If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: The Third Day
After she left, silence returned to the apartment.
Ji Chaozhou looked down at the wooden crate in the corner. In previous years, Ji Mushan would bring him a gift on his birthday, always something expensive and rare, but today wasn’t his birthday.
Perhaps Ji Mushan felt their relationship had thawed somewhat, so he had sent another gift.
Ji Chaozhou stood there for a long time before bending down to open the crate. Inside was the exquisite Jade Lily-of-the-Valley Deer Planter.
The little white jade deer beneath the lily-of-the-valley tilted its head slightly, its nose nuzzling a flower, looking incredibly lifelike.
It was hard to dislike such a beautiful piece.
Ji Chaozhou lifted the planter out of the crate. Since he had promised Aunt Yun to reconcile with Ji Mushan, even if it was just maintaining a superficial friendliness, he should at least thank him.
Just as Ji Chaozhou was about to put down the planter and get his phone to reply to Ji Mushan, he noticed a pink, gilt-edged envelope at the bottom of the crate.
He placed the planter on a cabinet and bent down to pick up the envelope.
Ji Chaozhou tore open the envelope and slowly pulled out a sheet of white paper flecked with gold.
He assumed it was from Ji Mushan. He hesitated for a moment before unfolding the paper, only to find it wasn't. There was only one sentence written on it:
[The deer is me, the lily-of-the-valley is you. Our relationship is as close as they are. You can tell me anything that’s on your mind, even work-related matters. I promise to help you resolve them.]
Ji Chaozhou stared at the sentence with an impassive expression for a long time before crumpling the paper into a ball and throwing it away.
The letter was written by someone else. Ji Mushan hadn't even written it himself and was even offering to help with work matters.
Ranshan had been founded by his mother, then managed by Aunt Yun, and finally handed over to him when he became an adult.
Was Ji Mushan now after Ranshan?
Ji Chaozhou’s eyes turned cold. He ignored the Jade Lily-of-the-Valley Deer Planter, abandoning his earlier intention to reply to Ji Mushan, and went straight to his room to rest.
Meanwhile, Ji Mushan, in his empty villa on the other side of S City, was still unaware that his reputation had been ruined by a single letter.
…
On her way home, Cheng Liu kept replaying the day in her mind, wondering where she had gone wrong. She had given him a gift, but her boyfriend had simply told her to leave.
Cheng Liu had been captivated by the Jade Lily-of-the-Valley Deer Planter the moment she saw it in the auction catalog. She felt it perfectly represented her and her boyfriend.
—A powerful deer sniffing lily-of-the-valley!
She was the powerful deer, and her boyfriend was the jade lily-of-the-valley, seemingly cold to the touch, yet radiating a gentle glow, attracting everyone’s attention.
Most importantly, the Chinese character for “deer” (鹿) was a homophone for the number “six” (六), making it perfect for them!
Cheng Liu thought that her boyfriend must not have opened the crate yet. When he saw the handwritten letter inside, he would surely be touched!
While waiting for the paperwork to be processed, Cheng Liu had even specifically found a pink, gilt-edged envelope to write a love letter.
Unfortunately, Cheng Liu couldn’t write romantic words, so she ended up writing a short, simple note.
She was quite satisfied with what she had written.
It was all from the heart, completely sincere.
Cheng Liu had already decided that if her boyfriend wanted to become famous in the entertainment industry or the modeling world, all he had to do was ask, and she would spend money to become his secret backer.
What was the term for that again?
Cheng Liu recalled as she opened her front door.
A sugar mama!
Yes, that was it!
She, Cheng Liu, could totally be her boyfriend's sugar mama, providing him with the best resources.
If she became his sugar mama, would he smile at her every day? And then maybe do some…things?
Just imagining her boyfriend's cool and handsome face smiling only at her made Cheng Liu’s nose feel warm.
She covered her nose as she entered her home, poured herself a glass of water, sat down, and slowly sipped it, feeling satisfied: With her sincerity and dedication, there was no reason for her boyfriend not to like her.
However…should she learn some romantic phrases?
She had heard a business partner say that to please a wife, one needed to say sweet nothings, not just spend money.
Cheng Liu pondered. Since she was determined to be a perfect girlfriend, saying sweet nothings should be an essential skill.
So, that night, CEO Cheng searched online for a collection of romantic phrases and copied them all down. However, there were so many that she couldn’t absorb them all at once. So, she applied her skills in summarizing reports and research papers, categorizing and classifying the phrases.
Before April 1st, Cheng Liu had never imagined that she would one day spend an entire evening compiling a collection of romantic phrases instead of working.
Well, not entirely.
Six months ago, at the banquet where she had fallen in love with her boyfriend at first sight, Cheng Liu had had one thought: No matter what, she had to date him.
In her study, Cheng Liu sat seriously in front of her glowing computer screen, studying each romantic phrase she didn’t understand.
Suddenly, the front door opened, but she didn’t notice, not until there was a knock on her study door.
“Come in,” Cheng Liu said instinctively.
Only after the person opened the door did she remember that she was at home.
