My Queen, My Rules - 21
Carry Me
Swap Lives?
Even after hanging up, Ji Mingshu sat there in stunned silence.
Was he saying she belonged in some remote backwater with no internet, raising pigs, growing vegetables, herding cattle, and being remolded into a model citizen of the new socialist era?
Was he even human? How could anyone say something so vicious?
“So what if I spent a little of his stinking money! Is that any reason for him to be so vicious?”
"Why doesn't he go get reformed himself?"
Fuming, Ji Mingshu stuffed three macarons into her mouth in one breath, her tone dripping with utter disbelief, she couldn't comprehend how such a callously heartless man could exist in this world.
Gu Kaiyang instinctively corrected her. "Well. It wasn't exactly a little money."
Ji Mingshu immediately shoved a macaron into her mouth, her glare saying loud and clear, Just eat and stop talking.
Jiang Chun was unaware about the true nature of Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen’s relationship. To her, this was simply another round of affectionate bickering between a happily married couple. Which meant her attention was fixed entirely on one thing.
Ji Mingshu had taken the first bite of dessert.
She quietly swallowed. Then, putting on a perfunctory smile, she soothed, "Calm down, calm down. Your husband was obviously joking. How could he bear to let you participate on Swap Lives?"
As she spoke, her tiny silver fork slowly, stealthily crept toward the tiramisu.
Before it even touched the cake, Ji Mingshu smacked her goose-like claw away, issuing a second yellow-card warning with her eyes.
Jiang Chun wilted on the spot, radiating deep resentment.
Perhaps she'd been suppressed by Ji Mingshu for far too long lately, the very next second she straightened in her chair as though possessed by the spirit of Niohuru Little Earth Goose and launched into a rapid-fire counterattack.
"Like Swap Lives would even invite you in the first place! Please don't go. What did those poor farmers ever do to deserve hosting a walking disaster like you? You can't carry anything, you can't lift anything, you probably can't even tie your own shoelaces, and you're supposed to plant rice or grow vegetables? Oh my god. A neighbor's kid would brush against your handbag and you'd probably scream, 'Ah! Take your filthy hands off! This bag cost 1.2 million!'"
Ji Mingshu: "..."
A friendship had capsized over a piece of tiramisu.
What terrible thing had she done in life to end up married to a man like Cen Sen and surrounded by friends like these?
Back home, Ji Mingshu still couldn't let go of Cen Sen's merciless roast.
Going to the bathroom, she discovered her period had arrived. Feeling inexplicably melancholy, she curled up on the sofa and found herself seriously reflecting on Gu Kaiyang's heartfelt advice.
After the misunderstanding about Cen Sen's supposed affair had been cleared up last time, she had genuinely asked herself something she'd never considered before.
If the day ever really came...
If she and Cen Sen actually divorced...
How would she live the rest of her life?
Before marriage, the Ji family had always treated her well, but she'd never owned meaningful shares or assets she could freely liquidate.
After marriage, Cen Sen never restricted her spending. But they'd signed a prenuptial agreement.
If they divorced, she wouldn't receive a single cent. She would walk away with nothing.
If that dog man wanted to be even crueler, he could probably make sure she couldn't take any of the luxury goods she'd spent so freely over the past few years, either.
Besides, no one understood the current relationship between the Cen and Ji families better than Ji Mingshu herself.
If they ever divorced, the Ji family would be the first to come for her.
Adding it all up, she realized the only thing truly in her name was the apartment at Bocui Tianhua. Everything else could disappear the instant the divorce papers were signed.
For the first time, she felt the faintest hint of a crisis.
But she’d been raised in the lap of luxury by the Ji family for the purpose of a marriage alliance. The idea of supporting herself was, to put it mildly, nonexistent.
On top of that, she'd skipped straight past all the struggle and arrived at the luxurious dream life most people spent their whole lives chasing.
Asking her to find life unsatisfactory and hunt for some dream to strive for was really quite a tall order.
So that tiny sense of crisis still wasn't enough to awaken whatever independent spirit might be hiding somewhere deep inside her.
But...
The rebellious streak in her bones was much stronger than her sense of independence.
After sulking on the sofa for ten minutes, she pictured Cen Sen's calm, faintly mocking expression as he'd suggested she'd be better off on Swap Lives.
Without another thought, she picked up her phone, replied to Meng Xiaowei, then headed upstairs to pack.
This wasn't the first time Ji Mingshu had deliberately done the opposite of what Cen Sen wanted.
So when, on the way to his dinner engagement, Cen Sen received confirmation that she'd accepted the program, he wasn't particularly surprised.
"President Cen," Zhou Jiaheng asked, "should I have the production team replace her?"
"No." Cen Sen rubbed his forehead. "Adjust the team assignments. Cancel the priority filming as well. Unless she tells them herself, there's no need to specifically inform the station of her identity."
Zhou Jiaheng paused before answering, "Understood."
Junyi happened to be the biggest financial backer of the interior design reality show.
To promote the upcoming designer hotel brand, Junyi Yaji, the group had poured a massive investment into Xingcheng TV, influencing everything from the show's title sponsorship to its production format.
Two of the featured rising designers had even been personally recruited by Junyi to design for Junyi Yaji, and were slated to be central figures in the program.
None of this, however, was known to Ji Mingshu.
Half an hour later, the Bentley stopped outside Fengtang. Zhou Jiaheng stepped out first and opened the rear door for Cen Sen.
Tonight's engagement couldn't easily be declined. It had been arranged by Director Chen, an old acquaintance of Cen Yuanchao's.
There was little doubt about the purpose. Director Chen intended to introduce someone and secure investment for a film project.
