My Queen, My Rules - 80
Old Acquaintance
At first glance, with the numbered sections neatly laid out one, two, three, four, Ji Mingshu instinctively assumed the notebook contained one of Cen Sen's work plans. It wasn't until she caught sight of her own name that she realized what it was and began reading it carefully.
For quite a while after finishing, she simply couldn't process what she'd just seen.
How should she put it? It was really, truly meticulous. So meticulous that it involuntarily brought her back to the trembling panic and helplessness she'd felt back when she was writing papers at school.
The stylist had come upstairs and was now knocking politely on the door.
Ji Mingshu collected herself, set the notebook aside, and went to open the door.
The afternoon event was an outdoor tea party. Although the invitation hadn't specified a dress code, convention dictated that wearing one of the brand's new designs from the past two years was the proper and courteous thing to do.
Ji Mingshu chose a dark green fringed dress, and the stylist agreed it was a good choice. However, since it was a dress that had to be put on from the top, she suggested that Ji Mingshu change first before they began her hair and makeup.
Anyone who worked in styling and makeup was exceptionally skilled at the art of flattering people. Compliments and flattery always sounded natural and sincere coming from them.
And because they frequently worked with celebrities and socialites, they also knew plenty of gossip and inside stories. A few hours of hair and makeup could never be boring, as long as you were willing to listen.
At the moment, the stylist was telling her about the time she'd styled the second female lead of a recent blockbuster, and how the actress had lost her temper at her assistant and thrown her weight around with the event organizers.
Ji Mingshu occasionally responded with a soft "Mm" or "Yeah," letting the gossip go in one ear and out the other. Her hands, meanwhile, remained occupied with Cen Sen's little notebook.
Perhaps struck by a sudden thought, she opened the notebook again, picked up an eyebrow pencil, and casually wrote a sentence inside.
"Darling, what are you writing?" The stylist glanced over but couldn't make out the words, so she asked curiously.
"Nothing." Ji Mingshu closed the notebook as soon as she'd finished, then looked at herself in the mirror. Tilting her head slightly, she pointed at her hair and said, "I think this side could be a little looser. It's tied too tightly."
Following her gaze, the stylist used the thin end of her comb to gently loosen the hair. "Still too tight?"
"Mm. That's good."
The stylist relaxed, wisely deciding not to ask any more questions. Instead, she continued telling Ji Mingshu about the second female lead's latest gossip.
Ji Mingshu wasn't stupid. If this woman was willing to tell her other people's gossip today, she could just as easily be telling other people her gossip tomorrow.
But she simply couldn't suppress the urge to show off her treasure of a husband with someone. After thinking it over, she could only force the precious discovery upon Jiang Chun and Gu Kaiyang.
Jiang Chun: [?]
Jiang Chun: [I suspect this is you flaunting your relationship.]
Jiang Chun: [Cold dog food slapping recklessly against my face.jpg]
Gu Kaiyang: [What did I do to deserve this?]
Jiang Chun: [What did I do to deserve this?]
Ji Mingshu put on an affected little act. [He can memorize someone's phone number after hearing it just once, so why did he have to write all this down? And in such painstaking detail, too. Sigh, I’m having… mixed grains of emotions right now.]
Gu Kaiyang: [Okay, stop talking. We've already gotten the message. He really values you. /smile]
Gu Kaiyang: [Our brilliant, formidable President Cen has willingly lowered his IQ for love, painstakingly mapping out the entire date in a notebook. I'm dead! What is this cold but adorable man?!]
Gu Kaiyang: [Woman, are you satisfied now?.jpg]
Satisfied. Extremely satisfied.
Ji Mingshu couldn't help secretly smiling.
Jiang Chun: [That’s very sweet but—]
Jiang Chun: [Isn't it supposed to be “mixed feelings,” not “mixed grains”? tvt]
Jiang Chun: [Top student in the nitpicking major.jpg]
Jiang Chun: [Hiding under a pot lid.jpg]
Ji Mingshu: […]
Ji Mingshu: [All right, top student. You can shut up now.]
The daily bickering of the Canary-Goose-Quail Three Musketeers continued all the way to the brand event.
