My Queen, My Rules - 58
Stolen Kisses
About thirty minutes in, the program cut to a commercial break. Ji Mingshu sat cross-legged on the bed, pressing the remote to rewind the footage.
She remembered that during the first recording at the convention center, that girl, Yan Yuexing, had been rather unpleasant—full of drama, talkative, and with notoriously bad taste.
But in this first half-hour, aside from being utterly outclassed in looks and presence whenever they shared the screen, a rather pitiable comparison, Yan Yuexing didn’t seem to have any other issues. She actually came across as gentle, sweet, considerate, and even a little… cute.
If anything, it was Ji Mingshu herself. Maybe she was being overly sensitive, but she felt that in a few shots cutting to her right after Yan Yuexing spoke, her expression looked less than friendly. While everyone else was engaged, listening attentively, she seemed distracted and unsmiling.
The key issue was, she remembered putting on a perfectly engaged face during the recording.
After all, she, Ji-shi Shushu, had dominated social scenes for years. How could her expression management fail in front of a camera?
A slight frustration nagged at Ji Mingshu. But when she picked up her phone, all the messages were full of flattering praise: how her few fleeting shots proved her radiance, her high-class aura, her flawless beauty, her impeccable style, etc., etc.
She thanked them each in turn, then brought up the parts she found a little strange with Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun.
Jiang Chun immediately launched into blind, exaggerated flattery.
Jiang Chun: [You're overthinking it! It looks completely fine. One word: Gorgeous!]
Jiang Chun: [Oh, right! My cousin is visiting. I was watching TV just now, and he was in the living room with me. He pointed at you on screen and asked, super surprised, 'Hey, which celebrity is that? How come I've never seen her before?']
Jiang Chun: [I said, 'Not a celebrity, she's my friend, hahaha!' Didn't let him ask more, just told him: Married :)]
Jiang Chun: [Sigh, this just proves our little princess's enviable beauty can no longer be hidden :)]
Gu Kaiyang, hands full and unable to type, sent a voice message instead. “Post-production editing is always going to be different from the actual recording. Pretty normal. Think about it—if they aired exactly what happened during filming, wouldn't that girl-group kid have blown up the Xingcheng Broadcasting Building?”
Fair point.
Ji Mingshu nodded to herself, then quickly noticed that Cen Yang had also sent a message.
Cen Yang: [Xiao Shu, I'm watching your show. You look beautiful.]
Ji Mingshu: [Thank you~]
Ji Mingshu: [bow.jpg]
Cen Yang: [By the way, are you free tomorrow? There's a universe-themed art installation exhibition by Kiosk at Twin Ring Tower. Tomorrow's the last day. I happen to have two tickets.]
Ji Mingshu paused.
Since their dinner on Christmas Eve, Cen Yang had been sending her occasional greetings. There had been a few invitations too—to an art exhibition, to try a new restaurant.
Once, she genuinely couldn't make it because she'd gone abroad on a last-minute vacation. The other times, she had made excuses. She always felt it somewhat inappropriate for a married young woman like herself to go out alone with an unmarried young man.
Counting carefully, she'd rejected him three or four times in a row now. Continuing to refuse seemed a bit hurtful. Ji Mingshu thought for a moment, then started typing.
Ji Mingshu: [I left a lot of luggage at my best friend's place before. I've moved back home these past couple of days, and I might need to go get my luggage tomorrow, so I probably can't make it to the exhibition.]
Ji Mingshu: [But in a few days, a friend is hosting a masquerade ball at Jingxi. It should be quite fun. If you're interested, you should go. It'd be a good way to unwind after work.]
After sending, Ji Mingshu silently reread her words. Mm. A rejection followed by an invitation. That shouldn't seem impolite.
Besides, Cen Yang and Cen Sen were essentially the same type of person; they'd never enjoyed boisterous group gatherings since they were kids.
Even if he did want to join the fun this time, with dozens or even hundreds of people at the ball, it would be perfectly aboveboard. Nothing inappropriate about it.
Just then, the familiar sound of footsteps coming up the stairs echoed from outside the room.
Ji Mingshu's back unconsciously straightened. Her typing speed increased.
Ji Mingshu: [I've got something to handle here. Chat later. If you go, just give my name at the door. No invitation needed.]
