My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Ji Mingshu was stunned for two seconds before confirming, "The 'Planet B612' theme?"

"It's mine! That one is mine!" She immediately reacted, her voice filled with delight. "Did you recognize it? You must have recognized it, right!"

Cen Sen gave a silent nod.

He was indeed very familiar with Ji Mingshu’s style. No matter how the themes changed, he could always identify her designs at a single glance.

Upon hearing that her proposal had not only been selected but had also received the highest number of votes, Ji Mingshu was so happy she could have taken flight on the spot. She didn't care that she was in a bustling shopping mall, nor did she care about the little "goose" beside her who was always picking on her and looking for a battle. She poured out sweet nothings to Cen Sen as if they didn't cost a cent.

Jiang Chun, while half-biting into her pork floss snack, looked at her with an indescribable expression.

To think she was a socialite; she could actually call out "Honey" to her husband in public. Didn't she feel any shame?

Yet Cen Sen was very receptive to this. While reading the two sentences Ji Mingshu had added to his notebook, he listened to the sweet talk on the other end of the phone, the corners of his lips curving slightly without interrupting her.

It wasn't until Ji Mingshu finished speaking that he added, "Which mall are you at? I'll come pick you up."

Ji Mingshu gave him the address, and he replied with an "mm," telling her to grab a cup of coffee and wait for him.

Before heading out, he closed his small notebook and tossed it casually into the bedside drawer.

In truth, at the time he wrote down those date plans, he felt he was being absurdly childish. What was so worth treasuring about those few simple lines?

But he didn't deny that he had actually spent a long time reviewing and pondering those few lines.

For instance, he had pondered for a long time why, when they chatted, Ji Mingshu would sometimes become unwilling to continue; why she was so reluctant when dining on French cuisine with him, yet the atmosphere was always relaxed when she was with Cen Yang.

Some things he had originally thought were just minor details not worth dwelling on, yet he found he cared about them far more than he had imagined.

After the initial brief surprise, Ji Mingshu developed some redundant worries. When she saw Cen Sen, she kept questioning him about the details of the highest-voted entry, fearing it might be a huge blunder where she accidentally shared a brainwave with another designer. It wasn't until the person in charge of the Junyi Yaji project team contacted her that she was completely convinced.

Even though her work was selected, it didn't mean Ji Mingshu could just sit back and relax.

After signing the contract, she had to revise the design drawings based on the hotel’s actual conditions and follow up in real-time on the completion progress of the custom furniture, leaving her extremely busy.

Especially regarding special craftsmanship and materials—to actually put things into practice according to the design drawings, she had to fly all over the world.

The days slipped by quietly amidst peace and busyness. Before she knew it, Beijing had transitioned from spring to summer.

In June, Ji Mingshu went to Osaka to visit a woodcarving master, and on the way, she stopped in Tokyo to support the art exhibition of one of her "plastic" (fake) best friends in the circle.

On her return trip, while waiting for her flight at Narita Airport, she went to a duty-free shop and picked out a tie clip for Cen Sen.

Coincidentally, this was the exact tie clip she had intended to buy for him last year while watching a fashion show in Paris, only to put it back because Cen Sen had angered her with his sharp tongue.

She took a photo and sent it to Cen Sen, asking: [Do you like it?]

Cen Sen: [I like it.]

Ji Mingshu smiled as she swiped her card. In any case, there was no such thing as accessories being out of season, and besides, this antique, which was written all over with a sense of age, couldn't be categorized by seasons anyway.

After spending the money, there was still time before boarding. Ji Mingshu sat in the lounge, elegantly crossing her legs as she scrolled through Weibo.

She only loved looking at Weibo, not posting on it. Her last post was the long essay she wrote back when she was having a direct showdown with Li Wenyin.

The top-liked comments underneath had long since cycled through; now, they were basically fixed as: "Waiting for the President's wife to update," "If you give me a clear photo of the President’s face, I can edit 1G of sweet sugar out of it," "What kind of temperamental, perfect woman is this," and so on.

In truth, the gossip heat had long since faded, and the growth rate of her followers had decreased significantly. However, continuously, there were still viewers who had watched the re-released version of "The Designers" who followed the trail, sending private messages to express their encouragement and love for her.

Whenever she was free, she would flip through them and reply to the messages with genuine sincerity.

Just now, she opened Weibo to check her messages and reply to DMs as usual, but when she clicked into the "Messages from Unfollowed Users," she suddenly found one from a certain Golden V official account that stood out.

Before clicking it, Ji Mingshu subconsciously thought that finally, someone was looking for her to do an advertisement. But once she clicked, she realized it was an invitation to record a documentary program.

[Hello, Miss Ji. I am the executive producer of the "Old Scenery" column. Our column plans to film a public welfare documentary this year on the protective renovation of old houses. I personally really like the renovation plan you provided in the program "The Designers," so I hope I can invite you to participate in the design. I look forward to your early reply.]

Ji Mingshu froze.

Another renovation program?

She was truly traumatized by the last one.

She instinctively started to write a refusal, but as her gaze fell on the keywords "protective renovation of old houses" and "public welfare documentary," she felt inexplicably hesitant.

Ask about it first.

Asking wouldn't hurt.

Holding this thought, Ji Mingshu added the producer and chatted for a while while waiting for her flight.

This producer was very honest and understood all of Ji Mingshu’s misgivings in a heartbeat.

Trending on Weibo? Nonexistent. The subject of our documentary is niche; we won't invite celebrities, and we estimate not many people will watch it.

