My Queen, My Rules - 33
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The stranger had a build remarkably similar to Cen Sen's, and he was wearing a black overcoat as well.
A closer look, however, revealed that the cut of the coat was different. His features were ordinary, nothing at all like Cen Sen's.
Having a giant box of condoms suddenly shoved into his arms, the man was completely dumbfounded. He looked down at the box, then back up at Ji Mingshu, his face a picture of bewilderment. Deep down, there was even the tiniest flicker of excitement, as if fate had unexpectedly smiled on him.
"Miss, you..."
He had barely gotten the words out when a warm male voice sounded from the side.
"Sorry. My wife mistook you for someone else."
Cen Sen stepped forward and, without drawing attention to it, shielded Ji Mingshu behind him. His expression remained calm and unreadable.
Glancing at the "lucky bomb" in the man's hands, he accepted it without the slightest change in expression and casually dropped it into the shopping cart.
The stranger froze for a moment before awkwardly nodding. Realizing he'd let his imagination run far too wild, he felt embarrassed enough already and wisely said nothing more.
When Ji Mingshu had grabbed the box and hurried away, Cen Sen had immediately followed. Unfortunately, the stranger had merged into the aisle from another direction first.
Seeing that the man was pushing a cart and moving slowly, Cen Sen simply walked around another display and followed Ji Mingshu from the opposite side.
Who would've thought that even at such close range, his little vase could somehow pull off yet another spectacular stunt?
Now hiding behind Cen Sen, Ji Mingshu was so mortified her scalp felt numb.
She barely dared breathe.
Whenever Cen Sen took a step forward, she obediently shuffled after him.
But when she realized he was heading toward the staffed checkout lanes, she couldn't help tugging lightly at the back hem of his coat. In the tiniest whisper, she ordered, "Self-checkout."
Cen Sen tilted his head slightly.
Like a startled bird, Little Vase Ji instinctively tilted her head the same way, doing everything she could to avoid even the corner of his gaze.
Fortunately, he neither mocked her nor argued, simply steering the cart toward the self-checkout.
After scanning the items, Cen Sen took out his phone to pay.
Ji Mingshu silently prayed he'd hurry up and get her out of this mortifying place. Instead, he suddenly asked, "You deleted me on WeChat again?"
Ji Mingshu froze for several long seconds.
Sir, how many centuries late are you? You only just noticed? If divorce could be filed unilaterally online, you'd probably only realize you no longer had a wife when your family started asking about grandchildren.
Of course, she couldn't offend the man currently acting as her savior. Still hiding behind him, she quietly deflected. "Must have been a misclick. Or WeChat glitched. Rubbish app!”
Cen Sen: “…”
Sneaking a glance at his expression, Ji Mingshu hurriedly pulled out her phone and sent another friend request. "Added, added! Accept it.”
Without even looking, Cen Sen put his own phone away. "We'll see."
Ji Mingshu: "...?"
Why did those two simple words somehow sound exactly like: We'll see how you behave?
Cen Sen started walking toward the exit.
With no time to dwell on it, Ji Mingshu once again sneakily grabbed the back of his coat and trailed after him step for step.
By the time they returned to the hotel suite, it was already ten o'clock.
Unsurprisingly, Ji Mingshu immediately disappeared into the bathroom.
Cen Sen paid her no mind. Carrying the groceries straight into the kitchen, he began unpacking them.
While soaking in the bathtub and scrolling through her phone, Ji Mingshu saw a flood of concerned messages from people who'd heard about her collapse.
She posted a single Moments update for everyone.
[Thank you all for your concern. I've made it safely back to the hotel. ❤️]
She attached an adorable chibi sticker.
Then, switching to the “Three Little Fairies” good-wives group chat, her aura turned murderous.
Starting with the words, What sins did I commit in my previous life?, she launched into five full screens of furious complaints.
Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun first responded with a synchronized round of “HAHAHAHAHA”, recklessly testing the limits of being kicked out of the group.
Then, displaying years of survival instinct, they switched tactics before Ji Mingshu could explode.
They criticized the production team, they criticized Yan Yuexing, they even criticized the innocent passerby. And, for good measure, the equally innocent Cen Sen.
Their entire strategy could be summed up in one philosophy: Praise the Canary and prosper; defy the Canary and perish.
After being thoroughly pampered by her friends' completely unreasonable support, Ji Mingshu finally calmed down a little.
Once again, she reached the heartfelt conclusion that sisters were the greatest thing in the world; men were all weeds.
Remembering that Cen Sen still hadn't accepted her friend request, she couldn't resist cursing him a few more times in the chat.
Unfortunately, Jiang Chun had only recently joined the art of flattering Ji Mingshu. Her skills weren't quite polished yet.
Besides, she'd always believed Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen were deeply in love.
Naturally, she interpreted all of Ji Mingshu's insults as a particularly unconventional form of flirting.
Thus, thinking herself clever, Jiang Chun enthusiastically began praising Cen Sen instead. She went on for two entire screens without stopping.
Ji Mingshu stared in horror, unable to squeeze in even a single interruption.
When she finally finished, Little Earth Goose thoughtfully related everything to her own relationship with Tang Zhizhou, sending a sincere voice message with some advice.
"Spats are a sign of affection. We all know you really love your husband. But it's fine if you scold him in the group chat. Around him, you should try showing your gentler side. Otherwise, he might never realize this... rather unusual way you express your affections. You know what I mean? I've discovered that men's brains are actually very simple. They don't understand this kind of roundabout communication."
