My Queen, My Rules - 41
Running Away
Jiang Chun: [!]
Jiang Chun: [Is your husband a pervert? Did he secretly take a masterclass in ‘Overbearing CEO’s Forced Love’? He actually locked you in???]
Jiang Chun: [Sorry... but I kind of think that's a tiny bit hot…]
Ji Mingshu: [?]
The other party has recalled the message.
Jiang Chun: [Anyway, putting that aside, he only locked the door, right? Doesn't your elevator go down to the underground garage? Couldn't you just leave through the parking lot? I remember someone online saying the parking garage at Mingshui Manor is basically a luxury car exhibition!]
Ji Mingshu: [My house sits in the middle of a lake. You think people hold luxury car shows on the lakebed?]
Jiang Chun: [o.o]
Jiang Chun: [Then... maybe tie all your bedsheets together and climb down from the second-floor balcony?]
Ji Mingshu: [...]
Talking to this Little Earth Goose really lowered her IQ.
Thankfully, Gu Kaiyang was still a normal person. Her first instinct was to tell Ji Mingshu to call a locksmith.
Unfortunately, Mingshui Manor was equipped with a smart security system. Any attempt to force the lock or pry open the door would trigger the alarm immediately, and security from the villa complex would arrive within minutes.
If she truly 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.
***
Today, Cen Sen had an important business engagement at Su Garden.
From the outside, its understated wooden plaque blended quietly into the narrow hutong alley. Behind the dark entrance, however, lay an entirely different world.
When he left that morning, the sky had been dark and heavy, rain pouring in sheets. By noon, the downpour had eased, leaving behind only a gentle drizzle.
Cen Sen sat in a pavilion, drinking tea with his guest.
The man he was meeting today, Mr. Chang, was one of the investors in the Nanwan project jointly developed by Jingjian and Huadian.
Mr. Chang had been born in Jiangnan but moved to Hong Kong in his youth, and had not returned to his hometown for many years.
His wife was also from Jiangnan, the very image of a graceful southern woman. Delicate and gentle, she spoke in the soft, lilting accent of the region.
The couple had been together for over twenty years, deeply devoted to one another, their affection well known among everyone who knew them. Even during business meetings, Mr. Chang never missed a chance to mention his wife and children.
Noticing the wedding ring on Cen Sen's hand, Mr. Chang chuckled warmly.
"You young people don't have to throw yourselves into work all the time. Money is endless. You'll never finish earning it, and you can't take it with you when you're gone. Spend more time with your family. Go out together. Talk about what's on your mind. Relax. That's the only way to loosen the tension up here.” He tapped his temple lightly, smiling as he took another sip of tea.
Cen Sen didn't respond. He simply lifted his own teacup and drank in silence.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zhou Jiaheng discreetly covering his mouth as he gestured toward the restroom.
Setting down his cup, Cen Sen glanced in that direction before giving Mr. Chang an apologetic nod. "Excuse me for a moment."
Mr. Chang smiled and gestured for him to go ahead.
Cen Sen rose and walked along the rain-damp corridor toward the restroom, Zhou Jiaheng quietly following behind him.
Once they reached an empty corner, Cen Sen asked, "What is it?"
Keeping his head lowered, Zhou Jiaheng stepped closer and whispered something into his ear.
Cen Sen paused ever so slightly, then turned to look at him.
Inside, Zhou Jiaheng was already groaning in misery. He didn't even dare meet his boss's eyes.
If he'd had any choice in the matter, he never would have volunteered to report something this catastrophic.
—Madam had escaped through the window. The bodyguards outside had failed to notice. It wasn't until members of the Ji family arrived to persuade her that everyone realized she'd already disappeared.
What kind of situation even was this?
The wealthier the family, the more surreal their marriages seemed to become.
Having worked beside Cen Sen for years, Zhou Jiaheng had heard and seen plenty of bizarre family dramas. But watching his own boss become the leading man in a forced-confinement romance?
That was definitely a first.
While Cen Sen remained silent, Zhou Jiaheng continued his report in a lower voice. "The two madams of the Ji family have already returned home. Chairman Ji and Director Ji are also aware of the situation. They'll be visiting Nanqiao Hutong tonight."
Cen Sen acknowledged him with a quiet, "Mm."
