If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 47
Chapter 47: The Seventeenth Day
Their warm, moist breaths mingled, the world seemingly shrinking to the confines of the backyard. A feather-light touch grazed his lips, a ticklish sensation. He knew she was leaning closer.
Ji Chaozhou lowered his long eyelashes, not resisting.
But the touch didn't deepen. Instead, the subtle warmth, the faintest hint of intimacy, vanished, even her breath pulling away.
Ji Chaozhou instinctively looked up, but before he could focus, Cheng Liu had taken his hand and pulled him to his feet.
Cheng Liu pointed to their blurry shadows on the grass where his hand had been resting: “Frogs!”
Ji Chaozhou: “…”
They stood by the pool, their feet wet, the intimate atmosphere shattered, replaced by the sight of two frogs mating.
Cheng Liu had seen the frogs hopping towards Ji Chaozhou out of the corner of her eye and, seeing them about to touch his hand, had instinctively pulled him up.
Now, standing there, she regretted her actions.
She should have just moved his hand.
CEO Cheng glanced at her beloved's lips.
Could she…try again?
Just then, the lights in the villa flickered a few times, then suddenly blazed on, the brightness almost blinding.
The two frogs, startled, quickly hopped away.
Cheng Liu glanced at Ji Chaozhou’s expressionless face, her heart sinking. She probably wouldn't get another chance.
As expected, with the lights back on, Ji Chaozhou’s usual coldness returned. He said, “The air conditioning is on inside,” and walked away.
Cheng Liu: “…” She wasn’t hot anymore. Her heart was cold.
Cheng Liu followed him inside, filled with regret. Falling asleep during their date, getting distracted during their almost-kiss.
She had messed up.
They entered the living room, the cool air from the air conditioning a welcome relief.
Cheng Liu wallowed in self-pity for a minute, then perked up: He hadn’t pushed her away! He must like her, at least a little!
This thought rekindled the hope in CEO Cheng’s heart.
But she didn't dare to try kissing him again.
She had to confirm their relationship first. Then…everything she did would be justifiable!
In just a few minutes, Cheng Liu had already thought of various ways to confess, but when she looked up, Ji Chaozhou was already heading towards his bedroom.
“Are you going to bed?” Cheng Liu asked, following him.
Ji Chaozhou opened his bedroom door, turned to face her, his cold, beautiful eyes looking at Cheng Liu, then, after a moment, he said softly, “…Goodnight.”
Cheng Liu stood there, frozen, fireworks exploding in her mind, her thoughts consumed by a single sentence: He had said goodnight to her!
She would start preparing for her confession tomorrow! It had to be grand!
…
Ji Chaozhou closed the door, leaning against it, his heart pounding uncontrollably now, unrestrained. He looked at the closed door, as if he could still see her smiling eyes.
She was always so straightforward and passionate.
Ji Chaozhou raised his right hand, his loose sleeve sliding down his arm, revealing his pale forearm, the blue veins visible beneath his skin.
His fingers hovered in the air for a moment, then, after a slight hesitation, he lightly touched his lips.
He had never felt his fingertips so warm before, the skin beneath his touch soft and moist.
—Just a little closer.
Ji Chaozhou lowered his head, his expression hidden, his thoughts racing. She had touched his lips.
After a long while, Ji Chaozhou, still leaning against the door, tilted his head back, closing his eyes tightly, the light falling on his long, pale neck, his Adam's apple bobbing, a strange mix of vulnerability and an undeniable allure.
…
Cheng Liu lay sprawled on the bed in the guest room, her heart split in two.
One half burning with passion, the other cold with disappointment.
Cheng Liu replayed the almost-kiss in the backyard, still slightly frustrated, then consoled herself: At least he hadn’t pushed her away.
CEO Cheng, annoyed, rolled over, burying her face in her pillow.
She hadn’t meant to interrupt. Those frogs had been about to jump on his hand. She had simply reacted instinctively.
Still fuming, CEO Cheng grabbed her phone, opened WeChat, and posted on her Moments: [I hate frogs. The most. Ever!]
After posting, she scrolled through her Moments feed, looking for relationship advice from her business partners.
Then she saw a post from the director of the automobile company she had collaborated with in G City, and she paused, clicking on it and quickly reading through it. She abruptly sat up.
He had reposted an article from the company’s official website, announcing the release of a new car system update for existing customers.
Cheng Liu reread the article several times. The update had been released over ten days ago, shortly after she had returned from G City. The director had simply reposted it two days ago.
The description of the update was vague, mostly corporate jargon, but Cheng Liu sensed something was wrong.
…The cars targeted for this update were all equipped with the basic hardware for autonomous driving, ready to be implemented once the technology was mature, but Shenyin Technology’s code wasn’t ready yet.
