If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: The Sixth Day
Cheng Liu paused outside the hotel room on the second floor, making sure her mind was clear of any distractions before swiping her card and entering. She happened to see her boyfriend emerging from the bathroom.
Ji Chaozhou had just finished rinsing his mouth, and there were still droplets of water on his lips. Unaware of this, he pushed open the glass door and stepped out, turning instinctively at the sound of footsteps at the entrance. His beautiful amber eyes met hers, his gaze indifferent.
Under that casual gaze, Cheng Liu felt her throat tighten.
But her boyfriend quickly looked away.
Ji Chaozhou walked to the table, picked up his phone, and turned to leave.
By this time, Cheng Liu had recovered. She didn’t follow him inside but opened the door and waited for him to come out.
Ji Chaozhou walked slowly past her without pausing, but Cheng Liu could smell his faint fragrance.
It wasn’t just the scent of the hotel’s toiletries; it also carried that unique, subtle, moist, and alluring scent that belonged to him.
…She suddenly felt that the hallway of Li Dong’s hotel was too narrow.
Otherwise, why was she feeling slightly breathless?
Cheng Liu snapped back to reality, closed the door, and hurried after him.
This was the first time Cheng Liu had seen him descend the stairs.
He walked even slower than he did going up, keeping close to the wall, clearly trying to stay as far away from the railing as possible.
This wasn't just a simple fear of heights, nor did it seem like a lingering effect from the fire.
During the fire last night, she hadn't heard her boyfriend’s voice at all. He must have been in a bad state from the very beginning.
Cheng Liu took a few larger steps and walked beside him, effectively blocking the open space near the railing.
“Shall we go to the mall first this morning, and then apply for a new ID card and bank card this afternoon?” Cheng Liu asked suddenly.
She kept her eyes on the stairs ahead, not looking at her boyfriend.
With his peripheral vision blocked and her voice pulling him back to reality, Ji Chaozhou’s grip on the handrail loosened: “…Okay.”
“The lily-of-the-valley pot was slightly damaged in the fire. We’ll need to buy a new one at the mall,” Cheng Liu continued.
Ji Chaozhou’s attention was diverted.
The staircase from the second floor to the parking lot wasn’t long. By the time Cheng Liu finished speaking, they had reached the bottom.
She lingered for a moment, her gaze fixed on her boyfriend's slender back, then lowered her eyes, her expression clearing when she looked up again.
Cheng Liu caught up and opened the car door for him.
An hour later, they arrived at the most upscale mall in S City, home to luxury brands from all over the world.
Cheng Liu rarely came here. She always felt the prices far exceeded the value.
But she had been here more frequently this year.
The first time was six months ago, to buy a tie. The second time was yesterday, to buy clothes and shoes. And today was her third visit.
This mall wasn’t as crowded as others. Most of the shoppers were dressed impeccably, with only a few dressed more casually than Cheng Liu, probably having come straight from their homes in pajamas and slippers.
Ji Chaozhou and Cheng Liu went to the men’s clothing store on the second floor, taking the emergency staircase.
“Welcome back, ma’am,” the sales assistant said, clearly recognizing Cheng Liu.
After spending so much time explaining fashion tips yesterday morning, it was hard for the sales assistant to forget her, especially with her striking features.
“The clothes I bought yesterday didn’t fit well, so he’s here to choose some new ones,” Cheng Liu said, looking at her boyfriend, who had already started browsing.
The sales assistant, glancing at him, blushed and whispered to Cheng Liu, “Your boyfriend is very handsome. You two are a perfect match.”
CEO Cheng was fond of people who knew how to flatter. She took out a card and said to the sales assistant, raising an eyebrow, “Wrap up everything he chooses.”
“Certainly, ma’am!” The sales assistant nodded eagerly. It seemed her sales target for the month was within reach.
While Ji Chaozhou was trying on clothes, Cheng Liu sat on the sofa, browsing the news on her phone.
“I want to buy a watch. My wrist feels empty lately,” Wang Hongyang said to the young woman beside him, showing her his bare wrist as they stood on the escalator.
The woman with short hair looked at him adoringly, her arm linked through his: “I’ll buy you one!”
“No need. I’ll buy it myself,” Wang Hongyang frowned. “It’s not right to use a woman’s money.”
“Consider it a gift from me,” the woman said, pressing her face against his arm, feigning anger. “If you don’t accept, it means you’re treating me like a stranger.”
Wang Hongyang hesitated, then sighed, as if he couldn't refuse her: “Fine, but only this once.”
“Okay!” the woman said, nodding eagerly.
The watch store was on the fourth floor. As Wang Hongyang and the woman turned to ascend to the third floor, his gaze swept over a men’s clothing store on the second floor, and he frowned. He had been seeing Cheng Liu’s silhouette everywhere lately. He must be hallucinating.
But it couldn’t be Cheng Liu.
She would never waste her time accompanying someone to a place like this.
How annoying!
The thought of Cheng Liu irritated Wang Hongyang. Since that day, she had been ignoring his messages and not answering his calls.
“Where do you want to go later?” the woman beside him asked cheerfully.
“Anywhere you want,” Wang Hongyang said with a smile, and the woman looked at him, flattered.
See? This was how a normal person behaved.
Wang Hongyang, whose confidence had been bruised by Cheng Liu, was now basking in the attention of another woman.
Back in the men’s clothing store on the second floor.
“Finished?” Cheng Liu asked as her boyfriend emerged from the fitting room. “Just these few items?”
“Yes.” Ji Chaozhou handed the clothes to the sales assistant.
Cheng Liu followed the sales assistant to pay. When she returned, Ji Chaozhou was waiting outside.
“Shall we go to that store?” Cheng Liu asked, pointing to a store across from them. “I didn’t know your size, so I just bought a box of each yesterday.”
