If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: The Eighth Day
As soon as Ji Chaozhou stepped out of his villa, he saw Cheng Liu, who seemed to have just returned from her morning run.
He had transferred the money to her last night, not wanting any further interaction.
So, Ji Chaozhou simply glanced at Cheng Liu and then looked away. She clearly understood the message behind his actions and had responded accordingly.
They passed each other without a word.
Ji Chaozhou lowered his gaze and walked on in silence.
The dense canopy of the camphor trees cast long shadows on the ground. He walked slowly into the shadows, as if descending into a dark abyss.
But just as he stepped into the shadows, someone pulled him back.
“Wait.”
Cheng Liu, who should have been a stranger now, had run after him.
Ji Chaozhou turned and looked up at Cheng Liu. Her face was clean, without a trace of sweat. She was wearing the blue tracksuit she had bought at the supermarket last night. The scent of laundry detergent was also different, the most common lavender scent, also purchased last night.
The only thing that remained unchanged was the overwhelming sense of her presence.
Whenever she appeared in front of him, everything else seemed to fade into the background, making Ji Chaozhou feel uncomfortable.
He tried to pull his arm away, but she held on tight.
“Don’t move,” Cheng Liu said, frowning as she took his right hand and looked down at it.
She could see that his nails were neatly trimmed, but his fingertips were all injured, with a small tear in the nail of his ring finger.
As if he had been desperately clutching at something.
He hadn't treated the wounds; the skin around one of his fingertips was pale.
Cheng Liu didn't ask how he had injured himself, simply saying, “If you don’t treat these wounds, it will affect your perfume-making.”
Ji Chaozhou’s eyes were cold; he didn’t want her to interfere in his affairs.
But Cheng Liu, meeting his beautiful, glass-like amber eyes, quickly pulled him towards a nearby pharmacy before he could pull his hand away, chattering non-stop to distract him.
“Helping each other is a virtue between neighbors. Besides, CEO Ji is my friend, and you're his son, so it’s only natural for me to take care of you. You don’t have to thank me.”
Cheng Liu, who had been worried about the generational gap just yesterday, was now emphasizing her connection with Ji Mushan.
Cheng Liu said sternly, “Chaozhou, as your elder, I must tell you, neglecting small wounds can lead to bigger problems.”
She had unilaterally appointed herself as Ji Chaozhou's elder.
The pharmacy was just around the corner from their villas. Ji Chaozhou had almost reached the intersection, and after Cheng Liu’s few sentences, they had arrived.
“We need some medicine. He’s injured his hand,” Cheng Liu said to the pharmacist, showing him Ji Chaozhou's hand.
The pharmacist, having just started his shift, was still drowsy, but the sight of the two people who had rushed in jolted him awake.
He looked down at Ji Chaozhou’s fingers and gasped: “How did this happen?”
The pharmacist quickly grabbed some iodine, gauze, and antiseptic ointment: “Have your boyfriend apply this and then bandage it.”
Cheng Liu nodded eagerly: “Okay.”
Ji Chaozhou had never met anyone like Cheng Liu. He closed his eyes and reminded her, “You have a fiancé.”
He didn’t want to know why she was still preparing a wedding home, nor why she was still approaching him.
Cheng Liu, who was applying the ointment to Ji Chaozhou’s hand, looked up in surprise: “Who? Me?”
Almost instinctively, she immediately explained, “Wang Hongyang and I broke up the day before yesterday. I’m a single, eligible woman now!”
The pharmacist, standing beside them, had become invisible, silently listening to the juicy gossip.
Ji Chaozhou looked at Cheng Liu. Her eyes were clear, and her actions decisive, but everything she did was strange.
Before Ji Chaozhou could pull his hand back, she seemed to anticipate his next move and said, “It’s not easy for you to bandage it yourself. I’ll do it for you before I go to work.”
Cheng Liu’s movements were quick and practiced, and the bandage was thin, not hindering his finger movements.
“There,” Cheng Liu said, releasing his hand.
After forcefully tending to his wounds, she suddenly felt self-conscious, remembering the “aloof and distant” tactic she had completely forgotten about.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late.
Cheng Liu straightened up and, putting on an indifferent expression, said to Ji Chaozhou, “Goodbye.”
Her tone was firm and resolute.
The pharmacist, listening from the side, was confused. How had they suddenly jumped to “goodbye”?
Cheng Liu, still in character, took out a hundred-yuan bill, slapped it on the counter, and hurried out of the pharmacy without another glance at her beloved.
“Hey!” the pharmacist called out. “I haven’t given you your change!”
In the end, the pharmacist gave the change to Ji Chaozhou.
Ji Chaozhou walked out of the pharmacy, frowning slightly. She…had become rather strange.
Before the “Number Six” incident, she had seemed normal, even composed.
Perhaps seeing her boyfriend with another woman had affected her.
Ji Chaozhou’s long eyelashes hid his cold, indifferent eyes as he walked towards the Ranshan building in silence.
…
Something felt wrong.
After returning to her villa, Cheng Liu thought about it and felt that her attempt at playing hard to get might have been flawed.
To confirm, she looked up the definition of “playing hard to get” and decided she hadn’t done anything wrong.
CEO Cheng replayed the earlier events in her mind. She had approached Ji Chaozhou, bandaged his hand – that was the “close” part. Then she had given him a cold “goodbye” – that was the “distant” part.
There shouldn’t be a problem. She had perfectly executed the “playing hard to get” strategy.
Now, all she had to do was wait for Ji Chaozhou to take the bait!
CEO Cheng, brimming with confidence, looked forward to the future, her path to love once again bright and promising!
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