After Gu Kaiyang revealed the secret, he put his phone on silent mode and set group messages to Do Not Disturb mode.
Ji Mingshu quickly threw down her phone and tried to cool down her face, which was burning red.
How strange, after Gu Kaiyang said that, her heart started pounding wildly, like a deer going blind. She was too embarrassed to pick out any more pajamas, so she quickly grabbed one and rushed into the bathroom.
Actually, what Gu Kaiyang said doesn't seem to be wrong...
No, what are you thinking!
She patted her cheeks hard.
It's all Gu Kaiyang's fault! He's wicked! He's despicable!
Ji Mingshu: [Gu Kaiyang, you're dead!]
*
An hour later, the bathroom was filled with steam. Ji Mingshu finished her shower and sat on a soft chair near the bathtub, carefully applying body lotion. The body lotion had a very light camellia scent. She also applied the same scented essential oil to her hair. After blow-drying, her long, slightly wavy black hair looked fluffy, soft, and naturally languid.
After getting ready, she twirled in front of the full-length mirror, then nodded, giving herself a reassuring look. Finally, she didn't forget to apply a fruit-scented lip balm.
When she came downstairs, Cen Sen's meal was almost finished.
The braised pork ribs are a bright red color, the pearl meatballs are glistening and cute, the blanched lettuce is fresh and green, and the aroma is irresistible.
With her hands behind her back, she circled the dining table, then took small steps to the island counter and peered around, asking, "Is there any more food?"
While wiping the blade, Cen Sen said, "There's also a tomato and egg soup that's ready and can be served."
"Then I'll carry it for you."
Ji Mingshu volunteered.
She has stayed at Gu Kaiyang's house for so long and has learned to do a little bit of work. At least now, she feels a little embarrassed to be banging on the bowl and waiting for food.
Cen Sen put the knife back in its place, his voice calm and indifferent, "No need, I'll do it."
"Oh." Ji Mingshu nodded obediently, then followed Cen Sen like a little tail all the way to the dining table.
In fact, Ji Mingshu is a restless person who likes lively meals, but Cen Sen is a well-behaved eater who doesn't like to talk. The two of them can only sit quietly on opposite sides of the table and eat, even their chewing sounds are very soft.
But you never know what kind of dirty thoughts a girl is having when she seems quiet on the surface—like Ji Mingshu, who is elegantly munching on her spare ribs but can't help but fantasize about post-meal exercise.
As she was thinking, her foot, which was under the table, swayed unconsciously for a moment, and coincidentally, it brushed against the inside of Cen Sen's calf.
She paused, biting the tip of her chopsticks as she looked at Cen Sen.
Cen Sen met her gaze, his expression calm. After a long while, he suddenly said, "Let's eat first."
...?
Ji Mingshu, who had been keeping a straight face, felt her cheeks and neck heat up instantly after Cen Sen's words. Wait, what did he mean? What did he mean by "eat first"? Did she look sexually frustrated?
Ji Mingshu opened her mouth to explain, but she really didn't know where to start. Moreover, she couldn't be righteous when she had done something she felt guilty about. She was a little ashamed and indignant, so she buried her face in the bowl and hurriedly finished eating her rice.
*
Ultimately, it was Cen Sen who was at fault.
The hints in the car were so obvious, leaving room for people to imagine, but when he got home, his style changed drastically. He became a celibate and unmoved man, and after finishing his meal, he even had the mind to clean up the dishes. After cleaning up the dishes, he even had the mind to hold a video conference!
Ji Mingshu squatted on the sofa in the theater for a long time, feeling like her heart had grown old waiting. All her romantic thoughts had vanished with the passage of time and Cen Sen's indifference, and what slowly grew in her was anger.
She grew angrier the more she thought about it, and suddenly stood up from the sofa and ran barefoot straight into the study.
In the study, Cen Sen was putting on his final meeting summary while wearing Bluetooth headphones when the door suddenly opened. He glanced up and heard Ji Mingshu angrily say, "I'm going to sleep!"
Then, with a thud, they turned and left.
