My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Very good. Very, very good.

Ji Mingshu felt that her understanding of Cen "Sen-sen" had reached a whole new level.

Although Cen "Sen-sen" did not admit it directly, the meaning of his indirect phrasing, if translated into plain English, was: That's right, I knew your best friend was participating in that show, and Zhou Jiaheng was indeed arranged by me. I hope your best friend can focus on her own life in the future and stop having nothing better to do than stir up trouble between us.

Ji Mingshu: "Are you crazy?"

Was he not busy enough with work? He actually had the leisure to arrange for his own assistant to flirt with his wife's best friend!

Cen Sen stared at her for a moment and nodded. "You actually believed it."

He loosened his tie and suddenly chuckled softly.

Ji Mingshu: "..."

She didn't know if she was seeing things or what, but Cen Sen's smile was somewhat inexplicably doting, as if he were saying, "Oh darling, I just love how you look like a little fool who believes whatever I say because you're lacking in brainpower."

She got goosebumps all over, stood on tiptoes to pinch Cen Sen's cheeks, and pulled them to both sides. "Don't smile!"

"Alright, no smiling."

Cen Sen pressed his forehead against hers, kissed her lips, and asked in a low voice, "Shall we shower together?"

Ji Mingshu: "Pervert!"

The process of his perversion shall be skipped, but during it, Ji Mingshu still pestered Cen Sen to explain the matter of Zhou Jiaheng being on the show.

Actually, this whole thing was a coincidence.

Zhou Jiaheng's family had been nagging him to find a partner for the past few years, and he had always used work as an excuse to dodge them. His family finally ran out of options and came up with a dirty trick: they quietly submitted his resume and signed him up for a dating show.

With his resume, he passed the preliminary and secondary selections with ease. It wasn't until the production team notified him to come for an interview that he found out about it.

Zhou Jiaheng didn't actually want to go, and Cen Sen hadn't originally intended to let him go either. However, after learning that Gu Kaiyang was also on the show, he granted Zhou Jiaheng time off and gave him a hint: if he was interested, he could try to develop something with Gu Kaiyang. If he wasn't interested, he could still help facilitate Gu Kaiyang's development with other male guests.

Although Cen Sen's explanation sounded quite reasonable, Ji Mingshu still wanted to warn Gu Kaiyang that Zhou Jiaheng wasn't some innocent soul and might have impure motives. However, Gu Kaiyang seemed quite satisfied with Zhou Jiaheng joining the show midway as the fourth male guest, and her words were filled with non-stop praise.

Gu Kaiyang: 【I always thought Zhou Jiaheng was just that kind of motherly-hen assistant, but the position he holds at Junyi is actually Vice President of Greater China. Can you believe it?】

Gu Kaiyang: 【And he’s got a bachelor’s from Tsinghua and a master’s from USC; those credentials are solid. I really had way too much prejudice against him before...】

It wasn't surprising that Gu Kaiyang changed her opinion of Zhou Jiaheng so drastically; there is no gap without comparison.

It wasn't until the third day after moving into the villa that the production team allowed everyone to announce their age, educational background, and profession.

The high-and-mighty attitude of those guests over the first three days had led Gu Kaiyang to mistakenly believe that they were all elite pillars of society, Harvard and Cambridge graduates earning millions annually in various industries, to the point where she felt immense pressure whenever she returned to the villa during those days.

She hadn't expected that when the professions were finally revealed, the "kings" would instantly turn into "bronze." The education and jobs they reported were the types that sounded glamorous but were so hollow that squeezing them out would be enough to drown an ox. Gu Kaiyang found herself sitting up straighter unconsciously.

Not to mention Zhou Jiaheng—his credentials among this group of so-called elites were truly superior to the point of being peerless.

In any case, one only had to look at the refreshingly honest reactions of the female guests to know. Previously, there was a female guest who had a clear, mutual attraction with a certain male guest, but in the few days since Zhou Jiaheng arrived, she had been finding every possible opportunity to be alone with him.

Listening to Gu Kaiyang praise him like this, Ji Mingshu didn't want to pour cold water or sow discord; after all, they were still in the stage of changing their opinions and hadn't actually developed anything yet.

But Ji Mingshu was still worried. After finishing the hotel design drafts, she went to Junyi under the guise of caring for Cen Sen's health, specifically picking a daytime hour when Zhou Jiaheng would be working.

Inside the CEO's office—

Ji Mingshu sat in the office chair, putting on airs of authority, mimicking Cen Sen's usual habit of keeping his emotions hidden, and asked coolly, "Assistant Zhou, is your actual position at Junyi that of Vice President of Greater China?"

Zhou Jiaheng said modestly, "It’s just a title."

"When was it bestowed? It wasn't someone temporarily hanging it on you before you joined the show, was it?"

