Cen Sen was clearly not the type of man who could switch on the mushy mode anytime, anywhere. At the very least, it was still difficult for him to do so when Ji Mingshu was wide awake.
He gave her a light peck on the lips, said another "good night," and was about to get into bed.
But Ji Mingshu wasn't so easily brushed off. She wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to let go, her delicate nose crinkling as she insisted on hearing him say it again.
Cen Sen's eyes were dark and deep, his gaze lingering on her, traveling from her loose, curly hair all the way down to her slipped spaghetti strap.
Soon, he leaned in again and pressed a warm kiss on her lips. This kiss, compared to the last, felt particularly aggressive.
By the time Ji Mingshu realized what was happening, it was too late. She glared at him with a few muffled whimpers and struggled with all her limbs, but in the end, she spinelessly melted into a puddle beneath him.
As waves of passion washed over her, she thought she heard a low, intimate "Baby," but her mind was a complete blank at that moment, and she couldn't be sure if she was hearing things.
She only remembered that what little backbone she had was shattered early on. Forced by Cen Sen, she brokenly and whimpering called him "Hubby" many, many times.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the clean floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm golden glow. The air still held a sweet, ambiguous scent.
Ji Mingshu's body was sore, and she was as boneless as a ragdoll when she got out of bed, clinging entirely to Cen Sen.
Even while brushing her teeth, she leaned against his chest, her eyes half-closed, whining and acting spoiled.
"Your toothbrush. Take it." Cen Sen placed the toothbrush, with toothpaste already squeezed onto it, by her hand.
She didn't take it. "I have no strength. It's all your fault. I can't even lift my arm."
Cen Sen was speechless.
Ji Mingshu said, "Why don't you brush them for me?"
Cen Sen looked down at her. "Brush them yourself. I'm going to be late."
"Then I'm not brushing them." She was clearly being shameless.
Cen Sen was silent for a few seconds. "Open your mouth."
She couldn't hold back a triumphant smile, but she quickly suppressed it and obediently opened her mouth, like a beautiful, lazy little ragdoll cat nestled in its owner's arms, waiting to be petted, occasionally extending a small paw to interact with its owner.
And Cen Sen, the owner, showed immense patience, brushing her teeth, washing her face, and combing her hair, attending to her step by step with exceptional care.
In fact, his movements were clumsy and awkward at first, but when he saw Ji Mingshu snickering in the mirror, his waning patience slowly rekindled, and he found himself growing more interested in these trivial, everyday intimacies.
While Ji Mingshu and Cen Sen were being clingy in their room, the senior executives who had accompanied them from the capital were already waiting in the VIP lounge outside.
That morning, Cen Sen was scheduled to inspect Star City's Junyi Shuiyunjian with these executives, as a high-profile tourism summit would be held at the Shuiyunjian Hotel later.
With one minute left before the appointed time, the door to the suite finally opened. Everyone stood up in unison, straightening their attire, preparing to offer Cen Sen a respectful gaze from halfway down the corridor.
But a minute passed, and their respectful gazes were all directed at thin air. There was no sign of anyone at the door, but a woman's coquettish whine fell clearly into everyone's ears.
"A kiss. If you don't kiss me, I won't let you go!"
...
"Mhm, one more kiss then!"
...
"No way, I'm so sleepy. I only slept for a few hours. I'll draw after I wake up."
...
The older executives had seen it all and maintained the serene composure of enlightened old monks.
The younger ones were more thin-skinned. Not daring to look or listen, they could only fidget, adjusting their cuffs one moment and their lapels the next. The atmosphere was, for a time, extremely awkward.
Ji Mingshu had no idea people were waiting outside. She fumbled to tie Cen Sen's tie, then went to open the door for him. Seeing there was still a minute left, she half-hung on him, acting spoiled and demanding a good-morning kiss.
After getting her wish, she pushed Cen Sen out the door. Still holding the door, she poked half her head out and waved goodbye to him.
It would have been fine if she hadn't poked her head out. The moment she did, Ji Mingshu froze solid. An indescribable awkwardness shot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Ji Mingshu: "..."
Cen Sen: "..."
The senior executives: "..."
Perhaps Zhou Jiaheng hadn't slept well last night, or for some other reason, but his brain felt like it was filled with paste that morning.
From the moment the door opened and he heard the voices, he had been standing there, dumbstruck, unable to think of any remedial measures.
Now, seeing Ji Mingshu poke half her head out, his brain short-circuited, and he, standing at the very front, actually bowed to her. "Good morning, Madam."
The other executives, not knowing the situation, immediately followed suit with a bow, greeting, "Good morning, Madam!"
The chorus of greetings, a mix of old and young voices, was ragged, making them sound like a motley crew whose collective IQ had been forcibly lowered.
But the only response they received was the sound of the door slamming shut—"Bang!"
Jiang Chun: [Ji's Shushu, you're hilarious hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter hahahaha hic!]
Ji Mingshu: [...]
Ji Mingshu: [Are you dead yet? Should I add a bottle of Dichlorvos for you?]
Gu Kaiyang: [Hahahaha, why didn't you just say, "Comrades, you've worked hard" hahahahaha!]
