My Queen, My Rules - 64

In the end, Ji Mingshu accepted Cen Sen's present—the one he'd personally delivered across a thousand miles. Her expression reluctant, her heart secretly thrilled.

A little past ten p.m., Cen Sen carried a flushed and breathless Ji Mingshu into the bathroom. Her face was rosy, her chin damp with sweat, with a few stray hairs clinging to her slender cheeks.

He set her down in the warm water, gently brushed the stray hairs from her face, and looked at her with clear eyes. His voice was its usual low pitch, touched with a hint of amusement. "You need to work on your stamina."

Without a second thought, Ji Mingshu pinched his cheek, then pushed his face away. "You're so impossible!"

Her tone was seventy percent shyness, thirty percent coyness—with not a trace of genuine dislike.

She knew her own stamina wasn't great, but she hadn't realized Cen Sen's could be this formidable, again and again, shattering her expectations.

He had only arrived in Paris last night and was already home by evening today, all while securing an investment deal in between. Even with chauffeurs and a nap on the plane, such a non-stop round trip was exhausting. She had assumed the ‘present’ would be a mere twenty or thirty minutes, but she had severely underestimated him.

In the tub, warm water lapped gently. After Ji Mingshu washed her hair, Cen Sen carefully combed it for her, wrung out the excess water, and helped her put on a shower cap.

These were things he'd never done before; following Ji Mingshu's step-by-step instructions with slight clumsiness.

Luckily, Ji Mingshu didn't mind. She tucked away a few damp strands that had escaped, glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and couldn't help letting a small, secret smile touch her lips.

She hadn't eaten dinner. After being occupied with 'exercise' for hours, her stamina was spent, and she was starving.

After their bath, Cen Sen used the remaining ingredients in the fridge to make two bowls of tomato and egg noodles, giving Ji Mingshu the last few slices of Spam.

With her stomach full, Ji Mingshu, in a rare display of wifely virtue, didn't pester him to do this or that. She just lay in bed and told him about the miserable events of the past couple of days.

Cen Sen had already received a specific and detailed real-time report from Zhou Jiaheng. But Zhou Jiaheng's report obviously didn't include Ji Mingshu's personal feelings.

Listening to her ramble, shifting between anger and amusement, Cen Sen suddenly turned his head and said seriously, "I'm sorry."

The curtains in the room were open. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, the winter night sky was ink-black, dotted with rare, quiet stars.

Cen Sen pulled her close into his arms. His long fingers slid through her soft hair. His voice, tinged with the dampness from her still-wet strands, was gentler than usual. "I let you down this time. I promise it won't happen again."

A sudden ache prickled Ji Mingshu's nose. More than "I'm sorry," she wanted to hear Cen Sen say "I love you." But this apology instantly tugged at the grievances she'd buried deep down.

The bone-deep chill of terror she'd felt last night wasn't something she could completely forget just by waking up the next day. She wasn't a celebrity or an influencer who relied on public favor to make a living. She hadn't committed any unforgivable sins. So why should she be expected to have a heart strong enough to withstand baseless curses and slander from strangers?

She absolutely refused to brush it off with a polite "It's fine," "I'm okay," or "I don't blame you." It was his fault!

Thinking this, she bit his neck hard, then seized his apology to state her case righteously:

"I have been so wronged!"

"That D-list nobody's fan even photoshopped a memorial picture of me! Do you know how ugly it was? Oh, and the fan was quite logical. They probably thought someone as young as me wouldn't just drop dead, so they added wrinkles and white hair to the photo! It makes me so mad!"

"And it's all your fault! You're the classic case of ‘all apologies, no actual change’. No, you have to compensate me today!"

"Okay, I'll compensate."

Ji Mingshu pressed on. "How are you going to compensate me? I want a plan now. Quick, quick! Don't think you can weasel out of this!"

Cen Sen thought for a moment. "How about I set up an interior design studio for you?"

"...Are you even human? Your idea of compensation is making me throw myself wholeheartedly into work to earn money and support the family?" Ji Mingshu asked, incredulous.

Had her previous 'independent woman' act been too convincing? Did Cen Sen now mistakenly think she aspired to be some career powerhouse?

Cen Sen paused, thinking again. "Then how about buying you an island? One... where you can see the northern lights."

A while back, he'd met with Mr. Chang, another investor in the Nanwan project. Mr. Chang often talked about his wife and children and mentioned he'd recently bought a private island abroad for them. He planned to build a villa on it and hire someone to maintain the beach regularly. It would be a quiet, pleasant getaway for future holidays. Mr. Chang had offered to introduce him to reliable sellers if he was interested, saying some islands had excellent water quality and views of the Milky Way or auroras.

The idea had appealed to him at the time, but other matters piled up and he'd forgotten about it. Now, proposing it as compensation, he wasn't sure if Ji Mingshu would like it.

Certainly, not all women were dazzled by the ultimate luxuries—money, jewels, yachts, planes, private islands. But Ji Mingshu was.

She agreed happily without a moment's hesitation, her attitude doing a complete one-eighty.

One moment she'd been practically in his face, fierce and demanding. The next, she was snuggled softly against him, massaging his shoulders, her eyes sparkling. She excitedly asked for details: Where exactly was the island? How big was it? Could she name it herself? What was the leasehold period? Was it good for parties? If you could see the aurora, wouldn’t it be freezing…

Cen Sen was highly efficient. Seeing Ji Mingshu's interest, he contacted Zhou Jiaheng to handle it.

