If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 4
Chapter 4: The First Day
They were sitting far apart, so Cheng Liu could see her boyfriend’s phone screen light up, but she couldn’t see the caller ID.
She hadn't intended to say anything, but her boyfriend was focused on picking at the food on his plate, barely eating anything, clearly a picky eater.
He hadn’t even noticed his vibrating phone beside his glass.
After Cheng Liu’s reminder, her boyfriend put down his chopsticks, picked up his phone, stood up, and walked out.
Cheng Liu watched him leave, then glanced at the barely touched dishes on his side of the table. After a moment of thought, she pressed the call button for the waiter.
“Hello, what can I get for you?” The waiter, who had been waiting outside, arrived quickly.
Cheng Liu pointed to one of the dishes her boyfriend had picked at slightly more than the others: “Another plate of this, please.”
“Certainly. Anything else?”
“No, that’s all.” Cheng Liu waved her hand and picked up her ringing phone, swiping to answer. “What is it?” she asked her chief assistant.
“The quarterly summary meeting is over,” the chief assistant said. “Also, a new proposal was submitted. Do you want to take a look tonight?”
Cheng Liu leaned back in her chair: “I’m on a date.”
A hint of amusement colored the chief assistant’s voice: “Such a long date today? Then I'll deliver the proposal to your home. You can look at it when you have time.”
“Alright. Bring the quarterly summary report as well,” Cheng Liu said casually.
Outside.
Ji Chaozhou answered the call, and Yun Fei’s voice came through: “I didn’t know those reporters would be there. I only told my assistant about returning to S City…”
He stood by the wall, catching sight of waiters coming and going from the corner of his eye. He listened silently to Yun Fei’s explanation before speaking coldly, “Aunt Yun wants the lily-of-the-valley. I’ll send some over tomorrow.”
From beginning to end, Ji Chaozhou hadn’t uttered a single word of judgment about the afternoon’s events.
The more he acted like this, the more uncomfortable Yun Fei felt. If it weren’t for Aunt Yun, he wouldn’t even bother with her.
Yun Fei gripped her phone, biting her lip, her usually glamorous face pale. She pinched her palm, composing herself for a moment before asking tentatively with a casual smile, “Was that person at the airport this afternoon a friend of yours?”
Besides Aunt Yun, she had never seen anyone get close to Ji Chaozhou, let alone the woman this afternoon who had actually led him away.
If she hadn't been so shocked, she wouldn't have been surrounded by those people at the airport and missed the chance to approach him.
The news of her “relationship” should have been trending tonight.
However, Ji Chaozhou didn't explain, simply hanging up the phone.
Yun Fei’s grip on the phone was so tight that her fingertips turned white: “…”
She knew Ji Chaozhou would never fall for her tricks again.
He was always like this, as if he could see through all her little schemes, but for Aunt Yun’s sake, he wouldn't confront her directly.
Yun Fei even wished he would confront her.
As long as she could leave a mark, good or bad, on the heart of this man who was as cold and aloof as a snow-covered cedar, she was willing to do anything.
Yun Fei stood in her living room for a long time, her chest heaving. Suddenly, she hurled her phone across the room.
…
When Ji Chaozhou returned to the private room, he noticed an extra dish on the table. The bodyguard sitting opposite him quickly put down her phone, looking guilty as she sat up straight.
Clearly, she had been contacting Ji Mushan.
Seeing her boyfriend return, Cheng Liu instinctively hung up on her chief assistant, sitting up straight.
On previous dinner dates, she had always been busy discussing business with her chief assistant, neglecting her boyfriend, leaving him to play on his phone alone.
At the time, Cheng Liu hadn't seen the problem, or perhaps she had noticed but hadn’t cared. But now she deeply regretted her mistake. It was wrong of her to do that.
Cheng Liu thought that on their next date, she would warn her chief assistant in advance not to call unless it was a real emergency.