Ji Mingshu: [...]
Ji Mingshu: [I wish your words were as few as your money.jpg]
Ji Mingshu: [I'm blocking you. If you need me in the future, contact me via a message in a bottle.jpg]
Ji Mingshu never expected that after ranting in the group chat for a while—"How did that pig-brained Zhou Jiaheng become the chief assistant?", "The senior management of their entire group isn't quite right in the head," and "That dog of a man Cen Sen must have deliberately not told me there were people outside because he wanted to see me make a fool of myself"—not only would she not receive the expected comfort and unified complaints, but she would instead be mercilessly ridiculed by her two fair-weather friends.
She felt her fragile little bird heart had once again suffered 999 points of damage, so with a very delicate glass heart, she posted on her social media: [This world is not worth it.]
Cen Sen: [But the baby back ribs are.]
"..."
Does he even have to work?
Why is he so free???
Blocked.
The events of the morning were far too embarrassing. Whenever Ji Mingshu recalled the scene, she felt her heart stop and her breath catch, so naturally, she was in no mood to go back to sleep.
She sat at her computer and sketched for a while but found no inspiration. She flopped back again and continued scrolling through her phone.
It was only now, while on her phone, that she noticed An Ning had also commented on her post. Compared to the styles of the other demons and monsters, An Ning's comment, "What's wrong, Sister?" seemed particularly innocent and naive.
She found An Ning in her contact list and explained that she was just joking and that nothing had happened.
Actually, after arriving in Star City, Ji Mingshu had thought Cen Sen would take her to see Chen Biqing and An Ning, but Cen Sen had shown no indication of doing so.
It seemed that the dinner at the An family's home was just that—a simple meal. He had no intention of having a grand family reunion with his former family after so many years.
Ji Mingshu chatted casually with An Ning for a bit.
An Ning unintentionally mentioned that her school was holding a sports meet soon, so Ji Mingshu followed up by asking, "Are you participating in any events?"
An Ning: [No, I have a congenital heart defect, so I can't participate.]
Ji Mingshu: [A congenital heart defect?]
An Ning: [Mhm.]
An Ning: [Actually, back then, it was to raise money for my treatment that Mom and Dad agreed to return Brother Cen Sen to the Cen family. It seems like Brother Cen Sen has never forgiven Mom and Dad because of this.]
Ji Mingshu didn't know much about what had happened back then. She had assumed the Cen family was extremely powerful and that the An family was forced to agree to the exchange because they couldn't keep him.
But from the looks of it now, the exchange wasn't forced. Rather, they had given up their non-biological son to save their biological daughter.
She suddenly seemed to understand why Cen Sen had held such a grudge about it.
After sending that message, An Ning seemed to feel it was inappropriate and carefully changed the subject.
Ji Mingshu also felt it wasn't suitable for her to discuss this topic with An Ning, so she just expressed some concern about her condition.
Remembering the floor they lived on, she asked again: [Hasn't Cen Yang returned? It's not convenient for you to live in that old residential complex. Why don't you move to the capital with him?]
An Ning took a long time to reply: [I'm not very close with Brother Cen Yang.]
Remembering what Cen Yang had said, Ji Mingshu felt a little uncertain: [Didn't he ask if you wanted to move to the capital?]
An Ning hesitated for a long while before answering cautiously: [He did, but that was probably just him being polite... We rarely talk.]
Ji Mingshu understood and didn't press further.
She hadn't been in contact with Cen Yang for a long time either, especially after he had intercepted Cen Sen's project investment during the New Year.
In fact, she vaguely understood that Cen Yang probably wasn't as carefree as he appeared in front of her, but she was unwilling to harbor any malicious speculations about him.
In any case, it was better to leave things like business competition to the men to settle in their own duels.
Ji Mingshu pulled herself together and sat up to draw for a while longer.
Although Cen Sen often wore a serious and cold expression, he actually had a bit of a talent for being a life coach deep down.
She found the design advice he gave her last night very reasonable—the kind of advice one could seriously ponder while sitting on the toilet.
Cen Sen had said that she had studied high-end design in school, and the cases she had handled in the past were mostly artistic creations that prioritized aesthetic beauty.
Every profession has its specialty. There was no need for her to dwell on a failure caused by something she wasn't good at. As long as she could draw a little creative inspiration related to the warmth of life from this failure, it was enough.
As if a thought struck her, she grabbed a stack of white paper from the side and manually jotted down the flash of inspiration that had just passed.
While Ji Mingshu was busy drawing in the hotel, Cen Sen had already left Shuiyunjian and was rushing to a neighboring city for an industry conference.
The conference lasted until 5:30 p.m., and there was a social engagement afterward.
Cen Sen needed to return to Star City, so he left promptly at eight o'clock, not participating in the after-party.
Just before getting on the highway, a strange vibration suddenly came from the road surface.
The driver sensed something was wrong. After getting permission, he slowed down, pulled over to the wide shoulder, and turned on the hazard lights.
The driver said, "This feels a bit like an earthquake, but it's probably not here. It should pass in a moment."
Zhou Jiaheng received an instant message. "A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has occurred in Star City."
Cen Sen said nothing and called Ji Mingshu.
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