If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 100
Chapter 100: The Thirty-Sixth Day
Shenyin Technology's headquarters had four cafeterias on different floors. The one on the first floor was the most popular, offering the widest variety of dishes. Robots moved through the aisles, their touchscreens displaying the menu. They stopped automatically when someone sat down, taking orders and delivering food.
“This was a project we did a while ago. The first batch was deployed here for testing, and they've stayed ever since,” Cheng Liu said after ordering, explaining to Ji Chaozhou. “You can also order by voice.”
Shenyin Technology regularly maintained these robots, updating their systems. Many large hotels had started using them. Shenyin's technology was gradually becoming integrated into everyday life.
Ji Chaozhou looked around. Many employees were ordering, their gazes drifting towards them. He was used to being the center of attention, but today was different. They were clearly discussing him and Cheng Liu.
He hadn't come to Shenyin by chance. He had come specifically to see her, but he hadn’t told her, simply waiting in the lobby. He had always known how noticeable he was, but he had never cared. Now, he was instinctively using the attention to draw her to him.
“What are you doing this afternoon?” Cheng Liu asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
“What are your plans?” Ji Chaozhou asked in return.
“I have a meeting later, and a few other things to take care of,” Cheng Liu said, glancing at him, wanting him to stay. “Are you busy this afternoon?”
“No, I’m not,” Ji Chaozhou said, taking a sip of water, looking at her. “Why?” He knew what she wanted, but he wanted her to say it.
Cheng Liu, never one for subtlety, looked around, then leaned closer, lowering her voice, “Do you want to…stay? I want you to…be with me.”
Ji Chaozhou, putting down his glass, looked away, a little flustered, “…Okay.” He had wanted to hear her confession, but her directness was disarming.
Cheng Liu, delighted, started explaining the company structure, asking if he wanted to see her office.
Ji Chaozhou agreed. He looked at her, her eyes sparkling with happiness, a smile playing on his lips. He liked being wanted.
…
They sat in a corner of the cafeteria, the other employees, unusually numerous today, keeping a respectful distance.
“Did Chief Assistant He…always have lunch with you here?” Ji Chaozhou asked suddenly.
Cheng Liu, startled, sat up straight, her voice defensive, “Not every day. I’m busy. I just grab something quick.”
Ji Chaozhou, placing a piece of meat in her bowl, his voice calm, “Why are you so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous,” Cheng Liu said, instinctively raising her hand as if to swear an oath. “I’m just…talkative.”
Ji Chaozhou laughed, his face lighting up, a rare display of emotion. Cheng Liu stared, mesmerized, while the other employees in the cafeteria gasped softly. He was usually so cold. This sudden smile, like ice melting, a glimpse of spring, was captivating.
Cheng Liu, snapping out of her daze, quickly took a photo of her lunch, not to post on Moments, but to save in her private photo album, a collection of Ji Chaozhou-related photos.
…
After lunch, Cheng Liu took Ji Chaozhou to the private elevator, heading to the second floor, the new office area, mostly finished, with just a few details remaining.
“Where was your…old office?” Ji Chaozhou asked, looking around.
“Twenty-sixth floor,” Cheng Liu said casually.
He knew she liked the number six. “Why did you move to the second floor?” he asked, already knowing the answer. From renovating the stairs in her villa to moving her office, it was all for the same reason.
Cheng Liu turned to him, her voice clear, “So you could visit me.”
“Okay,” Ji Chaozhou said, looking down.
After a moment, he said, “I want to see the twenty-sixth floor.”
“It’s…on the twenty-sixth floor,” Cheng Liu said hesitantly. Her meeting was on the fifth floor. She had intended to take him there.
“I know,” Ji Chaozhou said, taking her hand.
Cheng Liu, giving in, pressed the button for the twenty-sixth floor. As the elevator ascended, Ji Chaozhou pulled her closer, his chin resting on her shoulder.
The twenty-sixth floor office had floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view. Cheng Liu used to enjoy the height, but now she was more concerned about Ji Chaozhou.
“Don’t look outside,” she said, leading him inside.
Ji Chaozhou glanced at the window, his face not as pale as usual, perhaps because he was getting used to it, or perhaps because she was holding his hand. The hallucinations had lessened recently. When she was with him, they faded away.
“This is my desk. He Bai used to sit outside, but once his foot heals, he’ll be transferred to another department,” Cheng Liu said, pointing.
Ji Chaozhou looked at her desk. A computer, several monitors, a stack of files. There was no seating area, not even a sofa, just a few office chairs and a copier.
“There’s nothing much to see,” Cheng Liu said, worried he might be uncomfortable in this high-rise, glass-walled office.