To ease the atmosphere, Cheng Liu took the initiative, pointing at the dishes her boyfriend had barely touched: “Can I have these if you’re not eating them?” It would be a waste otherwise.
It could also demonstrate their closeness.
She had heard a business partner say that a good husband was one who ate his wife’s leftovers.
Ji Chaozhou looked at the bodyguard who had taken it upon herself to order another dish for him. Remembering that she was a struggling mother with a child, he pushed the barely touched plates towards her with an impassive expression.
“Order more if you’re still hungry,” Ji Chaozhou said indifferently, glancing at her almost empty plates. Ji Mushan could certainly afford to feed a bodyguard.
Cheng Liu immediately said, “No need, this is enough.” She didn’t particularly like the food here.
However, her boyfriend had actually shown concern for her. Cheng Liu felt even more convinced about the advice those business partners had given.
It really worked!
Ji Chaozhou didn’t look at her again. He had only given her a moment of attention because she was a mother, and that was all.
The rain had stopped at some point. The occasional croaking of frogs could be heard from outside the window, and a gentle breeze drifted in through the open ebony lattice windows, causing the warm orange candlelight to flicker gently.
Cheng Liu looked up at her boyfriend sitting across from her. The flickering candlelight in the room seemed to gather around him as he held a pair of jade and gold chopsticks. The light cast a warm glow on his elegant hand.
In this setting, for a fleeting moment, Cheng Liu felt he resembled a refined young master from a noble family, exuding an air of elegance and grace.
No wonder her chief assistant always booked this place for her dates. Previously, she had been too insensitive, finding the dim lighting unpleasant and straining on her eyes.
Now Cheng Liu understood.
Beauty looked even more beautiful under the soft glow of candlelight.
Guyu Restaurant was indeed a good place for a date. Her chief assistant had done a good job!
After they finished eating, Cheng Liu went to pay the bill. Ji Chaozhou didn’t move; the expenses would simply be reimbursed by Ji Mushan.
After paying, Cheng Liu opened the door for her boyfriend again and drove him home.
Although her boyfriend had barely spoken to her today, Cheng Liu felt quite good about herself. At least he had shown concern for her.
“Sleep well.” Arriving at the Wenxing Residential Complex, Cheng Liu said considerately to her boyfriend as he prepared to open the door and leave.
Ji Chaozhou’s hand was on the door handle. He turned his head almost imperceptibly, then opened the door and left without a word.
The Wenxing Residential Complex was an older complex, with only six floors at most. The surrounding area was filled with the hustle and bustle of daily life, although now, close to 11 pm, many lights had already been extinguished.
Cheng Liu turned the car around but didn’t leave immediately, looking up at the light on the second floor.
More than two hours ago, when her boyfriend had stood by the window, looking down at her with a cold gaze, Cheng Liu’s heart had pounded for some reason.
Thinking back now, Cheng Liu felt she might, perhaps, be a little bit twisted.
—She might actually like her boyfriend’s aloof demeanor.
Cheng Liu mentally chastised herself for a moment before driving away.
…
Unlike her boyfriend’s residence, Cheng Liu’s house was located in the city center of S City. Even late at night, the area was brightly lit, with towering skyscrapers.
As soon as Cheng Liu entered the lobby of her building, the security guard greeted her.
She lived on the twenty-sixth floor.
Because her name included a character that sounded like “six,” and her birthday was June 6th, Cheng Liu liked everything related to the number six.
Even her WeChat ID was simply “Number Six.” As for her profile picture, it was purely because the gun in the image was positioned like a six. She had simply chosen it at random.
When she reached the twenty-sixth floor, the elevator doors opened to reveal her private floor.
Walking down the corridor, she pressed her fingerprint against the scanner. The door opened, and the living room lights were on.
Cheng Liu wasn't surprised. She changed her slippers and walked towards the living room.
A familiar man was leaning back on the sofa. He turned and smiled: “I thought you weren't coming back tonight.”
