Cen Sen sat there with a calm expression, his gaze lingering on Yan Yuexing for less than three seconds before quickly shifting away, his emotions inscrutable.
Producer Yang’s heart sank. He hurriedly stood up to refill Cen Sen’s wine glass and quickly changed the subject, saying, “I wonder if President Cen visits Star City often? The crab at Yaoyue Tower is truly a local specialty here. You must try it when it’s served later!”
Although he wasn’t sure what he had said wrong, Producer Yang could tell that the sponsor daddy was displeased.
His heart pounding nervously, he placed all his hopes on the sponsor daddy’s magnanimity, praying he wouldn’t hold it against them. Of course, it would be even better if the sponsor daddy could simply let the matter slide by following his lead.
Unfortunately, Cen Sen didn’t take the bait. He stood up on his own and walked out without even uttering a word of apology.
Just as the waiter was bringing in the dishes, the spacious private room fell into an awkward silence. The main guest was walking out, while another was frantically chasing after him, calling out “President Cen! President Cen!” The remaining guests exchanged bewildered glances, and the atmosphere instantly turned bizarre.
“What happened? Why did he leave so suddenly?”
“No idea. It’s so strange.”
“He really didn’t give Old Yang any face…”
“Old Yang doesn’t have that much face anyway.”
Inside the private room, everyone whispered and speculated, while outside, the night breeze was chilly and sparse.
Zhou Jiaheng followed behind Cen Sen, helping him into his overcoat as they walked.
After putting it on, Cen Sen adjusted his collar slightly. From start to finish, he didn’t spare Producer Yang a single glance.
Panicking, Producer Yang didn’t dare grab Cen Sen, so he clung desperately to Zhou Jiaheng, demanding an explanation.
Having worked by Cen Sen’s side for a long time, Zhou Jiaheng remained composed in such situations. He easily pried Producer Yang’s fingers off and, before getting into the car, said coldly, “Producer Yang, it would be best if you refrained from gossiping.”
“…?”
Who was gossiping? Weren’t they just praising the two designers Junyi was promoting earlier?
Producer Yang was genuinely confused now. He could only watch helplessly as Cen Sen’s car reversed out of the parking spot and sped away down the main road, his mind filled with the thought, “It’s over, it’s over… Is the sponsorship going to fall through?”
In the car, without needing any instructions, Zhou Jiaheng quickly looked up Ji Mingshu’s whereabouts and reported them to Cen Sen one by one.
Cen Sen responded with a faint “Hmm,” his gaze fixed outside the window, seemingly in a bad mood.
He knew Ji Mingshu had many flaws, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed hearing others criticize his wife.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiaheng quickly took the initiative to admit his mistake. “I apologize, President Cen. It was my oversight.”
The fact that Cen Sen had deigned to attend the wrap party for the show was clearly because of Ji Mingshu.
Yet, as his personal assistant, he hadn’t even checked that Ji Mingshu had returned to the capital that afternoon. It was indeed a failure on his part.
Even worse, he had allowed those tactless people to discuss Ji Mingshu in front of Cen Sen, practically walking right into the line of fire…
“You won’t be receiving your year-end bonus this year.”
Cen Sen stared out the window without even lifting his eyes.
Zhou Jiaheng felt a pang of regret. Though he knew it was misplaced anger, he didn’t argue.
The sponsorship for Designer had already been allocated, and the show had finished filming. It was unrealistic to terminate the cooperation now over a momentary displeasure.
However, if anyone who had subtly criticized Ji Mingshu today ever appeared in Junyi’s investment projects again, he, as the chief assistant, might as well pack up and leave promptly.At this moment, his only prayer was that the show Designer could broadcast smoothly and not stir up any more trouble related to the CEO's wife.
Cen Sen's sudden departure had thrown the production team into a state of panic. Meanwhile, Ji Mingshu, having just finished her hot spring soak, only then saw the WeChat message sent by the staff.
She glanced at the time, replied with "Sorry, I'm not in Star City," and didn't bother with it further.
