My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

In truth, looking at the categorical list from one to four in the notebook, Ji Mingshu subconsciously thought this was a work plan Cen Sen had written. It wasn't until she caught sight of her own name that she realized what it was and began to examine it closely.

After finishing it, she couldn't come back to her senses for quite a while.

How to put it? It was truly so rigorous... so rigorous that she involuntarily recalled the shivering, helpless feeling she had when writing a thesis back in her school days.

The stylist had arrived upstairs and knocked politely on the door.

Ji Mingshu steadied herself, placed the notebook aside, and went to turn the doorknob.

The afternoon event was an outdoor tea party. Although there was no specific dress code on the invitation, it was customary to wear something from the brand's new collection from the past two years to be polite and appropriate.

Ji Mingshu chose a dark green fringe dress. The stylist agreed it was suitable, but since the dress was a step-in style, she suggested Ji Mingshu change into it before doing her makeup and hair.

Those who work in the bridal and event styling industry are excellent at talking; the compliments and flattery that come out of their mouths always sound natural and sincere.

Moreover, since they frequently serve celebrities and socialites, they know plenty of gossip and inside scoops. As long as you are willing to listen, the hours spent on makeup and hair will never be boring.

At that moment, the stylist was recounting how, while styling the second female lead for a hit movie the other day, the actress had lost her temper with her assistant and acted like a diva toward the organizers.

Ji Mingshu offered an occasional "mm-hmm," letting the gossip go in one ear and out the other, while her hands kept fidgeting with Cen Sen’s little notebook.

Not sure what came to mind, she suddenly opened the notebook and grabbed a brow pencil to write a sentence on it.

"Dear, what are you writing?" the stylist glanced over but couldn't see clearly, asking out of curiosity.

"Nothing." Ji Mingshu closed the notebook as soon as she finished, looked at the mirror, tilted her head slightly, and pointed to her hair. "I think this side could be a bit looser; it’s tied too tight."

The stylist followed her gaze and used the fine tail of her comb to tease it out. "Is that better?"

"Yes, that's fine."

The stylist felt relieved and, being sensible, didn't press further, instead returning to the gossip about the second female lead.

Ji Mingshu wasn't stupid; if someone can gossip about others to you today, they can gossip about you to others tomorrow.

But she couldn't suppress her desire to share her treasure of a husband. After much deliberation, she had no choice but to force the share upon Jiang Chun and Gu Kaiyang.

Jiang Chun: 【?】

Jiang Chun: 【I suspect this is showing off your relationship.】

Jiang Chun: 【Cold dog food slapping me across the face.jpg】

Gu Kaiyang: 【What did I do wrong?】

Jiang Chun: 【And what did I do wrong?】

Ji Mingshu put on a coy act: 【He remembers his phone number even after only saying it once, so why write this down, and so meticulously? Sigh, my heart is currently a mixture of five flavors.】

Gu Kaiyang: 【Alright, say no more. We have already gotten the message regarding how much he values you. /Smile】

Gu Kaiyang: 【Our world-conquering, brilliant Cen-zong has lowered his IQ for love, meticulously arranging his dating flow in a notebook. awsl! What a coldly cute man!】

Gu Kaiyang: 【Woman, are you satisfied now.jpg】

Satisfied, very satisfied.

Ji Mingshu giggled to herself.

Jiang Chun: 【It’s very sweet, but—】

Jiang Chun: 【It’s not "five flavors of grain," it should be "five flavors of complex emotions," right? tvt】

Jiang Chun: 【Number one in the major of splitting hairs.jpg】

Jiang Chun: 【Hiding under a cooking pot.jpg】

Ji Mingshu: 【……】

Ji Mingshu: 【Alright, you number one in the major, you can shut up now.】

The daily bickering of the "Gu-Que-E" iron triangle continued all the way to the event venue.

