Zhao Yang instantly had the illusion that he had gotten a great deal.
Ji Mingshu continued to argue with Jiang Che, "Besides, your buddy just said that whoever earns more money should contribute more to the canary. It's fair to the three of you."
Jiang Che dismissed it, "Oh, he's not my buddy."
...?
"That's not what I just said, is it?" Shu Yang was full of questions, then turned to look at Jiang Che. "Wait, is it really necessary for you to turn your back on me like this over three bags?"
Jiang Che: "Then you buy it."
"I'll buy them, I'll buy ten!"
Ji Mingshu's expression changed instantly, and he smiled and said with his chin in his hand, "Thank you, Brother Yang."
Shu Yang never thinks before he brags, but now that he's come to his senses and remembers the price of Ji Mingshu's bag, his heart is bleeding.
He turned to Cen Sen, hoping to provoke him and salvage some of the losses, "Brother Sen, how have you been mistreating her? You won't even buy her a bag, and now you're trying to scam us?"
Cen Sen was not provoked at all and simply said calmly, "Xiao Shu is quite thrifty and good at managing the household."
Ji Mingshu also offered a smile that perfectly captured the spirit of a "virtuous woman who is diligent and thrifty in managing her household."
Shu Yang: "..."
Okay, you two are a perfect match, hurry up and lock yourselves up so you don't come out and harm innocent people anymore :)
At the gathering that day, Ji Mingshu cheated out of more than a dozen bags, and everyone let her have her way. They hadn't seen her for a long time and liked to joke with her.
Ji Mingshu was replacing Cen Sen, making up for the lack of liveliness he was missing in the atmosphere.
Everyone here is smart, and no one brought up the sensitive topic of "Li Wenyin" again throughout the entire process.
Li Wenyin is Cen Sen's ex-girlfriend. Their rumored relationship lasted for three years, but the actual relationship lasted only three months.
Actually, ex-girlfriends aren't a taboo topic, but the key issue is that Li Wenying and Ji Mingshu don't get along at all. They've been rivals since middle school, causing a lot of unpleasantness.
Moreover, although Li Wenying seems carefree, she occasionally reveals that she still has feelings for Cen Sen.
In the first year of Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen's marriage, Li Wenyin became a hit on Weibo with a short story about her first love, "My Ex Got Married".
Although Li Wenying later deleted the Weibo post herself, citing "not wanting to disturb the other person's life," it was widely reposted online and is still quoted from time to time.
After the party ended, Ji Mingshu didn't say a word the whole way home. She looked out the window, at her phone, and in the rearview mirror, trying to observe Cen Sen's micro-expression changes through all reflective surfaces.
But Cen Sen showed no expression, let alone any change. He fell asleep as soon as he got in the car, and his mind seemed to be on radar, waking up as soon as he got home.
Ji Mingshu didn't know why, but she was very angry and didn't want to talk to him at all.
Cen Sen was completely unaware of her little mood. He had originally planned to conserve his energy and go home to have some marital relations, but when he came out of the shower, Ji Mingshu was already fast asleep. He didn't pay much attention to it, and just postponed the day for marital relations in his mind.
The magazine shoot, which was previously postponed due to the Zhang Baoshu incident, has resumed. For "Zero Degree," they've replaced the on-screen couple, but the dress still needs to be borrowed.
Ji Mingshu felt disgusted by the dress and wished she could just give it to them, so she readily agreed.
On Thursday morning, she took Jiang Chun to "Zero Degree" magazine, intending to let this little country bumpkin get some fashion inspiration.
The on-screen couple we're filming today are currently very popular. They rose to fame after collaborating on an idol drama. They each have a large number of individual fans, as well as a large number of CP fans. The fans have different stances, arguing and cursing every three days and five days a week, which has somehow turned these two people, who don't have many works to their name, into celebrities.
"Move the lighting on A-Che's side a little closer... Yes, that's it."
