My Queen, My Rules - 32
Supermarket
Outside the window, the honey-colored sunset sank lower and lower. Standing beside the hospital bed, Cen Sen's shadow stretched longer with every passing minute.
Ji Mingshu stared blankly for several seconds. Once the meaning of those words finally registered, the heart that had been hanging over the edge of a cliff suddenly settled back into place. Warmth gradually returned to her icy hands and feet.
But when she looked at Cen Sen's expression again, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was looking down at her with the faintest trace of ridicule.
Quietly, she pulled the blanket higher, intending to hide beneath it.
Unfortunately, one of her hand was still attached to the IV. The blanket snagged the tubing and tugged at the needle. Her attempt to retreat into her shell failed spectacularly, and she couldn't help letting out a quiet hiss as she sucked in a breath.
Cen Sen watched her silently, his expression as calm and detached as ever. Seeing her struggle unsuccessfully with the IV line for a long time, he finally stepped forward, lowered the blanket, steady the IV stand, then leisurely pressed the automatic bed adjustment button, raising her upper body into a semi-seated position.
Cen Sen: "Eat something first."
Following his gaze, Ji Mingshu finally noticed the insulated food container and her medical chart resting on the bedside cabinet.
She picked up the chart and skimmed through it. The medical terminology was beyond her, but the words "low blood sugar" stood out with unmistakable clarity.
"..."
So she had actually fainted from hunger. Somehow, that didn't seem much more reasonable than cancer.
Ji Mingshu lowered her eyes, paused for a moment, then stiffly put the thin piece of paper down.
So embarrassing…
The room was spacious, with a wide floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. Yet the silence between them made the air feel cramped and unbearably awkward.
Like a little child who knew she'd done something wrong, Ji Mingshu rested both hands on her flat stomach, quietly picking at her fingernails. She never once looked up to meet Cen Sen's eyes.
Strangely enough, today Cen Sen wasn't his usual impatient self.
He raised the over-bed table, poured her a bowl of congee, tested the temperature, and placed it in front of her. The only thing separating him from the title of Perfect Husband was feeding her by hand.
This was nothing like the scene she'd imagined, where he'd leave the moment she woke up, answering work calls on his way back to the office.
She didn't even dare pick at her nails anymore.
She barely dared move.
"Have some. It's not hot."
Ji Mingshu nodded. As though the congee were poisoned, she forced herself to swallow a few mouthful, then quickly setting the spoon down.
"Can't eat anymore?"
"Mmm..." She'd originally wanted to say, Could you stop staring at me and leave for a while? But by the time the words reached her lips, they somehow transformed into a stiff attempt at flattery. "It tastes... okay. Yours is better."
The instant she finished speaking, she remembered that Cen Sen had never actually made congee for her before.
She hurriedly changed the subject. "Oh, right. When can I leave the hospital?"
"It's only low blood sugar. You can leave whenever you want."
"..."
There it was again. That almost imperceptible hint of mockery.
Little Canary Ji's fragile heart shattered into pieces.
Ji Mingshu fell silent. Cen Sen, for his part, possessed the extraordinary talent of "you don't talk, I won't make a sound; let's all stay silent till the end of time."
Absentmindedly stirring the congee, Ji Mingshu suddenly wondered whether this Dog Man was deliberately torturing her by slow degrees.
Yet sneaking a glance at his face, it didn't seem that way.
After spending what felt like a hundred and eighty rounds teetering on the edge of dying from embarrassment, Ji Mingshu finally had to admit that whatever his intentions were, this sudden burst of patience was slowly killing her.
She abruptly dropped her spoon and blurted, "C... could you stop looking at me? I want to sleep some more!"
Without waiting for his answer, and without daring to look at him, she scrambled beneath the blanket.
The worst part was, her face began heating up uncontrollably. No matter how much she tried convincing herself otherwise, ‘This is so humiliating’ kept overwhelming every other thought, replaying through her head like an endless stream of comments on double speed, playing nonstop whether her eyes were open or shut.
Seeing the tips of her ears flushed scarlet, something stirred faintly inside Cen Sen.
But it lasted only an instant, there wasn't even time to examine it.
He packed away the untouched congee, left the room, and quietly closed the door behind him.
The moment Ji Mingshu heard it shut, she waited barely five seconds before eagerly turning her head.
