Ji Mingshu's talk of divorce was, of course, just talk. Cen Sen clearly didn't take her angry words seriously either. However, after watching this 4D movie, the second half of their date truly collapsed in every possible way, leaving no room for redemption.
Cen Sen had originally planned additional activities like a riverside drive and drinks at an open-air bar with live music. But as soon as they stepped out of the cinema, Ji Mingshu showed signs of post-traumatic relief and a strong urge to return home, as if thinking, "If I hurry back, I might still be salvageable."
Seeing her like this, Cen Sen had no choice but to cancel the remaining plans on the spot.
Fortunately, the night breeze in early spring in the capital was gentle and pleasant. Blown by the cool wind on the way home, much of Ji Mingshu's pent-up frustration dissipated.
After calming down and thinking it over carefully, she felt that she couldn't entirely blame Cen Sen for this.
Cen Sen was a relic from the last century, and the number of times he had been to the cinema was probably countable on one hand. How could she expect him to know in advance what a brain-numbing experience 4D movies could be?
The fact that he had taken the initiative to invite her out, given her flowers, and made an effort to chat with her during dinner was already significant progress. There was plenty of time ahead; no need to rush.
After making these excuses for Cen Sen, Ji Mingshu finally managed to console herself a little.
But the next second, as she scrolled through WeChat, the mental fortitude she had just built up instantly crumbled. Her smile faded, and her expression stiffened.
Out of excitement for today's date, she had been posting updates on her WeChat Moments almost every hour to share the progress of their outing.
Before entering the cinema, she had taken a photo of their two movie tickets side by side and captioned it: "Watching a movie with Mr. Cen~ / Happy"
After posting it, she hadn't checked her phone again, so she had no idea that Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun had already sent her friendly reminders and high-energy warnings two hours earlier.
Gu Kaiyang: "Are you two okay? Watching a 4D movie on a date?"
Jiang Chun: "Hahahahaha sorry, I can't help but laugh!"
Gu Kaiyang: "???"
Gu Kaiyang: "Where are you?"
Jiang Chun: "Probably already inside."
Gu Kaiyang: "Alright then."
Gu Kaiyang: "True love must not only withstand the test of renovation trips but also the test of watching 4D movies together. Hang in there, dear!"
Jiang Chun: "Hahahahaha you devil! I'm laughing so hard hahahahaha!!!"
What was even worse was that these two had been keeping an eye on her updates.
Jiang Chun: "Hello, little birdie, you haven't posted on Moments for two hours. Are you still alive?"
Gu Kaiyang: "Probably filing for divorce."
Jiang Chun: "Pfft!"
Jiang Chun: "Don't say another word, I can already picture the divorce papers being thrown! Hahahahaha!!"
Ji Mingshu's face darkened with annoyance. Suppressing the urge to curse, she tossed a GIF into the group chat: "I don't talk to people who have no sex life.gif"
In reality, as soon as she posted that Moments update with the movie tickets, not only was she mercilessly mocked, but Cen Sen's childhood friends' group chat had also been buzzing with activity for a full two hours.
Shu Yang: "4D movies hahahaha, Brother Sen is truly something else!"
Shu Yang: "I genuinely thought Brother Sen had hired a coach to level up to King rank this time, but turns out he's still a stubborn Bronze!"
Jiang Che: "And a stubborn Bronze I, at that."
Zhao Yang: "I think I need to reserve a hospital bed for Brother Sen at our hospital hahahahaha!"Cen Sen remained oblivious to the two-hour-long mockery and completely unaware of Ji Mingshu's emotional rollercoaster along the way.
In his view, while the 4D movie experience was less than ideal, it was merely a minor hiccup in their date.
When they arrived home and he saw Ji Mingshu's expressionless face, he assumed she was just a bit tired. Thinking he was being considerate, he drew a hot bath for her and even added soothing essential oils to the water.
He had initially entertained the idea of a romantic bath together, but Ji Mingshu, clutching her nightgown, entered the bathroom and expressionlessly locked the door. After her bath, she curled up on one side of the bed and quickly fell asleep, showing no intention of engaging with him.
Having been ignored all night, even someone as dense as Cen Sen realized that the previous night's 4D movie had directly led to Ji Mingshu's dissatisfaction with their date.
Moreover, her displeasure remained remarkably fresh, persisting into the next day without needing refrigeration. The clearest evidence was that although she was awake in the morning, she didn't pester him for a good morning kiss.
Coincidentally, Cen Sen's work schedule for the morning involved playing golf with the general manager of a certain cinema chain to discuss advertising placements for Junyi Elegant Collection before movie screenings.
