Grandma Cen watched her grow up and treated her like her own granddaughter. A few years ago, when the girl married into her family, she was all smiles and would boast to everyone that she had found a wonderful granddaughter-in-law.
On the contrary, Cen Sen's own grandson, who was already old enough to understand things, only returned home halfway through his life. Over the years, he has always been outwardly gentle but actually cold-hearted. Old Mrs. Cen didn't know how to get close to him.
There's affection, heartache, and guilt, but there's always an inexplicable distance between us.
Not only Old Madam Cen, but everyone in the Cen family and Cen Sen were not as close to Ji Mingshu as they were to Cen Sen. As he grew older and became more independent, he was now showing signs of taking over as the new head of the Cen family. The younger generation was even a little afraid of him.
During the meal, my little cousin accidentally bumped Cen Sen's chopsticks while picking up food, and in a panic, she blurted out "I'm sorry," and the scene immediately fell silent.
Ji Mingshu was also taken aback, her gaze shifting between her little cousin and Cen Sen. For a moment, a bizarre thought crossed her mind—had this scoundrel done something to her little cousin that made her so afraid of him that she was like a little chick?
Cen Sen didn't mind the little incident and gently put a piece of rib on his little cousin's plate, acting like a considerate older brother.
Unfortunately, my little cousin was too young to hide her true feelings, so she gave a stiff smile but didn't dare to eat.
Today was a typical family dinner. Although not everyone was present, the table was still full. Some were apprehensive, while others were not.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, his aunt Cen Yingshuang started a conversation, "By the way, Xiao Shu, my friend really liked the few things you changed for me last time. She recently bought a house in the United States and wants to find an interior designer to design it properly. Fees and budget are not a problem, I just don't know if you are available recently."
“Convenient, of course convenient, I have plenty of free time.” Ji Mingshu readily agreed, and even added a playful remark, “I like the kind of friends you introduce, Auntie. I can even earn some pocket money to buy a bag.”
"Oh my, what are you saying? You're not even willing to buy me a bag?" Cen Yingshuang teased.
Ji Mingshu leaned closer to Cen Sen and said sweetly, "Ah Sen works very hard to earn money, I can't always let him support me. Besides, I'm just sitting around doing nothing, it's good to find something to do."
Upon hearing this, Cen Sen turned his head and exchanged a three-second glance with Ji Mingshu, their eyes filled with smiles.
Here it comes again, here it comes again, that "I can't bear to look at you, you adorable little darling" look in my eyes.
Ji Mingshu sometimes admired this scoundrel; his acting skills in pretending to be affectionate and doting in front of elders were just as good as hers.
After the eye contact ended and she looked away, she involuntarily got goosebumps all over her body.
“Ah Sen, that’s not right of you,” Cen Yingshuang ignored the two’s performance and started pointing out Cen Sen with an elder’s tone, “Now that you’ve returned to Junyi, Xiao Shu is usually bored, so you can arrange for her to come into the company to learn more and make use of her talents.”
Play to your strengths?
How can a multinational corporation be made to go bankrupt on the spot?
Cen Sen paused for a moment, then said gently, "I'll take care of Xiao Shu; it's what I should do."
— Act 3, Scene 1 of the large-scale situational drama "Loving Couple," cut.
Perhaps the sweet affection between the young couple offended the eyes of the older, single female PhD student, Cen Yingshuang got up and went to the restroom.
Before she could even sit down properly after returning, she suddenly stared at Cen Sen and scrutinized him.
Then, as if she had discovered a new continent, she put down her chopsticks and asked, "Ah Sen, how come your hair grows so fast? Ming Shu posted on her WeChat Moments two weeks ago, and your hair was still this short." She used her thumb and forefinger to show the length.
"Cough! Cough cough!"
Ji Mingshu was drinking soup when he was caught off guard and choked, almost coughing himself to death on the spot.
Cen Sen was very considerate, patting her back while feeding her water and wiping her lips with a tissue.
The people sitting next to Ji Mingshu also asked him a few questions with concern.
Ji Mingshu recovered and said that he was fine, but before he could even feel relieved that the deadly topic had been diverted, Cen Yingshuang, with the thirst for knowledge of a female PhD, asked the same question again in a different word order.
