If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: The Sixth Day
Cheng Liu leaned back on the living room sofa, scrolling through the business partner’s information on her phone. She had a dinner appointment with him tomorrow night and needed to do some research beforehand.
He Bai had sent over his summary report, along with some video footage of the business partner in recent years.
This was Cheng Liu's habit. She didn’t just rely on her chief assistant’s written summaries; she also wanted to observe the business partner’s demeanor and public image.
Cheng Liu put on her headphones, listening to the business partner’s speeches at various public events. She studied his facial expressions and body language to gauge his temperament and preferences.
The business partner she was meeting tomorrow night was from Yale, once the leading company in the home furnishings industry, their products popular nationwide and even sold overseas. Unfortunately, they hadn’t kept up with the times in recent years and had lost a significant market share to new smart home companies.
Now, realizing their mistake, they were trying to catch up, hence their interest in collaborating with Shenyin Technology.
After watching a few videos, Cheng Liu suddenly stopped and called He Bai.
He answered quickly: “CEO Cheng.”
“Who is our contact person at Yale?” Cheng Liu asked.
He Bai was surprised. Cheng Liu had never asked about such things before. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “It should be the secretary to Yale’s general manager.”
Cheng Liu glanced towards the bedroom, stood up from the sofa, walked to the balcony, and then spoke again: “Should be?”
He Bai realized there might be an oversight. He recalled their previous conversations and said softly, “I only asked who you would be meeting with, not who she was.”
Cheng Liu stood on the balcony, listening to He Bai’s explanation, looking out at the view.
She rarely stayed on the second floor. It was too close to the outside, and the noise was bothersome.
The early April breeze was still chilly. Cheng Liu rested her hand on the railing: “Check if there have been any personnel changes at Yale recently. The information you gave me about the business partner I’m meeting tomorrow night is incorrect.”
“I…understand.” Hearing the click of the disconnected call, He Bai took a deep breath and started making inquiries about recent internal changes at Yale.
Less than half an hour later, Cheng Liu received a call from He Bai.
“Yale’s chairman has been secretly hospitalized. Last month, control of the company was transferred to his daughter, Zhou Shengyan. The person who contacted me must have been her,” He Bai said, his voice strained. “I apologize. I’ll compile a new report for you.”
“No rush. Do it tomorrow,” Cheng Liu said. “It’s getting late.”
“Senior,” He Bai called out before Cheng Liu could hang up, his voice low and husky, “how did you know there had been a change at Yale?”
“With Chairman Zhou’s personality, he would never agree to a transformation,” Cheng Liu said, looking down at her fingers, her expression neutral, the occasional passing car headlights flashing across her face, making her seem somewhat aloof. “Even if he knew his decisions were wrong, he would never change.”
All his public appearances showed a man who was extremely confident and stubborn. Such a person would rather see his company crumble than admit his mistakes, let alone seek collaboration with Shenyin.
“Prepare a new report tomorrow. Get some sleep tonight,” Cheng Liu said, not criticizing her chief assistant.
However, He Bai couldn't shake off his mistake. He had thought he had been doing a good job these past few years.
Whether outside or within the company, many people praised Cheng Liu for having such a capable chief assistant, always meticulous and impeccable in his arrangements.
Especially since Cheng Liu often gave the impression of being somewhat unreliable and unconventional.
What those people didn't know was that he had been trained by Cheng Liu herself.
If Cheng Liu set her mind to something, she would achieve it.
He Bai gripped his phone and chuckled wryly. He would probably never be able to catch up to her, only follow in her footsteps.
…
The bedroom door wasn't completely closed. Ji Chaozhou could vaguely hear the conversation outside, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. He lay on the bed, eyes open, his thoughts wandering.
After a while, Ji Chaozhou gradually drifted off to sleep.
In the living room, Cheng Liu slept on the sofa. Worried that her boyfriend’s fever might return, she hadn’t booked another room.
She woke up in the middle of the night and went to check on him. His temperature was normal.
However, she noticed that even in his sleep, his brow remained furrowed, probably still affected by the fire.
Cheng Liu stood there for a moment, making sure he was sound asleep, before turning to leave.
But before she could turn around, her gaze fell on his forearm.
Ji Chaozhou was sleeping peacefully, but his pajama sleeve had ridden up, revealing a section of his pale forearm.
The bedroom light was off, but his skin was so pale that Cheng Liu, with her excellent eyesight, clearly saw the red marks.
Cheng Liu bent down for a closer look and saw that they were scratches. Given their location, he must have inflicted them himself.
Had he scratched himself accidentally?
Cheng Liu examined them carefully. They weren’t serious, just red and slightly inflamed. She pulled down his sleeve and returned to the living room.
As soon as she lay down on the sofa, Cheng Liu noticed that He Bai had sent the new report.
Her chief assistant was as competitive as ever, staying up late to finish the report.
Cheng Liu shook her head, quickly skimmed through the report, and then went to sleep.
She slept soundly.
At 6 am, Cheng Liu woke up on time. She glanced towards the bedroom, confirmed that her boyfriend was still asleep, quickly washed up, and slipped out of the hotel.
She was going to the bank.
The bank wasn't open yet, but the manager had arrived early today.
“CEO Cheng, what do you think?” The bank manager opened two boxes, revealing a gleam of gold.
Cheng Liu examined them carefully and nodded in satisfaction: “Perfect.”
