My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Jiang Che stood two steps away, feeling slightly surprised by this sudden outbreak of violence.

Cen Sen’s temperament had been calm since childhood, possessing a certain lofty pride that didn’t quite align with his peers. He had never deigned to argue or brawl with unnecessary people.

If someone truly offended him, he would stifle their pain points in a more direct manner, retaliating with precise, bloodless strikes.

The last time he saw him strike someone... Jiang Che thought back carefully and felt even more surprised, as this was actually the first time he had ever seen Cen Sen throw a punch.

The heavy metal music inside the pub was still deafening and wildly rhythmic, and the colorful lights were still shifting in a hazy blur. In the dim night, the bizarre and dazzling lights interwove, with desires hidden in the undulating gloom.

The air around the booth was saturated with the smell of nicotine and alcohol, but it couldn't mask the faint scent of blood.

Cen Sen grabbed the man by the collar, hoisting him up from his seat, and then clamped his hand around his throat. His fingers were ice-cold, and the veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible.

The corner of the man’s forehead was still bleeding continuously, the blood streaming down across his brows and eyes. His lips, rapidly losing color due to oxygen deprivation and sheer terror, looked all the more deathly pale against the viscous red.

Cen Sen showed no sign of letting go. His gaze was cold and heavy as a block of ice, low and devoid of temperature; even the blood covering his face seemed like nothing more than a triviality before his eyes.

The girls who had been talking about Ji Mingshu with the man just moments ago were now so frightened that their limbs had turned to jelly. After screaming, they scrambled in a panic, looking for someone to help.

But very soon, Cen Sen’s personal bodyguards swarmed in. They wore black suits and had robust, imposing figures; their expressions were as indifferent as their boss’s.

They stood outside the booth, guarding Cen Sen, as if it wouldn't matter even if someone were killed inside. They had made their attitude clear: no one was allowed to intervene and save the man.

In truth, Cen Sen had rarely appeared in public over the past two years. Most of the playboys who frequented the nightlife scene found it difficult to associate him with the crown prince of Junyi. But with Jiang Che present today, even a fool could discern his identity.

There had been a few people who wanted to meddle, but they quickly quelled their curiosity and retreated, sensible as they were—after all, no one wanted to offend the future head of the Cen family for the sake of an inconsequential passerby.

Others could stay out of it, but Zhang Er, the owner of this nightclub, could not.

Hearing that the big shots from the Cen and Jiang families had arrived and were currently beating someone to death, Zhang Er felt his scalp tingle and his heart suffer in agony.

What kind of miserable mess was this?

On the day of the opening party, his wife had run in and caused a scene! He had only dared to accompany them with a forced smile.

Today, the "main owner," whom one wouldn't see in ten thousand years, had actually run to this small temple, and was heading straight down a path of no return, aiming to kill someone. Out of all the people in Beijing who were lazy and opening nightclubs, why did he have to be the unlucky one?!

"Brother Sen, Brother Sen!" Seeing that the guy was being strangled to the point of losing his breath, Zhang Er shouted Cen Sen's name repeatedly, his heart nearly stopping as if he were dying right along with that fellow. "Why are you here? Oh, I only just heard someone mention it—it's my fault, it's my fault!"

Jiang Che raised a hand slightly to stop him, his voice lazy, "Don't rush, he knows what he's doing."

How could he not rush?!

If a murder happened in his establishment, wouldn't the old man in his family chop off his hands and feet and lock him in solitary confinement?!

Zhang Er couldn't get inside, and his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys felt like they were being fried on an iron plate. Burning with anxiety, he could only tremble as he lit a cigarette for Jiang Che, hoping to find out the specific situation from this crown prince's mouth.

But Jiang Che didn't like dealing with people like him. He just glanced at him idly and mocked, "With your level of guts, why open a nightclub?"

Zhang Er wanted to say something more, but caught a glimpse of Cen Sen letting go and throwing the person to the ground. He suddenly felt a wave of relief, though the cold sweat had already darkened the back of his t-shirt.

Cen Sen stood there without moving. No one knew that, for a brief moment, he truly hadn't cared about the "limits" Jiang Che spoke of.

Shu Yang heard the commotion and came out of the private room, leaning his hands on the railing to peer down.

