My Queen, My Rules - 41

Running Away

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Jiang Chun: [!]

Jiang Chun: [Is your husband a pervert? Did he secretly take a masterclass in ‘Overbearing CEO’s Forced Love’? He locked you in?]

Jiang Chun: [Sorry but I’m finding this weirdly compelling…]

Ji Mingshu: [?]

——The other party has recalled a message.

Jiang Chun: [But seriously, it's just the door, right? Doesn't your elevator go down to the underground parking? You could leave from there. I remember someone online exposed that the parking garage at your Mingshui Manor is basically a luxury car exhibition!]

Ji Mingshu: [My house is in the middle of a lake. You think they're holding a luxury car exhibition at the bottom of the lake?]

Jiang Chun: [o.o]

Jiang Chun: [Well then, why don't you try knotting the bedsheets into a long rope and climbing down from the second-floor balcony?]

Ji Mingshu: [……]

Talking to this little earth goose was IQ-draining.

Fortunately, Gu Kaiyang was a normal person and instinctively suggested she call a professional locksmith.

However, the Mingshui Manor property was equipped with a smart security system. If someone tried to force the lock or pry the door open, an alarm would sound immediately, and the villa complex's security would rush to the scene.

If she absolutely wanted to leave, it wasn't impossible. Ji Mingshu paced the living room for a while, her gaze finally settling on the four-pane window on the south side.

---

Cen Sen had an important business dinner today at Su Yuan.

An inconspicuous, antique-style plaque hung in the hutong alley. Past the dark-colored small door lay a different world entirely.

When he left in the morning, the sky was a gloomy gray, with a downpour sheeting the city. By noon, the storm had largely passed, leaving only a light, pattering drizzle.

Cen Sen sat drinking tea with his guest in a pavilion.

The gentleman he was meeting today, Mr. Chang, was one of the investors in the Nanwan project, a collaboration between Jingjian and Huadian.

Mr. Chang was born in Jiangnan, moved to Hong Kong in his youth, and had not returned to his hometown for many years.

His wife was also from the Jiangnan region, a classic southern belle—delicate, gentle, and soft-spoken.

The couple had been together for over twenty years, famously and deeply devoted to each other. Even during business engagements, he never missed a chance to mention his wife and children.

Noticing the wedding ring on Cen Sen's finger, Mr. Chang chuckled warmly and offered some advice. "You young people, you really don't need to work yourselves to the bone. Money, you can't earn it all, and you can't take it with you. Spend more time with your family. Go out, talk, relax. That's the only way to loosen the tension up here." He tapped his temple lightly, took a sip of tea, and smiled.

Cen Sen didn't respond, but he also picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Jiaheng raise a hand to his lips in a silent signal. Cen Sen set down his cup, glanced in the direction of the restroom, and gave a slightly apologetic nod. "Please excuse me for a moment."

Mr. Chang made a ‘go ahead’ gesture.

Cen Sen rose and walked along the dripping-rain corridor toward the restrooms. Zhou Jiaheng followed unobtrusively.

Stopping in a deserted spot, Cen Sen asked, "What is it?"

Zhou Jiaheng kept his eyes lowered, stepped closer, and whispered a few words near his ear.

Cen Sen paused briefly, then turned to look at him.

Zhou Jiaheng was inwardly lamenting his fate, not daring to look up.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't be the one to inform his boss about this kind of melodramatic situation either.

—Madam climbed out a window to escape. The bodyguards outside failed to notice. They only discovered she was gone when her family came by to coax her back.

What a mess.

It seemed the higher the social standing, the more marital life tended towards magical realism. Zhou Jiaheng had been by Cen Sen's side long enough to hear and see plenty, but his own boss becoming a participant in a… ‘confinement roleplay’ was a first.

While Cen Sen was silent, Zhou Jiaheng reported in a low voice, "The two Mrs. Ji have already returned. Chairman Ji and Director Ji are also aware of the situation. They will be visiting Nanqiao Hutong this evening."

Cen Sen gave a noncommittal "Hm."

