"The division of labor is really detailed."
Ji Mingshu had no work experience and didn't quite understand the specific functions he was talking about. He was almost confused. After listening, he pretended to understand and commented, "Detailed." Then he said, "You guys are busy, don't worry about me. Everyone... you've worked hard."
The assistants bowed in unison again.
Ji Mingshu almost thought they were about to shout "Serve the president!" and subconsciously took a small step back.
Speaking of which, she, as the president's wife, has visited many of the company's hotels, but this is truly the first time she has set foot in the headquarters.
When it was lunchtime, she and Cen Sen walked hand in hand, affectionately leaving the company building under the watchful eyes of the employees.
At the same time, gossip also spread within the group.
"The CEO's wife is quite pretty."
"A little bit??? I disagree with your use of that quantifier!"
"I noticed that the president's wife was wearing a diamond bracelet when she came downstairs, hehe."
"? Sister, you're a real monster."
"Sister, you're so meticulous, why don't you come to our cleaning service to wipe the dust off?"
"The assessment of the couple's loving relationship is complete."
While Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen, who were previously a fake couple, reconciled, Zhang Baoshu found herself in big trouble because of the exposure of her past relationship.
"Please believe me, this really is just a misunderstanding. I don't know why it suddenly happened..."
Zhang Qi interrupted impatiently, "Stop acting all high and mighty here! Don't you even know your own limitations? You dare to mess with me! I'm telling you, if you dare to show your face in front of me again, I'll kill you!"
"I……"
Before Zhang Baoshu could say anything more, Zhang Qi hung up the phone.
She held her phone, her lips pale, and sat on the sofa trembling.
In fact, it was just a momentary lapse of judgment on her part. She wanted to use her relationship with Zhang Qi to promote her boyfriend's image as a low-key, wealthy, and beautiful woman with a powerful background.
Thinking that there are so many news stories out there, and considering their brief relationship, Zhang Qi wouldn't bother her with a vague press release.
Little did they expect that on the night of their first meeting, a reporter happened to have inside information about the club and went to stake out another female celebrity who was supposed to be there. However, the reporter couldn't even catch a glimpse of that female celebrity, but instead managed to take a picture of her and Cen Sen.
On a whim, she simply asked the reporter to replace the photo in the press release with Cen Sen's, while keeping the text and video unchanged.
This way, they can find someone else to hype things up, and then post an exposé to find out that the person in the photos isn't Zhang Qi, but rather the heir of Beijing Construction Group with a deeper background.
She thought that even if Cen Sen came to cause trouble, she could pretend not to know and clear herself of any wrongdoing, simply saying that the reporter had made a mistake and that she had that kind of relationship with Zhang Qi.
Unexpectedly, Cen Sen didn't bother to look for her at all, and instead caused trouble for Zhang Qi, severing the cooperation between the two companies. This directly led to Zhang Qi's unpleasantness when he came to see her.
Her mind went blank; she felt both confused and panicked.
Around noon, the French restaurants near the CBD were nearly empty, with gentle notes playing in the air as waiters moved about silently.
Today's main course was French-style roasted veal steak and stir-fried mushrooms. After the waiter left, Ji Mingshu repeated the question from before, "Then why did you smile at her?"
She had been easily fooled in the office and had forgotten the details, but when she got to the restaurant and was eating, she suddenly remembered Cen Sen's rare smile in the photo.
It's strange, he's so cold and indifferent in front of his wife, not even a tender smile after sex, but he's all smiles in front of that 380-line guy.
Thinking about this, Ji Mingshu lost his appetite. After much deliberation, he finally asked the question.
Cen Sen swirled his wine glass and gave her a deep look. "I wasn't smiling at her."
Was that a smile directed at the elf?
This scoundrel only said half a sentence before going back to eating, showing no intention of explaining further. Ji Mingshu was completely bewildered and couldn't help but look at the secretly taken photos again.
In the picture where he's laughing, Cen Sen's gaze seems to be looking down.
She gestured to herself, following his gaze to Zhang Baoshu's bag.
This bag...