Her mind was now completely preoccupied with the matter of "how to outshine Li Wenyin tomorrow."
The feud between Ji Mingshu and Li Wenyin had been tangled up for over twenty years, and everyone in their social circle knew about it.
The root of their enmity could be traced back to the first grade of elementary school.
Back then, Ji Mingshu gave some candy she brought from abroad to an exceptionally handsome boy in her class. The boy accepted it but then gave it to Li Wenyin. Knowing the candy was from Ji Mingshu, Li Wenyin bit into it and flaunted it in front of her. Furious, Ji Mingshu ended up in a fight with her.
It seemed as if the magnetic fields between people were predestined. From the first grade onward, Ji Mingshu and Li Wenyin had never gotten along, and over the years, their grudges only deepened, leaving no possibility of reconciliation.
The following afternoon, the C-brand cocktail party was held at the Obe Art Center.
Only after looking at the invitation did Ji Mingshu realize that the key theme of this party was "casual." So, her original plan to outshine Li Wenyin with a glamorous haute couture gown was completely unsuitable here.
After much deliberation, she finally chose a burgundy knee-length strapless dress. It was neither overly formal nor overly casual, perfectly accentuating her delicate and well-proportioned figure. Paired with a pearl-white clutch, it was flawless!
But as luck would have it, Li Wenyin wore a pearl-white strapless jumpsuit today and carried a burgundy clutch.
She smiled gracefully as she held the arm of an investor, her every gesture exuding an overflowing aura of quiet refinement and intellect.
A circle of socialites, led by Ji Mingshu, gathered in the distance, scrutinizing her and exchanging critical remarks.
Someone jokingly remarked, "Mingshu, your outfits today are a bit like the red rose and the white rose, huh?"
Immediately, someone retorted, "The white rose? Is she even worthy?"
"Exactly, do you even know how to speak? Don’t you know her mother used to be Mingshu’s family’s nanny?"
"Really? I had no idea."
"Of course. It was only out of the Ji family’s kindness that they took in her and her mother. Yet, she’s been opposing Mingshu since childhood, not even considering her own status." The girl’s voice was gentle, but her words were laced with unmistakable sarcasm.
Standing beside Ji Mingshu, Jiang Chun thought to herself, "Holy crap," suddenly feeling as if Li Wenyin had taken on the role of a Cinderella rising from rags to riches, while their entire group had become the stereotypical mean girls.
It wasn’t just Jiang Chun who felt this way; Ji Mingshu had long harbored this thorn named "Li Wenyin" in her heart—a thorn that felt like the protagonist of a grand narrative.
Even after all these years, she hadn’t been able to pull out this thorn. It flared up from time to time, tormenting her to the point where she felt like cutting it out, flesh and bone.
Unlike Ji Mingshu and the other socialites, who had little to do and only enjoyed gossiping about others at parties, Li Wenyin had come to this cocktail party specifically to be introduced to a renowned film director. She hoped to invite him to serve as the executive producer for her screen debut, ensuring its success.
She had naturally noticed Ji Mingshu, but over the years, she had never paid her any mind. Her demeanor remained as aloof as ever, not even bothering to spare her a second glance.Li Wenyin's attitude clearly indicated she intended to ignore them. Ji Mingshu felt annoyed, but she couldn't just pick a fight without reason.
She drank a glass of red wine to calm her anger, then continued watching the stage performance with Jiang Chun as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Chun lowered her voice and asked, "Aren't you planning to confront her directly?"
Ji Mingshu: "How?"
Jiang Chun: "Didn't you come specifically to outshine her and warn her not to film that terrible movie? At the very least, you should have a scene where you exchange threats or throw red wine at her."
Ji Mingshu: "You've read too many novels, throwing red wine..."
Jiang Chun whispered while eating cake, sharing various winning strategies for battling love rivals with Ji Mingshu.
As a veteran novel reader herself, Ji Mingshu listened but grew increasingly uneasy. She felt that Jiang Chun's advice was the kind only foolish supporting female characters would follow—utterly tacky.
