The most awkward thing in the world isn't being caught by your not-so-familiar husband while pleasuring yourself in the bathroom. It's being caught by your not-so-familiar husband while pleasuring yourself in the bathroom, and then having to act as if nothing happened while asking that same not-so-familiar husband to pass you your underwear.
This directly led to an exceptionally silent journey back to Nanqiao Hutong.
Cen Sen was so thoroughly embarrassed by Ji Mingshu that he felt a bit dazed. He tried to read a document in the car, but the moment he opened it, his mind replayed the masterpiece of the great rapper Ji with scrolling subtitles.
As for Ji Mingshu, she was probably too embarrassed by herself to speak. She kept her eyes closed the entire way, her head turned toward the window.
Upon arriving at Nanqiao Hutong, the two who hadn't spoken a word the whole way somehow both rediscovered their acting instincts. They seamlessly linked arms, wearing amiable smiles, perfectly playing the part of a loving young couple.
Ji Mingshu, in particular, had deliberately worn a simple pink dress she rarely touched on ordinary days, knowing they were coming here. Her lipstick was a light shade, and her signature voluminous waves had been temporarily straightened and tied into a docile ponytail, presenting the image of a virtuous, gentle, and filial good wife.
The hutong lanes were narrow, making it difficult to drive in and park. Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen got out of the car at the entrance, linking arms as they walked inside.
Zhou Jiaheng followed behind, carrying gifts. Seeing this couple's masterful skill at switching faces again after two years, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.
When they reached the entrance of the courtyard house, the sentry on duty opened the gate and gave them a solemn salute.
"Grandpa! Grandma!"
Ji Mingshu had always been sweet-tongued in front of elders. Upon entering and seeing the family busy setting up the feast in the pavilion, her eyes curved into happy crescents.
Seeing her, Cen Old Madam couldn't help but smile too. "Oh, Xiao Shu is here!"
She handed the bowls and chopsticks in her hands to Aunt Zhou, meticulously wiped her hands, and then took Ji Mingshu's hands, gently patting the back of them. "You're in for a treat today! I personally cooked your favorite braised spare ribs!"
"Why would you cook yourself? Let me see," Ji Mingshu held Cen Old Madam's hands, looking her up and down with concern. "Why have you lost weight? It hasn't been that long since I last visited. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Don't worry about nonsense, I'm perfectly fine! The weather's been hot lately, so I'm wearing lighter clothes. That makes me look thinner. It's what you young people call... visual effect!"
Cen Old Madam spoke with robust energy and great spirit, indeed not looking unwell. Only then did Ji Mingshu relax slightly, feeling somewhat reassured.
Ji Mingshu had been beautiful, sweet-tongued, cheerful, and lively since childhood, especially skilled at winning the favor of elders in the compound.
Cen Old Madam had watched her grow up, treating her entirely as her own granddaughter. When the young girl married into their family a few years ago, she was overjoyed, boasting to everyone about how they had gained such a delightful granddaughter-in-law.
In contrast, Cen Sen, her own biological grandson, had only returned to the family halfway through his childhood when he was already sensible. Over the years, he had maintained a superficially gentle but actually cool and detached demeanor. Cen Old Madam never quite knew how to get close to him.
She felt fondness, heartache, and guilt toward him, but there was always an indescribable distance when they interacted.
It wasn't just Cen Old Madam; the entire Cen family wasn't as close to Cen Sen as they were to Ji Mingshu. As he grew older, became more independent, and now seemed poised to take over as the new head of the Cen clan, even the younger generation felt somewhat intimidated by him.During the meal, the younger cousin accidentally bumped Cen Sen's chopsticks while picking up food and blurted out a flustered "sorry," instantly quieting the room.
Ji Mingshu was also taken aback for a moment, her gaze shifting between the younger cousin and Cen Sen. For a split second, she had the bizarre thought—did this dog man do something utterly beastly to the younger cousin, making her as scared of him as a little chick?
