My Queen, My Rules - 53
Reconcile
The capital grew colder with each passing day. On the morning of Zero Degrees magazine's De-Stress Day appreciation salon, Gu Kaiyang was already out of bed by five.
She washed up and did her makeup as quietly as possible, but she still ended up waking Ji Mingshu.
Still bleary-eyed, Ji Mingshu sat up in bed, clutching her fluffy blanket around herself as she watched Gu Kaiyang leave with longing written all over her face.
Did Ji Mingshu really have no interest in parties and salons anymore?
No. Absolutely not!
A true party animal would never get tired of social events.
She just didn't want to become everyone's laughingstock.
As dawn slowly brightened the sky, Ji Mingshu couldn't help reminiscing about her glorious days as the capital's undisputed social queen, effortlessly dazzling every event she attended.
After indulging in self-pity for a full thirty seconds, she burrowed back under the covers, reluctantly listed a few advantages of staying home, and promptly drifted back to sleep.
Around nine o'clock, a faint electronic beep sounded at the front door as someone used a keycard and quietly let themselves inside.
Ji Mingshu didn't wake. She merely rolled over in her sleep, her pale lips smacking softly as though she were dreaming of braised pork ribs surrounding her from every direction.
The apartment's living room wasn't large. In only a few steps, the visitor had reached the center of the room. Looking upstairs, he caught sight of Ji Mingshu's sleeping face through the gaps in the wooden railing.
Keeping his footsteps light, he slowly climbed the wooden staircase.
Ji Mingshu was sleeping deeply, though not without a sense of self-preservation. Just as the visitor sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to brush the loose strands of hair from her face...
Like in those martial arts movies where the villain always tries to stab the hero while they're asleep, the hero always springs awake at the exact instant the blade is drawn.
Her eyes flew open.
The first thing she saw was the familiar, coolly handsome face she'd spent countless days missing.
She stared at him for three seconds, rubbed her eyes, mumbled something unintelligible that sounded suspiciously like sleep talk, then rolled over to face the other direction.
About half a minute later, she abruptly rolled back again, staring unblinkingly at him before reaching out to poke his Adam's apple with one finger.
Cen Sen.
Alive.
"What are you doing here?"
She was still lying flat on the bed. Freshly awake, her voice was soft, sleepy, and slightly hoarse.
Cen Sen lowered his gaze to the bare arm peeking out from beneath her blanket. Remembering those bikini photos she’d consistently sent over the last four or five days, his eyes darkened ever so slightly.
"Zero Degrees has an event today. I came to take you with me."
Still only half awake, Ji Mingshu blankly murmured, "Oh," then pushed herself up with one elbow, intending to sit.
Cen Sen reached out at just the right moment and propped her pillow upright behind her.
She leaned back against the headboard, looking at him with unfocused eyes. Her mind clearly hadn't finished waking up.
He had intended to smooth down her hair, but he had no idea how she'd managed to sleep. It was sticking up in every direction. Combined with her vacant expression, she looked exactly like a tiny lunatic.
Oblivious to the state she was in, she recovered just enough awareness to remember her manners and gestured for him to move farther away.
"I haven't brushed my teeth yet. Don't sit so close."
"..."
Cen Sen obediently stood, though his gaze never left her.
Truthfully, he'd always thought Ji Mingshu looked prettier without makeup. Her features were naturally graceful, her skin fair and impossibly smooth. Barefaced, she carried a fresh, understated beauty that made even her seem unexpectedly innocent.
Ji Mingshu, however, mistook his stare for something else. Thinking she must have disgracefully drooled in her sleep, she instinctively reached up to wipe the corner of her mouth.
After a brief pause, Cen Sen finally glanced at the time. "Getting up now? The stylist is already downstairs."
Stylist?
Ji Mingshu's brain finally rebooted, and the meaning of everything he'd said earlier clicked into place.
He had come to take her to Zero Degrees magazine's De-Stress Day salon.
Well.
Live long enough, and apparently anything could happen.
Cen Sen had always been the sort of man who despised pointless socializing. As far as she could remember, they'd only attended a handful of events together shortly after getting married, and every single one had been elite gatherings packed with political and business heavyweights where bringing one's lawful wife was a required part of the performance. They were formal, highly strategic occasions with endless rules.
The Zero Degrees salon, on the other hand, was clearly meant for leisure and entertainment.
Without even thinking, she could imagine exactly who would be there. Bored socialites. Celebrities posing for publicity photos or making appearances. Influencers hoping to elevate their status by showing up.
So why was he going? Wouldn't someone like him, the textbook billionaire CEO who casually discussed projects worth billions, feel completely out of place at such a trendy, youthful event?
Seeing that she hadn't answered, Cen Sen asked again, "Or do you need a little more sleep?"
Ji Mingshu shook her head, forcefully tossing all those irrelevant thoughts out of her mind.
Why was she even worrying about whether Cen Sen suited a salon? She was still officially in the middle of a one-sided cold war with him. She wasn't supposed to be acting this friendly!
Her expression immediately cooled. Hugging her blanket tightly, she shot him a frosty look.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here? Did Gu Kaiyang give you the key card? Did you two scheme this together? How shameless!”
He'd disappeared for more than half a month, sent only a few perfunctory messages, and now that the New Year was approaching and he'd finally found some free time, he'd conspired with her best friend to come butter her up.