Cheng Liu got out of bed, got dressed, grabbed her bag, and prepared to go to Shenyin Technology. She remembered having one of those cars in the underground parking garage.
As she left the guest room, she looked towards the master bedroom. The hallway lights were off, only the side lamps on, but she could see light coming from under the door. He was still awake.
Cheng Liu hesitated for a moment, then walked over and knocked on the door.
Ji Chaozhou quickly opened it.
“I have to go to the company to deal with something. I might not be back tonight,” Cheng Liu said seriously.
Her usual smile was gone, her dark eyes calm and composed.
Ji Chaozhou met her gaze: “…Okay.”
“Get some sleep,” Cheng Liu said, then hurried away.
…
Shenyin Technology, underground parking garage.
Cheng Liu drove directly to the car. It was still new; she had only driven it a few times for testing.
She got in, started the car, and began the system update.
While the update was running, Cheng Liu searched for recent news about the G City automobile company.
About six months ago, they had restructured a department, but the details on the official website were vague.
Had they ended their collaboration with Shenyin Technology and decided to go it alone? But the initial system code had been developed by Shenyin. With their limited R&D capabilities, the G City company couldn't have done it on their own, unless…
They had stolen the core technology.
Cheng Liu turned off her phone and silently watched the update progress. Once it was complete, she looked through the newly added features and suddenly sneered.
She took out her phone and called two employees. One of them was still at the office and arrived a few minutes later.
Cheng Liu, having connected her laptop to the car’s system, handed it to the employee: “I want to see the core of their system.”
“You want me to…hack it?” the employee asked, surprised.
Cheng Liu nodded, standing by the car, making another phone call.
If the G City company had been planning this for six months, they would have taken precautions.
Cheng Liu wasn't worried about the stolen technology itself, but about their audacity in releasing an untested system update.
Shenyin Technology, despite having made significant progress, had been hesitant to release an update, because the system's ability to handle unexpected situations wasn't perfect yet. They were worried about potential accidents.
…
He Bai had seen Cheng Liu’s Moments post last night. Knowing it wasn’t work-related, he had guessed it was about Ji Chaozhou and hadn’t slept well, arriving at the office early this morning.
As soon as he walked in, he frowned. He had tidied up Cheng Liu’s desk yesterday; how was it already messy again?
Had she come to work?
He Bai opened the door to her office. Her usual black bag wasn’t there. He called her, but there was no answer.
He Bai thought for a moment, then went to the seventeenth floor.
The only project Cheng Liu was directly involved in now was the autonomous driving technology.
As expected, He Bai saw a sign on one of the meeting rooms: Emergency Meeting.
An emergency meeting so early in the morning?
He Bai, assuming it was about the recent progress he had heard about, returned to the twenty-sixth floor.
“Their core code for human-computer interaction is practically identical to ours,” one of the employees who had been working all night said angrily. “They collaborated with Shenyin just to steal our technology.”
“They’ve violated the contract,” another employee said. “Even after ending our collaboration, they can’t use our technology without Shenyin’s consent.”
Cheng Liu leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped on the table, her expression calm: “They’re prepared. They’ll simply shut down that department and find a scapegoat.”
“But we can’t let them get away with it. They have to pay,” one employee said.
“Do they even realize the technology is still flawed?”
“Do they think their R&D center is better than Shenyin Technology’s?”
The meeting room erupted in outrage.
Cheng Liu, despite having been up all night, was fully alert. She unclasped her hands, picked up a pen, and tapped it lightly on the table.
The room fell silent, everyone looking at her.
“I’m going to G City. There are some things I need to investigate. Continue your work,” Cheng Liu said, putting down the pen and leaving the meeting room.
A minute later, Cheng Liu, carrying her black bag, walked into her office and said to He Bai, “Book two tickets to G City. We’re leaving now.”
He Bai nodded, not asking why, efficiently booking the tickets. And…they would have some time alone together.
On the way to the airport, He Bai learned that Cheng Liu was going to investigate the G City automobile company.
“My sister is friends with one of their shareholders. Perhaps she can find out something,” He Bai said, driving.
“We’ll ask once we get to G City,” Cheng Liu said, looking down at her phone, opening WeChat, and staring at the pinned contact for a long time before sending a message.
…
Ji Chaozhou saw the message at 9 am. He was sitting by the pool, his pale ankles submerged in the water, almost the same position as last night, only he was alone this time.
He opened his phone and looked at the message.
Cheng Liu: [I have some company business to deal with. I probably won’t be back for a few days.]
By this time, Cheng Liu was already in the air, on her way to G City.
Ji Chaozhou typed a reply, deleting it several times, then finally sent a single word: “Okay.”
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