She even went through Ji Mingshu's WeChat Moments, comparing Cen Sen with the pictures, muttering to herself with curiosity, "You really grow so fast! According to the proportions in the pictures, you've grown at least two centimeters in fourteen days. A normal person's hair growth rate should be one centimeter per month. What hair growth product did you use? Why would someone so young use hair growth product? What brand is it? It works so well, I'll recommend it to a few of the older men in our department!"
Cen Sen glanced at Ji Mingshu without making it obvious.
Ji Mingshu lowered his head, ignoring everything else, focusing solely on eating the braised pork ribs.
After all, she couldn't understand why her aunt, who was so meticulous and had such a keen eye for detail, couldn't tell that the picture was photoshopped.
Cen Sen has been in Australia for the past two years, so busy that he didn't even go back to China for the Spring Festival.
As Mrs. Cen, Ji Mingshu spends her days traveling the world with nothing to do. If she doesn't visit her husband in Australia often, it seems she can't maintain the image of a loving couple.
But she really didn't want to have too much unwitting interaction with her cheap husband, Cen Sen. So after thinking it over, she hired a photo editor to help her create photos of them together, and then regularly posted a WeChat Moments update that was visible only to Cen Sen's family, creating a false sense of prosperity that she frequently flew to Australia to visit Cen Sen and that the two were very much in love.
She's been posting these pictures for two years without any issues, and even now, when her aunt noticed Cen Sen's hair growing unusually fast, she didn't question the authenticity of the photos. This seems to indirectly prove that the photo editor she hired is highly skilled, flawless, and worth every penny.
Thinking of this, Ji Mingshu felt a little gratified.
The table was filled with people of all ages. Cen Yingshuang's topic seemed too absurd for the occasion. Before Cen Sen could respond, Old Master Cen said sternly, "One should not speak while eating or sleeping. You've read so many books, yet you're becoming more and more unruly. You're over thirty and still act like a child. No wonder you can't get married!"
"...?"
Weren't they all chatting away just now? How come she's suddenly become so quiet and withdrawn? Besides, what does this have to do with her being over thirty and still unmarried? Does this family discriminate against older, unmarried women?
Cen Yingshuang felt innocent and opened her mouth to defend herself.
Cen Yuanchao glanced at her at the right moment, signaling her not to talk back.
Cen Yingshuang didn't listen to others much, but her older brother Cen Yuanchao's words were quite effective. She held back and silently swallowed her essay.
Because of what Grandpa Cen said, the second half of the meal was very quiet.
After dinner, Grandpa Cen called Cen Yuanchao and Cen Sen upstairs for a talk, while the rest of the people stayed in the pavilion to chat and enjoy the cool air with Grandma Cen.
The conversation between the three generations of men in the Cen family did not end until night fell and the stars began to twinkle.
As night fell and the light dimmed, Ji Mingshu and Cen Yingshuang chatted and laughed, not noticing that Cen Sen had left the house. It wasn't until Cen Sen walked up the pavilion steps that she caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye.
Unexpectedly, Cen Yingshuang was so engrossed in her story that she forgot all about propriety. "...I've never seen a little girl who wets the bed more than you. I bet you don't even remember. One time, no one was around in the yard, and you were watching cartoons at our house. You fell asleep while watching and peed on the sofa! Cen Yang is extremely clean, and he was so disgusted with you! He dragged you to bed and even took off the sofa cover himself to wash it, hahahahaha..."
When Cen Yingshuang suddenly mentioned "Cen Yang," no one really realized what was going on.
After a while, everyone noticed Cen Sen stepping onto the pavilion, and suddenly felt the night wind was very cold.
Ji Mingshu immediately gave Cen Yingshuang a meaningful look, but Cen Yingshuang didn't notice.
She strongly suspected that her aunt had been doing too much physics research and wanted to try her luck in a competition that was the most sensitive topic.
It was only eight o'clock when I left Nanqiao Hutong, and the night was already deep.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Ji Mingshu felt unusually uneasy. She turned her head to look out the window and couldn't help but secretly observe Cen Sen's expression through the window reflection.
But Cen Sen leaned back in his chair, his profile too thin and faint, and she unconsciously leaned back as well, her head pressed against the chair back...
The next second, she was caught off guard and her eyes met Cen Sen's through the car window :)
Chapter 7
The awkwardness that this eye contact brought to Ji Mingshu was no less than the embarrassing moment when Cen Sen broke into the bathtub and started singing.
Cen Sen seemed to have the same idea as her, and suddenly asked, "Why are you looking at me, you fairy who makes everyone fall at your feet?"