"And... Madam only took her phone, ID card, and an umbrella. Director Ji has already notified Bocui Tianhua as well as the residences of the friends she's closest to. So far, 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. We've already confirmed the exact unit, so if you..."
Cen Sen: "She only took her phone and ID?"
Zhou Jiaheng affirmed with a "Yes," then, struck by a sudden insight, he cautiously added, "The surveillance only showed those two items. Her passport and marriage certificate should both still be at home."
Cen Sen raised a hand, signaling him to stop.
His eyes darkened, and his voice carried the unmistakable rasp of someone who hadn't slept for days. "Leave it alone for now."
Zhou Jiaheng nodded and wisely said nothing more.
Cen Sen hadn't slept a wink the previous night. Every thought that passed through his mind somehow became Ji Mingshu.
Ji Mingshu making a fool of herself in front of him, Ji Mingshu twirling happily in a beautiful dress, Ji Mingshu blushing in bed, Ji Mingshu crying so hard she couldn't control herself…
Even when he deliberately forced himself to think about work, his thoughts would unexpectedly drift back to her.
Reason kept telling him he hadn't done anything wrong.
Ji Mingshu simply hadn't handled her personal grudge with Li Wenyin properly and was taking it out on him.
Yet every time he remembered her accusations, he couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps...
He really had done something wrong, something terribly wrong.
Just before dawn, he had gone into the kitchen to wash rice and make congee.
He'd thought to cook braised pork ribs for her, but there weren't any fresh pork in the house.
While the porridge simmered, he stood at the kitchen island drafting a text message.
He wrote and rewrote it for nearly ten minutes. Then, after staring at it for a long while, he deleted everything with a single tap and tossed his phone aside.
Locking the door on his way out had simply been instinct.
He never believed a locked door could actually keep Ji Mingshu inside, but he certainly hadn't imagined she would climb out the window like an impulsive grade-schooler just to run away.
***
If accidentally wandering into the men's restroom, getting caught badmouthing someone behind their back, and shoving a condom into the wrong person's hand were the three greatest embarrassments of Ji Mingshu's life...
Then escaping through a window in the pouring rain, only to stumble from one disaster into another until she looked like a refugee, was undoubtedly the most humiliating moment she had ever experienced.
After climbing out of the window at Mingshui Manor, she stood by the roadside holding a tiny floral umbrella, waiting for a taxi.
But she'd spent her entire life being chauffeured everywhere, dhe had absolutely no practical understanding of hailing a cab.
After waiting over half an hour without seeing a single one, she finally remembered ride-hailing apps existed.
She spent another ten minutes fumbling with the app before someone finally accepted the ride.
Then the GPS location turned out to be wrong. She spent five minutes in the pouring rain trying to explain where she actually was.
The driver grew impatient, muttered a curse under his breath, hung up on her, and canceled the ride without another word.
Already annoyed after taking the driver's abuse, and now soaked by the worsening rain, Ji Mingshu was honestly starting to consider climbing back through the window and waiting until the weather cleared before trying again.
Fortunately, Gu Kaiyang arrived in time after receiving her message.
After bringing Ji Mingshu back to Xinggang International, the first thing Gu Kaiyang did was send her off for a hot shower.
When Ji Mingshu emerged from the bathroom, she smelled fresh and clean, wisps of steam still curling around her. She felt as though she'd finally come back to life.
Even the unfiltered air without Mingshui Manor's fresh-air system suddenly seemed wonderfully refreshing.
Seeing her looking so pitiful for once, Gu Kaiyang couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She even plugged in the hair dryer herself and patiently dried Ji Mingshu's hair.
Ji Mingshu accepted the pampering without any psychological burden. Sitting at the vanity while playing with bottles and jars of skincare products, she chattered nonstop, complaining first about the taxi driver, then about Cen Sen.
Unlike Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun, Gu Kaiyang had built her career from the ground up. She wasn't born into wealth, so she viewed life far more realistically.
Knowing very well that Ji Mingshu's marriage involved far too many interests to be dissolved on a whim, she never mentioned divorce again. Instead, she asked, "What are you planning to do now?"
Ji Mingshu blinked. "What do you mean?"
"..."
Still combing through her hair, Gu Kaiyang patiently guided her. "You can stay with me for as long as you want. That's not the issue. But you said yourself that Cen Sen has never truly respected you. Neither has your family, nor his friends. But have you ever considered that if you can't stand on your own, how can you expect anyone else to respect you?"
