"It's nothing." Cen Sen said calmly, even brushing the snowflakes off her hair. "It's just work."
Ji Mingshu knew, of course, that it was work-related; otherwise, he wouldn't have been going to the company every day so close to the New Year, constantly on the phone at home, and never turning off his computer.
In fact, Ji Mingshu didn't care much about Cen Sen's work before, because even if she did, she wouldn't understand it.
Moreover, ever since she graduated from university, she had often heard her family and outsiders praise Cen Sen for his strong work ability, his ambition, courage, and resourcefulness... So she had always assumed that Cen Sen was omnipotent and unrivaled in his work.
However, it seems that this is not the case now.
In the evening, Cen Sen had not yet returned. Ji Mingshu was in her room preparing New Year's gifts for the elders and younger generations of the Cen and Ji families. She was about to ask Old Madam Cen if Cen Yingshuang and her team would return for the New Year after going to Germany for research. However, before she even reached Old Madam Cen's room, she heard Cen Yuanchao and Old Master Cen talking in the study.
Cen Yuanchao was in poor health, and his voice was always somewhat weak unless he deliberately tried to cheer himself up.
"...They had already reached an agreement, but instead of waiting to sign the contract, they came back and let Ah Yang steal the deal. I really don't understand what that kid was thinking!"
Grandpa Cen said gently, "Ah Sen is a sensible child, you don't need to worry about him."
Cen Yuanchao remained silent, seemingly sighing, "Worrying is useless. He's too opinionated, and I can't control him anymore."
Chapter 65
In Cen Yuanchao's eyes, Ji Mingshu's daughter-in-law appearing on TV shows and trending on social media were just trivial matters, like children playing around, and the so-called public opinion could be resolved with a flick of a finger.
He never even considered that Cen Sen would return to China over such a trivial matter, before the cooperation was even fully secured. In his eyes, Cen Sen was not the kind of person who would act impulsively or fail to prioritize.
Therefore, he was quite puzzled by Cen Sen's actions.
But the older Cen Sen got, the less willing he was to explain things to him.
In fact, Ji Mingshu also felt that Cen Sen was not that kind of person, but this time Cen Sen rushed back overnight, it seemed that it was indeed for such a small matter as her.
Although the online public opinion had already shifted by the time he returned, didn't he still personally comfort her wounded heart and even give her an island where she could see the aurora borealis?
While Ji Mingshu was slightly distracted, the conversation in the study had already shifted to a topic unrelated to Cen Sen. She held her breath and tiptoed away.
Ji Mingshu was somewhat absent-minded all the way back to her room. After sitting at her desk in a daze for a while, she pushed open a half-open window to admire the snow.
The winter snow fell thick and heavy, like goose feathers, and a crisp wind blew in through the narrow, winding corridor. She rested her chin on her hands, lost in thought, her mind seemingly wandering far, far away.
"...Borui's asset restructuring will not be completed until after the new year at the earliest. It is hard to say whether it can return to the A-share market in the first half of the year. After the restructuring and share reform are completed, their relationship with Haichuan may not be as close as it is now. Aren't there several other companies with synergistic effects that are interested in investing?"
“That’s what they say, but if Haichuan isn’t close to them, how could they be close to us? They were able to snatch this investment, so there’s basically no possibility of cooperation with us. Even if they have the intention to cooperate, there’s a high chance they’ll ask for an exorbitant amount,” another person retorted.
The headquarters of South Bay Development Company is located on the eleventh floor of the Huadian Building.
Vincent, a French citizen of Chinese descent, had his project investment snatched away by Haichuan Capital, where Cen Yang works. The funds were intended for the development of new energy businesses after Borui's restructuring, leaving a significant shortfall in the budget for the construction of the Nanwan Phase II roundabout interchange. For several days in a row, project leaders gathered here to discuss the matter.
The construction of the roundabout interchange in the second phase of Nanwan is not without plans B and plan C, but compared to plan A, which can be implemented smoothly once the investment is secured, the remaining options are not the optimal solutions.
Moreover, squeezing money from within the budget inevitably has far-reaching consequences for everyone present. The negotiations of the past few days have mainly revolved around the distribution of profits from the remaining options.
In fact, the development prospects and return potential of Nanwan are far superior to those of Borui's new energy projects, but the latter has a clear advantage in terms of investment cycle and short-term return rate.
Some suggested negotiating a cooperation with Haichuan Capital, but the representatives from both Cen and Ji's families at the meeting did not seem to agree with this idea.
—They were very familiar with the head of Haichuan Capital's Greater China region. Today's events were deliberately orchestrated by Cen Yang, so there was no need to talk about "cooperation".
After the meeting ended, Cen Sen glanced at the time and planned to return to Junyi to sign a few documents that were to be issued before the end of the year.
