The capital grew colder with each passing day. On the morning of the "De-stress Day" appreciation salon hosted by Zero Degree, Gu Kaiyang woke up at five o'clock.
She moved quietly while washing up and doing her makeup, but still managed to wake Ji Mingshu.
Ji Mingshu sat up drowsily in bed, wrapped tightly in her soft blanket, watching Gu Kaiyang leave with longing eyes full of envy.
Was Ji Mingshu truly uninterested in all kinds of parties and salons?
No, not at all! A party animal never tires of social events!
But she didn't want to be laughed at, did she?
In the dim light of dawn, Ji Mingshu couldn't help but recall the glorious days when she, as the capital's top socialite, dominated every social occasion.
After feeling sorry for herself for thirty seconds, she lay back down, barely managing to think of a few benefits of staying home before falling asleep again.
At nine o'clock, there was a faint sound of a keycard at the door, and someone entered.
Ji Mingshu didn't wake up, unconsciously turning over in her sleep. Her pale lips smacked lightly as if dreaming of being surrounded by braised pork ribs.
The apartment living room was cramped, and the visitor reached the center of the room in just a few steps. He glanced up at the second floor and, through the gaps in the wooden railing, caught a glimpse of Ji Mingshu's sleeping face with her eyes closed.
His footsteps were light as he slowly ascended the wooden stairs.
Ji Mingshu was sound asleep but not entirely without a sense of danger. Just as the visitor sat by the bed and reached out to smooth her stray hair—
Like in a martial arts film where the villain tries to stab someone in their sleep, but the person always miraculously "resurrects" the moment the villain brandishes the knife, she suddenly opened her eyes.
What met her gaze was a cold, handsome face she hadn't seen in days but had thought of constantly.
Ji Mingshu stared for three seconds, rubbed her eyes, mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep, and turned to face the other side.
About half a minute later, she suddenly turned back, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the visitor. She even reached out a finger and poked his Adam's apple.
Cen Sen.
Alive.
"What are you doing here?"
She was still lying flat on the bed, her voice soft and slightly hoarse from just waking up.
Cen Sen lowered his gaze, noticing her exposed forearm. Remembering the bikini photos she had sent him for four or five consecutive days, his eyes darkened. "Zero Degree is hosting an event today. I came to pick you up to attend together."
Ji Mingshu hadn't fully processed the situation yet and responded with a dazed "Oh," using her elbows to try to sit up.
Cen Sen reached out in time to help prop up her pillow.
She shifted back and leaned softly against the headboard, staring blankly at Cen Sen, completely out of sorts.
Cen Sen had intended to tidy her hair, but he had no idea how she had slept at night. Her hair was a messy, fluffy mess, and combined with her dazed expression, she looked like a complete little madwoman.
Unaware of this, she regained some alertness and, mindful of her appearance, gestured for Cen Sen to move away a bit. "I haven't brushed my teeth yet. Don't get so close to me."
"..."
Cen Sen stood up as requested but continued watching her.
Truthfully, he had always thought Ji Mingshu looked better without makeup. Her facial features were smooth, her skin fair and delicate. Without makeup, she appeared fresh and natural, with a rare touch of innocent youthfulness.
But Ji Mingshu, noticing him staring at her, thought she might have drooled in her sleep due to poor sleeping posture and instinctively touched the corner of her mouth.Cen Sen paused briefly, finally glancing away to check the time. "Are you getting up now? The stylist is already downstairs."
Stylist?
Ji Mingshu’s brain rebooted completely, finally connecting with the signal Cen Sen had sent earlier—he was here to take her to the "Stress Relief Day" appreciation salon for Zero Degree.
Truly, if you live long enough, you can witness anything.
Cen Sen was the type of cold, pragmatic workaholic who intensely disliked useless socializing. In her memory, he had only attended a few events with her right after they got married, and those were all elite, high-profile gatherings filled with politicians, businesspeople, and celebrities—the kind where bringing your legitimate spouse was a must. They were rigid, heavily rule-bound, and had a strong sense of purpose.
The Zero Degree salon, on the other hand, was clearly a casual, fun-oriented affair. Without even thinking, she knew the attendees would be idle socialites from the circle, celebrities there for staged photoshoots, press releases, or promotional appearances, and some influencers looking to boost their clout by freeloading at events.
So why was he going? Didn’t he realize that a traditional, domineering CEO like him, who casually talked in billions, was completely out of place in such a youthful, trendy setting?
Seeing her silent, Cen Sen asked again, "Or do you need to sleep a little longer?"
Ji Mingshu shook her head, simultaneously shaking off all those off-topic thoughts she’d just had.
Why should she care whether Cen Sen attended the salon or not? Right now, she was still in a one-sided cold war with him—her attitude shouldn’t be this warm and friendly!
Her expression instantly shifted. Clutching her little blanket, she glared at him coldly. "You still haven’t answered why you’re here. Did Gu Kaiyang give you the key card? Did you two scheme together? How shameless!"
