Ji Mingshu felt particularly depressed whenever she thought about how everyone smiled at her at the event but gossiped and talked behind her back. She decided to simply not attend and avoid seeing it.
But Gu Kaiyang, that clever little devil, managed to glean a perfect opportunity to send the god away from Ji Mingshu's series of troubles and entanglements.
When Zhou Jiaheng took a break from his busy schedule to come to the magazine office and asked her to help deliver a gift, she didn't even lift her eyelids and coldly said, "Assistant Zhou, I'm tired even if you're not. Do you think it's meaningful to deliver a gift like this? Go back and ask your boss if he's sincere or not, and whether he still wants a wife."
Zhou Jiaheng was also quick-witted. After a slight pause, he put on a humble and receptive look, said a lot of nice things, and promised many benefits after the matter was completed.
Gu Kaiyang kept her head down and frantically signed documents, forcibly maintaining her aloof and strong woman persona, and spoke very quickly.
"Don't try to flatter me. I don't fall for that. Anyway, Xiao Shu has suffered so much for so long, so don't expect me to give you a kind look."
"Your boss is rich and generous, investing in the show without batting an eye, but Xiao Shu worked hard for more than a month, and he wants to cut her scenes with just one sentence without any explanation. Do you think that's appropriate?"
"Your boss's unwanted romantic advances are still flying everywhere, to the point that my Xiaoshu doesn't even dare to attend salon events for fear of being gossiped about behind her back. Do you think that's appropriate?"
"Your boss might feel good talking behind people's backs for a moment, but do you think it's appropriate that he didn't even apologize?"
Zhou Jiaheng didn't dare to breathe.
Gu Kaiyang didn't even look up, simply tossing him an invitation to a salon event. "You figure it out!"
Chapter 53
As the capital city grew colder day by day, Gu Kaiyang got up at five o'clock in the morning on the day of the "Zero Degree" stress relief day appreciation salon.
She was very quiet while washing up and putting on makeup, but she still woke up Ji Mingshu.
Ji Mingshu sat up in bed, still half asleep, wrapped herself tightly in the soft blanket, and watched Gu Kaiyang leave with longing in her eyes, her gaze filled with envy and reluctance.
Is Ji Mingshu really not interested in parties and salons?
No, no! Party animals never get bored with social activities!
But isn't it because I don't want to be laughed at?
In the early morning light, Ji Mingshu couldn't help but recall the boundless glamour of being the most famous socialite in Beijing.
After feeling sad for herself for thirty seconds, she lay back in bed, managed to think of a few advantages of staying at home, and then fell asleep again.
At nine o'clock, a very faint sound came from the door card reader, and someone pushed the door open and entered.
Ji Mingshu was still asleep. She unconsciously turned over and smacked her lips, which were pale in color, as if she were having a sweet dream about being surrounded by braised pork ribs.
The apartment living room was cramped, and the visitor quickly reached the center of the room. He looked up at the second floor and, through the gaps in the wooden railing, could vaguely see Ji Mingshu's sleeping face with his eyes closed.
He walked lightly up the wooden stairs.
Ji Mingshu was fast asleep, but she wasn't entirely without a sense of unease. Just as the person sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush away the stray hairs—
Just like in a martial arts movie, the villain tries to stab someone while they're asleep, but the person always manages to come back to life the instant the villain pulls out the knife, and suddenly opens their eyes.
What came into view was a cold and stern face that I hadn't seen for many days but had been thinking about day and night.
Ji Mingshu stared for three seconds, then rubbed his eyes, mumbled something in his sleep, and turned over to the other side.
About half a minute later, she suddenly turned back, staring intently at the person who had come in, and even poked his Adam's apple with her finger.
Censen.
Alive.
What are you doing here?
She was still lying flat on the bed, having just woken up, her voice soft and a little hoarse.
Cen Sen lowered his eyes and saw her bare forearm. He remembered that she had posted bikini photos for four or five days in a row. His eyes darkened. "There is an event for Zero Degrees today. I've come to pick you up to attend together."