When he said the nine words "a fairy who makes people submit to her," his tone was flat, but there were very short pauses between words, somewhat like when he was reciting classical Chinese texts in high school. However, his awkward recitation itself carried a subtle sense of humiliation.
Ji Mingshu was a little slow to react and didn't think of a reply for a moment.
Cen Sen, seemingly out of nowhere, added, "Is the title wrong? Perhaps you prefer a fairy who can bewitch all beings?"
Ji Mingshu: "..."
She's just too kind-hearted to imagine that someone like Cen Sen, a cold-mouthed, despicable beast in human clothing, would feel depressed for a moment because of his complicated family relationships.
She sat up straight and said expressionlessly, "If you can talk, then talk more."
Cen Sen did not comply with her wishes. He turned his gaze indifferently back to the front and directly instructed the driver to return to Mingshui Mansion. He did not speak again on the way.
Mingshui Mansion is divided into a waterfront villa area and a lakeside villa area. Cen Sen and Ji Mingshu's thirteenth villa is the lakeside villa, which has a specially built wide bridge leading to the private parking lot. There is also a sentry post next to the bridge, with people on duty 24 hours a day, ensuring excellent security and privacy.
As soon as the car stopped, Ji Mingshu opened the door and got out first, then walked away without looking back.
Her silhouette was graceful and commanding. The invisible Zhou Jiaheng silently commented in his heart: "Cool and stylish."
Ji Mingshu returned home, hurried upstairs to the second floor, locked the bedroom door, and wondered if Cen Sen would say a few kind words when he knocked on the door later.
But after she removed her makeup, there was no sound from downstairs.
She walked to the balcony and happened to see Cen Sen's car slowly driving out of the lakeside villa, followed by a low-key Passat.
The driver of the Passat was Cen Sen's bodyguard.
His bodyguards have always worked in three shifts, 24 hours a day, never leaving his side.
So, he left?
Realizing what had happened, Ji Mingshu immediately called and demanded, "Where did you go?"
Cen Sen's voice was calm and indifferent, "I have another appointment, you should rest first, don't wait for me."
"...? Who's waiting for you?"
For a moment, Ji Mingshu thought she had misheard. Did this bastard really expect her to be a virtuous, waiting-for-her-husband statue? How could he be so audacious? She was truly astonished.
She hung up the phone without hesitation.
But after hanging up, she started to regret it. Why did she hang up so quickly? Would he misunderstand and think she was guilty?
Ji Mingshu found it both laughable and infuriating the more she thought about it. "Shameless! He's not even that good-looking, yet he has such high aspirations!"
She put down her phone and went back to the bathroom to put on a face mask.
As she continued, she suddenly paused: No, he doesn't seem to fall into the category of "not good-looking".
First of all, he really doesn't belong to this category. Secondly, if she insists on including him in this category, wouldn't that be an insult to her own aesthetic sense?
Thinking about it that way, I got even angrier.
On the other hand, after sending Miss Ji back to Mingshui Mansion, Cen Sen instructed the driver to head to Heyong Club.
He Yong Club is a private club located on the former site of the consulate on Ruiying Road. Compared to other high-end clubs, it is unique in that it does not open membership applications and only extends invitations to a select group of celebrities in Beijing and Shanghai.
Cen Sen had a meeting here that evening, where he met with people to discuss the development of a supporting hotel for the western suburban scenic area.
As dusk settled, the entire capital city shimmered with light in the dim night. Gazing towards Chang'an, the east wind seemed to release a thousand blossoms on the trees, and the city always seemed to possess a beauty that was both bustling and lonely.
Cen Sen didn't look outside. After returning to China, he had been socializing for many days in a row. Even a strong person would feel tired. He crossed his arms low in front of him, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.
Perhaps because his brain was constantly working at high speed, it was difficult for him to relax even for a short time. Many images were uncontrollably flashing through his mind:
My little cousin was flustered and said sorry, looking at the ribs in the bowl at a loss, both bewildered and innocent.
For a moment, Old Madam Cen smiled broadly at Ji Mingshu, but when she turned to look at him, she subconsciously became more polite and distant.
And when Cen Yingshuang, the younger sister, mentioned Cen Yang, the entire pavilion fell silent.
In that instant, he suddenly recalled the scene when he first walked into Nanqiao Hutong after traveling from Changsha to the capital as a child.