"It's amazing?" Cen Sen was relatively unfamiliar with the new term.
Before Gu Kaiyang could explain, Ji Mingshu casually added, "You can think you're awesome too."
Chapter 2
Ji Mingshu's words plunged the carriage into silence once again, and the atmosphere in the back seat became even more subtle.
The driver didn't dare to breathe loudly. He took Gu Kaiyang back to Xinggang International and then turned around and drove towards Mingshui Mansion in the north of the city.
The night sky, washed clean by the rain, was an exceptionally pure black. The Bentley sped along the viaduct, and neither Ji Mingshu nor Cen Sen uttered a single word the entire way.
Building 13 of Mingshui Mansion was Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen's marital home, and the two continued to live there after their marriage.
Pushing open the door, one is greeted by neat furniture, bright ceiling lights, and not a speck of dust on the wooden partition in the entryway.
Cen Sen glanced at it. "Haven't you been staying at home lately?" Although it was a question, it was already stated in a declarative tone.
"Yeah, she went out to keep a young, handsome boyfriend."
Ji Mingshu leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his voice casual and somewhat light.
Cen Sen's gaze was calm.
Ji Mingshu also smiled smugly, tilted her head, and looked up at him without flinching.
Some people just love to put on airs. Even though she eats nothing but grass in China, countless eyes are watching and reporting to him, yet he still asks her if she lives at home, even though he already knows the answer.
Even though they hadn't seen each other for two years, he didn't find such polite greetings superfluous or ridiculous.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Cen Sen looked away first. He never liked to get entangled in meaningless topics, especially with his wife, whose brain seemed to have short-circuited from being dazzled by diamonds.
The room was probably too cold because no one had been around for a long time; even with the automatic temperature control on, it was still chilly.
Cen Sen unbuttoned his clothes as he went upstairs. Ji Mingshu watched from afar, kicked off her high heels, and gave a light laugh.
Although the couple's relationship was lukewarm, they did not sleep in separate rooms after marriage. The master bedroom on the second floor was spacious, and there was a door inside that led to an even more spacious walk-in closet.
Just as Ji Mingshu entered the bedroom, Cen Sen pushed open the door to the walk-in closet—
The wardrobe is against the walls on all four sides, with a watch and jewelry stand in the center. When the spotlights are turned on, the glass cabinet is filled with dazzling light.
Cen Sen stood at the door of the dressing room, hands in his pockets, not moving for a long time.
Ji Mingshu didn't go over to him, but stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom to untie the sash of her dress.
"Ming Shu".
"Hmm?" She glanced at herself in the mirror.
"Pack up."
Cen Sen turned his body slightly to the side, making most of the doorway clear. He pulled his tie off from one side, causing his collar to wrinkle slightly, and his brows furrowed as well.
Ji Mingshu then noticed that the dressing room was filled with gift bags and boxes, leaving no room to step.
She was a little surprised. She went over, picked up the bag near the door, and rummaged through it. Finally, she remembered, "These must be gifts from the brand. There are so many."
After Cen Sen went to Australia, she spent most of her time traveling abroad, and when she returned to Beijing, she stayed in an apartment in the city center.
The registered address for all the major brands is Mingshui Mansion, and she's too lazy to change it, so the gifts just keep being sent there.
The housekeeper did call to ask her what to do with these things, but she was busy with other things at the time and casually said that they could be put in the walk-in closet. She never expected that they would end up piling up like this.
"This is too much, I'm sorry, let me accept it."
Ji Mingshu said he was sorry, but there was not a trace of apology in his eyes from head to toe, nor did he show any intention of tidying up.
She even took apart a shawl with great interest, examining it and thinking, saying, "This shawl is too thick. I could take it with me to Antarctica sometime and give it to the penguins."
"..."
Years of self-restraint had made Cen Sen forget how to roll his eyes. He remained expressionless, his voice changing from its initial patient gentleness to cold and indifferent, "Pack your things, I need to get my pajamas."
