She thought about it haphazardly for a while, then reached out and groped around on the bedside table. Finding the remote, she pressed the curtain switch.
But the curtains were only half-open when Cen Sen squinted and frowned, snatched the remote from her hand and closed them again, then put his arm back around her waist.
"Take your hand away..."
Before he could even finish saying "open," Cen Sen withdrew his hand, pulled the blanket up, and said impatiently in a low, hoarse voice, "Don't make a sound, go to sleep."
— His furrowed brows revealed that he genuinely disliked her chatter.
That's the kind of heartless person he is.
Fortunately, Ji Mingshu wasn't in a hurry to get up. She gave him a light kick, then lay down on her side and picked up her phone.
The banquet last night was still being discussed this morning, but the topics were all about the celebrities.
As the undisputed center of the group photo, Su Cheng was frequently mentioned. A fashion blogger even named her the best-dressed of the night, and the comments were mostly full of praise, mainly revolving around the theme of "When an award-winning actress makes a move, even mediocre actresses have to step aside."
Ji Mingshu flipped through the photos and found that all the pictures of Su Cheng were either missing half or had been blurred out of the background, even the official video released by "Zero Degree" was like that.
This is not surprising, after all, Cen Sen has always kept a low profile in the public eye.
However, after last night's events, those in the industry who should know are basically aware of his return as the heir of Beijing Construction.
Jingjian is a family business of the Cen family, but its internal factions are quite complex and have been embroiled in infighting for many years.
By this generation, Cen Yuanchao's faction had become the dominant force, controlling key construction projects outlined in official documents and the core revenue-generating Junyi Hotel Group, giving them absolute say in Beijing construction.
However, Cen Yuanchao's health has not been very good in recent years, and he has been sent to the emergency room several times, both openly and secretly.
His illness caused a stir, though it didn't overwhelm the influence of the West. His restless antics certainly stirred up quite a bit of turmoil within the Beijing Construction Bureau.
As Cen Yuanchao's only son, Cen Sen bears a heavy responsibility. His abilities match his responsibilities; he appears refined and handsome, humble and gentle, yet his actions are notoriously ruthless and clean. Among the younger generation, few dare to directly confront him.
Moreover, Cen Sen has always been ruthless to others, but even more ruthless to himself. In order to unite with the Ji family to suppress the Nan Cen branch, he didn't hesitate to marry Ji Mingshu, a notorious and spoiled young lady in the Beijing and Shanghai circles.
When the news of the marriage between Cen and Ji first came out, everyone found it unbelievable. Many even thought that announcing the marriage was just a temporary measure and that the wedding would not actually take place.
However, as the engagement banquet was held as scheduled, Cen Sen was transferred from Huazhang Holdings, a subsidiary of Junyi, back to the group headquarters as the director of the development department. The prince’s intention to use his in-laws to take over the throne became increasingly obvious.
From the announcement of their marriage to the time of their return visit to their parents' home after the wedding, the topic of Cen Sen and Ji Mingshu never stopped.
It wasn't until six months after their marriage that their gossip gradually faded from their casual conversations.
But at this moment, Cen Sen suddenly offered to be transferred to Junyi Overseas Department, saying that he wanted to be stationed in Australia to develop overseas markets.
This naturally caused another uproar.
When Cen Sen was transferred back to Junyi headquarters, he overcame all opposition and launched the sub-brand "Shuiyunjian" which focuses on the concept of "hot spring resort".
At that time, few people were optimistic about the project, and his forceful push for the project could not yield results in a short period of time, inevitably leading to constraints from the group's senior management in other aspects.
But he did not back down, and instead ruthlessly purged the collateral branches and petty villains. With his thunderous methods, he was able to "cover the sky with one hand" for a time.
He persevered through all that pressure until the hotel was completed. At this crucial moment, he should have taken this opportunity to advance further, but Cen Sen suddenly made a move to be transferred overseas, which was truly puzzling.
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and nowadays, when people mention hot spring hotels, whether they can afford it or not, they will subconsciously think of Junyi Shuiyunjian.