Renovation design not suitable for living? Nonexistent. The ultimate goal of our renovation is to hope to combine the Shanghai style of the last century with modern design, to be opened to the public as a protected building for exhibition, not for people to live in.

In short, this was a public welfare design project led by the government; there was no need for any concerns.

Ji Mingshu was a soft-hearted person. Hearing this, she thought, maybe she could give it a try?

She screenshotted the chat history and sent it to Cen Sen, wanting to get his advice. However, before she could wait for his reply, it was time to board the plane.

The flight from Tokyo back to Beijing actually lasted only two or three hours. Ji Mingshu, being very frugal and home-conscious, chose business class.

Once on the plane, she adjusted her seat, covered herself with a blanket, and then comfortably picked up a newspaper to pretend to be a businesswoman.

She basically only read the finance section of the newspaper, scanning quickly to look for relevant news about Beijing Construction and Huadian.

After searching for a long time and finding nothing, she was about to give up. But as she turned the page, she suddenly saw a piece of news: "Bory's Return to A-shares Fails, New Energy Development Business Faces Heavy Obstacles." She paused again.

She didn't know or care about Bory; the only reason she noticed this news was because "Haichuan Capital" was mentioned in the sub-headline.

If her memory served her right, Cen Yang was the head of Haichuan Capital’s Greater China region.

For some reason, she had a gut feeling that this matter might be related to Cen Yang intercepting Cen Sen’s investment earlier, so she patiently read the report in detail.

Ji Mingshu didn't fully understand the finance-related terms. After reading it, she summarized the main point as follows:

Bory’s internal contradictions were deep, its capital restructuring failed, and the outcome wasn't optimistic; it would likely be swallowed up and acquired.

As Bory’s financier, Haichuan Capital had made multiple decision-making errors, leading to heavy losses, and the head of the Greater China region had recently resigned to take the blame.

Additionally, the report mentioned that Jingcheng Capital intended to acquire Bory at a low price.

—Jingcheng Capital had no connection to Beijing Construction, but it seemed to be a company Cen Sen and Jiang Che had co-founded.

Ji Mingshu was bewildered, and suddenly, she seemed to understand something.

After getting off the plane and switching her mode, she received Cen Sen’s opinion regarding the documentary program at the first opportunity.

Like writing an argumentative essay, he first proposed a thesis—she could participate—and then brought out various pros and cons to support the argument.

Ji Mingshu only took a glance before calling her driver. "Hello, have you arrived at the airport?"

For some reason, the driver’s response was a bit vague. "Ah! Arrived... arrived! Please wait a moment, Madam."

It took nearly half a minute before he replied, "Madam, the car is parked outside International Departures Exit 2. Which exit will you be coming out of?"

Ji Mingshu looked back and saw it was indeed International Departures Exit 2. "Oh, just park there. I'm coming out now."

Her large luggage had already been air-freighted back to the country as usual. At this moment, she had one hand in the pocket of her silk trench coat, wore black sunglasses, and pushed a light, dainty suitcase with her other hand, looking every bit the movie star.

However, her mind was preoccupied with the news she had just seen on the plane, leaving her somewhat distracted, and she walked quickly.

Seeing the familiar license plate with hazard lights blinking by the parking lane, a strange feeling flashed through Ji Mingshu’s heart. But before she could think it through, her actions were ahead of her brain; she opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

After sitting down, she finally remembered what was strange.

Why didn't this driver offer to take her luggage? Why didn't he open the car door for her? Did this driver want to keep his job or not? He—

Ji Mingshu unexpectedly locked eyes with the familiar pair of eyes in the rearview mirror, and her heart skipped a beat.

Immediately after, she leaned her head forward, coquettishly hitting the driver’s arm twice, and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why are you here? Didn't you say you were going on a business trip today?"

Cen Sen held the steering wheel with one hand and gripped her slim, fair wrist with the other. He pondered for a moment and said seriously, "I heard this is called a surprise."

After saying this, he produced a bouquet of roses as if by magic.

Ji Mingshu had originally kept a cold, aloof face, but seeing the flowers, she couldn't keep it up no matter what. She opened the car door in a flash and sat in the passenger seat, then held the little roses and took a deep breath. Following that, she leaned over and kissed Cen Sen’s side profile. "Nice performance!"

Cen Sen’s expression was calm; he didn't seem to have any special reaction to her kiss, only saying that one couldn't park on the side of the road for long. Then he leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt.

The distance between them closed abruptly.

Ji Mingshu had a faint scent of perfume on her—likely sprayed before she went out—leaving only the base note of citrus.

Although it had only been a week since they last met, Cen Sen found that he had missed this little canary that had briefly flown out of its cage even more than he had imagined. Although they video-called every day, it was completely different from the feeling of having her lying beside him in the flesh.

After fastening her seatbelt, he didn't pull away. With one hand resting on the side of her chair, his gaze landed on her lips, which were only lightly touched with lip balm. His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he leaned in subconsciously.

Was, was this a kiss?

But there were so many people outside.

Not having seen him for several days, Ji Mingshu felt a bit shy. Her ears flushed red, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she slowly closed her eyes.

One second, two seconds, three seconds. She finally felt Cen Sen’s warm breath and couldn't help but lean slightly forward, wanting to close the distance.

But she didn't expect that she couldn't control the force of her forward movement, and she bumped directly onto his lips.

The air went quiet for an instant.

Cen Sen still maintained that short distance of a few centimeters, not moving a single bit, only suddenly laughing softly. "I couldn't tell you missed me this much.”