If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 27
Chapter 27: The Eighth Day
Ranshan Building.
The entire second floor laboratory belonged to Ji Chaozhou alone. The other perfumers at Ranshan worked on different floors.
They had dedicated channels for sourcing natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients and didn’t usually need to go out looking for ordinary flowers.
However, Ji Chaozhou occasionally liked visiting the flower market; it was a way for him to clear his mind.
Ji Chaozhou picked up a dark glass bottle that had been sitting there for two days, containing a perfume he had blended. He poured some into a perfume bottle, sprayed it onto a scent strip, and lowered his head to sniff.
—Too sweet.
Even after the base notes emerged, it was still overly sweet.
Ji Chaozhou put down the scent strip and pushed the perfume bottle away.
When he had first blended it, he had thought the sweetness was just right, but now, just two days later, it had become cloying.
Ji Chaozhou checked his notes. The formula was correct. He had added a fixative, so the scent should be stable and not change.
It should smell the same as it had two days ago.
“Knock, knock—”
Someone was knocking on the door.
Ji Chaozhou looked up. It was Tang Fanglu, a perfumer who had been working at Ranshan for over ten years, from the third floor. She had been in charge of developing new fragrances when Yun Se was managing Ranshan.
“This is a new perfume I’ve blended,” Tang Fanglu said, walking in with a perfume bottle, wanting Ji Chaozhou to evaluate it.
The perfume industry had always been dominated by major international brands, with domestic perfumes often considered inferior. Twenty years ago, Ranshan had emerged, seemingly out of nowhere.
Yun Ran, the founder of Ranshan, had named her first perfume after the brand, winning numerous awards and achieving instant fame.
Like its name, the scent started light and delicate, sweet and refreshing, then gradually intensified, enveloping the wearer.
Unlike typical perfumes with top, middle, and base notes, Ranshan perfumes only had top and base notes.
Unfortunately, Yun Ran had only ever created this one perfume.
Even so, Ranshan had relied on this single fragrance for over twenty years, maintaining its status, albeit as a niche brand.
In her ten years at Ranshan, the new fragrances Tang Fanglu had developed hadn’t been particularly successful, barely reaching the level of a niche brand.
She had thought Ranshan would remain that way, but after Ji Chaozhou took over, a single perfume, Midu, had brought Ranshan back into the spotlight.
As expected of Yun Ran's son, he possessed an almost frighteningly acute sense of smell.
“The grassy scent in the base notes is too strong,” Ji Chaozhou said, interrupting Tang Fanglu’s thoughts. “Did you add tonka bean? The ratio needs adjusting.”
Tang Fanglu made a note and was about to leave when he stopped her.
Ji Chaozhou handed her the perfume he had blended: “Smell this.”
Tang Fanglu took the perfume, sprayed it onto a scent strip, and lowered her head to sniff.
Her eyes widened: “This scent…it’s sweet and refreshing, with a lingering sweetness.”
It wasn’t the sweet scent of fruit, but a light honeyed floral fragrance, not overpowering, yet captivating, drawing one in for another sniff.
Tang Fanglu waved the scent strip, almost savoring the fragrance, and thought to herself: Some people were simply born for perfume, possessing an almost supernatural talent for blending scents.
“Is this a new fragrance you’re planning to release?” Tang Fanglu asked excitedly. “It’s sure to be a hit.”
“No,” Ji Chaozhou said, taking the perfume back.
Tang Fanglu watched in astonishment as he placed the perfume bottle in the discard box, asking, puzzled, “What’s wrong with it?”
Ji Chaozhou looked down: “Too sweet.”
He suddenly recalled the slightly bitter grapefruit scent he had smelled on Cheng Liu last night.
A very ordinary, slightly bitter grapefruit scent, yet remarkably distinct, still lingering in his memory.
“I think the sweetness is just right,” Tang Fanglu said, regretting that he was discarding it. “Why not let us perfumers try it out?”
Ji Chaozhou didn't care about discarded perfumes and gave it to Tang Fanglu.
After she left, he instinctively found a bottle of grapefruit essential oil and added a few drops to a test tube.
