My Queen, My Rules - 51
Going Back Home
The movie was a cliché melodrama. The kind where you could guess the ending five minutes in. Even so, Ji Mingshu watched every minute with wholehearted emotional investment.
After leaving the theater, she snapped a photo of the ticket stubs and posted it to Moments, offering everyone a spoiler-free public service review.
When she took the picture, Cen Sen had happened to be standing on her right, and the custom watch on his left wrist had accidentally slipped into the frame. She noticed it while editing the photo, but for reasons she couldn't quite explain herself, she neither cropped it nor covered it up. She simply acted as though she'd never noticed and posted it as it was.
It was already four in the morning, but plenty of night owls were still awake. Less than five minutes after posting, her Moments had already collected well over a hundred likes.
Shu Yang was still awake, drinking and playing cards with friends at a bar.
The moment he saw Ji Mingshu's post, he zoomed in on the photo, narrowed his eyes, and suddenly burst into laughter.
Shu Yang: [Image]
Shu Yang: [Watching a movie with his wife at four in the morning. Sen-ge is incredible.]
Shu Yang: [If anyone ever calls Sen-ge an emotionally clueless steel-straight man again, I'll be the first to fight them. This level of professionalism, this skills... I'm telling you, if you sold beer, you'd be the national sales champion.]
Shu Yang: [Jiang Che, President Jiang, take notes.]
Their group of childhood friends had a WeChat group chat with Jiang Che as the owner.
Normally only Jiang Che, Shu Yang, and Zhao Yang were active in the group. Cen Sen, on the other hand, usually looked like a long-abandoned grave with weeds growing over it. Every once in a great while, however, he'd suddenly rise from the dead long enough to forward financial news or industry updates before disappearing again.
Shu Yang only dared tease him because it was the middle of the night and he assumed nobody else was online to clap back.
Unfortunately for him, Jiang Che had just spent the evening arguing with Zhou You. After finally swallowing his pride, pampering her, even washing her feet, he'd barely managed to coax her to sleep. Now, lying in the same bed but unable to do anything, he was pent up with frustration.
Shu Yang had picked exactly the wrong moment to walk into the line of fire.
Naturally, Jiang Che didn't let the opportunity go to waste. He had always been a devoted believer in the philosophy of ‘if I'm miserable, all of you are coming down with me’. After thoroughly tearing into Shu Yang, he kicked him out of the group before he even had a chance to defend himself.
That still wasn't satisfying enough. Next he dragged Zhao Yang, who was peacefully asleep and completely unaware of any of this, into the conversation just to dredge up old embarrassments.
Finally, he turned his attention to Cen Sen.
Perhaps because insulting people without an audience felt lonely, he even added Shu Yang back into the group.
Jiang Che: [Cen Sen, watching a movie at four in the morning? Quit showing off. If you've got the guts, take your wife home and roll around in bed instead of embarrassing yourself outside.]
Jiang Che: [You've got the Rongyue signing at nine tomorrow morning. Looking at your sorry state, you probably shouldn't go. Working with someone whose brain shuts down whenever his wife is involved is the worst luck I've had in eight lifetimes.]
Shu Yang immediately chimed in.
Shu Yang: [Them still wandering around outside this late, could only mean he couldn't take his wife home.]
Jiang Che: [You're right. At this rate, I doubt he'll be taking her home at all this year.]
The two of them fell into an effortless rhythm, as though all their earlier grievances had magically buried.
"What are you looking at?"
As they rode the elevator down, Ji Mingshu noticed Cen Sen staring at his phone and casually asked.
"Nothing," he replied evenly. "I saw the Moments post you just made."
Ji Mingshu immediately remembered the photo she'd uploaded. A flicker of guilt crossed her face, and she didn't dare ask anything else.
Lowering his eyes, Cen Sen forwarded a financial news article into the group chat.
It reported that Jingcheng Capital, his joint venture with Jiang Che, and Rongyue Technology had officially completed the third phase of their strategic partnership. The article clearly stated that the signing ceremony had taken place at nine o'clock on the morning of December 23 in Canberra, Australia.
That had been forty-three hours ago.
Cen Sen: [I wonder who's had bad luck for eight lifetimes.]
Cen Sen: [That last thing you said? I reflect it right back at you.]
