If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Second Day
Carrying the incense sticks in one hand and the flowers in the other, Cheng Liu dutifully followed Ji Chaozhou. They spent another half hour wandering around before returning to the car.
“Give me the flowers.” Ji Chaozhou approached Cheng Liu, reaching for the flowers she was holding.
Cheng Liu loosened her grip, watching as his long, pale fingers retrieved the flowers from among the incense sticks. She caught a faint fragrance, distinct from that of the flowers.
She had actually smelled this subtle scent a few times before in the confined space of the car, but hadn't paid much attention to it.
Just now, with his hand so close, the scent became more pronounced, and Cheng Liu immediately noticed it.
It was a light, ethereal, and aloof sandalwood fragrance, bringing to mind the quiet solitude of a snow-covered temple, someone sitting by a dim lamp, reading scriptures.
At the same time, the base notes carried a faint, moist, and elegant sweetness, a hint of warm, ambiguous, almost powdery fragrance, dispelling the coldness of the top and middle notes.
“You smell really nice,” Cheng Liu said, looking up at her boyfriend frankly.
Ji Chaozhou didn’t feel offended by the bodyguard’s comment, simply explaining, “Ranshan Midu.”
But what he was wearing was a custom blend he had created himself, different from the Midu sold on the market. It had almost none of the milky sweetness of the base notes and was much more crisp and cold.
Cheng Liu was momentarily stunned. She didn’t understand a single word of the name.
However, when faced with a question she didn't understand, CEO Cheng’s usual tactic was to keep her doubts to herself, preventing others from exploiting her ignorance, and to seek answers later when the opportunity arose.
So, Cheng Liu didn't ask further, quickly placing the incense sticks in the trunk and hurrying to open the car door for her boyfriend.
Ji Chaozhou, holding the flowers, paused slightly as he looked at her hand on the car door. He wondered why this bodyguard always insisted he sit in the passenger seat.
But he didn't ask, simply bending down and getting in. He didn’t care where he sat.
“Shall we go straight back, or…?” Cheng Liu asked after getting in.
“To the Ranshan R&D building,” Ji Chaozhou said directly.
“Okay.” Cheng Liu took out her phone, searched for the location, and followed the navigation.
…
Forty minutes later, they arrived at the Ranshan R&D building.
Looking out the window, Cheng Liu saw the building’s sign, which featured a perfume bottle and the words “Ranshan Midu” in large font.
She belatedly realized that her boyfriend had been referring to a perfume brand.
Cheng Liu got out of the car with Ji Chaozhou, intending to carry the incense sticks for him.
Ji Chaozhou picked them up himself, turning to Cheng Liu: “Pick me up at 9 pm.”
“Are you going to work inside?” Cheng Liu asked.
Ji Chaozhou looked at her, incense sticks in hand: “Don’t you have time?”
Cheng Liu immediately denied it: “I have time. I’ll definitely be here to pick you up at 9.”
A good girlfriend wouldn’t miss picking up her boyfriend from work!
Ji Chaozhou said nothing, turning to walk towards the Ranshan R&D building.
Cheng Liu closed the trunk and watched her boyfriend disappear, suddenly realizing that he must be shooting a commercial for this Ranshan perfume brand.
However…did brands now require models to bring their own props?
Puzzled, Cheng Liu got into the car. Before she could figure it out, her chief assistant called.
“CEO Cheng, it’s afternoon. Are you still on your date?” He Bai’s voice carried a teasing tone.
“Is there something at the company?” Cheng Liu asked.
“The Chunxia Hotel partners are here to renew their contract and would like to have dinner with you,” He Bai said, the sound of flipping pages coming through the phone. “I can decline for you if you’re busy.”
Cheng Liu tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She remembered that the Chunxia Hotel partner’s wife was in the entertainment industry. This would be a good opportunity to ask him for some advice.
“I’m free. I’ll be back at the company soon.”
He Bai chuckled: “Alright, then I’ll book a restaurant for you.”
As Cheng Liu drove back to the company, the Chunxia Hotel partner happened to be exiting the elevator: “Mr. Li, long time no see.”
“CEO Cheng, where have you been busy?” Li Dong, accompanied by He Bai, stepped out of the elevator and saw Cheng Liu, greeting her with a smile.
Cheng Liu stepped forward and shook Li Dong’s hand: “Just taking care of something outside.”
He Bai followed behind them at a distance, driving them to the restaurant.
Near the restaurant, He Bai walked up to Cheng Liu and said softly, “The restaurant is on the sixth floor. I’ll head back to the company now.”
Cheng Liu nodded: “Okay. Come pick me up when we’re almost finished.”
She and Li Dong walked towards the mall. It had been almost a year since they last met.
“Your company is getting bigger and bigger, CEO Cheng,” Li Dong said with a smile. “But you should really change your style of dressing.”
Cheng Liu had her hands tucked into the pockets of her tracksuit jacket. She had left her sunglasses in the car. Standing next to the forty-something Li Dong, she looked even younger, dressed like a university student.
“As long as it’s comfortable,” Cheng Liu said dismissively. She was selling technology, not clothes.
“True.” Li Dong nodded in agreement.
They entered the elevator. Cheng Liu turned to press the button, but her gaze suddenly stopped on something to her right. She turned to Li Dong: “Mr. Li, please wait a moment.”
She quickly stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the display that had caught her attention.
Li Dong was taken aback, but quickly followed.
Cheng Liu walked up to the Ranshan counter and asked the sales assistant directly, “I’d like a bottle of Ranshan Midu.”
“Certainly, please wait a moment. I’ll get that for you right away.” The sales assistant immediately turned to retrieve a bottle of perfume.
