After that, Jiang Chun sent a long string of exaggerated words with exclamation marks, but Ji Mingshu didn’t take them in.
She stared at the chat interface, eyes unblinking, her thoughts trapped in a strange, repetitive loop—confirming her doubts, only to question them again.
Gu Kaiyang noticed her staring at her phone in a daze and waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”
Ji Mingshu looked up, stared at her for three seconds, and suddenly blurted out, “Cen Sen beat someone up so badly they ended up in the hospital because they were talking bad about me.”
“Cough! Cough, cough, cough!”
Gu Kaiyang hadn’t swallowed the porridge in her mouth yet and choked violently at Ji Mingshu’s words.
Seeing such a fantastical reaction, Ji Mingshu sobered up a little.
Hmm… there must be some misunderstanding. Maybe that little fatty had insulted Cen Sen as well. Someone like Cen Sen, who couldn’t even be bothered to open his mouth, would never resort to violence over a disagreement—especially not for her sake.
Although she tried to rationalize it this way in her mind, for the entire morning, Ji Mingshu couldn’t help but wallow in a subtle sense of pleasure.
The wealthy young ladies and wives of the socialite circle were the most well-informed and adept at reading the wind and adjusting their sails.
In the past few days, aside from the usual invitations from brand PRs, no one in the circle had invited Ji Mingshu to any events, big or small. Even if there were invitations, they were filled with malicious intent, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
But this morning, the “sisters” hadn’t stopped with their concerned inquiries and social invitations.
【Darling, I’m having a new product showcase at my store tomorrow. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Do you have time? I can send someone to pick you up, okay?】
—This message was from Fiona, the daughter of the chairman of Gande Group, which started in mineral mining.
Fiona studied jewelry design abroad for two years and returned to China to launch her own eponymous jewelry brand. Unfortunately, her talent was limited, and her designs were always filled with echoes of iconic pieces from major brands like Tiffany, Cartier, and VCA, yet priced exorbitantly.
Still, she was quite skilled at flattery, and Ji Mingshu, giving her face, had picked out a few passable pieces of jewelry from her store. But she never wore them—either regifting them or letting them gather dust in a drawer.
【Shushu, the final stop of my concert tour is back in the capital! This Saturday night at the Sports Center. I’ve reserved a VIP seat for you. You must come if you’re free. I miss you so much!】
—This message was from Echo, the youngest daughter of the Bai family, a musical dynasty.
Echo’s parents were both well-respected, having been nationally recognized singers who performed at state banquets in their youth. As they aged, they transitioned smoothly into politics.
Echo’s older siblings also followed the same prestigious path their parents had paved. But for some reason, Echo adopted the persona of a pianist. Though her skills were mediocre, she leveraged her family’s connections and resources to launch a world tour of piano performances.
…
There were many more messages like these. Even without reading them all, Ji Mingshu knew exactly what they contained.
After all, among ten socialites, five were independent fashion designers, while the other five were either jewelry designers, musicians, art exhibition organizers, or honorary heads of charitable foundations. Whether they were truly skilled or passionate was another matter—the main thing was that their titles sounded respectable and impressive.Normally, Ji Mingshu looked down on those who talked about art and design but were actually half-baked goldfish brains. Today, however, she suddenly rested her chin on her hand and reflected: No matter how incompetent they were, at least they were seriously managing their careers, which was much better than her being ambitious but doing nothing.
Thinking of something, she suddenly put down her phone, sat in front of the computer, and started typing seriously.
Around six in the afternoon, just as Ji Mingshu was about to get up from the computer to grab a yogurt from the fridge, the sound of the door lock turning suddenly came from the entrance.
She looked up and saw it was Gu Kaiyang.
"You’re off work so early today?"
Ji Mingshu was slightly surprised.
For a fashion magazine like Zero Degree, overtime was the norm. She had never seen Gu Kaiyang leave work at a normal hour before.
Gu Kaiyang didn’t respond. Instead, she acted mysteriously, changed her shoes at the door, and then swiftly scooted over to Ji Mingshu’s side, asking abruptly, "What are you doing?"
"I’m just organizing some of the design work I’ve done before," she said, eyeing Gu Kaiyang up and down, feeling something was off. "What’s wrong with you?"
Gu Kaiyang looked at her, unable to hide a secretive smile at the corner of her mouth. She suddenly pulled out an exquisite sky-blue velvet jewelry box from behind her back and shook it.
Ji Mingshu froze.
