My Queen, My Rules - 44
Pink Diamond
Jiang Chun continues to send one exaggerated message after another, every sentence drowning in exclamation marks. Ji Mingshu didn't register a single word.
She stared at the chat window without blinking. Her thoughts looped endlessly, confirming, doubting, then confirming and doubting all over again.
Seeing her frozen with her phone in hand, Gu Kaiyang waved a hand in front of her face. "What's with you?"
Ji Mingshu looked up, stared at her for three full seconds, then blurted out, "Cen Sen beat someone badly enough to put them in the hospital... because they were talking trash about me."
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
Gu Kaiyang, who still had congee in her mouth, choked violently on Ji Mingshu's words.
Watching such an over-the-top reaction snapped Ji Mingshu back to reality a little.
...Right. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Maybe that little fatty had insulted Cen Sen too while he was at it. Someone like him, who couldn't even be bothered to open his mouth most of the time, how could he possibly throw punches just because someone mouthed off? And for her sake, no less.
Even so, despite trying to reason herself out of it, Ji Mingshu spent the entire morning basking in a ridiculous little glow of happiness she couldn't quite suppress.
The wealthy wives and daughters who made up the socialite circle always had the fastest gossip, and no one was better at changing with the wind.
Just a few days ago, aside from routine invitations from luxury brands' PR departments, not a single social event in the circle had invited Ji Mingshu. And if there had been one, it was almost certainly because someone wanted front-row seats to her embarrassment.
Yet throughout the entire morning today, messages from her "dear sisters" checking in on her and inviting her to events never stopped.
[Darling, my boutique is hosting a showcase for our new collection tomorrow! I haven't seen you in ages. Are you free? I'll send someone to pick you up, okay?]
—That was from Fiona, daughter of the chairman of Gande Group, the mining conglomerate.
After studying jewelry design overseas for two years, Fiona had returned home and launched her own eponymous jewelry label. Unfortunately, talent wasn't exactly her strong suit. Nearly every design looked suspiciously like a greatest-hits compilation of Tiffany, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels, except sold at eye-watering prices.
Still, she knew exactly how to flatter people. Ji Mingshu had humored her enough to buy a few decent-looking pieces before, though she'd never actually worn them. They either became gifts for someone else or gathered dust in a drawer.
[Shushu, my concert tour's final stop is back in the capital! Saturday night at the Sports Center. I've saved you a VIP seat. You have to come if you're free. I miss you so much!]
—That one came from Echo, the youngest daughter of the Bai family, a household famous for music.
Both of Echo's parents had been nationally renowned vocalists who regularly performed at state banquets in their younger days. Later in life, they transitioned into politics with remarkable success.
Her older siblings had all followed the same polished path their parents had paved. Somehow, though, Echo insisted on reinventing herself as a concert pianist. Her skills was... passable at best. But with her family's influence opening every door, she'd still managed to launch an international piano tour.
...
There were plenty more messages just like those. Ji Mingshu didn't even have to read them all to know exactly what they said.
After all, out of ten socialites, five would inevitably call themselves independent fashion designers, while the other five either designed jewelry, held art exhibitions, performed music, or lent their names to charitable foundations. Whether they were actually good at any of it, or even cared, was beside the point. The title itself was what mattered.
Ordinarily, Ji Mingshu looked down on these women who tossed around words like "art" and "design" despite possessing little more than shallow skills and goldfish memories. But today, resting her chin in one hand, she found herself unexpectedly reflecting. However mediocre they might be, at least they were genuinely building careers. That alone made them better than someone like her, who aimed high but never actually did anything.
As if struck by a thought, she suddenly put down her phone, walked over to her computer, and began typing with complete concentration.
A little after six that evening, Ji Mingshu was just about to get up from her desk and grab a yogurt from the refrigerator when she heard the front door unlock.
Looking up, she found Gu Kaiyang standing there.
"You're off work this early today?"
Ji Mingshu couldn't hide her surprise.
Working for Zero Degrees, overtime was practically written into the job description. She couldn't remember the last time Gu Kaiyang had gotten off work at a normal hour.
Instead of answering, Gu Kaiyang wore an oddly mysterious grin. After changing her shoes at the entrance, she practically flew across the room and appeared beside Ji Mingshu in an instant.
"What're you doing?"
"I'm just organizing some of my old design work." Ji Mingshu sized her up and down, growing more suspicious by the second. "What's with you?"
Gu Kaiyang tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably. Barely suppressing a grin, she suddenly revealed the hand she'd been hiding behind her back, holding up an exquisite blue velvet jewelry box and giving it a little shake.
Ji Mingshu froze.
With exaggerated solemnity, Gu Kaiyang placed the box on the desk and carefully opened it. Then she stood upright, folded her hands neatly in front of her stomach, and perfectly mimicked Zhou Jiaheng's professional tone.
