My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The sound of that "bang" still seemed to ring in her ears, lingering on and on as if it wouldn't fade for three days.

In her twenty-some years of life, no one had ever slammed a car door in Ji Mingshu’s face. Taken aback by the sudden act, her mind went blank for a moment, followed by a long string of question marks. Had Cen Sen lost his mind? How could he treat his lawfully wedded wife like this?? Is he even a human being???

She stepped forward quickly and slammed the door on the other side with a deafening crash.

Ji Mingshu had always been eloquent. In the few dozen seconds it took to get back in the car, she had already composed a long list of earth-shattering, soul-piercing interrogations.

Yet, the moment her gaze met Cen Sen’s, a strange thought suddenly flashed through her mind: Wait, could he possibly be... jealous?

At that thought, Ji Mingshu’s eyes flickered, and she felt inexplicably, secretly guilty.

Gu Kaiyang: [If this isn't jealousy, what is? Drinking oil?]

Jiang Chun: [The vinegar bottle personified. Certified.]

Jiang Chun: [But isn't this the legendary "my friend is actually me"? Your Highness the Princess, you don't need to be so subtle when showing off your affection in front of us. Please be direct, please!]

Gu Kaiyang: [Plus one. And besides the two of us, do you even have any other friends?]

Ji Mingshu: [?]

Gu Kaiyang: [My bad, I meant, besides us, whose other 'wild chicken' love story is worth your such concern?]

Ji Mingshu: [...]

So I am the wild chicken.

Humble: )

Returning to the hotel that day, Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen fell into a very subtle state of stalemate.

They weren't arguing, and it didn't count as a cold war. While at the hotel, they still ate together and slept in the same bed at night. In the morning, they could even stand side-by-side at the vanity, brushing their teeth together.

—They just didn't speak to each other.

Cen Sen was habitually silent, while Ji Mingshu was preoccupied with more tangled matters and couldn't find the time to break the ice.

After agonizing over it for a day and a half, she eventually transformed her suspicion of Cen Sen’s jealousy into a clumsy "story about a friend" and shared it in her group chat with her besties.

Although the members of her "Rainbow-Blowing Squad" had confirmed it was "jealousy," Ji Mingshu still couldn't be certain.

Because the Cen family’s affairs weren't for public consumption, she omitted the deeper relationship between Cen Sen and Cen Yang while retelling it. Yet, it was precisely this deeper relationship that made her lean toward the belief that Cen Sen wasn't jealous, but rather just didn't want to hear anyone mention Cen Yang.

Amidst Ji Mingshu’s repeated agonizing, the filming of "The Designer" finally drew to a close.

Over the course of a month and a half, Ji Mingshu had gone through six pairs of high heels and, despite starting from a very low base, had managed to lose a full four pounds.

On the final day of filming, Pei Xiyan gave gifts to his partners and the staff.

The gifts were all standard items that wouldn't cause any drama. Feng Yan received a shaver, and Yan Yuexing received skincare products—all products Pei Xiyan endorsed himself.

Ji Mingshu’s gift was slightly more special: a box of vitamins, containing everything from A to D, along with a small note urging her to supplement her nutrition well so she wouldn't faint at any time.

Pei Xiyan was still a minor and had always maintained a "cool boy" persona that perfectly matched his personality, so it was clearly impossible for him to be this thoughtful and considerate.

However, Ji Mingshu somehow saw "Yan-zai’s" concern and affection for her in this box full of vitamins. She was so moved that she posted three times on her social media, wildly blowing smoke up Pei Xiyan’s skirt, and declaring that for his next movie, she would pay to buy out the entire theater for her friends to support him—everyone gets a ticket, screenshot for proof!

In an instant, those three posts were filled with people blowing rainbow farts along with her, or teasing her for being generous and grand.

Spending his money to chase a kid—she certainly was generous.

Cen Sen finished reading her feed and shut his phone off with an expressionless face.

With filming finished, Ji Mingshu naturally had to return to the capital. However, Cen Sen still had official business to handle in Star City and couldn't leave with her. She didn't mind; in her heart, she was secretly plotting to return first so she could properly deal with that little white lotus, Li Wenyin.

Ji Mingshu was planning to leave, but in her original plan, she was supposed to stay in Star City for two more days to take photos at a popular art gallery. However, Gu Kaiyang quietly passed her a piece of inside information: at a luxury brand gala the next day, Li Wenyin would be attending with an investor.

Upon hearing this, Ji Mingshu flew back to the capital early, without even saying goodbye.

The moment the plane landed at the Capital T2 Airport, Ji Mingshu looked at the setting sun outside the window and felt a surge of sentimentality, like a migrant worker returning home after many years away.

Wuwuwu!

The debauched and gilded capital, your little canary is finally back! This is your little canary’s most dazzling home turf!

Before even leaving the airport, she had already grabbed Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun to plan a three-person spa trip at Shuiyun Pavilion.

Soaking in the ginseng private hot spring that she had once wanted to enter but couldn't, Jiang Chun stirred the water with little enthusiasm, "This ginseng stuff isn't anything special, is it?"