Jiang Chun hadn't originally intended to attend because she had long since learned that her ex-fiancé and his "little white lotus" would also be present. She hadn't seen those two shameless people in a long time and didn't know if she could control her temper.

However, both Gu Kaiyang and Ji Mingshu promised to have her back, and since all the socialites present were Ji Mingshu’s "plastic" sisters, she wouldn't be the one at a disadvantage if a scene broke out.

Thinking about this, she felt at ease coming along. Besides, "Yan-zai" (her pet name for her crush) would be making an appearance today. She hadn't been able to fawn over her cub's exquisite, handsome, yet cold and heartless looks in a long time; she truly missed it.

The venue had twelve small fountains, a young couple was playing a four-handed duet in front of a white triangle structure, the dessert table was designed with a spiral staircase made of glass and copper trim, and celebrities were posing and signing autographs in front of the backdrop, accepting interviews. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the rustle of clothes.

"What are you chickening out for? It wasn't you who cheated, and that slap back then was given by me; it has nothing to do with you."

Ji Mingshu secretly used a flat whisper to bolster Jiang Chun’s courage, while maintaining a sweet, delicate smile on the surface, occasionally raising her glass to acquaintances from afar.

Jiang Chun: "I know, it’s just a bit awkward."

"He isn't even embarrassed, so why are you? Besides, you're engaged to Tang Zhizhou now; isn't it better for everyone to go their separate ways and be beautiful on their own?"

Ji Mingshu set down her glass with her back to the crowd, analyzing the situation with a rapid-fire tongue. After finishing her analysis, she provided Jiang Chun with various preventative measures in case a scene occurred.

But just as she was speaking eloquently, someone behind her called out to her with great interest: "Hey, is that Ji Mingshu?"

She paused slightly and turned to look.

Perhaps because her memory as a "little bird" was limited, the person in front of her looked familiar, but she couldn't recall who he was for the life of her.

No matter, the person soon introduced himself in an attempt to awaken her dormant memory: "I’m Zhou Zhen."

"..."

Ji Mingshu finally remembered. As she realized who he was, an awkward but polite smile floated onto her face: "Long time no see."

Jiang Chun gave her an inquisitive look.

She introduced him briefly: "Zhou Zhen, a senior from my high school."

Zhou Zhen raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with her description.

But aside from calling him a "high school senior," Ji Mingshu really didn't know what extra information could be provided. Should she add a qualifier in front: "The high school senior who almost became my first love?"

She wasn't good at reminiscing, nor did she want to. She didn't even introduce Jiang Chun to Zhou Zhen, opting instead to nod politely, pick up her glass, and continue drinking.

The scene was a bit dry.

Six or seven years had passed since their high school days; there wasn't really any grudge that couldn't be let go. If it had been any other old classmate she had no history with, she might have been patient enough to chat about old times, but Li Wenyin didn't fall into that category, and neither did Zhou Zhen.

For no other reason than that Zhou Zhen was the sophomore senior she had once had a crush on, only for him to start going to the cafeteria with Li Wenyin two days later, chatting and laughing happily.

Back then, it was obvious that Li Wenyin was deliberately getting close to Zhou Zhen just to spite her. Once her initial crush—sparked by appreciation for his looks—faded, Li Wenyin quickly disappeared from his side. When she entered her sophomore year, Li Wenyin confirmed her relationship with Cen Sen, who had already graduated.

Li Wenyin was riding high on success then, but Ji Mingshu couldn't muster any energy for anything.

It was right then that Zhou Zhen, who had had no prior connection with Ji Mingshu, heard through her roommates that she had once had a crush on him. He began appearing by her side, frequently conveying an intention to pursue her.

He was a handsome guy, after all; though Ji Mingshu didn't agree immediately, she didn't refuse him outright either.

Later, during winter break, she went out with friends a couple of times and felt he wasn't bad. She had thought, why not try dating? But she hadn't expected that this guy, who seemed slow and shy, was actually a "sea king" (player)—not only did he have a little fish pond, but he was managing the entire seven seas.

