My Queen, My Rules - 26

Lipstick

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The lunch concluded amidst a flurry of chaos.

After the meal, Chen Biqing cleared the dishes. An Ning helped by turning on the TV, making tea, and cutting fruit. Cen Sen went to the balcony to take a call. Left to sit on the sofa, Ji Mingshu watched a local news program An Ning had tuned in to.

The program featured a young couple from a town near Xingcheng who were about to get married. Just before the wedding, the man accidentally discovered the woman had a history of abortion. Unable to accept it, he angrily called off the engagement.

The woman tried to persuade him to stay at first, but when that failed, she said fine, they didn't have to get married, but the 50,000 yuan in betrothal gifts couldn't be returned because ‘you've slept with me already, you should give me some breakup compensation’.

They were on the show solely to argue over that 50,000 yuan.

Ji Mingshu had never watched this kind of program before. Initially, she couldn't fathom people would go on television to air their dirty laundry over just 50,000 yuan.

But when she saw the preview scrolling at the bottom of the screen, “Middle-aged man suffers a sudden cerebral hemorrhage during a dispute over 10-yuan gambling debt at mahjong table, urgently sent to Xingcheng People's Hospital”, she found the argument over 50,000 yuan was actually quite justified and convincing.

She ate fruit and watched TV, getting a little invested.

Seeing An Ning standing at the side, finished with her tasks and unsure what to do, Ji Mingshu invited her to sit down and watch together.

An Ning nodded, her face flushing red. She perched on the very edge of the sofa, legs pressed together, hands placed neatly on her knees, so stiff it seemed like this was Ji Mingshu's home and she was just a distant relative visiting.

Even while eating fruit and watching TV, Ji Mingshu exuded socialite elegance. Despite the ordinary, even very old-fashioned apartment, she somehow managed to sit with the elegant, luxurious air of someone in the front row at a Milan fashion show.

An Ning couldn't help stealing glances at her from time to time.

She had genuinely never seen such a beautiful woman, more beautiful than female celebrities on TV, like a luminous pearl that could sparkle even in daytime.

Ji Mingshu didn't notice An Ning's admiring gaze at first. But when she reached for a tissue, she happened to meet this curious, inspecting stare. She paused slightly, then smiled warmly at An Ning, trying to express her friendliness.

But An Ning was very shy. Caught in the act, she immediately averted her gaze, refusing to meet Ji Mingshu's eyes, her face instantly turning tomato red.

Ji Mingshu: "…"

What era did this innocent young lady time-travel from? She's just too shy… No wonder she's not Cen Sen's biological sister. This girl didn't inherit even one percent of that guy's shameless genes.

The next second, her thoughts naturally drifted to Cen Yang.

She had been too young when Cen Yang lived in the compound. Her memories had blurred with age; she couldn't even recall his specific features anymore. She only remembered that Cen Yang had been a sunny, cheerful big brother, his personality night and day from his biological sister, An Ning.

While Ji Mingshu was lost in thought, Cen Sen finished his call and returned to the living room.

He walked straight to the sofa but didn't sit down.

Ji Mingshu looked up and met his gaze, reading a clear "eat and run" intention in his eyes.

Wait. Did he come all this way just for a meal? He's seriously going to leave after eating?

Fine, he never bonded with An Ning as a sibling, so there's nothing to talk about there. But Chen Biqing... From the moment they arrived until now, the mother and son hadn't exchanged more than three sentences.

Ji Mingshu was taken aback, unsure how to react.

Fortunately, Chen Biqing emerged from the kitchen just then. She seemed to have also sensed Cen Sen's intention to leave and couldn't help calling out, "Xiao Sen."

The air suddenly fell silent.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Ji Mingshu found this silence utterly unbearable. After struggling internally for what felt like ages, she finally stammered, "Um… I can't find my lipstick. Ningning, why don't you come with me to buy a new one?”

An Ning, suddenly put on the spot, was a bit slow to react.

