If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: The Tenth Day
Around 4 pm, Ji Chaozhou received a WeChat message from Cheng Liu, asking if he was free for dinner at Guyu Restaurant.
He hadn't agreed to have dinner with her.
Ji Chaozhou typed two words, his finger hovering over the send button, then he hesitated, deleted the message, and typed a single word instead.
But in the end, he didn't send it because someone arrived.
Ji Chaozhou heard the doorbell, stood up, and checked the security monitor.
A young woman with long, wavy hair and sunglasses, obscuring her delicate features, stood at the gate.
The young woman removed her sunglasses, looked up at the camera, and smiled: “Chaozhou, Aunt Yun and I are here to see you.”
If Cheng Liu had been there, she would have recognized the young woman as her supposed boyfriend’s rival—Yun Fei.
Unlike her bold red lipstick at the airport, today Yun Fei’s makeup and outfit were softer, as she pushed Yun Se’s wheelchair towards the villa.
Ji Chaozhou, seeing Aunt Yun in the wheelchair, immediately pressed the button to open the gate and hurried out: “Aunt Yun.”
Yun Se seemed to be in good spirits today. Looking at the young man who had come out to greet them, she asked with a warm smile, “Have you finished tidying up the yard?”
“Yes,” Ji Chaozhou said, taking the wheelchair from Yun Fei and pushing Aunt Yun inside.
“Chaozhou, I was on a closed set last week and just learned about what happened when I got back,” Yun Fei said, her face a mix of sadness and guilt, which was quickly replaced by a smile as she retrieved several bags of groceries from the trunk. “I’m glad you’re alright. Aunt Yun and I bought some groceries. We’ll have dinner with you tonight.”
Yun Se also patted Ji Chaozhou’s hand: “I’ve been wanting to have dinner with you. It’s good that you’re home today.”
Ji Chaozhou didn’t refuse: “Aunt Yun, I’ll come visit you next time. You don’t have to come all the way here.”
“I wanted to get some fresh air. It gets boring being cooped up all day,” Yun Se said, then, noticing the two saplings in the yard, she asked, surprised, “What are those? Why are they planted there?”
Ji Chaozhou looked down: “Grapefruit saplings.”
“Did the landscape designer plant them?” Yun Se frowned. “Why not transplant mature grapefruit trees? These saplings don’t suit your yard.”
The two small grapefruit saplings, bare and spindly, looked out of place in the left corner of the yard, while the right side was filled with flowers.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t mention Cheng Liu: “They’ll grow in a couple of years.”
Yun Se didn't press him, quickly forgetting about it as she was wheeled into the living room. Looking at the newly renovated space, she was pleased.
In just a few days, Chaozhou had transformed the villa, even better than she had imagined.
Before coming, Yun Se had expected to find an empty living room and yard.
Yun Fei, carrying the groceries, followed them into the kitchen. As she passed through the living room, she glanced at the items on the table.
Was he blending perfume?
The scent in the living room was completely different from the one Ji Chaozhou usually wore.
“Let’s go help Yun Fei,” Yun Se said to Ji Chaozhou.
Although she had told her nephew not to let Yun Fei's feelings affect him, Yun Fei was her adopted daughter, and they had grown up together, practically siblings.
Ji Chaozhou never refused Aunt Yun’s requests, so he pushed her wheelchair towards the kitchen.
“Chaozhou, can you help me…” Yun Fei was about to hand Ji Chaozhou some vegetables when she suddenly stopped. “Your hand is injured?”
Yun Se immediately turned to look at him, concerned: “Injured?”
“Just a scrape,” Ji Chaozhou said, hiding his right hand. “It’s almost healed.”
“I can handle this. Aunt Yun, why don’t you and Chaozhou go back to the living room,” Yun Fei said, putting down the vegetables.
“No need,” Ji Chaozhou said, turning around. “I’ll get some gloves.”
He hurried out of the kitchen, went to a cabinet in the living room, opened a drawer, and took out a pair of PVC gloves.
As he was about to put on a glove, Ji Chaozhou paused, took out his phone, deleted the single word in the message draft, and typed a new sentence.
He hesitated for a moment, then typed another sentence before putting on the glove and returning to the kitchen.
…
Cheng Liu was working furiously in her office, trying to finish all her work for the week, but some reports were still pending.
She occasionally glanced at her phone, waiting for Ji Chaozhou’s reply.
Finally, her phone vibrated. Cheng Liu immediately stopped working, grabbed her phone, and opened the message.
Boyfriend: [Someone’s here. Not going.]
Boyfriend: [Next time.]
Cheng Liu’s heart shattered at the first message, but then, seeing the second one, it mended itself.
He said next time!
He had made a date with her!!
A candlelit dinner next time!!!
Cheng Liu thought to herself: Guyu Restaurant does have candles. I was right. It will be a candlelit dinner.
CEO Cheng immediately redoubled her efforts, determined to clear her schedule and be available for her boyfriend at all times!
…
Back at the villa, the three of them sat at the dining table, laden with food.
“Chaozhou, try this,” Yun Fei said with a bright smile. “I learned how to cook several dishes while filming a show late last year.”
She then served some food to Yun Se: “Aunt Yun, you try some too.”
Yun Se took a bite, then turned her attention to her nephew: “Chaozhou, you eat.”
One of the reasons she had come was to make sure he ate properly.
