My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Ultimately, Ji Mingshu accepted Cen Sen’s gift—which had traveled thousands of miles to reach her doorstep—with a reluctant expression on the surface, but a shy and joyous heart within.

Past ten o’clock in the evening, Ji Mingshu was carried into the bathroom. Her face was flushed, her jaw was damp with sweat, and a few stray locks of hair clung to her slender, delicate cheeks.

Cen Sen placed her into the warm water and helped push aside the stray hair. His clear eyes looked down at her, his voice consistently deep, seemingly tinged with a hint of a smile: "Your stamina is lacking. You need to exercise more."

Ji Mingshu pinched his face without a second thought, then pressed against his cheeks and pushed him away: "You are so annoying!"

It was seventy percent shyness and thirty percent coquetry; there was no genuine dislike in the literal sense.

In truth, Ji Mingshu knew her stamina was poor, but she hadn’t expected Cen Sen’s stamina to be so incredible that it repeatedly broke her imagination.

He had only arrived in Paris last night and had already returned home by this evening, all while negotiating a collaboration with investors in between. Even with people picking him up and dropping him off, and getting some sleep on the plane, the non-stop back-and-forth travel was physically exhausting. She had thought the "gift-giving" process would just be a symbolic twenty or thirty minutes; she had severely underestimated him.

Water rippled gently in the tub. After Ji Mingshu washed her hair, Cen Sen used a comb to smooth it out for her, then squeezed out the moisture before putting a hair-drying cap on her.

Cen Sen had never done such things before; he was following Ji Mingshu’s instructions step-by-step, his movements appearing slightly unpracticed.

Fortunately, Ji Mingshu didn't mind. She reached out to tuck in some wet hair that had leaked out, glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but secretly curl the corners of her lips upward.

Ji Mingshu hadn't eaten dinner, and after being worked through several hours of "exercise," her energy was completely depleted and she was ravenous.

After showering, Cen Sen cooked two bowls of tomato and egg noodles using the remaining ingredients in the refrigerator, and he even gave all the last few slices of luncheon meat to Ji Mingshu.

After filling her stomach, Ji Mingshu displayed a rare moment of virtuous behavior. She didn't pester him to do this or that, but simply lay on the bed and told him about the annoying events of the past two days.

In fact, Cen Sen had already heard specific and detailed real-time reports from Zhou Jiaheng, but those reports obviously did not contain Ji Mingshu’s subjective feelings.

Listening to her chatter, sometimes angry and sometimes amused, Cen Sen suddenly tilted his head and said earnestly: "I'm sorry."

The curtains were drawn open. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the winter night sky was as black as ink, and it was rarely adorned with a few quiet stars.

Cen Sen pulled her into his embrace, his long fingers running through her soft, long hair. His voice seemed soaked in the dampness of her not-yet-dry hair, carrying a bit more tenderness than usual: "You’ve been wronged this time. I promise, there won’t be a next time."

Ji Mingshu’s nose suddenly felt sore. Although she would rather hear Cen Sen say "I like you" than "I’m sorry," these words instantly stirred up the grievances buried in the bottom of her heart.

The ice-cold fear and terror of last night could not be entirely forgotten just by waking up.

She wasn’t a celebrity or an internet personality; she didn't rely on the likes of fans or netizens to make a living, nor had she done anything unforgivably evil. Why, then, was she expected to have a heart of steel to face baseless verbal abuse and curses from strangers?

She wouldn't just go along with it and say "I’m fine," "I’m good," or "I don't blame you." It was clearly his fault!

Thinking of this, Ji Mingshu bit him hard on the neck, then followed his lead and said in a righteous tone:

"I really was so wronged!"

"Those fans of that bottom-tier celebrity even photoshopped my funeral portrait! Do you know how ugly they made that portrait look? Oh, and those fans are quite logical—they probably realized I’m too young to die, so they even photoshopped wrinkles and white hair onto me in the portrait! It makes me so mad!"

