To Escape an Arranged Marriage, I Became the Heir’s Fake Girlfriend - Episode 28

After the Spring Festival holiday, Qi Jinyou returned to Huashi to resign. The two had been apart for almost three months.

It was the longest time she and Le Yi had been separated since they met.

Le Yi was holding a cup of milk tea, absentmindedly looking around. The moment she saw Qi Jinyou, she ran over from twenty meters away, ready to hug her.

Qi Jinyou hugged her for a few seconds before pretending to push her away in disgust. “Your milk tea got on me.”

Though she sounded annoyed, her eyes were slightly teary.

Aside from her deceased parents, Le Yi was the closest person to her. Though they had different majors, they were randomly assigned to the same dorm in college. Throughout their four years, except for the few weeks during winter and summer breaks when Qi Jinyou returned to Haishi, they had spent almost all their time together.

Le Yi’s parents even considered making Qi Jinyou their goddaughter.

Neither of them had dated in college. They were always together, leading some classmates to question their orientation.

If there was anything that could stop Qi Jinyou from going abroad, it was Le Yi.

Qi Jinyou couldn’t wait to hear about her interview results. “How did the interview go? Any results yet?”

Le Yi didn’t answer. Instead, she let go of Qi Jinyou’s arm, went back to her seat, and picked up a large bag.

Patting the full bag, she said, “Specialty snacks from Huashi, all your favorites. I picked them myself, so they might not be as authentic as the ones my mom usually chooses.”

Qi Jinyou sensed something off and quickly asked, “Did you come to Haishi for the interview without telling your mom?”

Le Yi’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “After four years of sharing a room, you know me too well.”

Le Yi was the only daughter in her family, with two older brothers. She was pampered growing up and always did as she pleased. The only thing her family opposed was her leaving Huashi, fearing they wouldn’t be able to protect her from harm.

She had chosen a university in Huashi to comply with her parents’ wishes, in exchange for the freedom to decide her own career.

Le Yi’s family was in the meat processing business. She refused to join the family business, claiming she didn’t like the smell of beef and lamb. Instead, she joined a mid-sized company as an administrative assistant after graduation.

Qi Jinyou’s face darkened as she unlocked her phone and said half-jokingly, “I’m calling Auntie.”

Le Yi snatched the phone away. “Relax, at least let me have a peaceful meal first.”

“Fine, let’s find a place to eat.”

Inside the taxi, Qi Jinyou brought up the interrupted question again. “How did the interview go?”

Le Yi leaned back in the seat, tilting her head slightly. “Two rounds of interviews, six candidates. Three of us made it to the second round. They told us to wait for a notification by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”

“So no news today. You can eat in peace.”

Qi Jinyou could tell that, despite her usual carefree attitude, Le Yi was actually quite nervous.

She held Le Yi’s hand to comfort her. “Big companies have long processes. Good things take time.”

Then she asked, “If you get the job, how will you convince your mom?”

Le Yi laughed. “If I get it, I’ll do whatever it takes to persuade my parents—even bringing out the ancestors.”

She suddenly sat up straight, leaned closer, and said mysteriously, “I saw Song Chu today.”

“Song Chu interviewed you?” Qi Jinyou was shocked.

Would a CEO personally interview an administrative assistant? That would be unusual.

“No, no, no. He just walked into the interview room while I was answering a question.”

“He’s even more handsome than his photos online. Even with clothes on, you can tell he has an amazing body—like a male model from a fashion video.” Le Yi clicked her tongue in admiration.

“I don’t know how to describe it in fancy words, just imagine it.” She squinted her eyes, her expression bordering on comical.

The driver, a middle-aged man, remained expressionless despite overhearing their conversation.

“But he’s too cold. He was standing several meters away, and I got so nervous I started stuttering while answering.”

“Weren’t you planning to touch his abs?” Qi Jinyou teased, remembering the time Song Chu interrogated her about it.

Unexpectedly, the culprit chickened out. “Looking from afar is fine. Eye candy. But touching? No way. That’d be like grabbing a tiger by the tail. I’m not into pain.”

Qi Jinyou hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell Le Yi about her connection with Song Chu. She had always shared everything with Le Yi.

Just then, her phone beeped with a notification, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Le Yi was still holding her phone and instinctively looked at the screen before Qi Jinyou could take it back.

She saw the sender’s name first—“Brother Song Chu”—followed by a short message: “Where are you now?”

Before Qi Jinyou could snatch the phone back, Le Yi had already read it.

She turned to Qi Jinyou with wide eyes, full of curiosity and suspicion.

Qi Jinyou forced a fake smile and quickly grabbed her phone, locking the screen.

Le Yi had already figured it out but asked for confirmation anyway. “This Song Chu—is he the one I’m thinking of, or just someone with the same name?”

Qi Jinyou hesitated before raising a finger. “The first one.”

She braced herself for an earful.

“Qi Jinyou, what is going on? You’ve been in Haishi for two months, and there’s all this stuff I don’t know about?!” Le Yi’s voice echoed loudly in the enclosed taxi.

The driver chuckled. “Ladies, lower your voices. This car has a light frame.”

Qi Jinyou reached out to cover Le Yi’s mouth, but she pushed her hand away.

“Tell me everything! What’s your relationship with Song Chu?” Le Yi’s shock turned into pure gossip-mode curiosity.

Qi Jinyou lowered her voice. “Not what you’re thinking. We just know each other. You know how powerful the Shen family is in Haishi. Song Chu’s family is in the same circle.”

“Just acquaintances? If that were true, why didn’t you ever mention him whenever I talked about him?” Le Yi squinted, clearly unconvinced.

Qi Jinyou glanced at the driver, then pulled Le Yi’s hand. “It’s a long story. Let’s eat first, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Le Yi raised an eyebrow. “That’s more like it.”

Then she pointed at the phone. “Aren’t you going to reply to his message?”

Qi Jinyou unlocked her phone and opened the chat with Song Chu.

To her surprise, the message had already been withdrawn.

It must have been sent to the wrong person.