Even someone like Cen Sen, who doesn't pay much attention to women's clothing and appearance, could recognize it at a glance. How could Ji Mingshu, who grew up surrounded by luxury brands, be any less perceptive?
She immediately recalled her glorious deeds of covering Cen Sen's head with her bag and beating him mercilessly, while declaring that she would kill this perverted bastard.
After a moment of silence, she put down her phone, picked up her knife and fork again, and said as if nothing had happened, "This French restaurant is quite authentic, the steak is good."
Cen Sen glanced at her indifferently and didn't reply.
As usual, this meal was another agonizing experience of having an invigilator sitting in front of me, urging me to hand in my exam paper.
Just as Ji Mingshu was about to lose her temper and tell Cen Sen to gouge out his own eyes so he wouldn't stare at her while she ate, Cen Sen suddenly asked, "Jiang Che and Zhao Yang are going back to the capital in a couple of days. They'll meet up with Yong. Are you going?"
Ji Mingshu looked up. "What am I going to do?"
"what ever."
"..."
"Is this the attitude of someone who invites you? If you don't want me to go, then don't ask. Do you not want me to go? Well, I'm going anyway."
Ji Mingshu was still a little temperamental.
Cen Sen rubbed his brow bone, once again realizing the serious communication difficulties he faced with this woman whose mind seemed to have short-circuited.
He didn't say anything more, only saying, "I'll send someone to pick you up when the time comes."
Jiang Che, Zhao Yang, Shu Yang, and Cen Sen were boys of the same age in the compound. After Cen Sen returned to Nanqiao Hutong, the group gradually became friends and later went to school together. They were childhood friends with a friendship that had lasted for more than ten or twenty years.
Ji Mingshu naturally knew them too, but she had isolated Cen Sen with her friends since childhood, and didn't have much affection for the small group he played with. When they met at school, they were all given the cold snorts, eye rolls, and the blown-out gum bubbles.
Of course, this was just Ji Mingshu's one-sided dislike. The boys were all older than her, and they looked at her like a spoiled little sister, and would tease her sometimes.
When Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen suddenly announced their marriage, their childhood friends were shocked and admired their brother's boldness, fearlessness, and wealth in marrying any young girl. They even felt a little sorry for him.
In the "Dream of Nanke" private room of He Yonghui, a warm yellow square lamp slanted behind a half-hidden screen. Jiang Che lit a cigarette, the scarlet flame only a thin line, flickering on and off.
After he finished lighting the cigarettes, he pushed the pack in front of Cen Sen, but Cen Sen didn't take it.
Zhao Yang now works as a respectable doctor and doesn't smoke this stuff anymore.
Shu Yang gestured with his chin toward his new girlfriend, indicating that she should get it for him.
Zhao Yang and Shu Yang are both known for their lively and boisterous nature, especially Shu Yang. He usually invites a few girls out for fun. Today, he only dared not invite any disreputable women because he heard that Ji Mingshu was coming. Otherwise, Miss Ji would probably have splashed him with wine, scolded him for lowering her standards, and said he was unworthy to share the same name as her.
Cen Sen is a quiet person who doesn't like to get involved in noisy things and usually communicates more with Jiang Che.
Moreover, the two have joint investments in financial projects, so when they get together, they mostly talk about work.
The group was now sitting around a square table, playing cards and talking. Cen Sen and Jiang Che started using financial terms as soon as they opened their mouths, which made Shu Yang very impatient.
Shu Yang: "Hey you two, we finally get together, can you please stop talking about your random projects?"
“Especially you, Brother Sen, no matter how much money you earn, it all goes to that woman Ji Mingshu, doesn’t it? Let me tell you, she’ll spend as much as you have, she’ll never have too much. Do you really expect her to be thrifty and save money for you so that you can be rich for generations to come? I advise you not to work so hard. Be good to yourself in this life, okay?”
Zhao Yang glanced at the time and then asked Cen Sen, "Brother Sen, why hasn't your wife arrived yet?"
Before Cen Sen could reply, Shu Yang spoke up for him, "Is that even a question? Does Miss Ji need three to five hours to get ready before going out?"