As Jiang Chun rambled on, she suddenly paused. "She's going to the restroom. Quick, follow her!"
She even gave Ji Mingshu a push as she spoke. "You can lock her in a stall with a broom or splash water on her!"
Are you crazy? What kind of occasion is this? How could there be a broom in the restroom?
Pushed to her feet, Ji Mingshu found herself heading toward the restroom, her mind wandering.
The restroom at the art center was also artistically designed.
If not for the clear female restroom sign at the entrance, pushing the door open might make one think they had mistakenly entered some high-end dressing room.
Ji Mingshu absentmindedly touched up her makeup at the sink, her eyes fixed on the mirror, fully focused on the movements behind her in the stalls.
After about three minutes, Li Wenyin finally emerged from a stall.
Seeing Ji Mingshu touching up her makeup at the sink, she paused slightly but didn't seem particularly surprised.
Ji Mingshu patted powder onto her face for the second time. As Li Wenyin walked to the sink beside her to wash her hands, Ji Mingshu casually remarked, "What a coincidence."
Li Wenyin chuckled softly without looking up. "I'd say it's not."
Ji Mingshu: "..."
After washing her hands, Li Wenyin pulled a tissue, wiping them while looking at Ji Mingshu in the mirror, her tone knowing. "After all these years, I never expected you to still be so childish."
"Who's childish?"
Ji Mingshu instantly switched to battle mode.
"Ji Mingshu, you have money and free time. Wouldn't it be better to do something meaningful? We're all adults now. Let's not play these childish games anymore."
Li Wenyin took out her lipstick again, calmly applying a light layer of color.
Ji Mingshu froze for three seconds, then suddenly laughed in anger, her voice rising more than a few notches. "We're both foxes from the same mountain—why are you performing a ghost story in front of me? Don't you know who's been stirring up trouble behind the scenes? You don't even know how to be a quiet, silent ex-girlfriend, yet you're pretending to be sophisticated and elegant in front of me?"
"You know I'm filming a movie?" Li Wenyin paused for a few seconds, then suddenly glanced at her. "Did Cen Sen tell you?"
What does this have to do with Cen Sen?
Seeing her expression, Li Wenyin suddenly chuckled lightly. "I guess Cen Sen definitely didn't tell you about Junyi investing in my movie. But since he doesn't mind, why do you care? You've liked him for so many years and even schemed to marry him as you wished. Haven't you won his heart yet?"
She had already finished tidying up and was ready to leave. As she passed by Ji Mingshu, she seemed to think of something else and whispered lightly in her ear, "How pitiful."That single word "pitiful," carrying the lingering resentment that had been etched into Ji Mingshu's heart since their student days, made her heart suddenly clench, as if she couldn't breathe.
Li Wenyin's high heels clicked away, fading into the distance.
Meanwhile, the psychological defenses Ji Mingshu had built up over days were easily shattered by Li Wenyin's indifferent remarks. Now, she could only brace herself against the sink, forcing herself to stand steady.
When Ji Mingshu's call came through, Cen Sen was playing golf with Jiang Che at his golf course. Besides the two of them, Shu Yang and Zhao Yang were also there.
All four were standing close together.
Seeing it was Ji Mingshu's call, Shu Yang teased with ill intent, "Oh, is little Shushu checking up on you?"
This was the first call from Ji Mingshu after days of tension. Ignoring him, Cen Sen answered directly.
For some reason, the phone malfunctioned—even though he hadn’t put it on speaker, the volume was loud enough for the three others nearby to hear.
Ji Mingshu’s voice on the other end trembled slightly, tinged with a hysteria she tried but failed to suppress.
"Do you remember what I told you? Do you remember what you promised me? What do you mean by investing in Li Wenyin’s film commemorating your love?! Do you want to humiliate me and show the whole world how ridiculous I am?!"
A few seconds later, her voice calmed slightly. "I have nothing left to say to you. When will you be back? Let’s get a divorce."
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