The brand image is so deeply ingrained in people's minds, which is a silent yet most direct affirmation.
Cen Sen also made a quiet return at this time, which inevitably aroused everyone's long-dormant curiosity. From last night to this morning, they discussed it extensively in private.
Ji Mingshu also received a barrage of messages. Her WeChat was filled with unread messages in red, and just by looking at the preview, it was clear that they were all trying to find out about Cen Sen.
Gu Kaiyang didn't try to find out what Cen Sen was thinking, but sent a voice message early in the morning to tease him:
"Not up yet?"
"Mr. Cen's skills in bed are truly extraordinary."
Ji Mingshu only clicked on the first sentence, but before she could even put it to her ear, the next sentence was automatically played out through the speakerphone.
She instinctively wanted to pause, but her hand speed couldn't keep up with the speaking speed. Just as she pressed the pause button, the audio finished playing, and the pause turned into a replay: "President Cen's skills in bed are extraordinary."
The surroundings were silent, and the playful hum, interspersed with faint electrical buzzing, was repeated twice, somewhat like the listener's lingering confirmation and affirmation.
Ji Mingshu tensed up and listened intently—
The even breathing behind me seemed to have stopped.
She stiffened, then slowly tucked her phone under her pillow, her body taut and her toes curling involuntarily.
Cen Sen has already woken up.
He lay on the left side of the bed, glanced at Ji Mingshu's slender back, which was straight and upright, and smiled silently.
A short while later, he threw off the covers and got out of bed.
Ji Mingshu heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the bed and immediately closed her eyes, but her eyelashes still trembled uncontrollably.
Soon, footsteps drew closer, and she inexplicably held her breath. In that brief moment, her mind conjured up several equally compelling confrontations.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
The footsteps approached from afar and then receded again, until the sound of running water came from the bathroom, at which point Ji Mingshu realized that Cen Sen simply couldn't be bothered to expose her faking sleep.
For some reason, she felt a surge of resentment. She stared at the bathroom for a few seconds, then suddenly threw off the covers and slumped heavily against the headboard as if venting her anger.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a stack of documents on Cen Sen's cabinet. She leaned forward and struggled to reach them, barely managing to reach them after a long while.
Junyi Group Designer Hotel Development Proposal
Ji Mingshu had originally just wanted to vent his anger, but when he saw the title on the cover, his eyes unconsciously changed.
When Cen Sen came out of the bathroom, he saw Ji Mingshu leaning against the headboard, intently reviewing documents.
Her nightgown had been torn and rumpled all night, folded up unruly, her legs stretched out and crossed, appearing long, straight, and dazzlingly white.
Ji Mingshu noticed his movement, but her eyes were still reluctant to leave the documents. She asked as she looked at them, "Junyi is going to build a designer hotel?"
Cen Sen hummed in agreement, slightly raised his chin, and buttoned the first button on his shirt collar.
Ji Mingshu didn't say anything more and continued turning the page.
She was the only girl in the Ji family of her generation. Although her parents died early, she was known for being pampered and loved by her aunts and uncles. After graduating from university, she married into the Cen family of Jingjian, which solidified her position as the top socialite in Beijing.
Her daily routine consists of being invited to various parties and taking frequent vacations around the world. Her life is so easy that everyone envies her.
Probably no one remembers that she was actually a top student majoring in SCAD interior design, not some brainless, shopping-obsessed pretty girl.
“I remember you studied interior design at SCAD. Are you interested?” Cen Sen suddenly asked.
Ji Mingshu looked up and stared at him for a few seconds, never expecting that her cheap husband would still remember this matter.
It took Ji Mingshu a long while to come to her senses. She quietly concealed her secret delight and began to formulate a coy remark in her mind, as if a princess were condescending to give him face.
Before Her Highness could even speak, Cen Sen added, "Once the hotel is completed, I'll have someone take you there for a preview."
...?
"visit?"
