If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 37
Chapter 37: The Twelfth Day
Ji Chaozhou hadn’t intended to fall asleep. He had simply closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, hoping Cheng Liu would leave.
He hadn’t expected to actually drift off.
When he opened his eyes again, the living room was dark and quiet, only the occasional chirping of insects outside.
Ji Chaozhou turned his head slightly, the soft blanket brushing against his chin, a familiar yet indescribable, pleasant, bitter scent lingering in the air.
Still not fully awake, he instinctively buried his face in the warm, soft blanket, his long eyelashes falling closed, sleepiness lingering. The gentle breeze drifting in through the window carried the scent of rain-washed grass, a comforting, relaxing fragrance.
After a long while, Ji Chaozhou finally woke up completely, slowly sitting up, a lingering sense of languor clinging to him. He looked down at the white blanket that had slipped from his body.
It wasn’t his.
Ji Chaozhou picked up the blanket, then realized: It was the one Cheng Liu had brought from the guest room.
He sat there for a moment, then stood up, picked up his phone from the coffee table, and checked the time.
2:00 am.
He had slept for a long time.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t turn on the lights, nor did he return to his bedroom. He walked through the darkness towards the backyard.
The backyard was bathed in moonlight, the blue swimming pool shimmering, a few fallen leaves floating on the surface.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t go outside, standing quietly on the patio, his gaze fixed on the lawn.
The light on the second floor next door was still on. Wasn’t she…asleep yet?
Cheng Liu, unaware that her late-night work session had been discovered, was sitting in her study, working furiously.
The technical hurdles for autonomous driving weren’t easy to overcome, but that afternoon, the team had reported significant progress.
Cheng Liu had been reviewing the results since returning home.
Two computers were before her, one displaying a video conference with the technical team, the other showing the updated system.
Cheng Liu was participating in real-time modifications.
Fully immersed in her work, she was oblivious to her surroundings, not realizing that Ji Chaozhou had woken up and was standing in his backyard.
Otherwise, CEO Cheng would have definitely gone out to say, “Good evening, neighbor.”
Ji Chaozhou sat on a wicker chair on the patio, quietly looking at the shimmering surface of the pool. The moonlight seemed to favor him, bathing him in its soft glow, his exposed, pale, slender ankles strangely alluring.
His mind wandered, his fingers resting on his knees, a rare sense of tranquility settling over him.
But the tranquility was soon broken.
From the corner of his eye, Ji Chaozhou saw a figure suddenly jump from the second floor next door, landing in the pool with a loud splash.
He immediately stood up, his heart momentarily stopping.
Was that a person?
He remembered Cheng Liu was alone next door.
Ji Chaozhou hurried towards the wall, only to be stopped by the high fence separating their properties. He turned and ran out.
The gate next door was closed. Looking at the keypad lock, Ji Chaozhou almost instinctively entered a series of sixes.
—The gate clicked open.
He pushed it open, ran into the backyard, and saw a person floating in the identically shaped pool, their limbs spread out.
Ji Chaozhou’s face turned pale. He called out, his voice hoarse, “Cheng Liu?”
Cheng Liu, floating on the surface, looking up at the moon, turned her head at the sound of her name, the sight of him startling her so much that she forgot how to swim, sinking beneath the surface and swallowing a mouthful of water.
…She was still alive.
Ji Chaozhou, inexplicably relieved, walked towards the pool, his expression neutral, and pulled her out of the water.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!” Cheng Liu, one hand gripping the edge of the pool, the other held by Ji Chaozhou, looked up at him. “You’re awake. I thought you were still asleep.”
Ji Chaozhou let go of her hand and stood up, looking down at her coldly: “Cheng Liu, are you insane?”
She was still wearing her clothes from earlier that day, minus her jacket.
It wasn't warm in April, especially after the rain. No sane person would jump into an outdoor pool.
“I’m sorry,” Cheng Liu said, genuinely regretting her actions now. She hadn't expected Ji Chaozhou to be awake, or to see her jump into the pool.
Ji Chaozhou took a few steps back, watching Cheng Liu coldly, his heart finally resuming its normal rhythm, a dull ache lingering from the earlier shock.
Cheng Liu quickly climbed out of the pool: “I’m sorry, did I wake you? I was…a little excited tonight, and I lost control.”
She had been working until just now, and the project had made a major breakthrough. To calm herself down after the meeting, she had gone up to the roof and jumped into the pool to clear her head.
Cheng Liu had a natural inclination for thrill-seeking. Blessed with intelligence and a strong constitution, she spent most of her time restraining herself.
Tonight, late at night, she had lost control, seeking a moment of tranquility, only to attract the attention of her neighbor.
Cheng Liu hadn't forgotten Ji Chaozhou's state when the window had fallen earlier. He looked pale now as well.
“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,” Cheng Liu said, feeling guilty and anxious.
She should have jumped into the pool on the first floor, not the roof.
Ji Chaozhou looked at Cheng Liu, her clothes soaked, water dripping onto the ground, his earlier complex emotions dissipating, replaced by a sense of calm. He looked down and said softly, “You have nothing to apologize for.”
He turned to leave.
Cheng Liu panicked, sensing his anger. She instinctively grabbed his hand: “Don’t go.”
Meeting Ji Chaozhou's gaze, she stammered, “I…I…”
But she couldn't find the words to explain herself.