He hadn’t shown his face for over half a month, only sending a few perfunctory WeChat messages to check in. Now, with the New Year approaching and some free time, he’d conspired with her best friend to come and make nice. Who knew if it was just to coax her back so he could deal with the Cen family? And here he was, acting like nothing had happened early in the morning, thinking everyone had amnesia and would play along with his performance of normalcy? Not even a chimney!
And that traitorous, plastic sister Gu Kaiyang—fine, she’d deal with her later.
But just as she had mustered enough spirit to prepare for battle, Cen Sen sat down on the edge of the bed again. Tilting his head slightly, he looked at her and suddenly said, "I’m sorry, Mingshu."
The air fell silent for a moment.
"There are many things where I didn’t consider your feelings—the show, the movie, and the hurtful words during our arguments."
"I can’t promise that I’ll change my ways overnight, but I can promise you this: from now on, when handling matters related to you, I will always prioritize your feelings."
He spoke with great calm and sincerity.
Ji Mingshu couldn’t help but be stunned.
She had known Cen Sen for nearly twenty years, and this was the first time she had heard a somewhat genuine apology from him.
The apology came too suddenly; she didn’t know how to respond at that moment. She could only clutch her little blanket, staring at him without blinking.
Cen Sen reached out to tidy a stray strand of her hair, leaning in slightly as he did so. The distance between them closed in an instant, so close she could almost feel his breath.
Ji Mingshu reflexively blushed from the tips of her ears, her heartbeat quickening despite herself.
Cen Sen studied her up close, then suddenly pressed a kiss to her lips.The kiss was brief, devoid of desire, and carried a rare tenderness. Even his voice seemed to grow low and gentle as he said, "Mingshu, come home with me."
Who could resist this?!
Sweet bubbles were already bursting wildly in Ji Mingshu’s heart. The little golden canary sitting obediently in the center of those bubbles was also nodding frantically like a bird pecking at rice.
But her subconscious kept reminding her: Stay steady, don’t crumble! The outcome of her future family status depended on this moment!!!
"I already said I haven’t brushed my teeth!"
She pretended to wipe her mouth, lowered her lashes, and muttered softly, "If... if you’d had this awareness earlier, I’m not an unreasonable person either."
Cen Sen patiently responded with an "Mm."
Her heart was beating so fast she nearly tore the sheet in that spot, yet she couldn’t stop herself from clutching it tighter.
"Well... since you’ve apologized and promised so sincerely, it’s not impossible for me to go back. But you said it yourself—you’ll treat me well from now on. If you don’t treat me well or embarrass me, I’ll really..." The word "divorce" stuck in her throat; she didn’t want to say it. "Just you wait and see."
Cen Sen "Mm"-ed again, then continued, "During the half-month you were away, I had someone renovate the walk-in closet at Mingshui. I added a staircase and an elevator to the third floor within the existing closet. The four guest rooms on the left side upstairs have been converted into your new walk-in closets. The housekeeper helped reorganize everything by brand and season. The brands you like also came to the house and restocked the latest styles in your size."
"I also had Zhou Jiaheng contact the haute couture ateliers, but they said it would be better if you went in person for measurements and tailoring."
"..."
Ji Mingshu was speechless for a long moment.
After a thoughtful pause, Cen Sen remembered something else. "I recall you mentioned before that the family yacht was a bit small. I ordered an Azimut 60 for you. I originally wanted a 100-footer, but docking a 100-footer can be troublesome. This one should be enough for your summer sea parties."
"..."
Had he suddenly been enlightened by Buddha?
Ji Mingshu was stuck in shock over "this dog of a man actually took the initiative to spoil her," unable to snap out of it for the longest time.
Just then, Cen Sen’s phone vibrated.
It was a message from Zhou Jiaheng.
Zhou Jiaheng and the stylist were sitting in the car downstairs, waiting idly. Without instructions, they didn’t dare come upstairs or call, afraid of interrupting the boss’s good moment.
But if they didn’t start styling soon, they might miss the event for Zero Degree. With the stylist constantly asking beside him, he had no choice but to send a cautious message to inquire.
Cen Sen replied with "Come up," then, without waiting for Ji Mingshu’s response, lifted her into his arms and headed straight downstairs.
Without thinking, Ji Mingshu wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and slowly came back to her senses.
He carried his usual faint, pleasant scent of fir. She breathed it in a few extra times, feeling as if she were so happy she might die.
But she didn’t dare giggle or reveal her little thoughts in front of Cen Sen. If he knew she liked him, he probably wouldn’t go to such lengths for her anymore.At this thought, she had no choice but to make conversation, quietly establishing her strong and independent persona in his ear. "Don’t think you can just buy me off with a few clothes or a yacht. I can earn my own money now, so you’re not allowed to look down on me in the future."
"Hmm."
Perhaps feeling that his monotonous "hmm" might come across as dismissive to Ji Mingshu, Cen Sen paused for a moment before lowering his voice and adding in her ear, "Spending money for Mrs. Cen is my honor."
Mrs. Cen.
Ji Mingshu couldn’t help herself. Hidden behind him, she secretly curved the corners of her lips into a smile.
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