Since the Zero Degree event was relatively casual and relaxed, the stylist only gave Ji Mingshu a lazy, natural-looking, subtly curled hairstyle, and her makeup was applied quite lightly.
For her outfit, Ji Mingshu chose a smoky pink sleeveless halter-top jumpsuit with a smooth, flowing texture that beautifully accentuated the graceful lines of her shoulders and back, while also highlighting her excellent figure proportions.
When selecting a lip color, Ji Mingshu brought out a large box of cosmetics she had recently purchased and discussed with the stylist.
Their opinions slightly differed, so Ji Mingshu held up the box and asked Cen Sen, "Which color do you think would look better on me?"
Cen Sen was initially going to say "they all look good," but meeting Ji Mingshu’s expectant gaze, he calmly lowered his eyes and carefully examined the contents of the box for a while.
Finally, he picked up a tube of rose-colored lip gloss and launched into an in-depth analysis, covering aspects like tone, texture, and suitability for the occasion, as if delivering a monthly corporate summary.
Ji Mingshu and the stylist listened in stunned silence.
After he finished, Ji Mingshu hesitantly took the lip gloss from his hand, unscrewed it, glanced at it, and suddenly fell silent.
"..."
"Well, your analysis was great, but this is actually a liquid blush."
The atmosphere became quite awkward for a moment. Fortunately, the stylist was quick-witted and immediately joked that straight men often couldn’t tell the difference between makeup products. Even though it was blush, picking such a pretty color was already quite an achievement.
So, Ji Mingshu didn’t let Cen Sen’s earnest and detailed analysis go to waste—she chose a matte lipstick in the same shade.
The effect on her lips was indeed excellent, brightening her complexion and perfectly complementing her makeup and outfit for the day.
However, with all the back-and-forth deliberation and delays, by the time the two arrived at the event venue, they had successfully missed the outdated inspirational speech by Zero Degree’s editor-in-chief, Sister May.
Ji Mingshu walked in arm-in-arm with Cen Sen and casually asked, "What do you think of the venue today?"
"Very creative."
Cen Sen nodded, seemingly quite impressed.
Unable to resist, she quietly boasted, "I was the interior design consultant for this event. The color scheme and layout were all my work."
"Is that so?" Cen Sen glanced at her and once again offered his approval. "Your recent works have all been quite inspired."
The corners of Ji Mingshu’s lips lifted slightly.
Cen Sen, that dog of a man, was really strange. Sometimes he was as clueless as a straight guy with steel rods for bones, and other times he was incredibly perceptive!
For example, the compliment he just gave—praising a designer as "inspired" was undoubtedly the highest form of praise.
In high spirits, she continued exploring the venue, unconsciously moving a little closer to Cen Sen.
Cen Sen subtly shifted from holding her arm to holding her hand and began telling her about similar events he had attended while studying abroad in college.
Although he had studied management, that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate art.
In fact, from the moment he stepped into the venue, he had recognized Ji Mingshu’s design style.
His praise wasn’t insincere flattery—compared to her somewhat careless approach during the charity gala, her recent designs were relatively more complete and mature, and she had incorporated some distinctive, personal touches.
Moreover, her design style closely mirrored her own personality. Whether it was home decor, runway shows, or creative exhibition-style designs like this salon, she consistently adhered to an extreme level of refinement that was unmistakably hers.
From an outsider’s perspective, the two held hands, chatting and laughing, appearing very intimate.Someone noticed her not far away and soon gathered in small groups, whispering, "Hey, Ji Mingshu is here."
"Where?" A girl followed the voice and looked over, slightly surprised. "It really is her... It's been so long since she last showed up. I didn't even know which corner she was sitting in at Chris Chou's show last time, and she didn’t attend the after-party either. I thought she wouldn’t make an appearance until after the New Year."
Another girl chimed in, "Who’s the guy next to her? He’s quite handsome. They look so close—is he her new flame?"