Ji Mingshu's action plan was immediate and decisive. She quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, pulled An Ning to her feet, and practically dragged the girl out of the apartment.

As the metal security door creaked shut, only Chen Biqing and Cen Sen remained in the room.

The afternoon sun was tranquil. The last fragrances of late summer flowers and plants, carried by a gentle breeze, drifted in, tinged with a rusty scent, so familiar it created an illusion of time going back.

Cen Sen remembered it was on just such a pleasant, sunny afternoon that he, wanting to go buy comic books, had woken up early from his nap.

Before heading off to school with his backpack, he wanted to peek at his baby sister in the master bedroom. But outside the door, he heard his parents talking.

Driven by curiosity, he pressed his ear to the door to eavesdrop.

Father An Guoping was saying, "So what if the Cen family has power and influence? Can they just snatch him from us by force? This is bullying! If they dare use force, I'll report it to the authorities! I refuse to believe it, this is a society governed by law!"

Chen Biqing sighed. "The Cens are indeed overbearing. They want to take A-Sen back, but they won't even let us see the other boy. We don't even know what that child's name is now."

Hearing this, An Guoping fell silent.

The couple exchanged a few more sentences in very low voices that Cen Sen couldn't make out. In the end, he only heard Chen Biqing say, her voice slightly tearful, "How could something like this happen?"

Cen Sen was still young then. He couldn't fully understand the implications of Chen Biqing and An Guoping's fragmented conversation, but he had a growing premonition that something related to him was happening behind his back.

From that moment on, he began consciously eavesdropping on Chen Biqing and An Guoping. Piece by piece, through their scattered conversations, he slowly pieced together the truth.

Later, when the Cen family's cars and bodyguards parked outside the faculty apartments, and Chen Biqing and An Guoping finally told him the truth at the last possible moment, he was surprisingly calm.

During his eavesdropping, he had heard them discuss many times, firmly opposing sending him back to the Cens.

Yet, in the end, his Dad and Mom had still abandoned him.

Perhaps too much time had passed. Remembering it now felt like recalling a past life.

Sitting on the sofa, looking at the no-longer-young Chen Biqing across from him, Cen Sen suddenly asked, "You didn't go abroad all these years?"

Having studied abroad himself for many years, it was easy for him to tell if someone had just returned from overseas.

Chen Biqing looked at the fruit platter on the table and said softly, "No. We've been living in Nanchang all along. Yang Yang… he went abroad. He… isn't close to us." At this, she lowered her head further. "He went abroad many years ago and hasn't come back much."

Cen Sen was silent.

Chen Biqing then asked awkwardly, "You... have you been well? You and Xiao Shu... you got married three years ago, right?”

"Mn."

Chen Biqing nodded. "Xiao Shu is very good. So beautiful, so lovely. As long as the two of you are well, I can rest easy."

After saying this, she hurriedly wiped the corner of her eye and smiled.

Cen Sen didn't respond.

After a long pause, he suddenly asked, "Where's Dad?"

This time, it was Chen Biqing's turn to fall silent.

A long time later, she finally slowly said, "He… passed away."

---

"Passed away?" Ji Mingshu was slightly taken aback.

After leaving the An family home, Ji Mingshu had taken An Ning to the car, planning to go to a nearby mall to buy some things.

The nearest mall was still a fifteen-minute drive away. Ji Mingshu felt they couldn't just sit in awkward silence for the entire ride, so she started chatting with An Ning.

To call it a chat was generous; it was more of a Q&A session.

An Ning was a simple, honest girl. She basically answered whatever Ji Mingshu asked. So, Ji Mingshu, unable to resist the temptation, took the opportunity to probe for information about the An family.

"It was just recently. Dad got sick. Mom wanted to find Brother Cen Sen to come see him, but before she could get in touch... he didn't survive the treatment. He passed away."

An Ning said with her head bowed, "We only came back to Xingcheng because of Dad's passing. Before he died, Dad said he wanted to come home and see."

Mr. An had passed away.