But Zhou Jiaheng suddenly called out to him from half a step behind, "Boss, there's a phone call."
Cen Sen paused, turning his head slightly.
Zhou Jiaheng stepped forward and handed the phone to Cen Sen, then quietly returned to his original position, coughed lightly and said, "It's Haichuan's... Mr. Cen Yang."
Cen Sen glanced down at the caller ID and calmly pressed the answer button.
On the other end of the phone, Cen Yang didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "The New Year is coming soon, and I've prepared some gifts for my grandparents, parents, and Xiao Shu. I'll deliver them to Nanqiao Hutong in a couple of days. I hope Mr. Cen won't mind."
Cen Sen did not respond.
"However, it seems that President Cen is not in the mood to mind right now. I'm truly sorry about what happened with Vincent."
Cen Yang's voice was clear and gentle. Some of his words, spoken in that resonant and powerful tone, always left people confused, as if it were hard to tell whether they were sarcastic or genuinely apologetic.
“No need for Nanqiao Hutong, just send them directly to the cemetery and give them all to Mom.” Cen Sen spoke casually, as if discussing tomorrow’s weather, and then added with a hint of sarcasm, “Thank you, Mr. An Yang.”
Zhou Jiaheng's survival instincts have been kicking in lately. Even now, sitting in the passenger seat, he's silently memorizing a new piece of knowledge: from now on, he can't call her Cen Yang, he has to call her An Yang. Yes, even President Cen calls her An Yang.
After Cen Sen finished speaking, there was a long silence on the other end of the phone. It was unclear whether the phrase "sent to the cemetery" evoked his memories or the name "An Yang" stung him.
Cen Sen didn't seem to care much, and simply added, "I originally thought you wouldn't go so far as to target a woman, but I really overestimated you."
His voice grew colder as the call progressed, ending with a slight upward slant, filled with utter disdain and indifference. Before Cen Yang could respond, he abruptly hung up the phone.
Those who fight in the business world don't think anything is accidental or coincidental. The moment Vincent's situation suddenly changed, Cen Sen had already figured out that Cen Yang had done something behind it.
On the surface, the malicious editing of Ji Mingshu's story is simply a case of Yan Yuexing and the production team conspiring to make a fatal mistake by choosing an auspicious day.
However, when Ji Mingshu met Cen Yang earlier, she inadvertently mentioned some things that happened when she participated in the program, including the occasional neglect from the production team during her recording and the unpleasantness between her and Yan Yuexing.
Cen Yang was a meticulous person; he investigated further based on the things she casually mentioned. Before the show aired, he used some tricks to stir things up. In the end, the production team and Yan Yuexing clearly divided the blame, and he left no trace, his hands clean.
In fact, his original intention was just to let Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen have another fight. Like Cen Yuanchao, he never thought that Cen Sen would return to China early because of this.
But Cen Sen had personally delivered the mistake, so there was no reason for him not to take it.
He never thought of returning to the Cen family, nor did he want anything more from them, but such a cold-blooded family as the Cen family did not deserve a moment of peace, never.
It all started with Cen Sen's "It's either you or me" that year; it all started with Cen Yuanchao leaving him without giving a single explanation; it all started with Cen Yuanchao refusing to help him once he knew he wasn't a member of the Cen family.
The more he loved this family, the more he hated them later.
Cen Sen didn't care whether Cen Yang's gift was delivered to the cemetery or to Nanqiao Hutong, as long as Ji Mingshu didn't receive it.
Before New Year's Eve, Cen Sen and Ji Mingshu returned to Mingshui Mansion from their villa in the suburbs of Beijing.
However, Cen Sen remained busy every day. Ji Mingshu tried several times to ask him about the project investment being intercepted by Cen Yang, but either he was interrupted by a phone call or she inexplicably chickened out and changed the subject.
Because no matter which angle you ask him, it always seems to boil down to one question: Why did you do that?
She could have finished everything before coming back… If Cen Sen acted impulsively for her sake, she felt a little guilty. But if Cen Sen had other plans and it wasn't an impulsive act, she didn't seem happy with that answer. So she was conflicted, going around in circles, and never asked the question.
During the Lunar New Year, many socialites and young men who have developed their careers abroad will take time to return to the capital, making the city more lively than usual, with one gathering after another.
The 29th happened to be Vivian's birthday, and Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun both brought gifts to the birthday party.
Vivian is a passionate fan of celebrities. Ten years ago, she famously lied to her driver to take her to the airport to meet her Korean idol. In recent years, she has followed celebrities both domestically and internationally, and her fandom is quite diverse, including painters, pianists, and athletes. If it weren't for objective limitations, she could probably follow celebrities from ancient and modern times, in addition to those from China and abroad.
