My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Holy crap! Isn't that Jiang Chun's fiancé? Yan, right? My god, that woman—come closer, let me get a good look!"

"It really is her! She’s the second female lead from that costume drama that went semi-viral a while back! Dammit, Yan is truly scum. He just got engaged and he’s already cheating! Wait, is this 'cheating' or 'having an affair'???"

Seeing Gu Kaiyang so energetic and ready to dive headfirst into gossiping after not sleeping for two days, Ji Mingshu sincerely felt that Gu Kaiyang was born to be on the front lines of the paparazzi war.

She lowered the volume of her headphones, barely managing to endure Gu Kaiyang’s frantic bombardment.

Listening to Gu Kaiyang rattle off the sordid history of the girl next to Yan without taking a breath—and seemingly intent on continuing—Ji Mingshu pushed up her sunglasses and lowered her voice to stop her in time. "Alright, you know the life story of this D-list celebrity so well that are you planning to write her biography?"

She focused intently on the lens as she watched Yan and the D-list starlet walk into the elevator arm-in-arm, not blinking once. When they finally turned to face the camera, she accurately took a screenshot.

Gu Kaiyang couldn't help but remind her, "Follow them! See where they're staying."

"Are you crazy? It’s not like my husband is the one cheating."

Besides, she had her own status to maintain; why would she engage in such sordid behavior?

Ji Mingshu tilted her head slightly, adjusted her sunglasses, and went out shopping as if nothing had happened.

Shopping alone was rather dull. She only bought three bags, one pair of shoes, and one trench coat before heading over to Gu Kaiyang’s workplace to visit and grab lunch together.

She returned to the hotel at noon to rest, waiting for the brand to send someone in the afternoon to take her to the haute couture workshop for a dress fitting.

Waking up from her nap and thinking of her new dress, Ji Mingshu was in a great mood. When she left the hotel, she was still having a silent concert in her head.

However, before she could even leave the hotel, someone called out to her from behind, "Ji Mingshu?"

The voice was very familiar. She turned around to see Jiang Chun wearing a pink Chanel-style suit, head adorned with a beret, standing prettily in the lounge area with a hotel attendant helping to push her luggage.

Ji Mingshu paused for a moment and slowly removed her sunglasses.

Jiang Chun was quite satisfied with Ji Mingshu’s reaction. Although she despised Ji Mingshu, she had to admit that as a socialite raised on gold and jade from childhood, Ji Mingshu indeed had impeccable taste. Since Ji Mingshu was stunned, her outfit for today must be pretty good, right? She suddenly felt a bit smug.

"Why are you here?" Ji Mingshu asked.

Jiang Chun assumed Ji Mingshu wanted to mock her for not being invited by the brand, so she reflexively replied, "It’s not like you own this hotel."

After she finished speaking, Jiang Chun fell silent for three seconds.

She suddenly remembered that this hotel had just been acquired by Junyi last year. It actually was her family’s business.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and added, "Paris isn't your backyard, either. Isn't Miss Ji overstepping a bit? Yan is on a business trip in Paris, and I’m here to surprise him. Is that not allowed?"

Only when mentioning Yan, her fiancé, did her spine straighten a bit.

"...A surprise?"

For a moment, Ji Mingshu didn't know what expression to make.

"Yeah, at least when our Yan goes on a business trip, I have an address. Unlike your President Cen, who disappears for days on end the moment he gets busy."

Seeing Jiang Chun’s childish smugness, Ji Mingshu was speechless, yet she also felt a sliver of pity.

Actually, Jiang Chun hadn't originally been in this circle, but her father was highly capable; he had managed to transform himself from a nouveau riche villager in a fishing village in Shenzhen into a catering tycoon, amassing piles of real money.

Her father was very ambitious, too. A few years ago, he moved the whole family from Shenzhen to the capital and relied on his immense wealth to pry open the doors of the imperial capital’s noble families, even arranging an engagement with the Yan family.

The Yan family had once been a prominent and wealthy house, but each generation had become less capable than the last. Combined with poor luck and lack of foresight, they had long been in decline.

The engagement between the two families was a typical case of "new money" and "old money" combining forces to get what they each needed.

