My Queen, My Rules - 43
Us
Jiang Che stood a couple of steps away, genuinely taken aback by the sudden violence.
Cen Sen had always been quiet and reserved. Even as a child, he carried a pride that seemed far beyond his years. Petty arguments and fistfights with people beneath his notice had never interested him.
If someone truly crossed him, he preferred a far cleaner approach. He would seize their greatest weakness and strike with surgical precision, leaving no visible bloodshed.
The last time he'd seen Cen Sen get physical… Jiang Che searched his memory, growing even more surprised. This was, in fact, the first time he had ever seen him lay hands on someone.
The deafening pulse of heavy metal still shook the pub. Colored lights continued to whirl through the darkness, casting shifting, surreal shadows where desire lurked beneath the night's haze.
The air around the booth reeked of nicotine and alcohol, yet neither could completely mask the faint metallic scent of fresh blood.
Cen Sen grabbed the man's collar and hauled him bodily out of his seat before clamping a hand around his throat. His fingers were icy cold, blue veins faintly standing out across the back of his hand.
Blood kept pouring from the gash at the man's temple, running down over his brows and into his eyes. His lips, already turning purple from suffocation and terror, looked eerily pale against the thick crimson streaks.
Cen Sen showed no sign of letting go. His gaze was colder than ice, devoid of any warmth. Even a face drenched in blood failed to stir the slightest ripple in his expression.
The girls who had been gossiping about Ji Mingshu with the man moments ago had gone weak with fright. After their screams died down, they scrambled in panic to find someone to help.
Before anyone could step forward, however, Cen Sen's bodyguards poured into the pub.
Dressed in black suits, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, they wore the same detached expression as their employer.
They formed a wall around the booth, standing guard over Cen Sen as though it made no difference if someone died inside. Their message was unmistakable: no one was getting close enough to save him.
Cen Sen had rarely appeared in public over the past two years. Most of the rich kids who haunted nightclubs wouldn't have connected him with the heir to Junyi Group.
But Jiang Che was here tonight.
Even an idiot could figure out who Cen Sen was.
A few people had considered stepping in at first; now they shelved the idea and wisely stepped back. No one was willing to offend the future head of the Cen family over some insignificant nobody.
Everyone else could stay out of it, but Zhang Lin, the club owner, couldn't.
The moment he heard that the young masters of the Cen and Jiang families had arrived and immediately started beating someone half to death, his scalp went numb.
What kind of nightmare was this?
On opening night, his wife had already caused enough chaos, and he'd had no choice but to smile through it.
Now the one person who never showed up had decided to grace his tiny establishment, and the evening was heading straight toward a homicide. There were so many nightclub owners in the capital who did absolutely nothing with their lives. Why did disaster always choose him?
"Sen-ge! Sen-ge!" Zhang Lin shouted frantically when he saw the poor guy nearly strangled unconscious. His own heart felt ready to stop along with the victim's. "When did you get here? I only just heard! My fault, my fault!"
Jiang Che lazily lifted a hand to stop him. "Relax. He knows his limits."
How was he supposed to relax?!
If someone died in his club, his old man would chop his arms and legs off before locking him away for the rest of his life!
Unable to squeeze past the bodyguards, Zhang Lin felt as though every organ in his body was being roasted alive. Hands trembling, he hurriedly lit a cigarette for Jiang Che, hoping to pry some information out of the young heir.
Jiang Che, however, had never enjoyed dealing with people like him. He merely glanced sideways before saying with open mockery, "With nerves like yours, why even run a nightclub?"
Zhang Lin had been about to plead again when, from the corner of his eye, he saw Cen Sen finally release his grip and toss the man onto the floor. Relief washed over him, his T-shirt was already soaked with another layer of cold sweat.
Cen Sen remained standing where he was, unmoving.
No one knew that, for one brief instant, he'd truly forgotten the "limits" Jiang Che had spoken of.
Hearing the commotion, Shu Yang stepped out of a private room and leaned over the railing to look downstairs.
Just then, the mirrored lights swept across Cen Sen's sharply sculpted profile. The blood staining the collar of his white dress shirt was a shocking sight.
"Holy shit... what happened to Sen-ge?" Shu Yang stared in disbelief.