Only to discover that Cen Sen was still standing outside the window.
Immediately, and with absolutely no dignity whatsoever, she curled herself back into a ball.
A faint smile suddenly tugged at Cen Sen's lips.
Waiting outside, Zhou Jiaheng couldn't help looking over in surprise. By the time he did, however, the tiny trace of amusement had already disappeared from Cen Sen's face.
Checking the time as he walked away, Cen Sen began issuing one work instruction after another. "Find a PR firm to work with for Xingcheng. The branch's publicity department isn't up to standard. It'll have to be replaced sooner or later."
Zhou Jiaheng: "Jiabo?”
"Your call." Cen Sen's voice was calm. "It's about time Rongjia Real Estate settled their accounts. Arrange a meeting with President Chen. As for Wei Chengfeng and Huang Peng, leave their private contact alone for now. Don't let the others interfere either. It's not time yet."
"Understood."
Zhou Jiaheng walked beside him. Seeing that Cen Sen had finished with work matters, there was something he wanted to ask. But in the end, years of professional discipline won out, and he swallowed the question back.
Inside the hospital room, Ji Mingshu remained curled up on the bed, replaying every embarrassing thing she'd done in front of Cen Sen over the past several days in crystal-clear detail.
The more she thought about it, the more mortified she became.
She silently grabbed the pillow and pummeled it over and over until, perhaps from sheer exhaustion, she drifted back to sleep.
She slept until eight that evening. By then, her IV had finished.
A gentle nurse removed the empty bottle while carefully reminding her to eat something light after the infusion, explaining that overeating or consuming greasy, spicy food could upset her stomach.
Ji Mingshu nodded absently, her eyes repeatedly drifting toward the doorway.
Had that Dog Man really just disappeared like that? Surely there was still someone outside to take her home...
Watching the nurse leave, Ji Mingshu withdrew her gaze in disappointment.
The very next second, the door opened again.
A few strands of chilly autumn night air drifted into the room.
Leaning casually against the doorway, Cen Sen met her eyes for a brief moment before saying, "Get ready. We're going home."
Sitting on the bed with her knees hugged to her chest, Ji Mingshu stared blankly as he walked toward her.
Her heart gave one heavy, uncontrollable thump.
Without her realizing it, late autumn had already arrived. The nights had grown bitterly cold, and the wind carried an unmistakable chill.
Wrapped in a trench coat, Ji Mingshu climbed into the car.
Spotting a shopping bag from one of her favorite luxury brands on the back seat, she couldn't help sneaking a few extra glances. "Is this from a client? Or for a client?"
"I saw it at the airport. It reminded me of you." Cen Sen got into the car from the other side and glanced at her.
"..."
For her?
Ji Mingshu eyed him suspiciously and reached for the shopping bag.
As she unwrapped the box, she kept glancing at him every few seconds.
The moment she saw the handbag inside, a little burst of happiness bloomed in her chest. The corners of her lips lifted despite herself.
It was beautiful. The color, the style, the size. Everything matched her taste perfectly.
"Do you like it?"
Still admiring the bag and utterly delighted inside, Ji Mingshu nevertheless maintained her usual haughty expression. "It's... acceptable."
She lovingly ran her fingers over the leather, then something suddenly occurred to her.
Turning back to him while stubbornly maintaining her dignified air, she asked, "Why... are you being so nice to me today?"
"Am I?"
Wasn't he?
He'd fed her congee, personally come to pick her up, and even bought her a handbag.
The whole thing practically screamed ulterior motives.
The last time he'd uncharacteristically picked her up from the magazine office and uncharacteristically cooked braised pork ribs for her, hadn't it all been because he wanted to fatten her up before making his move?
Thinking of that, Ji Mingshu gripped the bag tighter, her heart growing increasingly uneasy.
Surely this Dog Man couldn't be that bad? She'd only just been discharged from the hospital. Was he really that impatient, that inhumane?
A few minutes later, the car pulled into the underground parking garage of a large shopping mall.
When Cen Sen said he was going to the supermarket to buy ingredients and make congee for her, it somehow only strengthened her suspicions.
Carrying her new handbag, Ji Mingshu climbed out and remained on high alert.