Ji Chaozhou was silent: “…”
It was a men’s underwear store.
Ten minutes later, Ji Chaozhou and Cheng Liu emerged from the store, carrying shopping bags.
“Anything else you need?” Cheng Liu asked.
Ji Chaozhou looked at her and reminded her, “The flower pot.”
Cheng Liu turned to look at the directory. The home goods section was on the fifth floor.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back,” Cheng Liu said, placing the shopping bags on a bench outside the store.
Ji Chaozhou couldn't go to the fifth floor, so he sat quietly on the bench, waiting for Number Six to return.
He watched her ascend the escalator, then, as his gaze shifted to the height of the escalator, a sharp pain pierced his chest. His vision blurred, his breathing becoming erratic.
Ji Chaozhou frowned, turning his head away, his lips pressed into a thin line as he slowly calmed himself, trying to dispel the faint redness creeping into his vision.
He gripped the edge of the bench so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
After a long while, the redness finally receded, his neck covered in a cold sweat.
Just then, his phone vibrated. He took it out and saw a message from Number Six. She had sent a few photos of flower pots, asking which one he wanted.
Ji Chaozhou replied: [White.]
Number Six: [Okay.]
“Ah—”
Ji Chaozhou suddenly heard a muffled squeal of excitement beside him.
He initially ignored it, until the sound drew closer.
“Is that you?! Wang Hongyang!!! I love you!!!”
Ji Chaozhou turned to see a stranger, a young woman with green hair, staring at him excitedly.
“You’ve mistaken me for someone else,” he said, looking away.
The young woman had stopped talking the moment Ji Chaozhou turned to look at her.
She had initially been too stunned by his face to speak, then realized she had made a mistake.
“I’m so sorry! I apologize!” the woman said, bowing repeatedly, then added shyly, “I didn’t mean to. You look a lot like…I mean, there’s this model I like, and his profile looks just like yours. I mistook you for him.”
Seeing that he wasn't responding, the woman took out her phone and found a photo of Wang Hongyang: “See? His profile looks a bit like yours.”
In her haste, she accidentally showed his full face.
The woman froze, then looked back up at the young man on the bench, her adoration for her idol suddenly cracking.
Compared to the man on the bench, her idol, Wang Hongyang, seemed…well, completely outclassed, except for their similar profiles.
“What are you doing?” Cheng Liu, descending from the fifth floor, saw a woman talking to her boyfriend.
Ji Chaozhou, hearing Number Six’s voice, turned his head, his gaze falling on the photo of Wang Hongyang on the woman’s phone.
“I’m so sorry!” the woman said, turning to Cheng Liu, assuming she was the girlfriend of the man on the bench. “I apologize. I mistook him for someone else.”
Before Cheng Liu could get any closer, the woman put away her phone and quickly slipped away.
Cheng Liu walked over, holding the flowerpot and picking up the shopping bags from the bench, shaking her head.
Mistaking someone for someone else they liked? How unreliable.
CEO Cheng thought to herself, unlike her, whose attention was solely focused on her boyfriend.
“Let’s go,” Cheng Liu said with a smile.
Her boyfriend was about to see the gift she had meticulously prepared! With such a big surprise, his mood should improve.
Cheng Liu’s car was parked outside. She had even calculated the time so that the sunlight would be shining directly on her car when they went out.
…
“Thank you,” Wang Hongyang said, putting on the watch worth over a hundred thousand yuan, feeling quite pleased with himself.
His face still had its usual charm.
“I’m glad you like it,” the woman said, wearing a matching women’s watch on her own wrist. She linked her arm through his. “I want some bubble tea.”
“Let’s go to the first floor,” Wang Hongyang said.
“I don’t want any from the first floor. There’s a new dessert shop across from the mall. I want to go there,” the woman said, clinging to him. “Will you go with me?”
Having just received an expensive watch, Wang Hongyang was in a good mood and readily agreed: “Okay.”
As they descended the escalator, a young woman with green hair was ascending on the escalator beside them.
She stared at Wang Hongyang, her expression shifting, incredibly complex.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Wang Hongyang brushed his hair back and gave the green-haired woman his most charming smile, polite and captivating.
He had been practicing this smile since his debut. Except for Cheng Liu, it had always worked flawlessly!
However, the green-haired woman looked at him as if she had seen a ghost, her expression even bordering on disgust.
This was the model she had admired for years? So greasy! He couldn't even compare to that young man on the second floor earlier.
Wang Hongyang: “???” What was going on?
His newly restored confidence began to waver again.
“What are you looking at?” the woman beside him asked, tugging on his arm.
“Nothing. I just thought her hair was very green,” Wang Hongyang said casually.
The woman curled her lip and held his hand: “Green is bad luck.”
…
Cheng Liu reached her car, carrying shopping bags in one hand and the flowerpot in the other. She turned to her boyfriend: “Could you open the trunk for me?”
Ji Chaozhou followed her to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and saw a large red cloth covering something, taking up most of the space.
This was it! The sunlight was shining directly on the trunk!
“Pull off the red cloth,” Cheng Liu said expectantly.
She was a bit nervous about giving him this second gift, her eyes darting around. And as her eyes wandered, they fell on a couple nearby, walking arm in arm.
Before she could even react, Wang Hongyang panicked.
What was Cheng Liu doing here?!
Wang Hongyang's gaze fell on the young man beside Cheng Liu. His mind raced, calculating. After a moment, he let go of the woman’s hand and strode towards Cheng Liu.
Ji Chaozhou pulled off the red cloth, and a blinding golden light erupted from the trunk. He instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes.
At that moment, Wang Hongyang rushed over, accusing Cheng Liu angrily, “So this is why you disappeared for six months! You cheated on me! You found another man!”
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