When he arrived, he followed Ji Mingshu's taxi from a distance, and when he left, he followed the white Mercedes in front of him from a distance.
The first snow fell late.
He had the window open, seemingly oblivious to the winter chill.
The author has something to say: —He is sometimes very nice to me, sometimes not, but I like him.
Chapter 49
The drive from the restaurant to Star Harbour International is only half an hour, but due to the surge in people on Christmas Eve, that half hour was stretched to twice as long.
While at the restaurant, Ji Mingshu and Cen Yang chatted about their childhood memories. Only after merging into the sea of lights and traffic did they seem to step into the adult world, exchanging questions about real life.
There's nothing particularly interesting about Ji Mingshu's real life; he's simply followed the growth trajectory that was visible from his childhood, and he hasn't strayed from it over the years.
As for Cen Yang, he was originally the only pride of the Cen family in Jingjian. However, a sudden change occurred. Although he did not fall from the clouds to the mud, from the moment his identity changed, it was destined that his childhood of being high above others was the end point he could never reach in his life. The rest of his life that the Cen family's heir had to experience was also a journey that he would never have the chance to set foot on again.
Perhaps because of their shallow family ties, Ji Mingshu was able to empathize with Cen Yang's situation more deeply after learning the truth in the second year of junior high school.
She always felt that if a crown prince suddenly told her that she was their long-lost daughter, she would happily move in and become a noble little princess.
But if it were a couple from a slum in a small, third-tier town coming to pick her up, she might faint on the spot and cling to the pillar of the Ji family's porch, refusing to leave.
When Ji Mingshu tactfully expressed his views, Cen Yang simply smiled.
He held the steering wheel with one hand, took a box of chewing gum from the glove compartment, and looked at the bright lights of the city in the distance as he unwrapped it. His voice was calm. "It's not as unacceptable as you think. I've been doing fine all these years."
Ji Mingshu turned her head to look at him.
"Actually, it wasn't very good at first, but I got used to it and it got better."
Stopping at a red light, Cen Yang handed her a piece of chewing gum, recalling the events with a nonchalant air, "To be honest, it's probably because so much time has passed that I can't remember many things. I only remember that when we first moved from Nanqiao Hutong, I had insomnia for about half a month... I couldn't sleep at all back then, missing my grandparents, my parents, and Shu Yang."
He glanced at Ji Mingshu, "Of course, and you little one too. I used to think you were really noisy, but it feels strange not having you come to the house to make noise anymore."
Ji Mingshu pursed her lips and did not reply.
Cen Yang added, "It's unrealistic to say I've never had any resentment or hatred. I'm working in venture capital now, and when I first started, the pressure was immense. I often thought, if I were still Cen Yang from the Cen family, I wouldn't need to work so hard now."
He paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Let's not talk about these things anymore. It's all been a long time. Everyone's doing well now, back to where they are. Life is life no matter where you are."
The saying "Life is where you are" is easy to say, but it's incredibly difficult to truly experience.
—This little canary, who has been away from home for several months, can deeply relate to this.
She wanted to offer some words of comfort, but didn't know where to begin, so she simply nodded and changed the subject, "So you're... twenty-seven this year, right? Do you have a girlfriend?"
Cen Yang squinted as he recalled, "After starting university, I dated a few people, but they weren't a good match, and we broke up. I've been busy with work these past few years, so I haven't had time to date anyone."
As the traffic light changed and the car slowly moved forward, he remembered something and asked, "I just came from Xingcheng. Anning told me that you and he went to Xingcheng a while ago?"
"Yes, I went out for a meal. How are Anning and...Aunt An doing?"
Cen Yang replied without hesitation, "That's great. I originally wanted to bring them to the capital to live with us after we settled in, but they said they couldn't get used to it here, so they're not coming."
Seeing Cen Yang's calm expression as he said this, Ji Mingshu couldn't help but feel a little puzzled: Didn't Chen Biqing say back then that Cen Yang didn't have a good relationship with them and didn't contact them much? Why does it seem like Cen Yang isn't so hostile towards them? Strange.
However, based on the few words Chen Biqing mentioned, she imagined Cen Yang to be a cold and gloomy person who could not let go of his past because of his changed background. But the Cen Yang she met today was positive, generous and easy-going, and seemed to no longer care about the past.
—This is clearly the best possible outcome after fate has played a cruel trick on us, but Ji Mingshu still feels it's not quite real.
After arriving at Star Harbour International, Cen Yang parked the car, walked around to the passenger side to open the door for Ji Mingshu, and seeing that Ji Mingshu was still lost in thought, he leaned in to help her unbuckle her seatbelt.
Ji Mingshu reacted quickly and reached out to stop her, saying, "No need, I can do it myself."
She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her bag, and hurriedly got out of the car.
It's snowing outside, and it's snowing even harder than when we were on the road.
Cen Yang looked up and asked, "Is this the first snowfall in the capital this year?"
Ji Mingshu nodded and reached out to take it. "The weather forecast has been saying this for a while now, but I didn't expect it to rain only today."
As she said this, a fleeting hint of melancholy flashed in her eyes.
She really wanted to see the first snow with Cen Sen, and she also wanted to spend Christmas Eve with him.
But Cen Senxiu never contacted her again, only having Zhou Jiaheng deliver clothes once... as if someone really cared about his tattered clothes.
But even if they contacted each other, it wouldn't make a difference. Cen Sen, a capitalist machine who can dedicate himself to his work to the point of exhaustion and has no feelings left, will probably never experience the romance of spending Christmas Eve and Christmas with his wife.
Thinking about it this way, I'm not so disappointed anymore.
“…Xiao Shu?” Cen Yang called out once, but received no response. He called out again.