She looked pointedly at Cen Sen, whom she had chased to the lounge area to drink soup.

Zhou Jiaheng: "That’s not it; I’ve held this position ever since I returned from Australia."

Ji Mingshu nodded and asked again, "Assistant Zhou, you don't seem to be from the Imperial Capital. Was it very hard to get into Tsinghua?"

Zhou Jiaheng maintained his modest demeanor. "It was okay. I placed third in the province in the college entrance exam, so Tsinghua and Peking University weren't too difficult."

"..."

Ji Mingshu was speechless for a long time.

Cen Sen, whether he couldn't bear to listen anymore or for some other reason, suddenly signaled for Zhou Jiaheng to go out and expedite a document.

Once he left, he asked Ji Mingshu, "You think Zhou Jiaheng is bad?"

"It's not that he's bad," Ji Mingshu said, propping up her chin as she thought for a long time. "It’s just that Gu Kaiyang is my best friend, and if her boyfriend is my husband’s assistant... that seems a bit weird."

Cen Sen said warmly, "Zhou Jiaheng’s annual salary is probably enough to buy three of Gu Kaiyang’s apartments, and he also holds shares in the group. Besides, him working as an assistant is just a form of training; he won't be an assistant forever. You’re worrying too much."

Ji Mingshu refused to accept this. "She's my best friend, so of course I worry!"

Cen Sen spoke without a second thought. "It’s also your best friend who wants to date, not you. It’s just participating in a show; if she doesn't feel it’s a good fit, then naturally nothing will develop between them."

You're the only one with a mouth!

You're the only one who can nag!

Ji Mingshu’s deadly glare locked onto him.

Seeing that he was completely oblivious and continued to drink his soup, Ji Mingshu marched up angrily, covered his soup bowl, and looked for an argument. "Why can't I date? I married you directly and never even experienced the process of dating. You don't feel guilty, and on top of that, you speak so righteously! I’ve really seen through you!"

Cen Sen: "..."

Her mood swing came as fast as a tornado. It wasn't until he heard the office door slam shut with a thunderous bang that Cen Sen managed to piece together this sudden accusation from Ji Mingshu.

He rubbed his brow bone, suddenly beginning to understand what a "sweet burden" meant.

Outside the office, Zhou Jiaheng, who had retrieved the file, happened to run into Ji Mingshu again.

Before he could even greet her, Ji Mingshu erupted like a little firecracker, firing off a frantic barrage of scolding, the gist being that if he didn't take good care of Gu Kaiyang during the show's recording, or if he dared to play with her feelings, he would be dead meat.

Zhou Jiaheng felt more wronged than Dou E. How would he dare play with Gu Kaiyang's feelings? Did he have too much time to live?

Every night when he returned to that villa, his relationship with Gu Kaiyang was just that of two relatively familiar friends, nothing more.

Ji Mingshu listened to his sincere explanation and then grilled him about the pairing situation of the men and women in the villa.

She gathered from Zhou Jiaheng that it seemed Gu Kaiyang currently had no male guests she was interested in, nor did any male guests have an interest in her.

It was normal for Gu Kaiyang to not have a favorite male guest yet, but how could there be no male guests interested in her?

No, this was too lacking in prestige.

She suddenly changed the subject and gave explicit instructions to Zhou Jiaheng, telling him to show more attentiveness to Gu Kaiyang—at least in places with cameras—and taught him various methods to pursue women and create romantic surprises.

Whether or not Zhou Jiaheng would use these methods to build prestige for Gu Kaiyang remained to be seen until the show aired. In any case, after Ji Mingshu left, Zhou Jiaheng relayed these methods word-for-word to his boss.

Cen Sen took a look.

Order flowers every day to make colleagues and other female guests envious—this clearly didn't apply to Ji Mingshu. She had no colleagues, and sending flowers would just mean she’d be admiring them alone at home.

Give gifts—this didn't apply either, because he sent her gifts every few days.

He suddenly asked, "How do people usually date these days?"

Before Zhou Jiaheng could answer, he added to himself, "I shouldn't ask you; you have no experience either."

Zhou Jiaheng looked at his nose and heart, muttering silently to himself: It sounds as if you have a lot of experience yourself.

Cen Sen paused. Actually, strictly speaking, he did have experience.

However, those memories in his mind now remained nothing but a blank slate; it seemed there was nothing worth remembering, and nothing worth missing.

He took off his glasses and supported his forehead, thinking for a very long time.

Finally, he picked up the phone beside him and slowly typed out a line of characters.

【Baby, do you have time for a date tonight?】

He stared at the characters for a moment, and only after quite a while did he overcome the discomfort in his heart toward such a cringey, sweet tone, and clicked send.