My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

In Beijing, the days were growing colder one after another. On the day of the Zero magazine "Decompression Day" appreciation salon, Gu Kaiyang woke up at five in the morning.

She moved lightly while washing up and putting on her makeup, but she still managed to wake Ji Mingshu up.

Ji Mingshu sat up in bed, bleary-eyed, and wrapped herself tightly in a small, soft quilt. She watched Gu Kaiyang leave with an eager, lingering gaze, her eyes filled with envy and longing.

Was it true that she, Ji Mingshu, was truly uninterested in parties and salons?

No, that wasn't the case! A party animal would never grow tired of social events!

But she simply didn't want to be mocked.

In the dim light of the early dawn, Ji Mingshu couldn't help but reminisce about the infinite splendor of her past days, when she was the number one socialite of the capital, dominating every social occasion.

After feeling sorry for herself for thirty seconds, she crawled back under the covers, reluctantly conjured up a few benefits of staying home, and fell back asleep.

At nine o'clock, a light sound from the key card sensor at the door signaled that someone had pushed it open and entered.

Ji Mingshu was still asleep. She unconsciously rolled over, her lips slightly parted as she mumbled, as if she were in the middle of a wonderful dream surrounded by braised pork ribs.

The apartment's living room was cramped, and the person who entered reached the center of the room in just a few steps. He looked up toward the second floor, and through the gaps in the wooden railing, he could vaguely see Ji Mingshu’s face in sleep, her eyes shut tight.

He stepped lightly, treading softly up the wooden stairs.

Ji Mingshu was in a deep sleep, but she wasn't completely without a sense of crisis. The moment the person sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to brush away some loose strands of hair—

It was like a villain in a martial arts movie trying to stab someone in their sleep; the target always managed to miraculously "rise from the dead" at the exact moment the blade was revealed. She suddenly opened her eyes.

What came into view was a cold, stern face that she hadn't seen for days but had thought about every single day.

Ji Mingshu stared for three seconds, reached out to rub her eyes, muttered something unintelligible in her sleep, and rolled over to the other side.

After about half a minute, she suddenly rolled back, her eyes fixed intently on the man, and she even reached out a finger to poke his Adam's apple.

Cen Sen.

He was real.

"Why are you here?"

She was still lying flat on the bed, having just woken up, her voice soft and slightly raspy.

Cen Sen lowered his eyes, recalling the bikini photos she had posted for four or five consecutive days, and his gaze darkened as he saw her bare forearm. "There’s an event for Zero today; I’m here to pick you up so we can attend together."

Ji Mingshu hadn't quite processed this yet. She blankly replied, "Oh," and used her elbows to push herself up from the bed.

Cen Sen reached out at the perfect moment to help prop her pillow up.

She scooted back, leaning softly against the headboard, her eyes unfocused as she looked at Cen Sen, completely out of it.

Cen Sen originally wanted to help tidy her hair, but he had no idea how she had slept at night; her hair was a tangled mess, and combined with her dazed expression, she looked just like a little lunatic.

She was completely oblivious. After regaining some consciousness, she remembered her image and gestured for Cen Sen to move away. "I haven't brushed my teeth; don't get so close to me."

"..."

Cen Sen followed her wishes and stood up, though he still watched her.

In truth, he had always felt that Ji Mingshu looked better without makeup. Her facial features were smoothly contoured, her skin soft and fair. When she wasn't wearing makeup, she looked fresh, light, and possessed a rare, innocent, and childlike quality.

However, seeing him staring at her so intently, Ji Mingshu assumed she must have slept poorly and drooled, so she subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth.

Cen Sen paused slightly and finally moved his gaze away to check the time. "Are you getting up now? The stylist is already downstairs."

A stylist?

Ji Mingshu's brain finished rebooting, finally connecting to the signal Cen Sen had sent earlier—he was here to take her to the Zero "Decompression Day" appreciation salon.

Sure enough, if you live long enough, anything can happen.

Cen Sen was the type of cold, pragmatic person who hated useless socialization. In her memory, he had only attended a few events with her right after they got married, and those were always high-status, elite gatherings crowded with politicians and businessmen where he was required to bring his official wife. They were full of rules and were highly purposeful.

But this Zero salon was clearly casual and for entertainment. She didn't even need to think to know that the attendees would be socialites with nothing better to do, celebrities posing for photo ops or performing, and internet influencers trying to ride the coattails of the event for clout.

So what was he doing there? Didn't he feel that a top-tier boss like him, whose every word involved hundreds of millions of dollars, was completely out of place in such a young, trendy setting?

Seeing her silent, Cen Sen asked again, "Or do you need to sleep a little longer?"

Ji Mingshu shook her head, shaking away all the distracting thoughts that had just crossed her mind.

Why was she worried about whether Cen Sen attended the salon or not? She was currently in a unilateral cold war with him; she shouldn't be acting so friendly and approachable!

Her expression shifted instantly. She hugged her small quilt and glared at him coldly. "You still haven't answered me why you're here. Is it because Gu Kaiyang gave you the key card? You and Gu Kaiyang conspired together, didn't you? Shameless!"

