Moreover, Ji Mingshu knows better than Cen Sen what the relationship between the Cen and Ji families is now. If it really comes to a divorce, the Ji family will be the first to get angry with her.
All things considered, apart from the apartment in Bai Cui Tian Hua that was actually registered in her name, everything else could become worthless in the blink of an eye after the divorce.
Thinking about all this, Ji Mingshu felt a little bit of a crisis.
However, she was raised in a pampered manner by the Ji family with the aim of a marriage alliance, so her awareness of earning money to support herself was quite weak.
Furthermore, since she has already skipped the process and gone straight to the result, living the extravagant life that most people want, it would be quite difficult to ask her to be dissatisfied with her life and find some dreams to pursue.
Therefore, this sense of crisis is not enough to awaken the independent consciousness that she herself does not even know is hidden in some corner.
but--
Her rebellious spirit is much stronger than her sense of independence.
She grieved on the sofa for ten minutes, imagining Cen Sen's faint mockery as he asked her to participate in the Transformation program. Without hesitation, she picked up her phone to reply to Meng Xiaowei, and then went upstairs to pack her luggage.
This wasn't the first time Ji Mingshu had gone against Cen Sen, so it wasn't surprising that Cen Sen received confirmation from Ji Mingshu that he would be participating in the program while on his way to a social engagement.
Zhou Jiaheng asked, "President Cen, should we ask the production team to replace the actor?"
“No need,” Cen Sen rubbed his temples. “We’ll adjust the team roster and cancel the key filming. If she doesn’t say anything herself, we don’t need to explain her identity to the TV station.”
Zhou Jiaheng paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
Junyi is the biggest sponsor of this interior design variety show.
To generate buzz for its upcoming designer hotel brand "Junyi Yaji," the group invested heavily in Xingcheng TV, intervening in everything from program sponsorship to program flow.
Moreover, there are two up-and-coming designers who were specifically chosen by Junyi to design for "Junyi Elegant Gathering" and will play a prominent role in the program.
Ji Mingshu was completely unaware of this.
Half an hour later, the Bentley stopped in front of "Fengtang". Zhou Jiaheng got out of the car first and opened the door for Cen Sen.
Tonight's social event was hard to refuse. It was organized by Director Chen, an old acquaintance of Cen Yuanchao. It was obvious that Director Chen wanted to act as a go-between to get investment for the film and television project through him.
As soon as he got out of the car, a waitress in a cheongsam with her hair in a bun led Cen Sen inside.
He was led to a private room on the third floor. A waitress opened the partition door for him, and Zhou Jiaheng just received the latest news that Ji Mingshu was heading to Xingcheng.
He followed behind Cen Sen and reported in a low voice.
As Cen Sen listened, he approached the table and discovered that some of his old acquaintances were still sitting there.
Today, Li Wenyin wore a sleeveless gray turtleneck sweater dress, simple earrings, her hair tied in a low ponytail, her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, and her lipstick was a light pink color.
From a distance, the aura of a cultured and intellectual woman is palpable.
Li Wenying seemed unsurprised by Cen Sen's arrival, and showed no particular change in expression. She only raised her glass to toast him when Director Chen introduced them.
"Xiao Li just returned from studying in France. She's a very good young director. The project she's currently preparing has a great theme—it's sunny, positive, and uplifting! It's a qualitative difference from those current themes that depict the dark side of youth!"
"Ah Sen, doesn't your group also invest in some film and television projects now? If you're interested, you could support talented and innovative young directors like Xiao Li!"
"Come, come, Xiao Li, toast President Cen! President Cen is one of the most promising young talents in Beijing!"
Li Wenying offered a toast, and Cen Sen raised his glass and lightly clinked it against hers. However, he didn't drink it. After clinking glasses, he put down his glass and subtly changed the subject with Director Chen.
Even after the party ended, Cen Sen did not exchange any further words with Li Wenying.