Seeing Ji Mingshu looking completely bewildered, she sighed. "Forget the long-term stuff. I'll ask you something simple. You don't want to spend Cen Sen's money anymore. Your second uncle has clearly cut off your financial support to force you home. So how are you planning to support yourself? Jiang Chun transferred you two hundred thousand yuan, how many days do you think that'll last?"
Ji Mingshu paused, then slowly turned and looked at Gu Kaiyang with perfectly innocent eyes.
"...?"
A terrible premonition dawned on Gu Kaiyang. "You... you're not expecting me to support you, are you?"
Ji Mingshu nodded without the slightest embarrassment. In fact, she was adorably confident about it.
Gu Kaiyang's vision went black. "I... no... do you even know how much I make?"
Over the years, she'd worked herself to exhaustion in the capital. Buying this loft apartment and the little Beetle she drove had already drained every last bit of her savings.
Now that she'd been promoted to deputy editor, part of every paycheck went home to her parents, another portion covered daily expenses, the rest disappeared into clothes, handbags, jewelry, and everything else she needed to maintain the polished image expected of a fashion magazine's deputy editor. If you do the math, there really wasn't much left over.
Supporting Ji Mingshu's meals wasn't a problem.
The problem was, this princess could casually drop six figures on a casual shopping trip.
How exactly was she supposed to afford that? Sell blood? Even that wouldn't cover it!
Ji Mingshu, meanwhile, remained perfectly optimistic. Resting her chin in her hands, she said cheerfully, "Didn't I get paid for filming that variety show? I wonder if they've transferred the appearance fee yet. Don't worry. I won't spend money recklessly."
Years of workplace experience had sharpened Gu Kaiyang's instincts. She eyed Ji Mingshu suspiciously, not reassured in the slightest.
Gu Kaiyang's apartment measured only forty square meters, but with its 4.5-meter ceilings converted into a loft, the usable living space came close to sixty square meters.
In theory, it was more than spacious enough for two women.
But Ji Mingshu was used to sprawling mansions and luxury villas. At first, the little apartment felt novel, but after sitting around a while, it started to feel cramped and confined.
And once she'd recovered from the ordeal of her escape, her latent princess syndrome gradually resurfaced. "So you only use La Mer?"
"...?"
"Is La Mer not good enough for you?"
"Oh, it's fine. I've just been using La Prairie's Platinum line lately."
After reluctantly finishing her skincare routine, she moved on to inspecting the perfume shelf.
Gu Kaiyang owned nearly a hundred bottles. Objectively speaking, it was enough perfume to last a lifetime. Yet Ji Mingshu looked through every single one without finding a fragrance she liked. After all, since turning eighteen, every perfume she'd worn had been custom blended by a professional perfumer just for her.
Gu Kaiyang's premonition proved accurate. For the rest of the day, she found herself trapped in the living nightmare of being relentlessly subjected to criticism by Her Royal Highness.
"Why isn't your rug made of wool? Never mind. I'll just order you one."
"You really should install a proper whole-house air purification system. One of those constant-temperature systems. The air in the capital is terrible. You'll get cancer living like this."
"How do you even drink this capsule coffee machine stuff? My god, I can't take this anymore. Hold on, I'm buying you a proper one."
"No, this projector screen is hurting my eyes. Don't you own a sound system? You're wasting your movie subscription with audio like this."
...
By the time bedtime finally arrived, Gu Kaiyang was mentally and physically exhausted.
Ji Mingshu, however, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
At two in the morning, she suddenly sat upright and nudged Gu Kaiyang awake.
Half asleep, Gu Kaiyang mumbled, "What now...?"
With complete seriousness, Ji Mingshu declared, "I've thought about it carefully. You should really focus on making more money, get promoted to editor-in-chief as soon as possible, and move somewhere bigger. At the very least, your neighbors shouldn't be like this."
She pointed at the ceiling.
Gu Kaiyang, dying of sleepiness, strained to listen and finally picked up the faint sounds of the couple upstairs enthusiastically making love.
Without even lifting her face from the pillow, she muttered weakly, "I've thought about it too. There has to be some kind of misunderstanding between you and Cen Sen."
---
Author's Note:
Anyone who can live with your princess-antics for so long and still stubbornly refuses to divorce you can only mean one thing.
He loves you very, very deeply. :)
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