My Queen, My Rules - 9
Haute Couture
Gu Kaiyang’s voice crackled through her earbuds. "What the hell! Isn't that Jiang Chun's fiancé?! Yan, right? Holy shit, who's that woman? Get a little closer, I need a better look!”
"It really is him! And that's the second female lead from that costume drama that got a bit of buzz recently! Damn it, Yan's seriously scum. He just got engaged and already cheating! Wait... does this count as cheating, or is this outright adultery?!"
Even after two sleepless nights, Gu Kaiyang still had enough energy to throw herself into breaking celebrity gossip with the energy of a thousand suns Ji Mingshu sincerely believed she had been born for the front lines of paparazzi work.
She turned down the volume on her earbuds and resigned herself to Gu Kaiyang's relentless barrage.
After enduring a solid thirty seconds of Gu Kaiyang's detailed rundown of the woman's scandal-ridden history, with no sign to stop, Ji Mingshu nudged up her sunglasses and cut in quietly, "Enough. You know this D-lister’s life story so well. What. Planning to write her biography?"
Her eyes were fixed on the screen. Yan and the little-known actress walked into the elevator arm in arm, glued together. Without blinking, Ji Mingshu waited until both of them turned toward the camera and captured the perfect screenshot.
“Follow them!” Gu Kaiyang urged. “See which floor they get off on!”
“Are you insane? It’s not my husband cheating.”
Besides, what was she supposed to be? Some creepy stalker?
Tilting her head slightly, Ji Mingshu adjusted her sunglasses, then walked out to enjoy a leisurely shopping trip as though nothing had happened.
Shopping alone wasn't nearly as entertaining. She bought only three handbags, a pair of shoes, and a trench coat before dropping by Gu Kaiyang's work to keep her company over lunch.
She returned to the hotel afterward for a short nap. In the afternoon, someone from the brand’s liaison would come pick her up to try on her custom couture gown.
When she woke from her nap, thoughts of her new dress had put her in an excellent mood. As she left the hotel, a silent concert was still playing inside her head.
However, before she even made it out of the lobby, someone called from behind, “Ji Mingshu?”
The voice sounded familiar. She turned around to see Jiang Chun standing in the lounge area, dressed in a pink Chanel-style skirt suit with a beret perched atop her head. A hotel porter stood beside her, pushing her luggage.
Ji Mingshu paused for a beat, then slowly slid her sunglasses down her nose.
Jiang Chun was secretly pleased by the reaction. Much as she disliked Ji Mingshu, she had to admit the woman possessed impeccable taste, the sort only money and privilege from birth could cultivate. If even Ji Mingshu had been momentarily stunned, then today's outfit must have looked pretty good. The thought filled her with smug satisfaction.
"What are you doing here?" Ji Mingshu asked.
Assuming Ji Mingshu was about to mock her for not being invited by a luxury brand, Jiang Chun blurted, "It’s not like you own the place."
The words hung in the air.
Three silent seconds passed, then she suddenly remembered.
Junyi had acquired this hotel last year.
Technically... Ji Mingshu did own the place.
Fortunately, she recovered quickly, "Paris isn't your family's backyard, is it, Miss Ji? Aren't you overstepping a bit? Yan's here on business, and I'm here to surprise him. Is that a problem?"
Only when she mentioned her fiancé did she seem to regain some confidence.
"...A surprise?"
Ji Mingshu genuinely didn't know what expression she should wear.
"That's right. At least when my fiancé travels for work, I know where to find him. Unlike your President Cen, who's so busy he disappears for an entire year."
Faced with Jiang Chun's childish look of triumph, Ji Mingshu found herself both speechless... and unexpectedly a little sorry for her.
Jiang Chun hadn't originally belonged to their social circle. Her father, however, was an extraordinary businessman. Starting as a newly rich demolition compensation millionaire from a small fishing village in Shenzhen, he had built a restaurant empire worth a fortune.
He was ambitious, too. A few years earlier, he had moved the whole family to the capital, forcing his way into high society with sheer wealth, eventually securing an engagement between the Jiangs and the Yan family.
The Yan family had once been an influential old aristocratic household, but each generation had proven less capable than the last. Poor judgment and dwindling fortunes had left them in steady decline.
Their engagement was a textbook marriage between new money and old money, each side using the other to gain what they lacked.
