If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 64
Chapter 64: The Twenty-Second Day
After the expo, Ji Chaozhou and Cheng Liu left first, leaving Tang Fanglu in charge of Ranshan matters.
As soon as they stepped out of the exhibition hall, a gust of night wind blew past.
Cheng Liu's dress had sheer sleeves and shoulders. Before Ji Chaozhou could even unbutton his jacket, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the waiting car.
She quickly pulled the car door closed, then said to the driver, "Let's go."
The entire sequence was so smooth and swift that Ji Chaozhou didn’t even have time to react.
Ji Chaozhou: “…” He should have known. Cheng Liu didn’t think like ordinary people.
They sat side by side in the back seat. Cheng Liu yawned. She hadn’t been interested in the expo, only in being with Ji Chaozhou.
A few minutes later, her phone vibrated several times.
Cheng Liu opened WeChat and saw a series of messages from Li Dong.
Li Dong: [So that’s why you bought my villa. You had ulterior motives.]
Li Dong: [CEO Ji’s son is your boyfriend? Why didn't you tell me? And you bought the villas separately? If you had bought them together, I would have given you a discount.]
Li Dong: [Wait, no wonder both your boyfriend and CEO Ji’s son’s homes caught fire! Tsk tsk, CEO Cheng, you’re so good at quietly making big moves.]
Li Dong: [Those trending photos of you two look great. Let’s have dinner sometime. My wife really wants to meet the genius perfumer behind Midu.]
Li Dong sent several messages in a row, still struggling to process the situation, a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
He remembered the media frenzy after he and Yang Fanyu had gone public, the headlines about flowers being stuck in cow dung, the accusations that Yang Fanyu was only with him for his money.
And here was Cheng Liu, captivating the media and netizens with just a few photos.
He had to admit, CEO Cheng, all dressed up, was truly stunning.
Cheng Liu, sitting in the car, thought for a moment, then replied to Li Dong: [Let’s have dinner sometime.]
She didn't correct his assumption about Ji Chaozhou being her boyfriend.
If she told Li Dong about the misunderstanding, she knew what would happen. Within an hour, everyone in Li Dong’s circle would know.
CEO Cheng thought to herself: When they got married, if anyone in their circle didn’t know, it would be her own fault.
Ji Chaozhou glanced at Cheng Liu: “Do you have something to attend to? I can have you dropped off first.” She had been messaging someone since they got in the car.
Was it Wang Hongyang?
“No, I’m not busy,” Cheng Liu said, putting down her phone and explaining, “It’s Mr. Li from Dongchu Hotels. He said his wife wants to have dinner with you.”
Mr. Li from Dongchu Hotels…Ji Chaozhou remembered him as the man who had sold them the villas, a friend of Cheng Liu’s.
“Mm,” Ji Chaozhou said, a noncommittal response, but Cheng Liu took it as agreement.
Cheng Liu: “!”
She shouldn't have said anything. If they had dinner together, wouldn't her charade be exposed?
“I’m not free recently. I’ll arrange something with them later,” Cheng Liu said quickly.
Ji Chaozhou looked out the window: “As you wish.”
Silence fell in the car again. Cheng Liu opened Weibo, as expected, seeing herself trending. She scrolled through the comments, noticing the watch on Ji Chaozhou's wrist, the same one he had lent her.
Did he only own one watch?
Although Ji Mushan was wealthy, Cheng Liu remembered their strained relationship. Ji Chaozhou might not be using his father's money.
CEO Cheng, looking at her beloved's wrist, felt a surge of emotion: He had lent her his only watch.
Once they were together, she would buy him a new watch every day!
Cheng Liu’s gaze must have been too intense, because Ji Chaozhou, turning to meet her eyes, subtly pulled down his sleeve.
“We’re trending,” Cheng Liu said tentatively, showing him her phone.
The screen displayed Kong Zhouyun's photos, the comments below speculating about their relationship, most assuming they were a couple.
Ji Chaozhou took her phone and slowly scrolled through the comments, not surprised by their reactions.
He had deliberately worn the same watch to the expo, knowing the media would photograph it, and with the netizens' keen observation skills, they would quickly connect it to the watch Cheng Liu had worn.
But one post in particular caught his attention, his expression turning cold.
It was a photo of Cheng Liu and Wang Hongyang, taken at the expo, standing at opposite ends of a high table.
[Who’s this? His profile looks a bit like Ji Chaozhou.]
[I remember him. He’s a model, Wang Hongyang. Quite handsome.]
[Not as handsome as Ranshan's Ji Chaozhou.]
[Does CEO Cheng have a type?]
Ji Chaozhou stared at the last comment, then, after a long silence, returned Cheng Liu’s phone.
“Are…are you upset that we’re being linked together?” Cheng Liu asked cautiously, sensing his change in mood.
Ji Chaozhou, avoiding her gaze, his hand clenching at his side: “Just tired.”
“Then you can rest. I’ll wake you when we arrive,” Cheng Liu said hesitantly.
Ji Chaozhou didn't close his eyes. After a while, he suddenly asked, “Why did you break up with Wang Hongyang?”
Cheng Liu paused, then said softly, “I didn’t like him anymore.”
