My Queen, My Rules - 49
First Snow
The drive from the restaurant to Xinggang International normally took no more than half an hour. But with the Christmas Eve crowds flooding the streets, that journey stretched to nearly twice its usual length.
Back at the restaurant, Ji Mingshu and Cen Yang had spent the evening reminiscing about childhood. Now, merged into a river of taillights, they seemed to step fully into adulthood, finally asking each other about their lives now.
There wasn't much to say about Ji Mingshu's life. She had simply continued down the path everyone had expected of her since childhood. Year after year, she'd followed that road without ever really straying from it.
Cen Yang's story was different. Once the sole, celebrated golden boy of the Jingjian Cen family, his world had been upended overnight. While he hadn't fallen from the clouds into the mud, from the moment his identity changed, the lofty position he'd once occupied became a peak forever out of reach. The future that belonged to the Crown Prince of the Cen family was a journey he was forever barred from treading.
Perhaps because she'd never been especially close to her own families, ever since learning the truth back in her second year of middle school, Ji Mingshu had always found it easy to empathize with Cen Yang.
If some foreign royal family suddenly announced she was their long-lost princess, she'd happily pack her bags and move into the palace without a second thought.
But if an impoverished couple from some tiny backwater town turned up claiming to be her real parents, she'd probably faint on the spot while clinging to one of the Ji family's front mansion pillars for dear life.
When Ji Mingshu tactfully shared this perspective, Cen Yang simply smiled.
One hand rested on the steering wheel, he pulled a pack of gum from the glove compartment. While unwrapping it, he gazed at the dazzling city lights ahead and spoke calmly. "It wasn't as impossible to accept as you're imagining. I've had a pretty good life these past few years."
Ji Mingshu turned to look at him.
"At first, it wasn't easy. But after a while, you got used to it, it just becomes your normal."
Stopping at a red light, Cen Yang offered her a piece of gum. Looking back on those days, his tone remained peaceful. "Honestly, it's been so long, a lot of it is blurry now. I only remember that after we left Nanqiao Hutong, I couldn't sleep for about half a month. Every night I'd just lie there awake, thinking about Grandpa and Grandma... thinking about my parents... thinking about Shu Yang and everyone else."
He glanced sideways at her. "And of course, I missed you too, you little troublemaker. Back then I used to think you were such a noisy little girl, but once you weren't around making a racket at the house anymore, it felt… strangely quiet."
Ji Mingshu pressed her lips together without answering.
Cen Yang continued, "It would be a lie to say I never felt resentment. I work in venture capital now. When I first started, the pressure was overwhelming. I'd catch myself thinking... if I were still Cen Yang of the Cen family, would I really have to work this hard?"
He paused, then chuckled lightly, "Enough about that. It's all ancient history now. Everyone's doing fine. We've all found where we belong. Life goes on, no matter where you are."
‘Life goes on, no matter where you are.’
Easy words to say, far harder to live by.
As the Little Canary who had been living away from home for months, Ji Mingshu could attest to this truth firsthand.
She wanted to comfort him somehow, but nothing seemed quite right, so she simply nodded and changed the subject. "So... you're twenty-seven this year too, right? Are you seeing anyone?"
Cen Yang narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Dated a few people here and there during college, but none of them really worked out. These past few years I've been too busy with work to think about dating."
The light turned green, and the car slowly rolled forward again. As though something had just occurred to him, he asked, "I just came from Xingcheng. An Ning mentioned that you and... him visited not long ago?"
"Mm. We went there for dinner. How are An Ning and... Auntie An?"
Without hesitation, Cen Yang replied, "They're doing well. I wanted to bring them to the capital once I'd settled down, but they said they couldn't get used to life here, so they decided to stay."
Seeing the calm expression on his face, Ji Mingshu couldn't help feeling puzzled. Back then, hadn't Chen Biqing said Cen Yang wasn't close to them at all? That he rarely contacted them? Yet he didn't seem to harbor any resentment toward them.
Strange.
Then again, based on Chen Biqing's few remarks, Ji Mingshu had always imagined Cen Yang as someone withdrawn and burdened by bitterness over his changed identity. But the man sitting beside her now was optimistic, confident, and seemed to have long since made peace with the past.
It should have been the happiest possible outcome after fate's cruel twist. And yet... somehow it didn't feel entirely real.
When they arrived at Xinggang International, Cen Yang parked the car, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door for her. Seeing that she was still lost in thought, he leaned inside, intending to unfasten her seatbelt for her.
Ji Mingshu came back to herself just in time and quickly raised a hand to stop him. "No, it's okay. I've got it."
She unclipped the seatbelt herself, grabbed her handbag, and hurried out of the car.
The snow outside had grown heavier than it had been during the drive.
Tilting his head back, Cen Yang looked up at the falling snow. "Is this the capital's first snowfall this year?"
Ji Mingshu nodded and reached out to catch a few flakes. "The forecast's been talking about it for ages. I didn't expect it to wait until today."
As she spoke, a trace of melancholy flickered across her eyes.
She had wanted so badly to watch the first snow with Cen Sen. She had wanted to spend Christmas Eve with him too.
But after the fashion show, Cen Sen hadn't contacted her once. The only thing he'd done was have Zhou Jiaheng deliver some clothes.
As if she gives a damn about his stupid clothes!
Then again, even if he'd contacted her, would it have mattered? Cen Sen was the epitome of emotionless corporate machine who would gladly devote his entire life to work. Romance, Christmas Eve, spending the holidays with his wife... those things probably didn't even exist in his vocabulary.
Somehow, thinking about it that way, it didn't feel quite so disappointing anymore.
"...Xiao Shu?" When she didn't respond the first time, Cen Yang called her name again.