Zhou Jiaheng continued, "Madam only took her phone, ID, and an umbrella. Director Ji has notified Bocui Tianhua and the residences of Madam's close friends… so only Miss Gu Kaiyang has taken her in. Miss Gu requested leave from the magazine an hour ago. They are both currently at Xinggang International. The specific floor and unit have been identified. What are your instructions…"

Cen Sen: "She only took her phone and ID?"

Zhou Jiaheng affirmed with a "Yes," then, struck by a sudden insight, cautiously added, "The surveillance only shows those items. Her passport and the marriage certificate should still be there."

Cen Sen raised a hand to stop him. His eyes darkened slightly, his voice carrying a low rasp from consecutive days without proper rest. "Leave it for now."

Zhou Jiaheng nodded and said no more.

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Cen Sen had not slept a wink last night. His mind had been a revolving carousel of Ji Mingshu.

Ji Mingshu making a fool of herself in front of him. Ji Mingshu twirling in a beautiful dress. Ji Mingshu shy in bed. Ji Mingshu crying until she couldn't control herself… Even when he forced himself to think about work, his thoughts would veer off course without warning.

Reason told him he hadn't done anything wrong, that it was Ji Mingshu who couldn't handle her personal grudge against Li Wenyin and was throwing an unreasonable tantrum.

But whenever he recalled her accusations, he felt as if he had done something wrong, something terribly wrong.

As dawn lightened the sky, he went to the kitchen to rinse rice for congee. He'd thought about making braised spare ribs, but there was no fresh pork in the house.

While the congee cooked, he stood at the kitchen island composing a text message.

He spent a full ten minutes writing, deleting, revising. Then, thinking of something, he deleted the entire draft with one tap and tossed his phone aside.

Locking the door on his way out had been a reflex. He didn't believe a simple lock could keep Ji Mingshu in, but he also hadn't expected her to actually resort to a grade-school move like climbing out a window just to run away from home.

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If accidentally walking into the men's room and getting stuck, getting caught bad-mouthing him in private, and mistakenly handing the wrong person a condom were the three insurmountable peaks of embarrassment in Ji Mingshu's life, then climbing out a window on a rainy day and through a series of disasters turning herself into a refugee was probably the absolute pinnacle of humiliation she would ever achieve.

After escaping Mingshui Manor via the window, she stood by the roadside under her little floral umbrella, waiting for a taxi.

Accustomed to being chauffeured everywhere, she had no practical concept of hailing a cab. Only after waiting nearly half an hour without a single taxi in sight did she belatedly fumble with a ride-hailing app.

After ten minutes of struggling, she finally got a driver to accept her request. But her location pin was off. She spent five minutes in the wind and rain trying to explain her location to the driver, who grew impatient, cursed under his breath, and then hung up on her, unilaterally canceling the order.

Insulted for no reason and with the rain coming down harder, if Gu Kaiyang hadn't gotten her message and come to pick her up, she might have climbed back through the window to wait for clearer weather before leaving again.

Once Gu Kaiyang brought her back to Xinggang International, Ji Mingshu took a shower. Emerging from the bathroom, she smelled of fragrant lotion, a faint mist of steam still clinging to her. She felt revitalized. Even the air, unfiltered by a fresh air system, seemed crisp and clean.

Seeing her in such a delicate state was a rare sight for Gu Kaiyang, who felt a surge of protectiveness. She even plugged in the hairdryer and helped dry her hair.

Ji Mingshu accepted this service without any psychological burden. Sitting at the dressing table, she fiddled with various bottles and jars, her mouth running non-stop as she complained about the driver and cursed Cen Sen.

Gu Kaiyang, a product of the working world and not from a wealthy background, had a more realistic outlook than either Ji Mingshu or Jiang Chun.

She knew very well that Ji Mingshu's marriage involved too many interests to be easily dissolved. So she didn't bring up divorce again. Instead, she asked, "So what's your plan now?"

Ji Mingshu looked confused. "What do you mean, plan?"

"…"

Gu Kaiyang patiently guided her while combing through her hair. "You can stay here as long as you want, of course. But like you said, you feel like Cen Sen has never respected you—that even your own family and Cen Sen's friends don't respect you much either. But have you considered that if you don't stand firm yourself, how can you expect to win anyone's respect?"

