"Why do you always tease her? She's much more interesting than your circle of plastic friends."
After Jiang Chun left, Gu Kaiyang fiddled with her straw, glancing sideways at Ji Mingshu.
Ji Mingshu said idly, "Exactly because she's interesting. Don't you think she looks just like a penguin? So adorable."
Gu Kaiyang paused, not even knowing where to begin rolling her eyes.
After teasing Jiang Chun and enjoying a full-body spa, Ji Mingshu's mood had improved considerably compared to when she was soaking in the hot springs.
Unlike how she had casually boasted to Jiang Chun earlier, Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen actually had very little contact. Whether at home or abroad, neither of them took the initiative to reach out to the other, let alone talk about spending evenings together. Even meeting at home usually depended on chance.
Cen Sen's offense early in the morning made Ji Mingshu want to avoid even that bit of chance.
She didn't return to Mingshui Mansion all weekend, instead enjoying her freedom in her downtown apartment while revising her design drafts.
She had to admit that Cen Sen's mockery had struck a blow to her self-esteem. As she repeatedly reviewed her drafts and photos from the Zero Degree banquet, she suddenly felt grateful that interior designers usually remained anonymous on such occasions.
Cen Sen didn't return to Mingshui Mansion either. Having just returned to the country, social engagements came one after another. Moreover, the drama at the company had only just begun—how could the lead actor leave the stage early?
On Monday, following Cen Sen's transfer notice about taking over the group, Junyi employees received another bombshell.
The internal network unexpectedly announced personnel changes involving dozens of senior executives, including Huang Peng—the current general manager who, on the day Cen Sen returned to the company, hadn't shown up himself but sent his secretary to deliver a warning.
To put it simply, these so-called personnel changes meant termination.
Outside the 68th-floor CEO's office, a row of black-suited bodyguards stood early in the morning.
Today's spectacle at Junyi—
Several senior executives stormed into the CEO's office in a rage to demand explanations, only to be dragged out by bodyguards and sent into the elevator without mercy.
Some executives seemed to lose their minds. After being dragged out, they completely disregarded their usual dignified images, cursing and making scenes floor by floor in front of employees—a truly ugly display.
People are strange creatures who don't learn until they feel the pain themselves. If any of the Southern Cen family parasites from years ago still lingered in the company, they wouldn't have found today's scene unusual at all.
To make a comparison, Cen Sen's approach today was actually somewhat gentle. Last time, he had directly ordered bodyguards to throw people out of the group building.
The last to grace the CEO's office was Huang Peng.
At first glance, the name Huang Peng might seem round and rugged, but the man himself was slender with gentle features, and his attire was quite stylish.
Approaching sixty, he maintained himself so well he looked like a handsome uncle in his prime, just over forty—perfectly matching praises like "elegant and refined."
One could imagine that if he weren't so meticulous about his appearance and didn't enjoy discussing life and philosophy before bed, young women in their twenties wouldn't have clung to him like Xi Bao, preferring the father over the son.
"Uncle Huang, please have a seat."
Cen Sen politely invited him to sit, but Huang Peng found it difficult to maintain his usual composed demeanor of having everything under control.
Standing straight, his voice carried an unstoppable coldness, "I wouldn't dare. I'm afraid I can't claim such an uncle-nephew relationship with President Cen.""Uncle Huang, you're too kind." Cen Sen leaned back slightly against the chair, getting straight to the point. "If it weren't for your sake, why would I bother with Xiaofeng? Xiaofeng has been getting a bit reckless lately. Honestly, I think a little lesson would do him good."
Some things had been in preparation for too long, and he no longer wanted to beat around the bush.
Hearing this, Huang Peng's pupils suddenly contracted.
Huang Zifeng was Huang Peng's only son. Since childhood, he had been a troublemaker—good at nothing, skilled in every vice. At eighteen, he even competed with his own father over a woman, turning a family scandal into a public spectacle.
Unfortunately, the young woman preferred the mature and steady type. She discarded him like trash, determined to stay with Huang Peng.
Because of this, the already strained father-son relationship worsened further. In recent years, Huang Zifeng had been indulging more and more recklessly outside, to the point where calling him a social parasite with every vice imaginable would not be an exaggeration.
"What have you done to Xiaofeng?"
Huang Peng's voice lowered, the tension in his words unmistakable.
He had always been harsh with this good-for-nothing son, either beating or scolding him. But after all, he was the only heir to carry on the Huang family line. If not for Huang Peng's overt discipline and covert indulgence, Huang Zifeng would never have been spoiled into the useless waste he was today.
Cen Sen clasped his hands together and spoke slowly, "A few days ago, I happened to be in Star City and ran into Xiaofeng. He and his friends had gone too far and got detained by the police. I've already spoken to the authorities, so there's no need for you to worry, Uncle Huang."
These past few days, busy dealing with the major moves of the Cen father and son, Huang Peng hadn't had time to keep track of where Huang Zifeng was wandering. Thinking back carefully now, he realized he hadn't heard from Huang Zifeng in about a week.
Huang Peng knew exactly what his own son was like. Last year, when three men and three women were caught in an unsightly drug-fueled mess, he had gone to great lengths to get him out. This time, being detained for so long without any news, it was clear Cen Forest had come prepared.
The air inexplicably fell into silence at that moment.
Huang Peng's tense expression eased slightly, and his attitude suddenly softened. First, he offered thanks, then began to reminisce about past ties.
"Speaking of which, you and Xiaofeng are practically brothers. Back when he was in high school, he talked about 'Brother Sen' every day. Time flies—it's been so many years. He's not like you; he's just not cut out for anything."
As he spoke, he shook his head to himself.
Unfortunately, Cen Sen's expression remained indifferent, as if he hadn't heard. He opened a file beside him, removed the cap from a pen, and pushed both forward.
