My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Cen Sen was clearly not the kind of man who could switch into "lovey-dovey" mode anytime and anywhere, at least not while Ji Mingshu was fully awake.
He kissed her lips as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water, whispered goodnight, and prepared to go to sleep.
But Ji Mingshu was not easily fooled. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, refusing to let go. Her delicate nose was scrunched up, and she insisted on hearing him say it again.
Cen Sen’s eyes deepened, his gaze lingering from her cascading curly hair down to her slipping spaghetti strap.
Soon, he leaned down to deliver a warm kiss, one that felt significantly more aggressive than the last.
By the time Ji Mingshu reacted, it was already too late. She glared at him and made two muffled sounds, struggling with both hands and feet, but in the end, she couldn't help but turn into a puddle of water beneath him.
When the tide of passion surged, she thought she heard that intimate, low-raspy "baby," but at that moment, her mind was a blank slate, and she couldn't be certain if it was just an auditory hallucination.
She only remembered that her bit of backbone had long since been knocked to pieces; she had been forced by Cen Sen to cry out "husband" in broken, whimpering gasps countless times.
The next morning, sunlight spilled through the clear floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the room with warm gold, while the air remained heavy with the sweet, lingering scent of intimacy.
Ji Mingshu felt sore all over; even getting out of bed felt boneless, her whole body clinging to Cen Sen.
Even while brushing her teeth, she relied on his embrace, eyes half-lidded, humming and whining as she acted coquettish.
"Toothbrush, take it." Cen Sen placed the toothbrush with toothpaste already on it near her hand.
She didn't take it. "I have no strength. It’s all your fault; I can’t even lift my arms."
Cen Sen: "..."
Ji Mingshu: "Otherwise, you help me brush."
Cen Sen looked down at her. "Brush it yourself; I’m almost late."
"Then I won’t brush at all." She was clearly acting like a rascal.
Cen Sen was silent for a few seconds. "Open your mouth."
She couldn't keep her composure, revealing a smile of success, though she quickly reined it in andä¹–ä¹– (obediently) opened her mouth like a beautiful, lazy ragdoll cat nestled in her owner’s arms, waiting to be groomed, and occasionally reaching out a little paw to interact with him.
Cen Sen, as the "owner," summoned all his patience, brushing her teeth, washing her face, and combing her hair—every step was catered to with perfection.
In truth, his initial movements were awkward and unnatural, but seeing Ji Mingshu’s secret smile in the mirror, the patience he thought he’d lost began to burn anew, and he found himself growing interested in these trivial, mundane intimacies.
While Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen were being clingy in their room, the high-level executives from the capital who had accompanied them were already waiting in the VIP lounge outside.
This morning, Cen Sen was to go with these executives to inspect the Junyi Shuiyunjian hotel in Star City, as a high-level tourism forum was to be held there later.
With one minute left until the agreed-upon time, the door to the suite finally pushed open. Everyone stood up in unison to adjust their attire, intending to offer their respectful attention to Cen Sen from half a corridor away.
But a minute passed, and their respectful attention was all directed at thin air. There was no sign of anyone at the door, but a woman’s coquettish tone fell very clearly into everyone’s ears.
"Kiss, if you don't kiss me, you can’t leave!"
...
"Mmm, then one more kiss!"
...
"No, I’m so sleepy, I haven’t even slept for a few hours. I’ll draw it after I wake up."
...
The older executives, having seen everything in their time, remained as steady and calm as ancient monks.
The younger ones, thin-skinned and afraid to look or listen, could only busy themselves adjusting their cuffs or collars, and the atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
Ji Mingshu didn’t know there were people waiting outside. She hurriedly tied Cen Sen’s tie and then went to open the door for him. Seeing there was still a minute left, she half-hung off him to act spoiled, demanding a morning kiss.
After getting her wish, she pushed Cen Sen out. Still clinging to the door, she poked half her head out and waved bye-bye.
It would have been fine if she hadn't poked her head out; but this time, Ji Mingshu froze, an indescribable sense of embarrassment shooting from the soles of her feet straight to her scalp.
Ji Mingshu: "..."
Cen Sen: "..."
The executives: "..."
Zhou Jiaheng, whether it was because he hadn't slept well the night before or something else, found his brain feeling like it had been clogged with paste early in the morning.
From the moment the door opened and he heard the voices, he stood there like a wooden chicken, unable to come up with any remedial measures.
Seeing Ji Mingshu poke half her head out, his brain misfired, and he—standing at the very front—actually bowed to her. "Good morning, Madam."
The other executives, unsure of the situation, immediately followed suit, greeting, "Good morning, Madam!"
The greetings were a mismatched chorus of old and young voices, looking for all the world like a troupe of actors whose intelligence had been forcibly downgraded.
But the only response they got was the loud "BANG!" of the door slamming shut.