Ranshan used only the finest quality essential oils. This scent was purer than what he had smelled on Cheng Liu, but it wasn’t quite what he was looking for.
Had she…been wearing something else as well?
Ji Chaozhou looked down at his bandaged fingertips, a flicker of annoyance crossing his usually impassive face. With his acute sense of smell, it was rare for him to be unable to identify a scent.
After staying in the Ranshan lab until 3 pm, Ji Chaozhou decided to stop.
If he couldn't identify the scent, he couldn't replicate it.
His new home wasn’t far from the Ranshan building, about a half-hour walk.
As Ji Chaozhou walked along the street, he passed by a large outdoor LED screen, his attention caught by a talk show.
They were talking about Shenyin Technology.
Ji Chaozhou looked away, but the voices from the program continued to drift over. The host and guests were praising the company’s founder.
Young, daring, and talented.
These words were repeated several times.
Completely different from the somewhat strange Cheng Liu he knew.
Ji Chaozhou frowned, pushing all thoughts of Cheng Liu aside, and continued walking back to his villa in silence.
…
Cheng Liu skipped work again. She had spent the morning packing her belongings and moving them to the villa, even hiring a cleaning crew.
By noon, the entire villa was spotless, even the lawn freshly mowed.
Cheng Liu placed the straw dolls in the yard, planning to plant some of Chaozhou’s favorite flowers and plants later.
She took out her phone and called Wang Hongyang: “I tried your ‘playing hard to get’ tactic today. Do you have any other tips that can help us get married quickly?”
Wang Hongyang, lounging on his sofa, stopped fidgeting: “You’re still thinking about marriage?”
“If you’re not dating for marriage, then what’s the point?” Cheng Liu said, unable to resist adding, “You can be a witness at our wedding too.”
“Hah!” Wang Hongyang scoffed. “So, it’s fine to play around when you were dating me?”
“Let’s not dwell on the past,” Cheng Liu reminded him. “Remember the gold plaque.”
Wang Hongyang inwardly cursed Cheng Liu before saying, “If you want to get married, you have to win over his parents first. After all, his father will be your father-in-law.”
“I understand,” Cheng Liu said, suddenly enlightened. “His father will be my father-in-law. I’ll definitely get along well with CEO Ji.”
She hung up, walked out of her villa, stood between the two houses, looked around, then pried off the number “6” from her own house number plaque and nailed it next to Ji Chaozhou’s “5,” even taking the time to clean his plaque.
Cheng Liu looked at the two house numbers with satisfaction. They belonged together, just like her and Chaozhou, who were destined to be together. CEO Ji would be her father-in-law soon, so she had to show some respect.
“CEO Cheng? What are you doing here?” Ji Mushan, just getting out of his car with the pot of lily-of-the-valley, saw the familiar figure and asked in surprise.
Cheng Liu turned around, saw Ji Mushan, and blurted out, “Dad.”
Dad?
What?
Ji Mushan froze, looking around, wondering if he was hallucinating.
He looked at Cheng Liu’s face, finding no resemblance to his son. Moreover, Chaozhou hadn't called him “dad” in years.
“I was just…putting up the house number,” Cheng Liu said, holding up the hammer, quickly recovering.
Ji Mushan took a deep breath, regaining his composure, and looked at the house numbers: “You live here?”
“Yes.” Cheng Liu, capable of weaving elaborate lies to anyone except Ji Chaozhou, said, “I just found out last night that you bought the villa next door. What a coincidence.”
Ji Mushan frowned deeply. He had initially misunderstood Cheng Liu for two-timing her boyfriend, but even after learning it was a misunderstanding, he still didn’t have a good impression of her.
Someone who could mistake their boyfriend for someone else couldn't be reliable in a relationship.
Fortunately, Chaozhou had nothing to do with Cheng Liu, and according to Li Dong, she didn’t live here often.
“CEO Ji, are these flowers for Chaozhou?” Cheng Liu asked, putting down the hammer and taking the initiative to start a conversation.
Ji Mushan didn’t like Cheng Liu, but she was talking about Chaozhou, so he couldn’t help but respond: “Yes. How did you know?”
