If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 59
Chapter 59: The Twenty-First Day
Celebrating a housewarming by inviting friends over for a meal was customary.
Cheng Liu hadn't cared about such things before, but today, she was taking it very seriously, because she was hosting the dinner with Ji Chaozhou.
She had wanted to make it a big event last night, inviting many friends, but Ji Chaozhou had preferred a smaller gathering.
Cheng Liu had reconsidered. Ordering takeout for a housewarming party felt too impersonal, and cooking for a large group would be too much work, especially since she wasn't a good cook and would have to rely on Ji Chaozhou.
So, she had decided to just invite He Bai.
He was the only one who seemed to care about the party anyway.
“When is Assistant He coming?” Ji Chaozhou asked Cheng Liu, standing on the path in her front yard.
“I messaged him. He said he’ll be here around noon,” Cheng Liu replied, squatting beside the grapefruit saplings, staring at them intently. She turned to Ji Chaozhou. “They seem to have grown a bit.”
Ji Chaozhou walked over to her, his gaze falling on the saplings. He reached out to touch a thorn on one of the branches.
“Careful, there are thorns,” Cheng Liu said, quickly pulling his hand away. “They’ll prick you.”
Ji Chaozhou masked his emotions: “I wasn’t paying attention.”
Cheng Liu, her attention on the saplings, didn't comment. She had seen him reach directly for the thorn out of the corner of her eye.
“Let’s go to the supermarket now. We can figure out what to make later,” Cheng Liu said, reaching out to Ji Chaozhou, her face slightly pitiful. “My legs are numb.”
Ji Chaozhou paused, a barely perceptible smile in his eyes, then took her hand and pulled her up: “Don’t squat for too long next time.”
“Okay,” Cheng Liu said immediately.
They had returned the shopping cart from before, and since they needed quite a few things, they decided to drive.
Ji Chaozhou was driving. Cheng Liu had given up on using her own car.
Cheng Liu sat in the passenger seat, looking at the reflection of Ji Chaozhou’s profile in the car window.
It wasn’t a clear image, but still visible.
He was so handsome.
CEO Cheng sighed inwardly, countless times.
The supermarket wasn’t far. They arrived in a few minutes.
As soon as Cheng Liu unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, she received a few WeChat messages.
Her eyes lit up as she opened the app.
It was Kong Zhouyun, the entertainment reporter, sending her the photos from the airport.
The photos were perfect. Cheng Liu was thrilled, quickly saving them.
Wedding Photographer Kong Zhouyun: [Here are all the photos from the airport. I didn’t save them to publish them. I just thought they were beautiful, so I kept them privately. Don’t worry, CEO Cheng, I haven’t shown them to anyone else.]
Cheng Liu desperately wanted to show them to everyone. She wanted the world to see, but they weren't officially a couple yet.
Cheng Liu quickly replied: [Keep them for now. You can publish them after we're together.]
Wedding Photographer Kong Zhouyun: [Huh?]
Cheng Liu: […Just say what you want to say.]
She would fire employees like this on the spot, but his photography skills gave her pause.
Wedding Photographer Kong Zhouyun: [CEO Cheng, you haven't given him a title yet?]
Cheng Liu, standing by the car, frowned. What was this reporter talking about?
“Messaging Assistant He?” Ji Chaozhou asked, walking over to her after getting out of the car.
Cheng Liu instinctively hid her phone, feeling a pang of guilt. Looking up, she met Ji Chaozhou's calm, beautiful amber eyes, and her survival instincts kicked in.
She took out her phone again, showed him the photos, and explained, “It’s an entertainment reporter. He took photos of us at the airport and outside the press conference.”
Ji Chaozhou opened WeChat and saw the photos from the airport. Cheng Liu, pulling her suitcase with one hand, her black backpack slung over her shoulder, the other hand holding his, turning to walk towards the airport exit.
Since they were candid shots, taken while they were walking, the photos were slightly blurry, creating an atmosphere of a shared secret, like a couple escaping from the airport.
“Just photos from the airport?” Ji Chaozhou asked.
“…And outside the press conference,” Cheng Liu said, sending him the rest of the photos.
Ji Chaozhou looked at them, then said to Cheng Liu, “Is he asking for money? If you don’t mind, he can publish the photos. I don’t care.”
Cheng Liu was silent, feeling guilty. The reporter hadn’t asked for money or threatened to publish the photos. It was she who had ulterior motives.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go buy groceries,” Cheng Liu said, changing the subject.
…
He Bai arrived early, at 10 am, ringing the doorbell of Villa Number Six. Cheng Liu opened the door of Villa Number Five.
“You’re early. We’re still washing the vegetables,” Cheng Liu said, her sleeves rolled up, her hands still wet.
He Bai smiled: “Not at all. I can help.”
Cheng Liu stepped aside: “Come in.”
He Bai, a bottle of red wine in hand, followed her inside.
As soon as he entered the front yard, he noticed the stark contrast between the left and right sides of Ji Chaozhou’s yard. Two bare saplings on the left, a vibrant flowerbed on the right.
“Why hasn’t Mr. Ji hired a landscaper? I know a bit about gardening,” He Bai said, pointing at the two saplings. “Those should be removed and replaced with…”
“Are they in your way?” Cheng Liu interrupted him.
He wasn't just trying to remove the saplings, he was trying to uproot her love life!
“I…I just think they look out of place,” He Bai said, feeling slightly hurt. She was defending Ji Chaozhou’s ugly saplings? He had simply offered a suggestion.