Jiang Chun: 【Ji-family Shushu, you are too funny, hahahahaha, dying of laughter, hahahaha, hic!】
Ji Mingshu: 【...】
Ji Mingshu: 【Are you dead yet? Do you need me to add a bottle of pesticide for you?】
Gu Kaiyang: 【Hahahaha, why didn't you say "Comrades, you’ve worked hard!" hahahahahahaha!】
Ji Mingshu: 【...】
Ji Mingshu: 【I hope your words are as scarce as your money.jpg】
Ji Mingshu: 【Blocked. If you need anything in the future, contact me via drift bottle.jpg】
Ji Mingshu had never expected that after venting in the group chat for a while about "how that pig-brained Zhou Jiaheng became an executive assistant," "how the brains of the entire group's leadership are abnormal," and "how that dog of a man Cen Sen didn't tell me there were people outside and must have done it on purpose to watch me embarrass myself," she wouldn't receive the expected comfort or united venting. Instead, she was mercilessly mocked by these two plastic best friends.
She felt her young, flighty heart had taken another 999 points of damage, so with a very fragile heart, she posted a status: 【The human world is not worth it.】
Cen Sen: 【But the pork ribs are.】
"..."
Does he not have work to do?
Why is he so free???
Blocked.
What happened early that morning was truly too awkward. Every time Ji Mingshu thought of that scene, she felt her heartbeat stop and her breath catch; naturally, she had no mood to continue sleeping.
She sketched on her computer for a while, but had no inspiration, so she collapsed backward to keep scrolling on her phone.
It was only then that she noticed An Ning had also left a comment on her post. Compared to the style of the other monsters and freaks, An Ning’s "Sister, what’s wrong?" seemed exceptionally pure and naive.
She found An Ning in her list and explained that she was just joking and that nothing had happened.
Actually, upon arriving in Star City, Ji Mingshu had thought Cen Sen would take her to see Chen Biqing and An Ning, but Cen Sen hadn't given any indication.
It was as if that meal at the An residence was purely just a meal; he had no intention of a family reunion with that past home after all these years.
Ji Mingshu chatted with An Ning for a bit.
An Ning inadvertently mentioned that their school was holding a sports meet recently, so she followed up, asking, "Did you participate in any events?"
An Ning: 【No, I have a congenital heart defect and can't participate.】
Ji Mingshu: 【Congenital heart defect?】
An Ning: 【Mm.】
An Ning: 【Actually, it was because they needed to raise money for my treatment that Mom and Dad agreed to return Cen Sen-gege to the Cen family. It seems Cen Sen-gege has never been able to forgive Mom and Dad because of this.】
Ji Mingshu didn't know much about what had happened back then, thinking the Cen family was exceptionally overbearing and the An family couldn't keep him, being forced to agree to the swap.
Now, it appeared this swap hadn't been forced, but rather they had sacrificed their non-biological son to save their biological daughter.
She suddenly seemed to understand why Cen Sen had been holding onto this resentment all along.
After sending this message, An Ning seemed to feel it wasn't particularly appropriate and cautiously changed the subject.
Ji Mingshu also felt it wasn't right for her to discuss this topic with An Ning, so she just expressed concern for her condition.
Recalling the floor they lived on, she asked: 【Isn't Cen Yang back? It’s not convenient for you to live in an old residential area. Why don't you move to the capital with him?】
It took a long time for An Ning to reply: 【I’m not very close with Cen Yang-gege.】
Ji Mingshu remembered what Cen Yang had said, and for a moment, she was uncertain: 【Didn't he ask if you wanted to move to the capital to live?】
An Ning hesitated for a long time, replying cautiously: 【He did, but that should have just been polite, right... We rarely talk.】
Ji Mingshu understood and didn't press further.
She hadn't been in contact with Cen Yang for a long time, especially since he intercepted Cen Sen’s project investment during the New Year.
In fact, she vaguely understood that Cen Yang probably wasn't as carefree as he appeared in front of her, but she wasn't willing to harbor any malicious speculations toward him either.
In any case, commercial competition and the like were better left to the men to engage in their own true duels.
Ji Mingshu pulled herself together and sat back up to draw for a while.
Don't let Cen Sen’s usual serious, cold face fool you; in his bones, he had a bit of a talent for being a life coach.
The design advice he gave last night, she felt, was all very reasonable—the kind you could think about seriously while sitting on the toilet.
Cen Sen said that in school, she learned high-end design, and the cases she’d encountered previously were all artistic creations focused on pursuing aesthetic beauty.
There are specialties in every field; she didn't need to hold onto the failure caused by her lack of expertise. As long as she could extract a bit of creative inspiration related to the warmth of life from this failure, it would be enough.
Not sure what she thought of, she grabbed a stack of white paper from the side and manually recorded the inspiration that had just flashed through her mind.
While Ji Mingshu was busy drawing in the hotel, Cen Sen had already left Shuiyunjian and was rushing without pause to a neighboring city to attend an industry conference.
The meeting lasted until 5:30 PM, followed by a business dinner.
Cen Sen had to return to Star City, so he left promptly at 8:00 PM and did not participate in the follow-up social events.
Before reaching the highway, a strange vibration suddenly came from the road surface.
The driver felt something was wrong; after seeking permission, he slowed down and pulled over to the wide shoulder, turning on the hazard lights.
Driver: "This feels a bit like an earthquake, but it shouldn't be here in this area. It should pass in a moment."
Zhou Jiaheng received an instant message: "A 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Star City."
Cen Sen said nothing, and called Ji Mingshu.