While Ji Mingshu was surprised, she wasn't particularly shocked. From the moment she didn't see Mr. An at the apartment, she already had some guesses.

"And… what about Cen Yang? Oh, he should be called An Yang now, right?"

An Ning shook her head. "Brother didn't change his name. I haven't seen him much. He went to live abroad many years ago. I think it was arranged by the Cen family. Usually, he only comes back once every few years."

"This time, when Dad passed away, he said he would come back. But he still hasn't arrived yet. It's been a very, very long time since I've seen him.”

"I see…" Ji Mingshu nodded slightly, an indescribable feeling in her heart, unsure what to say next.

Fortunately, they had reached the mall. If there was one thing she was undeniably skilled at, it was shopping.

Pulling herself together, she linked arms with An Ning and walked in, immediately launching into her usual ‘Golden Canary’ spiel about living an exquisite life.

"You're in university now. You can't always be this plain. Look at your lovely face, so fresh and pretty. You should dress up a bit, enjoy your youth, maybe even date a little." She glanced back at An Ning. "You don't have a boyfriend, do you?”

An Ning shook her head shyly.

"University is the best time for romance. Once you graduate, where will you find pure love? Just locking eyes with someone across a room, you'll immediately start sizing up their material conditions."

An Ning asked curiously, "Then, were you and Brother Cen Sen university classmates?"

Ji Mingshu: "…"

Sorry to disappoint, but we're precisely the kind of plastic couple that sizes each other up based on net worth at the first glance.

She changed the subject. "Actually, it's not just about dating. Even if a girl isn't looking for romance, she should still treat herself well. Don't you think it makes you happy to dress up beautifully every day?"

An Ning had to agree with that. In her university dorm, besides studies and crushes, girls talked most about clothes, bags, skincare, and makeup. She'd picked up bits and pieces over time but had always been too shy to take the plunge, burying herself in her books instead.

Ji Mingshu couldn't bear to see such a pretty girl so plain. She'd planned to take An Ning to buy a skincare set, but she suddenly received a call from the Designer's Abode production team. The mall signal was poor, the voice cutting in and out. So, she randomly pointed to a nearby brand counter and told An Ning to wait there; she'd go outside to finish the call and be right back.

An Ning naturally agreed.

The first floor of the mall housed jewelry, skincare, and makeup counters. An Ning rarely came to such places and was somewhat dazzled by the endless array of spotlights.

She wandered near the brand Ji Mingshu had pointed at and happened to spot a cosmetics brand one of her roommates had been obsessing over daily lately. She'd heard one of their lipsticks was super popular.

She walked over, her gaze lingering on the lipstick display, trying to recall the shade number her roommate mentioned.

Finally, on the second-to-last row of the display, she found the tester for that lipstick. She swatched it on her hand. It was indeed quite pretty.

She was in her third year of university and had never bought a single lipstick. She felt a sudden urge to try.

"Excuse me, how much is this lipstick?" she asked, holding up the lipstick to the sales assistant.

The sales assistant gave her a once-over. Seeing her shabby student appearance, she couldn't muster any enthusiasm. She rolled her eyes dramatically and continued playing on her phone, answering without a shred of sincerity, "Sorry, that's one of our hot items. We don't sell it separately. You need a 2:1 Allocation¹."

(¹: A practice associated with luxury brands where customers must buy less desirable items to be allowed to purchase highly sought-after pieces.)

Allocation?

An Ning had no idea what that meant. Thinking she was just being hopelessly unfashionable, her face instantly flushed bright red. She stood there, flustered and not knowing what to do.

But the very next second, she caught a whiff of a faint, familiar fruity fragrance.

Ji Mingshu had appeared beside her at some point. She snatched the tester from An Ning's hand and flung it directly at the sales assistant.

Her voice was cold and dripping with sarcasm. "Allocation? To match that ugly attitude of yours? You think you're Hermès, demanding a pre-spent requirement?"

Even I, your highness princess, have never had to do Allocation for Hermès.

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