My Queen, My Rules - 6

Take Care of Her

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The most embarrassing thing in the world wasn't getting caught singing your heart out in the bath by your not-so-close husband.

It was getting caught singing your heart out in the bath by your not-so-close husband, then having to act like nothing had happened while asking that same not-so-close husband to fetch your bra and underwear.

The consequence was a profoundly silent drive back to Nanqiao Hutong.

Cen Sen had been so thoroughly stunned by Ji Mingshu's performance that he remained slightly distracted the whole way. He tried to read a document in the car, but every time he opened it, all he could see was an endless stream of imaginary comments replaying Rapper Ji's legendary masterpiece.

As for Ji Mingshu, she had probably embarrassed herself into speechlessness. She kept her eyes closed the entire ride, her head turned firmly toward the window.

When they arrived at Nanqiao Hutong, the silent pair miraculously rediscovered their acting skills the moment they stepped out of the car. With perfect unspoken coordination, they linked arms and smiled warmly, every inch the picture of a blissfully loving young couple.

Ji Mingshu, in particular, had made special preparations for the visit. She deliberately chose a simple pale pink dress she rarely wore, paired it with understated lipstick, and temporarily abandoned her glamorous waves in favor of a neatly tied ponytail. She looked every bit the gentle, devoted daughter-in-law.

The alleyways were too narrow for convenient parking, so they got out at the entrance and walked the rest of the way arm in arm.

Zhou Jiaheng followed behind with the gifts. Witnessing the couple's miraculous ability to switch faces again after two years somehow filled him with an odd sense of nostalgia.

At the courtyard entrance, the guard on duty opened the gate and saluted them with proper military bearing.

"Grandpa! Grandma!"

Ji Mingshu had always been charming around elders. The moment she stepped inside and saw the family busily setting the table beneath the pavilion, her eyes curved into cheerful crescents.

Old Madam Cen smiled upon seeing her. "Oh my, Xiaoshu's here!"

She handed the dishes she was holding to Aunt Zhou, carefully wiped her hands, then warmly clasped Ji Mingshu's, gently patting the back of them. "You're in for a treat today. I personally made your favorite braised spare ribs!"

"You shouldn't have gone to the trouble! Let me have a look." Still holding the elderly woman's hands, Ji Mingshu carefully looked her over, frowning with concern. "You've lost weight. Has it been that long since I came to see you? Are you feeling unwell?"

"What nonsense. I'm perfectly healthy!" Old Madam Cen laughed heartily. "It's just been so hot lately. I'm wearing lighter clothes, so I look thinner. It's what you young people call... visual effect!"

Old Madam Cen's voice was strong and full of energy. She looked to be in excellent health. Ji Mingshu put her mind at ease.

Ever since childhood, Ji Mingshu had been beautiful, cheerful, and sweet-tongued. She had always known exactly how to win over the elders in the family compound.

Old Madam Cen had practically watched her grow up and had long regarded her as one of her own granddaughters. When Ji Mingshu eventually married into the family a few years ago, she'd been so delighted she couldn't stop smiling, boasting to everyone she met about what a lovely granddaughter-in-law they'd gotten.

Ironically, her own biological grandson, Cen Sen, only returned to the family when he was already old enough to understand everything. Over the years, he had always appeared gentle on the surface while remaining emotionally distant. Old Madam Cen never quite knew how to grow close to him.

She loved him, felt for him, and carried guilt toward him.

Yet somehow, no matter what, an invisible distance always lingered between them.

It wasn't only Old Madam Cen.

The entire Cen family found Ji Mingshu easier to approach than Cen Sen. As he grew older and took on more responsibility, now poised to inherit leadership of the entire Cen family, even the younger generation had begun to fear him a little.

During dinner, one of the younger cousins accidentally bumped Cen Sen's chopsticks while reaching for food. In a fluster, she immediately blurted out, "Sorry!"

The table fell silent.

Ji Mingshu was startled too. Her eyes darted between the little cousin and Cen Sen.