"Everything is your fault! You are typical of someone with a good attitude toward admitting mistakes but who absolutely refuses to change. No, you must compensate me today!"

"Alright, compensation."

Ji Mingshu was unrelenting: "How do you plan to compensate me? I want a plan right now. Hurry, hurry, don't think about trying to gloss over this!"

Cen Sen thought for a moment: "How about I open an interior design studio for you?"

"…Are you even human?"

"The compensation is to let me wholeheartedly throw myself into work to earn money to support the family?"

Ji Mingshu asked in disbelief.

Was her "independent woman" persona from before so convincing that Cen Sen now mistakenly thought she really wanted to be a powerhouse career woman???

Cen Sen paused slightly, then thought for a long while: "Then how about I buy you an island? Buy one… where you can see the aurora."

Some time ago, he had met with a Mr. Chang, another investor in the Nanwan project. Mr. Chang habitually kept his wife and children on his lips and mentioned that he had recently bought a private island abroad for them. He planned to build a villa on the island and hire specialists to maintain the beach regularly. He imagined that vacationing there in the future would surely be quiet and comfortable.

Mr. Chang also said that if he needed it, he could introduce him to reliable sellers. Some islands had excellent seawater quality, and one could even see the galaxy and the aurora borealis.

He had been tempted for a moment back then, but later, there were too many things to deal with, and he hadn't remembered it. Now that he brought up this compensation, he wasn't sure if Ji Mingshu would be satisfied.

Admittedly, not all women would be blinded by the extreme material pursuit of money, jewelry, yachts, planes, and private islands, but Ji Mingshu would.

She didn't hesitate for a second, happily saying "Okay," and her attitude suddenly did a 180-degree turn.

Just moments ago, she was aggressive enough to get in Cen Sen’s face, but now she was leaning gently into his embrace, helping him massage his shoulders, her eyes sparkling. She didn't forget to excitedly ask where the island was located, how large the area was, if she could name it herself, how long the property rights lasted, if it was convenient for throwing parties, and if it wasn't cold if you could see the aurora…

Cen Sen was also a man of extremely high efficiency. Seeing that Ji Mingshu was interested, he contacted Zhou Jiaheng to handle it.

Zhou Jiaheng had made mistakes twice in a row, and since returning home, he hadn't heard how Cen Sen planned to deal with him, so he had been living in fear of whether his job was still secure.

Now that work had arrived, Zhou Jiaheng was suddenly revitalized. He jolted out of his blanket, not even bothering to put on shoes, his eyes glowing as he sat in front of his computer, continuously making calls and contacting people.

After all, the workplace is a battlefield. Don't let his daily appearance as Cen Sen’s right-hand man fool you—the competition was fierce. There were so many assistants in the general manager's office watching him like tigers, all hoping he would fall from power so they could take his place!

Thinking about how she would soon own her own island, Ji Mingshu smiled happily and immediately ran to the group chat to inform Jiang Chun and Gu Kaiyang, telling them that they should address her as "Owner of Aurora Island" from now on.

The two of them showed rare tacit agreement, simultaneously sending the words: "She's crazy."

Jiang Chun added resentfully: [Can you look at what time it is? You’ll be drowned in a pig cage for disturbing people’s dreams.]

Ji Mingshu: [It's not even twelve yet, why sleep? Eat, sleep, eat, sleep. Calling you a goose is a disgrace to geese. Prepare the pig cage for yourself.]

Ji Mingshu was fully focused on typing, treating the chat with the intensity of someone trying to get "first blood" in a video game. Cen Sen couldn't get a word in, so he checked his phone.

At this hour, their friend group chat was very active. Jiang Che was asking what he could give his girlfriend to make her happy now that the New Year was approaching.

Cen Sen: [Jewelry, yacht, island.]

Having just succeeded in coaxing someone, he was kindly sharing his experience.

But Jiang Che didn't appreciate it.

Jiang Che: [Why are you so vulgar? Can you be a little more creative?]