"Retirement is a good thing. Uncle Huang will have more time to discipline Xiaofeng properly from now on."
Today, he wore only a tailored dark shirt. As he adjusted his collar, the silver square cufflinks on his wrist were faintly visible. Like the newly added black, white, and gray metallic elements in the office, they made him appear cold and detached.
The outcome of this confrontation had long been decided.
Seeing that Cen Sen was completely unmoved by emotional appeals, Huang Peng's softened expression froze on his face, gradually stiffened, and then slowly faded away.
After a long silence, Huang Peng finally took a step forward.
He stared straight at Cen Sen, picking up the pen slowly, refusing to bend his waist. When he signed at the end of the document, he didn't even glance at it.
Cen Sen didn't avoid his gaze either. After Zhou Jiaheng confirmed the signature, he said coldly, "Don't worry, Uncle Huang. I've reserved a table for Xiaofeng at Lanlou as a welcome-back gesture. If you head over now, the timing should be just right. I have too much to handle at the company, so I won't be joining."Huang Peng's forehead faintly bulged with veins, and the corners of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly twice before he left the office without a word.
Although he never bent his back from start to finish, his retreating figure seemed less upright than when he had entered.
After he had gone far enough, Zhou Jiaheng stepped forward and reported to Cen Sen as if nothing had just happened, "President Cen, Jinsheng has agreed to transfer the land in the northern part of Star City, and Chairman Lu has lowered the price by five percentage points. I have already prepared gifts and sent someone to deliver them to Jinsheng. The legal department is processing the contract, and we expect to sign it this week."
Cen Sen nodded.
"This is the adjusted schedule for this week. Please take a look." Zhou Jiaheng handed over the tablet. "Also, Nanqiao Hutong called and asked you and your wife to come over for dinner tonight."
Cen Sen looked at the tablet and nodded again.
As if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Is my wife at home?"
Zhou Jiaheng kept his eyes downcast, "She’s at Baicui Tianhua."
Baicui Tianhua was a famous serviced apartment hotel in the capital. In a city where land was as precious as gold, exorbitant housing prices were nothing unusual. What made Baicui Tianhua widely known was the exclusive community culture it had cultivated.
From the moment it opened, rumors circulated that Baicui Tianhua had strict qualification reviews for buyers and had rejected multiple purchase requests from celebrities.
Whether this was true or just a marketing strategy was hard to verify, but now, it had indeed successfully become a gathering place for blockchain tycoons.
Ji Mingshu’s apartment here was a wedding gift from her uncle, Ji Rusong, occupying an entire floor on the top level of Baicui Tianhua.
One side featured a nearly twenty-meter-long curved panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, while the other side boasted a spacious balcony like a floating pavilion, offering an unobstructed view of the southern scenery of the capital.
Ji Mingshu had filled the balcony with many flowers, plants, and small trees. Despite being a hothouse flower who didn’t even know how to take care of herself, the plants she nurtured grew wildly, creating the vibrant and extravagant atmosphere of an exotic garden.
When Cen Sen arrived downstairs, Ji Mingshu had just finished revising a design drawing to her satisfaction.
She held the drawing and admired it repeatedly, almost wanting to call Gu Kaiyang to demand they immediately host another banquet, drag Cen Sen to the scene, and force him to open his eyes and see just how astonishingly brilliant and masterful Miss Ji’s true skills were.
After admiring it a hundred and eighty times, Ji Mingshu finally stood up contentedly, stretched lazily, and stepped over the messy floor to fill the bathtub.
Living alone meant she didn’t have to follow strict rules, so she had deliberately placed the bathtub in the sunroom.
Once the water was ready, she casually turned on some music, closed the curtains facing the window, and immersed herself completely in the warm water.
Downstairs, Cen Sen called Ji Mingshu twice. The calls went through, but no one answered.
When he went upstairs, he patiently rang the doorbell for a full minute, but there was no response from inside. Only then did he swipe his card to open the door.
The strange thing was that the soundproofing of the apartment was too good. Outside, it was completely silent, but as soon as the door opened, deafening heavy metal music blasted out.
Standing at the doorway, for a moment, Cen Sen thought that Miss Ji Mingshu, unwilling to endure loneliness even in broad daylight, had invited a bunch of low-intelligence creatures over for a party.
But as he took in the chaotic yet empty room, he heard, mixed with the music, the frenzied, impassioned vocals of a female rapper:"Hey boy, look at me!"
"..."
Cen Sen turned toward the voice and saw Ji Mingshu sitting in the middle of a pool full of bubbles, holding a megaphone in one hand and raising the other high, making a yoyo gesture and occasionally thrusting it upward.
"Ji Mingshu is a fairy!"
"Fairy! Fairy!"
"A fairy who captivates the world!"
"Fairy! Fairy!"
Though not a single line kept up with the rhythm, she was quite good at hyping up the atmosphere. After singing each line herself, she vividly mimicked the audience's enthusiastic responses.
Cen Sen was forced to endure this for thirty seconds.
Just when he thought this deadly, passionate rap had finally come to an end, rapper Ji used her creative prowess to show him that it was only the beginning.
"Ji Mingshu is a fairy!"
"Fairy! Fairy!"
"A fairy who makes you bow at her feet!"
"Fairy! Fairy!"
"A fairy you can't sleep with!"
"Fairy! Fairy!"
"Your orientation sniper! Sniper! Skr~!"
With a "skr" accompanied by a perfect aiming-and-shooting gesture, she concluded her performance. Yet, at that very moment, the air fell into dead silence.
Through the glass of the sunroom, Ji Mingshu seemed to see a cold line written on Cen Sen's face: Oh, but I did sleep with her.
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