"..."
Who loved him?
Wasn't this Little Earth Goose's brain the one taking ridiculous detours?
I was literally just cursing him.
Cursing him.
Cursing him!
Ji Mingshu: [Shut up!]
Jiang Chun blinked in confusion. Before she even had time to react, she noticed the group name had changed.
Two Little Fairies and One Little Earth Goose.
Perhaps it was the steam filling the bathroom, perhaps it was simply too hot. Either way, Ji Mingshu suddenly felt warm.
Her gaze remained fixed on the automatic transcription beneath the voice message.
‘We all know you really love your husband.’
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look away. After a very long time, she finally forced herself to flip the phone face down.
She dried herself off, hurriedly got dressed, and left the bathroom.
During the short time she'd been bathing, the kitchen had already filled with the comforting aroma of simmering congee.
Ji Mingshu curled up on the living room sofa and absentmindedly watched a palace drama for a while.
After wrestling with herself for what felt like forever, she finally wandered barefoot into the kitchen.
"So... what kind of congee are you making? It smells really nice."
With both hands clasped behind her back, her slim shoulders held proudly straight, she looked every bit like a princess inspecting her royal kitchens.
"Vegetable and shrimp."
Cen Sen was still preparing ingredients without looking up.
Standing on tiptoe, Ji Mingshu leaned forward for a better look. Then, summoning all her courage, she awkwardly asked, "Um... do you need any help? Is there... anything I can do?"
"No." Concise and direct, shattering her fragile heart in one blow.
"..."
'Cen Sen is being gentler today'—Top of the world's three greatest illusions :)
Ji Mingshu nearly stormed off in frustration. But Cen Sen suddenly stopped what he was doing, looked back, and said, "If you're that free, you should revise your design."
She stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong with my design?"
This time, she'd finished it unusually quickly. Within two or three days of seeing the house selected for renovation, she'd already finalized both the concept and the complete design proposal.
The homeowners had fallen in love because of a musical film. That film ended with a song titled Epilogue, which had inspired the theme of Ji Mingshu's entire design.
Epilogue.
It perfectly matched the homeowners' request for a lightly vintage style while symbolizing a beautiful journey from overture to finale.
Her inspiration flowed effortlessly. She'd completed the drawings at remarkable speed, and the finished renderings had looked stunning. Even Yan Yuexing hadn't been able to find a single fault with them.
So what exactly was the problem?
Cen Sen wiped his hands and said unhurriedly. "Your design concepts are strong. Even your renderings have a distinctly academic style. But these homeowners are ordinary people. A home isn't an exhibition hall. Practical function always comes first."
In other words: It looked beautiful, but no one would actually want to live there.
Ji Mingshu opened her mouth, instinctively preparing to argue. Yet, to her own surprise, she couldn't think of where to begin.
Dressed in a dusty pink silk nightgown and standing barefoot against the kitchen doorway, she remained there blankly for nearly ten minutes.
She looked pitiful, small, and utterly helpless.
Cen Sen: “Stop thinking. Have some congee first."
Only then did Ji Mingshu snap out of her daze.
The fragrant aroma of vegetable and shrimp congee finally reached her.
After being interrupted so many times throughout the day, she'd gone from hungry to full to hungry again. Now her stomach was completely empty. She no longer had the energy to think about anything else.
Eyes fixed on Cen Sen, she followed him eagerly into the dining room.
Unfortunately, even walking across level ground proved too difficult.
Her foot suddenly slipped as though possessed. With a loud thump, she landed squarely on her backside.
Standing beside the dining table, Cen Sen turned around. The way he looked at her was almost like he was looking at a slightly unhinged person.
Ji Mingshu herself was equally stunned.
Still sitting on the floor with both hands braced behind her, she felt a sharp numb ache shoot through her tailbone.
For some inexplicable reason, the pain seemed to travel all the way up to her skull.
The most terrifying part was that Cen Sen simply stood there watching her.
He watched for an entire minute. Apparently concluding that she would never manage to stand up under her own power, he finally walked over.
With unmistakable pity, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.
Cen Sen: “Have you starved yourself of all intelligence?”
Ahhh! Take your bloodstained hands off me! I don't need your help! I can bravely stand back up exactly where I fell!
Mentally, Ji Mingshu remained fiercely independent.
Physically, she could only cling to him like the humble little vase she was, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck.
Even though her backside hurt so much she wanted to cry, she stubbornly maintained a perfectly expressionless face.
Cen Sen suddenly laughed.
Ji Mingshu's glass heart shattered yet again. "What are you laughing at? You laughed just now, didn't you?"
He neither admitted nor denied it.
With heartfelt sorrow, Ji Mingshu declared, "I can't live with you anymore. Our birth charts must be incompatible."
As she spoke, she reached up and pinched his cheeks. Not just a casual pinch, both hands squeezed his face and tugged outward with surprising familiarity.
She only realized what she was doing when they reached the bedside and instantly let go in a panic.
Cen Sen didn't seem interested in holding it against her. He laid her face-down across the bed.
Instinctively, Ji Mingshu lifted her head.
For reasons known only to himself, Cen Sen leaned down slightly, then he reached out and gently pinched her cheek in return. His voice was low and husky, still carrying the faint rasp of lingering jet lag. "Then who do you think you could live with?"
Ji Mingshu fell silent.
They remained frozen in that strangely intimate position, looking straight into each other's eyes.
At the exact same moment...
Both their hearts gave one heavy, unmistakable beat.
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