"You don't mean you're planning to get involved in the design?" He didn't even think about it. "No way, the hotel isn't a place for you to practice your skills."
Ji Mingshu couldn't help but say, "I designed the banquet venue yesterday."
Cen Sen paused, then turned to look at her. "So it was you who designed it."
Suddenly I realized, and it also had a profound meaning.
"What do you mean?"
"It means we absolutely cannot let you participate."
He slowly put on his watch, lowered his eyes slightly, and made a decisive statement.
Ji Mingshu was already feeling a little guilty, and upon hearing this, her ears turned red, and she instantly sat up straight.
"Actually, last night's performance wasn't my true level!"
Her voice suddenly rose eight octaves, perfectly demonstrating what it means to have to raise your voice when you're in the wrong.
Cen Sen smiled faintly, raising his eyebrows slightly as he patiently waited for her explanation.
This is a long story. In fact, the theme of yesterday's dinner was set as "roundtable party" long ago, echoing the inaugural issue of "Zero Degree" ten years ago.
Just as Ji Mingshu finished drawing the blueprints, the group headquarters and the sponsors suddenly had a falling out, and the budget suddenly became tight.
Fashion is all about money. Zero Degrees magazine refused to simplify the event, and the group headquarters was unwilling to allocate more funds. After a week of wrangling, the two sides finally reached an agreement to combine the fashion gala celebrating the magazine's 10th anniversary with the charity gala originally scheduled for the next quarter and hold it ahead of schedule.
Using charity as a pretext to play with fashion concepts and party themes is obviously inappropriate, which means that the previous on-site design plan needs to be completely overturned.
Ji Mingshu hates change and is arrogant. The last time she took action was two years ago when she designed Christchou's early spring show for his first appearance at Milan Fashion Week. If it weren't for giving face to Gu Kaiyang, she wouldn't have bothered with this case that Zero Degrees had forced upon her. At the last minute, they even dared to propose to completely overturn the design drafts. When she heard about this, she didn't hold back and hung up on the editor-in-chief.
Ji Mingshu's original intention was to wash his hands of the matter and let whoever wanted to do it do it, but he couldn't resist Gu Kaiyang's persistent pleading and eventually redid the plan.
However, due to time constraints and the need to start all over again, the new plan felt somewhat perfunctory. The final result was conventional, luxurious but lacking any distinctive features.
Ji Mingshu himself was not satisfied with the scene last night, but when he tried to explain, he felt that he was not in the right. He opened and closed his lips several times, but could not say anything. He knelt on the bed dejectedly.
Cen Sen was already dressed and ready to go out. He wasn't surprised that she didn't say anything, but his gaze was indifferent. "What's the use of kneeling to me? You might as well go to the Potala Palace and kowtow three times and nine times. Maybe that will move heaven and earth."
Chapter 4
Cen Sen made a casual remark and didn't take it seriously. He was busy with work, and after leaving Mingshui, he had put all his family and personal matters out of his mind, let alone reflecting on his words and actions or considering the young lady's feelings.
At 2 PM, the traffic near Beijing's CBD was heavy. A breeze carried waves of heat, and the sun shone brightly high in the sky.
After lunch break, most office workers carry their coffee cups and walk back to the company in twos and threes.
It's Friday, and everyone is chatting and laughing, relaxed. Only two girls who work at Junyi received a group notification, and their previously gossipy expressions instantly turned serious as they rushed to the company.
"Why so fast? Didn't you say you might not be coming today?"
"Who knows? If I could read people's minds, I'd just blindly buy stocks. Alright, hurry up."
Junyi's headquarters are located near the financial center, consisting of two interconnected buildings with a geometric staggered structure, towering high and particularly eye-catching.
The building on the east side is the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the most representative luxury hotel under the Grand Hyatt brand, while the other building is the group's headquarters office building.
At 2:15 p.m., the usually empty lobby on the first floor of the office building was filled with the company's management team. They were arranged in two neat rows from the lowest to the highest level and from the outside to the inside, with the heads of the conference affairs teams standing on the outermost side.