She hadn't seen him for over half a month, and he had only sent a few perfunctory WeChat messages to report his whereabouts. Now that the New Year was approaching and he had some free time, he conspired with her best friend to come and make nice. Who knew if he was just doing this to coax her back so he could handle the Cen family? He dared to act as if nothing had happened this early in the morning, thinking everyone had amnesia and would follow his script? Not a chance!

And as for that traitorous, plastic friend Gu Kaiyang—forget it, she would deal with her later.

But just as she had mustered enough momentum to prepare for battle, Cen Sen sat back down on the edge of the bed, tilted his head slightly to look at her, and suddenly said, "I'm sorry, Mingshu."

The air went quiet for a moment.

"There are many things where I didn't consider your feelings—the program, the movie, and the hurtful things I said when we argued."

"I can't guarantee that I can change my way of doing things overnight, but I can promise you that from now on, when handling matters related to you, I will prioritize your feelings."

He spoke with great calm and sincerity.

Ji Mingshu was stunned.

She had known Cen Sen for nearly twenty years, and this was the first time she had heard a genuinely sincere apology from his lips.

The apology came so suddenly that she didn't know how to respond. She could only clutch her quilt and stare at him, unblinking.

Cen Sen reached out to tuck away a loose strand of hair, leaning his body forward as he did so. The distance between them closed in an instant; they could almost feel each other's breath.

Ji Mingshu’s ears reflexively turned red, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.

Cen Sen watched her from close range, then suddenly leaned in and kissed her lips.

The kiss was brief, devoid of lust, and possessed a rare gentleness. Even his voice seemed to become deep, hoarse, and tender as he said, "Mingshu, come home with me."

Wuwuwu, who could possibly resist this?!

Sweet bubbles were already popping wildly in Ji Mingshu’s heart, and the little golden canary sitting quietly amidst those bubbles was nodding frantically like a bird pecking at grain.

Yet, her subconscious was still desperately suggesting to her: Stay steady, stay steady, don't break, the future of your status in this household depends on this!

"I told you I haven't brushed my teeth!"

She feigned wiping her mouth, her eyelashes lowered, and she grumbled under her breath, "If... if you had had this realization sooner, it's not like I'm an unreasonable person."

Cen Sen said "Mm" with great patience.

Her heart was hammering, nearly tearing the spot on the quilt she was clutching, yet she couldn't stop clutching it.

"Then... since you've apologized and promised so sincerely, it’s not impossible for me to go back. But you said it yourself, you have to treat me well in the future. If you treat me poorly and embarrass me, I will really..." The word "divorce" was stuck in her throat; she didn't really want to say it. "Anyway, just you wait and see."

Cen Sen said "Mm" again, then picked up where she left off. "During the half-month you were gone, I had the Minshui walk-in closet renovated. I added a staircase and an elevator to the third floor, and the four guest rooms on the left side upstairs have been converted into your new walk-in closet. The maid has reorganized everything by brand and season, and the brands you like have all come to the house to fill it with the new collection in your size."

"I also had Zhou Jiaheng contact the haute couture ateliers, though they all said that if you go in person to be measured, the results will be even better."

"..."

Ji Mingshu was speechless for a long while.

Cen Sen pondered for a moment, then remembered something else. "I remember you mentioned before that the yacht at home was a bit small. I ordered an Azimut 60 for you. I wanted to order a 100-footer, but entering the port with a 100-footer is a bit troublesome. This one should be enough for you to go out to sea for parties in the summer."

"..."

Had he suddenly been enlightened by the Buddha?

Ji Mingshu remained in a state of shock—this jerk is actually feeding me treats of his own volition—unable to recover for a long time.

At that moment, Cen Sen’s phone vibrated.

It was a message from Zhou Jiaheng.

Zhou Jiaheng and the stylist were waiting down in the car, afraid to come upstairs without notice, and afraid to call for fear of interrupting their boss’s good mood.

But if they didn't finish the styling soon, they wouldn't make it to the Zero event in time. With the stylist constantly asking him, he had no choice but to send a cautious inquiry.

Cen Sen replied with "Come up," and without waiting for Ji Mingshu’s response, he threw off the quilt, swept her up into his arms, and walked straight downstairs.

Ji Mingshu wrapped her arms around his neck without a second thought, resting her chin on his shoulder, slowly coming back to her senses.

He had his usual, pleasant, faint scent of cold fir. She took a few more deep breaths, feeling as though she was about to die from sheer happiness.

However, she didn't dare to sneak a smile. She didn't dare to reveal her secret thoughts in front of Cen Sen; if he knew she liked him, he probably wouldn't go to such lengths for her.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but make conversation, quietly establishing her "strong and independent" persona in his ear. "Don't think you can dismiss me with a few clothes and a yacht. I can earn my own money now, too. You aren't allowed to look down on me in the future."

"Mm."

Perhaps realizing that responding only with a monotonous "Mm" would make Ji Mingshu feel dismissed, Cen Sen deliberated for a moment and then added in a low voice right by her ear, "It is my honor to spend money on Mrs. Cen."

Mrs. Cen.

Ji Mingshu couldn't help it; hiding behind his back, she secretly curled her lips into a smile.