As mealtime approached, Cen Sen had Zhou Jiaheng book a nearby restaurant.
Ji Mingshu wasn’t particularly keen on going. Her appetite always suffered whenever she dined out with Cen Sen.
Cen Sen disliked talking while eating, and though he appeared to eat slowly and methodically, he actually finished his meals quite quickly. After eating, he would just sit there across from you, occasionally glancing at his watch—like a proctor during exams standing in front of you, saying, “Just write whatever, hurry up and hand it in, five minutes left, three minutes left, one last minute.” Who could stand that?
But after the recent misunderstanding and having accepted the bribe of the bracelet, she couldn’t very well embarrass her cheap husband. So she pretended to agree cheerfully.
Cen Sen still had a bit of work left to finish, and Ji Mingshu, unusually generous, expressed understanding. “Go ahead, it’s fine. I can wander around this floor on my own.”
Cen Sen said, “Then let Zhou Jiaheng accompany you. If anything comes up, you can always ask him.”
Ji Mingshu gave an “okay” sign and glanced past Cen Sen at the desk. The divorce agreement that had fallen on his head was lying quietly on the surface.
She slipped over to the desk first, casually pulled it out, hid it behind her back, and then lightly and quickly left the office.
Thankfully, when she had thrown it down, Cen Sen hadn’t even glanced at the paper. Even without studying law, she could tell how informal and flimsy this downloaded divorce agreement was. If Cen Sen saw it, who knew how he’d mock her for it.
Across from Cen Sen’s office was the Chief Assistant Office. The office had walls on two sides, with the other two sides designed with circular glass for transparency. All workstations inside faced the CEO’s office.
As soon as Ji Mingshu stepped out, several assistants in the Chief Assistant Office noticed her immediately and, with perfect synchronization, stood up and nodded to her.
Ji Mingshu paused briefly, then turned to ask Zhou Jiaheng, “Are these all Assistant Cen’s assistants?”
She counted silently—nine in total. Including Zhou Jiaheng, that made ten. Did one person really need so many assistants? Was he incapable of taking care of himself?
“Yes,” Zhou Jiaheng nodded.
He led Ji Mingshu inside and introduced them one by one. “These two are Assistant Cen’s translation assistants. Assistant Luo is fluent in four languages, and Assistant Wang graduated from the Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation. Assistant Li is mainly responsible for Assistant Cen’s coordination with the overseas departments of the group. Assistant Huang currently handles Assistant Cen’s coordination with the group’s internal departments and Jingjian…”
“…”
“The division of labor is really detailed.”
Ji Mingshu had no work experience and didn’t fully understand the specific functions he mentioned. She was almost overwhelmed by the details. After listening, she pretended to understand and commented, “It’s detailed,” then added, “Please carry on with your work, don’t mind me. Everyone… work hard.”
The assistants bowed in unison again.
Ji Mingshu almost thought they were about to collectively shout, “We serve the CEO!” and instinctively took a small step back.
Come to think of it, as the CEO’s wife, she had visited their hotels many times, but this was her first time setting foot in the headquarters.
When it was time for the meal, she and Cen Sen walked out arm in arm, affectionately, under the gaze of the employees, leaving the group building.
At the same time, gossip began to spread within the group.
“The CEO’s wife is quite pretty.”
“Quite??? I disagree with your choice of words!”
“As someone observant, I noticed the CEO’s wife had an extra diamond bracelet on her wrist when she came down. Hehe.”"Girl, you're truly a savage."
"Sis, with your meticulous attention to detail, why not come work for our cleaning service and wipe some dust?"
"Marital affection verified."
While Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen's plastic couple facade was restored as if nothing had happened, Zhang Baoshu found herself in deep trouble due to the exposure.
"Please believe me, this is really just a misunderstanding. I don't know why it suddenly..."
Zhang Qi impatiently cut her off, "Stop fucking pretending with me. Can't you weigh your own worth? How dare you play me! I'm telling you, if you dare show your face in front of me one more time, I'll fucking end you!"
"I..."
Before Zhang Baoshu could say anything more, Zhang Qi hung up the phone.
