To be honest, Ji Mingshu wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about having children. This year, both sets of parents had hinted and nudged repeatedly, but she always dodged the topic with playful excuses.
That said, she wasn’t exactly opposed to it either. Occasionally, she would indulge her parents’ hints and daydream about a happy future with a son or daughter.
Her ambivalence probably stemmed from a subconscious belief that having a child wasn’t something that could happen just because you wanted it. She also had no concrete idea of what it meant to welcome a new life, so she never gave it much serious thought.
Before she could answer, Cen Sen moved slowly against her and asked again in a hoarse voice, “Shall we have a baby?”
Ji Mingshu was too exhausted to speak, her voice muffled and soft, her refusal barely audible.
Sensing Cen Sen was close, she instinctively reached for the small box on the table.
But the next second, she froze.
Huh? Gone?
She shook the box again, but nothing came out.
She struggled to pull open the drawer, only to find it completely empty.
Ji Mingshu was already feeling a bit sluggish from Cen Sen’s movements, and now she was utterly stunned.
Had they really used up that huge box she accidentally grabbed at the supermarket? That massive box would’ve taken a convenience store nearly half a month to sell!
“Wait… wait…”
Unwilling to give up, she propped herself up halfway, trying to feel deeper into the drawer.
But Cen Sen was already past the point of no return. Sweat beaded on his temples, his eyes dark and intense. With a gentle press, he pushed her slender, delicate waist back down.
Click—!
The recording of the golden canary’s egg-hatching journey officially began.
When she woke up the next day, Ji Mingshu stared blankly at the ceiling for nearly five minutes, her gaze distant and unfocused.
The storm had subsided in the latter half of the night, and she was as exhausted as a dead bird. Logically, she should’ve fallen into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but she’d only managed a few hours of restless sleep, plagued by constant dreams.
In her dream, she had given birth to a baby—she couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, and its face was blurry, but from the compliments of others, she gathered it was somewhat cute.
However, this cute little one was infuriating, embodying every bad habit of a spoiled child, capable of driving someone to the brink of madness in just three minutes.
Just as she was tirelessly caring for the child at home, makeup-free and disheveled, she received devastating news—Cen Sen had cheated on her!
The feeling of being struck by lightning in the dream was hard to describe, far more intense than when she had mistakenly believed Cen Sen was cheating with some unknown actress named Zhang.
The dream was also remarkably detailed. After processing the shock with genuine emotion, it immediately served up a dramatic scene of Cen Sen returning home to lay his cards on the table.
Cen Sen stood in the living room, dressed in an impeccably tailored, expensive suit, and laid out his terms without hesitation.
Ji Mingshu couldn’t remember the other conditions, only that Cen Sen insisted the child would belong to him, with no room for negotiation. He used a cold, detached tone that was once familiar but now felt alien, his gaze frank and icy.
In the dream, she couldn’t accept reality no matter how hard she tried. It felt as if the sky had collapsed, plunging her straight into the apocalypse.
Even after waking up, she could still feel the lingering heartbreak, despair, and disbelief from the dream.
“What’s wrong?”
Cen Sen had just woken up and, seeing her dazed, instinctively pulled her back into his arms, his voice low and husky.
Though just a simple three-word question, it carried an unmistakable intimacy, a stark contrast to the cold and ruthless Cen’s Sensen from her dream.Ji Mingshu curled into his arms, finding a comfortable position. Her cold hands and feet began to warm up as she mumbled gloomily, "It's nothing. I had a nightmare."
Cen Sen didn’t press further. He kissed her hair and said, "It’s still early. Go back to sleep."
Ji Mingshu hummed in response, unconsciously tightening her arms around him.
But after a moment, she couldn’t help poking his chest and whispering, "I dreamed that after I gave birth, you cheated on me."
Cen Sen paused briefly, instinctively thinking this was just a childish excuse she’d made up because she didn’t want to have children. After a moment of silence, he went along with her and said, "Then we won’t have any."
"That’s not what I meant—I really had that dream!" Ji Mingshu poked him a little harder. "I dreamed that after you cheated, you came back to confront me. You wouldn’t even sit down, just stood in the living room talking about property division and how the child had to go to you..."
Ji Mingshu kept muttering, and by the end, she even speculated suspiciously, "Do you think I might have some ability to foresee the future? That’s how it often is in novels."
Cen Shen pondered for a moment before asking, "Don’t novels also write about kidney and heart extractions?"
"..."
"Alright, stop talking."
The topic was quickly dropped by Ji Mingshu as Cen Sen brought up old stories. She chatted idly about other things, her fingers casually tracing circles on his chest.
Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh, right, when will the results for the Junyi Collection design proposal be out?"
"Probably this afternoon. If I finish my schedule early, I’ll sit in on the project team’s pitch."
Ji Mingshu let out a meaningful "Oh."
Cen Sen didn’t respond, only looked at her with an equally meaningful expression, as if saying, "If you bribe me, I might consider some behind-the-scenes maneuvering."
Ji Mingshu hesitated briefly but ultimately decided to firmly uphold her principles, pushing Cen Sen to urge him to get up.
