My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The plot of this movie was simple and cliché, the kind where you could guess the ending the moment it began, yet Ji Mingshu still watched it with remarkable sincerity and emotion.

After leaving the theater, she even took a picture of her ticket stub and posted it on her Moments, providing a spoiler-free technical "mine clearance" guide for others.

When she was taking the picture, Cen Sen happened to be standing on her right. His custom-made watch on his left wrist accidentally slipped into the frame. She noticed it while editing the photo, but for some reason—perhaps out of a subconscious impulse—she neither cropped it nor covered it up. She just posted it as if she hadn’t noticed a thing.

At four in the morning, there were still plenty of party animals who hadn't gone to sleep. Within five minutes of Ji Mingshu posting her status, she had already received over a hundred likes.

Shu Yang hadn't slept either; he was at a bar, messing around and playing drinking games with friends.

When he saw Ji Mingshu's update, he zoomed in on the picture and squinted to observe it. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he was amused.

Shu Yang: [Image]

Shu Yang: [Watching a movie with my wife at 4 AM. Brother Sen, you're a legend.]

Shu Yang: [From now on, the first person who calls Brother Sen an emotionally oblivious, iron-willed straight man will have me to deal with. This professional dedication, this business acumen—I’m not bragging, but you could even be number one at selling beer!]

Shu Yang: [Jiang Che, President Jiang, you should take some notes.]

They had a WeChat group among their childhood friends, and Jiang Che was the group owner.

Usually, Jiang Che, Shu Yang, and Zhao Yang were quite active in it, while Cen Sen was basically in a state of "grass growing on his grave." But very occasionally, he would act like a zombie and come back to life to forward some current events or industry trends.

Shu Yang was only teasing in the group now because he relied on the fact that it was deep in the night and no one was online to retort.

Who would have thought that Jiang Che had just had a fight with Zhou You tonight? He had to go home, act like a groveling grandson, wash her feet, and coax her for a long time before she finally fell asleep. They were currently lying in the same bed, yet unable to do anything, and he was already stifling his anger. It just so happened that Shu Yang had walked straight into his line of fire looking for humiliation, so naturally, Jiang Che wouldn't pass up such a golden opportunity.

Furthermore, Jiang Che had always been a loyal supporter of the modern "if I’m unhappy, everyone else must die" suicide pact system. He chewed out Shu Yang without giving him a chance to defend himself and kicked him out of the group chat.

Not satisfied with just that, he dragged out Zhao Yang—who was in the middle of a sound sleep and completely oblivious to everything—to humiliate him by dredging up old grudges. Finally, it was Cen Sen’s turn.

—Perhaps feeling that it was too lonely to be at maximum sarcasm capacity without an audience, he even added Shu Yang back in.

Jiang Che: [Cen Sen, what’s with all the showing off by watching a movie at 4 AM? If you’ve got the guts, take your wife home and get in bed instead of embarrassing yourself out there.]

Jiang Che: [We still have that signing with Rongyue tomorrow at 9 AM. Looking at the state you’re in, don't even bother going. I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to cooperate with a "wife-obsessed" man like you.]

Shu Yang chimed in at the perfect moment.

Shu Yang: [Still wandering outside at such an hour? Probably because you can’t bring your wife home.]

Jiang Che: [True, I reckon you won’t be able to bring her home this year either.]

The two of them sang in harmony, actually making it seem as if they had let go of all previous grudges.

"What are you looking at?"

While stepping out of the elevator, Ji Mingshu noticed Cen Sen staring at his phone and asked casually.

Cen Sen said calmly, "Nothing. I saw that you just posted on your Moments."

Ji Mingshu thought of the picture she had posted and felt a little guilty, so she didn't dare to ask any further.

Cen Sen lowered his eyelids and forwarded to the group a piece of financial news about the third-stage strategic cooperation reached between Chengcheng Capital, where he and Jiang Che collaborated, and Rongyue Technology.

The news stated clearly that the signing ceremony was held in Canberra, Australia, on December 23rd at 9 AM—this had already happened forty-three hours ago.

Cen Sen: [I don't know who has had eight lifetimes of bad luck.]

Cen Sen: [The last thing you said, I'm reflecting it back to you.]

Jiang Che: [...]

