Cen Sen's teasing was so obvious, only a fool wouldn't understand. Zhou Zhen's fiancée looked embarrassed. She pulled him away hastily.
Jiang Chun was struggling to suppress her laughter, and almost fainted from laughing on the spot after everyone left. It was only after Ji Mingshu pinched her and warned her to be mindful of the occasion that she managed to stop.
Perhaps because he had heard Jiang Chun showering him with compliments from an entire praise group, Cen Sen patiently spoke to her a few more times today. However, Jiang Chun felt she couldn't accept such an honor and quickly withdrew from Ji Mingshu's side under the pretext of finding Gu Kaiyang.
The event had only just begun, and the customizable new products for the VIPs hadn't even been shown yet. Ji Mingshu couldn't just leave with Cen Sen, so the two strolled around the event venue hand in hand, appearing intimate but inexplicably silent.
"...What makes this bag so classic is its distinctive quilted diamond pattern on the surface, which requires ninety-five meticulous steps to create, including both visible and hidden stitching..."
The brand's presenter introduced the latest innovations to this season's classic bags, drawing a crowd of guests and reporters.
Ji Mingshu finally couldn't hold back any longer, nudged Cen Sen, looked up and asked in a low voice, "You talked to Zhou Zhen's cousin about cooperation this morning, what did his cousin... say?"
What do you think?
Cen Sen used minimal force to achieve maximum effect.
Ji Mingshu paused for a moment, realizing that the way he had come over, almost to demand an explanation, meant he probably hadn't said anything nice.
She felt a little happy that Cen Sen was jealous of her, but more than that, she felt awkward and didn't want to explain, since almost being taken over by the fishpond management was not a very honorable thing.
"Don't listen to people's nonsense, Zhou Zhen and I have nothing going on."
She only gave that one explanation, and didn't elaborate further.
Since Cen Sen didn't seem to care much, it didn't seem necessary for her to rush to distance herself from the situation.
Throughout the event, Cen Sen was quite normal and even helped her order some seasonal new products.
Later, there was a small auction of branded antique bags. Ji Mingshu didn't actually like one, but Zhou Zhen's fiancée took a liking to it. Zhou Zhen showed his determination by bidding against another lady.
Seeing this, the woman didn't follow up. But just before the deal was about to be finalized, Cen Sen raised Zhou Zhen's offer by double without batting an eye.
The price was obviously outrageously high. Not only was Zhou Zhen reluctant to part with it, but his fiancée was also reluctant. In the end, they could only watch with heavy hearts as Cen Sen bought the bag.
Ji Mingshu was also surprised by Cen Sen's sudden move and said in surprise, "I don't need this, I already have one."
Cen Sen said casually, "Just taking some photos. If you don't like them, you can give them to your best friend."
Zhou Zhen and his fiancée were sitting not far apart when they heard this and almost bled from anger.
Jiang Chun was sitting not far away, just in front of them. Hearing this, she turned around in surprise and looked at Ji Mingshu with eager eyes, giving him frantic hints.
In the end, Ji Mingshu still couldn't bear to give away this bag, since it was Cen Sen who bought it for her, but she promised to give Jiang Chun the same bag that she had previously collected.
For this reason, Jiang Chun showered her with compliments for three days straight, showing off in front of Gu Kaiyang like a primary school student.
Gu Kaiyang didn't hold it against her, but Ji Mingshu was always fair and impartial to her best friend, so she carefully picked out another one for Gu Kaiyang.
Leaving aside the jealousy battle between the best friends sparked by a handbag, when Cen Sen returned home that day, she prepared a sumptuous dinner in the most filial way possible, and even decanted a bottle of very good vintage red wine.
Cen Sen has been busy with work lately and hasn't had much time to cook, so Ji Mingshu hasn't had a proper meal in a long time.
This meal featured many of her favorite dishes, including the long-awaited braised pork ribs.
She ate with great satisfaction, so much so that she had long forgotten the minor unpleasantness caused by Zhou Zhen.
After the meal, she even virtuously washed the dishes with Cen Sen while wearing an apron.
Although she knew what would happen that night when the pork ribs were served, and she was even looking forward to it, she didn't know that the price of this pork ribs meal tonight would be much higher than usual.
Cen Sen seemed to have suddenly become a different person, completely lacking the gentleness he displayed during the day.
In the past, when she couldn't bear it anymore, she would say a few nice words and soften her tone, and Cen Sen would become gentler.
But not at all tonight. He was very domineering and wouldn't allow her to resist in the slightest. Crying and pleading were useless.
Ji Mingshu was sobbing and sweating profusely. Finally, after being repeatedly defeated, he noticed Cen Sen's dissatisfaction and took the initiative to frankly admit his past with Zhou Zhen, which was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Cen Sen's black hair was slightly damp at the temples, and his eyes were red. He asked in a deep, hoarse voice from behind her, "You have feelings for him?"
She stammered, "Back then...back then he was good-looking, so it's normal to have a...a crush on him. I also had crushes on...a lot of male celebrities. And I only had a crush on him, but you also dated...didn't you date Li Wenying...?"
After Ji Mingshu finished speaking, he realized that he shouldn't have said anything at all. Exposing someone's shortcomings at a time like this wouldn't win him any prize money!
Sure enough, she was met with another bout of near-death experience.
She had long since given up resisting, sobbing softly as she clutched the curtains, repenting that she would never want to eat spare ribs again and would never again indulge in her appetite.
Even so, Cen Sen showed no intention of letting her go, leaving her feeling utterly hopeless.
In these situations, it's usually the woman who can't handle it. Ji Mingshu was quite resilient for a while. But later, resilient? He was nowhere to be found.