On the other end, Cen Yang's eyes darkened slightly. Thinking of something, he held down the delete key, clearing the text box with one stroke.
Truthfully, he had no desire to use Ji Mingshu as an entry point.
Ji Mingshu was a girl who appeared fierce, willful, and spoiled, but was actually very simple and kind-hearted inside. Always had been.
Yet, apart from Ji Mingshu, he couldn't find any other way to get close.
He turned to look out the window at the glittering lights of the capital's winter night, suddenly feeling that this city was alien, nothing like the one he'd missed during all those years away.
---
When Cen Sen entered the room, he reeked of alcohol. Ji Mingshu slid off the bed, covering her nose and mouth. Her voice came out muffled. “How much did you drink? It smells awful.”
Whether he didn't hear or simply ignored her, Cen Sen not only failed to open the door for ventilation, but actually closed it behind him, engaging the lock.
Ji Mingshu, her back to him while getting out of bed, missed his sneaky maneuver.
She switched the main control to ventilation mode, then turned to open the door. But before her hand could touch the handle, Cen Sen suddenly pulled her into his arms.
TL's Note:The rest of this scene contains mature content. Click here to continue reading. Proceed at your own discretion.
Cen Sen's drunkenness hadn't fully dissipated. He let out a low “Mm,” that seemed to carry a hint of a laugh.
He took her hand, offered a completely insincere low-voiced apology, then pulled her soft body back into his embrace.
Ji Mingshu wasn't sleepy yet. Remembering how, in the two days since returning home, this man seemed to have entered a rutting season, wanting to do it at the drop of a hat without even exchanging a few words with her, she felt rather displeased.
So she righteously held out her hand. “My hand hurts. Rub it for me.”
They say men are very accommodating in bed, and Cen Sen was no exception. At her command, he actually took her hand and began kneading it gently.
Nestled in his arms for a while, Ji Mingshu unconsciously slipped into the role of the doting young wife concerned about her husband. “Why did you drink so much today? Have you had any hangover cure?”
Cen Sen, half-closing his eyes as he massaged her hand, surprisingly chatted with her about work, his voice still quiet.
The client he'd entertained today wasn't the refined type. He'd started in grey-area industries, had walked a knife's edge, which made him rather rough and unrestrained. His reasons for toasting were endless: deep bond, down in one; thick bond, can't drink enough; ironclad bond, drink till you bleed.
Cen Sen had never been good at dealing with this type. They were inexplicably familiar, inexplicably enthusiastic, as if the concept of “boundaries” didn't exist in their minds, calling everyone “little brother.” Yet, with business dealings involved, he couldn't afford to put on a cold front over minor things.
After saying this, he paused. Whether he was being serious or just teasing, he suddenly added, “You think earning money to support you is easy?”
“……?”
“I am so deeply wronged!”
“If you don't want to support me, plenty of others would love to! How dare you be ungrateful for such a prime opportunity!”
Cen Sen closed his eyes with a soft scoff, not refuting her.
They lay there in bed, chatting softly for a while. Cen Sen was tired and fell asleep before long.
“Cen Sen? Cen Sen?”
Ji Mingshu gently poked his Adam's apple, then blew on his eyelashes. He really was asleep.
Propped on her elbows, chin in hand, she lay on the bed, studying the man beside her carefully, falling into deep thought.
This on-and-off thing… was it a sign of good stamina or bad? He went at it all last night with hardly any sleep, yet today, after some drinks and a handjob, he was out cold.
Sigh. Maybe he's almost thirty and his stamina is failing?
That's right. He'll be thirty in just over two years.
While I'll forever be a youthful eighteen-year-old little fairy.
Pah! An old cow eating tender grass! An old man!!
But this old man was so good-looking. Every feature was exactly to her taste. Even when he… did those vulgar things, she liked it.
Unable to resist, Ji Mingshu reached out and pinched the old man's cheek. Seeing no reaction, a foolish impulse stirred within her. She leaned in and planted a small, quick kiss.
After kissing him, she turned her head away, giggling to herself, so sweetened by her own actions she felt like rolling around.
Now that she could openly admit to herself that she liked him, every minute spent with him seemed to become sweet. Even the fatigue from their intimate moments felt tinged with sweetness.
After sneaking several such kisses back and forth, a sudden melancholy washed over her. Poking the tip of his nose, she whispered very softly, “When will you start to like me?”
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