Ji Mingshu hadn't quite reacted yet, and blankly responded with an "Oh," before trying to sit up from the bed by slightly straining her elbows.
Cen Sen reached out and helped her prop up the pillow.
She sat back a little, leaning softly against the headboard, staring blankly at Cen Sen, completely out of sorts.
Cen Sen wanted to help her fix her hair, but he didn't know how she slept last night. Her hair was a mess, and with her blank expression, she looked like a little madwoman.
She was still completely unaware. After she came to her senses a little, she carefully gestured for Cen Sen to move away a bit, saying, "I haven't brushed my teeth, so don't get so close to me."
"..."
Cen Sen got up as instructed, still looking at her.
Actually, he always thought that Ji Mingshu looked better without makeup. Her facial features were smooth, her skin was fair and delicate, and when she wasn't wearing makeup, she had a natural and understated beauty, with a rare touch of innocence and childlike charm.
But when Ji Mingshu saw that he was staring at her, she thought that she was drooling because of her bad sleeping posture, so she subconsciously touched the corner of her lips.
Cen Sen paused for a moment, then finally looked up at the time. "Shall we get up now? The stylist is already downstairs."
Stylist?
After Ji Mingshu's brain restarted, she finally received the signal that Cen Sen had sent earlier—he had come to pick her up to attend the "Zero Degree" "Stress Relief Day" appreciation salon.
Sure enough, if you live long enough, you can wait for anything.
Cen Sen was the kind of aloof and pragmatic person who extremely disliked useless social interactions. In my memory, he only attended a few events with her right after they got married, and those were all high-class events attended by politicians, business people, and celebrities, where it was mandatory to bring your wife. There were many rules, and the purpose was very clear.
The "Zero Degree" salon was clearly a casual and entertaining event. It's easy to guess that the attendees were mostly socialites with nothing better to do, celebrities posing for photos and releasing press releases or performing on stage, and some internet celebrities trying to boost their social status by attending the event.
So what was he going there for? Didn't he think that a traditional, domineering CEO like him, who talks about hundreds of millions, was completely unsuitable for such a young and fashionable occasion?
Seeing that she didn't respond, Cen Sen asked again, "Or do you need to sleep a little longer?"
Ji Mingshu shook her head, casually clearing her mind of all the off-topic thoughts that had just crossed her mind.
Why should she care whether Cen Sen attends the salon or not? She's currently in a one-sided cold war with Cen Sen, so she shouldn't be so friendly and cordial!
Her expression changed instantly. Clutching the small blanket, she glared coldly at him. "You still haven't answered me why you're here. Did Gu Kaiyang give you the access card? Did you conspire with Gu Kaiyang? Shameless!"
He hadn't seen her for over half a month, only sending a few WeChat messages to let her know. Now that the New Year is almost here, he finally had some free time and conspired with her best friend to come over and try to be nice. Who knows if it's just to coax her back so he can appease the Cen family. And this morning he was acting like nothing happened, as if everyone had amnesia and would go along with his act? There wasn't even a chimney!
And then there's Gu Kaiyang, that traitorous, fake best friend of mine. Oh well, I'll deal with her later.
Just as she had finally mustered the courage to face him, Cen Sen sat down on the edge of the bed, tilted his head slightly to look at her, and suddenly said, "I'm sorry, Ming Shu."
The air fell silent for a moment.
“I haven’t considered your feelings in many things, such as shows, movies, and hurtful things I say when we argue.”
"I can't guarantee that I can change my behavior overnight, but I can assure you that in the future, when dealing with matters concerning you, I will definitely prioritize your feelings."
He spoke calmly and earnestly.
Ji Mingshu was taken aback.
She had known Cen Sen for nearly twenty years, and this was the first time she had heard a somewhat sincere apology from him.
The apology came so suddenly that she didn't know how to respond. She could only clutch the blanket and stare at him without blinking.