Cheng Liu stopped and turned to him, puzzled: “Out of place? Are my grapefruit saplings that ugly?”
He Bai froze: “…” He had misjudged the situation.
Cheng Liu had been annoyed with He Bai all morning. He had ruined her plans before, and now he wanted to remove her excuse to visit next door!
He was a stumbling block on her path to love!
Cheng Liu, her face expressionless, walked into the living room and went to the kitchen to help Ji Chaozhou.
Ji Chaozhou, chopping vegetables, looked up: “What’s wrong?” Her footsteps had been heavier than usual.
“Nothing,” Cheng Liu said, going to the sink to wash the vegetables.
He Bai entered the living room, noticing the difference between this space and Cheng Liu’s. Ji Chaozhou’s living room was filled with glass cabinets, containing various bottles and jars.
He Bai glanced around, then went into the kitchen.
He wasn't wearing a suit today, dressed instead in casual sportswear, his glasses replaced with contact lenses, looking like a young university student, full of youthful energy.
“I’ll help,” He Bai said, rolling up his sleeves and walking over to Cheng Liu.
There were two sinks in the kitchen. Ji Chaozhou was chopping vegetables at the other end. He Bai’s position placed him right next to Cheng Liu.
But before he could finish washing the vegetables, Ji Chaozhou stopped, turned around, and said, “Cheng Liu, you do the chopping.”
“Okay,” Cheng Liu said, immediately drying her hands and walking over.
Ji Chaozhou took off the red cartoon apron, walked over to Cheng Liu, and, as he tied it around her waist, said softly, “Put this on. You’ll get splashes on your clothes.”
He Bai, turning around, a hint of amusement in his voice: “Senior’s clothes are getting old. It’s time for new ones.”
Cheng Liu fumed silently. Couldn’t he see Ji Chaozhou was tying her apron?! Why did he have to interrupt such a blissful moment?!
“Turn around,” Ji Chaozhou said, gently touching Cheng Liu’s arm and guiding her to turn around. He stood behind her, his hands reaching around her waist to tie the apron strings.
They were standing close together. For a moment, it was as if Ji Chaozhou was holding Cheng Liu in his arms.
After tying the apron, Ji Chaozhou turned to He Bai: “They are a bit old. I’ll take her shopping for new ones tomorrow.”
“…” He Bai almost crushed the vegetables in his hand.
Cheng Liu, looking at He Bai, suddenly realized: She had misjudged him. He was here to help her!
The three of them made six dishes and a soup. Ji Chaozhou was a quick learner; his cooking skills had improved significantly.
After bringing the food to the table, Cheng Liu and Ji Chaozhou sat across from each other, as usual, while He Bai opened the wine.
“Didn’t you drive? No alcohol for you today,” Cheng Liu said, looking at He Bai.
He Bai refused to give in: “We’re celebrating your housewarming. It’s tradition to have a drink.”
He opened the bottle, poured three glasses, handed one to Ji Chaozhou, then took the other two, walked over to Cheng Liu, and sat down beside her, placing the glasses in front of them. He smiled: “If you get drunk, Senior, you can always stay the night.”
Ji Chaozhou, sitting across from them, looked at He Bai and said calmly, “I have a designated driver.”
“A designated driver is a good idea,” Cheng Liu said, nodding seriously. “It’s not too far from here. We can also call a taxi.”
He Bai, remembering the time Cheng Liu had called a ride for him: “…”
“Senior, this is a nice place. Quiet, yet close to the city,” He Bai said, changing the subject. “It reminds me of our university days. Our office was in a similar location, always bustling.”
Cheng Liu nodded in agreement: “I like it here too.” Living next door to her beloved was perfect!
Ji Chaozhou, looking at the wine swirling in his glass, listening to He Bai reminiscing about their university days, suddenly asked Cheng Liu, “When did you graduate?”
“Six years ago,” Cheng Liu replied.
“Senior skipped a grade in middle school,” He Bai added. “She was only twenty when she graduated.”
These shared memories of theirs didn't include Ji Chaozhou.
He Bai was actually a year older than Cheng Liu. He had graduated at the normal age, twenty-two, having started university at eighteen.
Cheng Liu, surprised that Ji Chaozhou had asked, felt curious about him. There was no information about him on Ranshan’s website: “How about you?”
Ji Chaozhou swirled his wine, watching as the liquid moved in the glass: “Five years ago. I was also twenty.”
“Younger than me,” Cheng Liu said, surprised. “Did you skip a grade too?”
CEO Cheng felt this was fate!
“Mm,” Ji Chaozhou said, looking up at Cheng Liu. “So, you’re my senior.”
He Bai, sitting beside them, almost choked. They hadn’t even gone to the same university. What "senior"?
“That’s right,” Cheng Liu said, nodding firmly. She had graduated earlier, so she was his senior!
A faint smile appeared in Ji Chaozhou's beautiful eyes. He looked at Cheng Liu and said softly, “Senior.”
His voice, already clear and pleasant, now carried a gentle warmth that sent shivers down Cheng Liu’s spine, her ears turning red.
She had never realized the word "senior" could sound so…intimate.
He Bai, sitting beside her, his face changing several times, suddenly drained his glass. He finally understood.
Ji Chaozhou hadn't been asking about Cheng Liu's graduation year; that information was readily available online. He had simply wanted an excuse to call her “senior.”
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