My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The weather forecast updated in real-time: it would rain in the capital tomorrow, and temperatures would plummet to 8–10°C. Citizens were advised to keep warm and travel safely.

The temperature drop wasn't until tomorrow, but the omens had already begun in the night.

Ripples spread across Mingshui Lake. Outside, the fallen leaves were swept up by the deep autumn night wind, creating a hazy, desolate beauty against the backdrop of the streetlights that remained warmly lit all night.

Cen Sen didn't return to the bedroom all night, nor did he rest in the guest room.

After finishing that phone call, he leaned against the living room sofa, closing his eyes to feign sleep.

The four-pane window facing south was half-open, letting in the sparse night breeze. The rustling of leaves brushed against his ears, and if he listened closely, he could hear the low chirping of insects.

From beginning to end, upstairs remained very quiet.

After he locked that door, Ji Mingshu didn't cry out in despair or scream in anger, nor did she kick or pound on the door in a futile struggle.

She was too tired.

After crying, her head felt heavy, as if a lump of paste had accumulated inside, aching dullly and swaying whenever she moved.

Her lips, neck, and cheeks still carried the lingering, indelible sensation of being fiercely kissed, as if Cen Sen’s residual warmth still remained.

She curled up at the foot of the bed, burying her face in a pillow.

Actually, she had originally intended to just rest a moment to recover from the emotional upheaval, but she hadn't expected that, hugging the pillow, she would fall asleep without realizing it.

Perhaps it was "what one thinks about by day, one dreams of at night."

She spent the entire night dreaming of Li Wenyin.

Li Wenyin's father was a driver for the Ji family. He had died in the same accidental car crash as Ji Mingshu’s parents while they were out showing off their affection.

After he passed, the Ji family, pitying that only a widow and a young daughter remained in his home, offered a generous compensation package.

But Li Wenyin’s mother refused, stating directly that her husband’s death was an accident during the course of his work, that the Ji family owed him nothing, and that there was no reason for her and her daughter to accept such a huge sum. If the Ji family felt guilty out of human kindness, she would rather they provide her with a job so she could earn a living through her own labor.

Since she had said it that way, the Ji family naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

Therefore, later on, this formidable woman logically brought Li Wenyin to live in the Ji household, becoming the dedicated nanny for Old Madam Ji, and using the Ji family as a stepping stone to find a partner far superior to her late husband.

She remembered that when the mother and daughter first arrived at the Ji family, everyone in the household took care of them in every way. Father Li had worked for the Ji family for many years; even if he hadn't achieved great success, he had put in the effort, and even though he was gone, the sentiment remained. When Li Wenyin reached school age, Old Madam Ji even gave the order for her to attend the children's school along with the other kids in the compound.

Regardless of whether the Ji family was genuinely helping or just didn't want the reputation of being ungrateful, Li Wenyin’s life had indeed undergone a qualitative change because of the Ji family.

When they were young, Ji Mingshu had argued with her. Provoked into speaking without thinking, she had angrily pointed at her and cursed, "You’re just a nanny’s daughter! What right do you have to boss me around!"

Unfortunately, Old Madam Ji had overheard. She was scolded severely and even had her palms struck.

Ji Mingshu didn't understand at the time that Old Madam Ji punished her not because she had hurt Li Wenyin by cursing her, but because she didn't allow the girls of the Ji family to be so lacking in breeding.

She only felt so angry, so very angry. She hadn't provoked anything; Li Wenyin had been the one to run over and mock her, saying she shouldn't be ashamed to still play with dolls at her age, yet in the end, it was she who was scolded and punished!

Things like this happened many times during her childhood, not just at home, but at school as well. Ji Mingshu had suffered enough silent losses and had learned to be much smarter. Slowly, she stopped being easily provoked by Li Wenyin.

Moreover, by middle and high school, people weren't as innocent as they were when they were children; they began to pay more attention to family background, social status, and connections.

In this regard, Ji Mingshu had a natural advantage. Sometimes, without her having to explain much, a group of people would consciously stand on her side.

But this didn't mean that Li Wenyin in middle and high school had no other ways to haunt her:

If Ji Mingshu and her roommate shortened their school skirts, Li Wenyin, who happened to be on duty that day, would catch them and deduct points;

If Ji Mingshu didn't like sports and ran at a turtle’s pace, Li Wenyin would lap her and offer a sneer of disdain as she passed;

If Ji Mingshu told her friends that a certain senior looked handsome, Li Wenyin would be seen laughing and chatting with that senior a few days later, eating with him in the cafeteria and discussing advanced coursework...

All these various things played out repeatedly in Ji Mingshu’s dream.

The dream scenes grew bizarre and disjointed. In the latter half, Cen Sen appeared beside Li Wenyin.

It was as if she were watching from a third-person perspective that shouldn't exist, watching Li Wenyin and Cen Sen, watching them hold hands at the night market next to the school, watching Cen Sen gently stroke Li Wenyin’s hair, his lips curved into a smile.

Even as a transparent, floating bystander, she felt the dense, prickling sourness in her own heart.

Cen Sen didn't know what Ji Mingshu was dreaming of. He only saw her lying horizontally on the bed, her body curled into a tiny shrimp, her brows furrowed, and her hands tightly clutching the pillow.

He didn't turn on the room light and didn't make a sound. By the hazy, pale moonlight outside the window, he carried Ji Mingshu to the head of the bed to lie down properly, and gently tucked her outstretched arms back under the covers.