Jiang Che: […]
Jiang Che: [Are you three years old? “I reflect it back”? Seriously?]
Cen Sen never replied. The elevator had already reached the lobby.
The night air was icy, and their car was still parked by the west entrance. Cen Sen took off his coat and draped it over Ji Mingshu's shoulders. The two of them walked side by side through the snow.
At four in the morning, the capital lay beneath a deep, ink-black sky. Snowflakes drifted lazily beneath the streetlights. A thick layer of fresh snow carpeted the ground, crunching beneath every step they took.
"Tired?" Cen Sen asked.
"A little." She hadn't realized it until he asked.
The moment the words left his mouth, she couldn't stop herself from yawning.
After they got into the car, Cen Sen glanced at the time and suggested plainly. "Let's go back to Mingshui Manor tonight. I have a meeting tomorrow morning, so I won't be sleeping long anyway."
Ji Mingshu absentmindedly rubbed the seatbelt between her fingers instead of answering immediately.
She stared through the windshield at the snow-covered road ahead, as though weighing a very serious decision.
Only after the car pulled away did she nod with carefully restrained dignity. "Since you have a meeting tomorrow morning... I suppose we can stay at Mingshui Manor for tonight."
"Mm."
Cen Sen turned the steering wheel, his head tilting slightly towards the driver's-side window.
Hidden from Ji Mingshu's view, the corners of his lips curved upward ever so slightly.
After agreeing to go back, Ji Mingshu couldn't shake the awkwardness settling over her. She reclined her seat. "I'm sleepy. I'll take a nap."
Cen Sen gave another "Mhm," adding, "There should be a blanket behind the seat."
She reached back, pulled one out, spread it neatly over herself, and folded both hands properly across her stomach.
She was clearly tired. Yet staring at the roof of the car, she couldn't fall asleep.
Part of her felt completely content. Watching the year's first snowfall with Cen Sen on Christmas had somehow filled her heart. But another part kept replaying the cruel words he'd spoken the night before she'd run away from home.
She still hadn't gotten an apology, and yet she'd let herself be coaxed back so easily. Have I really become this spineless?
The two thoughts tangled together endlessly.
She rolled onto one side, then the other. Still unable to sleep, she finally raised the seat back upright again.
"What's wrong?"
Sitting cross-legged in the seat, hugging the oddly tasteful Good Fortune pillow the dealership had provided, Ji Mingshu took several mental detours before finally mumbling, "It's nothing... I just... I think I should explain something. I haven't done anything to wrong to betray you."
Cen Sen glanced at her.
"Cen Yang and I only had dinner together. And I didn't realize he chose Christmas Eve when he invited me. As for the hug... it was just... you know... the kind of hug friends give each other."
"I know."
Cen Sen answered without much concern.
"..."
Ji Mingshu stared at him expectantly.
That was it? Nothing else?
He really wasn't jealous at all...
Okay, that wasn't the point. If he wasn't jealous, then as an equal exchange, shouldn't he at least explain what happened with Li Wenyin? And apologize? How could this man be like this?
Just as Ji Mingshu was wondering whether she should make her hint a little more obvious, Cen Sen finally caught up to the several dozen twists and turns her thoughts had taken.
As the car crossed the bridge leading from Mingshui Manor toward the island at the center of the lake, he slowed the vehicle and said. "I didn't do anything to betray you either."
Here it comes. Finally!
There's still hope for him after all.
Ji Mingshu immediately sat up straighter, ready to listen.
Five seconds passed.
Ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
By the time Cen Sen smoothly steered the car into the garage, there was still no follow-up.
Even after getting out of the car, she remained completely bewildered. Still clutching that ugly decorative pillow, she carried it all the way into the bedroom.
Having eaten two full meals and watched a movie in the middle of the night, Ji Mingshu had intended to properly sit Cen Sen down for a proper conversation.
Unfortunately, her exhausted body won the battle against her tangled thoughts. The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The end of the year was always the busiest season. Cen Sen had been buried in work and hadn't rested properly for days.
The second he managed to carve out half a day for himself, he spend it coaxing Ji Mingshu home.
Fortunately, he'd succeeded. His mind felt noticeably lighter. After showering, he climbed into bed from the other side, drew Ji Mingshu gently into his arms, and soon fell into a deep sleep himself.