Cheng Liu looked up from her computer screen: “He Bai?”
He Bai’s suit jacket was slightly rumpled, and his handsome face was flushed, clearly having had quite a bit to drink. But he still stood straight, holding a blue folder in his hand.
Cheng Liu stood up, walked around her desk, pulled over a chair, and gestured towards it: “Sit down. What brings you here so late?”
He Bai walked in, loosening his tie and placing his hand on the back of the chair, pulling it slightly away from Cheng Liu’s desk. He looked up at her and explained, “Sorry, I smell of alcohol.”
Cheng Liu, having spent her fair share of time at business dinners, didn’t mind. She leaned against the edge of her desk and raised her chin slightly: “What’s the matter?”
It was already 11:30 pm. He should have gone straight home after the charity dinner.
“Didn't you mention the possibility of collaborating with an automobile company in S City? I happened to run into the CEOs of those companies at the dinner tonight, so I talked to them. CEO Ji left in the afternoon, so I didn’t get much information about Tianqi.” He Bai raised the blue folder in his hand. “This is the summary I compiled back at the company.”
“There’s no need to compile a summary if you haven’t gathered all the information.” Cheng Liu frowned. “Don’t you understand this basic principle?”
She truly could switch into work mode at any time.
He Bai wasn’t surprised by Cheng Liu’s words; he even felt this was the real her.
“Perhaps I had too much to drink,” He Bai said, pressing his temples. “I was afraid I would forget everything tomorrow morning, so I had someone drive me back to the company.”
Cheng Liu stood up straight, walked to the water dispenser, poured a glass of warm water, added a spoonful of honey, then opened a drawer, took out some hangover relief pills, and handed everything to her chief assistant: “I said there was no rush regarding the collaboration with the S City automobile companies. There’s no need to rush the information gathering.”
“Go home and rest after you finish this.” She took the folder from his hand: “Leave this with me. You can add to it later if necessary.”
He Bai took a sip of the honey water and swallowed the pills, then looked at the glowing computer screen on the desk: “I’m fine. Aren’t you working this late too?”
“I’m not working,” Cheng Liu said, placing the folder on the desk. “I’m doing something else.”
He Bai chuckled softly, not believing her. He knew Cheng Liu too well. Her hobby was work.
“Did you give the gift you won to your boyfriend?” He Bai asked, holding his glass. He hadn't seen the planter in the living room.
“I did,” Cheng Liu said casually. She wasn’t used to sharing details of her love life with her chief assistant, especially since he was single.
If she wanted to talk about relationships, she would talk to those successfully married middle-aged business partners, like Li Dong.
They had much more in common.
As for her chief assistant, a single dog, he definitely wouldn't understand the troubles of people like her.
At this moment, CEO Cheng felt a subtle sense of superiority over her single chief assistant.
Hearing Cheng Liu’s confirmation, He Bai’s tense heart finally relaxed completely.
After spending so much money, she had actually returned to work after delivering the gift.
Cheng Liu stared at the honey water in He Bai’s hand, wondering how long he was going to take to finish it. She still had to organize her romantic phrase handbook.
Noticing her staring at his glass, He Bai said wistfully, “You used to always outdrink those business partners. It’s good that those days are over.”
Coming from an ordinary family but possessing exceptional technical skills, Cheng Liu had started her own business in university, founding Shenyin Technology in her third year. Back then, to secure partnerships and investments, she had to do everything herself, often facing difficulties at business dinners.
He Bai had wanted to use his family’s influence to help her, but Cheng Liu always managed to resolve the issues herself with remarkable speed.
“It was alright,” Cheng Liu said absently, practically willing her chief assistant to finish his drink. “I can hold my liquor.”
Any business partner who had tried to outdrink her at a business dinner had been defeated.
However, getting drunk was still unpleasant, so Cheng Liu always kept hangover relief pills and honey on hand, a habit that persisted to this day.
He Bai took a small sip of honey water, a smile appearing in his eyes: “Yes, you have the best tolerance for alcohol. I remember that dinner in our senior year. That business partner was a notorious heavy drinker, but you managed to outdrink him and signed the contract that very night.”
Cheng Liu finally couldn't hold back: “Are you here to reminisce about our past hardships tonight?”
“Just thinking about those days.” He Bai looked up at Cheng Liu, leaning against her desk, his eyes filled with nostalgia. Suddenly, he said softly, “Senior.”
Cheng Liu suspected that the hangover relief pills weren’t working on her chief assistant. Why else would he be so sentimental tonight?
She made a noncommittal sound in response.
“You know, back in university, you were someone we all looked up to,” He Bai said, holding his now-cold glass, his voice almost a murmur. “In our eyes, you were always shining.”
“I’m not a lightbulb. I don’t shine,” Cheng Liu said, finally picking up her phone. “How did you get here?”
Her abrupt change of topic caught He Bai off guard. He paused for a moment before saying, “I took a taxi.”
Cheng Liu nodded, looked down at her phone, and after a moment, looked up and said, “I’ve called you a taxi. Go home and rest.”
He Bai: “…”
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