Ji Chaozhou turned away and walked inside, his expression neutral.
He didn’t shake off her hand, so Cheng Liu held onto his wrist, following closely behind him.
Cheng Liu’s mind raced, searching for an excuse to appease him, then, as they entered the living room, a large towel was suddenly draped over her head.
She pulled it down and met Ji Chaozhou’s beautiful amber eyes, still cold, but less so than before.
“Go take a shower,” Ji Chaozhou said, looking at her coldly.
He should have known she wasn't normal.
“Oh, okay,” Cheng Liu said, nodding immediately. Sensing that he had softened somewhat, she pushed her luck, her eyes shining, “Were you worried about me just now? How did you open the gate? We could tear down the wall between our backyards and build a connecting patio. I wouldn’t mind.”
“…I would mind,” Ji Chaozhou said coldly. Her obsession with the number six was obvious. He had simply guessed the code.
“Oh,” Cheng Liu said, unfazed by his rejection, having heard it many times before.
Wrapping the towel around herself, her clothes still dripping, she hurried upstairs. “I’ll go take a shower. Wait for me here.”
Ji Chaozhou looked down at his wrist, where a faint water mark remained from her touch.
He shouldn't have stayed. It had been his fault for interfering.
Ji Chaozhou stood in the brightly lit living room, his long eyelashes lowered, a cold look in his eyes, but in the end, he didn’t leave.
…
Ten minutes later, Cheng Liu came downstairs, freshly showered.
She had changed into dry clothes, but her hair was still wet, casually tied up in a bun, water droplets dripping down.
Ji Chaozhou’s gaze lingered on her shoulders, then he looked away, not commenting.
Cheng Liu approached him: “I thought you had left.”
Ji Chaozhou didn’t reply, turning to leave.
“I was wrong!” Cheng Liu said immediately. She quickly poured two glasses of water, handed one to Ji Chaozhou, pulled him down onto the sofa, and, her eyes shining, asked, “Are we friends now?”
Ji Chaozhou didn’t want to drink the water, but under Cheng Liu’s intense gaze, he took a sip, using it as an excuse to avoid her eyes.
“Friends worry about each other,” Cheng Liu declared. “We’re friends!”
First friends, then boyfriend and girlfriend. It was only a matter of time.
CEO Cheng was confident.
“There was a major breakthrough in a project at the company today. I was very happy,” Cheng Liu continued chattering. “Knowing that my neighbor was worried about me tonight also made me happy. But the happiest thing is that we’re friends now.”
Ji Chaozhou looked away, avoiding her gaze, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his glass, not responding.
Cheng Liu suddenly called his name, her voice serious: “Ji Chaozhou.”
Ji Chaozhou turned to Cheng Liu and saw a bright smile on her face.
She extended her hand towards him: “My name is Cheng Liu. I’m twenty-six years old, my birthday is June 6th, I’m 1.76 meters tall, I weigh 56 kilograms, my measurements are…”
Seeing that Cheng Liu was about to recite her measurements, Ji Chaozhou slapped her hand away, interrupting her: “What are you trying to say?”
“Oh, I just wanted to…reintroduce myself,” Cheng Liu said.
CEO Cheng refused to admit that she was trying to sell herself.
Ji Chaozhou put down his glass and stood up to leave. He looked at Cheng Liu's hair, then finally said, “…You should dry your hair.”
“Okay, I’ll do it later,” Cheng Liu said, also standing up. “I’ll walk you out.”
Ji Chaozhou didn't refuse, knowing it would be pointless. Sometimes, Cheng Liu seemed completely oblivious to what others were saying.
Cheng Liu walked Ji Chaozhou to the gate, looked at the keypad lock, then took his hand and placed it on the fingerprint scanner: “Record your fingerprint.”
His thumb pressed against the scanner twice, and his fingerprint was recorded.
Ji Chaozhou finally realized what she had done.
Cheng Liu glanced at the lock on Villa Number Five, thinking she would also record her fingerprint there one day.
“You have a ladder. You don’t need a fingerprint,” Ji Chaozhou said coldly, noticing her glance.
“That’s true,” Cheng Liu said instinctively.
By the time she realized he was mocking her, he had already gone back inside.
But Cheng Liu wasn't angry. The fact that he was willing to show any emotion towards her was a good sign.
She turned and went back to her own villa, thinking it was inconvenient living separately; she didn't even know what he was doing.
If they lived together, she certainly wouldn't be jumping into the pool from the roof in the middle of the night.
…
Ji Chaozhou lay in bed, watching the light from next door go out, thinking about what she had said earlier, his mind wandering.
She always seemed so energetic, unfazed by anything.
Ji Chaozhou’s fingers lightly touched the damp spot on his sleeve where the water from her hand had landed. It was almost dry now.
He slowly brought his sleeve closer and sniffed.
—A faint, watery scent, almost imperceptible, yet mixed with something else, something familiar and pleasant.
In the darkness, Ji Chaozhou sniffed for a long time, as if trying to identify the scent clinging to his sleeve.
—It was her scent.
He suddenly remembered something, his eyes flickering, his lips pressed together.
But as he withdrew his hand, his fingers brushed against the raised scars beneath his sleeve, and all his emotions vanished, replaced by a cold emptiness.
Comments
Post a Comment