***
Ji Mingshu slept straight through until two o'clock the following afternoon. By then, Cen Sen had long since left for work.
Sitting on the bed, she rubbed her head.
The bedroom she'd stayed away from for so many days felt strangely unfamiliar yet comforting at the same time.
Today was Christmas Day. Naturally, her phone was overflowing with holiday greetings.
She skimmed through them casually and spotted a message from the producer of Designer's Abode. Along with Christmas wishes came an announcement. Post-production had officially been completed, and the show had secured its broadcast date. It would premiere on Xingcheng TV in mid-January.
The producer also informed all the amateur designers that they could now apply for Weibo verification using the show's official keywords. The production team would help fast-track the approval.
Already?
Money really does make the world go around.
Further up were Christmas greetings from Feng Yan, her teammate, and Li Che from another team.
Since they were colleagues now, and Li Che was a celebrity after all, Ji Mingshu politely replied with a “Merry Christmas”.
But as she responded to Li Che, one sentence he had once said suddenly flashed through her mind. "Honestly, it's a shame. The producers originally planned to put us on the same team, but the sponsors had their own considerations, so they rearranged the groups."
The sponsors had their own considerations...
At the time, Ji Mingshu hadn't known that Junyi Group was the sponsor for Designer's Abode and couldn't care less whether Li Che was on her team.
But thinking about it now...
Could this have been Cen Sen's doing?
She unconsciously sat up straighter, carefully choosing her words to ask Li Che about it.
The celebrity turned out to have plenty of free time, his reply came almost instantly. It was a voice message.
Ji Mingshu had no interest in listening to his smooth, magnetic voice, so she converted it directly into text.
“Yes, that happened. The sponsors already had designers they intended to promote. A lot of people knew about it. Considering the sponsors, the production team would naturally have their own priorities when it came to editing and screen time. But there are some things I can't really say outright. Don't be discouraged, Miss Ji. Gold shines wherever it's placed.”
Ji Mingshu stared at the transcribed message. The little flame of anger inside her rapidly shot to the top of her head.
Li Che had been tactful. But only an idiot wouldn't understand what he really meant: The show has inside arrangements. Junyi doesn't want you overshadowing the designer they're backing. So prepare yourself to be edited out.
Cen Sen, you rotten pig's trotter!
If he dared to cut her screen time after she worked her butt off for over a month, she'd burn Mingshui Manor to the ground!!!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. And thinking about how easily he'd coaxed her home last night without offering so much as a single apology made her even angrier.
She rolled out of bed, washed up, got dressed, went downstairs, and expressionlessly ordered the driver to take her back to Xinggang International.
The driver felt his scalp tingle the moment he heard the destination. His first instinct was to send Zhou Jiaheng a message.
Taking a deep breath, Ji Mingshu spoke before he could. "I'm just going back to pick up a few things. You don't need to tell Zhou Jiaheng."
Inside the loft apartment at Xinggang International, Gu Kaiyang had just finished replacing her access card at the property office.
Determined to make good use of her rare day off, she decided to celebrate the successful departure of the troublesome goddess with a thorough cleaning.
She happily mopped the floor while humming to herself. Honestly, she felt like a genius. Last night's operation had been absolutely flawless.
It wasn't that she disliked Ji Mingshu. It was just that a pampered young lady like Ji Mingshu was wonderful to eat and shop with. But living together? Absolutely impossible.
It was simply too exhausting.
Cen Sen was probably the only man in the world capable of endlessly showering her with money and unconditional love.
Gu Kaiyang had barely enjoyed five minutes of her victory when the sound of a key card unlocking the door echoed through the apartment.
"Y-You're back?"
Gu Kaiyang turned around. After three seconds of stunned silence, her expression gradually stiffened.
Ji Mingshu wore a thunderous expression. "When did I ever say I was moving out? What's with that face? Are you sick of me already?"
Gu Kaiyang's survival instincts kicked in instantly. She shook her head so hard it nearly flew off.
***
At the same moment, Cen Sen had just finished grocery shopping. He sat in the back seat of the car, resting with his eyes closed.
Today's pork ribs were especially fresh and tender. His Little Canary was definitely going to love them.
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Author's Note:
Little Canary Baby: Love them, my foot!
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