The two-week hotel inspection had just ended, and upon landing in Beijing, Cen Sen had an early morning meeting. He hadn't even had breakfast yet, so he instructed his assistant to make him a cup of black coffee as he walked to his office.
"What's going on? Which media outlet reported this?"
Back in his office, Cen Sen put on his glasses and continued reviewing the new hotel evaluation documents, while also inquiring about the previous incident.
On the way back, Zhou Jiaheng briefly explained the gist of the situation to him in the car, but he needed to concentrate on the upcoming meeting and wasn't in the mood to listen to much more.
Zhou Jiaheng recounted the whole story in detail, paused slightly, and then said, "During the meeting, both Ms. Zhang Baoshu and General Manager Zhang called to apologize. Both sides said it was a misunderstanding and the news would be taken down immediately."
“It’s a misunderstanding.” Cen Sen didn’t even look away. While signing the document in the lower right corner, he calmly instructed, “Call Zhang Qi and tell him that Junyi has decided to stop following up on the project in the western suburbs. If personal matters can affect partners, I find it hard to believe that they can have a proper attitude at work.”
Zhou Jiaheng lowered his eyes and said, "Yes."
Cen Sen abruptly changed the subject and asked, "Where is your wife?"
But before anyone could answer, he interrupted, "Never mind, cancel or postpone tonight's plans. Go and pick up the bracelet Mr. Xie gave you last time."
Zhou Jiaheng responded "Yes" again, and seeing that Cen Sen did not speak again, he quietly left the office.
The office was silent. Cen Sen rubbed his brow bone, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and rested for half a minute, sensing that he would have to fight a tough battle tonight.
"Ma'am, may I ask you...?"
"Get out of the way."
Ji Mingshu didn't even glance at the building's security guards, her high heels swaying with an air of indifference.
The bodyguard, who was usually almost invisible in front of Ji Mingshu, finally stepped forward and identified himself to the security personnel.
Ji Mingshu didn't turn around or pay any attention, letting others clear the way for her. Wearing sunglasses and with her arms crossed, she walked expressionlessly into Cen Sen's private elevator.
"Who is that woman? She's so pretty and cool, she looks like a celebrity."
"She went into the president's office's private elevator; she must be President Cen's girlfriend."
"Didn't President Cen get married?"
"That's his wife?"
The receptionists were discussing in hushed tones, and the security personnel took the opportunity to confirm their answer.
Yes, that's right, it's President Cen's wife.
So, during the few minutes Ji Mingshu was in the elevator, the news of Mrs. Cen's grand arrival and her direct visit to the president's office spread like wildfire through all the group's chat groups.
"The way the president's wife is coming here so aggressively makes me feel like she's here to catch her husband cheating."
"Catching someone in the act? Is President Cen having an affair with one of his beautiful assistants?"
"That can't be right. Every time he goes out, the woman keeps a good distance from him. It's more likely that he and Zhou Zhu are having an affair."
"Woman, you've caught my attention. Here's the pen; let's arrange some fanfiction, thank you."
Although some people noticed Ji Mingshu's determination to catch her husband cheating, the little-known news had already been nipped in the bud on her way there, so no one gossiped about the female celebrity.
The group's employees all knew she was coming, and Cen Sen wasn't so blind and deaf as to be completely unaware. Besides, she was accompanied by bodyguards, and clearing a path for her was a tacit approval from him.
When Ji Mingshu arrived at the 68th floor, the office door was already open for her, and Cen Sen's imposing row of assistants stood up and lined up to greet her.
Ji Mingshu remained expressionless, mentally encouraging herself, and walked directly into Cen Sen's office without stopping for a moment.
Cen Sen was sitting at his desk, wearing a pair of light gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a sophisticated yet roguish air.
Ji Mingshu stopped in front of his desk, mentally saying "ready, ready," before slamming the printed but unbound divorce agreement in his hand onto his head.
"divorce."
She had quietly adjusted her voice several times on the way here, striving to achieve a cool and aloof quality that was both disdainful and indifferent, and generous yet resolute.
After saying that, she crossed her arms again in front of her, looking down at him with a disdainful gaze.
"..."
Cen Sen closed his eyes, pressed down on the paper, remained silent for three seconds, then pressed it onto the table without looking up, and there was a brief silence.
In fact, the moment he learned that Ji Mingshu had come to Junyi, he had prepared a response and even thought about how to simplify the explanation process and shorten the time spent on nonsense.
However, it must be admitted.
He never imagined that Ji Mingshu would bring up divorce.
During the time after he returned to China, Ji Mingshu seemed to be creating some surprises for him all the time, and this "divorce" was the most unexpected of all.
He took off his glasses, gently pinched the bridge of his nose, and then turned on the projection device behind Ji Mingshu.
"Turn around."
Ji Mingshu subconsciously glanced back.
A video clip from the dashcam quickly appeared on the screen. Although the device did not capture any faces, Ji Mingshu quickly matched it with the photos she had seen in the magazine.
The dashcam was a bit noisy and the recording wasn't very clear, but the office was quiet. She listened carefully and seemed to hear keywords like "not as good as my wife" and "wash your face and wake up."
Just then, Zhou Jiaheng knocked on the door.
Cen Sen: "Come in."
As Zhou Jiaheng walked inside, he saw Ji Mingshu. He seemed unsurprised, nodded politely, and then reported to Cen Sen in a formal manner: "President Cen, I have conveyed your message to President Zhang, but President Zhang still wants to speak with you personally."