Gu Kaiyang placed the jewelry box on the table with great reverence, opened it solemnly, then stood up, clasped her hands neatly over her abdomen, and imitated Zhou Jiaheng’s tone, saying, "Miss Gu, Mr. Cen recently acquired a pink diamond ring—the vivid pink diamond that Mrs. Cen took a liking to last year. After recutting, its color grade has been upgraded to fancy vivid pink, and it has been resized to fit Mrs. Cen’s measurements. Please kindly pass it on."
Ji Mingshu stared at the oval-shaped pink diamond ring on the table, its facets sparkling brilliantly, unable to snap out of her daze.
After mimicking Zhou Jiaheng’s speech, Gu Kaiyang excitedly plopped down beside Ji Mingshu, chattering away, "You have no idea how nervous I was carrying this ring back! Thankfully, your husband’s assistant sent a car and bodyguards to escort me! Oh my god, I secretly looked it up in the car—this ring sold for 32 million! And that’s in dollars! Your husband is really showing sincerity this time!"
Ji Mingshu: "..."
She stared at the ring, unable to look away for a long time.
It was unclear what had happened to Gu Kaiyang during her shift, but her attitude had done a complete 180. She kept babbling in Ji Mingshu’s ear about how "Cen Sen is great, Cen Sen is wonderful, Cen Sen is absolutely amazing," almost to the point of packing Ji Mingshu’s things and sending her back to Mingshui Mansion with a couple of condoms as a bonus.
To be honest, Ji Mingshu had wavered for a second this morning when she received Jiang Chun’s tip-off.
Now, staring at the pink diamond, she wavered for another three seconds.
She took the ring out of the box and tried it on.
The evening sunlight was fading, leaving only a faint beam tinged with a drowsy glow, but the pink diamond shone brilliantly, every facet clear and sparkling. The small circle of surrounding diamonds also reflected dazzling light with the slight movement of her fingers.
Wuwuwu, it’s so beautiful!
This is the ring a princess should have!
Just like her beauty, it’s so stunning and breathtaking!!!Ji Mingshu was utterly captivated by her fondness for the ring, while Gu Kaiyang’s endless nagging seemed to pass through a sieve, completely ignored by her. Only when she finally heard the question, “When are you going back?” did she suddenly snap out of it, as if she had drunk a sobering soup.
—Going back because of a ring?
“Who said I’m going back?”
“Does he think he can just send me off with a lousy ring?”
“Last time I threw the divorce papers at him, he just gave me a bracelet to brush me off. Does he have any sincerity at all?!”
Gu Kaiyang: “This ring is way more expensive than that bracelet. I think it’s pretty sincere.”
Ji Mingshu took off the ring and examined it, suddenly reasoning things out on her own and concluding, “He probably didn’t do anything wrong last time, which is why he was so bold and just casually gave me a bracelet to brush me off. But now, giving me something this expensive must mean he’s feeling guilty, right? What a scumbag!”
Gu Kaiyang: “…?”
What kind of twisted logic is that? Respect.
Ji Mingshu’s wavering heart grew firm again. She put away the ring, tossed it into a small drawer without another glance, straightened her posture in front of the computer, and continued organizing her work.
Early the next morning, Junyi headquarters held its monthly executive meeting.
Cen Sen sat at the head of the table, dressed in a white shirt and suit, wearing a pair of light gold-rimmed glasses.
After the reports were finished, he didn’t even look up before saying coldly, “Manager Lan, I’m curious who promoted you to your current position. Your report was filled with vague terms like ‘should,’ ‘possibly,’ and ‘maybe.’ What use are you to Junyi? You might as well go through the training program again with the management trainees and start over.”
“And the entire marketing department—the proposals you’ve put forward for the past two months look like they were done by government employees relying on their tenure to slack off. Junyi is not a retirement home. If your brain has stopped working, go to HR and resign.”
…
When he criticized people, his voice was always cold and unfeeling. If it weren’t directed at oneself, one might even appreciate the rhythmic, deliberate beauty of his words.
Throughout the meeting, everyone was on edge, treading on thin ice. When it ended, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Cen Sen left immediately without lingering and returned to his office. Zhou Jiaheng stayed behind to help tidy up his laptop and documents.
Someone couldn’t help but ask Zhou Jiaheng, “Assistant Zhou, what’s been going on with President Cen these past few days? He seems a bit off.”
Usually, Cen Sen was aloof and distant, but his words and actions still gave off a sense of gentleness. Today, however, he was so cold it bordered on harshness. Even Manager Lan, widely regarded as a delicate flower at Junyi, had been singled out and publicly criticized without mercy.
Zhou Jiaheng smiled but didn’t respond.
Seeing that they couldn’t get any answers from him, the others weren’t surprised. They just shook their heads, sighed, and went back to work.