Originally, whether or not there was cheating in this kind of union wasn't something worth criticizing; playing the field was the norm. If Ji Mingshu had bumped into it, she would have just pretended not to see it and wouldn't have said a word to the parties involved, at most gossiping with friends over tea.

But the problem was—Jiang Chun was too sincere. She had fallen in love with Yan at first sight and couldn't pull herself out of it.

The Jiang family had plenty of other options. If it weren't for Jiang Chun’s feelings, there would be absolutely no reason for them to choose a broken-down house like the Yans that showed no signs of rising again.

Ji Mingshu’s uncharacteristic silence and the hint of pity in her eyes made Jiang Chun’s skin crawl. She slowly walked toward the front desk, stealing glances back at Ji Mingshu as she went.

Ji Mingshu was debating whether to meddle and offer a warning when she heard Jiang Chun scream in disbelief ahead, "Yan!"

Okay.

No warning needed.

Not far away, Yan was walking out of the elevator like a conjoined twin with that D-list starlet. Both of them were wearing different clothes than the ones they had worn that morning.

Ji Mingshu wasn't an innocent little girl; seeing their demeanor, she knew they had probably been at it before coming out.

Actually, Jiang Chun didn't look bad, but her taste was truly atrocious. Any luxury goods piled on her looked like 8.8 yuan free-shipping replicas from Taobao. Coupled with the fact that she was currently losing her mind over love and preparing to throw a tantrum, she formed a natural contrast with the pitiful, delicate little white flower beside Yan who had just been "nourished."

Sure enough, they hadn't argued for two minutes before Yan shielded the little white flower behind him and impatiently pushed Jiang Chun aside.

"Are you done yet? Is making a scene here fun? Look at yourself right now; aren't you embarrassed?"

"I'm embarrassing?"

Jiang Chun’s eyes turned red, and bean-sized tears rolled down.

During the scuffle, her hat had shifted, and her curls and clothes were messy; she looked truly disheveled.

The little white flower acted as if she had rehearsed it, quietly putting on her mask and sunglasses, then hiding behind Yan and whispering timidly, "A-Yan... I can't be photographed."

Yan patted her hand, turned back with a frown, unwilling to even spare Jiang Chun another glance. His tone was filled with extreme annoyance. "We'll discuss our issues when we get back to the country. If you want to embarrass yourself here, then keep making a scene, but don't drag me into it."

Jiang Chun was stunned, seemingly unable to believe that the fiancé who had always been gentle and considerate could turn against her as easily as flipping a page.

Yan protected the little white flower as they walked out. Whether the little flower did it on purpose or not, she bumped Jiang Chun’s shoulder on the way past.

Ji Mingshu couldn't watch anymore. Standing not far away, she suddenly gave a light laugh. "How interesting. A scumbag and his mistress aren't embarrassed about being caught in the act, but they blame the legal fiancée for being embarrassing." Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it.

Yan finally noticed Ji Mingshu. His expression turned foul. He wanted to tell Ji Mingshu not to meddle, but remembering the Cen and Ji families, he swallowed his words.

"Aren't you worried about being embarrassed? Our foreign friends don't understand Chinese. Do you need me to translate for you so you can be thoroughly embarrassed?"

Catching a glimpse of the "Valentine's Bridge" on Yan's wrist, Ji Mingshu scoffed, "Your entire wardrobe was a gift from your legitimate fiancée, yet you’re acting so righteous."

Yan: "You!"

As Yan struggled to save face, the little white flower acted "sensible," immediately putting on a brave, self-sacrificing appearance. She stepped forward and bowed timidly, "Miss Jiang, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Can we find a place to talk privately? Please don't do this here..."

She even reached out to pull Jiang Chun, but Ji Mingshu blocked her, coldly cutting her off, "What are you? Move aside." Her gaze shifted back to Yan.

Her meaning was clear: Apologize.

Yan was boiling with rage but couldn't vent it. He rubbed his forehead, licked his teeth, and finally nodded helplessly. "Fine, I’m in the wrong. I’m the one being embarrassing. I’ll personally go to the Jiang residence to explain this when we get back to the country. I have matters to attend to now; I’m leaving."

Ji Mingshu didn't stop him.

If he wasn't willing to coax Jiang Chun even at this point, stopping him wouldn't serve much purpose.

She turned and walked up to Jiang Chun.

