Jiang Chun: [?]
Jiang Chun: [Is your husband a psychopath? Did he secretly take lessons in being a domineering CEO with forced love? He locked you up???]
Jiang Chun: [Sorry, but I find it a little exciting…]
Ji Mingshu: [?]
—The other party has recalled a message.
Jiang Chun: [But seriously, he only locked the door, doesn’t your building’s elevator go down to the underground parking garage? You can just leave through the garage, right? I remember seeing online that people said your Mingshui Mansion parking garage is a luxury car exhibition!]
Ji Mingshu: [My house is by the lake. Do you think there’s a luxury car exhibition at the bottom of the lake?]
Jiang Chun: [o.o]
Jiang Chun: [Then why don’t you try tying bed sheets together and climbing down from the second-floor balcony?]
Ji Mingshu: […]
Chatting with this little country goose was dumbing her down.
Fortunately, Gu Kaiyang was still a normal person, instinctively suggesting that she find a professional locksmith.
However, this Mingshui Mansion was equipped with an intelligent security system. If someone tried to force the lock or pry open the door, the alarm would immediately sound, and the villa’s security would arrive at the scene in no time.
If she needed to get out, there were still options. Ji Mingshu paced around the living room for a while before finally looking toward the four-panel window on the south side.
Cen Sen had an important social engagement today at Su Garden.
The garden had an inconspicuous traditional signboard hanging in a small alley, but beyond the dark small door was a hidden paradise.
When he left home in the morning, the sky was gray and heavy, with rain pouring down. By noon, it had eased somewhat, leaving only a drizzle.
Cen Sen sat with someone in a pavilion, drinking tea.
The Mr. Chang he was meeting today was one of the investors in the Nanwan project, a collaboration between Jing Construction and Hua Electric.
Mr. Chang was born in Jiangnan and had moved to Hong Kong as a young man, not returning home for many years.
His wife was also from Jiangnan, a typical Jiangnan woman—elegant, gentle, and speaking with a soft Wu dialect.
The couple had been together for over twenty years, their deep affection well-known far and wide. Even during business engagements, he never forgot to mention his wife and children.
Seeing the wedding ring on Cen Sen’s hand, Mr. Chang smiled and added a piece of advice: “You young people shouldn’t be too busy with work. Money is something you can neither earn all of nor take with you. Spend more time with your family, go out together, chat about your thoughts—only then can you relax that tight string in your mind.”
He lightly tapped his temple and smiled again, taking another sip of tea.
Cen Sen didn’t respond, but also picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Jiaheng raise his hand to his lips in the distance, silently signaling. Cen Sen put down his cup, glanced toward the restroom, and nodded slightly with a hint of apology. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Mr. Chang made a “please go ahead” gesture.
Cen Sen got up and walked toward the restroom along the corridor where raindrops fell, with Zhou Jiaheng discreetly following.
Stopping in a deserted spot, Cen Sen asked, “What is it?”
Zhou Jiaheng kept his eyes lowered, stepped forward, and whispered something in his ear.
Cen Sen paused slightly, turning to look at Zhou Jiaheng.
Zhou Jiaheng was inwardly miserable, not daring to raise his head at all.
If he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to be the one to inform his boss about this kind of dramatic scene.
—His wife had escaped by climbing out a window, and the bodyguards outside hadn’t noticed until her family members came to console her and discovered she was gone.
What kind of situation was this?
It seemed that the higher the family status, the more marriages tended toward magical realism. Zhou Jiaheng had been by Cen Sen’s side for a long time and had heard and seen plenty, but this was the first time his boss had become the protagonist in some imprisonment play.
During Cen Sen’s silence, Zhou Jiaheng continued reporting in a low voice: “The two ladies from the Ji family have gone back home. Chairman Ji and Bureau Chief Ji also know about this matter. They will visit South Bridge Hutong tonight.”
Cen Sen gave an “Mm” in response.
Zhou Jiaheng added: “Madam took nothing but her phone, ID card, and umbrella. Bureau Chief Ji has contacted Bocui Tianhua and the other places where Madam has good relationships… So only Miss Gu Kaiyang has taken her in. Miss Gu requested leave from the magazine office an hour ago. Now both of them are at Star Harbor International. We’ve already found out the exact floor and room. Would you like…”
Cen Sen: “She only took her phone and ID card?”
Zhou Jiaheng responded with a “Yes,” then suddenly had an inspiration and carefully added, “The surveillance only showed these two items. Her passport and marriage certificate should still be at home.”
Cen Sen raised his hand to signal him to stop, his eyes slightly downcast, his voice hoarse from days without rest. “Don’t worry about it for now.”
Zhou Jiaheng nodded, not saying anything more.
Cen Sen had been awake all night, his mind turning over and over with thoughts of Ji Mingshu.
Images of Ji Mingshu making a fool of herself in front of him, Ji Mingshu twirling in a beautiful dress, Ji Mingshu being shy in bed, and Ji Mingshu crying uncontrollably… Even when he forced himself to think about work matters, his thoughts would suddenly veer off track.
In reality, his rational mind kept telling him that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that Ji Mingshu was being unreasonable about her grudge with Li Wenyin.
But whenever he thought of Ji Mingshu’s accusations, he felt as if he had indeed done something wrong, something wrong.
At daybreak, he went to the kitchen to wash rice and cook porridge. He had also wanted to make a bowl of braised ribs, but there was no fresh pork ribs prepared at home.
While waiting for the porridge to cook, he stood at the kitchen island writing a text message.
He spent a full ten minutes writing, deleting, and rewriting. Then, thinking of something, he deleted everything and tossed the phone aside.