Gu Kaiyang, dressed in a stylish little suit, stood inside the tent, arms crossed, directing operations. She'd been in her new position for a while now, and her airs of authority as deputy editor-in-chief were growing stronger.
Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun sat in a corner of the studio, watching the filming and talking in hushed tones.
Ji Mingshu: "Where did you go last night? I was going to ask you to come out to see a movie, but I couldn't get through to you on the phone."
Jiang Chun: "Can't get through? Maybe the signal is bad. Tang Zhizhou treated me to a movie last night."
Ji Mingshu turned to look at her, "After Bada Shanren and Strawberry, is the Tang family still willing to talk to you?"
Jiang Chun: "What do you mean? Although I'm not very well-educated, I'm very sincere, okay? After you told me, I sent him a WeChat message to apologize, and he said it was okay and even praised me for being cute."
Ji Mingshu looked at Jiang Chun with an expression that seemed to say, "Is he blind?"
Jiang Chun forced a self-praise, then recalled the subtle flirtation she had with Tang Zhizhou while watching the movie last night. Her ears turned red, and she couldn't help but slap Tang Zhizhou with her goose paw, forcefully changing the subject: "You're still talking about me? What's going on between Cen Sen and that 380-level green tea bitch? I didn't even see the cause or the process, how did it get to the end?"
Ji Mingshu: "I already said it was a misunderstanding. I don't even remember the woman's name, so what's the point of asking me?"
Asking Ji Mingshu about this was pointless. All she understood from beginning to end was that Cen Sen hadn't cheated on her; she didn't know or care about anything else.
However, Gu Kaiyang knew the whole story very well. After the photographer took over the shoot, she explained some extra details to Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun, which were roughly about how Zhang Baoshu caused trouble and how tragic her fate was.
"She was a promising young girl, but now she's been sidelined. Who did she have to mess with? Zhang Qi, that young master is very vengeful."
"Moreover, once a young girl has tasted the glamour, it's impossible for her to leave the entertainment industry and find a regular 9-to-5 job. In any case, her future will be very difficult."
Jiang Chun thought of the same kind of innocent girl who stole Yan Yu, and felt no sympathy for her at all. She only commented, "It's all her own fault." After a slight pause, she asked about something else, "By the way, what about that Shi Qing you guys were talking about?"
Gu Kaiyang raised an eyebrow and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Jiang Chun: "Did you fire him?"
Gu Kaiyang: "Yes, I still find this quite strange. What happened that day was ultimately a personal feud between me and her. Shushu said she didn't do it, so I don't know why the company fired her."
Jiang Chun suddenly had a thought and looked at Ji Mingshu, "Could it be that your husband did it?"
"...?"
"Sister, have you been reading too many novels?"
Jiang Chun was stunned by her incredulous expression, and for a moment she shut down her microphone, beginning to doubt the validity of her own reasoning.
Ji Mingshu, upon hearing Jiang Chun's words, initially thought it was a fantasy, but upon closer reflection, he realized it wasn't entirely impossible.
During the break, she sent Cen Sen a WeChat message.
Ji Mingshu: [A few days ago, I had an argument with a woman at Gu Kaiyang's magazine office, and she got fired.]
Ji Mingshu: [Observing in secret.jpg]
She paused to wait for Cen Sen's reply, but Cen Sen seemed busy and didn't respond for a long time.
During this time, Jiang Chun went to the restroom, and Gu Kaiyang went out to answer a phone call and then came back.
When he returned, Gu Kaiyang's expression was somewhat strange.
Ji Mingshu looked up and, upon seeing her expression, recalled the fear that had gripped him a few days ago when he was informed of his "cheating." "What's wrong with you? You have that strange expression again."
Jiang Chun happened to return as well, and while wiping her hands, she added insult to injury, "Are you constipated?"
"No, I just received a notification for a personal interview."
"Who? Her husband? Showing off their love in a magazine?"
Jiang Chun, with her novel-obsessed mind, pointed at Ji Mingshu without even thinking.