After doing all this, he sat quietly by the bed, lowering his eyes to gaze at Ji Mingshu’s sleeping face.

There was a desire deep in his heart to reach out and touch her, but for some reason, his hand paused at the side of the bed and never rose.

After sitting for a long time, he stood up, tucked in the corner of the quilt for Ji Mingshu, and then exited the room without a sound.

At three in the morning, the night wind died down.

By the windowsill, the begonias remained sleepless.

When she woke up the next morning, Ji Mingshu’s eyes were still sour and swollen. A quick touch confirmed that her eyelids were slightly puffy and felt a faint stinging sensation.

Actually, emotions are things that come quickly and go quickly.

After crying and making a scene last night, she felt hollow inside upon waking. Recalling the scenes in her dream, any lingering desire felt faint.

After sitting blankly on the bed for a while, she got up to wash up in the bathroom.

The phone on the bedside table was on silent, but since yesterday afternoon, the screen would light up from time to time as new messages arrived.

After washing up, she picked up the phone and scanned it.

There were so many, many messages on WeChat—from people she knew well and people she didn't, some offering comfort, some testing the waters. Not one was missed.

She scrolled down without reaching the end, then scrolled back up, seeing the messages from Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun late last night, still unconditionally cursing Li Wenyin and offering advice. Her heart warmed involuntarily.

Gu Kaiyang didn't know about her changing feelings toward Cen Sen, thinking she was just angry and unhappy because she had been slapped in the face by Cen Sen and Li Wenyin. She even made a custom sticker: [Shu-bao, don't be a coward, just go for it.jpg]

Gu Kaiyang: [Your circle is saying you want to divorce?! Absolutely not! How can you let that dog of a man and the little bitch off so easily! Don't his grandparents like you very much? You run over to his grandparents today and cry your eyes out! His grandparents will definitely come forward and handle them until they are completely submissive and cleaned up! Our baby, you must not get so angry that you ruin your health!]

...

She read them one by one, the corners of her lips curving slightly, and sent a message to Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun: [I'm fine.]

After sending this message, her fingertips paused suddenly, and she subconsciously glanced at the head of the bed.

Wait, no. Last night, she had fallen asleep directly on the bed without covering herself with the quilt. Furthermore, she had been curled up horizontally at the foot of the bed, not at all as tidy as she was when she woke up.

Thinking of something, Ji Mingshu put down her phone, walked to the bedroom door, and twisted the handle.

Unlike last night, when no matter how much force she used it wouldn't budge, the door opened with a gentle turn.

The moment the door opened, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Fortunately, Cen Sen hadn't reached the level of perversion where he would really lock her in the house.

She quietly poked her head out.

There didn't seem to be anyone outside?

Following the spiral staircase all the way down, the sound of rain outside was pitter-pattering.

There was a faint, lingering aroma of porridge coming from the direction of the kitchen island. Ji Mingshu walked over and discovered the porridge warming in a small clay pot—it was century egg and lean meat.

She hadn't eaten for nearly twenty hours, and she couldn't help but pick up a small spoon and take two bites.

She moved quickly. After finishing, she immediately put the spoon down and looked around. Only after confirming that no one was there did she lift the lid to continue scooping the porridge.

Although she wasn't full, she remained very restrained, drinking only a thin layer. She washed the spoon and put it back in its original place; one couldn't tell it had been moved unless one looked closely.

Her phone was still buzzing with messages. She checked them carefully—none from Cen Sen, and none in her SMS inbox.

What did this mean?

Did he finally realize he should let her go wherever she wanted?

Was this porridge a "farewell porridge"...?

Ji Mingshu sat in the living room for a while, her mind still dwelling on yesterday’s events.

But there were too many things, each one pressing down on her, and all of them were full of contradictions. She couldn't sort out her thoughts.

A very clear voice in her mind was telling her not to be pathetic, not to think about Cen Sen’s sudden kiss last night, and certainly not to dwell on why she had been lying back at the head of the bed.

Many things were actually just him doing things on the fly, at most out of some shred of pity or compassion. If anyone cared, and over-analyzed it, it would accidentally become a joke of unrequited affection.

Being unrequited wasn't a good habit; after all, others could backhand you with a loud slap to teach you to wake up and behave properly.

Hadn't the lesson from last night been enough?

Those words he blurted out—weren't they exactly what he thought in his heart?

Remembering this, Ji Mingshu felt the air in the room become stifling and oppressive.

She hadn't taken anything with her, but she suddenly stood up.

Right at this moment, Jiang Chun also woke from her dreams.

Dazed, she reached for her phone and saw that Ji Mingshu had replied saying she was fine. She rolled right out of her covers, sat cross-legged on the bed, and focused intensely on typing.

Jiang Chun: [Transferred 200,000 Yuan]

Jiang Chun: [Are you really going to divorce your husband? Where are you now?]

Jiang Chun: [Your second uncle spoke to my father and forbade me from taking you in! To prevent me from helping you, my dad even limited my cards. I'm transferring some money for an emergency. Don't be afraid! Whatever you do, I will support you!]

Jiang Chun: [Baby don't be afraid, I'll steal electric scooters to support you.jpg]

Ji Mingshu read the messages while walking toward the door, wanting to laugh.

But just as her hand touched the doorknob, she paused suddenly.

The bedroom door hadn't been locked.

Was the front door locked?