Just as the disco ball rotated, the light shone on Cen Sen’s clean-cut, sharp-featured side profile. The bloodstains on the collar of his white shirt were somewhat shocking to the eye.

"Holy crap, what happened to Brother Sen?" He was dumbfounded.

Li Wenyin also walked up slowly, gently resting her hands on the railing, watching the man downstairs who was wiping his hands with methodical calmness.

Shu Yang recalled something and was about to warn Li Wenyin, but after watching for a while, she suddenly turned and left without a word. He chased after her, calling out twice, but she had already stepped into the elevator ahead of him.

With this happening downstairs, Zhang Er was busy clearing the venue and calling people to drag the half-dead fellow to the side to wait for an ambulance.

The music had stopped, but the lights continued to cast a hazy blur over the night scene.

Li Wenyin walked downstairs, stood outside the ring of bodyguards, and suddenly called out, "Cen Sen!"

Cen Sen didn't respond, nor did he look back.

She continued, "Can I have a word with you alone?"

Jiang Che didn't like to get involved and was already prepared to withdraw, but Cen Sen glanced at him, signaling him to stay, and sat down directly next to the patch of blood that hadn't been cleaned up yet. He said coldly, "If you have something to say, say it right here."

The bodyguards stepped slightly to the side, letting Li Wenyin into the booth.

Li Wenyin didn't sit down. Standing before Cen Sen, her voice was gentle and light. "I heard that Mingshu is arguing with you about a divorce because of the film? When you called me that night, I never thought things had reached such a serious point. I'm sorry."

She lowered her eyes slightly.

Cen Sen didn't speak, nor did he look at her.

Jiang Che was busy messaging his girlfriend; he had absolutely no interest in listening to these women's little tricks.

Li Wenyin maintained her posture with downcast eyes and continued, "Back then, I thought I could recommend someone worthy regardless of our past, but I didn't expect it would still implicate you. It was right for Junyi to withdraw its investment. I really am sorry."

"But as for the film, I think I have the right to continue filming it." She suddenly raised her head, looking directly at Cen Sen with a gaze that was candid and clear. "This has nothing to do with you. Essentially, whether I film it or what I choose to film is my own business. I hope that since we couldn't be lovers or friends, at least we don't have to be enemies."

"I know that with your personality, you would never intend to prevent my film from being released smoothly. Mingshu and I have a conflict, but that is between her and me. We will resolve it ourselves. A-Sen, you shouldn't intervene in our..."

"Ji Mingshu is my wife."

Before Li Wenyin could finish, Cen Sen interrupted her straightforwardly.

He unbuttoned the blood-stained collar of his shirt to catch his breath, raised his eyes with no emotion, and looked at Li Wenyin.

"Miss Li, I thought I had made it very clear on the phone last time. No one is stopping you from making your film or doing your own work. But what I choose to do is also my own business."

"Also, you and I are just you and I. Ji Mingshu and I are 'us.' Do you understand?"

When Jiang Che heard this, he didn't even look up. He sent a message to Zhou You, the girlfriend he was testing with a fake rumor about his company, "You and I are just you and I. She and I are 'us.' Do you understand?"

The other side was silent for a moment before sending back a sticker of a little girl nodding.

Jiang Che let out a sigh of relief, knowing this meant she was satisfied.

But Li Wenyin couldn't sigh in relief.

Her mind even roared with a boom. Previously, everything—including Ji Mingshu losing her composure and asking for a divorce—had been within her expectations. How could it...

She didn't understand which part had gone wrong, nor was she willing to think in the direction that Cen Sen actually liked Ji Mingshu...

But before she could organize her thoughts, Cen Sen had already stood up and walked away, unwilling to waste any more breath on her.

Shu Yang happened to rush down from upstairs. Seeing Cen Sen walking out of the booth, he wanted to speak to him.

However, Cen Sen suddenly looked at him and said coldly, "This is the last time."

Shu Yang’s face was full of confusion—what now? He caught Jiang Che, who was walking out behind him, and asked, "What is he talking about? What 'last time'? What does that even mean?"

Jiang Che: "It means if there's a next time, this friendship is over."

Shu Yang was slightly stunned, then suddenly realized, "No, he doesn't think I'm the one who called Li Wenyin here, right? Damn it, I'm so wronged!"