Jiang Che: [Are you three years old? Still 'reflecting it back'.]

Cen Sen didn't reply again because the elevator had reached the first floor.

The night was deep and cold, and the car was still parked at the west gate. Cen Sen took off his coat and draped it over Ji Mingshu's shoulders. The two walked side by side back toward the west gate.

In the 4 AM Beijing, the night was ink-black and deep. Snow still drifted occasionally under the quiet streetlamps, and a thick layer of fresh snow had accumulated on the ground. When their shoes stepped on it, it crunched audibly.

Cen Sen: "Are you sleepy?"

"A little." She wasn't sleepy before he asked, but at this prompt, Ji Mingshu couldn't help but yawn.

After getting into the car, Cen Sen looked at the time and suggested blandly, "Let's go back to Minshui. I have a meeting to attend in the morning; we won't be able to sleep for long."

Ji Mingshu toyed with her seatbelt and didn't answer immediately.

She stared straight ahead at the snowy ground, as if seriously contemplating something.

Only after the car started did she nod with reserve, reluctantly agreeing, "Since you have a meeting in the morning, then let's go back to Minshui for the night."

"Mm."

Cen Sen turned the steering wheel to round a corner, his head slightly tilted toward the driver's side window.

From an angle Ji Mingshu couldn't see, his lips curled up slightly.

After Ji Mingshu agreed, she felt uneasy all over. She lowered the seat back to lie down, "I’m a bit tired, I’m going to nap for a bit."

Cen Sen said "Mm" again and added a reminder, "There’s a blanket behind the seat."

Ji Mingshu reached out to pull one out, draped it neatly over herself, and rested her hands properly on her lower abdomen.

She clearly felt sleepy, but looking at the car roof, she couldn't fall asleep no matter what. On one hand, she felt satisfied with the feeling of watching the first snow and spending Christmas with Cen Sen. On the other hand, she recalled the hurtful things Cen Sen had said on the eve of her running away, and felt that being lured back without even getting an apology made her look spineless.

The two thoughts intertwined in her mind. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, so she simply pulled her seat upright again.

"What’s wrong?"

Ji Mingshu sat cross-legged on the chair, clutching a "Fortune" pillow with the unique aesthetic of a 4S shop. After her train of thought had wandered through countless detours, she suddenly mumbled, "Nothing. It’s just... I just feel like I need to explain something to you. I didn't do anything that would betray you."

Cen Sen glanced at her.

"Cen Yang and I just had a simple meal, and I didn't even notice that the day he asked me out was Christmas Eve. As for him hugging me, that was just... a hug between friends, you know?"

"Mm, I know."

Cen Sen replied dismissively.

"..."

Ji Mingshu stared at him expectantly.

That's it? Just like that?

He didn't seem jealous at all... Well, that wasn't the point. Fine, if he wasn't jealous, then as a fair exchange, shouldn't he proactively explain the situation with Li Wenyin and then apologize to her? How could this man be like this?

Just as Ji Mingshu was debating whether to ask more pointedly, Cen Sen finally grasped the deep meaning behind her painstaking, circuitous explanation.

As the car passed over the bridge from Minshui Mansion toward the center of the lake, he slowed down and said, "I also haven't done anything to betray you."

There it was, it finally came.

He wasn't beyond saving after all!

Ji Mingshu sat up straighter, prepared to listen attentively.

But five seconds passed, ten seconds passed, thirty seconds passed—Cen Sen steered the car into the garage with a flourish, and she still hadn't heard the rest.

She was still stunned when she got out of the car, clutching that ugly pillow and refusing to let go, carrying it all the way to the bedroom.

They had eaten two meals out that day and even watched a movie in the dead of night. After a quick wash, Ji Mingshu initially wanted to properly interrogate Cen Sen, but the struggle of her thoughts couldn't defeat the exhaustion of her body. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell fast asleep.

The end of the year was busy, and Cen Sen had been occupied with work, not having had a good rest for days. Having finally squeezed out half a day, he still had to coax Ji Mingshu.

Fortunately, he had managed to get her back. He felt his mind lighten a little. After washing up, he got into bed from the other side, pulled Ji Mingshu into his arms, and fell into a deep sleep.

