If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 67
Chapter 67: The Twenty-Third Day
Yun Fei hadn't expected the "love guru" to reject her case outright. A wave of frustration washed over her, and she angrily messaged him: [Why? Just because she's richer and has a higher social status than me?]
Guru: [That's not the main reason. It's because your childhood sweetheart doesn't like you.]
Yun Fei, gritting her teeth: [You just said feelings can be cultivated.]
Guru: [You've been trying for years without success. Give up.]
Yun Fei, unwilling to give up, messaged him again: [I’ll give you a hundred thousand yuan deposit. If you can help us get together, I’ll give you another five hundred thousand.]
The guru’s “typing…” indicator appeared, then vanished. After a long pause, he finally replied: [Although you’re wealthy, your rival is even richer and more influential. If I offend her, we’re both doomed.]
Yun Fei scoffed: [Aren't you supposed to be a love guru, capable of making even the most unyielding hearts soften? Why can’t you do anything?]
Guru: [Don't put all your eggs in one basket. If you really look like Yun Fei, you can definitely find a better man!]
Yun Fei, struggling to contain her anger, sent one last message before blocking him.
Client #3: [Useless!]
Wang Hongyang received the message, then, trying to reply, realized he had been blocked, not even given a chance to retaliate.
Yun Fei had the nerve to call him useless. If she weren't useless, she would have been with Ji Chaozhou years ago, having grown up together.
Wang Hongyang leaned back on his sofa, feeling content. Although he had lost out on six hundred thousand yuan, at least he hadn’t offended Cheng Liu. He could always earn it back later.
Especially now that the company executives were planning to promote him.
Wang Hongyang scrolled through his phone, still slightly jealous. Ji Chaozhou was only slightly more handsome than him, yet both Cheng Liu and Yun Fei liked him.
Looks truly mattered in this world. It was a good thing Ji Chaozhou wasn’t in the entertainment industry.
…
Cheng Liu parked in front of her villa, hesitating. Ji Chaozhou's car was usually parked in his garage, but she was suddenly unsure.
She wanted to see him, but she was also afraid to go inside.
Cheng Liu put away her phone, repeatedly reminding herself not to mention Wang Hongyang, then drove into the garage.
The gate, recognizing her license plate, opened automatically.
Cheng Liu parked and slowly walked into the living room. Ji Chaozhou wasn’t there. She looked around, her gaze falling on two glasses on the coffee table.
Had he had a visitor?
Ji Chaozhou’s phone was on the table; he must be home.
Cheng Liu walked towards the backyard, still not seeing him, but she noticed the pool had been cleaned, the water replaced.
She sat on a wicker chair on the patio, looking out at the backyard, lost in thought. The setting sun cast a golden glow on the shimmering water and the surrounding lawn.
That night, during the power outage, sitting by the pool, he hadn't rejected her closeness. Perhaps he liked her, at least a little.
Cheng Liu had always been adept at reading people, a skill that had served her well in her career.
But with Ji Chaozhou, her intuition seemed to falter.
Or rather, she didn't want to analyze Ji Chaozhou the way she analyzed others.
She wanted him to share his world with her willingly.
Cheng Liu leaned forward in her chair, her hands clasped between her knees, a thoughtful look on her face: He was still hesitant about something. She would wait.
“What are you doing here?”
Ji Chaozhou’s clear, cool voice came from behind her.
Cheng Liu turned around and saw Ji Chaozhou, dressed in a dark green silk robe, the familiar scent of bitter coffee clinging to him. His hair was still wet from the shower, droplets of water tracing the lines of his collarbones, gathering in the slight indentations.
“I…” Cheng Liu’s eyes followed the path of the water droplets, her mind fixated on his collarbones, forgetting what she was about to say.
She suddenly remembered a cheesy pick-up line she had read: “I want to swim in your collarbones.”
She had thought it illogical before, but now, it seemed perfectly apt, even descriptive.
So that was what swimming meant.
CEO Cheng’s mind had already taken several dips in the “pools” formed by his collarbones.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, because Ji Chaozhou, adjusting his robe to cover his collarbones, the water droplets now absorbed by the dark green silk, his damp hair leaving a darker mark on the fabric.
Cheng Liu, slightly disappointed, looked away, stood up, and walked inside: “Did you change the water in the pool?”
Ji Chaozhou glanced at the backyard: “I did. I also had the lawn cleaned. There won’t be any more frogs.”
CEO Cheng thought: Was that a dig at her?
“Your car’s in the garage,” Cheng Liu said, finally understanding what he had meant earlier about the smell in her car, but she didn't mention it. “I’m planning to sell my old car and buy a new one tomorrow. Are you free to come with me?”
Her old car was seven or eight years old. It was time for a new one.
Ji Chaozhou didn't refuse.
He had been unusually agreeable since last night. Cheng Liu, emboldened, took a step closer to him: “Why…why did you kiss me this morning?”