“Ranshan has been very popular these past two years. My wife loves this perfume,” Li Dong said, approaching with a look of surprise. “Are you buying it as a gift?”
He had known CEO Cheng for several years, and she never dressed up, let alone wore perfume.
“For myself.” Cheng Liu paid, opened the bottle, and sprayed it on herself twice.
Li Dong: “Huh?”
Cheng Liu closed the bottle, put it back in the bag, and said to Li Dong with a hint of pride, “My boyfriend also likes Midu, so I’m trying it out.”
Li Dong was shocked: “You have a boyfriend?”
With Cheng Liu being a perpetual tomboy and a workaholic, he often told his wife that CEO Cheng would probably stay single for life.
Cheng Liu smiled slightly: “Of course. And he’s very handsome.”
No wonder those middle-aged men always talked about their wives. Cheng Liu finally understood. This feeling of casually mentioning something while subtly showing off felt really good!
Li Dong was astonished. CEO Cheng had actually found a boyfriend. What a miracle.
He immediately asked with interest, “Do you have a photo? Let me see.”
Li Dong was always proud of his wife. Every time he invited Cheng Liu to dinner, it wasn’t for any other reason than to show off his wife.
Cheng Liu didn’t have any photos of her boyfriend. She opened his WeChat Moments, hoping to find some, but discovered that he had deleted everything.
She coughed and said, “…It’s on my other phone.”
Li Dong was skeptical: “Really?”
They got into the elevator and went to the restaurant. Once seated, Li Dong started, “You should take more photos of your boyfriend. They’re memories of your youth. Speaking of which, my wife was a judge at a film festival recently, and the photos taken there were beautiful.”
As he spoke, he took out his phone and showed Cheng Liu the photos.
Cheng Liu wasn't interested in seeing photos of someone else’s wife. She only wanted to see more of her own boyfriend. She gave a few perfunctory compliments, then tried to fish for information about her boyfriend’s rival: “Mr. Li, do you know Yun Fei?”
“Yun Fei? Yes, I do,” Li Dong said, putting away his phone, satisfied after showing off. “Why are you asking about her? Do you want to hire her as a spokesperson?”
“Just asking.”
“She’s a very popular actress right now.” Li Dong curled his lip. “She initially debuted by claiming to resemble my wife.”
Li Dong’s wife was a famously beautiful actress, who, after more than twenty years in the entertainment industry, had mostly retired behind the scenes.
Cheng Liu recalled Yun Fei, whom she had met today. She did indeed bear some resemblance to Li Dong’s wife, though she lacked the mature charm.
“Let’s not talk about her. Mr. Li, how did you manage to win over your wife back then?” Cheng Liu remembered Li Dong bragging about how he had beaten countless suitors to win his wife’s heart.
At this topic, Li Dong’s eyes lit up, a youthful glow radiating from his forty-something face. He cleared his throat and said seriously to Cheng Liu, “For successful businessmen like us, there’s one thing we must remember when pursuing someone.”
“Tell me,” Cheng Liu said, sitting up straight, all ears.
“Lower your stance, as low as you can go!” Li Dong gestured emphatically. “At this point, we must forget about our status. You have to understand, beautiful people are proud, and those of us who are…average-looking…”
Li Dong’s gaze met Cheng Liu’s, and he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to say “average-looking.”
“Anyway, whatever my wife said, I did. I never contradicted her.” Li Dong spoke with the air of an experienced man. “We just need to quietly follow their lead.”
Cheng Liu pondered his words.
By the time their dinner ended, it was already 8 pm.
Before leaving, Li Dong held Cheng Liu’s hand, seemingly reluctant to part. He sighed, “CEO Cheng, I didn’t expect us to have so much in common. I must invite you out again, just the two of us.”
Cheng Liu looked like a diligent student: “Certainly, Mr. Li. I’ll definitely accept your invitation.”
Their mutual appreciation left He Bai, who was standing nearby, speechless.
…
“Mr. Li gave you perfume?” He Bai asked casually as he drove Cheng Liu back to the company to pick up her car.
“I bought it.” Cheng Liu lifted her hand to smell the perfume, frowning slightly. It didn’t smell quite the same as what her boyfriend wore.
He Bai’s gaze lingered on the perfume bag on her lap: “Why did you suddenly decide to buy perfume?”
“My boyfriend wears this, and it smells nice, so I’m trying it out.” Cheng Liu took the perfume out of the bag and examined it carefully. She was sure she hadn’t bought the wrong one.
He Bai’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, then he casually turned the car: “This perfume is too cold. It doesn’t really suit you.”
“I think it’s alright.” Cheng Liu thought she would ask her boyfriend why her perfume smelled different from his.
Silence fell in the car, but Cheng Liu, sitting in the back, didn’t notice.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at Shenyin Technology. He Bai rolled down the window and asked Cheng Liu, who hadn't moved towards the company entrance, “Aren’t you going inside?”
“No. You should go home and rest early too.” Cheng Liu walked towards her own car.
She still had to pick up her boyfriend.
…
At 9 pm sharp, Cheng Liu arrived outside the Ranshan R&D building.
Inside the lab, Ji Chaozhou had taken off his trench coat and was wearing a white lab coat and protective goggles. He squeezed a drop of liquid from a dropper onto a scent strip and lowered his head to sniff it lightly.
The scent wasn’t right.
Ji Chaozhou put down the scent strip and was about to test another essence when he suddenly remembered something. He walked to the second-floor window and looked down.
As expected, he saw the familiar car headlights.
—Number Six was here to pick him up.
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