"Put the phone in."
Zhou Jiaheng responded and placed the red velvet jewelry box on his table. "This is your wife's bracelet."
After saying that, he quietly left the stage.
Zhang Qi's call came through to the office very quickly, and Cen Sen put it on speakerphone.
Then Ji Mingshu listened to Zhang Qi, the free guide, ramble on about the ins and outs of the matter. In short, in Zhang Qi's words, Cen Sen was a pure and innocent snow lotus from Tianshan Mountain, unmoved by beauty and undisturbed by temptation.
Cen Sen only occasionally hummed in agreement, fiddling with the diamond bracelet in his hand. Once Ji Mingshu understood, he hung up the phone.
"..."
Ji Mingshu stared intently at the bracelet in his hand.
She recognized it; it was a Van Cleef & Arpels piece that Christie's had auctioned off before. The price wasn't outrageous; she vaguely remembered it being over a million US dollars. She even liked it a little.
No, that doesn't seem to be the focus right now.
She snapped out of her daze.
Oh, so all that her miserable journey from the magazine office to now, reminiscing about the past and looking to the future, imagining all sorts of random thoughts, and almost bursting into tears over this jerk and ruining her image—it was all just a misunderstanding.
...That was truly wonderful.
Her melancholy vanished in an instant, leaving only a slight embarrassment at the absurd inner drama she had been putting on.
"Still want to get a divorce?"
"..."
Silence is the little canary at this moment.
Cen Sen loosened his tie and looked at her calmly. "If I don't do a good enough job, and you really can't stand it and insist on getting a divorce, then I respect your opinion."
“However, Mingshu, you might need me to help you recall your prenuptial agreement. After the divorce, you probably won’t be able to continue collecting rare Birkin bags, flying to Milan in a private jet to attend fashion shows, or buying a 15-carat Sri Lankan Padma sapphire diamond ring without batting an eye…”
“Wait,” Ji Mingshu had regained her senses, “I think… I can endure it a little longer.”
The slight awkwardness deepened a little.
Ji Mingshu was surprised that he, who was offline, was quite talkative. He knew that she liked to collect BK jewelry and bid on various gemstones and diamonds, and at this moment he even took out a rather pretty bracelet to bribe her.
She was naturally very moved and happily accepted the offer.
Upon hearing Ji Mingshu's answer, Cen Sen felt a sudden sense of relief, though he didn't know why.
Without changing his expression, he stood up and walked to Ji Mingshu, then lifted her wrist and put the diamond bracelet on her wrist.
A faint scent of fir wafted over, and Ji Mingshu's ears turned slightly red. He didn't know why, but besides feeling embarrassed, he also felt a small, irrepressible joy in his heart.
She hypnotized herself: It must be because she's so happy she can continue to spend money like water. Yes, that's it.
She suppressed the urge to curl her lips upward, cleared her throat, and emphasized, "If you really cheat on me, I really will get a divorce. But I'll let it go this time and forgive you."
"I am extremely grateful."
Chapter 17
As it approached lunchtime, Cen Sen asked Zhou Jiaheng to choose a nearby restaurant.
Ji Mingshu didn't really want to go; she always had a poor appetite when eating out with Cen Sen.
Because Cen Sen doesn't like to talk while eating, and although he seems to eat slowly, he actually eats very quickly.
After you finish eating, they just sit across from you, watching you and glancing at their watch every now and then. It's like when you were in school and the proctor stood in front of you during an exam and said, "Just write whatever you want, hurry up and hand in your paper. There are five minutes left, three minutes left, and one minute left." Who could stand that?
But having just made a fool of herself and accepted the bracelet as a bribe, she couldn't refuse her cheap husband's request, so she had no choice but to pretend to agree readily.
Cen Sen still had some work to finish, and Ji Mingshu, unusually generous, expressed her understanding, "You do it, it's okay, I can walk around this floor by myself."
Cen Sen: "Then let Zhou Jiaheng take you. You can contact him if you need anything."
Ji Mingshu gave an "OK" sign and glanced at the desk over Cen Sen's shoulder.
The divorce papers that had been smashed over his head lay quietly on the table.
She slipped to the desk first, casually pulled it away and hid it behind her back, then quietly and quickly left the office.
Thankfully, Cen Sen didn't even glance at the paper when she fell. Even though she hadn't studied law, she could tell how informal and weak this online divorce agreement was. If Cen Sen had seen it, he would have probably used it to mock her.
Opposite Cen Sen's office is the General Assistant's office, which is against two walls and surrounded by a ring of glass on the other two sides, creating a transparent design. All the workstations inside face the President's office.
As soon as Ji Mingshu came out, the assistants in the general assistant's office noticed her immediately and stood up in unison, nodding to her.
Ji Mingshu paused for a moment, then turned to Zhou Jiaheng and asked, "Are these all President Cen's assistants?"
She counted silently; there were nine in total. Adding Zhou Jiaheng, that makes ten. Does he need so many assistants? Is he unable to take care of himself?
“Yes.” Zhou Jiaheng nodded.
He led Ji Mingshu inside and introduced them one by one: "These two are President Cen's translation assistants. Assistant Luo is fluent in four languages, and Assistant Wang is a graduate of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation; Assistant Li is mainly responsible for President Cen's communication with the group's overseas departments, and Assistant Huang is currently responsible for President Cen's communication with the group's internal departments and Beijing Construction..."
"..."