This resulted in a particularly eclectic birthday party, with a rock singer performing a high-energy song one minute, a pianist playing a world-famous piece the next, a boy band dancing, and athletes performing freestyle football, making the scene lively yet fragmented.
Seeing that Ji Mingshu was absent-minded, Jiang Chun asked while eating a small cake, "What's wrong with you?"
Ji Mingshu rested his chin on his hand, sighed, and said listlessly, "Nothing much."
Jiang Chun casually guessed, "You're not pregnant, are you?"
"What nonsense are you spouting..." Ji Mingshu looked at her with the kind of look one would give someone who was mentally challenged.
Jiang Chun felt that her guess made a lot of sense, and used her recently pregnant sister-in-law's various symptoms of loss of appetite and lethargy to give Ji Mingshu an example.
Ji Mingshu quickly stopped him, changing the subject: "Wait, let's not talk about that now. I have a question for you. Have you ever prepared any gifts for Tang Zhizhou? For example, if you've done something to wrong Tang Zhizhou, and he's been working hard or tired, what do you give him or offer him some comfort?"
"What could I possibly do to betray Tang Zhizhou? No, you didn't do something to betray Cen Sen, did you? Did you cheat on him? With your childhood sweetheart?"
Jiang Chun was making a big fuss, her eyes wide open, and she didn't even realize that cake was smeared all over her mouth.
Ji Mingshu closed his eyes briefly, then grabbed a tissue and covered Jiang Chun's face. He waved his hand, signaling the little goose, who was completely out of sync with him, to immediately go into silent mode—to keep her quiet for a while.
Jiang Chun was muted, but the live mashup performance wasn't. Seeing many people recording videos of the stage, Ji Mingshu, for some reason, also took out her phone and recorded a few short videos, which she then sent to Cen Sen.
After sending it, she carefully considered the wording.
Ji Mingshu: [I'm at a friend's birthday party. Are you working hard at the company? Would you like to watch a performance to relax?]
A short while later, Cen Sen replied: [The level of explicitness in the performance needs to be tightened.]
She looked back at the video she had recorded and realized that she had accidentally captured a male idol lifting his shirt.
Ji Mingshu: [I'll cut the cake and leave in a bit. Are you at the office? Do you want me to bring you a piece of cake? Or is there anything else you'd like to eat? There's a soup restaurant nearby that I saw was still open when I came from my car.]
The chat interface displayed "The other party is typing" at the top several times, but no content was sent. Ji Mingshu was a little puzzled.
Cen Sen was even more puzzled than she was. What adult men fear most is probably their wives' sudden displays of concern.
He thought for a while, then finally replied: "The items you want to buy exceed the limit?"
Chapter 66
Limit! Limit! Limit!
Is that even human language?!
Ji Mingshu was very upset; she looked unhappy ever since she left the party. On the way to the Junyi headquarters building, she also sullenly looked out the window.
Perhaps because it was Lunar New Year's Eve tomorrow, the driver seemed more relaxed, and he even chatted with her for a bit while we were waiting at the traffic light.
However, she remained silent from beginning to end, staring intently out the window at something, her lips pursed and drooping, adding a touch of cold elegance to her bright face.
The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror and wisely kept quiet.
A moment of silence fell over the carriage, but Ji Mingshu's inner monologue was already buzzing with excitement—
That dog, Cen Sen! Does she really seem like the kind of woman who only does everything for his money? Okay, she used to be, but now she's after him for who he is! Is he from some planet where he says "I'm blind and heartless, but I'm handsome and rich"? He can't see through her intentions at all!!
He didn't even need to think for a second. Who would easily forgive such an unforgivable mistake as being cyberbullied just because of a small island?
Who would risk being scolded by their father-in-law and force themselves to rush into the study to deliver soup if they didn't like him!
Who would cooperate with him and let him torment them all night if they didn't like him! They'd be exhausted, yet still have to convey the message "Honey, you're really amazing" through every gesture, word, and expression to satisfy his male ego!
She's furious! She's absolutely furious!!!
Upon arriving at Junyi, an angry Ji Mingshu put on sunglasses with an air of aloofness before slowly getting out of the car.
She went to a birthday party today, wearing a burgundy cocktail dress underneath a haute couture off-white coat. Her high heels were sparkly, shimmering from the uppers to the slender heels, with delicate crystal straps cascading around her slender feet, each step shimmering with subtle light. Perhaps thanks to this outfit, even the thermos she was carrying somehow exuded the air of a limited-edition Hermès New Year's item.
Cen Sen is currently on a video call with Jiang Che.
Jiang Che glanced at the high-definition monitor on the screen next to him, smiled, and even took the time to take a screenshot and send it to the group chat, while also ending the call.