"Huh?" Ji Mingshu snapped out of her reverie and looked apologetically at Cen Yang. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What's wrong?"
"Nothing much, it's just that I feel good to be able to see you again."
Cen Yang chuckled, revealing two rows of white and neat teeth. His tall and slender figure stood out against the falling snow of the winter night, appearing particularly serene and warm.
Ji Mingshu couldn't help but smile, the smile lingering on his lips for a long time before fading slightly.
She looked at Cen Yang and said with some emotion, "Calling you Brother Cen Yang after we've grown up doesn't seem quite right anymore. I don't think I have the right to stand on your side and share your hatred... But no matter what happened in the past or what will happen in the future, I sincerely hope that you can live a happy life. I also sincerely hope that you can always be as warm and sunny as I remember you."
Cen Yang looked at her, a faint smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes, and suddenly stepped forward and hugged her.
A black Maybach was parked in the distance.
Cen Yang stared at the distant and blurry driver's seat, his gaze calm and straight, without saying a word.
—Xiao Shu, I'm sorry, but a long time ago, I was no longer the Cen Yang brother you remembered.
Back at her apartment, Ji Mingshu removed her makeup and washed up as usual. The house was quiet. On Christmas Eve, Gu Kaiyang was still working overtime without pay, and it was unclear when he would be home.
After applying her face mask, Ji Mingshu glanced at her phone. Cen Sen, that pig, hadn't sent her a single punctuation mark. It was suffocating.
She sat cross-legged on the sofa, increasingly confused.
Didn't he also go to university abroad? Does he really not care about Christmas Eve and Christmas? If he's so unbiased towards foreign things, why did he even go to Harvard? Does the word "Merry Christmas" really cause the stock price to plummet by 30%? Is he even human? How did he even manage to get married?
Ji Mingshu was still resentful about not receiving any greetings on Christmas Eve, and Jiang Chun, to make matters worse, happened to be in the line of fire at this time and started showing off her love.
Jiang Chun: [Image 1]
Jiang Chun: [Image 2]
Jiang Chun: [Isn't the ring Tang Zhizhou gave me pretty?]
Ji Mingshu: [...]
Ji Mingshu: [Did you not practice your finger dexterity at all, even for a day? It's so short and thick, even my toes are prettier than yours, and you still have the nerve to wear a ring? Don't tell me you've already posted it on WeChat Moments. Okay, if you really want to post it, just take it off and take a picture of the box. Don't embarrass yourself.]
Jiang Chun: [...]
Jiang Chun: [Sent.]
Jiang Chun was used to being teased, but if Ji Mingshu praised her, she would feel uncomfortable, always feeling that Ji Mingshu was brewing some big move, waiting for her to become conceited before knocking her down in one fell swoop.
Now that she had received Ji Mingshu's usual reply, Jiang Chun felt more at ease and started to act coquettishly with Tang Zhizhou.
She puffed out her cheeks, raised her chubby little hand, and asked, "Shushu said my hands are short and chubby, so rings don't look good on me. What do you think?"
Tang Zhizhou ruffled her hair. "You look good no matter what."
Jiang Chun nodded and then sent another message to Ji Mingshu.
Jiang Chun: [Tang Zhizhou said I look good no matter what, hehe.]
Jiang Chun: [Completely satisfied.jpg]
Fortunately, she knew her limits and, before Ji Mingshu officially entered attack mode, she promptly provided the latest intelligence to divert attention.
Jiang Chun: [By the way, Tang Zhizhou and I were watching a movie at Jiufang Department Store today, and we ran into Li Xiaolian.]
Ji Mingshu: [Li Xiaolian? Who?]
Jiang Chun: […Li Wenying! Can't you at least show some basic respect to your love rival?!]
Ji Mingshu: [...]
Ji Mingshu: [Who did she go to the movies with?]
Jiang Chun: [It was a man, quite tall, but there were so many people at the movie theater tonight that I didn't even see his face. Besides, everyone had already gone inside, and it was pitch black inside the theater, so I didn't see them when I came out either.]
Ji Mingshu subconsciously thought of Cen Sen, and felt somewhat irritated.
Jiang Chun: [But it's definitely not your Cen Sen. He doesn't have that domineering CEO vibe of "I can earn a hundred million just by standing here for a minute."]
Ji Mingshu: [...]
Ji Mingshu: [Next time you speak, please pay attention to proper punctuation, otherwise please don't speak at all, thank you.]
Jiang Chun: [...]?
Jiang Chun: [What did I do wrong this time?]
Jiang Chun couldn't help but complain about how she was criticized instead of praised for promptly reporting the news. Ji Mingshu was too lazy to listen to her nagging and was about to put down her phone to wash her face mask when Gu Kaiyang suddenly called.
She answered the call, and Gu Kaiyang on the other end sounded like he'd been chased by a chainsaw killer, breathless and incoherent, "Do you know, do you know what I saw? I'm back, I was in the elevator, I saw Cen Sen, with a man, downstairs..."
Ji Mingshu paused for a second, "Kiss?"
"...?"
"What are you thinking? There are only two men, no, only one man..."
Suddenly remembering something, Ji Mingshu ran to the window without even putting on her shoes and pulled back the curtains.
Cen Yang's white Mercedes did not speed away, but instead drove across the street and parked next to a Maybach.
Two men stood between the two cars, hands in their pockets, looking up at her.
Chapter 50
Thirty seconds later, Ji Mingshu hurriedly slipped on her high heels and went out, barely managing to preserve the last bit of refinement she had left after removing her makeup.
She pressed all four elevator buttons on the left and right, then stood there waiting foolishly, silently reminiscing about the private elevator on the top floor of Bai Cui Tian Hua.
Thirty seconds, not yet.