Jiang Chun happened to be passing by with a small cake in hand. Hearing their hushed gossip, she finally had the chance to lift her head proudly and smile, answering in a tone laced with disdain that seemed to say, "You really don’t know anything." "Aren’t you always gossiping about whether Ji Mingshu and her husband will really divorce, and that Ji Mingshu is nothing without her husband? How come you don’t even recognize her husband?"
...?
This is Ji Mingshu’s husband?
The future successor of the Cen family, known for being unapproachable and ruthlessly efficient?
So young?
And so handsome?
Ji Mingshu even posts on her social media about her husband’s home-cooked spare ribs and the movies he watches with her—how could she never show off this level of looks?! It’s just too unreal!!!
The group fell into a prolonged silence, filled with shock and doubt.
To be fair, it really wasn’t their fault for not knowing. They were merely peripheral figures in the elite circles of the capital, far removed from the core.
Moreover, Cen Sen was among the top-tier elite achievers of the younger generation, fundamentally different from those frivolous rich kids who spent their days partying and causing trouble. He made very few public appearances, rarely giving anyone the chance to get to know him.
For someone like him—a "party elder" type of heir—the social butterflies could hardly remember his name, at most knowing that the Cen family of Jingjian had such an unattainably lofty figure.
But he just happened to have a wife like Ji Mingshu, a socialite who was the center of attention wherever she went. This created an awkward situation where everyone was keenly interested in Jingjian’s developments, and Cen Sen’s name was well-known among gossipers, yet no one could match it to the man himself.
Of course, many people did know him, and there were rumors about his appearance and personality outside, but without photos as proof, who knew if Ji Mingshu was just bragging?
While they were lost in silence, shock, and confusion, Jiang Chun had already gracefully made her way with her small cake to find a good spot for photos.
—Ji Mingshu had finally come out to an event with her husband, and Jiang Chun wasn’t about to be so tactless as to intrude as a third wheel.
Jiang Chun was tactful, but Ji Mingshu’s fair-weather friends from the past were not so considerate.
Those who could become fair-weather friends with Ji Mingshu were naturally of a higher tier than the peripheral figures, and among them, more knew Cen Sen than didn’t.
Seeing the two of them attending a relatively low-key leisure event like a magazine salon, all the doubts that had arisen from Ji Mingshu’s prolonged absence from social gatherings were dispelled. Everyone flocked to chat with Ji Mingshu and flatter her.
Cen Sen had been playing with a fortune-telling stick set with Ji Mingshu, but suddenly, a wave of fragrant perfumes enveloped them without warning, followed by the sound of soft, elegant voices offering all kinds of lavish praise.He stood beside Ji Mingshu, his temples throbbing. Faced with questions that occasionally directed his way, he merely nodded slightly, always maintaining a polite and distant safe space from these young ladies who were "on good terms" with Ji Mingshu.
Yet Ji Mingshu was accustomed to navigating such situations with ease. Cen Sen stood beside her, appearing like a silent mascot in contrast.
After about five minutes, Ji Mingshu finally realized just how out of place Cen Sen was in this setting. She sent him off to fetch some cake for her, thinking she would wrap up the conversation in another two minutes.
But no sooner had Cen Sen left than someone timidly interjected amidst the fragrant air, "Xiao Shu, it seems Li Wenyin is here today too."
The previously lively atmosphere instantly turned stiff and cold.
Li Wenyin?
How relentlessly persistent.
Soon, someone snapped back to reality and spoke up in Ji Mingshu's defense, "So what if she's here? Lately, she seems to have latched onto that sickly heir of the Yuan family, even sweet-talking him into investing in her movie. Who knows what kind of nonsense she’s filming just to annoy someone."
"She’s just jealous of Mingshu. Anyone can see that. Even back in school, it was the same. Now she goes on about film art, but that petty, small-minded nature of hers never really changes," remarked one of Ji Mingshu’s former classmates, who was somewhat aware of the past conflicts between Li Wenyin and Ji Mingshu.