Who knew whether he was only trying to coax her home so he could deal with the Cen family over the holidays?
And he had the nerve to act like nothing had ever happened, as if everyone else had conveniently developed amnesia and would happily play along. He was flying blind!
As for Gu Kaiyang, that traitorous plastic sister...
Fine.
She'd deal with her later.
Just as she had finally worked herself into a sufficiently intimidating posture for battle, Cen Sen sat back down beside the bed.
Tilting his head slightly as he looked at her, he quietly said, "I'm sorry, Mingshu."
The room fell silent.
"There were many things where I failed to consider your feelings. The TV show. The movie. And the hurtful things I said during our argument."
"I can't promise to change the way I do things overnight. But I can promise that from now on, whenever it concerns you, your feelings will always come first."
He spoke calmly, seriously.
Ji Mingshu froze.
She had known Cen Sen for nearly twenty years. This was the first time she had ever heard him offer an apology that sounded genuinely heartfelt.
It was too sudden. She didn’t know how to respond. All she could do was clutch the blanket tightly and stare at him without blinking.
Cen Sen reached out once more and gently tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear.
As he leaned closer, the distance between them disappeared until they could almost feel each other's breath.
Almost instantly, warmth spread from behind Ji Mingshu's ears across her cheeks. Her heart began to beat at a traitorously fast rhythm.
Studying her from only inches away, Cen Sen suddenly lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her lips.
It was fleeting, soft, free of desire. Filled instead with a tenderness so rare it made even his voice soften.
"Mingshu. Come home with me."
Waaah! How was anyone supposed to resist that?!
Inside, Ji Mingshu was drowning beneath an endless sea of sweet little bubbles. The tiny Little Canary happily squatting in the middle of them was already nodding so enthusiastically it looked like she was pecking at birdseed.
But another voice inside her kept desperately chanting:
Hold it together. Don't crumble. Your future position in this family depends on this moment!
"I told you I haven't brushed my teeth yet!" She pretended to wipe her mouth before lowering her eyes and mumbling quietly, "If... if you'd realized all this sooner... then it's not like I'm an unreasonable person."
Cen Sen patiently answered, "Mm."
Her heart was pounding so hard she was practically shredding the blanket beneath her fingers.
Even so, she couldn't stop twisting the fabric.
"Well... since you're apologizing so sincerely and making all these promises... I suppose going home isn't impossible. But you said it yourself. You have to treat me well from now on. If you make me lose face again or treat me badly, then I really will..."
The words ‘get divorced’ caught in her throat, she suddenly didn't want to say them anymore.
"Anyway... you'll see."
Cen Sen gave another “Mm-hmm,” then continued calmly.
"While you were gone, I had the walk-in closet at Mingshui Manor remodeled. We added both a staircase and a private elevator leading to the third floor. The four guest rooms on the left upstairs have all been converted into your new wardrobe."
"The housekeeper has reorganized everything by brand and season. Your favorite brands also sent over their newest collections in your size."
"I also had Zhou Jiaheng contact several haute couture ateliers. They all said the results would be much better if you came in person for custom fittings."
"..."
Ji Mingshu was speechless.
After a thoughtful pause, Cen Sen remembered something else.
"I remember you once said the yacht at home felt a little small. So I ordered an Azimut 60 for you. I originally considered the hundred-foot model, but docking it can be troublesome. This one should be perfect for your summer trips."
"..."
Had Buddha suddenly enlightened this Dog Man overnight?
Ji Mingshu remained trapped in complete shock.
He was actually... voluntarily spoiling her?
Just then, Cen Sen's phone vibrated.
It was a message from Zhou Jiaheng.
Both he and the stylist had been sitting in the car downstairs the entire time. Without instructions, neither of them dared come upstairs. Neither did they dare call, afraid of interrupting their boss at a crucial moment.
But if they waited much longer, Ji Mingshu wouldn't have enough time to get ready before the Zero Degrees event.
The stylist had also been asking nonstop. Unable to hold out any longer, Zhou Jiaheng cautiously sent a message instead.
Cen Sen replied with “Come up.” Then, without waiting for Ji Mingshu’s response,, he pulled back the blanket, scooped her effortlessly into his arms, and headed downstairs.
Without thinking, Ji Mingshu wrapped her arms around his neck.
Resting her chin against his shoulder, she slowly came back to her senses.
He smelled exactly as he always had.
That clean, faint fragrance of cedar.
She secretly breathed in a few extra times, feeling like she might die from happiness.
But she didn't dare smile. She didn't dare let Cen Sen discover her feelings. If he ever found out she liked him, would he still go to so much effort for her?
Thinking that, she searched for something, anything, to say.
Speaking softly beside his ear, she quietly reinforced the image of herself as a strong, independent woman. "Don't think a few clothes and one yacht are enough to buy me off. I can earn my own money now. You're not allowed to look down on me anymore."
"Mm."
Perhaps feeling that his monotonous “Mm”s might sound perfunctory to Ji Mingshu, Cen Sen considered his words for a moment before speaking quietly beside her ear. "Being able to spend money on Mrs. Cen...is my honor."
Mrs. Cen.
Unable to stop herself, hidden safely behind his shoulder, Ji Mingshu secretly curved her lips into a smile.
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