For one completely absurd second, a ridiculous thought crossed her mind: Had this dog man done something so terrible that the poor girl trembled like a scared chick around him?

Cen Sen paid no attention to the interruption. He even kindly picked up a piece of braised pork rib and placed it into the little girl's bowl, playing the part of the considerate older brother to perfection.

Unfortunately, children weren't very good at hiding their feelings. She gave a stiff smile and didn't dare touch the rib.

It was only an ordinary family dinner. Although not everyone had attended, the table was still full.

Naturally, beside those who were afraid of Cen Sen, there were also those who weren't.

Seeing the atmosphere grow awkward, his younger aunt, Cen Yingshuang, quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Xiaoshu, those changes you made to my house last time? My friend absolutely loved them. She recently bought a house in the States and wants to hire an interior designer. Budget isn't an issue at all. I was wondering whether you've got time lately."

"I do! Of course I do." Ji Mingshu agreed without hesitation before adding playfully, "I love the friends Aunt introduces. I can even earn a little pocket money for handbags."

"Oh my, listen to you. Is A-Sen not buying you enough bags?" Cen Yingshuang teased.

Ji Mingshu naturally leaned a little closer toward Cen Sen. "A-Sen works very hard to earn money. I can't expect him to support me for everything. Besides, I'm free anyway. It's nice to have something to do."

At this, Cen Sen turned his head and exchanged a three-second gaze with Ji Mingshu, his eyes full of warmth.

There it was again, that "What am I going to do with you, you adorable little treasure?" look.

Sometimes Ji Mingshu genuinely admired this dog man's acting ability. Whenever elders were watching, his performance as the doting husband rivaled even hers.

The moment they looked away from each other, goosebumps prickled across her arms.

"A-Sen, that's where you're wrong." Completely ignoring the loving-couple performance happening right in front of her, Cen Yingshuang adopted the tone of an elder giving serious advice. "Now that you're back at Junyi, Xiaoshu has plenty of free time. Why don't you let her join the company for a while? She could learn something and put her talents to good use."

Put her talents to good use?

Like helping a multinational corporation go bankrupt overnight?

After a brief pause, Cen Sen answered gently, "I'll take care of Xiaoshu. Supporting her is what I should be doing."

Scene 3, Act 1 of the grand production The Loving Couple, CUT.

Perhaps the young couple's sweet act was too much for the eyes of the perpetually single PhD. Cen Yingshuang stood up and excused herself to the restroom.

After returning and barely settling into her seat, she suddenly stared at Cen Sen.

Then, as though she'd discovered a brand-new continent, her eyes lit up. "A-Sen, your hair grows so fast! Two weeks ago, in that post Xiao Shu put up, your hair was only this long."

She demonstrated the length with her thumb and forefinger.

"Ahem! Cough, cough!"

Ji Mingshu, in the middle of drinking soup, choked abruptly, nearly coughing herself to death on the spot.

Cen Sen thoughtfully patted her back, handed her a glass of water, and even used a napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth.

The relatives seated nearby also asked after her with concern.

Once she'd recovered, Ji Mingshu assured everyone she was fine. Yet before she could savor the relief of having dodged a potentially disastrous topic, Cen Yingshuang, channeling the insatiable curiosity of a researcher, rephrased and repeated her question.

She even pulled up Ji Mingshu's social media post, repeatedly comparing the photo to Cen Sen himself while muttering to herself.

"It really did grow fast. Judging by the proportions, that's at least two centimeters in fourteen days. Normal hair growth is about one centimeter per month. Did you use some kind of hair-growth serum? You're still so young. Why would someone your age need that? What brand is it? Is it really this effective? I should recommend it to the older men at my institute."

Cen Sen shot Ji Mingshu a subtle glance.

Ji Mingshu lowered her head, shutting out everything happening around the table and focusing solely on eating her braised pork ribs.

After all, she couldn't understand how her observant, endlessly inquisitive aunt had failed to realize the photos were edited.

For the past two years, Cen Sen had lived in Australia, too busy to even come home for Chinese New Year.