Everyone else chimed in agreement.
But Ji Mingshu suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a repeat of the scene at the Chanel cocktail party. The same relaxed, casual theme, everyone once again taking her side to criticize Li Wenyin, yet in the end, she had suffered a humiliating defeat in front of Li Wenyin.
She stared in the direction Cen Sen had gone, lost in thought for a moment, then wordlessly followed after him.
The group she left behind exchanged glances before silently trailing after her from a distance.
Their motives varied—some wanted to see Li Wenyin embarrassed, others wanted to see Ji Mingshu embarrassed, and some were simply there for the spectacle.
As luck would have it, just as Ji Mingshu caught up, Cen Sen and Li Wenyin happened to cross paths.
Li Wenyin had just taken a glass of red wine from a server’s tray. Turning around, she spotted Cen Sen heading toward the dessert area and felt a flicker of surprise.
The next moment, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ji Mingshu not far away, along with the group of bored socialites following several meters behind. Her hand gripping the wine glass tightened unconsciously.
It was difficult to describe exactly what she was feeling at that moment. She knew Cen Sen was here accompanying Ji Mingshu, and she knew he had made his stance perfectly clear the last time they spoke. Yet, she couldn’t help feeling resentful.
So many years had passed. Cen Sen had countless reasons not to rekindle their past, and she could understand that. But how could he tie himself to a woman like Ji Mingshu—someone with such low taste, who mistook thoughtlessness for sincerity—for a lifetime? He couldn’t possibly like Ji Mingshu, because Ji Mingshu simply didn’t deserve him.
This feeling was so overwhelming that it drove her to want to do something, even if it meant resorting to low tactics, as long as it made Ji Mingshu understand that she and Cen Sen should never have been forced together.
She called over a server, took another glass of wine from the tray, and then gracefully approached Cen Sen. Extending the glass slightly forward, her voice remained as gentle and composed as ever. "It’s been a while since we last met. I didn’t expect to see you at an event like this."Ji Mingshu stood five meters away, clutching a small diamond-studded clutch in her hand. Her nails had turned white from pressing against the diamonds, but she didn’t even notice.
Her mind was completely blank.
Only one thought kept her going: Please don’t take it. Even if it’s just out of politeness, can you not be so polite this time?
Because she never wanted to see the person she loved standing next to the person she hated most ever again.
She was Cen Sen’s wife, and she was confident when facing others. But when it came to Li Wenyin, she just couldn’t. Cen Sen had never made his stance clear in front of Li Wenyin, and it seemed like she would never be able to stand before Li Wenyin and confidently say, “Please stay away from my husband.”
In reality, it only took Cen Sen five seconds to react, but to Ji Mingshu, those five seconds felt as long as a movie.
—She saw Cen Sen glance down at the glass of red wine, then slowly lift his gaze to meet Li Wenyin’s.
His eyes were probably devoid of warmth, because in the next moment, he acted as if she weren’t there. He picked up a piece of cake from the dessert table, turned around, and walked away.
Then their eyes met in mid-air.
The sequence of actions happened so quickly that when Ji Mingshu locked eyes with him, she could still see the indifference in his gaze.
Somehow, she suddenly found the courage to step forward, take the cake from his hand, and say softly, “Thank you.”
Before Cen Sen could ask what she was thanking him for, she walked past him, took the glass of red wine from Li Wenyin’s hand, and without a moment’s hesitation, poured it out.
The red wine served at such occasions was of rather ordinary quality. Anyone who knew wine could tell just by looking at its color and smelling its aroma. But as the wine splattered onto the floor, the sound was surprisingly loud.
Ignoring the small stains that had splashed onto her culottes, Ji Mingshu finally said with righteous confidence the words that had echoed in her mind countless times—
“Miss Li, please stay away from my husband from now on.”
OpenNovel