Li Wenyin walked over as well, resting a hand lightly on the railing, she quietly watched the man below wipe the blood from his hands with deliberate calm.
Something occurred to Shu Yang, and he was just about to stop her. Instead, after watching for a few moments, Li Wenyin silently turned and walked away. He called after her twice, but she had already stepped into the elevator.
Downstairs, Zhang Lin had begun clearing out the club while having the half-conscious guy dragged aside to wait for the ambulance.
The music had stopped.
Only the hazy nightclub lights continued to flicker.
Li Wenyin walked downstairs and, standing outside the ring of bodyguards, suddenly called out, "Cen Sen!"
He neither answered nor turned around.
She spoke again. "Can I talk to you alone?"
Jiang Che, wanting no part of this, was ready to leave. Cen Sen merely flicked him a glance, signaling him to stay, then sat down beside the pool of blood that hadn't yet been cleaned up.
He said coldly, "Whatever you have to say, say it here."
The bodyguards stepped aside just enough to let Li Wenyin enter the booth.
She remained standing before him, her voice gentle and composed. "I heard Mingshu is threatening divorce because of the movie. When you called me that night, I never imagined things had already become this serious. I'm sorry."
She lowered her eyes slightly.
Cen Sen said nothing. He didn't even look at her.
Jiang Che, meanwhile, was busy texting his girlfriend, having absolutely no interest in these little games women liked to play.
Still looking downward, Li Wenyin continued, "Back then, I thought I could choose the best person for the role regardless of our history. I never expected it would end up dragging you into this. Junyi's withdrawal was understandable. I'm truly sorry."
"But as for the movie..." She slowly lifted her head and met Cen Sen's eyes with steady clarity. "I believe I have every right to continue making it. This has nothing to do with you. At its core, whether I film it or not, and what I film, are my decisions. If we can't be lovers anymore, and we can't even be friends, then at the very least... I hope we don't become enemies."
"I know you well enough to know you would never deliberately stop my film from being released. Mingshu and I have our own conflicts, but those are between the two of us. We'll settle them ourselves. A-Sen, you shouldn't interfere in our..."
"Ji Mingshu is my wife."
Before she could finish, Cen Sen cut her off bluntly.
He undid the bloodstained button at his collar to let in some air, and finally lifting his eyes to meet hers, his expression unreadable.
"Miss Li, I thought I made myself perfectly clear during our last phone call. No one is stopping you from making movies or living your own life. But what I choose to do is my own business."
"And one more thing. You and I are just you and me. Mingshu and I are us. Do you understand the difference?"
Hearing that, Jiang Che didn't even bother looking up. Instead, he forwarded the line to his girlfriend, Zhou You, who had recently been pretending to casually ask about rumors involving a certain woman at his company. "She and I are just she and I. You and I are us. Understand?"
After a brief silence, she replied with a little sticker of a girl nodding obediently.
Jiang Che let out a satisfied breath. He knew she'd be satisfied with the answer.
Li Wenyin, however, found no such relief.
Her mind went completely blank. Everything until now, including Ji Mingshu impulsively asking for a divorce, had unfolded exactly as she'd expected.
So how had things ended up like this?
She couldn't understand where she'd gone wrong. Nor was she willing to believe the answer might be that Cen Sen had actually fallen in love with Ji Mingshu.
But before she could sort through the chaos in her thoughts, Cen Sen had already risen to leave, unwilling to waste another word on her.
Just then, Shu Yang hurried downstairs and caught up as Cen Sen stepped out of the booth. He opened his mouth to say something.
Instead, Cen Sen looked at him and said coolly, "This is the last time."
Shu Yang's face was a picture of utter confusion. He immediately grabbed Jiang Che, who was coming out behind him. "What was that supposed to mean? Last time? Last time what?"
Jiang Che answered flatly, "It means if there's a next time, this friendship is over."
Shu Yang stood there for a second before the realization finally hit him. "Wait... he doesn't seriously think I invited Li Wenyin here, does he? Damn it, I'm being framed!"
His face was full of grievance. "I only invited you guys because I wanted to apologize for running my mouth last time! I was upstairs singing with some girls when she showed up on her own with that sickly guy from the Yuan family. I couldn't exactly throw them out."