Ji Mingshu looked up at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, "You get impatient after less than three sentences. President Cen's patience is really not that great."
Her hand fell, the shawl covering his bare ankles. The next second, she stretched out her toes, slowly moving up his ankle, dangling it and gently caressing the inside of his calf.
It's more like a provocation than a seduction.
Cen Sen gave her a deep look, then suddenly changed the subject, "If you can't even wait to take a shower, you can just say so."
The smile on her lips vanished quickly. She turned and kicked aside the gifts scattered on the floor of the dressing room, pulled a set of men's pajamas from the closet, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into Cen Sen's arms as if throwing away some unrecyclable trash.
Cen Sen took the clothes but wasn't in a hurry to take a shower.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Ming Shu, is there something you're unhappy about with me? Let's talk."
In the blink of an eye, he returned to his calm and gentle demeanor. He wasn't wearing his glasses today, otherwise he would have looked more like a young professor on a whim, wanting to help struggling students.
Ji Mingshu scoffed, "I didn't realize President Cen respected my opinion so much."
Three days ago, Ji Mingshu saw a post Zhao Yang made on his WeChat Moments.
The post on WeChat Moments consisted of only four words: "Welcome back and cleanse the dust of the journey." It included a picture of a private room at a club, featuring Jiang Che and Chen Xingyu. However, in the dimly lit corner, Cen Sen's platinum watch was inadvertently caught in the frame.
That platinum watch was a wedding gift from the elders of the Cen family to the two of them. Cen Sen's watch had the Little Prince on the dial, while hers had a rose. Both were custom-made by VCA and were one-of-a-kind.
In other words, he has been back in China for at least three days.
For three days, he didn't make a single phone call or send a single message. Instead, he went straight to Changsha to party with his cronies.
If she hadn't known about his extensive romantic history and what kind of person he was in bed, she would have thought she really needed to think carefully about whether she had accidentally fallen for a gay man's marriage scam and become a gay man's wife overnight.
After listening to Ji Mingshu's accusations, Cen Sen finally understood why she had been so critical of him tonight.
He thought for a moment and said, "I assumed that given our relationship, you wouldn't be interested in my schedule. But if you are, I can have my assistant give you a daily report from now on."
"..."
Who cares about your itinerary? Does everyone in the world have to watch over you to see if you'll get lost while walking independently? And why does that sound so harsh, almost like a handout?
Ji Mingshu was in a bad mood. The urge to point at his nose and curse was on the tip of her tongue, but then she remembered something and forced herself to close her eyes and calm down while silently telling herself not to get angry.
Ji Mingshu is naturally beautiful with fair skin. She wore light makeup for the banquet, and now, standing under the corridor lights, her bright red lips were pressed into a straight line, making her face look bright and clear.
Having known her for nearly twenty years, Cen Sen has never looked down on her spoiled princess attitude, but he has never denied that she has been a stunning beauty with bright eyes and white teeth since childhood.
Beautiful women always make people's hearts soften. Seeing that she was so angry that her head was about to burst into flames, Cen Sen took a step back for the first time. "Alright, I admit I was wrong this time."
"Count? What's there to count? It is!"
Ji Mingshu's anger, which he had just suppressed, was reignited by his straightforward, "I'm too lazy to argue with you" attitude.
The marriage was a choice that maximized the interests of both families. Although neither of them was a perfect match for their spouse, children from such families are aware from a young age that they have little say in their marriages. After all, there is no reason for them to pursue love and freedom after they have a meal.
Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen were exceptionally cooperative in their marriage plans, and they had long ago reached a consensus on the point of being "loving in public."
"You returned to the country without a word, accompanied Su Cheng to a banquet where I was present, and even bought a necklace for Su Cheng without informing me beforehand. Whose face are you trying to slap? Are you trying to tell the whole world that I don't know you?!"
Ji Mingshu raised his voice higher and higher with each shout, as if he were trying to make up for his lack of height with his voice.