Gu Kaiyang paused for a moment, then said, "Her husband's ex-girlfriend."
Jiang Chun & Ji Mingshu: "..."
The atmosphere suddenly became subtle and awkward.
To ease the awkwardness, Jiang Chun posed a question from the depths of her soul: "Then... isn't your 'Zero Degree' a men's fashion magazine? Why are you interviewing women?"
"Isn't there a woman on the cover?"
Gu Kaiyang pointed behind him and then said, "Let me think of a way. This topic doesn't necessarily have to be Li Wenying, but Li Wenying should be back in the next couple of days."
She could find a way to refuse the interviewee, but she really couldn't stop him from flying back to his motherland.
Just then, Ji Mingshu's phone rang.
Cen Sen: [I did it.]
Ji Mingshu paused slightly as he looked at the three simple words.
Cen Sen: [Are you at the magazine office?]
Ji Mingshu: [Nodding obediently.jpg]
Cen Sen: [Then I'll pick you up after get off work.]
Ji Mingshu looked at the brief conversation on the screen and, for some reason, felt a little happy.
She couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips slightly, then sat up straight, tossed her hair, and said to Gu Kaiyang with an air of noble aloofness, "No need, just do her interview. I want to see what kind of nonsense she can spout."
Jiang Chun silently drank her milk. Having spent so much time with Ji Mingshu, she always felt that Ji Mingshu's unspoken message was, "If this little bitch dares to talk nonsense, I'll kill her."
Author's Note: Frontier Poet: Don't get too excited, I just want to experience married life. (Adjusts glasses)
Chapter 19
As the saying goes, three women make a drama. Ji Mingshu, Gu Kaiyang, and Jiang Chun together might be performing a Republican-era spy drama about deep friendship.
Before Li Wenying even set off from the other side of the ocean, Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun had already meticulously prepared the difficult interview questions for her.
Since Gu Kaiyang only got to know Li Wenying through Ji Mingshu's occasional ramblings, and Li Wenying theoretically shouldn't know that she was Ji Mingshu's best friend, Jiang Chun also arranged for her to infiltrate the enemy's ranks to find out the true purpose of returning to China and the backup methods.
However, this role was too difficult to perform and there was a risk of mishap on set, so Ji Mingshu and Gu Kaiyang both voted against it.
As the three of them relentlessly criticized the innocent female lead, Li Wenyin, while reciting the script of a villainous supporting character, the cover shoot unknowingly came to an end.
After filming wrapped, the female celebrity drank some water through a straw, leaned in front of the camera to watch the footage, and chatted with the photographer for a few minutes.
Turning around, she saw Gu Kaiyang and Ji Mingshu, and smiled as she went up to greet them and Jiang Chun, whom she didn't know.
This female celebrity is named Meng Xiaowei. She is very tactful and has high emotional intelligence.
She has good fashion resources, is somewhat acquainted with Gu Kaiyang, and often meets Ji Mingshu at various fashion shows, exhibitions, and banquets.
Ji Mingshu had a pretty good impression of her. Although they weren't in the same circle, they could still chat for a while.
As they chatted, Meng Xiaowei suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, Mingshu, you studied interior design in college, right? I heard that you designed Christchou's Milan show a couple of years ago. That show was amazing; I still remember it."
When someone praised what he considered his only notable work since graduation, Ji Mingshu was naturally very pleased.
However, in order to show that "Miss Ji is used to being praised every day", she just chuckled lightly and said some humble words.
Meng Xiaowei added, "That's right. I have a friend who is a variety show producer at Xingcheng TV. They are currently planning a variety show that focuses on spatial design, called 'Designers.' It's about amateur designers working with celebrities to collaborate on design projects."
"Among the people they originally invited was a beautiful designer from Taiwan, but she has some political issues, so the production team plans to replace her. I think Ming Shu, you would be very suitable, but I don't know if you are interested?"
Ji Mingshu: "A variety show about spatial design? Me?"