My Queen, My Rules - 68
Book Publishing
Looking back on it later, Ji Mingshu realized that New Year's Eve had actually been wonderfully ordinary.
Cen Sen held her for a while at the entrance of the alley. As the snowfall grew heavier, they turned around and walked back the way they had come, hand in hand.
After returning to the courtyard house, they sat with the elders in the main hall and watched the Spring Festival Gala. Close to midnight, everyone shared dumplings. Too full to eat much, Ji Mingshu secretly slipped most of hers into Cen Sen's bowl.
Later, after the snow stopped, Cen Sen accompanied her outside to build a snowman. She used a tree branch to write I like you across the snow and proudly dragged him over to admire it. After he read the words, though, he still wanted to hear her say them out loud. She surrendered without much resistance. They lingered beside the snowman for a while before heading back to their room, curling up under the quilt together, scrolling through their phones and chatting between bursts of laughter.
Cen Sen's smiles had always been understated. Relaxed, with only the faintest lift at the corners of his mouth, he almost never showed his teeth. But someone who rarely smiled only needed the slightest smile to seem impossibly gentle.
After that, nothing remotely scandalous happened. They simply talked until sleep overtook them, then drifted off wrapped in each other's arms.
It was such an ordinary night that when Ji Mingshu woke the next morning, she sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, unable to tell whether it had all really happened or if she'd dreamed the whole thing.
For the longest time, she'd believed some people were simply born incapable of loving anyone. Even a one-sided crush felt like a miracle. Yet on New Year's Eve, that lonely arrow of affection she'd carried for so long had finally been answered.
While brushing her teeth, foam still filling her mouth, she turned toward him and mumbled, "Did... did you really say you liked me last night? I'm not dreaming, right?"
Cen Sen had already finished washing up. His slightly damp fringe rested against his forehead, making him look fresh, clean, and effortlessly composed.
Seeing Ji Mingshu with her messy hair, tilting her little face up expectantly, he simply filled a cup with clean water and handed it to her. "Finish brushing your teeth properly."
Then he reached for a towel and wrung it out.
Ji Mingshu stared, her heart leaping. Did Cen Sen undergo a sudden personality shift after confessing? Was he actually going to wipe her face for her?
Her happiness lasted less than three seconds.
She watched as Cen Sen calmly pressed the towel against his own clothes, carefully wiping away the toothpaste foam she'd accidentally sprayed onto his sweater.
Ji Mingshu: "..."
He’s this bothered over a tiny spot of toothpaste? How was she supposed to believe this Dog Man truly likes her, that he'll stand by her through thick and thin, have children with her, and grow old together?
Before she could voice that soul-searching question, Cen Sen wrung the towel out again and gently wiped her face this time.
His movements weren't especially gentle, nor were they particularly practiced. But they were painstakingly careful.
When he finished, he leaned down slightly and pressed a kiss against her cheek. "It wasn't a dream."
His lips were cool, carrying the faint minty taste of toothpaste.
Warm pink bubbles seemed to rise slowly from the bottom of her heart.
Ji Mingshu nodded slowly, then turned back to the mirror and quickly rinsed her mouth, decisively burying that earlier question deep back inside her soul.
The Cen family had the tradition of staying up through New Year's Eve. By breakfast time, most of the adults had only just gone to bed. Apart from Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen, only a handful of energetic little cousins were eating in the dining room.
With no elders around, Ji Mingshu didn't bother worrying about table manners. She casually scrolled through Weibo while eating.
After the dramatic reversal of the malicious editing incident a while back, she'd gained over four hundred thousand followers overnight. Even after the things died down and she deleted every post on her account, her follower count kept steadily climbing. Her inbox was overflowing with messages asking whether she planned to debut as a celebrity, why she'd wiped her profile clean, and when she intended to post something again.
Normally, actresses could gain huge attention simply by pretending to be wealthy socialites. Now there was a genuine top-tier heiress with a striking personality standing right in front of everyone. Naturally, people couldn't stop being curious.
Ji Mingshu had never wanted to stay in the public eye. She'd only hoped everyone would quickly forget about her and stop dragging her into trending topics every few days.
Unfortunately, although things had settled down on her side, the ongoing feud between Yan Yuexing and the production team dragged on like a never-ending TV drama. As one of the central figures in the whole affair, Ji Mingshu had no hope of disappearing from the gossip mills anytime soon.
Besides, last night, she had really, really wanted to show off! The moment Cen Sen confessed to her, she'd wanted to shout it to the entire world: The man I like likes me back! I, Ji-shi Shushu, am the happiest woman alive! No objections accepted!
So after boasting in her Moments, she still couldn't resist posting the photo of the two of them holding sparklers on Weibo, along with the caption: "Spent New Year's Eve with Mr. Cen."
Her account was still being shadowbanned by Weibo's algorithm. Hardly anyone reacted after she posted it, so she didn't bother checking back.
But now, when she looked again, the post had already passed five thousand combined reposts, comments, and likes. There was even a tiny blue "Trending" tag in the corner.
Ji Mingshu had never really learned how Weibo worked. She had no idea that badge usually appeared because someone had paid for promotional placement. She genuinely believed she'd made the trending list through her own popularity.
So, resting her chin in one hand, she sipped soup one spoonful at a time, casually announcing to Cen Sen, "I have five hundred thousand followers now. I can post anything and it'll trend. Did you know that?"
Cen Sen answered with an exceptionally perfunctory, "Mm," and not even looking up.