At some point in his life, he had taken a liking to Li Wenying, a girl so different from Ji Mingshu. But he was indifferent to relationships. He dated Li Wenying for three months after graduating high school, and to this day, he can't even recall any details.
As the night deepened, Cen Sen walked out of the club while asking Zhou Jiaheng to confirm the location of Ji Mingshu's hotel.
There are still some matters in the capital that Zhou Jiaheng needs to handle, so only bodyguards will accompany him on his trip to Changsha tonight.
"Cen Sen."
A familiar female voice suddenly came from behind.
Cen Sen paused slightly and looked back.
During the meal, Li Wenying was sitting, so only her upper body could be seen. Now that she is standing, her figure is even more graceful and her temperament is elegant.
She walked slowly closer, smiled gently, and extended her hand, saying, "Long time no see."
Cen Sen said calmly, "Long time no see."
Seeing that Cen Sen had no intention of shaking hands, Li Wenying simply tilted her head and gracefully withdrew her hand.
Soon after, she frankly said, "Actually, I knew yesterday that you would be attending this dinner party today, but when you're in the business world, you have to recommend someone from the past to attract some investment. I hope you don't mind."
Her voice was as gentle as ever, with a touch of carefree playfulness, and she handled the nuances perfectly.
In fact, Li Wenying knew that Cen Sen was a cold-hearted person. But no matter what, they were exes, and their breakup wasn't as ugly as a fight to the death. At least, she should have been able to get a "it's okay" from Cen Sen.
But before she could finish speaking, Cen Sen replied without hesitation with three more words, "I mind."
Upon uttering those three words, not only Li Wenying, but also Cen Sen himself subconsciously paused.
This scene looks familiar; it seems like not long ago, he said the same thing to another girl outside another club.
There was another sentence after that. What was it again? He seemed to have praised Ji Mingshu, and he praised her a bit exaggeratedly.
Cen Sen's brief moment of distraction took on a completely different meaning in Li Wenying's eyes.
She met such an amazing person when she was young that she has found it hard to completely give up on him even after all these years. Even after he got married, that obsession has never faded from her heart.
Is his concern because... he shares the same feelings as her?
Li Wenying wanted to say something more, but Zhou Jiaheng, who had also misunderstood, somehow coughed lightly, which was quite inappropriate.
Cen Sen snapped out of his reverie, thinking back to his work schedule, and said coldly, "Film and television investment is not Junyi's main business, but since Director Chen specifically recommended you, I can let you go through the process with Huazhang Holdings. However, film and television projects have become increasingly difficult to undertake in the past two years, and the risk factor is also high. The company needs to conduct precise risk control assessments, and the final decision on whether to invest or not is not something I can make alone. I'm sorry, I have other commitments, so I won't keep you company any longer."
Once they were in the car heading to the airport, Zhou Jiaheng immediately admitted his mistake, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Cen."
Regardless of whether Cen Sen still had feelings for his ex or not, his assistant shouldn't have interrupted.
"fine."
Cen Sen didn't take it to heart and explained a few more work-related matters to him.
It was already 2 a.m. when they arrived in Xingcheng. The whole city was quiet. Cen Sen went straight to the Junyi Huazhang Hotel where Ji Mingshu was staying.
The front desk had prepared a room key for him in advance. As he walked up to the top-floor suite, the room was lit with warm yellow lights, but Ji Mingshu was nowhere to be seen.
After a long while, he heard a faint moan coming from the other side of the bed.
As he walked over, he saw Ji Mingshu lying on the carpet beside the bed, curled up like a little shrimp.
Ji Mingshu arrived in Xingcheng a little after 10 a.m. After washing up, she went to bed, but her stomach started to ache slightly. She ordered room service, but even after drinking a large cup of brown sugar ginger tea, it didn't help.
She had recovered from the pain, but she didn't have the strength to get up.
