My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

The program aired for about thirty minutes before entering a commercial break. Ji Mingshu sat cross-legged on the bed, pressing the remote to rewind.

She remembered that when she first went to the Exhibition Center for filming, this young girl Yan Yuexing had been quite unlikeable—full of drama, talkative, and possessing abysmal taste.

However, in the half-hour that just aired, apart from her appearance and temperament being crushed in an agonizing way whenever she was in the same frame as her, Yan Yuexing didn't seem to have any problems. She appeared gentle, cute, sensible, and even a little bit adorable.

On the contrary, it was she herself—she didn't know if she was being overly sensitive, but she always felt that in the shots that cut to her after Yan Yuexing finished speaking, her own expression looked rather unfriendly. Others were being very supportive and listening intently, but she looked distracted and wasn't even smiling.

And the key point was, she remembered that when she was recording, she had put on a very supportive look.

After all, she, Ji "Shushu," had navigated social circles for many years; how could she possibly fail at something as simple as facial expression management in front of the camera?

Ji Mingshu felt slightly depressed, but when she picked up her phone, all the messages she received were showering her with rainbow farts—things like how one could see from just a few short shots that their "Shu-bao" was radiant, had high-end temperament, and possessed an impeccable beauty that was beyond criticism.

She replied to them one by one, then started talking to Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun about the parts she found a bit strange.

Jiang Chun just closed her eyes and started blowing smoke.

Jiang Chun: [You're thinking too much. It doesn't look like that at all. Just one word: Beautiful!]

Jiang Chun: [Oh, right, my cousin came to visit our house. Wasn't I watching TV just now? He was in the living room watching with me, and he pointed at you on the screen and asked very surprisingly, "Hey, which celebrity is this? Why have I never seen her before?"]

Jiang Chun: [I said she's not a celebrity, she's my friend, hahahahaha! Before he could continue asking, I told him, "She's married" :)]

Jiang Chun: [Sigh, but this also proves that our little princess's enviable beauty can no longer be hidden :)]

Gu Kaiyang had something in her hands and wasn't convenient for typing, but she returned a voice message: "The program’s post-production editing definitely has some discrepancies with how you recorded it at the time. It’s quite normal. Think about it: if they really aired it exactly as you recorded, wouldn't that little girl from the girl group have blown up the Star City Broadcasting Building?"

That was true.

Ji Mingshu nodded to herself, and soon after, she discovered that Cen Yang had also sent her a message.

Cen Yang: [Xiaoshu, I’m watching your program. You look very beautiful.]

Ji Mingshu: [Thank you~]

Ji Mingshu: [Bowing.jpg]

Cen Yang: [By the way, are you free tomorrow? There is a space-themed art installation exhibition done by a kiosk at the Shuanghuan Building, and tomorrow is the last day. I happen to have two tickets.]

Ji Mingshu paused.

Since their dinner out on Christmas Eve, Cen Yang would send her messages of greeting every now and then. There had been a few invitations, such as asking her to see an art exhibition or inviting her to eat at some newly opened restaurant.

Once, it was because she had gone abroad for a vacation without notifying anyone, so she truly couldn't attend. For the other times, she made excuses to refuse because she always felt that it wasn't appropriate for a married young woman like her to go out and play alone with an unmarried young man like him.

Calculating carefully, she had now refused three or four times in a row; continuing to refuse seemed a bit hurtful. Ji Mingshu thought for a moment, then gripped her phone and tapped away.

Ji Mingshu: [I left a lot of luggage when I was staying at my best friend's house. I’ve already returned home these past two days, and I might need to go over tomorrow to move my luggage, so I can't go see the exhibition, eh.]

Ji Mingshu: [But in a few days, my friend is going to host a masquerade ball in Jingxi. It should be quite interesting. If you’re interested, remember to go have fun; it’s good to relax outside of work.]

After sending it, Ji Mingshu read it over to herself. Mmhmm, after refusing, issuing an invitation makes it not seem very rude.

Moreover, Cen Yang and Cen Sen were essentially the same type of people; from a young age, they didn't like joining in on the fun of rowdy crowds.

Even if he did want to join in on the fun this time, there would be dozens or hundreds of people at the ball, so it would be completely above-board and nothing inappropriate about it.

Just then, familiar footsteps came from outside the room, heading upstairs.

Ji Mingshu’s spine straightened involuntarily, and her typing speed increased a little.

Ji Mingshu: [I have something to take care of here, so I won't chat for now. If you go, just use my name; you don't need an invitation letter.]

Cen Yang’s eyes darkened slightly, and his typing hand paused. Not knowing what he was thinking, he long-pressed the delete key and wiped the content clean.

In truth, he didn't want to start from Ji Mingshu at all.

Ji Mingshu was a girl who looked like she was baring her fangs and brandishing her claws, willful and capricious, but deep down she was very simple and kind. She had been that way since she was a child.

But unfortunately, apart from Ji Mingshu, he couldn't find a single way to get close.

He turned back and looked at the sparkling lights of the Imperial Capital’s winter night outside the window, suddenly feeling that this city was very strange—not at all like the city he had missed for so many years while tossing and turning in his sleep.

When Cen Sen walked into the room, he carried the heavy scent of alcohol. Ji Mingshu covered her nose and mouth as she got off the bed; her voice was muffled. "How much did you drink? It smells awful."

Cen Sen, either not hearing her clearly or for some other reason, didn't bother to open the door to ventilate the room. Instead, he even brought the door shut and engaged the lock.

Ji Mingshu had her back to him when she got off the bed and didn't notice his underhanded, lewd movements.