Did that mean he accepted her feelings?
Ji Chaozhou looked at her, his beautiful amber eyes meeting hers, a question in their depths. He needed all his self-control not to be drawn in by her gaze.
He suddenly reached out and covered her eyes. Her long, straight eyelashes tickled his palm, a distracting sensation. He felt that if he blocked her gaze, he could resist the urge to drown in her eyes.
Cheng Liu couldn't help but laugh: “Are you going to reciprocate everything I do to you?”
Perhaps he had only kissed her this morning to return her kiss from last night.
CEO Cheng wouldn’t mind giving him more opportunities to reciprocate.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t answer. He removed his hand, took a step closer, placed one arm around her waist, the other on her shoulder, and pulled her into a hug.
Compared to last night’s hesitant kiss, this embrace was far more intimate.
So close they could almost feel each other’s hearts beating in unison.
Ji Chaozhou, allowing himself this moment of vulnerability, buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent, a mix of longing and trepidation filling him.
He wanted Cheng Liu to keep coming back, even after being pushed away, a confirmation of her feelings, yet he also feared she would tire of him, leave him.
The conflicting emotions warred within him.
Cheng Liu froze, surprised by his embrace. It was so unlike him.
After a moment, she hugged him back, her fingers tracing the lines of his back, the subtle curves of his shoulder blades beneath the thin silk of his robe.
Ji Chaozhou shifted slightly, his chin resting on her shoulder: “Cheng Liu.”
“Mm.”
“I don’t want your affection.”
“…Okay.”
“I don’t want to be with you.”
“That’s not acceptable,” Cheng Liu said, suddenly pushing him away, a serious look on her face. “What if our future children don’t have a legal status?”
Ji Chaozhou: “…”
Cheng Liu thought for a moment, looking at him tentatively: “Can we…add a time limit? Six days? Sixteen days would be fine too. Twenty-six is acceptable. Any longer…thirty-six days at most. No more than that.”
She had already found her wedding witnesses and photographer.
Honestly, she had even thought of baby names.
Ji Chaozhou, his expression returning to its usual coldness, turned away, ignoring her bargaining.
“Thirty-six days is a long time,” Cheng Liu said, following him. “It’s not appropriate for us to be…unclear like this. People might misunderstand.”
Ji Chaozhou glanced at her coldly: “What misunderstanding? Aren’t you still with Wang Hongyang?”
She had said the wrong thing!
Cheng Liu immediately regretted her words: “We broke up!”
The mere mention of Wang Hongyang made her tense.
Ji Chaozhou sat down on the sofa, opening his book, not wanting to hear her explanations.
Cheng Liu sat beside him, placing her hand on the page, stopping him from reading. A sudden inspiration struck her. She pouted: “My lip hurts.”
As expected, Ji Chaozhou closed his book, turning to look at her lower lip.
The swelling had subsided. He hadn’t bitten her hard enough to break the skin last night. It wasn’t that serious.
Cheng Liu looked at him, her eyes shining: “If you touch it, it won’t hurt anymore.”
Ji Chaozhou frowned. He knew she was lying, but he still raised his hand, his fingers gently touching her lip.
As he carefully rubbed the now-healed spot, Cheng Liu was captivated, reaching out to take his hand, stopping him.
Her hand slid down his arm, holding his.
Ji Chaozhou looked up, meeting her gaze, watching as she brought his hand to her lips, placing a gentle kiss on his fingers. The warmth spread from his fingertips to his chest, his ears turning red.
He turned his head away, not looking at her, but he didn’t pull his hand away.
Cheng Liu, not stopping, continued upwards, kissing his forearm through the silk of his robe, each kiss landing precisely on the raised scars hidden beneath the fabric.
Ji Chaozhou abruptly tried to pull his arm away, but Cheng Liu held on, seemingly unaware of the scars, yet each kiss a deliberate touch.
“Cheng Liu…” Ji Chaozhou’s voice, intended as a cold warning, trembled slightly, her kisses melting the ice around his heart.
Cheng Liu had seen the scars before.
That night, during the fire, when Ji Chaozhou had been asleep in the hotel room, burning with fever, she had wiped his chest and neck.
Cheng Liu had an excellent memory, clearly remembering the location of each scar.
She knew what they were, but she had assumed everyone had their secrets, so she hadn’t asked.
Now, having grown closer, she wanted to know his secrets.
Perhaps it was human nature. Once you truly cared about someone, a desire to possess everything about them would bloom.
Ji Chaozhou disliked her past with Wang Hongyang. She, in turn, wanted to claim him entirely. She wasn't a saint.
Having kissed the last scar, Cheng Liu looked up at Ji Chaozhou, a fierce possessiveness flaring in her eyes, then quickly vanishing.
Ji Chaozhou saw it clearly. He suddenly remembered Yun Se’s words.
—Cheng Liu was inherently domineering, a predator by nature.
Even so, his heart still raced uncontrollably.
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