Although Zhou Jiaheng didn’t answer the question, he had his own grievances. After all, who else bore the brunt of the invisible resentment more than him, the personal assistant?
As soon as he left the meeting room, Zhou Jiaheng found a quiet corner and called his subordinate.
“Has the news been spread? Does Miss Jiang know about Junyi withdrawing its investment and the boss hitting someone?”
…
“It’s been spread? Then why hasn’t there been any reaction?”
…
“Has Madam gone out today? She didn’t return the ring, did she?”
…After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jiaheng felt even more uneasy, completely unable to understand why the young mistress was so difficult to appease this time. For a moment, his steps toward the CEO’s office grew heavier, and his mood felt as somber as attending a funeral.
Over the following week, Cen Sen sent four or five gifts to Ji Mingshu one after another.
Ji Mingshu accepted them all without hesitation but offered not a single word in response.
Zhou Jiaheng couldn’t help but subtly remind Cen Sen that this might not be enough sincerity—sending gifts frequently was fine, but wouldn’t it be better to show up in person… or at least make a phone call?
Yet Cen Sen only gave him a cold glance and took no action.
Zhou Jiaheng had no idea that during these late nights, Cen Sen would drive himself to Xinggang International, park across the street, and quietly watch the window that was sometimes pitch black and sometimes illuminated by a warm yellow light.
Each time he stopped there, he seemed to gain some clarity about certain matters. But deeper down, his subconscious resisted acknowledging or exposing the truth.
After all, he hadn’t felt this way about Ji Mingshu in the beginning.
During this week, Ji Mingshu meticulously organized her past works and compiled her academic qualifications and honors into a polished resume. She posted it online, offering interior design services as an independent designer.
But just as Gu Kaiyang had said, her design focus overlapped significantly with her social circle.
And within this social circle, without a personal referral, people typically only sought out more renowned designers to complete their projects.
She had been listed for a week, yet not a single inquiry had come her way.
Late at night, Ji Mingshu crouched in front of her computer, feeling disheartened.
Throughout the entire week, the urge to spend money had been itching beneath her skin, but she had resisted it all. Yet her bank balance was visibly dwindling day by day.
Thoughts like “Making money is so hard,” “Being an ordinary person is truly exhausting,” “I don’t want to work hard anymore, I’m just a beautiful little golden canary baby,” “Wah, the new Chanel bag is so pretty,” and “If that jerk Cen Sen calls, I’ll reluctantly forgive him” took turns assaulting her mind, leaving her utterly drained.
Gu Kaiyang was exhausted from work and had fallen asleep as soon as she returned. After sitting in front of the computer for a while, Ji Mingshu suddenly stood up, tucked her access card and phone into her pocket, and quietly slipped out.
In the past, Ji Mingshu had rarely set foot in convenience stores, but recently she had become quite familiar with them, even exchanging smiles with the familiar cashier.
She bought a small cup of vegetable oden and a salted egg yolk ice cream, then sat on a stone bench by the roadside, nibbling on her solitary snack while enjoying the night breeze.
Warm yellow light from the streetlamps filtered through the tree branches, casting gentle pools of illumination on the ground. After finishing the last piece of spinach, she unwrapped the ice cream and took small, intermittent bites. Suddenly, she found herself missing Cen Sen.
It had only been a little over ten days, yet it felt longer than the two years he had spent in Australia.
She didn’t know why she was thinking of him—he was always so cold, only coaxing her with sweet gestures when he wanted to sleep with her, and he even criticized her designs, telling her to kowtow all the way to the Potala Palace.
But she couldn’t help thinking of him anyway.
Halfway through the ice cream, Ji Mingshu began to feel cold. Yet it seemed wasteful not to finish the remaining half. She stood up, deciding to go home to finish it—at least she wouldn’t have to endure the chilly wind.But the moment she stood up, she seemed to sense something and instinctively looked across the street, her heart unexpectedly pounding fiercely.
Before she could search for anything, a series of messages suddenly came through on WeChat, from the Chinese designer Chris Chou, whom she hadn’t been in contact with for a long time.
Chris Chou: "Shu, I wonder if you’re available lately?"
Chris Chou: "I’m coming to the capital for a show. The Milan runway you designed for me is the most inspired and fitting stage I’ve seen in recent years, perfectly aligned with my work. I hope we have the chance to collaborate again."
Chris Chou: "Here’s the relevant information for this show. Looking forward to your reply soon."
Ji Mingshu’s spirits lifted, and she opened the attachment Chris Chou had sent.
She hadn’t even looked closely at the other details yet, but her eyes locked onto the venue for the grand show, and her vision suddenly went dark for a moment.
Seriously?
Junyi Splendor?
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