She adjusted the ventilation mode on the master control switch and turned back to open the door. But before she could touch the door handle, she was caught off guard and scooped into Cen Sen’s arms.

A kiss full of the scent of alcohol fell from her lips and wound its way inside, prying open her teeth and driving straight in.

Ji Mingshu tried to push him away forcefully at first, but her two slender wrists were soon pinned behind her back and tightly controlled by Cen Sen. The kiss punitively became even more overbearing, and even a little bit pornographic.

Ji Mingshu’s body went soft, and her head spun. But when Cen Sen wanted to take further action, her body’s memory suddenly awakened, and she instinctively began to resist.

"No!"

"Are you a reincarnated teddy bear or what?"

"I’m still hurting!"

She struggled with her hands and feet, her voice delicate and soft; it didn't pose any obstacle to Cen Sen.

Watching this scumbag bury his head below her collarbone while not forgetting to unbutton the back of her clothes, her mind short-circuited, and she actually knocked her chin against his head.

This move was a bit stupid; she had even knocked her own teeth sore, and Cen Sen didn't feel a thing.

However, hearing Ji Mingshu’s sharp intake of breath after knocking her teeth, he slowed his actions.

He looked up at Ji Mingshu, his eyes full of lust, but his voice remained cold and calm. "I bought you diamonds today, a whole set."

"...?"

Ji Mingshu wrinkled her nose, saying with disdain, "Even an aircraft carrier wouldn't work; I said I hurt!"

"I hurt, too."

His voice suddenly became low and hoarse. As he spoke, he pressed Ji Mingshu’s spine, pulling her closer against him to let her feel it for herself.

"..."

Ji Mingshu was poked and gave a start, suddenly recalling the fear of being dominated by aerobic exercise last night! Ahhh! Why doesn't this pervert go to jail!!!

—The contest between the two ended with Ji Mingshu contributing her ten slender fingers.

Cen Sen didn't seem satisfied enough. When Ji Mingshu came back from washing her hands, he didn't enter the so-called "sage time," but stared straight at her crimson lips.

Ji Mingshu originally didn't quite understand, but recalling what Cen Sen had done before, she suddenly grasped his meaning.

She leaned over and covered his eyes, saying forcefully, "Don't even think about it! Don't even think about it for the rest of your life! A man with such unclean thoughts like you should be in jail!!!"

Cen Sen’s drunkenness hadn't fully dissipated; he gave a low "Mmhmm," which seemed to carry a hint of a laugh.

He gripped Ji Mingshu’s hand, offered a half-hearted apology in a low voice, and then gathered her soft body back into his arms.

Ji Mingshu wasn't sleepy yet. Thinking about how this man had been acting like he was in heat ever since she came home these past two days—ready to do it at the drop of a hat without even saying a few words to her—she felt quite unhappy.

So, she extended her hand righteously. "My hand hurts; help me rub it."

They say men are very obedient in bed, and Cen Sen was no exception. With such an order from her, he really did grasp her hand and began to rub it gently.

Ji Mingshu curled up in his arms for a while, and she unconsciously became the concerned little wife. "Why did you drink so much today? Did you eat any hangover medicine or something?"

Cen Sen half-closed his eyes while rubbing her hand, rarely chatting with her about work, his voice quiet.

The boss he entertained today wasn't a cultured person; he had started out in the grey industry in his early years, and his path here involved a bit of "licking blood off a blade." Consequently, his personality was quite rough and bold, and his excuses for pushing drinks were one after another: "deep affection means drinking it all in one gulp," "thick affection means drinking until you can't get enough," and "iron-clad affection means drinking until you vomit blood."

Cen Sen had never been good at dealing with that type of person. They would always strangely become overly familiar and overly enthusiastic, as if the word "propriety" didn't exist in their brains, seeing everyone as "little brothers." Yet, because there were business dealings, it was hard to give them the cold shoulder over minor issues.

After saying this, he paused. Not knowing if he was speaking seriously or teasing, he suddenly added, "Do you think it's easy to make money to support you?"

"...?"

"I’m the one who’s truly aggrieved!"

"If you don't want to support me, there are plenty of people who do! You’ve been given such a good opportunity; why are you still so ungrateful!"

Cen Sen closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, not refuting her.

The two of them chatted for a while on the bed with a rustling sound. Cen Sen was a bit tired and fell asleep before long.

"Cen Sen, Cen Sen?"

Ji Mingshu poked his Adam's apple gently, then went to blow on his eyelashes. She didn't expect that he had actually fallen asleep.

She lay on the bed, chin resting on her elbows, meticulously scrutinizing the man by her pillow, and fell into deep thought.

With him like this, she really didn't know whether to say his stamina was good or bad. He had tossed and turned all night yesterday and hadn't slept much, but today, after just some drinking and "manual labor," he was out like a light.

Sigh, maybe it's because he's almost thirty and his stamina is failing?

It really was—in two more years, he’d be thirty.

And she would still be the eighteen-year-old little fairy who would never grow up.

Bah! Old ox eating tender grass—you old man!!

But this old man is truly handsome; every single part of him grew exactly into the shape she likes, even... the way he likes to do lewd things.

Ji Mingshu couldn't help but reach out and pinch the old man’s cheeks. Seeing that he didn't react, she felt restless and couldn't help but lean over and give him a small kiss.

After kissing him, she turned her head away and started to giggle secretly, feeling so sweet that she wanted to roll around.

After being able to frankly face the fact that she liked him, it seemed that every minute she spent with him had become very sweet, and even the fatigue from intimate contact felt sweet.

After repeating these secret kisses several times, she suddenly felt a bit melancholy. She poked the tip of his nose and asked in a tiny voice, "When will you finally like me?”