Chaozhou often skipped meals, and his health had been deteriorating over the years.
“Okay,” Ji Chaozhou said, his mind elsewhere, but neither of the women noticed.
As they chatted, Yun Se suddenly remembered the villa next door and asked, “Chaozhou, have you met your neighbor? Are they easy to get along with?”
Ji Chaozhou served some food to Yun Se: “I’ve met her.” He ignored the second part of the question.
“We should have bought both units,” Yun Se said, still thinking about it. She shook her head. “Did Li Dong say the person next door travels frequently for work? I suppose that’s manageable.”
Ji Chaozhou, thinking of Cheng Liu, who had been around constantly these past few days: “…”
“Chaozhou, there’s a new show inviting prominent figures from various industries to participate. Would you be interested?” Yun Fei asked, looking at the elegant young man across from her, her eyes filled with admiration. “It would be a good opportunity to promote Ranshan.”
Ji Chaozhou immediately refused: “No.”
Yun Fei bit her lip. Unlike her glamorous on-screen persona, she was now more subdued, showing a gentler side to the man she admired: “The participants are all CEOs and chairmen of major companies. If you were to participate, it would greatly boost Ranshan’s popularity.”
“Are you still angry about what happened at the airport?” Yun Fei glanced at Yun Se, her voice choked with emotion. “Chaozhou, I’m sorry. I really didn’t know those reporters would be there.”
Ji Chaozhou put down his chopsticks: “Aunt Yun, I’m full.”
“Alright, Yun Fei,” Yun Se said, frowning slightly. “Let’s not dwell on the past.”
…
After dinner, Ji Chaozhou carried Yun Se to the living room sofa, turned on the TV, and chatted with her and Yun Fei.
“After I’m gone, don't let this come between you two,” Yun Se said, looking at them both.
“Aunt Yun!” Yun Fei frowned. “You’ll live a long and healthy life! I just prayed for you at the temple last month.”
Yun Se smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes: “I know my own body best. It’s a shame I won’t be able to stay with you much longer.”
“Let’s not talk about this. Aunt Yun, look, the show I filmed last week will be airing on this channel,” Yun Fei said, changing the subject.
Ji Chaozhou sat beside them, watching the show, his mind wandering, until Yun Se suddenly asked, surprised, “Why does the person on TV look so much like your bodyguard from the other day?”
Ji Chaozhou looked up. The news program was showing footage of a conference, and one of the people in the front row was Cheng Liu.
Dressed in a sharp black suit, she sat there, a stark contrast to the other attendees, all of whom were at least in their forties.
“CEO Ji’s bodyguard seems quite important,” Yun Fei said casually, watching Cheng Liu on screen, assuming she was the bodyguard in question. She had disliked Cheng Liu from the moment she had seen her.
“She’s not my bodyguard,” Ji Chaozhou said, looking away from the screen and around the living room.
Just then, the camera focused on Cheng Liu, and a caption appeared on screen: [Cheng Liu, Founder of Shenyin Technology].
Even those unfamiliar with Cheng Liu would have heard of Shenyin Technology.
Yun Fei, seeing the caption, was speechless. She was the founder of Shenyin Technology?
“Aunt Yun, that woman told me she was Chaozhou’s bodyguard,” Yun Fei said, complaining to Yun Se. No wonder she had found Cheng Liu so annoying.
Yun Se didn't know what was going on. The father and son had only said it was a misunderstanding, nothing more.
“Chaozhou, what happened?” Yun Se asked, turning to him.
Ji Chaozhou looked at the TV screen. The news report had moved on. He lowered his gaze: “It’s in the past. It was just a misunderstanding.”
He didn't want to talk about it, and no one could force him to.
Yun Se was getting tired and wanted to go home.
Ji Chaozhou escorted her and Yun Fei to the gate, waiting for Yun Fei’s assistant to bring the car around.
Just then, a black SUV drove in.
“That must be my assistant,” Yun Fei said, then realized the license plate was wrong.
The black SUV stopped beside them, and the passenger window rolled down. The person inside waved at Ji Chaozhou: “Good evening, neighbor.”
Ji Chaozhou frowned at the sound of her voice, but his gaze was drawn to Cheng Liu’s face.
Cheng Liu, her eyes shining, looked at Ji Chaozhou standing at the gate, then, noticing Yun Se in the wheelchair, she said cheerfully, “Good evening, Aunt Yun.”
His future boyfriend’s aunt was her aunt!
Yun Se, meeting Cheng Liu’s eyes, instinctively turned to look at her nephew, who was also looking at the person in the car.
Suddenly, for some reason, her face turned pale.
“Cough! Cough!” Yun Se, unable to contain her emotions, covered her mouth with her fist, coughing uncontrollably.
“Aunt Yun!” Ji Chaozhou immediately knelt down and rubbed her back.
“Cough…I’m fine,” Yun Se said, taking Yun Fei’s hand. “Yun Fei…”
Yun Fei bent down and held her hand, then looked at the car that had just arrived behind Cheng Liu: “Aunt Yun, our car is here.”
Cheng Liu also saw the car in her rearview mirror. Since she was blocking the way, she drove into the garage.
The other car slowly pulled up.
Seeing that Aunt Yun had stopped coughing, Ji Chaozhou carried her into the car.
Yun Se held her nephew’s hand, her gaze intense: “Chaozhou, don’t follow in your mother’s footsteps.”
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