Marriages like that rarely came with expectations of fidelity, playing around on the side was standard. Had Ji Mingshu stumbled across it under normal circumstances, she would have pretended she'd seen nothing, never mentioning it to the people involved. At most, she'd gossip about it over tea with friends later.
The problem was Jiang Chun herself.
She had genuinely fallen in love with Yan at first sight.
The Jiang family had countless better options. If Jiang Chun hadn't insisted, they would never have chosen a declining family like the Yans.
Ji Mingshu's unusual silence and faintly pitying gaze sent a chill down Jiang Chun's spine. She slowly walked toward the reception desk, glancing back over her shoulder every few steps.
Ji Mingshu was still debating whether to interfere with a word of warning when Jiang Chun suddenly cried out in disbelief.
"Yan!"
Well.
That saves me the trouble.
Not far away, Yan emerged from the elevator with the little actress practically attached to his side. Both of them had changed clothes since that morning.
Ji Mingshu was no innocent virgin. One glance at the pair and she knew exactly what they'd been doing before leaving their room.
Jiang Chun was actually quite pretty, but her taste in fashion was atrocious. Every luxury item she wore somehow looked like a cheap online knockoff. Standing there, driven half-mad by heartbreak and ready to throw a tantrum, she couldn't have contrasted more sharply with the freshly…tended-to, delicate and pitiful little white lotus by Yan’s side.
Sure enough, after only a few exchanges, Yan shoved Jiang Chun aside and pulled the little white lotus protectively behind him.
"Are you done yet? Is making a scene here really necessary? Look at yourself. Aren't you ashamed?"
"I'm ashamed?!"
Jiang Chun's eyes reddened as tears the size of pearls rolled down her cheeks.
The brief scuffle had knocked her beret askew. Her curls were disheveled, and even her clothes had become rumpled. She looked utterly miserable.
With suspicious efficiency, the little white lotus had somehow donned a face mask and sunglasses, shrinking timidly behind Yan. "A-Yan... I can't be photographed..."
Yan patted her hand reassuringly then turned back with a frown, unwilling to spare Jiang Chun another glance. His voice dripped with disgust. "We'll talk after we're back in China. If you want to keep humiliating yourself here, go ahead. Just leave me out of it.”
Jiang Chun stood frozen.
She still couldn't believe the fiancé who had always been so gentle and considerate could change his face so completely.
Yan started walking away with the little white lotus under his protection. As they passed, the woman deliberately, or perhaps not so deliberately, bumped Jiang Chun's shoulder.
Ji Mingshu had seen enough.
Standing a short distance away, she let out a soft laugh. "How amusing. The cheating scum and his mistress aren't ashamed of being caught. Instead, it's the rightful fiancée who caught them that's making a scene."
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard every word.
Yan finally noticed Ji Mingshu, his expression souring further. He opened his mouth to tell her to stay out of it, but remembering the Cen and Ji families, he swallowed his words.
"You think this is shameful? The foreign friends here don't understand Chinese. Want me to translate everything for you? So you can be thoroughly shamed."
Her gaze fell on the Lovers Bridge bracelet around Yan's wrist, and she scoffed. "Nice watch, by the way. A gift from your rightful fiancée. You sure wear it with a lot of audacity.”
Yan: "You!"
Yan was cornered. The little white lotus, however, knew exactly what to do.
Immediately putting on a brave face, she stepped forward and bowed shakily. "Miss Jiang... I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Could we talk somewhere private? Please don't..."
She reached out toward Jiang Chun.
Ji Mingshu stepped in front of her. "What exactly are you?" she interrupted coldly. "Move."
Her eyes shifted back to Yan.
The meaning couldn't have been clearer.
Apologize.
Yan was seething with frustration he couldn't vent. He ran a hand over his face, then dragged his tongue across his teeth. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he nodded.
"Fine. I was wrong. I'm the one who should be ashamed. When we get back to China, I'll personally visit Uncle Jiang and explain everything. I still have something to deal with, I’ll take my leave."
Ji Mingshu didn't stop him.
At this point, he still couldn't even be bothered to comfort Jiang Chun first. Keeping him there served no point.
She turned and walked over to Jiang Chun.
Before she could say a word, Jiang Chun burst into tears and snapped bitterly, "Don't pretend you care! You're enjoying this, aren't you? You think your husband is any better? Men are all scum!"