WeChat wasn't popular in that era, but according to his roommates, just on QQ, he could hold five conversations simultaneously, and he could take different girls to see Harry Potter six times.

Ji Mingshu truly had her eyes opened.

She naturally refused when he confessed.

Because she had almost been deceived by this player, Ji Mingshu felt embarrassed. For many years after, she had never mentioned this "first love" that had fortunately never even started to anyone.

Re-encountering an old acquaintance and recalling the past, Ji Mingshu clearly didn't want to engage further.

However, the old acquaintance Zhou Zhen wasn't particularly tactful. Even with Ji Mingshu’s attitude so clear, he remained standing there, insisting on chatting with her. He brought up their past flirtation, assuming it was just right, then changed the topic to his career development abroad after graduation. His tone seemed to suggest he thought he was doing well and felt quite superior, inexplicably exuding a sense of vindication, as if he wanted Ji Mingshu to regret having rejected him back then.

Ji Mingshu listened politely for a while, just about to interrupt.

Suddenly, a woman walked over and, as if staking a claim, took Zhou Zhen's arm, calling out affectionately, "A-Zhen." She then began looking Ji Mingshu up and down with an unfriendly gaze.

Her pronunciation of "A-Zhen" wasn't very standard; she was likely an ABC.

Ji Mingshu glanced at the fringe dress she was wearing—the same style as hers but in a different color—and lowered her eyes, swirling her wine, completely indifferent.

The ABC also quickly noticed Ji Mingshu’s dress, and her expression turned ugly.

She had wanted to buy the dark green one at the time, but it was out of stock everywhere. She had been unhappy for several days before finally settling for the white one.

Jiang Chun, the little "gossiping goose," observed everything in secret but stayed silent, only pulling out her phone to type a line for Ji Mingshu to read: 【Wearing the same outfit isn't scary; whoever looks uglier is the one who’s embarrassed.】

Ji Mingshu pursed her lips.

"Who are these two?" the ABC looked at them and asked Zhou Zhen.

Zhou Zhen wasn't embarrassed; he introduced them simply and then introduced the ABC to Ji Mingshu as his fiancée, intentionally or unintentionally adding a few lines about her background.

Ji Mingshu smiled and said, "Oh."

Whether it was because they had just returned to the country and didn't understand the local social circles, the two stood in front of Ji Mingshu and wouldn't leave.

One was doing everything possible to show that he was doing well now and that it was her loss not to have dated him, while the other probably suffered from "boyfriend-snatching syndrome," clinging tightly to her sea king to signal her position as the rightful queen.

Ji Mingshu was getting impatient and gave Jiang Chun a look.

Jiang Chun was particularly quick on the uptake. Suddenly following the ABC fiancée’s words, she exclaimed in admiration: "Planning to go to Norway for your honeymoon? That’s too romantic. I’ve never seen the aurora borealis."

The ABC smiled contentedly and offered a few polite words.

Jiang Chun then looked at Ji Mingshu. "Hey, how is the paperwork coming along for the island your husband bought you? You already promised to take me to see the aurora borealis. Can we go directly on that big yacht your husband bought?"

Both Zhou Zhen and his fiancée paused slightly.

Jiang Chun acted as if she were oblivious, as if Cen Sen were her husband rather than Ji Mingshu’s, praising him with such genuine feeling and flowery language.

"...By the way, what time is your husband coming to pick you up today?"

"Sigh, Mingshu really has a good life. Her husband comes to pick her up whenever he has time, and he even cooks for her."

Ji Mingshu pinched her discreetly, signaling her to stop while she was ahead. If no one came to pick them up after the event ended, wouldn't that be incredibly awkward?

But the moment she raised her eyes, she saw the peerless "good man" Jiang Chun had been talking about—the one she was barely recognizing anymore—standing not far away, looking at her with deep intensity.