"Miss Gu, President Cen recently acquired a pink diamond ring. It's the Fancy Intense Pink diamond Madam admired last year. After being recut, its color grade has now been upgraded to Fancy Vivid Pink. It has also been resized according to Madam's measurements. Please deliver it to her on President Cen's behalf."
Ji Mingshu stared blankly at the oval pink diamond resting inside the box, its flawless facets shimmering with soft rose-colored light. She couldn't process what she was seeing.
The moment she finished her imitation of Zhou Jiaheng, Gu Kaiyang collapsed beside Ji Mingshu, practically vibrating with excitement.
"You have no idea how nervous I was carrying this thing back! Thank goodness your husband's assistant arranged a car and bodyguards to escort me! My god, I secretly looked it up on the way. This ring sold for thirty-two million! U.S. dollars! Your husband is seriously pulling out all the stops this time!"
"..."
Ji Mingshu kept staring at the ring, unable to tear her eyes away.
Who knew what Gu Kaiyang had experienced during a single workday, but her attitude had done a complete one-eighty. She spent the entire evening singing his praises in Ji Mingshu's ear, "Cen Sen is good, Cen Sen is great, Cen Sen is absolutely amazing”. At this rate, she was one step away from packing Ji Mingshu's suitcase herself, delivering her straight back to Mingshui Manor, and thoughtfully throw in a couple of condoms for good measure.
To be fair, the moment she'd heard Jiang Chun's intel that morning, Ji Mingshu's resolve had already cracked for one embarrassing second.
Now, staring at the pink diamond, it wavered for three whole seconds.
She took the ring out of its box and slipped it onto her finger.
The sunlight was down to its last, faint beam, the fading daylight already tinged with dusk. Yet the pink diamond shone brilliantly. Every facet sparkled with crystal clarity, while the halo of smaller diamonds around it flashed dazzling light each time she bent or straightened her fingers.
Oh my god, it's so gorgeous!
This is exactly the kind of ring a princess should have!
It's just like my beauty. Absolutely breathtaking. So stunning it takes your breath away!!!
While Ji Mingshu was completely intoxicated by the ring's beauty, Gu Kaiyang kept talking nonstop beside her, but every word passed through one ear and out the other. Only when she caught the sentence, "So... when are you moving back?" did she snap awake as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her.
—A ring means I have to go back?
"Who said I'm going back?"
"He thinks one lousy ring is supposed to buy me off?"
"The last time I threw divorce papers at him, he tried to smooth things over with a bracelet. Every single time it's the same trick. Where's the sincerity in that?!"
Gu Kaiyang blinked. "This ring costs way more than that bracelet. I'd say he's being pretty sincere."
Ji Mingshu removed the ring, studied it thoughtfully, then completed a flawless chain of entirely self-serving logic.
"Last time he wasn't guilty of anything, so he could casually brush me off with a bracelet. This time he's giving me something this expensive. Doesn't that just prove he has a guilty conscience? scumbag!"
Gu Kaiyang: "...?"
What kind of logic was that? Respect. Pure respect.
Ji Mingshu's wavering heart hardened once more. She put the ring back in its box, tossed it into a small drawer, and refused to look at it again. She sat up straight at her computer, and resumed organizing her portfolio.
Early the next morning, Junyi Group held its monthly executive meeting.
At the head of the conference table sat Cen Sen, dressed in a white suit and shirt, a pair of thin gold-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
Once the department manager finished presenting, Cen Sen didn't even bother looking up before stating coldly,
"Manager Lan, I'm genuinely curious who promoted you to your current position. Every sentence of your report is filled with words like 'should,' 'might,' and 'perhaps.' If this is how you report your work, what exactly does Junyi Group need you for? You might as well start over alongside the management trainees."
"And the entire Marketing and Communications Department. For two consecutive months you've submitted proposals that read like complacent civil servants coasting toward retirement. Junyi Group isn't a pension home. If your minds have already stopped working, save everyone the trouble and report to HR yourselves."
...
Whenever Cen Sen criticized people, his voice was always calm, cold, and devoid of warmth. If the blade wasn't cutting into your own flesh, you could almost appreciate the measured elegance of his words.
Everyone spent the entire meeting walking on eggshells. By the time it finally ended, the collective sigh of relief was almost tangible.
Cen Sen left immediately for his office without a moment's delay. Zhou Jiaheng remained behind to collect his laptop and meeting materials.
Someone couldn't help asking him quietly, "Assistant Zhou... what's been going on with President Cen lately? He feels... different."
Normally, Cen Sen was aloof, but there was still a measured courtesy to the way he carried himself. Today, though, he had been cold to the point of cruelty. Even Manager Lan, famously regarded as Junyi's most delicate flower, had been publicly torn apart without the slightest mercy.
Zhou Jiaheng merely smiled.
