To Escape an Arranged Marriage, I Became the Heir’s Fake Girlfriend - Episode 22

Qi Jinyou hushed Song Chu, “It’s my aunt.”

Song Chu, holding the dog leash, stepped aside.

She turned her back and answered the call.

Her aunt’s gentle voice came from the other end.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, her aunt got straight to the point.

“Jinyou, are you free this weekend?”

“I have something to do tomorrow. I’m not sure about the day after.” Qi Jinyou wasn’t making excuses—she was staying at Song Chu’s place, and he wouldn’t be back until Sunday afternoon.

Her aunt sounded surprised. “Oh? You’re busy even on your day off?”

Before she could ask further, Qi Jinyou quickly said, “I might be free on Sunday evening.”

“Then let’s meet on Sunday evening. I want to introduce you to a friend.”

She had thought her aunt was inviting her home for dinner, but upon hearing ‘friend,’ she immediately realized—it was probably a blind date.

“What kind of friend?” Qi Jinyou wanted to confirm her guess.

Her aunt hesitated, clearly not expecting the question, then chuckled. “You’ll find out when you meet.”

“Dress nicely,” her aunt reminded her.

Qi Jinyou put away her phone and turned around, only to realize that Song Chu hadn’t gone far.

After walking the dog, they returned to the villa. Qi Jinyou played with Beile in the doghouse for a while and tidied up before coming out.

In the living room, Song Chu was watching TV.

Not wanting to disturb him, she headed upstairs for a shower. After washing up, she didn’t go back down. Lying on the bed, she scrolled through her phone, checking updates in her part-time job group. Good job opportunities were like good men—rarely seen on the market. After a long search, she still couldn’t find anything suitable.

Just as she was zoning out, her phone rang. It was a video call from Le Yi. Qi Jinyou casually switched to voice call instead.

On the other end, Le Yi yelled, “Something’s off, Qi Jinyou! You hung up on my video call again!”

Qi Jinyou put the call on speaker while combing her hair.

The decor of Song Chu’s house was worlds apart from her own little place. If she turned on the video, with Le Yi’s sharp eyes, she’d surely be interrogated. Given the situation, she couldn’t explain everything in just a few words.

So she bluffed, “I’m only wearing my underwear. My body isn’t good enough to be seen.”

A soft scoff came from the other end. But Le Yi had something more important to say and didn’t press further.

“I have good news for you.”

Guessing it was about a job, Qi Jinyou asked, “Did you get an interview notice?”

“Yes! Wansong Group informed me this afternoon. My interview is next Monday afternoon. I’m coming to Haishi to see you!”

Qi Jinyou was a little surprised. Her first thought was of Song Chu.

“There are six of us competing for the position, though. Not sure what my chances are.”

“The more competition, the better the job. And if you make it to the final round, that means you’re amazing.”

“Exactly! The HR department seems to think highly of our university.”

Their university was one of the top in the country. If Le Yi got selected, it was likely based on merit rather than connections.

“Just make sure you don’t mispronounce ‘Chu’ as ‘Zhe’ again. That’ll ruin our school’s reputation with the HR team.”

Le Yi chuckled.

“Good thing you corrected me. Imagine if I called Song Chu the wrong name in front of him. Would he regret hiring me? Or worse, have his people fire me?”

Qi Jinyou wanted to say—he already knew.

“Well, it’s his fault for picking such a rare character for his name.”

They chatted about the future in Haishi for a while before ending the call.

Qi Jinyou was about to turn off the lights and sleep. She had been staying at the hospital recently, keeping an early bedtime like an elderly person. She wanted to keep the habit.

Then, a knock on the door.

She got out of bed and opened it. Song Chu stood outside, holding a plate of strawberries.

Qi Jinyou looked at the red-and-white strawberries and finally took them, thanking him softly.

She hesitated for a moment and stopped him before he could leave. “Song Chu-ge, my friend got an interview with Wansong Group. Was it because…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but he did for her. “Because of your connection to me?”

Qi Jinyou nodded.

He looked at her for a moment before asking, “What do you think?”

She wasn’t sure how to interpret his words. They could mean ‘yes,’ but also ‘no.’

She shook her head. Song Chu’s gaze lingered on her, making her a little flustered.

Finally, he said, “No. Your friend was chosen because of her excellent resume. Besides, getting an interview doesn’t mean she got the job.”

Qi Jinyou understood. Just as he had said before, everything followed the process.

She felt relieved—she didn’t owe him any favors. But at the same time, she worried that Le Yi might get her hopes up too soon.

“Got it. My friend is prepared for that.”

After Song Chu left, Qi Jinyou ate most of the strawberries, scrolled through her phone a bit, and went to sleep.

Song Chu had a flight at 8 AM the next day, meaning he had to leave before 7. She figured she wouldn’t wake up in time to see him off.

As expected, when she woke up, he was already gone. The large villa felt empty. Well, except for Beile.

Without Song Chu, the house suddenly felt hollow. She recalled Aunt Shen Yan once mentioning that Song Chu was the only son of the Song family, and yet, their family of three lived in separate places.

Rich people’s lives were truly baffling.

Pushing aside thoughts that didn’t concern her, she started considering her meals. She could cook a little, but not much.

Her phone chimed with a message from Song Chu.

[Meals will be delivered from a nearby restaurant. There’s fruit in the fridge.]

By now, he should be on the plane.

[Got it. Are you on the plane yet?]

[Taking off soon.]

[Safe travels.]

She thought about asking him to text her when he arrived, but in the end, she didn’t. That wasn’t something she had the right to ask, and he had no obligation to report to her.

Putting her phone away, she went to the doghouse.

This was what she should be doing—earning her daily 800 yuan wage with free meals and accommodations. She couldn’t slack off. Besides, she liked Beile. He looked fierce and cold, but he was actually quite gentle.

She took the dog to the yard. The weather forecast said it would be nice for the next two days.

The morning sun lifted her spirits.

Breakfast arrived around 9 AM. The delivery person apologized for the late delivery, explaining they didn’t want to disturb her too early. After confirming she was fine with an earlier delivery tomorrow, they left.

After eating and tidying up, she unexpectedly received a message from Song Chu.

[Landed safely.]

Qi Jinyou stared at the two words for a few seconds, then replied with a simple acknowledgment emoji.

With all three meals taken care of, she had a lot of free time. She cleaned the entire house but didn’t dare enter Song Chu’s room.

She didn’t hear from him again the whole day.

He sure trusted her—leaving his entire house and dog in her hands.

The next morning, she woke up early and checked her phone. No messages.

She got up and followed the same routine as yesterday.

After breakfast, while playing with Beile in the yard, she found herself wondering if Song Chu would be back on time in the afternoon.

By noon, she couldn’t resist sending him a message.

[Song Chu-ge, will your flight be on time this afternoon?]

He had mentioned coming back in the afternoon, which was why she agreed to meet her aunt.

If he couldn’t make it, she needed to inform her.

Ten minutes later, his reply came.

[Flight is at 4 PM. No delays reported by the airline yet.]

No greeting. No emojis. Qi Jinyou figured she was bothering him.

Flights often got delayed only after passengers arrived at the airport.

She regretted agreeing to her aunt’s arrangement.

Leaving Beile alone at home wasn’t impossible, but she still felt guilty.

After all, she was getting paid.

As she was thinking of how to phrase her response, another message arrived.

[In such a hurry, do you miss me?]