If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The First Day
Night deepened, and rain fell outside the window.
Inside, Ji Chaozhou sat leaning back on the sofa, his almost pale face devoid of emotion. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his long legs resting lightly against the coffee table, his figure almost blending into the darkness.
An air of cold desolation emanated from him, as if he were a lifeless, beautiful statue.
The lily-of-the-valley he had retrieved from the car that afternoon were arranged in a glass vase, placed forlornly on the otherwise empty dining table. The plump, jade-white blossoms drooped, emitting a faint, lustrous glow in the dim room.
Suddenly, the screen of the phone on the coffee table vibrated and lit up, a stark contrast in the darkness.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t move. A moment later, the darkened screen flashed again.
After a long while, he finally reached out and picked up the phone, swiping to unlock it. Two people had sent messages on WeChat, one after the other.
Number Six: [I’m waiting for you downstairs.]
Ji Mushan: [Eat on time. Don’t neglect your health.]
Ji Chaozhou’s gaze rested on Number Six’s message.
A few days ago, Ji Mushan had somehow obtained his medical report and had come looking for him, hinting repeatedly that Ji Chaozhou should eat properly.
Ji Chaozhou hadn’t taken it to heart.
So now he had hired this Number Six to supervise him?
Although Ji Chaozhou had promised Aunt Yun that he would reconcile with Ji Mushan, he had never been interested in food, even if his stomach protested.
The stabbing pain that emanated from within seemed to make him more alert.
…
Cheng Liu went back to wash her hair and shower. From a closet full of similar clothes, she grabbed a clean outfit. Seeing that it was still early for their date, she sat down at her computer to look at the documents her chief assistant had sent earlier.
This time, however, she specifically set an alarm to prevent herself from getting too absorbed in work and forgetting her date.
She also added her boyfriend's address to the food delivery app on her phone.
At that moment, Cheng Liu felt she truly had the potential to be a perfect girlfriend.
At 7:40 pm, Cheng Liu arrived early at Building Five of the Wenxing Residential Complex. She sent her boyfriend a message, asking him to come down.
But there was no reply. It wasn’t until 8 pm that he finally sent a message: [I’m not eating. You can go back.]
Sitting in her car, Cheng Liu stared at the message, somewhat baffled.
He had complained about her not contacting him a few days ago. Now that she was back and had specifically made time for their date, why wasn't he appeased at all?
Cheng Liu pondered.
Her boyfriend was probably playing hard to get.
She had often heard her middle-aged business partners complain about their wives or children using such tactics to get their attention.
Back then, Cheng Liu hadn’t been interested in such things. Now, experiencing it herself…those business partners were clearly showing off, weren’t they?
Thinking of this, Cheng Liu straightened her back. Now she also had a boyfriend, and such a handsome one at that.
A little willfulness wasn't a big deal.
She would spoil him!
So, Cheng Liu got out of the car with an umbrella, coaxing her boyfriend.
Number Six: [Guyu Restaurant has some new dishes recently. They're light and good for the stomach, suitable for you. Have a little something.]
Number Six: [Here’s their menu. picture.jpg]
Number Six: [picture.jpg] x12
Models needed to maintain their figures and probably couldn’t eat greasy, heavy food.
Cheng Liu considered herself very thoughtful.
Then, she employed a tactic she learned from the middle-aged business partners – complaining about her own hardships. An almost guaranteed method to win sympathy.
Number Six: [Life isn't easy for anyone. I hope you can understand me a little.]
She had so many employees waiting for their paychecks. Cheng Liu felt her boyfriend should understand her recent busyness.
But she would definitely change! She would spend more time with him.
Upstairs.
Ji Chaozhou had just sent the message to his bodyguard when his phone vibrated continuously.
He picked it up again and opened Number Six’s WeChat, looking at the pictures of dishes she kept sending.
Then she sent another message.
Ji Chaozhou frowned slightly, displeased with her almost guilt-tripping words.
He got up and turned on the light, initiating a voice call, intending to tell Number Six to go back. It didn't matter if life wasn’t easy for her.
By this time, Ji Chaozhou had walked to the window and looked out.
The rain was still falling, showing no signs of letting up.
The streetlights below were on, but there were few pedestrians around, which made the person holding a black umbrella, occasionally peeking out from underneath it to look up, particularly noticeable.
Even from a floor above, Ji Chaozhou could see the worn red plaid jacket, the faded grey sweatpants, and the pant legs already splashed with rain.
On the back of her right hand, the one holding the umbrella, was a long scratch. Covered earlier, it was now clearly visible under the streetlight in the rain, not even scabbed over yet.
She looked forlorn and weary.
Ji Chaozhou remembered that she had been carrying a suitcase at the airport. Had she taken on Ji Mushan’s task immediately after finishing her previous job?
His initial displeasure at her guilt-tripping words lessened somewhat.
Cheng Liu, downstairs, was looking down at her phone when she noticed an incoming voice call from her boyfriend. She immediately answered it, looking up just as Ji Chaozhou appeared on the second floor. She smiled at him: “Guyu Restaurant isn’t far from here. I’ll bring you back right after we eat.”
Cheng Liu’s natural warmth and sincerity made it difficult for anyone to dislike her. This was partly due to her naturally beautiful features and partly due to her honed skills as a businesswoman.
Ji Chaozhou looked down at the person below for a long time before finally hanging up without saying a word.
A few minutes later.
Ji Chaozhou appeared downstairs. Cheng Liu immediately strode over, raising her black umbrella to shield him from the wind and rain, striving to be the perfect girlfriend.
Before he could reach out, Cheng Liu opened the car door, holding the umbrella for him as he got in, and even used her hand to shield the roof of the car to prevent him from bumping his head.