Honestly, something like placing an advertisement didn't require Cen Sen's personal involvement. However, the cinema chain's general manager happened to be his high school classmate. After gaining experience in a subsidiary of the group in recent years, he had just been promoted to general manager. This meeting served as an opportunity for the two to catch up and lay the groundwork for potential future collaborations.
During a break in their game, the other man received a work-related phone call.
Cen Sen, preoccupied with thoughts of Ji Mingshu, also set down his club and sent her a WeChat message.
Cen Sen: [Sorry about not arranging last night's date well. I'll definitely make it up to you next time.]
When Ji Mingshu received this very Cen's Sensen-style WeChat message, she was still curled up under the covers, not yet out of bed. The aftereffects of last night's "beating" were quite strong; her back ached, especially around her shoulder blades and tailbone, which hurt at the slightest touch.
—You think there'll be a next time?
After typing this out in a huff, Ji Mingshu paused, cleared it with one tap, and rewrote it.
—This was my worst date experience ever tvt!
This version was better—angry yet with a hint of coquettishness, accusatory yet using an emoticon to appear a bit cute. Ji Mingshu read it over a few times, quite satisfied, and hit send.
But Cen Sen's focus was always a bit peculiar. Not only did he fail to follow her coquettish lead, but he also interrogated her like he was checking her background: [What other satisfactory date experiences have you had?]
Before their marriage, he had investigated Ji Mingshu and knew she hadn't seriously dated anyone in recent years.
However, Ji Mingshu had attended university abroad, where dating culture was prevalent. Dating multiple people simultaneously wasn't something to be criticized, so it couldn't be ruled out that she had never been on dates.
Ji Mingshu silently replied with a row of ellipses.
After all, she had been the school belle for over a decade, with countless suitors. What was so strange about going on dates with guys?
Cen Sen wanted to ask more, but his high school classmate had already finished the call and was walking back, shaking his head, sighing, and complaining in quick succession: "Running a cinema chain these days is really tough. The platforms constantly demand discounts and subsidies, and they come to me for everything from promotions to screening arrangements."
Cen Sen put away his phone.His high school classmate continued, "Right, where were we? Oh, we were talking about your wife, weren't we?"
He chuckled, "Honestly, I never expected the two of you to end up together. I remember when we were in our third year of high school, Ji Mingshu was just a freshman, right? During military training, everyone was talking about the younger girls who had just moved up from middle school. Ji Mingshu was really stunning back then. Li Tao from our dorm even wrote her a love letter."
"Oh, and I have a cousin who was on the school basketball team, named Zhou Zhen. I don’t know if you remember him. Actually, he has quite a connection with you. For a while, he was pretty close with Li Wenyin. And after we graduated, he almost ended up dating your wife. What a coincidence!"
"Is that so."
Cen Sen gazed at the lush green grass in the distance, his voice gentle and calm.
His high school classmate grew even more animated, as if this connection was something worth boasting about. "Yeah, he’s a bit slow to warm up. Actually, he had his eye on Ji Mingshu ever since she started high school, but he never had a chance to make a move. Back then, the line of people chasing your wife stretched from the south gate of the school all the way to the north gate. It wasn’t until later, when he heard your wife was interested in him, that he finally made a move. But the timing was off, and it still didn’t work out..."
Cen Sen maintained his balance behind the ball, preparing for the swing. His posture was perfect, yet he couldn’t control the excessive follow-through, failing to make a good shot.
Meanwhile, seeing that Cen Sen didn’t press further, Ji Mingshu finally put down her phone and got out of bed.
She had a brand event to attend that afternoon, and judging by the time, her stylist would be arriving soon.
After washing up and applying a face mask, she went downstairs to carefully trim the roses she had brought back the night before and arranged them in a vase. Then, she returned upstairs to continue her skincare routine.
Hearing the housekeeper open the door for the stylist downstairs, Ji Mingshu tidied up Cen Sen’s clothes in the room.
He had worn an overcoat for their date the night before. She had wrapped herself in it during the movie, and it still carried the faint scent of her perfume.
She picked it up and tossed it into the bamboo laundry basket, but as she turned away, she caught a glimpse of something brown and leather peeking out of the pocket—a wallet?
She pulled it out and took a look. It wasn’t a wallet but a small notebook.
Flipping through it quickly from the back, she found the latter pages blank and untouched. The first few pages, however, bore Cen Sen’s handwriting.
His writing was just like him—sharp, cold, and hard-edged, yet undeniably beautiful. But the content was anything but cold.
Date Schedule:
Note: The bouquet shouldn’t be too large; it’ll be hard to carry.
Pick up Mingshu at 5:30.
Arrive at the restaurant by 6:20.
Note 1: Mingshu doesn’t care much for foie gras.
Note 2: Engage in conversation during the meal and slow down the pace.
Conversation topics: Interior design, music, art exhibitions.
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