“I retrieved them from the balcony. All the other flowers were burned, except for this one,” Cheng Liu explained.
Ji Mushan looked at Cheng Liu more closely. He was now certain that she was the girlfriend the property manager had mentioned.
Chaozhou, having mistaken Cheng Liu for a bodyguard, had actually allowed her to get close to him.
Ji Mushan couldn't deny his envy. After all these years, he hadn't even been inside Chaozhou’s apartment, yet a stranger like Cheng Liu had been.
“Chaozhou asked if you had children, and you said you did,” Ji Mushan said, looking at Cheng Liu. “Do you have children?”
Cheng Liu looked confused: “What children?”
After thinking for a moment, she remembered Ji Chaozhou asking about children in the car. She had assumed he was asking about her siblings.
“I don’t have children,” Cheng Liu clarified, then, seizing the opportunity to introduce herself to her future father-in-law, she continued, “There are three children in my family. I’m the eldest. My parents are healthy and run a small business in our hometown. I own a company called Shenyin Technology, doing quite well…”
“I know,” Ji Mushan said, looking at Cheng Liu, puzzled. “Why are you telling me this?”
With her rapid rise to success, everyone in S City knew who she was. Her family background was public knowledge.
“Just making conversation,” Cheng Liu said, sensing that she had encountered a tough opponent.
CEO Ji truly lived up to his reputation as a man impervious to both soft and hard tactics.
However, CEO Cheng always had a plan. She decided to focus on Ji Chaozhou.
“CEO Ji, are these flowers for Chaozhou?” Cheng Liu asked casually. “He left this morning. He has an injury on his hand.”
“He’s injured?” Ji Mushan’s frown deepened. “Is it serious?”
They had gotten out of the same car yesterday, yet he hadn't noticed any injuries on Chaozhou's hand?
Cheng Liu looked up: “Just some scrapes on his fingertips. I’ve already applied medicine.”
“His right hand?” Ji Mushan seemed to understand. “He was holding his right hand yesterday.”
Chaozhou hadn't joined him for dinner yesterday, having his meal delivered to his room.
They stood at the entrance, talking for almost half an hour. Cheng Liu had finally gained a sliver of trust from Ji Mushan.
“Chaozhou isn't here, so it’s not convenient for me to go inside,” Ji Mushan said, receiving a phone call. Before leaving, he handed the pot of lily-of-the-valley to Cheng Liu. “Please give this to him, CEO Cheng.”
“Certainly,” CEO Cheng said sincerely. “We’re neighbors, after all.”
Watching the car drive away, Cheng Liu felt she was one step closer to her wedding.
…
When Ji Chaozhou returned, his gaze lingered on the two house numbers side by side at the entrance. He distinctly remembered the number "6" being on the right yesterday.
“You’re back.”
As soon as Ji Chaozhou entered his front yard, a person suddenly appeared on the wall separating their properties.
Cheng Liu, perched on the wall, a flowerpot in one hand, said, “CEO Ji sent over the lily-of-the-valley and asked me to give it to you.”
Ji Chaozhou walked towards the wall, looking up and reaching for the flowerpot.
Cheng Liu froze. The sun had shifted, bathing the entire courtyard in a warm, orange glow. His face, so beautiful it eclipsed everything around him, was turned towards her.
Cheng Liu’s breath hitched.
Instead of handing him the pot, she took his hand and jumped down from the wall.
Ji Chaozhou instinctively stepped back, but she held onto his hand, thrusting the lily-of-the-valley at him.
This wasn’t the first time she had held his hand.
Ji Chaozhou’s face turned cold. He squeezed his eyes shut to control his emotions, then forcefully pulled his hand away, taking several steps back.
Even though he was now several steps away,
Her presence was still overwhelming.
Simply by standing there, she had broken through the boundaries he had carefully erected.
Ji Chaozhou hated this feeling.
He clenched his hand behind his back, but the warmth from her touch lingered.
Cheng Liu, sensing his displeasure, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ji Chaozhou opened his beautiful amber eyes, which were now filled with icy coldness and an unprecedented wariness: “Don’t touch me.”
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