Half asleep, she saw a blurry, familiar figure. She thought she was dreaming of the gentle, 18+ version of Cen Sen again. For some reason, she felt particularly wronged, so she stretched out her arms and said in a coquettish tone, "Hug me."
Chapter 22
She stretched out her hand for about ten seconds before finding herself in a slightly cold embrace. Then her body was lifted into the air, and she was lifted up completely.
The 18+ version of Cen Sen in my dream seems to be quite gentle.
Ji Mingshu snuggled closer to him and mumbled a reminder, "I'm on my period."
The subtext is, you can't do anything in your dreams either.
Cen Sen had no idea what she was thinking. When he heard her say in her sleep that she had her period, his first thought was to avoid soiling the sheets, so he grabbed a blanket from the closet and placed it under her.
These days, there are probably not many bosses like him who are so considerate of hotel cleaning staff.
After settling Ji Mingshu down, Cen Sen tried to get up, but Ji Mingshu was particularly clingy when she was unwell, clinging to his neck and refusing to let go. He had to use some force to pull her hands off and barely managed to tuck her into the blankets.
Twenty minutes later, Cen Sen finished his shower and went to bed. Ji Mingshu, as if she had a built-in temperature sensor, quickly rolled into his arms, hugging him tightly with both hands and rubbing against his chest. Her pale lips were also pressed against his chest, their temperature faint.
Cen Sen originally intended to pull her away, but she unconsciously kissed his chest, feeling a tingling, soft sensation.
Cen Sen paused for a moment, a fleeting moment of compassion returning to him after eight hundred years. He lay down on his side in her direction and pulled her closer to him.
I slept without any dreams.
The next morning, Ji Mingshu woke up from the carnage and saw Cen Sen beside her. For a moment, she thought she was in the Mingshui Mansion.
After taking a closer look at the hotel's decor, she poked Cen Sen with one of her fingers.
—No response, but it's alive.
How did he end up here?
Ji Mingshu was unaware that Cen Sen had social engagements in the capital last night and assumed that he had already set off for Xingcheng when he sent the message.
So after she arrived in Xingcheng yesterday, she deliberately didn't contact him, because she didn't want to live with him.
Who knew he was so persistent, he came back again.
After waking up, Ji Mingshu lifted the thin blanket, covered her stomach, and carefully moved off the bed.
She wasn't trying to take care of Cen Sen's sleep quality; it was just that she couldn't move around much, and if she wasn't careful, the river of blood beneath her would surge down like a second dam breaking.
Only after entering the restroom and squatting on the toilet did she feel temporarily safe.
She rested her elbows on her knees and her hands on her cheeks.
After a while, she got bored again and picked up her phone to browse through it.
There were many unread messages on her phone. Besides the usual greetings from her friends, both real and fake, who were known for their extravagant spending, her aunt, Cen Yingshuang, who was often out of the public eye, had also sent her a WeChat message.
Cen Yingshuang: [Xiao Shu, did you and Asen go to Changsha? Are you staying for several months this time?]
Ji Mingshu didn't think much of it and casually replied with a "Maruko nodding" emoji, then typed: "Yeah, it'll take about one or two months."
After replying, she paused, as if suddenly remembering something.
My aunt is always engrossed in her experiments and has no time to care whether they are in China or abroad, or whether they are in Beijing or Changsha. This message must be from someone asking on behalf of the family.
The family is worried that... Cen Sen's extended stay in Xingcheng might lead to some kind of entanglement with the An family. But didn't the An family already emigrate a long time ago?
Ji Mingshu only had a superficial understanding of the Cen family's past. When Cen Yang left when she was a child, she believed the adults' lies and thought that Cen Yang had simply gone abroad to study.
Later, as I grew up, I learned more or less about the inside story, but the Cen family kept it a secret, so outsiders knew only a limited amount.
A short while later, Cen Yingshuang sent another message.
This news confirmed Ji Mingshu's guess.