The entire walk to the supermarket, she kept reminding him over and over that she was a patient who had just left the hospital, her body was still weak and absolutely needed proper rest. She couldn't handle any exertion!
"I know," Cen Sen replied with a glance.
"..."
That indifferent expression.
Know what? You don't know anything.
Cen Sen had no idea what wild thoughts were running through her head. Nor did he think any of his actions today were unusual.
Everything had happened naturally. He simply did what he wanted to do and considered it all the natural order of things.
Ji Mingshu rarely set foot inside supermarkets. This was also the first time she'd ever gone grocery shopping together with Cen Sen.
Near the entrance, she noticed the adorable shopping carts shaped like little cars and couldn't help staring for a few moments.
Without warning, Cen Sen flicked her lightly on the forehead. "Stop looking. You're over the weight limit."
His fingers were still slightly cool. Even though he'd only tapped her forehead, her heart lurched wildly once again.
By the time she recovered enough to protest, he'd already pushed the cart four or five meters ahead.
She hurried after him, placing her hands beside his on the shopping cart handle.
After calming her heartbeat, she searched for something to say. "By the way... when did you learn to cook? I never knew."
"In college." While choosing seasonings, he answered, "Never formally learned. I just downloaded recipes and followed them."
"I've followed recipes too. Why can't I cook?"
Cen Sen placed a bottle of cumin powder into the cart, then turned to look at her with an expression that plainly said, Do you really have to ask?
Ji Mingshu wisely shut up.
The supermarket was brightly lit. Looking around, she noticed plenty of young couples pushing shopping carts together, chatting, laughing, and acting openly affectionate.
As they reached the seafood section, the air had become noticeably fishy.
Covering her nose, she had barely taken two more steps when a fish inside one of the tanks suddenly splashed water everywhere.
Her first instinct was to shield the new handbag Cen Sen had given her.
Once the fish settled down, she carefully lifted the bag and gently wiped away the droplets.
Halfway through, something suddenly felt off. She treated even her BCK bags like everyday carryalls, tossing them around without a second thought. Why was she being so careful with an ordinary handbag that wasn't even especially valuable?
The instant the thought crossed her mind, she immediately stopped wiping it.
Glancing at Cen Sen, who was selecting live shrimp nearby, she spoke rapidly. "It smells awful over here. I'm going to look at the snacks. I'll find you later."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and left immediately. After two seconds, she sped up into a brisk little trot, escaping his line of sight as quickly as possible.
Cen Sen glanced after her but didn't think much of it.
Still, remembering that Ji Mingshu had an uncanny talent for doing inexplicable things the moment she wandered out of his sight, he didn't linger long in the seafood section.
Once the shrimp had been cleaned and packed, he went off in search of the little vase who apparently couldn't be trusted to function independently.
Drifting aimlessly through the snack aisle with her handbag dangling from one arm, Ji Mingshu finally felt the hunger she'd been missing all day.
Normally she had little interest in chips or other puffed snacks. Yet right now she desperately wanted to tear open a bag before paying for it.
Fortunately, her concern for image triumphed over hunger.
She floated farther down the aisle, hoping that if she couldn't see the snacks, she'd stop thinking about them.
Out of sight, her stomach was settled. Her mind, however, refused to quiet.
Certain thoughts she very much did not want to examine kept circling through her head. They were like a minefield, the slightest attempt to think them through would blow a massive crater in the peaceful life she currently enjoyed.
She wandered back and forth in front of the shelves for a long time, trying to erase the name Cen Sen from her mind.
The very instant the thought surfaced, his calm voice unexpectedly sounded behind her. "Finished shopping?"
She jumped so hard even her shoulders trembled. In her fluster, she grabbed the first box she saw from the shelf and hurried forward without looking back. "Me too!"
After walking a short distance, she happened to glance down, only then did she realize she was carrying a huge box.
A giant family-sized pack of condoms.
The packaging featured enormous lettering and impossible-to-miss branding, with at least a dozen individual boxes inside.
If the thoughts in her head had been a minefield before...
This was an actual bomb.
Ji Mingshu's mind went completely blank.
Seeing several young men nearby, she didn't hesitate for even a second before turning around and shoving the entire box into the arms of the person behind her.
When she looked up, Ji Mingshu wished the ground would swallow her whole.
Where was Cen Sen?!
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