Ji Mingshu looked her up and down and poked her rounded shoulder, "How special did you expect it to be? That it would melt off three pounds in one dip? I'm not criticizing you, but can you please have some self-awareness as a girl? Look at your shoulders, look at your collarbones. Oh, right, you don't have collarbones."

"..." Jiang Chun really didn't know what she had done wrong, "We haven't seen each other in over a month, can you please be a little gentler?"

Ji Mingshu pressed down on her shoulder and smiled gently, "I'm sorry, I was wrong. You do have collarbones, they’re just... discreetly hidden."

Jiang Chun swatted her hand away with a constipated expression that screamed, "Just shut your mouth."

Gu Kaiyang had been hanging out with Jiang Chun for over a month now. The two had quietly betrayed the Princess, binding their weak strengths into a single rope.

Seeing Jiang Chun being bullied, Gu Kaiyang patted her shoulder in comfort, "She only acts tough with her own people. Let’s see if she dares to be this tough when she sees Li Wenyin tomorrow."

Ji Mingshu kicked her, "Why wouldn't I dare? Hey, I’ve noticed you’re really good at crushing your own spirit and boosting others’, what a spineless fence-sitter, flipping so fast."

Ji Mingshu was busy dealing with the two weaklings, Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun, and didn't notice the series of new messages pinging on her phone lying by the pool.

These messages were from the staff of "The Designer."

Their group had finished filming yesterday morning. The production team followed the rules, with everything clearly written in the contract, and they hadn't dragged it on for a single day.

The other groups filming at the same time had also finished their renovation projects, with Li Che’s group being the latest due to some unexpected circumstances, requiring a pick-up shot earlier today.

Just like a movie wraps up with a wrap-party, the variety show team had organized a closing celebration—partly to thank everyone for their hard work, and partly to wish the program great success.

But when the director mentioned this after filming ended yesterday, Ji Mingshu had gone to the restroom and hadn't heard a word.

The director asked a staff member who was familiar with Ji Mingshu to pass the message along. The staff member had agreed, but once the rush of post-filming wrap-up began, the matter was tossed to the back of her mind.

Right now, at the celebration dinner, the staff member finally remembered she hadn't notified Ji Mingshu.

She panicked and hurriedly called and messaged Ji Mingshu, but there was no response.

As luck would have it, the producer caught her and asked, "Are the designers all here?"

She bit the bullet and lied, "They're... they're all here. It's just that Designer Ji from Group C had a last-minute emergency and can't make it."

The producer frowned, "What kind of emergency?"

"I don't know..."

Just as the producer was about to lecture her, someone ran over to inform them that the sponsors had arrived. He didn't have time to dwell on it and hurried off to greet them.

The person who came from the sponsor’s side was someone of great importance; it was rumored to be the crown prince of the Junyi Group, a figure truly rarely seen in ordinary circles.

This crown prince was only here because he valued the development of his "Yaji" project and happened to be working in Star City, allowing him to spare the time to attend.

If they could get this person to look favorably upon their show, wouldn't the financial backing for the second and third seasons be secured?

At this thought, the producer’s eyes squinted into slits, and he looked at Cen Sen as if he were looking at a walking God of Wealth.

Cen Sen and Ji Mingshu had not spoken for days. Their relationship, which had just barely begun to thaw, felt as if it had returned to the state it was in when they first arrived back in the country overnight. Moreover, Ji Mingshu had been acting very strangely lately, staring at him from time to time, yet she hadn't pursued the "car door incident" from that day, nor did she roll her eyes or give him attitude, which was very unlike her.

Led into the main hall by the producer, Zhou Jiaheng stepped forward to help Cen Sen take off his overcoat.

Cen Sen lifted his hand to straighten his shirt collar, glancing across the large round table as if nothing were amiss.

Taking his seat at the head table, Cen Sen tilted his head slightly and asked the producer, "Is everyone here?"

The producer hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, they are all here. Except for young Pei, who has class and couldn't come, everyone else is present."

"Oh, is that so?"

The producer paused, then added, "Oh, there is also Designer Ji, who didn't arrive. She has some private matters to attend to today and couldn't make it on such short notice."

Remembering that the sponsors had been dismissive of Ji Mingshu from the very beginning, he chuckled, "This Designer Ji... she’s still a bit young, you know, just a girl. When it comes to being steady and mature, one has to mention Designer Wu and Designer Yang; their performances this time have been truly remarkable."

The two designers he was praising were precisely the ones Junyi had hand-picked and forced into the show.

After he finished praising them, he observed Cen Sen’s expression, but there was no change.

It wasn't just the chief producer who knew; the other staff members had also been informed early on by the sponsors that they should refuse to focus on filming Ji Mingshu. Seeing that she wasn't present, they all followed the producer’s lead, offering backhanded comments about Ji Mingshu before praising the designers favored by Junyi.

Hearing this direction, Yan Yuexing suddenly laughed, "Designer Ji is really quite a handful. Sigh, I spent over a month with her and I was exhausted. Maybe she just lacks experience. I’m so envious of your Group D and E..."

Before she could finish her pointed remark, a wine glass was slammed heavily onto the head table.

The entire room fell silent instantly, everyone looking over at once.