Cen Sen gave a faint smile, then lowered his eyes and continued summarizing to the computer screen, only speaking slightly faster, "The return on investment for this business is too low, and shrinking the space is only a matter of time..."
The attendees all had a similar feeling... Hmm? Did I just hallucinate? That shouldn't be, how could I suddenly hallucinate a female voice over the CEO's end? That's really strange.
Before this misconception could dissipate, Cen Sen's speech was already coming to an end: "That's all for today, everyone, thank you for your hard work."
Then, the screen went black.
Cen Sen took off his headphones, stood up, and stretched his neck from side to side.
When he reached the bedroom door, he noticed that Ji Mingshu had locked it, clearly holding a grudge. For some reason, he twitched the corner of his lips slightly.
*
After returning to her bedroom, Ji Mingshu sat cross-legged on the bed, hugging her pillow, waiting for any movement at the door. After three minutes, a slight sound finally came from the doorway; it wasn't too late yet.
She kept listening intently, but ten seconds passed, twenty seconds passed, thirty seconds passed... and she began to doubt whether she had just been hallucinating.
That's unreasonable.
Why is there no sound?
She hesitated for a while but couldn't resist. She moved the chair blocking the doorway and quietly opened the door a crack.
The crack widened until her entire head was sticking out, but the outside was empty and deserted.
Ugh! Cen Sen, that bastard, is such a scoundrel! Either she was hallucinating, or he just gave up when he couldn't open the door! Either way, Cen Sen must die!!!
Ji Mingshu was furious. It was supposed to be spare ribs for two people, but why was she the only one thinking about them?! She slammed the door shut, her mind racing with angry words: Since you're so indifferent to spare ribs, then you can never eat them again!!!
But just as she slammed the door shut and turned around, she suddenly bumped into a cold embrace.
Her mind went blank, and her heart nearly stopped from being startled.
After she calmed down, she was still a little dazed and could barely speak, "You...how did you get in? I was so scared, you..."
She glanced at the wide-open door of the walk-in closet behind her and suddenly realized that he had foreseen this day and that was why he had expanded her walk-in closet to the next floor. Could it be that...?
Cen Sen never said much about this matter, only chuckled lightly, and before Ji Mingshu could stop chattering, he had already pressed the person in his arms against the wall, propped one hand on her ear, hugged her with the other, and then silenced her.
The lights in the room were always bright. Ji Mingshu tried to turn them off several times, but not only did she fail, she also turned on the lights that were originally off. Later, Cen Sen no longer gave her a chance to turn off the lights and easily moved to another spot.
Ji Mingshu has been away from home for a relatively long time this time, and Cen Sen has also been away for a correspondingly long time. Although it is not as long as the two years he spent in Australia, for some reason, his patience seems to be gradually decreasing with age.
*
Late at night, it started snowing at Mingshui Lake. The sound of the falling snow mixed with the sound of water running in the bathroom, making it difficult to distinguish between them for a moment.
Ji Mingshu sat sullenly in the bathtub with her back to Cen Sen, urging him to rinse his mouth. After urging him, she fanned herself with her hands and covered her face with her hands, regretting that she hadn't learned how to hold her breath underwater when she was a child.
Cen Sen leaned against the sink, his casually worn white shirt with a messy collar and the buttons fastened in the wrong place.
He lowered his eyes to look in Ji Mingshu's direction, chuckled silently, and his eyes darkened with an ambiguous meaning. His thumb slowly brushed across his lower lip, and as if he was not quite satisfied, his index finger brushed back from the other side.
Chapter 57
The snow fell on Mingshui Lake all night long. Around seven or eight in the morning, the sound of the falling snow became very rapid. The evergreen trees on the island were bent over by the heavy snow.
The daylight outside was still a dim, grayish-white, but the reflection from the snow was somewhat dazzling. Cen Sen pressed the remote to close the curtains, then suddenly remembered to apply medicine to the sleeping Ji Mingshu.
This was his first time applying medicine, and his technique was a bit too heavy and he wasn't very skilled. Ji Mingshu, who was still asleep, frowned and unconsciously kicked him.