“Did you get bored after dating for a while?” Ji Chaozhou asked, looking at her.
Cheng Liu opened her mouth, wanting to explain that she had lost interest after their second meeting, but then thought there was no point.
It would only make her seem more fickle, as if she had only liked Wang Hongyang for one night.
“I…I wasn’t thinking clearly before,” Cheng Liu stammered.
CEO Cheng, capable of devising countless strategies in the business world, was now completely flustered in front of Ji Chaozhou.
After struggling for a while, she finally remembered to change the subject: “Do you…have someone you like?”
“No.”
To Cheng Liu, he had answered without hesitation.
It was hard not to feel disappointed. The events of the past few days had led her to believe there might be something between them, but his words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing her hopes.
But at least he didn't like anyone else.
…
When they arrived, Cheng Liu lingered, getting out of the car slowly, trying to find an excuse to go to Ji Chaozhou's villa. She had to make him like her.
She hadn't come up with anything by the time the car turned and drove away, still standing there, lost in thought.
Cheng Liu took out her phone, searching for excuses to visit her beloved’s home, the search results offering a plethora of options. She quickly scanned them, looking for a suitable one.
Ji Chaozhou, glancing at Cheng Liu under the streetlight, saw her looking down at her phone, making no move to come inside.
Ever since the expo, seeing her on her phone made him wonder if she was contacting Wang Hongyang.
The fact that she had once liked Wang Hongyang was like a thorn in his heart, growing larger with each passing day.
“Slam!”
The villa door suddenly closed. Cheng Liu, hearing the sound, looked up and saw Ji Chaozhou had already gone inside.
Cheng Liu watched as he disappeared into the front yard, dejected. She hadn’t found a suitable excuse yet!
In the end, CEO Cheng trudged back to her own villa.
She kicked off her shoes, stood in the living room, about to untie the black satin ribbon around her neck, then, a sudden inspiration struck her. She quickly tied it into a tight knot and marched back next door.
Cheng Liu rang the doorbell, then, using her fingerprint, opened the gate, entered, and, taking a deep breath, composed her expression.
Ji Chaozhou was sitting on the single-seater sofa, his jacket and tie off, his white shirt slightly unbuttoned at the collar, revealing his collarbones.
Hearing her, he looked up at Cheng Liu, his expression unreadable.
“I can’t untie this,” Cheng Liu said, pointing at the ribbon around her neck, feigning helplessness.
Ji Chaozhou stood up, sat on the larger sofa, turned to Cheng Liu, and said coldly, “Come here.”
Cheng Liu walked over and sat beside him, tilting her head slightly to expose her neck: “I couldn’t untie it, and I accidentally tied it into a knot.”
Ji Chaozhou looked at the tight knot, remembering that he had deliberately tied the ribbon loosely, so she could easily remove it. This was clearly a deliberate act.
Cheng Liu’s plan was for Ji Chaozhou to simply cut the ribbon with scissors, giving her an excuse to stay and chat, a pleasant end to her day, motivation for tomorrow’s work.
She hadn’t expected him to actually try to untie it.
Sitting so close to him on the sofa, even the usually confident CEO Cheng was suddenly speechless, afraid that he would hear her heart pounding.
A knot was easier to tie than to untie. Ji Chaozhou, pulling on one end of the ribbon, trying to see how it was tied, had to move closer to Cheng Liu.
They were very close now, neither of them speaking.
The subtle touch on her neck, amplified by the quietness of the living room, made Cheng Liu acutely aware of his presence.
Looking down, she could see the faint outline of his collarbones, the slight indentations above them, an unconsciously seductive sight.
Cheng Liu instinctively turned her head away.
“Don’t move,” Ji Chaozhou said, holding her chin. He was untying the knot, one end of the ribbon in his hand. If she moved, it would tighten around her neck.
“Okay,” Cheng Liu said, sitting still, but this time, she closed her eyes, not daring to look.
Otherwise, she might have a nosebleed.
The gentle tugging on her neck told her he was still working on the knot, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her heart was beating louder and louder, as if echoing in her ears.
After a while, the knot finally came undone. Ji Chaozhou pulled on the ribbon, and it loosened, but the person beside him, her eyes closed, a frown on her face, seemed to dislike his proximity.
“It’s untied,” Ji Chaozhou said softly.
Cheng Liu, flustered by her racing heart, opened her eyes.
Ji Chaozhou, holding one end of the ribbon, slowly unwound it from around her neck.
The black ribbon moved between them, a silent dance, until the last loop came undone.
Ji Chaozhou suddenly said, his voice cold, “Cheng Liu.”
Cheng Liu looked up at him, and before she could speak, he leaned closer, suddenly closing the distance between them.
For a moment, she felt something soft and warm against her lips.
Before Cheng Liu could react, a sharp pain on her lower lip made her gasp, her eyes widening in surprise: “You bit me…”
Ji Chaozhou, a vengeful nip on her lip, then, regretting his action, softened his bite, his long, pale fingers releasing the black ribbon, letting it slide from the sofa onto the floor.
AHHH HE ACTUALLY DID IT FIRST 🫣🫣
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