“Where would you like to put them?” the bank manager asked.
Cheng Liu thought for a moment: “My car trunk.”
They were going to the mall this morning. After shopping, she would take her boyfriend to the car, where her heartfelt gift would be unveiled.
He would surely be thrilled.
The bank manager: “…Alright.”
So, the two gold bars and the gold plaque were placed in Cheng Liu's car trunk. She attached the large red flower to the plaque and covered the gleaming gifts with a cloth.
On her way back to the hotel, Cheng Liu was in a great mood.
As soon as she closed the hotel room door, she turned and saw her boyfriend emerge from the bedroom.
“Good morning! What do you want to eat?” Cheng Liu asked instinctively.
Ji Chaozhou had just woken up, his eyes still slightly unfocused, even forgetting that he wasn't at home.
After a moment, he finally came to his senses, remembering that he was at a hotel, and the person in front of him was his bodyguard.
“Anything.”
“I’ll order room service.” Cheng Liu called the hotel restaurant, placed their order, and then said to her boyfriend, “We’ll go to the mall after breakfast.”
And then she would give him her gift!
…
Ji Chaozhou stood in front of the mirror, his slender hands under the running faucet, letting the cold water flow over them.
His reflection was almost sickly pale, the corners of his eyes tinged with red from just waking up, making him look strangely alluring.
But when he opened his eyes, an aura of coldness and loneliness surrounded him, like a once majestic cedar, now withered and lifeless.
“Cold water, first thing in the morning?” Cheng Liu suddenly appeared, leaning into the bathroom and turning the faucet to the other side. “Your fever just subsided. Take care of yourself.”
As expected, she needed to keep a constant eye on him. He didn’t know how to take care of himself at all.
Ji Chaozhou turned around abruptly, meeting Cheng Liu’s gaze. His amber eyes were still filled with surprise, which softened the usual coldness and loneliness in his demeanor.
After adjusting the water temperature, Cheng Liu moved his hands aside and tested the water herself.
Once the hot water started flowing, she withdrew her hand: “Alright, you can wash up now.”
Ji Chaozhou: “…”
He slowly placed his hands back under the faucet, letting the warm water flow through his fingers, the warmth spreading from his fingertips to his forearms, and then throughout his body.
Ji Chaozhou felt a sense of unease. He turned off the water and looked towards the doorway. She had already left.
Cheng Liu opened the door for the room service staff, who wheeled in a breakfast cart.
She pointed to the dining table in the living room: “You can leave it there.”
Cheng Liu had ordered light and refreshing breakfast items, as her boyfriend had just recovered from a fever and couldn’t eat anything greasy.
A few minutes later, Ji Chaozhou emerged from the bathroom. The light blue shirt she had bought was a bit too big, but it still couldn’t hide his tall and slender figure.
“You can leave now. We’ll take care of it later,” Cheng Liu said to the room service staff.
They left as instructed.
Cheng Liu arranged the breakfast on the table: “Eat first.”
She poured herself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and then poured another.
Ji Chaozhou sat at the table, his head slightly lowered, his long fingers casually stirring the porridge with a porcelain spoon.
As Cheng Liu was about to take another sip of tea, she glanced at her boyfriend.
And that glance was enough to make her choke.
She saw the nape of his long, pale neck, the bones slightly prominent because of his thin frame and lowered head, inexplicably alluring.
“Pfft—”
Cheng Liu choked on her tea, turning her head away: “Cough! Cough!”
Ji Chaozhou, hearing the commotion, turned to look at her.
“The tea was too hot,” Cheng Liu said, putting down her cup and wiping her mouth, her expression serious.
She absolutely hadn’t been thinking anything inappropriate!
Ji Chaozhou looked away and continued stirring his porridge. He had never been fond of food, but he had to admit that what Number Six had ordered was something he could tolerate.
“I’m going out for a bit. Call me when you’re finished,” Cheng Liu said, fleeing the scene.
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she might have a massive nosebleed.
Cheng Liu left the suite and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
As she was eating, she received a call from Li Dong.
“CEO Cheng, how’s your stay at our hotel?” Li Dong asked enthusiastically. “Let the hotel manager know if you need anything.”
“It’s great,” Cheng Liu said, trying hard not to think about her boyfriend, lest her mind wander into inappropriate territory.
Li Dong, speaking with the air of someone experienced in such matters, said, “A man and a woman alone together in a room…that’s definitely conducive to developing a relationship.”
Cheng Liu: “…”
Just thinking about it felt like a disservice to her pure and innocent boyfriend.
“Mr. Li, are you very free these days?” Cheng Liu changed the subject.
“Free? No, no, no. I have a hotel inspection this afternoon,” Li Dong said seriously. “To demonstrate Dongchu Hotel’s sincerity, I’ll also be personally interacting with our guests.”
This would be the perfect opportunity to get a good look at Cheng Liu’s boyfriend. He had to see who this mysterious person was who had managed to make Cheng Liu, that stubborn, unromantic woman, finally blossom.
“There have been quite a few fires in S City recently. We need to conduct a thorough fire safety inspection at the hotel as well,” Li Dong said, gossiping. “I heard that CEO Ji’s son was also involved in a fire yesterday. It seems it was at Wen…”
“I have to go. I’m taking my boyfriend to the mall,” Cheng Liu said, having received a message from her boyfriend, and immediately hung up on Li Dong, not hearing the rest of his sentence.
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