Cen Sen chuckled lightly but didn’t linger.
After arriving at the company, Cen Sen went about his day as usual, sipping black coffee while dealing with the mountain of paperwork piled on his desk.
However, halfway through, he suddenly took off his glasses, picked up a cloth, and began polishing them meticulously. He then called for Zhou Jiaheng. "Ask Lawyer Wen to come over."
Zhou Jiaheng paused briefly. "Yes."
Lawyer Wen was Cen Sen’s personal lawyer, handling only his private property matters. He rarely made appearances, perhaps only a few times a year. Being summoned so suddenly was rather puzzling.
Half an hour later, Lawyer Wen arrived on the 68th floor of Junyi’s headquarters.
Cen Sen got straight to the point. "Lawyer Wen, I’d like to cancel the prenuptial agreement my wife and I drafted earlier."
Lawyer Wen didn’t quite understand his meaning and asked hesitantly, "Do you wish to amend some of the clauses?"
"No, I want my wife to legally share all my assets, both pre-marital and post-marital."
"...?"
Lawyer Wen’s face was practically screaming, "Have you been bewitched?"
Cen Sen remained calm, resting his elbows on the desk with his fingers loosely intertwined. He continued, "Additionally, I’d like to draft a new agreement outlining compensation and distribution of assets in the event of extramarital affairs. For example, if I were to have an affair, I would leave with nothing—something along those lines."
"..."
This bewitchment must be quite serious.
Lawyer Wen broke into a cold sweat internally. After cautiously confirming a few details and receiving affirmative answers, he carefully noted Cen Sen’s requests and explained the potential consequences of each.
Cen Sen confirmed without hesitation.Although Lawyer Wen couldn't quite grasp Cen Sen's intentions, he understood he had no standing to comment, so he simply followed instructions and went back to prepare the contract.
After the man left, Cen Sen sat alone in his office, leaning back in his chair as he recalled the dream Ji Mingshu had mentioned that morning.
In truth, he often knew he hadn't done well enough, which was why Ji Mingshu still worried about him having an affair even now. But he also didn't know what he could do to give Ji Mingshu a sufficient sense of security.
After much thought, it seemed the only thing within his power was to provide more material security.
Zhou Jiaheng came in at just the right moment to deliver documents and reminded him about the lunch appointment scheduled for today—it was time to leave.
He gave a noncommittal "Hmm" and then asked, "What time is the Junyi Elegant Collection design pitch meeting?"
Zhou Jiaheng replied, "Two in the afternoon."
Cen Sen nodded slightly without further comment.
Ji Mingshu's design proposal had been directly packaged and sent to the email of the Junyi Elegant Collection project team leader.
The team leader had initially been uncertain about how to handle the proposal from the CEO's wife. When he tried to sound out higher-ups, no one would give him a clear answer—even Zhou Jiaheng spoke in riddles, making it impossible to discern the real intention.
He had agonized over it for two days. As the pitch meeting approached, he couldn't resist taking an early look at the proposal—and immediately felt reassured.
"...I think Proposal 052, themed 'Planet B612,' is also quite good. The well-known fairy tale of the Little Prince and the rose provides a solid background foundation from the start. The designer's concept aligns seamlessly with the specific plans and design context she presented, creating a very lively and natural sense of harmony."
"Additionally, from an operational perspective, a significant portion of our Elegant Collection's customer base consists of young women. This includes the promotional plan for the previous influencer hotel, which had a clearly defined target audience. This proposal effectively targets that segment of our customers."
During the pitch meeting, the team leader was selecting the design proposals he found most satisfactory.
Cen Sen entered midway, signaling everyone to continue. He only listened from the sidelines, never once indicating any intention to express his own opinion.
However, the observant team leader noticed that when the 3D Max design renderings for Proposal 052 were displayed, Cen Sen glanced over, his gaze lingering, and he revealed a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
The first Junyi Elegant Collection was initially planned to include 68 suites, following a personalized, high-end approach.
Apart from the 23 renowned designers previously confirmed, the designs for the remaining 45 guest rooms all came from this young designers' pitch competition.
There was some slight disagreement during the pitch process, but a consensus was eventually reached.
Ji Mingshu was preoccupied with the pitch results but afraid of disturbing Cen Sen at work. She could only stare anxiously at her phone, thinking that if she passed, the project team would surely send an email reply.
But after waiting and waiting, no email arrived, leaving her feeling uneasy and even sapping her enthusiasm for shopping.
Jiang Chun didn't quite understand her designer's pride, feeling she was making a fuss over nothing. She earnestly advised, "It's just one guest room. He bought you an island—if you insist on designing it, would he really stop you?""What are you being so fussy about? So it's a bit ugly—big deal. We can just not open that suite to the public anymore. From now on, it'll be your private suite as the CEO's wife, and you can torture your own eyes with it. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"
"..."
"Can you even talk properly?"
Jiang Chun looked utterly innocent.
Ji Mingshu sized her up from head to toe, then paused on the half-eaten pork floss cake in her hand. "Even eating can't shut you up!"
OpenNovel