Zhou Jiaheng, having messed up twice in a row and still awaiting his fate regarding his job back in China, had been on tenterhooks. Now, with work coming in, he perked up instantly. He scrambled out of bed, didn't even bother with slippers, and sat glowing in front of his computer, making call after call.

The workplace was a battlefield. He might shadow Cen Sen every day like the president's most trusted right-hand man, but the competition was fierce. All those assistants in the Chief Assistant's office were eyeing his position, just waiting for him to slip up so they could take his place!

Thrilled at the prospect of owning her own island, Ji Mingshu grinned and immediately notified Jiang Chun and Gu Kaiyang in their group chat, instructing them to henceforth address her respectfully as "Aurora Island Master."

The two, for once, were in perfect sync, simultaneously sending the same two-word reply: [You're nuts.]

Jiang Chun added grumpily: [Can you check the time? Disturbing people's dreams deserves the drowning cage punishment.]

Ji Mingshu: [It's not even midnight yet. Eat, sleep, eat, sleep. Calling you 'goose' is an insult to geese. Go prepare that drowning cage for yourself.]

Wholly absorbed in typing, Ji Mingshu attacked the chat as if she were scoring a major victory. Cen Sen, unable to get a word in, glanced at his own phone.

Their childhood friends' group was still active at this hour. Jiang Che was asking what he should get his girlfriend for the upcoming New Year to make her happy.

Cen Sen: [Jewelry. A yacht. An island.]

Fresh from his success, he kindly shared his experience.

Jiang Che was not appreciative.

Jiang Che: [How vulgar. Can't you be more original?]

Shu Yang: [?]

Shu Yang: [I like Brother Sen's type of vulgarity.]

Zhao Yang: [It depends on the type of woman. It's like surgery; you can't generalize. That trick might work on Xiao Shu, but it definitely won't on Xiao Youyu. With a slightly stubborn girl like her, you can't talk money, and originality isn't the point either. You need sincerity. Right, President Jiang?]

Jiang Che: [Mhm.]

Jiang Che: [Back before we were dating, I gave her a necklace. She thought I was insulting her.]

Cen Sen: [...]

He put down his phone and looked at Ji Mingshu, who was happily sharing her new 'island master' status. Suddenly, he felt his luck was pretty good.

After a moment's thought, he gave Zhou Jiaheng another task: to routinely scour for expensive and rare items to have on hand for future needs.

Radiating the holy glow of ‘work is my joy’, Zhou Jiaheng agreed readily. He promptly added ‘Small Planet Naming Rights’, something he'd heard about a couple of days ago, to his Expensive-and-Rare note.

Before they knew it, it was Minor New Year. In the deep winter of the capital, the snow fell heavier than ever. The Forbidden City, with its red walls and white snow, was brimming with ancient charm. Ji Mingshu didn't care for crowded photo spots. She went with Cen Sen and his grandparents to spend a couple of days at the suburban estate where Cen Yuanchao was recuperating.

However, Cen Sen seemed to be in trouble. He was called in for lectures by Cen Yuanchao both days, each session lasting at least half an hour. The shouts were so loud she could hear them from the snowy corridor where she was taking selfies.

Cen Sen was the man she loved now. Seeing him scolded like this pricked at her heart a little. Playing the innocent, she would occasionally interrupt just as Cen Yuanchao's temper peaked, bringing in bowls of pear, snow fungus, or bird's nest soup.

Cen Yuanchao's face was dark, but he couldn't very well vent his anger on his daughter-in-law. Each time, he'd just wave his hand, shooing them both out and telling them to stop cluttering up the place!

"What did you do?" Ji Mingshu whispered. "Why is Dad so angry?"

"Nothing serious," Cen Sen replied calmly, brushing a stray snowflake from her hair. "Work matters."

Of course it was work. Why else would he be going to the office every day right before the New Year, constantly on calls even at home, his laptop never shutting down?

Actually, Ji Mingshu hadn't paid much attention to Cen Sen's work before. It wasn't like she'd understand even if she tried.

And ever since graduating university, she'd constantly heard family and outsiders praise how capable Cen Sen was at work, how ambitious, decisive, and shrewd he was... So she'd always tacitly assumed Cen Sen was all-powerful and invincible in that arena.

But now, it seemed that might not be entirely the case.

That evening, before Cen Sen returned, Ji Mingshu was in their room preparing New Year gifts for the elders and younger relatives of the Cen and Ji families. She was about to ask Old Madam Cen if Cen Yingshuang, who had gone to Germany with her research team, would be back for the holidays. But before she reached Old Madam Cen's room, she overheard Cen Yuanchao and Old Master Cen talking in the study.

Cen Yuanchao's health was poor, and his voice often sounded weak if he didn't consciously muster his energy.

"...The deal was all but settled, and he actually left without waiting to sign the contract! Let that A-Yang swoop in and snatch it away at the last minute. I really don't understand what that child is thinking these days!"

Old Master Cen, however, was calm. "A-Sen knows what he's doing. There's no need for you to worry about him."

Cen Yuanchao fell silent, then seemed to sigh. "Worrying is useless. He's too set in his ways. I can't control him anymore.”

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