She had no choice but to switch from confessing her sins to expressing her endless love for Cen Sen, saying things like she only liked him and only loved him without any guilt.
Not only that, she also launched a vicious attack on Zhou Zhen—
"What could possibly happen between us, someone like him?"
He's not as tall, handsome, or rich as you.
"What do I see in him? His ability to chat with five girls and watch six Harry Potter movies at the same time?"
Surprisingly, this tactic was quite effective; at least Cen Sen suddenly became much gentler—though the possibility of running out of steam cannot be ruled out.
As the event was nearing its end, Cen Sen suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked in a low, husky voice, "Let's have a baby, okay?"
Ji Mingshu: "...?"
I'm still a baby!!!
Chapter 82
To be honest, Ji Mingshu wasn't really keen on having children. This year, both sets of parents had hinted and suggested it repeatedly, but she always used coquettishness to avoid it.
But she wasn't exactly averse to it; she would occasionally follow the suggestions of both sets of parents and fantasize about a happy future with children.
The reason she is so unsure about what to do is probably because she subconsciously feels that having a child isn't something that can be done easily, and she doesn't really have a concrete concept of the arrival of a new life, so she can't think about it deeply.
Before she could answer, Cen Sen slowly moved and asked again in a hoarse voice, "Shall we have a baby?"
Ji Mingshu was too weak to speak; her voice was soft and choked with sobs, and her refusal lacked sincerity.
Noticing that Cen Sen had arrived, she subconsciously reached out to grab the small box on the table.
But the next second, she suddenly froze.
Huh? That's it?
She turned the box upside down again, but nothing came out.
I managed to pull open the drawer, only to find it completely empty.
Ji Mingshu was already a bit slow to react because of Cen Sen, and now she was even more stunned and couldn't come to her senses for a long time.
That huge box she accidentally grabbed from the supermarket, is it all gone already? A box that big would probably last a convenience store at least two weeks!
"Wait...wait..."
Undeterred, she half-propped herself up and tried to reach deeper into the drawer.
Cen Sen, however, was already on the verge of giving up. Sweat rolled down his forehead, his eyes were deep, and with a gentle press, he pressed down on her slender waist.
Click—!
The recording of "The Canary Hatching Eggs" has officially begun.
When Ji Mingshu woke up the next day, he stared blankly at the ceiling for nearly five minutes, his eyes unfocused and unfocused.
The wind and rain stopped in the latter half of last night, and she was so tired that she was like a dead bird. Logically, she should have fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but she only slept for a few hours, and during those few hours she kept having dreams.
In her dream, she gave birth to a baby, but she didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. The baby's appearance was blurry, but she could tell from the compliments of others that it was somewhat cute.
However, this adorable little guy is infuriating, possessing all the bad habits of a naughty child, and can make someone faint from anger in three minutes.
Just as she was staying home taking care of her child without changing her clothes or makeup, she was suddenly shocked by the bad news—Cen Sen had cheated on her!
The feeling of being struck by lightning in her dream was hard to describe; it was far more profound than when she mistakenly believed that Cen Sen was having an affair with some unknown nobody surnamed Zhang.
Moreover, the dream was quite complete, and after she had truly processed the bad news, it immediately arranged a memorable scene where Cen Sen went home to confront her.
Cen Sen, dressed in an impeccably tailored expensive suit, stood in the living room and went straight to stating his conditions.
Ji Mingshu couldn't remember the other conditions, only that Cen Sen said the child would belong to him, with no room for negotiation. He used that familiar yet now strangely indifferent tone, his eyes calm and icy.
In her dream, she couldn't accept reality no matter what she did; it felt like the sky had fallen, and she was directly entering the apocalypse.
Even after waking up, she could still feel the sadness, despair, and disbelief she had experienced in her dream.
"What's wrong?"
Cen Sen had just woken up when he saw her in a daze. He instinctively pulled her back into his arms, his voice low and husky.
It was just a simple inquiry of three words, yet it carried an undisguised intimacy, making him completely different from the cold and ruthless Cen Shi in the dream.
Ji Mingshu found a comfortable position and curled up in his arms. Her icy hands and feet began to warm up, and she mumbled, "Nothing, just had a nightmare."
Cen Sen didn't ask any more questions, and kissed her hair. "It's still early, you can sleep a little longer."
Ji Mingshu hummed in response, and the arms wrapped around him unconsciously tightened a little.
But after a while, she couldn't help but poke Cen Sen's chest and whisper, "I dreamt that after I gave birth, you cheated on me."
Cen Sen paused for a moment, subconsciously thinking that this was a childish excuse she made up because she didn't want to have children. After a couple of seconds of silence, he went along with her and said, "Then we won't have children."
“That’s not what I meant, I really had a dream!” Ji Mingshu pressed on even harder, “I dreamt that after you cheated on me, you came back to confront me, and you wouldn’t even sit down. You just stood in the living room and talked to me about the division of property and that the children must stay with you, and so on…”
Ji Mingshu kept muttering to himself, and at the end he even guessed suspiciously, "Could it be that I have some kind of ability to foresee the future? You know, a lot of novels write that."
Cen Sen pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "Don't novels also describe the removal of kidneys and hearts?"
"..."
"Alright, stop talking."
Ji Mingshu deliberately skipped this topic because Cen Sen brought up his dark past. She chatted about other things casually, while her fingers idly drew circles on his chest.
Suddenly she remembered something, "By the way, when will the design draft for Junyi Yaji be released?"
"It should be this afternoon. If my schedule finishes early, I'll go and sit in on the project team's pitch."
Ji Mingshu gave a meaningful "Oh".
Cen Sen didn't respond, but just looked at her meaningfully, as if to say, "If you bribe me, I might consider doing something underhanded."