My Queen, My Rules - 82

To be honest, Ji Mingshu wasn't exactly enthusiastic about having children. This year, elders from both families had hinted and nudged numerous times, and she'd always deflected with coquettish excuses.

But it wasn't that she was strongly opposed, either. Occasionally, she'd play along with their hints, letting herself fantasize about a perfect future life with a son and a daughter.

Her ambivalence probably stemmed from a subconscious belief that having a child wasn't something you could just decide on, and she had no concrete concept of what a new life arriving would truly entail. As a result, she simply didn't dwell on it.

When he didn't get an answer, Cen Sen moved slowly against her, his voice rough as he asked again, "Let's have a baby. Okay?"

Ji Mingshu had no strength to speak. Her reply was a muffled, incoherent whimper, and any refusal she might have had lacked conviction.

Sensing he was close, she instinctively reached out, fumbling for the small box on the nightstand.

But the next second, she froze.

Huh? Empty?

She shook the box. Nothing came out.

With effort, she pulled open the drawer. It, too, was completely empty.

Her mind, already foggy from what Cen Sen was doing to her, took a long moment to process this.

Had they really used up that entire huge box she'd accidentally grabbed at the supermarket? A box that big would probably take a convenience store half a month to sell!

"W-wait..."

Unwilling to believe it, she half-propped herself up, her hand still groping deeper into the drawer.

But Cen Sen was past the point of no return. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, his eyes dark and intense. A light press on her slender, soft waist was all it took to push her back down.

Click—!

‘The Golden Canary Egg Incubation Chronicles’ recording officially commenced. 

When she woke the next day, Ji Mingshu stared blankly at the ceiling for nearly five minutes, her gaze dazed and unfocused.

The storm had subsided in the latter half of the night. She'd been as exhausted as a dead bird and should have fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep the moment her head hit the pillow. But she'd only managed a few hours of restless sleep, plagued by constant dreams.

In the dream, she'd had a baby. She couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, its features blurred. From the compliments of others, she could infer that it was somewhat cute.

But this supposedly cute child was infuriating, a quintessential little brat who could drive someone to the brink of a rage-induced coma in minutes.

Just as she was stuck at home, disheveled and bare-faced, caring for this child, she received devastating news—Cen Sen was having an affair!

The feeling of that thunderbolt in the dream was hard to describe, far more profound than when she'd mistakenly believed he was cheating with that Zhang-nobody D-list actress.

And the dream followed the full dramatic arc. No sooner had she processed this horrific news than it promptly served up an iconic scene of Cen Sen returning home to lay his cards on the table.

Cen Sen stood in the living room in his impeccably tailored, expensive suit and laid out his terms directly.

Ji Mingshu couldn't remember the other conditions, only that Cen Sen said the child would be his. No room for negotiation. He used a cold, detached tone that was once familiar but now felt utterly alien, his gaze frank and icy.

In the dream, she couldn't accept this reality. Her world had collapsed, plunging her directly into an apocalypse.

Even after waking, she could still feel the lingering heartbreak, despair, and bitter indignation from the dream.

"What's wrong?"

Cen Sen had just woken up. Seeing her dazed, he instinctively pulled her back into his arms, his voice low and husky.

Just three simple words, yet laced with undisguised intimacy—a world apart from the cold, heartless Cen-shi Sensen of her dream.

Ji Mingshu curled into his embrace, finding a comfortable position as her chilled hands and feet began to warm. She mumbled sullenly into his chest, "Nothing. Had a nightmare."

Cen Sen didn't press. He kissed her hair. "It's still early. Sleep a bit more."

Ji Mingshu made an affirmative sound, her arm unconsciously tightening around him.

But not long after, she couldn't help but poke his chest and say quietly, "I dreamed that after I had a baby, you had an affair."

Cen Sen paused, instinctively thinking this was a childish excuse she'd concocted because she didn't want children. After a two-second silence, he played along. "Then we won't have one."

"That's not what I mean! I really dreamed it!" Ji Mingshu poked harder. "I dreamed you came back to confront me after the affair. You wouldn't even sit down, just stood in the living room talking about asset division and how the child had to go to you and stuff..."

Ji Mingshu kept chattering, finally ending with a suspicious guess. "You don't think... I might have some ability to foresee the future? A lot of novels write it that way."

Cen Sen thought for a moment, then countered, "Don't those novels also write about kidney and heart removal?"

"..."

"Alright, stop talking."

The topic was promptly dropped by Ji Mingshu, eager to avoid his reference to her black history. She made idle small talk, her finger absently tracing circles on his chest.

Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh, right. That design proposal for Junyi Yaji, when will the results be out?"

"Should be this afternoon. If I finish my schedule early, I might sit in on the project team's pitch meeting."

Ji Mingshu let out a meaningful, drawn-out "Ohhh."

Cen Sen didn't take the bait, just looked back at her with equal meaning, his expression clearly saying: Bribe me, and I might consider rigging the outcome.