He looked confused, "Didn't I specifically call you guys over to apologize because I ran my mouth last time? I was just in the private room singing with some young ladies, and then this woman and that sickly fellow from the Yuan family suddenly ran over to greet us. It wouldn't have been good for me to chase them away."

"I was so confused! And I hadn't even had a chance to say anything when you guys started causing a scene downstairs, and then she ran down... wait, why did she run down to cause trouble? Damn, I've really been screwed over by this woman!"

Jiang Che didn't even lift his eyelids, "It's no use telling me that."

Naturally, it would only be useful to explain it to Cen Sen, but Cen Sen clearly had no time to deal with Shu Yang at the moment.

He left the pub without changing his blood-stained shirt. Sitting in the back seat of his car, he gave his destination directly: "Xinggang International."

He leaned back in the seat, supporting his forehead with his hand. Whether due to the alcohol or the stimulation of the scent of blood, some vague, unspeakable desire was stirring in the depths of his heart.

The black sedan sped through the sparse night wind all the way to Xinggang International.

Stopping by the side of the road opposite the building, Cen Sen got out of the car, asked the driver for a cigarette, and leaned against the car door with one hand in his pocket. He stared continuously at a certain pitch-black window, and the irritability in his heart seemed to be slowly calmed by the cold wind of the autumn night.

He had a dreamless night.

The next morning, Ji Mingshu and Gu Kaiyang woke up together.

Whether Ji Mingshu had truly made up her mind or her three-minute passion hadn't faded, she spent the whole morning discussing with Gu Kaiyang while drinking porridge: what on earth could she do to support herself?

Gu Kaiyang opened her tablet to check the latest fashion news and said casually, "That's easy. The key is that you have to spend less. The way you spend, let me tell you, besides the Ji family and Cen Sen pouring money into you, really no one else can afford it."

"It's not that I can't control it," Ji Mingshu drank half a bowl of porridge, wiped her lips quite elegantly, and sat with her hands folded properly. "Seriously, what do you think I should do? My money is about to run out."

Gu Kaiyang thought for a moment, "Become a purchasing agent? Isn't it easy for you, Miss Ji, to go to major luxury stores to help people buy bags and limited editions? You can make money on the side—it's very easy."

"No, are you brainless? Most of the people who can consume these things are in my circle. Do you want me to be laughed at until I die? Gu Kaiyang, you're too vicious!"

Gu Kaiyang raised her hand to signal a stop, "Then what do you think you can do that won't have any contact with your old circle? Become an internet celebrity? Debut as a star???"

Ji Mingshu shook her head like a bobblehead.

She was too fragile; she couldn't handle negative feedback from netizens at all.

Moreover, although the circle wasn't as repulsed by celebrities and internet celebrities as they were in the old days, she, Miss Ji, was stuck in her "socialite" standards and had no desire to show her face and rely on her looks to make a living.

Gu Kaiyang said again: "Then you want to do interior design, which you like. You can't avoid contact with your old circle either. You originally only did creative spatial design, so where would the client demand for these things come from? If you detach yourself from your original circle, where will you find high-end clients?"

"Think about it. Would a huge villa just hand over a design project to someone with no portfolio just because you are unrelated to them? So no matter what you do, the first thing you have to do is cross that psychological hurdle of not wanting contact with your old circle, understand?"

Ji Mingshu rested her chin on her hand, still not quite understanding, when her phone suddenly "ding-donged."

Her little country goose informant was already sending her the latest major news from the circle early in the morning.

Jiang Chun: [OMG! Your husband hit someone at Zhang Er's place last night!!!]

Jiang Chun: [A lot of people were there, Jiang Che, Shu Yang, Zhang Er, and the rest of them, plus that little white lotus rival of yours!]

Ji Mingshu was stunned.

Cen Sen hit someone?

And Li Wenyin was there?

Was it for Li Wenyin...

Before she could continue thinking, another piece of intelligence arrived.

Jiang Chun: [The one who got hit was that little fatty Mo Zhengwei. I suspect you don't really know him. I heard it was because he was bad-mouthing you right there and your husband heard it perfectly! Then your husband smashed a wine bottle over his head! He almost killed the guy! This matter has exploded now. I heard the little fatty is still lying in the Third Hospital doing check-ups!]