Cen Sen reached out and tidied her stray hairs, leaning slightly forward to bring them very close, almost to the point where they could feel each other's breath.
Ji Mingshu's face flushed red from behind her ears as a conditioned reflex, and her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
Cen Sen looked her over closely and suddenly kissed her on the lips.
The kiss was brief and devoid of passion, yet it possessed a rare tenderness, and even his voice seemed to become low and gentle, "Ming Shu, come home with me."
Waaaaah, who can stand this?!
Ji Mingshu's heart was already overflowing with sweet bubbles, and the little canary sitting obediently in the center of the sweet bubbles was nodding frantically like pecking at rice.
But her subconscious kept telling her: Stay calm, stay calm, this is where her future status in the family depends!
"I already told you I didn't brush my teeth!"
She pretended to wipe her mouth, lowered her eyelashes, and muttered in a low voice, "If you... if you had realized this earlier, then I'm not an unreasonable person."
Cen Sen patiently hummed in agreement.
Her heart was pounding so hard that she almost tore the blanket to shreds, but she couldn't stop herself from continuing to pull at it.
"Well... since you've apologized and promised so sincerely, it's not impossible for me to go back. But you said yourself that you have to treat me well in the future. If you don't treat me well and make me lose face, then I really will..." The word "divorce" stuck in her throat, and she didn't want to say it. "Just you wait and see."
Cen Sen hummed in agreement again, and continued, "In the two weeks you were gone, I had the walk-in closet in Mingshui renovated. A staircase and elevator were added to the original walk-in closet to the third floor. The four guest rooms on the left upstairs were converted into your new walk-in closet. Auntie has reorganized it according to brands and seasons. The brands you like have also come to the house and filled it with new styles according to your size."
“I also asked Zhou Jiaheng to contact some haute couture workshops, but they all said that it would be better if you came in person to take measurements and cut the clothes.”
"..."
Ji Mingshu remained silent for a long time.
Cen Sen pondered for a moment, then remembered something, "I remember you said before that your yacht was a bit small, so I ordered an Azimut 60 for you. I originally wanted to order a 100-foot one, but it's a bit troublesome to bring a 100-foot one into port. This one should be enough for your summer sea parties."
"..."
Was he suddenly enlightened by Buddha?
Ji Mingshu was still in shock at the fact that "this bastard actually offered to feed her," and couldn't come to her senses for a long time.
Just then, Cen Sen's phone vibrated.
It was a message from Zhou Jiaheng.
Zhou Jiaheng and the stylist sat in their car downstairs waiting. They didn't dare go upstairs without being notified, nor did they dare to make a phone call for fear of interrupting their boss's good time.
If he didn't get his hair and makeup done soon, he might not make it to the event for "Zero Degrees". Plus, the stylist kept asking him questions, so he had no choice but to send a message to inquire cautiously.
Cen Sen replied, "Come up," and without waiting for Ji Mingshu's reply, he lifted the blanket, picked her up, and carried her straight downstairs.
Without thinking, Ji Mingshu wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and slowly came to her senses.
He always smelled of the light scent of fir trees. She took a few more breaths and felt so happy she was about to die.
But she dared not chuckle to herself, nor did she dare reveal her feelings to Cen Sen. If Cen Sen knew she liked him, he probably wouldn't have gone to such lengths for her.
Thinking of this, she had no choice but to make small talk, subtly establishing her strong and independent persona in his ear, "Don't think you can get rid of me with a few clothes and a yacht. I can earn my own money now, so you're not allowed to look down on me in the future."
"Um."
Perhaps feeling that his monotonous "hmm" responses would make Ji Mingshu feel he was being perfunctory, Cen Sen paused for a moment, then whispered in her ear, "It is my honor to spend money on Mrs. Cen."
Mrs. Cen.
Ji Mingshu couldn't help but hide behind him and secretly curl the corners of her lips into a smile.