The moment Cen Sen stepped from the car, a hostess in a fitted qipao with her hair neatly coiled guided him inside.
She led him all the way to a private room on the third floor before sliding open the partition door.
At almost the same moment, Zhou Jiaheng quietly received confirmation that Ji Mingshu had already departed for Xingcheng.
Walking behind Cen Sen, he lowered his voice to report the update.
Only after entering did Cen Sen realize someone familiar was already seated inside.
Li Wenyin.
She wore a sleeveless gray turtleneck sweater dress, simple earrings, and her hair was tied into a low ponytail. Her makeup was understated, even her lipstick a soft pink.
From a distance, she looked every bit the refined, intellectual artist.
Li Wenyin didn't appear surprised by his arrival, nor did her expression fluctuate.
When Director Chen introduced them, she merely lifted her wineglass and toasted him first.
"Xiao Li just returned from further studies in France," Director Chen said enthusiastically. "She's an outstanding young director. The project she's preparing now has such a wonderful theme. Bright, uplifting, optimistic! Completely different from all those dark youth dramas these days."
"A-Sen, hasn't your group started investing in film and television too? If you're interested, you should support talented young directors like Xiao Li."
"Come, Xiao Li. A toast to President Cen. He's one of the most promising young businessmen in the capital."
Li Wenyin raised her glass.
Cen Sen lightly clinked his against hers. But he didn't drink, he simply set the glass back down and effortlessly steered the conversation in another direction.
Until the dinner ended, the two of them exchanged not a single unnecessary word.
There had once been a period in his life when he'd admired girls like Li Wenyin, girls who were the complete opposite of Ji Mingshu.
But he'd always viewed romance lightly. They had dated for three months after graduating from high school. Now, years later, he could barely remember any of it.
The night had grown deep. As Cen Sen walked out of the club, he asked Zhou Jiaheng to confirm the location of Ji Mingshu's hotel.
There were still matters in the capital requiring Zhou Jiaheng's attention. Only the bodyguards would accompany Cen Sen to Xingcheng that night.
"Cen Sen."
A familiar female voice suddenly called from behind.
Cen Sen paused and turned.
Earlier, Li Wenyin had been seated. Now, standing beneath the lights, her graceful figure and elegant bearing were even more striking.
She walked over with a gentle smile and extended her hand. "It's been a long time."
"It has."
Seeing no sign that he intended to shake hands, she simply tilted her head and withdrew her hand with easy grace.
She continued candidly. "I actually knew yesterday that you'd be attending tonight's dinner. But when you're trying to secure investment, sometimes you have to put professionalism ahead of awkward past history. I hope you don't mind."
Her voice was, as always, gentle with a touch of spirited wittiness, the sense of propriety perfectly measured.
Li Wenyin had known Cen Sen was emotionally distant. But no matter what, they had been in a relationship. Their breakup hadn’t been so ugly as to swear off seeing each other ever again. At the very least, she should be able to get a “no problem” from him.
Instead, before she'd even finished speaking, Cen Sen answered without hesitation.
"I do mind."
The words surprised not only Li Wenyin, but Cen Sen as well.
For some reason, the scene felt strangely familiar.
Not long ago, outside another private club, he'd said those exact same words to another woman.
There was another sentence after that… what was it? He seemed to have praising Ji Mingshu, rather extravagantly at that.
Cen Sen’s brief distraction took on a completely different meaning in Li Wenyin’s eyes.
Some people dazzled you so completely in your youth that years later, no matter what happened, even after they married someone else, you still couldn't let go.
Could it be, he minded because he still felt the same way she did?
Just as Li Wenyin was about to say more, Zhou Jiaheng, who had misunderstood the situation just as thoroughly, overstepped his bounds and let out an deliberate cough.
The interruption snapped Cen Sen back to himself.
Checking the time, he returned to his usual detached tone. "Film investment isn't Junyi's primary business. But since Director Chen personally introduced you, I can have Huazhang Holdings begin the evaluation process. That said, film projects have become increasingly risky over the past two years. The company will conduct a thorough risk assessment before making any decision. Whether we invest isn't mine alone to decide. My apologies. I have another engagement."
With that, he left.
Once they were on the way to the airport, Zhou Jiaheng immediately admitted his mistake. "My apologies, President Cen."
Whether Cen Sen still had feelings for his ex or not, as his assistant, he never should have interrupted.
"It's fine."
Cen Sen didn’t dwell on it and proceeded to brief him on several work matters.
It was already two in the morning when he arrived in Xingcheng.
The city lay silent beneath the night.
Without stopping anywhere else, Cen Sen headed straight for the Junyi Huazhang hotel where Ji Mingshu was staying.
The front desk had prepared his key card in advance. He took the elevator to the penthouse suite.
Warm golden lights illuminated the room, but Ji Mingshu wasn't in bed.
Several moments later, he heard a faint, pained whimper from the opposite side of the bed.
Walking around, he found her curled up on the carpet beside it. Her entire body was tucked into itself like a tiny shrimp.
Ji Mingshu had arrived in Xingcheng a little after ten. After freshening up and going to bed, her stomach started to ache.
She'd ordered room service, but even after finishing an entire mug of brown sugar ginger tea, the pain hadn't eased.
By now, the worst of it had passed. She simply didn't have the strength to get up.
Half asleep, she caught sight of a familiar silhouette through blurred vision.
At that moment, she thought she was dreaming again. This time it was the gentler version of the adults-only Cen Sen from her dream.
For reasons she couldn't explain, she suddenly felt unbearably wronged.
She slowly stretched both arms toward him and murmured in a small, spoiled voice,
"Carry me."
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