Cen Sen rubbed his temples, seemingly annoyed by her noise, and offered a dismissive explanation, "I'm having lunch with Director Pei this afternoon. He's not available, so I'm just helping out. Su Cheng is over forty, so no one should think that me accompanying her is a slap in your face. Besides, I didn't know you would be attending this banquet."
Ji Mingshu gave a simple translation: Oh, who knew you were here too? I don't even pay attention to you, so who are you?
This is probably what Ji Mingshu dislikes most about Cen Sen: he doesn't care about anyone or anything, he's always rational and calm, or rather, always indifferent.
She was a vibrant woman, surrounded by admirers and adored by everyone, and it was precisely this kind of indifference that made her the center of the world that she found most difficult to bear.
The conversation ended without a conclusion. While taking a shower, Ji Mingshu closed her eyes and thought: if she could end this widowed-like marriage, she would be willing to go without sex for five years.
Ji Mingshu finally emerged from the bathroom after spending two hours there.
As meticulous as she is, she never misses her daily skincare routine, morning and night.
Before going to Australia, Cen Sen had lived with her for a while and knew her habits. Undoubtedly, she was the kind of extremely refined person who would force herself to put on a full face of makeup even before fainting from anemia—beautiful but superficial.
At this moment, Ji Mingshu changed into a hazy blue silk slip dress, exposing her arms and calves, revealing her well-proportioned figure and slender build.
Her long, black, curly hair was fluffy and soft after being dried. When she walked barefoot, the ends of her hair and the hem of her skirt swayed together, carrying with them the wisps of steam from the bathroom. She was innocent yet slightly charming.
Cen Sen glanced at it. Perhaps the vase was too pleasing to the eye, because after a couple of seconds, he glanced at it again.
"What are you looking at?"
Cen Sen chuckled but didn't reply.
Ji Mingshu seemed to be wary of something, staring intently at him. She sat down along the edge, then draped one leg over the other. Seeing that he didn't move, she pulled up the soft blanket and lay down, covering herself completely except for her pretty and cute head.
Ji Mingshu: "Turn off the lights, I'm going to sleep."
Cen Sen didn't say much and turned off the floor lamp as instructed.
In the darkness, their breathing was one after the other, but soon it was assimilated into the same frequency, quiet and even.
Having not shared a bed with anyone for two years, Ji Mingshu felt a little uncomfortable, tossing and turning, feeling that something was amiss.
Cen Sen was quite well-behaved; he lay down flat and didn't move.
There was a faint woody scent in the air, probably from fir trees, the scent of fir trees on a cloudy day.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Ji Mingshu suddenly sensed an invasion that was very close to her. When she opened her eyes, Cen Sen was already on top of her, his arms supporting her waist, enveloping her beneath him.
In the dim light of the night, she could vaguely see the deep lines of Cen Sen's jawline, and below that, his Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly. Above, in his calm, dark eyes, desire surged.
Having been inexperienced in matters of the heart for a long time, Ji Mingshu was a little slow to react, only starting to feel something after his bra strap slipped down.
The moonlight outside the window was like water, clear and shimmering, and the unpleasantness before bed was temporarily left behind by this water.
Chapter 3
The next morning, the sun shone brightly, its rays filtering through the lush greenery of the villa area, carrying the clarity of the sky after the rain.
Ji Mingshu opened his eyes, tilted his head back less than two centimeters, and then fell back down.
Her waist was held firmly in place by a strong arm, rendering her immobile. However, she didn't really want to move at the moment; her whole body ached, and her lower abdomen felt bloated and numb.
It's strange. Cen Sen isn't a lustful person. He used to satisfy his needs about once or twice a month, doing so casually and without bothering to change positions. But last night, it was as if he had been saving up for two years and was about to enjoy it all. He caught her again and again, and it wasn't until 3 a.m. that he finally managed to finish.
In real life, someone like him would be considered skilled in bed, right? Ji Mingshu wasn't too sure, since she hadn't experienced any other comparable cases.