Ji Mingshu slept until two in the afternoon. Cen Sen had long since left for work.

She sat on the bed and rubbed her head, feeling a sense of both strange and familiar intimacy with this bedroom she hadn't stepped into for days.

Today was the proper Christmas Day, and her phone was naturally filled with well-wishes from all directions.

Ji Mingshu glanced through them casually until she caught sight of a blessing and notification from the producer of the show Designers. They said that the post-production of Designers had been completed, the show was scheduled, and it would be aired on Xingcheng Satellite TV in mid-January.

They also told the amateur designers that they could apply for a Weibo verification with the program's keywords in advance, and they could pull some strings to ensure it was approved quickly.

Scheduled already?

Money really can make the devil turn the millstone.

Above that, there were also Christmas greetings from Feng Yan in her group and Li Che from a different group.

Even if they were celebrities, Ji Mingshu politely replied with a "Merry Christmas."

But it was while replying to Li Che that a flash of realization struck Ji Mingshu’s mind, recalling a sentence Li Che had once said: "Actually, it's quite a pity. The producer said they originally arranged for me to be in your group, but the sponsors had their own considerations, so the group assignments were swapped."

The sponsors had their own considerations...

At that time, Ji Mingshu didn't know that the sponsor of Designers was Junyi, and she had been completely uninterested in whether or not she was in the same group as Li Che, so she hadn't paid it any mind.

Thinking about it carefully now, could this be Cen Sen's handiwork?

She couldn't help but sit up straighter, and after carefully choosing her words, she asked Li Che.

Li Che, living the life of a celebrity, seemed quite idle; he replied to the message almost instantly, and with a voice message at that.

However, Ji Mingshu had no interest in listening to his magnetic voice and converted it directly to text—Yes, that was the case. The sponsors already had designers they had decided on; many people know about it. Considering the sponsors, the program team might have their own considerations regarding camera editing and such. However, I shouldn't say too much about some things. Miss Ji, you don't need to be disappointed. Gold will shine wherever it is.

Ji Mingshu stared at the converted text, and a tiny flame of anger rose to the top of her head.

Li Che had put it quite tactfully, but could anyone be foolish enough not to understand what he meant? Wasn't he clearly telling her: The show is rigged; Junyi doesn't want you to outshine the designer they are promoting, so you better be prepared for your final screen time to be cut to nothing?!

That jerk, Cen Sen!

She had worked her butt off for over a month—if he dared to cut her screen time, she would dare to burn Minshui Mansion to the ground!!!

The more Ji Mingshu thought, the angrier she got. Thinking about how she had been fooled into coming back last night without hearing a single apology made her even angrier.

She rolled out of bed, washed up, and went out. With a blank expression, she instructed the driver to take her back to Xingang International.

When the driver heard that she was going to Xingang International again, his scalp felt a little numb, and he subconsciously wanted to send a message to Zhou Jiaheng to report.

Ji Mingshu took a deep breath, maintained her last bit of composure, and said, "I'm just going to get some things. You don't need to tell Zhou Jiaheng."

Inside the loft apartment at Xingang International, Gu Kaiyang had just gotten a replacement key card from the property office and wanted to take advantage of this rare day off to do a big cleaning after the "god" had left.

She was humming while mopping the floor, feeling wonderful, thinking to herself that she really was a little shaman—last night’s move was truly smooth and effective.

It really wasn't that she was a "plastic friend" who disliked Ji Mingshu, but rather that a rich young lady like Ji Mingshu was only suitable to eat and drink with, not to live with!

It was too much!

There was probably only a man like Cen Sen in this world who could unconditionally pour money into offering love and support to her!

Gu Kaiyang hadn't been having fun for more than five minutes when a sound of a key card sensor suddenly came from the door.

"You... why are you back?"

Gu Kaiyang turned her head, and after three seconds of stunned silence, her expression gradually stiffened.

Ji Mingshu wore a foul face, "When did I say I was leaving? What kind of look is that? Are you trying to get rid of me?!"

The will to survive made Gu Kaiyang shake her head frantically.

At the same time, Cen Sen had finished buying groceries from the supermarket and was sitting in the back seat of the car with his eyes closed to rest.

Today’s pork ribs were very tender and fresh; his little golden canary would definitely like them.