He was wearing a loose black sweater and thin, gold-rimmed glasses this morning. Sitting across from her, he quietly ate breakfast while reading financial news on his tablet, looking perfectly relaxed at home.
But in Ji Mingshu's eyes, that comfortable domestic scene, paired with his utterly unenthusiastic "Mm," instantly transformed into undeniable proof that he didn't care one bit about his five-hundred-thousand-follower-blogger wife!
She suddenly stood up, scooted over beside him, and stuffed half of the bun she'd been eating straight into his mouth.
"I'm telling you," she said, half pouting and half threatening, "if you ever treat me badly, I'll expose you on Weibo!"
"..."
Cen Sen set his tablet aside, took the bun in his long fingers, chewed it slowly, swallowed, then lowered his gaze to her. "When have I ever treated you badly?"
Clinging to his arm, Ji Mingshu answered with perfect confidence, "Just now, when I was talking to you, you kept reading the news. Isn't that treating me badly? You weren't paying any attention to what I was saying."
Her entire face practically declared, ‘Your adorable little wife is very unhappy right now’.
Cen Sen took a sip of soup, rubbed her messy hair, and replied unhurriedly, "I'll do better in the future."
Satisfied, Ji Mingshu immediately began reading him comments from beneath her Weibo post in real time, "Mrs. Cen is gorgeous!" "Mrs. Cen, please debut!" so he could recognize just exactly how desirable his stunning wife was.
At another table, several younger cousins kept sneaking glances at the two of them and whispered among themselves.
Little Boy #1: "When I grow up, I'm definitely not marrying someone like Cousin-in-law. She's terrifying."
Little Boy #2: "I agree. I think Dad’s right. Pretty ones aren’t reliable. We have to look at what’s inside.”
Little Girl #1: "As if either of you could ever find a wife as pretty as Cousin-in-law..."
Little Girl #2: "Exactly. You're already acting like sexist idiots at your age."
Little Boy #1: "You're just one of those fake feminists!"
Little Girl #2: "Cen Bigeng, can you stop throwing around words you barely understand? You sound ridiculous."
Children never worried about consequences when they argued. Before long, their quiet muttering escalated into full-volume shouting, and the debate had already devolved into personal insults.
Just then, Cen Sen calmly set down his bowl, lifted his eyes toward them, and said in an even voice, "If you're not eating, go do your winter vacation homework."
It was only one quiet sentence. Yet all the kids instantly froze as though someone had cast a spell on them. They straightened their backs and fell so silent they barely dared breathe.
Watching their tense little faces, Ji Mingshu suddenly had a thought.
If she and Cen Sen had children someday, she probably wouldn't have to worry much about raising them. With Cen Sen's terrifying final-boss aura, he could probably discipline any child into perfect obedience with a single look. As for her, she could happily play the role of the loving mother, occasionally showering them with warmth, taking them shopping, and snapping cute family photos.
The thought alone made her beam at Cen Sen, completely satisfied with him.
Unfortunately, that satisfaction didn't last long.
His impossible-to-get-rid-of ex-girlfriend seemed determined to ruin everyone's holiday.
After announcing the movie adaptation, Li Wenyin had now decided to publish a book as well. It was the novel version of the movie, complete with recommendation prefaces written by several well-known authors.
No one knew how long she'd been preparing this move. There had been no promotion beforehand. Out of nowhere on the morning of Lunar New Year's Day, she posted a long Weibo essay, rambling about the artistic inspiration behind the cover design to the gifts included with the book, every line emphasizing the love and care she'd poured into the project. She had elevated sentimental marketing into an art form.
Back when she published My Ex Got Married, Li Wenyin had gained quite a following on Weibo. Even while studying overseas these past few years, she'd kept her account active by posting the occasional quote in foreign languages nobody understood, sharing photos from art exhibitions, writing reviews of acclaimed films and books, uploading the rare selfie, and documenting elegant moments like tea tastings, flowers arrangement, and exclusive social events. Somehow, her follower count had steadily climbed to nearly one million.
As a blogger with a cultured, highbrow aesthetic, she had a lot of active followers. So when she suddenly announced a tie-in novel for her upcoming film on the first day of the new year, her followers enthusiastically rallied behind her.
She had clearly prepared well. Before long, the post's reposts, comments, and likes had all surpassed ten thousand. Both #LiWenyinNewBook and the movie's title quietly climbed onto the trending list.
Even more outrageous, within just one or two hours, pre-orders for her new book had topped the charts on major online bookstores. She even posted another Weibo thanking everyone, saying she'd never expected so many people to buy it and that her editor had just informed her they already needed second print run, blah blah blah.
When Ji Mingshu saw this post, she almost died of rage. Without hesitation, she shoved her phone right into Cen Sen's face. "Is this what you meant by ‘no rush’?! 'The movie won't be released'?! Maybe the movie won't, but this book is about to hit shelves! Does your ex think she's the next Li Qingzhao or something? Publishing books, printing more copies! Is she trying to immortalize your oh-so-touching love story!!!"
Ji Mingshu was livid. "And why does she have so many more followers than I do? Her reposts, comments, and likes are more than double mine! Where should I put my face now!!!”
Cen Sen: "..."
He closed his eyes briefly and removed the phone from his face. For a moment, he genuinely didn't know which of Ji Mingshu’s problems he should address first.
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Author's Note:
Little Canary Baby brandishes a forty-meter-long broadsword: If she dares publish that book, I'll dare to visit your grave!
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