Jiang Chun hadn't originally planned on attending, she'd already learned that her former fiancé and the little white lotus would both be there that day. It had been a long time since she'd seen those two shameless creatures, and she wasn’t sure if she'd be able to keep her temper under control.
But Gu Kaiyang and Ji Mingshu had both said they'd have her back. Besides, all the socialites attending were Ji Mingshu's fair-weather sisters. If things turned into a showdown, Jiang Chun certainly wasn't the one who would come off worse.
With this in mind, she felt justified in coming. Besides, her idol, Pei Xiyan, would also be dropping by the event today, and it had been ages since she'd gotten to admire her darling's exquisite, handsome, cold and aloof face at an event. She really did miss him.
The venue was dotted with twelve small fountains. In front of a large white triangular structure, a young couple played a four-hand piano duet. The dessert table had been designed like a spiral staircase of glass edged in copper. Celebrities posed for photographs and signed their names in front of the backdrop as they gave interviews. Hair shimmered, clothes rustled, and flowers bloomed everywhere.
"What are you chickening out for? What are you scared of? You weren't the one who cheated. And I was the one who slapped them back then, not you."
Ji Mingshu whispered under her breath to bolster Jiang Chun’s courage, all while maintaining a charming, curved smile on her face and occasionally raising her glass in a distant toast to acquaintances.
Jiang Chun: "I know. It's just a little awkward."
"If he's not awkward, why are you? Besides, you're engaged to Tang Zhizhou now. Can't everyone just look fabulous and mind their own business?"
Ji Mingshu lowered her wineglass and turned her back to the crowd, chattering away as she analyzed the situation for Jiang Chun. Once she'd finished, she even gave her a whole set of precautions for surviving the inevitable disaster scene if things went south.
But just as she was laying out her impeccable logic, a man behind her suddenly called out with obvious interest, "Hey, are you Ji Mingshu?"
She paused slightly and turned around.
Perhaps the Little Sparrow's brain had limited storage capacity. The man standing before her looked vaguely familiar, but for the life of her, she couldn't immediately remember who he was.
It didn't matter. The man quickly introduced himself in an attempt to wake her dormant memories. "I'm Zhou Zhen."
"…"
Ji Mingshu finally remembered. At the same time, an awkward yet perfectly courteous smile appeared on her face. "Long time no see."
Jiang Chun gave her a questioning look.
She offered a brief introduction. "Zhou Zhen. He was my high school senior."
Zhou Zhen raised his brows slightly, apparently less than satisfied with that introduction.
But apart from "high school senior," Ji Mingshu genuinely couldn't think of anything else worth saying about him. Was she supposed to add a qualifier and introduce him as the high school senior who had almost become her first love?
She wasn't good at reminiscing, nor did she want to reminisce. She didn't even bother introducing Jiang Chun to Zhou Zhen. She simply gave him a polite nod, lifted her wineglass again, and continued drinking.
The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment.
Six or seven years had already passed since their high school days. There were no grudges that couldn't be put aside by now. If this had been any old classmate with whom she had no particular history, she might have patiently chatted about the past. But Li Wenyin wasn't one of those people, and neither was Zhou Zhen.
The reason was simple. Zhou Zhen was the senior she’d once had a crush on during her second year, who, not long after, was seen happily eating in the cafeteria with Li Wenyin, laughing and chatting happily together.
Back then, it had been obvious that Li Wenyin had deliberately gotten close to Zhou Zhen just to spite her. Once Ji Mingshu's little crush, born purely from an appreciation of his looks, gradually faded, Li Wenyin also quickly disappeared from his side. By the time she entered her sophomore year, Li Wenyin had officially gotten together with the already-graduated Cen Sen.
Li Wenyin had been riding high back then, while Ji Mingshu had been unable to summon the slightest enthusiasm for anything.
It was around that time that Zhou Zhen, who had previously had little interaction with Ji Mingshu, heard from one of her roommates that she'd once had a bit of a crush on him. He then began appearing beside her again, frequently sending unmistakable signals that he was interested in pursuing her.
He was handsome, at least, so although Ji Mingshu didn't immediately agree, she didn't outright reject him either.
Later, they’d gone out with friends a couple of times during winter break. She’d thought he wasn’t bad and had considered maybe they could give it a try. Who would have thought this guy, who looked shy and slow to warm up, was actually a notorious playboy? He didn't just have a little pond of fish. He was practically managing all seven seas.