Zhao Yang and Jiang Che both chuckled softly, silently agreeing with his answer.
Shu Yang, a little tipsy from the alcohol, continued his grand pronouncements, "Brother Sen, do you know what this is called? This is called making the most money and keeping the most expensive canary!"
"I'm more economical. I don't need to earn much money. These little birds and vases aren't for raising, right? Ordinary ones are fine. I can change them every day and not repeat them for years!"
He became more and more proud as he talked, and he just kept going on and on.
Cen Sen held a deck of cards in his hand, and inadvertently glanced at the sparkling high heels behind the screen. He then looked up at Shu Yang.
Jiang Che flicked his cigarette ash, coughed lightly, and picked up the whiskey on the rocks on the table.
But Shu Yang didn't heed their warnings and was happily stepping on the landmines buried underground one by one. "Oh right, Brother Sen, Li Wenying has finished her studies and will probably be returning to China soon, did you know?"
Jiang Che had just faked a cough, but this time he really choked.
Zhao Yang had also sensed the danger in the air.
"To be honest, Li Wenying is quite pretty, and that artistic air of hers is really special. Besides, she works in the arts, so she's not extravagant!"
As he spoke, something strange happened. He finally realized that something was wrong, and the reason for this was that the hairs on his back had suddenly stood up on their own.
After pausing for about two seconds, he suddenly raised his voice, "But! Men earn money to spend on women, like Brother Sen. I especially envy Brother Sen because he has a woman who knows how to spend money to help him spend it!"
"Xiao Shu has such good taste, such a great figure, and is so beautiful. Tell me, can you find another one like her in the whole of Beijing? She's one of a kind in the entire capital! It's such a source of pride to bring her out! Isn't that the value of a man's existence? Tell me, how is it that Brother Sen is so lucky to marry such a fairy-like wife?!"
Author's Note: Baby Canary: Observing in secret.jpg
Shu Yang: My will to survive made me think quickly :)
Chapter 18
The private room was silent for three seconds. Cen Sen, Jiang Che, and Zhao Yang all looked at Shu Yang. Cen Sen and Jiang Che were alright, but Zhao Yang's disdain and contempt for him were blatantly written on his face.
But Shu Yang's skin was thicker than the silt at the bottom of the Yellow River. Even now, he bravely pretended nothing had happened, turning around with a surprised look, "Oh my, little Shu, you've finally arrived! Come, come, let your brother see where this beautiful woman came from!"
Ji Mingshu gave a forced smile and, holding the bag, slashed it across his head.
He was good at putting on an act, and immediately started groaning "Ouch, ouch!"
"Shut up! I haven't even complained about your greasy hair getting my bag dirty, why are you yelling?" Ji Mingshu wanted to roll her eyes.
The two boys with "Shu" in their names have been very talkative since they were little, and everyone is used to it. Right now, they are bickering back and forth, and the others are wise enough not to get involved.
Jiang Che casually played a pair of Queens, Cen Sen followed with a pair of Kings, and Zhao Yang tapped the edge of the table, "Pass."
Ji Mingshu gave Shu Yang a thorough dressing-down, and as always, she won an overwhelming victory in their verbal sparring. Then she went straight to sit next to Cen Sen.
Cen Sen gestured to her with a playing card, which she took as a matter of course. She even glanced at the cards from Jiang Che and Zhao Yang with a particularly self-righteous air, and then switched the order of play.
"9, 10, J, Q, K, a straight; three 4s with two extra cards; a pair of 5s; all done."
"...Holy crap." Zhao Yang slammed his cards down, craned his neck to look ahead, and exclaimed, "Who can handle this?"
He hadn't seen this kind of game in years, and he was still a little bewildered.
Ji Mingshu had already begun settling the gambling debts, saying, "You have one bag, you have three."
"Why do I have three?" Jiang Che lazily raised his eyes and asked.
Ji Mingshu: "At least he's a doctor now, serving the people and saving lives. You're just an unscrupulous bourgeois who exploits ordinary people. What's wrong with the three of you?"