She held her phone, lips pale, sitting on the sofa trembling all over.
In truth, it had all started with a momentary lapse in judgment—she wanted to use her relationship with Zhang Qi to promote the persona of a low-key wealthy socialite with a boyfriend from a powerful background.
She thought that with so many news stories out there, plus their fleeting connection, Zhang Qi wouldn't bother her over an ambiguous article.
Little did she expect that on the night they first met at a business dinner, a reporter who had inside information about the venue went to stake out another actress originally scheduled to attend. That actress never showed up, but the reporter incidentally captured photos of her and Cen Sen instead.
Seizing the opportunity, she had the reporter replace the photos in the article with those of Cen Sen, keeping the text and video unchanged.
This way, she could later hire people to stir up speculation, creating deep-dive posts exposing that the photos in the exposé weren't of Zhang Qi but of the even more influential Jingjian heir.
She figured that even if Cen Sen came after her, she could feign ignorance and distance herself, claiming it was the reporter's mistake and that she was actually involved with Zhang Qi.
But she never expected that Cen Sen wouldn't even bother confronting her directly. Instead, he went after Zhang Qi, cutting off their business collaboration, which in turn led Zhang Qi to come after her.
Her mind went blank, filled with both confusion and panic.
At noon, the French restaurant near the CBD was sparsely populated. Gentle notes floated in the air as waiters moved silently back and forth.
Today's main courses were French-style roasted veal and sautéed mushrooms. After the waiter left, Ji Mingshu repeated her earlier question, "Then why were you smiling at her?"
Earlier in the office, she had been momentarily distracted and forgot the details. But now at the restaurant, as she ate, she suddenly remembered the rare smile on Cen Sen's face in the photo.
It was strange—he always wore a cold expression in front of his own wife, not even showing a tender smile after intimacy, yet he seemed quite cheerful in front of that nobody.
The thought alone ruined her appetite. After much deliberation, she finally asked.
Cen Sen swirled his wine glass and gave her a deep look. "I wasn't smiling at her."
Then was he smiling at a fairy?
This dog of a man spoke in half-sentences and went back to eating without any further explanation. Ji Mingshu was utterly confused and couldn't help but pull up the secretly taken photo again to examine it.
In the photo where he was smiling, Cen Sen's gaze seemed to be directed downward.
She traced his line of sight in her mind, landing on Zhang Baoshu's handbag.
This bag...
Even Cen Sen, who paid little attention to women's fashion, could recognize it at a glance. How could Ji Mingshu, who had been immersed in luxury brands since childhood, be less perceptive than him?She immediately recalled her glorious achievements: covering Cen Sen's head with her bag, giving him a good beating, and threatening to kill him, that pervert.
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 faintly and didn't respond.
As usual, this meal was another agonizing experience, like having an invigilator sitting right in front of you, urging you to hand in your exam paper.
Just as Ji Mingshu couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to tell Cen Sen to gouge out his own eyes and stop staring at her while she ate, Cen Sen suddenly asked, "Jiang Che and Zhao Yang are returning to the capital in a couple of days. We're gathering at Heyong Club. Are you coming?"
Ji Mingshu looked up. "Why would I go?"
"Suit yourself."
"..."
"Is that any way to invite someone? 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 even a little miffed.
Cen Sen rubbed his brow, once again feeling a severe communication barrier with this wife of his whose brain seemed to have short-circuited.
He didn't say more, simply stating, "I'll send someone to pick you up then."
Jiang Che, Zhao Yang, and Shu Yang were all boys around the same age as Cen Sen from the same compound. After Cen Sen returned to Nanqiao Hutong, they gradually started playing together and later attended school together. They could be considered childhood friends with over a decade or two of friendship.
Ji Mingshu naturally knew them too. However, since she had led her little gang in ostracizing Cen Sen since childhood, she didn't have much goodwill toward the group he hung out with either. Whenever they met at school, she would treat them all with cold snorts, eye-rolls, and the sound of popping gum bubbles.
Of course, this was just Ji Mingshu's one-sided dislike. The boys were all older than her and saw her as a spoiled little sister, sometimes even teasing her for fun.