He wore silver-rimmed glasses and a high-end sapphire blue suit, his figure tall and straight, his appearance handsome and refined.
His smiling demeanor must have attracted the attention of countless women outside.
But Cheng Liu didn't react much. She was used to her chief assistant’s good looks, especially after just parting with her boyfriend.
Who could be more handsome than her boyfriend?
Cheng Liu walked over and sat down on another sofa, reaching for the proposal on the coffee table: “Is this the one that was submitted?”
Seeing Cheng Liu getting straight to business, He Bai said, “I’ve looked it over. It’s better than the previous one.”
“Mm.” Cheng Liu nodded in agreement, quickly entering work mode as she looked down at the proposal.
He Bai pulled his laptop closer and began typing rapidly.
For a time, the only sounds in the living room were the tapping of fingers on the keyboard and the rustling of pages.
Half an hour later, Cheng Liu finished reading the proposal, gave He Bai a few instructions, and then asked, “Where’s the quarterly summary report?”
“Here.” He Bai turned his laptop so that the screen faced Cheng Liu. “There are a few complicated data sets at the back, so I’ve reorganized them.”
Cheng Liu pulled the laptop closer, moving her fingers across the touchpad.
“I thought you weren't coming back tonight, so I was planning to print it out and leave it in your study after I finished organizing it,” He Bai explained, looking at Cheng Liu.
Due to the nature of his work, the chief assistant often came to her home. In fact, he had even been the one to furnish and decorate the place. It was perfectly normal for him to come and go.
Cheng Liu’s attention was focused on the screen. “It was just dinner,” she said casually.
She tapped rapidly on the touchpad, then pushed the laptop back to He Bai: “I’ve emailed the report to myself. You can go home and rest now.”
He Bai closed his laptop. Seeing that Cheng Liu had come out of work mode, he couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to your hand?”
Cheng Liu looked down at the long scratch on the back of her hand. “I accidentally cut myself at the lab in G City this morning,” she said dismissively.
He Bai frowned, wanting to say something, but after working as Cheng Liu’s chief assistant for several years, he knew she didn't like him interfering too much in her affairs. He went to get the first-aid kit: “Let me put some medicine on it for you.”
“Just a band-aid will do. It’s not that serious,” Cheng Liu said, feeling it wasn't a big deal. It wasn’t like she had broken her hand.
He Bai clicked his tongue: “It’s no trouble, CEO Cheng. I’ll leave as soon as I’ve applied the medicine.”
He Bai and Cheng Liu had attended the same university and had been in the same student association. They were more familiar with each other than other people in the company. Outside of work, they were considered friends.
Although Cheng Liu felt her chief assistant was fussing, she knew that if she didn’t let him apply the medicine tonight, she would have to listen to him nagging for the next few days. She simply leaned back on the sofa and extended her hand.
With her other hand, she picked up the proposal and started reading it again.
He Bai knelt down and carefully applied the medicine to the back of Cheng Liu’s hand. He looked up at her clothes: “You wore this on your date?”
Cheng Liu’s eyes were still on the proposal: “Yes.”
He Bai: “…”
He Bai: “Are you sure you like Wang Hongyang?” Normally, people would dress up for a date.
“Who?”
He Bai was speechless: “Your boyfriend.”
Hearing this, Cheng Liu immediately closed the proposal, sat up straight, and looked at He Bai: “My boyfriend’s name isn't Wang Haiyang?”
She clearly remembered her boyfriend introducing himself as Wang Haiyang.
He Bai, having been Cheng Liu's chief assistant for several years, immediately guessed her logic: “Surname Wang, three characters, all related to water, so it’s Wang Haiyang?”
Cheng Liu: “…”
Fortunately, she hadn't called her boyfriend by his name today, otherwise he might have been even angrier.
After applying the medicine, He Bai stood up, shaking his head: “If I were your boyfriend, I would probably be furious.”
Cheng Liu: “…”
Her self-reflection clearly hadn’t been deep enough!
I love our MC so so much
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