Seeing they weren't getting anything out of him, everyone weren't surprised. They simply sighed, packed up, and returned to work.
Although Zhou Jiaheng hadn't answered, he had troubles of his own. After all, who suffered more invisible collateral damage than a personal assistant permanently stationed at his boss's side?
The moment he stepped out of the conference room, he slipped into an empty corner and called one of the people working under him.
"Did the news get out? Does Miss Jiang know Junyi Group pulled its investment and that the boss beat someone up?"
...
"It got out? Then why hasn't there been any reaction?"
...
"Has Madam gone out today? She didn't return the ring, did she?"
...
After hanging up, Zhou Jiaheng felt even more uneasy. He simply couldn't understand why the young madam was proving so impossible to appease this time. As he made his way toward the president's office, every step grew heavier, like he was marching toward his own funeral.
Over the following week, Cen Sen had four or five more gifts delivered to Ji Mingshu.
She accepted every single one without exception, and without reply.
Even Zhou Jiaheng eventually tried dropping subtle hints to Cen Sen. Maybe gifts alone weren't enough. At least show your face... or if nothing else, make a phone call.
Cen Sen merely cast him a cool glance and took no action.
What Zhou Jiaheng didn't know was that every night, after the city had gone quiet, Cen Sen would drove himself to Xinggang International, parked across the street, and silently watched the apartment window. Some nights it was dark. Other nights a warm yellow light glowed behind the curtains.
Each time he sat there, it felt like he managed to understand something a little more clearly.
Yet somewhere deep inside, he still refused to acknowledge it.
Resisted the truth to himself.
Clearly, in the beginning, he hadn't felt this way about Ji Mingshu.
***
During that same week, Ji Mingshu carefully organized all of her previous design work, polished her résumé with her academic achievements and awards, and began advertising herself online as an independent interior designer.
Just as Gu Kaiyang had predicted, however, the clients she hoped to attract largely overlapped with the same social circles she belonged to.
And people in those circles rarely hired an unfamiliar designer without a trusted recommendation. They preferred to sought out more famous names.
After an entire week online, not a single potential client had even contacted her.
Late that night, Ji Mingshu crouched in front of her computer, feeling thoroughly discouraged.
She'd spent the entire week fighting every urge to spend money. And she'd won every battle. Yet the balance in her account kept shrinking before her eyes.
“Making money is so hard.” “Being an ordinary person is exhausting.” “I don't want to work anymore. I'm just a pretty Little Canary Baby.” “Waaah. The new Chanel bag is so pretty... If that dog of a man Cen Sen just call, maybe... maybe I'll forgive him.”
One after another, those thoughts took turns attacking her resolve until she felt mentally drained.
Gu Kaiyang came home exhausted from work and immediately went to bed. Ji Mingshu sat alone at her computer for a while before quietly slipping her keycard and phone into her pocket and sneaking out.
Convenience stores had once been places Ji Mingshu barely noticed. Lately, though, she'd become such a regular that she and the cashier greeted each other with familiar smiles.
She bought a small cup of vegetable oden along with a salted egg yolk ice cream, then sat on a stone bench by the roadside, eating alone in tiny bites as the night breeze brushed against her face.
Streetlights filtered through the treetops, scattering warm golden pools of light across the pavement. After finishing the last stalk of spinach, she unwrapped the ice cream and absentmindedly nibbled at it.
For some reason, she suddenly missed Cen Sen.
It had only been a little over ten days. Yet somehow, it felt longer than the entire two years he'd spent in Australia.
She couldn't even explain why she missed him. He was always so cold. The only time he acted sweet was when he wanted to sleep with her, bribing her with those braised spare ribs. He'd even criticized her designs and told her she might as well crawl all the way to Potala Palace.
And yet...she couldn't stop thinking about him.
Halfway through the ice cream, the night air became a little too chilly. Throwing away the remaining half felt wasteful, so she stood up, intending to finish it at home where she wouldn't have to sit in the wind.
But the instant she rose to her feet, something tugged at her instincts.
She looked across the street almost unconsciously, her heart skipped hard against her ribs.
Before she could spot whatever had caught her attention, WeChat suddenly chimed with several new messages.
The sender was the overseas Chinese designer, Chris Chou, someone she hadn't heard from in a very long time.
Chris Chou: [Shu, I hope this isn't a bad time.]
Chris Chou: [I'm coming to the capital for my next runway show. The Milan venue you designed for me remains the most inspired stage I've seen in years, and the one that best captured the spirit of my work. I sincerely hope we'll have the chance to collaborate again.]
Chris Chou: [Here's the information for this show. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.]
Ji Mingshu's spirits lifted immediately. Opening the attachment Chris Chou had sent, she hadn't even looked at the other details yet when her eyes zeroed in on the venue. Her vision went dark for a second.
...Was this for real?
Junyi Huazhang?
---
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