Shu Yang: [?]

Shu Yang: [I like this kind of vulgarity, Brother Sen.]

Zhao Yang: [It depends on the type of woman. It’s like performing surgery—how can you generalize? This tactic might work to coax little Shu, but it definitely wouldn't work for someone like Little Squid. For a girl with a bit of a stubborn streak like her, you can't talk about money, and there's no need to talk about creativity; you have to talk about sincerity. Am I right, President Jiang?]

Jiang Che: [Mmh.]

Jiang Che: [Before we started dating, I gave her a necklace, and she felt like I was humiliating her.]

Cen Sen: [……]

He put down his phone and looked at Ji Mingshu, who was happily sharing her identity as an "island owner," and suddenly felt that he was quite lucky.

He pondered for a moment and assigned an additional task to Zhou Jiaheng, telling him to collect more rare and expensive items when he had free time, in case of future needs.

Zhou Jiaheng radiated the human brilliance of "work makes me happy," agreeing repeatedly. He conveniently added "naming rights for an asteroid," which he had heard about a couple of days ago, into his "rare and expensive" memorandum.

In the blink of an eye, the Little New Year arrived. Deep winter in the Imperial Capital, the heavy snow grew even more intense.

The red walls and white snow of the Forbidden City at this time of year were brimming with ancient charm. Ji Mingshu didn't like joining the crowds taking photos, so she stayed with Elder Cen, the elder Mrs. Cen, and Cen Sen at the garden in the suburbs of Beijing where Cen Yuanchao was recuperating for two days.

Cen Sen didn't know what he had done wrong, but he had been hauled in for lectures by Cen Yuanchao for the past two days, and each lecture lasted at least half an hour. The volume was loud enough for her to hear even while taking selfies in the snow-viewing corridor.

Cen Sen was her sweetheart now, so seeing him scolded like this was genuinely a little heartbreaking. She played deaf and dumb, occasionally walking in to deliver rock sugar, pear, white fungus, and bird's nest soup just as Cen Yuanchao’s rage was reaching its peak.

Cen Yuanchao’s expression was displeased, but it was hard for him to lose his temper at his daughter-in-law. Every time this happened, he would wave his hand, telling them to get out together and stop being an eyesore!

Ji Mingshu asked in a low voice: "What did you do? Why is Dad so angry?"

"It’s nothing." Cen Sen’s expression remained as usual, and he helped her pick off the snowflakes that had landed on her hair: "Work matters."

Of course, Ji Mingshu knew it was work matters; otherwise, he wouldn't be going to the company every day near the New Year, his phone wouldn't stop ringing at home, and his computer wouldn't have been left open without ever being shut down.

In fact, Ji Mingshu hadn't cared much about Cen Sen’s work in the past; she wouldn't understand it even if she did.

Moreover, ever since she graduated from college, she had often heard people—both family and outsiders—praise Cen Sen. They praised his work capability, his ambition, his drive, his methods… so she had always assumed that Cen Sen was omnipotent and invincible in his work.

However, it seemed that wasn't the case after all.

In the evening, Cen Sen hadn't returned yet. Ji Mingshu was in her room preparing New Year gifts for the elders and juniors of the Cen and Ji families. She was planning to go ask the elder Mrs. Cen if Cen Yingshuang would still be coming back for the New Year after finishing her research in Germany with her team. But before she could even reach the elder Mrs. Cen’s room, she heard Cen Yuanchao and Elder Cen talking in the study.

Cen Yuanchao’s health was poor, and unless he deliberately summoned his spirit, his voice was always a bit weak.

"…The negotiation was already done, yet he didn't wait to sign the contract before coming back. He actually let Ah-Yang cut him off and steal the deal. I really can’t understand what that kid is thinking right now!"

Elder Cen was gentle: "Ah-Sen has his own judgment, you don't need to worry about him."

Cen Yuanchao was silent, seeming to sigh: "Worrying is useless. His mind is too stubborn; I can't control him anymore.”