Perhaps because she had seen hotel doormen do this so often, Cheng Liu’s actions were smooth and practiced, only a suit away from being a professional doorman herself.
After closing the door, she hurried to the other side, got in, closed the umbrella, placed it inside the car door, then started the car, turned around, and headed towards Guyu Restaurant.
Ji Chaozhou quietly gazed at the blurred rainy scenery outside the window, the lights of passing cars occasionally streaking across the glass.
After a long while, he turned to look at the Number Six bodyguard beside him.
Cheng Liu, noticing her boyfriend’s gaze, instinctively straightened up, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel several times.
She was a little nervous.
When her boyfriend, dressed up and wearing amber colored contacts, looked at her with those light-colored eyes, Cheng Liu’s heart skipped a few beats.
No wonder those business partners always liked buying makeup for their wives.
Whether male or female, they certainly looked much better with makeup.
This bodyguard was nervous.
Ji Chaozhou’s gaze drifted downwards.
Now that they were closer than they had been upstairs, Ji Chaozhou could see her attire more clearly. The jacket’s stitching was rough, with loose threads, and the cuffs were covered with random, long and short black ink marks.
An adult wouldn't doodle such irregular marks on their own cuffs.
Ji Chaozhou was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Do you have children?”
Just then, a car next to them honked at the car in front. Cheng Liu didn't hear her boyfriend's question clearly, only vaguely catching something about children.
Her mind automatically filled in the blanks.
Two months ago, a tech news outlet had published an article about Cheng Liu’s family background, elaborating on and analyzing how she had risen from an ordinary family to her current position.
The article also mentioned that, according to informed sources, Cheng Liu had three siblings, and she was the eldest.
Her boyfriend must have read that article and was asking if she had three siblings.
A few days ago, Cheng Liu definitely wouldn't have liked her boyfriend prying into her family matters, but now…
Her boyfriend would be family in the future. What was wrong with asking?
So, Cheng Liu nodded seriously: “Yes.”
A mother with a child.
Ji Chaozhou looked away, the discomfort he had felt from her earlier guilt-tripping words mostly dissipating.
He looked back out the window, temporarily dismissing the idea of asking Ji Mushan to recall the bodyguard.
She wasn't constantly around, only appearing at set times. For Ji Chaozhou, it wasn’t much of a bother.
…
They arrived at Guyu Restaurant. There was no underground parking, but there were parking spaces in front.
Cheng Liu parked the car, quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed the black umbrella from under the car door, and hurried to the passenger side, diligently shielding her boyfriend from the wind and rain.
Ji Chaozhou glanced at the somewhat attentive female bodyguard beside him and didn’t stop her, letting her hold the umbrella.
The private room had already been booked. Cheng Liu gave her name, and a waiter, carrying a lantern, led them to their room.
It was a Chinese restaurant, the exterior appearing small, but the interior was surprisingly spacious, even boasting a rock garden in the atrium.
They walked down a long corridor before reaching their private room.
The room was entirely wood-paneled. The slightly open rosewood lattice windows let in a breeze carrying the earthy scent of grass and soil from outside, not unpleasant.
Candles, covered by lampshades, provided the lighting, their flickering flames giving the room an antique charm.
Cheng Liu beat the waiter to it, pulling out a chair for her boyfriend. As he sat down, her stomach suddenly growled.
She was hungry.
Ji Chaozhou turned his pale but undeniably elegant face, glanced at the female bodyguard, and said lightly, “You sit too.”
Cheng Liu froze. She had been about to sit down, her hand almost reaching for the other chair.
However, she wouldn't contradict her handsome boyfriend.
A business partner had once said that whatever a wife said when she was angry was right, and one should never talk back or disobey, even if her words made no logical sense.
The same principle should apply to boyfriends.
Cheng Liu pulled over the other chair and sat down, opening the menu and handing it to her boyfriend.
The waiter standing beside them began to introduce the new dishes at Guyu Restaurant.
Ji Chaozhou wasn’t particularly interested. He had only agreed to this to appease Ji Mushan. He ordered two dishes and then said to Cheng Liu, “You order.”
Cheng Liu obediently took the menu, feeling somewhat touched: Although her boyfriend was still angry, he still cared about her.
She ordered five more dishes.
Cheng Liu usually didn't like places like Guyu Restaurant, where the dishes were beautifully presented but small in portion.
But now, she felt the ambiance suited her boyfriend quite well.
By the candlelight, Cheng Liu quickly glanced at her boyfriend. She wondered what had happened to him in these past few months. His temperament seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.
Six months ago, when they had just started dating, Cheng Liu vaguely remembered her boyfriend as a fashionable trendsetter, his entire outfit covered in designer logos, very much in line with his profession as a model.
But now…at this moment, bathed in the candlelight, his meticulously sculpted face, long eyelashes casting shadows on his high nose bridge, dressed simply in white shirt and pants, he looked like a living portrait of a beautiful man at rest.
For some reason, Cheng Liu felt a strange sense of incongruity, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
She quickly dismissed the feeling.
It was normal for people to change after three months apart.
Besides…Cheng Liu’s impression of their dates wasn't very strong. They usually consisted of eating while her boyfriend played on his phone and she busied herself with messages and work matters with her chief assistant.
After the food arrived, Cheng Liu diligently served her boyfriend, constantly being captivated by his handsome face.
Ji Chaozhou was oblivious, simply assuming she was responsible for ensuring he ate.
“Your phone is vibrating,” Cheng Liu suddenly said.
Ji Chaozhou looked down at his right pocket, took out his phone. The caller ID: Yun Fei.
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