As Mrs. Cen, Ji Mingshu spent her days traveling around the world doing absolutely nothing. If she didn't regularly 'visit' her husband in Australia, it would greatly undermine their loving couple facade.

But she also really didn't want to spend any more time with her bargain-bin husband than absolutely necessary. So after much careful thought, she'd hired someone to edit photos of the two of them together.

Every so often, she'd post one of those fabricated pictures to her social media, visible only to members of the Cen family, creating the illusion that she frequently flew to Australia to visit Cen Sen and that the two of them were hopelessly in love.

She'd kept the deception going for two whole years without anyone discovering it.

Even now, despite her aunt noticing Cen Sen's mysteriously rapid hair growth, she hadn't questioned the photo's authenticity.

If anything, that only proved the photo editor she'd hired was worth every cent.

Strangely enough, the realization made Ji Mingshu feel rather pleased.

Perhaps because family members of every age were gathered around the same table, Cen Yingshuang's question seemed particularly random.

Before Cen Sen even had the chance to answer, Old Master Cen spoke in his usual authoritative tone.

"One shouldn't talk while eating or speak while sleeping. You've spent your whole life studying, yet somehow your manners have gotten worse. You're already in your thirties and still behave like a child. No wonder you haven't gotten married."

"...?"

Wasn't everyone just chattering away a moment ago? Why was it suddenly "no talking during meals" when she spoke? And what exactly did being unmarried in her thirties have to do with anything? Was this whole family discriminating against older single women now?

Feeling thoroughly wronged, Cen Yingshuang opened her mouth to defend herself.

But Cen Yuanchao shot her a timely glance, signaling her not to argue.

Cen Yingshuang didn't listen to most people, but her older brother's word was law. She swallowed her retort and reluctantly swallowed the speech she had been about to deliver.

With Old Master Cen having spoken, the remainder of dinner passed in unusual silence.

Once the meal ended, Old Master Cen summoned Cen Yuanchao and Cen Sen upstairs for a private discussion.

Everyone else remained beneath the pavilion, chatting with Old Madam Cen while enjoying the cool evening air.

Only after the stars had filled the night sky did the conversation between the three generations of Cen men finally come to an end.

Darkness had settled over the courtyard.

Ji Mingshu and Cen Yingshuang were chatting and laughing together, so engrossed in conversation that Ji Mingshu didn't notice Cen Sen leaving the house. She only caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye when he stepped onto the pavilion steps.

Unfortunately, Cen Yingshuang was in the middle of an especially animated story and completely forgot what subjects ought to remain buried.

"...I've honestly never met a little girl who wet the bed more than you. I bet you don't even remember! One time nobody else was home, and you were watching cartoons at our place. You fell asleep halfway through and wet the sofa! Cen Yang was such a neat freak. He was practically horrified. He carried you to bed, then actually stripped the sofa covers and washed them himself. Hahaha..."

When the name Cen Yang left her mouth, no one reacted at first.

Then, everyone finally realized what she'd just said. At the same time, they noticed Cen Sen standing on the pavilion steps.

The evening breeze suddenly felt much colder.

Ji Mingshu immediately shot Cen Yingshuang a desperate look, trying to stop her.

Unfortunately, her aunt noticed nothing.

Ji Mingshu seriously suspected that after spending so many years researching physics, her aunt had decided to pursue an entirely new field of study, aiming for a medal in the 'How to Bring Up the Worst Possible Topic at the Worst Possible Moment' Olympics.

They left Nanqiao Hutong shortly after eight. By then, night had fully settled over the city.

Sitting in the back seat, Ji Mingshu felt uncharacteristically uneasy.

She turned to look out the window. Then, unable to resist, secretly used the reflection in the glass to sneak a glance at Cen Sen's expression.

He leaned against the seat, his profile faint in the darkness.

Without thinking, she leaned back as well until the back of her head rested against the headrest.

The next second, completely unprepared, their eyes met in the reflection on the car window.

:)

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