thought the idea was solid, so they booked Ji Mingshu and drew up an initial plan.

However, the sponsors weren't satisfied with their proposal yesterday. They didn't want Li Che and Ji Mingshu paired up as a romantic couple, nor did they allow Ji Mingshu to be a key subject of filming.

They had guessed the sponsor's intentions—that the sponsors didn't want other designers stealing the spotlight from the two they intended to promote—and their enthusiasm for Ji Mingshu had cooled significantly.

Now, hearing that Ji Mingshu was unhappy with the contract, the producer immediately wanted the assistant to relay the message: "Take it or leave it, and if you don't like it, get out."

But Li Che suddenly chuckled. "Ms. Ji? I know her."

He pushed the contract on the table forward: "Why not use my template for Ms. Ji as well?”