He turned his head away, not caring, and only pressed down slightly on Ji Mingshu's ankle. After applying the medicine, he glanced at the time, unbuttoned his shirt, got up, and walked towards the bathroom.
With less than a month until the Chinese New Year, Junyi's year-end work is coming to an end, and most employees can finally relax, relax, and wait for their holidays to go home for the New Year.
But as the group's president, Cen Sen doesn't really have any holidays. If he's really busy, he can work 365 days a year without a break, just like he did during his two years in Australia.
However, this year he acted out of character. From mid-January to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, he did not allow Zhou Jiaheng to arrange any business trips. His work schedule before the New Year was also relatively simple, requiring him to go to the company to handle daily affairs and attend a few occasional social events.
The sound of running water in the bathroom filled the air. Ji Mingshu, still groggy, thought it was raining outside. She turned over, and a cool sensation suddenly came from the swollen and painful area. She flinched, her consciousness gradually returning to her amidst the incessant "rain" sounds that eventually stopped.
When she finally managed to open her eyes, she saw Cen Sen walking out of the bathroom. He slightly raised his chin and buttoned the top button of his collar.
Almost without thinking, she immediately closed her eyes, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and trembled.
This is terrifying! Cen Sen is such a freak, absolutely terrifying! Ji Mingshu now feels that she knew absolutely nothing about this perverted Cen Sen before last night!
Abstinence, frigidity—that doesn't exist. Even this pervert's first time paying his dues after returning home wasn't as intense as last night.
Last night, after going into the bathroom, she thought it was over, but little did she know that the nightmare had only just begun. And this morning, as soon as she woke up, she was still being held down like an innocent fish on a chopping board, dying and coming back to life repeatedly.
She's currently in a state of utter despair, as if she'll never again dare to dream of braised pork ribs. She's filled with regret, deep, profound regret.
As she was lost in thought, a cool kiss landed on her forehead. She tensed up and dared not open her eyes.
Cen Sen didn't press her, but said in a low voice, "I'm going to the company. You're not feeling well, so don't go out today. What would you like to eat for lunch? Ask the housekeeper to make it for you. I'll cook for you when I get back tonight."
Ji Mingshu kept shaking her head with her eyes closed, her lower half of her face shamelessly huddled under the covers, her voice muffled, "I don't want you to do it."
"..."
He realized what was happening and almost laughed.
"Alright, I'll handle this myself. You should go now!"
Ji Mingshu started to shoo people away, then shrank her head even further under the covers.
Cen Sen didn't say anything more, helped her tuck her stray hairs behind her ears, and then got up and left.
As he closed the door, his gaze remained fixed on the curled-up shrimp by the bed, a tenderness in his eyes that he himself was unaware of.
“55, 56, 57, 58…”
Zhou Jiaheng watched the second hand of his watch move rhythmically, his obsessive-compulsive disorder causing him to suddenly stop counting only when the minute was up.
One hour and fifty-three minutes.
Well, the boss left home an hour and fifty-three minutes later than usual today.
He saw Cen Sen not far away, massaging his finger bones while slightly loosening his shoulders and neck, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.
As Cen Sen drew closer, he quickly got out of the car, respectfully opened the back door, and even reached out to shield Cen Sen from the roof, while greeting him, "Good morning, boss."
"morning."
Cen Sen was the kind of superior who never showed his emotions, but Zhou Jiaheng had been by his side for several years and knew him better than others.
For 360 out of 365 days a year, Cen Sen is cold-blooded and ruthless, but today his aura is gentle and his demeanor relaxed, clearly indicating he's in a good mood. Encountering a day like this is even rarer than suddenly being notified of a promotion and raise.
Zhou Jiaheng was quick-witted. After reporting on his work in the car, he laid out a long list of employee New Year's welfare arrangements, and then subtly mentioned his own deducted year-end bonus.
As expected, Cen Sen replied without even looking up, "The year-end bonus will still be paid. If you have anything else to say, just say it now."
Zhou Jiaheng was a little embarrassed, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, boss."