Cen Sen didn't mind the small interruption and even gently placed a piece of spare ribs into the younger cousin's bowl, playing the part of the considerate older brother perfectly.
Unfortunately, the younger cousin was too young to hide her feelings well. She smiled stiffly and didn't dare to eat it.
Today's family gathering was a casual affair. Although not everyone was present, the table was still full. Among them, some were intimidated by Cen Sen, while others were not.
Seeing the awkward silence, his aunt Cen Yingshuang started a conversation. "By the way, Xiaoshu, the changes you made to my place last time—my friend saw them and loved them. She recently bought a house in the U.S. and wants to find an interior designer to give it a proper makeover. Fees, budget—none of that is an issue. I was just wondering if you're available lately."
"Available, of course I'm available. I have all the time in the world," Ji Mingshu agreed immediately, adding playfully, "I love friends like the ones you introduce, Auntie. It's a chance to earn some pocket money for bags."
"Oh, what are you saying? Doesn't Ah Sen buy you bags?" Cen Yingshuang teased.
Ji Mingshu leaned slightly toward Cen Sen and said sweetly, "Ah Sen works hard for his money too. I can't always rely on him to support me. Besides, I'm just sitting around idle. It's nice to have something to do."
Hearing this, Cen Sen turned his head and exchanged a three-second, smiling gaze with Ji Mingshu.
Here it comes, here it comes—that "what am I going to do with you, you adorable little thing" look again.
Sometimes, Ji Mingshu had to admire this dog man. His acting skills in front of the elders, pretending to be affectionate and doting, were almost on par with hers.
Once the eye contact ended and she looked away, she couldn't help but shudder.
"Ah Sen, this is where you're wrong," Cen Yingshuang automatically ignored their performance and chattered away, adopting the tone of an elder to advise Cen Sen. "Now that you're back at Junyi, and Xiaoshu is usually bored at home, you could arrange for her to join the company to learn more and make use of her strengths."
Make use of her strengths?
Like how to bankrupt a multinational corporation overnight?
Cen Sen paused briefly before saying gently, "It's enough for me to support Xiaoshu. Taking care of her is what I should do."
—Scene 1, Act 3 of the grand situational drama "The Loving Couple," cut.
Perhaps the sweet affection of the young couple was too much for the eyes of the older, single female Ph.D., Cen Yingshuang got up to use the restroom.
Before she even settled back into her seat upon returning, she suddenly stared at Cen Sen, scrutinizing him.
Then, as if she had discovered something new, she put down her chopsticks and asked, "Ah Sen, how did your hair grow so fast? Just two weeks ago, when Mingshu posted on her social media, your hair was this short." She gestured with her thumb and index finger to show the length.
"Cough! Cough!"
Ji Mingshu was drinking soup and choked unexpectedly, nearly coughing herself to death on the spot.
Cen Sen was extremely considerate, patting her back, feeding her water, and wiping the corner of her mouth with a tissue.
The others sitting nearby also asked Ji Mingshu a few concerned questions.Ji Mingshu snapped back to her senses, murmuring that it was nothing, but before she could even feel relieved that the dangerous topic had been diverted, Cen Yingshuang, with the insatiable thirst for knowledge of a female Ph.D. researcher, rephrased the earlier question and asked it again.
She even pulled up Ji Mingshu’s social media feed, comparing and scrutinizing between Cen Sen and the photos, muttering in amazement, “It really grew fast! Based on the photo proportions, your hair must have grown at least two centimeters in these fourteen days. The normal hair growth rate is about one centimeter per month. What kind of hair growth serum did you use? Why would someone so young need hair growth serum? What brand is it? It’s so effective—I should recommend it to a few older men at our institute!”
Cen Sen glanced subtly at Ji Mingshu.
Ji Mingshu lowered her head, tuning out everything unrelated to the meal, focusing solely on eating the braised pork ribs.