Before she could even open her mouth, Jiang Chun sobbed indignantly, "I don't need your fake kindness! Are you happy seeing me make a fool of myself?! Do you think your husband is any better? None of you are good people!"

"..."

"Whether my husband is a 'good person' or not is no concern of yours."

Ji Mingshu found people with persecutory delusions the most annoying. She had intended to offer some token comfort, but now, it was a waste of breath.

She coldly put on her sunglasses and strode away gracefully on her high heels.

Jiang Chun’s words didn't affect Ji Mingshu’s mood for her dress fitting.

Ji Mingshu had already tried on the prototype of this nude-pink lace tulle dress earlier, and the tailor had made further adjustments based on her body shape after she put it on.

Once finished, she was quite satisfied with the effect.

She had someone help her record a short video and sent a copy to Gu Kaiyang.

Gu Kaiyang was probably busy; she didn't see it and didn't reply for a long while.

On a whim, Ji Mingshu added a fresh, clean filter and sent a copy to Cen Sen as well.

Ji Mingshu: [How is it? My newly ordered dress.]

When Ji Mingshu sent the message, it was already night in the capital. The gray-blue curtain of night covered the city, and the neon lights along the streets were lighting up one after another.

Cen Sen had just finished a meeting and took the phone handed to him by Zhou Jiaheng, scanning it lightly.

There were many unread messages—first several credit card consumption alerts, followed by the WeChat message from Ji Mingshu.

Usually, he and Ji Mingshu rarely contacted each other; if they did, they would just call. It was rare for Ji Mingshu to proactively send him a WeChat.

He loosened his tie and tapped on the video.

The video was very short, just over ten seconds, featuring Ji Mingshu twirling twice in the dress and ending with a wink.

He watched it once, replayed it, and then replayed it a third time.

Zhou Jiaheng, walking by Cen Sen’s side, noticed that Cen Sen kept replaying the same video. He was curious but didn't dare to peek further.

It wasn't until he returned to his office that Cen Sen stopped the playback.

The chat window still showed Ji Mingshu’s question. Not knowing if he should offer genuine praise or just brush her off, he simply replied: "It looks good."

Seeing that Cen Sen had uncharacteristically refrained from using his ability to "argue with anyone," Ji Mingshu’s mood was decent. She generously engaged him in discussion: "Does it have that feeling mentioned online, where it's a bit 'wavey' yet fresh, a bit 'bitchy' yet high-end?"

Cen Sen gave a silent scoff. He checked the bill and corrected her: "I don't think this is 'a bit high-end'."

Calling a dress that cost 180,000 euros "a bit high-end"—she really had the nerve to say that.

Cen Sen looked up and asked Zhou Jiaheng, "When did Madam arrive in Paris?"

Zhou Jiaheng paused. "Five this morning."

He then automatically reported Ji Mingshu’s series of itineraries for the next few days, which mostly consisted of show arrangements, as well as invitations for lunches, dinners, and afternoon teas with top-tier socialites.

Cen Sen didn't know if he was listening carefully. After the report concluded, he commented in a flat tone, "She’s quite busy."

Zhou Jiaheng kept his gaze low, prudently not taking the bait.

On the other side, Ji Mingshu was feeling extremely pleased.

Being particularly narcissistic, she interpreted Cen Sen’s comment, "I don't think this is 'a bit high-end'," as a compliment. She decided to buy Cen Sen a tie clip as encouragement.

But just then, the WeChat notification chime rang ding-ding-ding.

Sure enough, the "rainbow farts" (excessive flattery) of Editor Gu would be late, but they would never be absent.

Gu Kaiyang: [Woooooo, what kind of peerless fairy has fallen into the mortal world!]

Gu Kaiyang: [The dress isn't haute couture! You are!]

Gu Kaiyang: [The way our little canary baby works her beauty and spends money is truly mesmerizing!!!]

Gu Kaiyang: [How much money does Mom have to earn to snatch you away from that scumbag's hands?!]

There is no gap without comparison.

Ji Mingshu took a screenshot and sent it to Cen Sen, wanting him to understand the correct way to offer praise.

Cen Sen received the image, his gaze landing on the "scumbag" in the final sentence.

So that’s what she calls him when she’s with her best friend.