"..."
"Whether my husband is or isn’t is none of your concern.”
Ji Mingshu had no patience for people who thought everyone was out to get them. She'd intended to offer a token bit of comfort, but now she couldn't even be bothered.
She coolly put her sunglasses back on, clicked away in her heels, and left without another glance.
Jiang Chun’s outburst hadn’t put a dent in Ji Mingshu’s excitement about trying on her new dress.
The gown was a confection of nude-pink lace and tulle. She had already tried on the first fitting some time ago, and the tailor had made further adjustments to flatter her figure.
Now that the finished dress was complete, she was thoroughly satisfied with how it looked on her.
She had someone record a short video and immediately sent it to Gu Kaiyang.
Gu Kaiyang was probably busy and didn't reply for quite a while.
On a whim, Ji Mingshu added a fresh, delicate filter and sent the same clip to Cen Sen as well.
Ji Mingshu: [What do you think? My new custom dress.]
By the time she sent the message, night had already fallen over the capital. Layers of blue-gray twilight blanketed the skyline as neon lights flickered to life one after another.
Cen Sen had just finished a meeting. Taking the phone Zhou Jiaheng handed him, he gave it a casual glance.
There were plenty of unread notifications.
Several were spending alerts from Ji Mingshu's credit card. The rest were WeChat messages from Ji Mingshu.
They rarely messaged each other. Whenever they needed to communicate, they usually just called. Receiving a WeChat message initiated by her was unusual enough.
Loosening his tie, he tapped open the video.
It was short, maybe ten seconds.
Ji Mingshu lifted the hem of her dress, spun twice, then looked back over her shoulder and gave the camera a playful wink.
He watched it once.
Then again.
Then a third time.
Walking beside him, Zhou Jiaheng noticed his boss replaying the same video repeatedly. Curious as he was, he knew better than to peek.
Only after they returned to the office did Cen Sen finally stop.
Ji Mingshu's message still sat beneath the video.
He typed a reply. Whether he genuinely meant it or was merely being polite, even he couldn't have said.
Cen Sen: [Looks good.]
Seeing that Cen Sen, for once, hadn’t deployed his ‘give him a lever and he’ll argue with the world’ talent for contradiction, Ji Mingshu found herself in an even better mood.
Generously continuing the conversation, she typed: [Does it have that vibe people talk about online? Flirty with a touch of fresh innocence, a little sophistication in its allure?]
A silent chuckle escaped Cen Sen.
Glancing at the invoice, he corrected her: [I don't think "a little sophistication" is the right description.]
A hundred and eighty thousand euros for a dress wasn’t “little” anything. She really had some nerves.
He looked up at Zhou Jiaheng. “When did my wife arrive in Paris?"
Zhou Jiaheng paused. "This morning. Five o'clock."
Without waiting to be prompted, he continued reporting Ji Mingshu's upcoming schedule over the next few days, the fashion shows she would attend, along with lunches, dinners, and afternoon tea invitations from various executives.
Whether Cen Sen was actually listening remained unclear.
After Zhou Jiaheng finished, he merely commented flatly, "She's keeping quite busy."
Zhou Jiaheng wisely kept his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Ji Mingshu was in exceptionally high spirits.
Entirely pleased with herself, she interpreted Cen Sen's ‘I don't think "a little sophistication" is the right description’ as wholehearted praise.
As a reward for his improved performance, she decided she'd buy him a new tie clip.
Just then, however, WeChat notifications began chiming one after another.
As expected.
Editor Gu's rainbow compliments might arrive late, but never lacking.
Gu Kaiyang: [Waaaah! What celestial fairy has descended to earth?!]
Gu Kaiyang: [The dress isn't couture. YOU are the couture!]
Gu Kaiyang: [The way our Little Canary Baby showcases her beauty and spends money is truly mesmerizing!!!]
Gu Kaiyang: [How much money does Mom have to earn before I can steal you away from that Dog Man?!]
Nothing highlighted the difference like a direct comparison.
Ji Mingshu took a screenshot of the chat and sent it straight to Cen Sen. She wanted him to learn what proper praise was supposed to look like.
When Cen Sen received the screenshot, his eyes settled on the final words.
Dog Man.
So, this was how she referred to him with her best friend in private.
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