If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: The Seventeenth Day
The pool water was the same as yesterday, only the person beside him was gone.
Ji Chaozhou sat by the pool in silence, the lingering warmth from last night still present. In just a few days, he had grown accustomed to seeing Cheng Liu in the morning.
After a while, Ji Chaozhou heard the doorbell and stood up, his trousers falling around his ankles.
He thought it was Cheng Liu.
When he reached the security monitor, he paused. It was Aunt Yun, her caregiver ringing the doorbell.
Ji Chaozhou pressed the button to open the gate and walked out to greet Yun Se: “Aunt Yun.”
“Chaozhou, I came to check on you,” Yun Se said with a smile, her face pale, but her demeanor still elegant, a black scarf tied around her neck.
Ji Chaozhou wheeled her inside: “You could have called. I would have come to see you.”
Yun Se patted his hand on the wheelchair: “I was worried about you.”
But seeing Ji Chaozhou today, he seemed to be in better spirits than before.
The caregiver stayed in the car, waiting outside.
Ji Chaozhou wheeled Yun Se into the living room and went to pour her a glass of warm water.
Yun Se casually looked around the living room, her gaze stopping on a red and black plaid jacket on the single-seater sofa.
She was too far away to reach it, but she didn’t need to touch it to know it wasn’t Ji Chaozhou’s.
He wouldn’t wear that kind of jacket, and the one on the sofa was clearly worn, with pilling.
Yun Se gripped the armrests of her wheelchair, looking at the young man pouring water at the kitchen island: “Chaozhou.”
When he looked over, Yun Se pointed at the jacket: “Whose jacket is that?”
Ji Chaozhou’s gaze fell on the jacket. Cheng Liu had taken it off yesterday and left it there. He handed Yun Se the glass of water, picking up the jacket and holding it at his side, subtly hiding it behind him: “…A friend’s.”
A friend?
Yun Se looked at Ji Chaozhou. This was the first time she had heard him use that word.
She didn’t even need to think about it: “Cheng Liu?”
Ji Chaozhou paused, then didn’t deny it.
Yun Se, seeing his reaction, already knew the answer. She said casually, “Return it to her.”
Just then, the sound of a power drill came from next door.
Yun Se turned her head: “Is Cheng Liu’s place being renovated?”
“Mm,” Ji Chaozhou said, taking the jacket to the coat rack and hanging it up, his back to Yun Se. “She’s not there. She’ll take it when she gets back.”
Yun Se placed her glass on the coffee table, turned her wheelchair around, and, seeing Ji Chaozhou’s actions, her eyes narrowed.
“Chaozhou, come here,” Yun Se said. Ji Chaozhou sat on the sofa, Yun Se in her wheelchair, looking at his face, so much like her sister’s. After a moment, she asked, her voice sharp, “What’s going on between you and Cheng Liu?”
“Aunt Yun, why would you ask that?” Ji Chaozhou asked, lowering his eyelashes, hiding his emotions. “We’re just friends.”
“You like her,” Yun Se said firmly, pointing to the two jackets hanging side by side on the coat rack. “Chaozhou, you can’t hide it.”
He was too much like Yun Ran.
Their talent, their heightened sense of smell, made them acutely aware of scents. If they allowed someone into their personal space, into their scent territory, it meant that person held a special place in their heart.
Let alone allowing someone else's clothes to hang beside their own, practically mingling their scents.
Ji Chaozhou looked at the coat rack. His jacket and Cheng Liu’s were hanging side by side, their sleeves touching, almost like holding hands.
“Where’s Cheng Liu staying while her place is being renovated?” Yun Se asked, her voice sharp, knowing the answer already, especially seeing Cheng Liu’s jacket in Ji Chaozhou's living room.
“The guest room,” Ji Chaozhou replied.
Yun Se felt a bitter taste in her mouth. Their relationship was progressing faster than she had anticipated. She had thought it would take longer, not realizing that in just half a month, Chaozhou had already fallen for her.
“Chaozhou, I want you to be happy, but…” Yun Se took a deep breath, suppressing a cough. “I looked into Cheng Liu’s background. She’s a self-made woman, so young and successful. There’s nothing wrong with liking her.”
Ji Chaozhou remained silent, remembering Cheng Liu looking up at the stars last night, a fleeting moment of vulnerability before she quickly regained her usual cheerful demeanor.
“People like her, who have climbed to such heights, have left a trail of blood and tears behind them. They discard anything that holds them back, always choosing what benefits them most,” Yun Se said, a bitter taste in her mouth. Even ordinary people struggled with pure, selfless love, let alone someone like Cheng Liu.
For the Yun family, the inability to experience pure love was a fatal flaw.
That was why Yun Se had chosen a completely different path from her sister, Yun Ran, a life devoid of romance.
“Chaozhou, she’s not right for you,” Yun Se said, then, unable to suppress it any longer, she burst into a fit of coughing, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, a patch of blood blooming on the white fabric.
“Aunt Yun!” Ji Chaozhou cried out, kneeling beside her, rubbing her back.
“I’m fine,” Yun Se said, her coughing finally subsiding, her body weak, her eyes heavy, but she still managed to look at Ji Chaozhou. “Think about it carefully.”
Yun Se didn't stay long, leaving with her caregiver to rest.
Ji Chaozhou stood at the gate for a long time, then went back inside, over to the coat rack, and took Cheng Liu's jacket. A faint scent of bitter coffee lingered on the fabric.