But Ji Chaozhou walked towards the window.
“Chaozhou,” Cheng Liu said, stopping him.
“I want to see…what it looks like down there,” he said, turning to her. “Stay with me.”
Cheng Liu hesitated, then took his hand, walking with him towards the window.
As they approached, his face paled, the familiar flashes of red intensifying with each step, but each time he turned, he saw her behind him, her hand firmly in his, pulling him back from the abyss.
They stood before the window, side by side. Ji Chaozhou, turning to her, his voice low, “Kiss me.”
Cheng Liu, leaning closer, kissed him.
The afternoon sun streamed through the glass, bathing them in a golden light.
After a moment, Cheng Liu whispered, “There’s no sofa here.”
Ji Chaozhou, pulled from the warmth of the moment, frowned, looking at her coldly: “Is that all you think about?”
Cheng Liu, not embarrassed at being caught, feigned innocence, “I was just thinking the new office on the second floor should have a sofa.”
Besides, he had enjoyed it too, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
Of course, she wouldn’t say that aloud. She didn’t want to be banished from the bedroom tonight.
Just then, the phone rang. It was her assistant, reminding her about the meeting.
“Let’s go. There’s a meeting,” Cheng Liu said, gathering her files, clearly not intending to return to the twenty-sixth floor.
The meeting room on the fifth floor had a lounge across the hall. Cheng Liu took Ji Chaozhou there, placing her files on the table before heading to the meeting.
Inside the meeting room, seven or eight heads turned, pretending to be deep in thought, not gossiping about the CEO’s boyfriend.
“Let’s keep this meeting short and sweet,” Cheng Liu said, closing the door behind her, sitting down. “No rambling.”
“Understood!” someone said, a knowing smile on their face.
As they started the meeting, Ji Chaozhou sat in the lounge, the glass doors of both rooms allowing him to see Cheng Liu clearly. She was listening intently to a report, taking notes, occasionally pausing to twirl her pen. He remembered the pen marks on her sleeve. That was probably how they got there.
Whenever she spoke, the employees turned to look at her. Even from across the hall, he could sense their respect, not simply for her position, but a genuine admiration. He leaned back on the sofa, taking out his phone, snapping a photo of her, saving it.
Then, picking up a pen and paper from a nearby table, he sat down, sketching the design of a ring. Her fiancé…
“You guys discuss it first. Let me know what you decide,” Cheng Liu said, halfway through the meeting, her mind already elsewhere. She contacted the manager of a jewelry store, asking for photos of suitable engagement rings. She had already discreetly measured Ji Chaozhou’s finger.
She needed the ring quickly, so she could only buy a readily available one. There weren't many that perfectly matched his size, but there were a few good options. Unable to decide, she bought them all.
She wanted to surprise him, but it wasn't convenient to pick up the rings while they were together. So, she asked Cheng Gui to get them and hide them at the villa.
Cheng Gui: [Sister, are you…getting married?] It seemed so sudden. He had thought they were just…close friends.
Cheng Liu: [Not yet. Just confirming our relationship.] He hadn't denied the "fiancé" title, which meant he acknowledged it.
Cheng Gui: [I’ll go get them then.]
Cheng Liu, satisfied, put away her phone. The meeting was coming to a close. She listened to their conclusions, then said, “That’s all for today. You can go back to work.”
She left the meeting room, heading straight for the lounge.
Ji Chaozhou, hearing her, quickly flipped his sketchbook closed.
“Is the meeting over?” he asked, standing up.
Cheng Liu, her mind still on the rings, hadn’t seen his actions. “It’s over,” she said, pulling him down onto the sofa. “Let’s go home after I finish reviewing these documents.”
“Okay,” Ji Chaozhou said, sitting beside her. While she was reading, he retrieved the sketch from his pocket, folding it carefully and putting it away.
…
Back at the villa, while Ji Chaozhou was in the bathroom, Cheng Liu retrieved the three ring boxes Cheng Gui had hidden. She opened them, still unable to decide.
In the end, she put them all in her nightstand drawer, planning to try them on while he was asleep.
“Why is your face so red?” Ji Chaozhou asked as soon as he came out of the bathroom, walking over to her, his hand touching her forehead, thinking she might be sick.
“It’s nothing. Just a little warm,” Cheng Liu said, inhaling his scent, her eyes lingering on his long, slender fingers, her face flushing even more.
Ji Chaozhou, looking at her, his brow furrowed, a strange expression on his face, “Are you…thinking about something inappropriate again?”
Cheng Liu, realizing his misunderstanding, but still wanting to tease him, said seriously, “How can something so important be considered inappropriate?”
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