Ji Mingshu struggled internally for a moment but ultimately decided to hold onto her principles. She pushed at Cen Sen, urging him to get up.

Cen Sen gave a light chuckle and didn't persist.

At the office, Cen Sen carried on as usual, sipping black coffee while dealing with a mountain of paperwork.

But halfway through, he suddenly took off his glasses, picked up a cloth, and began polishing them slowly and methodically. He called Zhou Jiaheng in. "Have Lawyer Wen come see me."

Zhou Jiaheng paused briefly. "Yes, sir."

Lawyer Wen was Cen Sen's personal attorney, handling only his private assets. He rarely appeared, maybe a handful of times a year. This sudden summons was rather puzzling.

Half an hour later, Lawyer Wen arrived on the 68th floor of Junyi's headquarters.

Cen Sen got straight to the point. "Lawyer Wen, I want to revoke the prenuptial agreement my wife and I previously drafted."

Lawyer Wen didn't quite understand. He asked cautiously, "You wish to amend some of the clauses?"

"No. I want my wife to legally share ownership of all my assets, both pre-marital and post-marital."

"...?"

Lawyer Wen's face was a textbook picture of Have you been put under some kind of spell?

Cen Sen's expression remained unchanged. He leaned his elbows on the desk, fingers loosely interlaced, and continued, "Additionally, I'd like a new agreement drafted outlining asset compensation and distribution in case of extramarital affairs by either spouse after marriage. For instance, if I were to have an affair, I would leave with nothing. Clauses along those lines."

"..."

The spell must be a powerful one.

Lawyer Wen broke a mental sweat, confirmed the requests politely several times, and upon receiving definitive answers, took detailed notes of Cen Sen's requirements. He also explained the potential consequences of each.

Cen Sen confirmed without hesitation.

Though Lawyer Wen couldn't fathom his client's intentions, he knew it wasn't his place to question. He simply followed instructions, returning to his office to draft the contracts.

After he left, Cen Sen sat alone in his office, leaning back in his chair, recalling Ji Mingshu's dream from that morning.

Truthfully, he knew he often fell short, which was why Ji Mingshu still worried about him cheating even now. But he didn't know what else he could do to give her a sufficient sense of security.

After much thought, it seemed the only thing within his power was to provide more material safeguards.

Zhou Jiaheng entered at that moment to deliver documents, reminding him of his lunch appointment and that it was time to leave.

"Mm," Cen Sen acknowledged. Then he asked, "What time is the Junyi Yaji pitch meeting this afternoon?"

Zhou Jiaheng: "Two PM.”

Cen Sen gave a slight nod, offering no further comment.

Ji Mingshu had sent her design portfolio directly to the Junyi Yaji project lead's email.

The lead had initially been uncertain about how to handle the submission from the CEO's wife. Sounding out his superiors yielded no clear directive; even Zhou Jiaheng had spoken in riddles, leaving the true intentions opaque.

He'd agonized over it for two days. As the pitch meeting neared, he couldn't resist taking an early look at her submission, and immediately felt at ease.

"...I also think design number 052, with the 'B612 planet' theme, is excellent. The well-known fairy tale of The Little Prince and the Rose provides excellent thematic groundwork. The designer's stated concept aligns very well with the specific plans and design background she provided, creating a very vibrant and natural sense of harmony."

"Furthermore, from an operational standpoint, a significant portion of Yaji's target customer base is young women. This includes the audience for our previous trendy hotel promotion plan, which was very clearly defined. This proposal effectively targets that segment of our clientele."

During the pitch meeting, the project lead was presenting the designs he found most satisfactory.

Cen Sen entered midway, motioning for them to continue. He only observed from the side, offering no opinion from start to finish.

But the observant lead noticed that when the 3DMax renderings for design 052 were displayed, Cen Sen glanced over, his gaze lingering, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.

The first Junyi Yaji was preliminarily planned with 68 suites, targeting the personalized high-end market.

Aside from the 23 renowned designers previously confirmed, the designs for the remaining 45 guest rooms would all come from this young designer competition.

There was some debate during the review, but a consensus was ultimately reached.

---

Preoccupied with the results and not wanting to disturb Cen Sen at work, Ji Mingshu could only stare at her phone, thinking that if she passed, the project team would surely send a reply email.

But she waited and waited, and no email came. She began to feel unsure, her spirits sinking so low she couldn't even enjoy shopping.

Jiang Chun didn't really understand her designer's pride. She just thought Ji Mingshu was being overly dramatic and argued earnestly, "It's just one hotel room. He bought you an island. If you insist on designing it, is he really going to stop you?"

"What are you being so fussy about? So what if it's ugly? At worst, don't make that suite available to the public. Keep it as a private suite for you, the CEO's wife, to torture your own eyes with. Problem solved, everyone's happy!"

"..."

"Can you even hear yourself?"

Jiang Chun looked utterly innocent.

Ji Mingshu looked her up and down, her gaze finally settling on the half-eaten pork floss pastry in Jiang Chun's hand. "Even food can't shut you up!"

---

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