Seeing Ji Mingshu's blank expression, she sighed. "Forget it, let's not talk about the long-term stuff. Let me ask you this: you don't want to use Cen Sen's money now, and your Second Uncle has made it clear he's cutting off your funds to force you back home. So how are you going to support yourself? How many days will that 200,000 yuan Jiang Chun transferred to you last?"

Ji Mingshu paused for a moment, then turned her head to look at Gu Kaiyang with innocent eyes.

"……?"

A terrible premonition dawned on Gu Kaiyang. "You're not expecting me to support you, are you?"

Ji Mingshu looked utterly justified and even gave a cute little nod.

Gu Kaiyang felt her vision darken. "No, I... you... you do know how much I make, right?"

Years of working her way up in the capital had allowed her to buy this loft apartment and her Volkswagen Beetle, but it had wiped out her savings.

After being promoted to Deputy Editor-in-Chief, part of her monthly salary went to her parents, part covered daily expenses, and another part had to go toward jewelry and clothes to maintain the glamorous image required for a fashion magazine editor. If you did the math, there wasn't much left over.

Supporting Ji Mingshu's basic food and drink wouldn't be a problem. The real issue was that this young lady could easily drop six figures on a casual shopping trip. What was she supposed to use to fund that? Selling blood? Even selling blood wouldn't cover it!

Ji Mingshu, however, remained optimistic, propping her chin in her hands. "I think I get a fee for the show I recorded? Not sure if it's been paid yet. Oh, don't worry, I won't spend recklessly."

Years of workplace experience had honed Gu Kaiyang's instincts. She eyed Ji Mingshu suspiciously, not reassured in the slightest.

Gu Kaiyang's apartment had a floor area of forty square meters, but with a ceiling height of 4.5 meters, the practical living space after being converted into a small duplex was close to sixty square meters. In theory, it was more than enough for two women.

But Ji Mingshu was used to mansions and villas. At first, the cozy space felt novel, but after sitting around a while, she started to feel cramped and confined.

And once she recovered from her humiliation, her latent princess syndrome slowly reemerged. "Do you only have La Mer here?"

"…?"

"Is La Mer not good enough for you?"

"Oh, it's fine. It's just that I've been using La Prairie's Platinum lately."

After grudgingly completing her daily skincare routine, she started picking through the perfume shelf.

Gu Kaiyang owned nearly a hundred perfumes. Objectively speaking, that was enough to last a lifetime. But Ji Mingshu looked them over and didn't find a single one she liked. After all, since she was eighteen, all her fragrances had been custom-blended by a perfumer for her.

Gu Kaiyang's premonition proved accurate. For the rest of the day, she found herself inexplicably trapped in the quagmire of hell, subjected to the princess's frenzied nitpicking.

"Why isn't your rug wool? Never mind, I'll order one now."

"I think you should at least install an air purification system here—one of those triple-constant ones. The air quality here in the capital... it'll give you cancer.”

"How do you drink this capsule coffee machine stuff? My god, I can't stand it. Wait, I'll buy you a proper one."

"No, I can't take it. This projector screen is giving me a headache. Don't you have a sound system? The effect is so poor, your movie membership is totally wasted."

…

Finally, it was time for bed. Gu Kaiyang was utterly exhausted, but Ji Mingshu tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

At two in the morning, she suddenly sat up and nudged Gu Kaiyang.

Gu Kaiyang, half-asleep, mumbled, "What now?"

Ji Mingshu said seriously, "I've been thinking. I think you should seriously focus on making more money, get promoted to Editor-in-Chief as soon as possible, and then move to a bigger place. At the very least, one where the neighbors aren't… this kind of caliber."

She pointed at the ceiling.

Gu Kaiyang, dying of sleepiness, strained to listen and finally heard the very faint sounds from the bed above.

She couldn't even keep her eyes open, her voice muffled into the pillow as she said wearily, "I've been thinking too. I think there must be some sort of misunderstanding between you and Cen Sen."

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Author's Note:

Anyone who can live with your princess-antics for so long and still stubbornly refuses to divorce you... must love you deeply :)

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