Since moving in, she had been using the shower gel he had blended for her.
Ji Chaozhou looked down at the jacket, then placed it back on the single-seater sofa.
Yun Se's words didn't seem to have much of an effect. Ji Chaozhou ate lunch, even took a nap, and in the afternoon, he took out his fragrance materials, carefully blending a new perfume.
As night fell, the living room was filled with a mix of scents, a heady, intoxicating fragrance.
Ji Chaozhou capped the bottle, placed it in the refrigerator, then picked up his phone. There were no new messages. He looked outside, one hand on the table, the other pressed against his chest, leaning forward slightly…a tight, aching feeling in his chest.
—He liked her.
Ji Chaozhou had never been so certain of anything.
…
As soon as Cheng Liu arrived in G City, she started investigating the person she had been liaising with. She hadn’t suspected anything before. Either the liaison was a skilled actor, or he had been unaware of the situation as well.
Cheng Liu suspected the latter, but she needed proof.
Of course, that wasn’t the only thing she was investigating.
“Keep all the evidence,” Cheng Liu said to He Bai, standing by the panoramic window of their hotel suite. “Tomorrow, we’ll find out their true motives.”
He Bai agreed, then said, “Senior, you should get some rest.”
They had met with several people today, and Cheng Liu had spent the previous night at the company, without any sleep.
Cheng Liu went to get her laptop: “You go get some sleep too. I’ll look over these.”
He Bai agreed: “Okay, I’ll wake you up tomorrow.”
Cheng Liu nodded absently, her face expressionless as she looked at the information on her screen. By the time she finally lay down, it was already 2:30 am.
Cheng Liu rubbed her forehead, then put down her phone. She didn’t send a message to Ji Chaozhou, not wanting to disturb his sleep.
…
The next morning, when He Bai entered Cheng Liu’s room, she was already awake, on the phone.
“CEO Cheng, breakfast,” He Bai said, bringing in two simple breakfast sets from the hotel restaurant. He was enjoying this time with Cheng Liu, reminiscent of their earlier days, working side by side, under pressure, always busy.
Cheng Liu took a piece of toast from the bag and ate it quickly: “The liaison I was working with knows nothing. He’s been transferred to a different department, and his subordinate has been promoted to the company headquarters.”
Cheng Liu had only met the liaison’s subordinate briefly at the beginning and hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
“My sister has some news as well. There’s internal conflict at the company,” He Bai said. “The department responsible for the new system update and the department we were collaborating with are rivals. It’s highly likely they obtained our technology through someone in the company and released it first.”
Cheng Liu wasn't surprised. The Shenyin Technology employees had already cracked the new system the other night and found bugs that had been introduced during their own modifications.
“Let’s go,” Cheng Liu said, wiping her hands and throwing the tissue in the trash. “Time to meet their CEO.”
On the way, Cheng Liu finally had a moment to herself. She took out her phone, opened WeChat, looked at the pinned contact for a while, and sent a message.
…
Ji Chaozhou saw the message at 9 am. He was sitting by the pool, his long, pale ankles submerged in the water, almost the same position as last night, only there was no one beside him.
He opened his phone and looked at the message.
Cheng Liu: [Good morning! CEO Cheng Climbing a Wall.gif]
The memes Li Dong had shared had come in handy.
Cheng Liu had even added a rose to the GIF, making it look like she was holding a rose in her mouth as she jumped down.
She hadn't mentioned being busy, not wanting him to worry.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t reply, and Cheng Liu didn’t mind.
“The executive director and the head of the new system update are from different factions,” He Bai said.
“Perhaps we can use that to our advantage,” He Bai added.
Cheng Liu put away her phone: “Different factions? They’re from the same company. We’ll see what their motives are.”
The car stopped outside the headquarters of Mingtai Automobile in G City. Cheng Liu got out and walked inside, He Bai following closely behind.
“We have an appointment,” He Bai said, stepping forward to speak to the receptionist. They then entered the elevator together.
“CEO Cheng,” the executive director of Mingtai said, waiting for them outside the elevator. He stepped forward and shook Cheng Liu’s hand enthusiastically.
“Director Wu, it’s been a while,” Cheng Liu said, shaking his hand and smiling, then getting straight to the point. “I’m here today to discuss your company’s breach of contract.”
“I’ve already heard about it,” Director Wu said, his face darkening. “I didn’t expect them to be so audacious. I notified that department last night that they would be dealt with. We’ve been in a meeting all morning, discussing how to handle this. We’ll make sure you receive a satisfactory resolution, CEO Cheng.”
Cheng Liu looked at Director Wu, her expression unreadable: “Oh? And what resolution have you reached?”
“Everyone in that department has been fired. As for the liaison who was working with you, we’ll hold him accountable as well,” Director Wu said, his voice filled with anger. “He’s tarnished our company’s reputation.”
“And the new system you released?” Cheng Liu asked, glancing at him. “How do you plan to handle that, Director Wu?”
“It will be taken offline, of course,” Director Wu said, gesturing for Cheng Liu to sit down. “Don’t worry, CEO Cheng. We’ll remove the new system tomorrow.”
Cheng Liu, her expression noncommittal, sat down, seemingly relaxed.
“However, many car owners have already updated their systems. We’ll notify them that there are issues with the new system,” Director Wu said, a hint of worry in his voice. “But we can’t force them to switch back. You understand, CEO Cheng.”
Cheng Liu looked down, fiddling with her fingers: “You’re right, Director Wu.”
Comments
Post a Comment