"Huh?" Ji Mingshu snapped back to reality and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. I was thinking about something. What is it?"
"Nothing." He smiled warmly. "I was just thinking... I'm really glad we were able to meet again."
Cen Yang smiled, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. Tall and straight beneath the falling snow, he looked especially gentle against the winter night.
Ji Mingshu found herself smiling too. The expression lingered at the corners of her lips before slowly fading.
Looking at him, she said softly, "Calling you ‘Cen Yang-gege' somehow feels a little strange now that we're adults. And I don't think I have the right to stand on your side, sharing your grievances… But no matter what happened before, or what happens in the future, I sincerely hope you'll always be happy. And I hope you'll always stay as warm and bright as the Brother Cen Yang I remember."
Cen Yang looked back at her. A faint smile rested on his lips, though it never reached his eyes. Then, without warning, he stepped forward and gently hugged her.
Not far away, a black Maybach sat parked in silence.
Cen Yang looked toward the distant, barely visible driver's seat. His gaze remained steady and calm, and he never spoke a word.
—Xiao Shu, I'm sorry. A very long time ago, I stopped being the Brother Cen Yang you remember.
Back in the apartment, Ji Mingshu removed her makeup and went through her usual evening routine. The apartment was quiet. On Christmas Eve, Gu Kaiyang was still hard at work pulling another unpaid overtime shift. Who knew when she'd finally get home.
After putting on a face mask, Ji Mingshu checked her phone.
That pig Cen Sen hadn't sent her so much as a punctuation mark. It was infuriating.
She sat cross-legged on the sofa, thinking about it over and over without making any sense of it.
Didn't he go to university overseas too? Did Christmas Eve and Christmas really mean that little to him? If he hated Western holidays so much, why had he gone to Harvard? Would sending a simple Merry Christmas make his company's stock price crash thirty percent? Was he even human? Seriously, how had a man like that managed to get himself a wife?
Ji Mingshu was drowning in resentment over being ignored on Christmas Eve.
And then, as if deliberately choosing the worst possible moment, Jiang Chun popped up to show off her happiness.
Jiang Chun: [Image 1]
Jiang Chun: [Image 2]
Jiang Chun: [The ring Tang Zhizhou gave me! Pretty, right?!]
Ji Mingshu: […]
Ji Mingshu: [Didn't I tell you to practice making your fingers look longer? Have you skipped every single day? Your fingers are short and chubby. Honestly, even my toes are prettier. And you still had the nerve to wear a ring? Don't tell me you already posted it on Moments. If you absolutely have to post something, just photograph the ring box instead. Spare everyone the embarrassment.y
Jiang Chun: […]
Jiang Chun: [Already posted it.]
By now, Jiang Chun was completely accustomed to being roasted by Ji Mingshu. In fact, if Ji Mingshu ever complimented her, she'd become suspicious instead, convinced that an even bigger attack was coming once she'd let her guard down.
Receiving such a perfectly ordinary response today reassured her completely, so she happily turned to Tang Zhizhou and acted spoiled.
Puffing out her cheeks, she held up her chubby little hand. "Shushu says my fingers are too short and fat to look nice wearing a ring. What do you think?"
Tang Zhizhou rubbed her head. "You look beautiful no matter what."
Jiang Chun nodded with satisfaction, immediately messaging Ji Mingshu again.
Jiang Chun: [Tang Zhizhou says I look beautiful no matter what. Hehe.]
Jiang Chun: [Satisfied.jpg]
Fortunately, she still had enough self-preservation instincts. Before Ji Mingshu could launch into full attack mode, she quickly offered a fresh piece of gossip to distract her.
Jiang Chun: [Oh right. Tang Zhizhou and I went to the movies at Jiufang Mall today, and guess who we ran into? Little Lotus Li.]
Ji Mingshu: [Little Lotus Li? Who's that?]
Jiang Chun: […Li Wenyin! Could you show your love rival some basic respect?!]
Ji Mingshu: […]
Ji Mingshu: [Who was she with?]
Jiang Chun: [Some guy. Pretty tall. But the theater was packed tonight, I didn't get a clear look at his face. Everyone was already heading into the screening, and once we got inside it was pitch black. Didn't see them on the way out, either.]
Ji Mingshu's thoughts immediately drifted to Cen Sen, and her mood soured.
Jiang Chun: [But it definitely wasn't your Cen Sen. That guy didn't have that 'I-make-a-million-bucks-a-minute-just-standing-here' CEO aura your man has.]
Ji Mingshu: […]
Ji Mingshu: [Next time, please learn where to put your pauses before you speak. Otherwise, just don't speak. Thank you.]
Jiang Chun: […?]
Jiang Chun: [What did I do wrong this time?]
Jiang Chun immediately launched into a long complaint about how she'd kindly reported important intelligence only to get blasted instead of praised. Ji Mingshu couldn't be bothered reading any more of her rambling and was about to put her phone down to wash off her face mask when Gu Kaiyang suddenly called.
She answered.
On the other end, Gu Kaiyang sounded like someone being chased by a chainsaw-wielding serial killer. She was panting so hard that her words came tumbling out incoherently.
"Do you... you know what I just saw? I'm back... I'm in the elevator... I saw Cen Sen... with another guy... downstairs..."
Ji Mingshu's brain short-circuited for a second. "...Kissing?"
"...?"
"No! What are you thinking? Just two men. No, wait... one man..."
Something suddenly clicked in Ji Mingshu's mind. Barefoot, she ran to the window and yanked the curtains open.
Cen Yang's white Mercedes hadn't driven away.
Instead, it had crossed to the opposite side of the street and parked beside a black Maybach.
The two men stood between their cars, hands tucked into their pockets.
Both of them had their heads tilted upward.
Looking at...
Her?
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