After all, she couldn’t understand why her sister-in-law, who was so meticulous and research-oriented, couldn’t tell that the photo was photoshopped.
For the past two years, Cen Sen had been in Australia, so busy that he didn’t even return for the Spring Festival.
As Mrs. Cen, Ji Mingshu spent her days idly traveling the world. If she didn’t frequently visit her husband in Australia, it would be hard to maintain the image of a loving couple.
But she genuinely didn’t want to have too much self-initiated interaction with this nominal husband, Cen Sen. So, after much thought, she hired a photo editor to help create photoshopped pictures of them together, then regularly posted them on her social media feed, visible only to the Cen family, creating the illusion that she often flew to Australia to visit Cen Sen and that the two were deeply in love.
She had been doing this for two years without any issues. Even now, when her sister-in-law noticed Cen Sen’s hair had grown unusually fast, she didn’t question the authenticity of the photo. This seemed to prove that the photo editor she hired was highly skilled, flawless, and worth every penny.
Thinking of this, Ji Mingshu actually felt a bit pleased.
Perhaps because the table was filled with both young and old, the topic Cen Yingshuang brought up seemed too absurd for such an occasion. Before Cen Sen could respond, Old Master Cen spoke with authority, “No talking during meals or before sleep. You’ve read so many books, yet you’re becoming more and more unruly. You’re over thirty and still acting like a child—no wonder you’re still unmarried!”
“…?”
Weren’t they all chattering away just moments ago? Why was it “no talking during meals” when it came to her? And what did this have to do with her being unmarried in her thirties? Was this family discriminating against unmarried women in their thirties?
Cen Yingshuang felt wronged and opened her mouth to defend herself.
But Cen Yuanchao gave her a timely glance, signaling her not to argue back.
Cen Yingshuang rarely listened to others, but her elder brother Cen Yuanchao’s words carried weight. She held back and silently swallowed her rebuttal.
After Old Master Cen’s remark, the latter half of the meal proceeded in silence.
Once dinner ended, Old Master Cen called Cen Yuanchao and Cen Sen upstairs for a talk, while the rest stayed in the pavilion to chat and enjoy the cool breeze with Cen Old Madam.
It wasn’t until stars dotted the night sky that the conversation among the three generations of Cen men concluded.
As night fell and the light dimmed, Ji Mingshu and Cen Yingshuang chatted and laughed, not noticing Cen Sen leaving the house. It was only when he stepped onto the pavilion’s stairs that she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye.Little did she expect that Cen Yingshuang, caught up in the excitement, momentarily forgot the taboo. "...I've honestly never seen a little girl who wets the bed more than you. I bet you don't even remember. Once when no one was around in the courtyard, you were watching cartoons at our house, fell asleep while watching, and even wet the sofa! Cen Yang was the cleanest person ever—he was so disgusted with you! He carried you to bed and ended up taking off the sofa cover to wash it himself, hahahaha..."
When Cen Yingshuang abruptly mentioned "Cen Yang," no one reacted immediately.
By the time they did, everyone gradually noticed Cen Sen stepping onto the pavilion, and suddenly, the night breeze felt particularly cold.
Ji Mingshu shot Cen Yingshuang a warning look the moment she spoke, but unfortunately, Cen Yingshuang didn't notice.
She seriously suspected that her aunt, having spent too much time on physics research, was trying to switch directions and aim for an award in the "bringing up the most awkward topics" competition.
It was only eight o'clock when they left Nanqiao Hutong, but the night had already deepened.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Ji Mingshu felt an unusual sense of discomfort. She turned to look out the window but couldn't help secretly observing Cen Sen's expression through the reflection.
Yet Cen Sen leaned against the backrest, his profile too faint and shallow. Unconsciously, she also leaned back, her head pressed tightly against the seat...
The next second, she unexpectedly locked eyes with Cen Sen in the car window. :)
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