But back when Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen suddenly announced their engagement, these childhood friends were utterly shocked. They admired their brother's boldness, fearlessness, and deep pockets for daring to marry such a girl, and they even felt a hint of sympathy for him.
In the "Nanke Yimeng" private room at Heyong Club, a warm yellow square lamp cast a slanted glow behind a partially obscured screen. Jiang Che lit a cigarette, its crimson ember a thin, flickering line.
After lighting it, he slid the cigarette case toward Cen Sen, who didn't take one.
Zhao Yang, now a respectable doctor, usually didn't smoke this stuff.
Shu Yang, however, gestured with his chin toward his newly acquired girlfriend, signaling her to fetch one for him.
Zhao Yang and Shu Yang were always the more boisterous ones, especially Shu Yang. When out, he usually liked to call a few hostesses to liven things up. Today, he only refrained because he heard Ji Mingshu was coming. Otherwise, Miss Ji would probably douse him with wine again, scold him for lowering her standards, and even berate him for not being worthy of sharing the same character "shū" (meaning comfort or ease) in their names.
Cen Sen was someone who preferred quiet and couldn't handle overly rowdy situations. He usually communicated more with Jiang Che.
Moreover, the two had jointly invested in financial projects, so when they got together, they mostly talked about work.
Right now, the group was sitting around a square table, playing cards and chatting. As soon as Cen Sen and Jiang Che opened their mouths, it was all financial jargon, which Shu Yang found extremely tiresome to listen to.
Shu Yang said, "I'm telling you two, can we not talk about all those miscellaneous projects of yours when we finally get together?""Especially you, Sen-ge. No matter how much money you make, won't it all just be spent by that woman Ji Mingshu? Let me tell you, she'll spend every penny you have and never think it's enough. Are you really expecting her to be frugal and save money for you to enrich the next few generations? I advise you not to work so hard. In this life, you should treat yourself better, okay?"
Zhao Yang glanced at the time and casually asked Cen Sen, "Sen-ge, why hasn't your wife arrived yet?"
Before Cen Sen could respond, Shu Yang answered for him, "Do you even need to ask? How could Miss Ji leave the house without spending three to five hours grooming herself?"
Zhao Yang and Jiang Che both chuckled softly, silently agreeing with his answer.
Shu Yang, having had a bit to drink and feeling a bit tipsy, continued his grand speech, "Sen-ge, do you know what this is called? This is called earning the most money to raise the most expensive golden canary!"
"I'm more economical. I don't need to earn much money. What's the point of raising some little bird or vase? Ordinary is fine. I can change one every day and not repeat for years!"
He grew prouder as he spoke, his mouth running nonstop.
Cen Sen, holding playing cards in his hand, inadvertently caught sight of the sparkling high heels behind the screen and glanced up at Shu Yang.
Jiang Che also flicked his cigarette ash, cleared his throat lightly, and picked up the glass of iced whiskey on the table.
But Shu Yang failed to grasp their hints and continued merrily stepping on every landmine buried underground. "Oh right, Sen-ge, Li Wenyin has finished her studies. She'll probably be returning to the country soon. Did you know?"
Jiang Che had only been pretending to cough earlier, but this time he was genuinely choked.
Zhao Yang had already sensed the dangerous atmosphere in the air.
"To be honest, Li Wenyin is quite beautiful too, and that artistic aura of hers is really somewhat special. Besides, she works in the arts—she's not extravagant!"
As he spoke, he suddenly felt something was off. This unease came from the hairs on his back standing straight up on their own.
After pausing for about two seconds, his tone suddenly rose, "But! Men earn money for women to spend. Just like Sen-ge—I really envy Sen-ge. He has a woman who knows how to spend money to help him spend it!"
"With Xiao Shu's excellent taste, great figure, and stunning looks, can you find a second one like her in all of Beijing? She's one of a kind in the entire capital! Bringing her out is such a face! Isn't this the value of a man's existence? Tell me, how did Sen-ge get so lucky to marry such a fairy-like wife?!"
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