"I was caught off guard too! I hadn't even gotten the chance to say anything before everything exploded downstairs. Then she suddenly rushed down here... Wait, what did she even come down to do this time? Damn it! She totally screwed me over into this mess!"
Without even lifting his eyelids, Jiang Che replied, "Why are you telling me this?"
Of course, explaining it to Cen Sen was the only thing that mattered. Unfortunately, Cen Sen clearly had no interest in listening.
Cen Sen left the pub without even changing his bloodstained shirt.
The moment he settled into the back seat of the car, he gave a single destination. "Xinggang International."
Resting his forehead against one hand, he leaned back in silence.
Whether it was the alcohol or the smell of blood, something dark and restless stirred quietly inside him, impossible to name.
The black sedan sped through the sparse autumn night until it arrived outside Xinggang International.
Pulling over across the street, Cen Sen stepped out, borrowed a cigarette from the driver, slipped one hand into his pocket, and leaned against the car door.
His gaze never left one pitch-black window.
Little by little, the agitation inside him seemed to settle beneath the cool autumn breeze.
That night passed without a dream.
The next morning, Ji Mingshu and Gu Kaiyang got up together.
Whether Ji Mingshu had truly made up her mind or was simply riding out another burst of determination, she spent breakfast earnestly discussing one very practical question with Gu Kaiyang while sipping her congee.
How exactly was she supposed to support herself?
Scrolling through the latest fashion news on her tablet, Gu Kaiyang answered casually, "That's easy. First, you need to spend less. The way you burn money... honestly, apart from your family and Cen Sen letting you do whatever you want, I don't think many people in the world could afford to keep you."
"I just can't help it, okay?” Ji Mingshu protested. After finishing half a bowl of congee, she delicately dabbed her lips clean before folding her hands primly on the table. "Seriously though, what kind of job do you think I should get? I'm almost out of money."
Gu Kaiyang thought for a moment. "A personal shopper? You're Young Lady Ji. Buying limited-edition bags at luxury boutiques would be effortless for you. Flip them for a profit. Easy money."
Ji Mingshu stared at her.
"Are you out of your mind? Most people who can afford that stuff are from my circle. Are you trying to get me laughed to death? Gu Kaiyang, you're evil!"
Gu Kaiyang immediately raised a hand. "Fine, then what job do you think lets you avoid your old circle entirely? Become an influencer? Debut as an actress?"
Ji Mingshu shook her head like a rattle-drum.
Her heart was made of glass. There was no way she could survive the internet tearing her apart.
Besides, while high society wasn't nearly as dismissive of celebrities and influencers as it used to be, Young Lady Ji still couldn't let go of her carefully cultivated socialite image.
Depending on her face for a living simply wasn't an option.
Gu Kaiyang continued, "Even if you want to do the interior design that you love, you're still going to deal with your old circle. You specialize in high-end creative spaces. What's the client base for that? If you cut yourself off from your old network, where are you going to find wealthy clients?"
"Think about it. Would a stranger hand over a multi-million-dollar villa to someone with barely any portfolio? So no matter what you choose, the first hurdle is getting over this mental block about avoiding your old social circle. Got it?"
Resting her chin in one hand, Ji Mingshu was still pondering the problem when her phone suddenly chimed.
Little Earth Goose, her unofficial intelligence officer, had delivered the hottest gossip of the morning.
Jiang Chun: [Omg!!! Your husband beat someone up at Zhang Lin's place last night!!!]
Jiang Chun: [So many people were there. Jiang Che, Shu Yang, Zhang Lin... and your little white lotus rival too!]
Ji Mingshu froze.
Cen Sen beat someone up?
And Li Wenyin had been there?
Then... had he done it because of Li Wenyin...?
Before she could follow that train of thought, another message arrived.
Jiang Chun: [The guy he beat up was that little fatty Mo Zhengwei. You probably don't even know him. Apparently he was trash-talking you, your husband overheard him, and smashed a bottle right over his head! They say he nearly killed the guy! The whole circle's talking about it now. Last I heard, fatty is still at Third Hospital getting checked over!]
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Author's Note:
Guess Cen-shi Sensen might just live to see another day today.
Jiang Che: No, I'm today’s MVP.
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