WeChat wasn't popular back then, but according to stories from his roommates, he could juggle five conversations simultaneously on QQ alone. He'd even taken different girls to see the same Harry Potter movie six separate times.
Ji Mingshu's eyes had certainly been opened.
When he eventually confessed to her, she naturally turned him down.
Having nearly had her feelings played with by this shameless ladies' man, Ji Mingshu had been mortified. For years afterward, she never mentioned this fortunately never-started first love to anyone.
Now, encountering this blast from the past, Ji Mingshu clearly had no desire to engage him any further.
Unfortunately, Zhou Zhen wasn't particularly good at taking a hint. Her attitude couldn't have been clearer, yet he still planted himself there instead of leaving, insisting on chatting with her. He deliberately brought up their old ambiguity as though it were the perfect nostalgic anecdote, then smoothly shifted the conversation to his life abroad after graduation. He seemed quite pleased with how well he'd done for himself, carrying an unmistakable air of superiority. Somehow, the whole performance was staged in the hope that Ji Mingshu would regret having rejected him all those years ago, finally giving him the chance to savor his long-awaited triumph.
Ji Mingshu listened politely for a while and was about to cut him off.
Suddenly, a woman walked over, looped her arm through Zhou Zhen’s in a show of ownership, and affectionately called out, “A-Zhen,” then sized up Ji Mingshu with a less-than-friendly gaze.
Her pronunciation of "A-Zhen" wasn't quite standard. She was probably an ABC (American-Born Chinese).
Ji Mingshu glanced at the fringed dress she was wearing, the same design as her own in a different color, then lowered her eyes and swirled her red wine as though none of this had anything to do with her.
The ABC noticed Ji Mingshu's dress almost immediately too, and her expression darkened.
She had wanted the dark green version of the dress herself, but it had been sold out everywhere. She'd been unhappy about it for several days before finally settling for the white one.
Little Earth Goose, happily observing the spectacle from the sidelines, said nothing. She merely took out her phone and typed a line for Ji Mingshu to see: "Matching outfits aren't scary. Being the uglier one is."
Ji Mingshu pressed her lips together.
"And these two are?" the ABC asked Zhou Zhen as she looked at them.
Zhou Zhen wasn't embarrassed at all. He briefly introduced the two of them, then introduced the ABC as his fiancée to Ji Mingshu, taking the opportunity to casually mention a few details about her family background as well.
Ji Mingshu smiled and gave a soft, "Oh."
Whether the two had just returned from abroad and had no idea how the social circles worked here, or whether there was some other reason, they simply stood there in front of Ji Mingshu without leaving.
One was clearly determined to show off how well he was doing now, and that she’d missed out by refusing to date him back then. The other apparently suffered from a severe case of boyfriend-being-stolen paranoia, clinging tightly to her own playboy and making sure everyone knew exactly who held the official position.
Ji Mingshu was starting to lose patience. She gave Jiang Chun a look.
Jiang Chun was exceptionally quick on the uptake. Following the ABC's mention of her honeymoon plans, she immediately exclaimed, "You're going to Norway for your honeymoon? That's so romantic. I've never even seen the Northern Lights."
The ABC smiled, visibly pleased, and exchanged a few polite words with her.
Jiang Chun then turned to Ji Mingshu. "Oh, by the way, how’s the paperwork coming along for that island your husband bought you? You promised you'd take me to see the Northern Lights. Do you think we could just take that huge yacht your husband bought straight there?"
Zhou Zhen and his fiancée both paused slightly.
Jiang Chun acted as though she hadn't noticed, praising Cen Sen with such heartfelt enthusiasm that she might as well have been talking about her own husband.
“…Oh, right, what time is your husband picking you up today?”
"Honestly, Mingshu is so lucky. Whenever her husband has time, he comes to see her. He even cooks for her."
Ji Mingshu discreetly pinched her, signaling her to stop while she was ahead. What if no one came to pick her up after the event? Wouldn't that be awkward?
But when she raised her eyes, she saw the paragon of a husband Jiang Chun had just been raving about, a man she herself almost didn't recognize anymore, standing not far away and gazing intently at her.
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