To Escape an Arranged Marriage, I Became the Heir’s Fake Girlfriend - Episode 32

Qi Jinyou suddenly thought of Beile, the dog at home with no one to take it out for a walk.

Previously, Song Chu had said it needed to go out every day.

Le Yi, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Qi Jinyou was staring absentmindedly at Song Chu’s pant leg for a few seconds.

She leaned in, smiling, and whispered, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about the dog.” Qi Jinyou understood what Le Yi meant and answered truthfully in a low voice.

“With such an amazing man in front of you, you’re thinking about a dog.”

A man and a woman entered the private room. The man looked familiar to Qi Jinyou—he was a friend who often hung out with Cheng Zian and Song Chu. From the conversation that followed, she learned that his name was Qin Yu, and the girl with him seemed to be his girlfriend.

As soon as the man walked in and saw her, he was visibly stunned.

Qi Jinyou understood—it was because her face was somewhat unfamiliar to him.

The two were invited by Cheng Zian. Among the four of them, one had a cold face, while the other three were just acquaintances. The situation felt a little awkward.

Qin Yu’s girlfriend sat beside them in a friendly manner. She seemed like the type who could liven up the atmosphere.

Cheng Zian ordered drinks, personally handing Qi Jinyou a glass of juice.

“Jinyou, I take good care of you, don’t I?”

Qi Jinyou playfully smiled and thanked him.

Various snacks were placed on the table in front of them.

Since entering the room, Song Chu had returned to his usual aloof and indifferent self. He chatted casually with Cheng Zian and Qin Yu, seeming uninterested.

This gave Qi Jinyou the impression that the patience and gentleness he had shown when they were alone were just her illusion.

Meanwhile, Le Yi, now freed from the pressure of impressing a potential employer, grabbed a bottle of alcohol. Seeing the label, she laughed and poured a full glass for herself and Qin Yu’s girlfriend. She raised her glass to clink with Qi Jinyou’s juice, and the three of them drank together.

As they kept drinking, time passed quickly. Around ten o’clock, Cheng Zian was called away by the bar staff.

Qi Jinyou had work the next day, and Le Yi had drunk a little too much. She pulled Le Yi up, said goodbye to the others, and prepared to leave.

At this hour, the bar was at its peak, and the others were likely to stay and continue having fun.

Song Chu walked over. “I’ll take you two home.”

Seeing Le Yi slightly drunk and knowing she couldn’t refuse him, Qi Jinyou didn’t decline.

Outside the bar, the Maybach was already parked there. The driver, Liu, whom she had met before, quickly got out to open the door for them.

On the way, Qi Jinyou’s aunt called three times, but she didn’t answer. The calls didn’t stop, so she had no choice but to pick up. She answered emotionlessly, “Aunt.”

Her aunt’s tone was calm. She didn’t question why Qi Jinyou hadn’t answered before and got straight to the point. “Jinyou, come home tomorrow afternoon.”

Her voice was gentle but left no room for refusal.

Qi Jinyou replied, “Okay, I’ll come after work.”

At 10:30, they arrived at Qi Jinyou’s apartment complex. Before getting out of the car, she finally spoke to Song Chu for the first time during the ride. “Thank you, Brother Song Chu.”

Hearing her thanks, the man only nodded.

Qi Jinyou watched as his car drove off before turning to help Le Yi upstairs.

The usually quiet Le Yi suddenly spoke. “Jinyou, you’re done for. You like that man.”

Qi Jinyou held onto her swaying figure. “You’re drunk, talking nonsense.”

Le Yi giggled. “Ever heard of ‘drunken words are sober thoughts’?”

Qi Jinyou was speechless. Was that really how the saying was used?

“Fine, tell me your bank card password then.”

The next morning, Qi Jinyou went to work while Le Yi was still asleep.

Le Yi had a train at noon. Knowing she was busy with design work, they had agreed that Qi Jinyou would go to the station alone.

A little after nine, Qi Jinyou called to wake her up, just in case she missed an important call from Wansong Group.

Le Yi answered immediately, sounding completely awake.

Before Qi Jinyou could speak, Le Yi excitedly blurted out, “Jinyou! Wansong Group got back to me—I got the job!”

“They gave me half a month. If I can wrap things up in Huashi next week, I can start working then.”

Qi Jinyou was thrilled for her but also recalled Song Chu’s cold demeanor from the night before.

“Congratulations! When you start, you have to treat me to a meal.”

“Of course! I thought I didn’t stand a chance. Oh, I need to change my ticket to an earlier one—I have to hurry back and resign from that awful company.”

Le Yi had taken two days off, but now she wanted to return and at least work a half-day before quitting.

Qi Jinyou reminded her of a few things before they hung up.

Le Yi texted her both when she boarded the train and when she arrived.

Now that Le Yi was coming to Haishi, Qi Jinyou, who had felt a little empty inside, suddenly felt much better.

She threw herself into work with renewed energy.

The villa renovation design plan had to be submitted to the supervisor by Friday. The supervisor would then email it to the client, who would do an initial review before a face-to-face discussion next week.

Her three colleagues were also rushing to complete their drafts. They were not only teammates but also competitors at the moment.

No one revealed anything about their designs.

Although the client hadn’t set a budget limit, Qi Jinyou still tried to be cost-effective while maintaining her design vision.

Luxury alone doesn’t make a great design.

Since the client was a woman, Qi Jinyou focused more on the details.

She spent the entire day working on the design.

Her thoughts occasionally wandered to the fact that she had to visit her aunt after work.

Before leaving, she texted her aunt, saying she’d be working late and would eat at the office before heading over.

Her aunt simply replied, “Okay.”

At 5:30, after work, Qi Jinyou had a quick meal near her office.

She waited a bit, estimating the timing of her aunt’s dinner, then took a taxi over.

The last time she had visited was during the New Year.

Taxis weren’t allowed into the gated community, so she got off at the entrance.

The security guard nodded at her. She had access to enter, but arriving by taxi seemed to confuse him.

It was a three- to four-hundred-meter walk to her aunt’s house. Luckily, she didn’t like wearing high heels.

The place was as quiet as ever—a hallmark of wealthy neighborhoods.

On the way, she ran into a couple out for a stroll. When they saw her, they greeted her warmly. “Jinyou! Long time no see.”

Qi Jinyou recognized them as her aunt’s neighbors.

She greeted them politely.

The woman studied her and said, “You’re getting prettier.”

“Your aunt really put effort into raising you. Look how well you’ve turned out.”

Qi Jinyou just smiled.

“Come back and visit more often. Your aunt took care of you—it’s only right.”

Self-righteous guilt-tripping was the same everywhere. But whether to listen and take it to heart was up to her.

Before they could say more, Qi Jinyou said goodbye and walked ahead.

When she arrived at her aunt’s house, only her aunt was in the living room.

Shen Yan was either out or avoiding her.

Her cousin, Shen Yao, had moved out years ago to escape their mother’s meddling in his love life.

Seeing her arrive, Aunt Chen brought over a glass of juice, knowing it was her favorite. Qi Jinyou nodded and smiled in thanks.

Chen Ma tactfully stepped away.

Qi Jinyou asked about family matters first.

After answering briefly, her aunt got straight to the point.

“Jinyou, what’s going on between you and Song Chu?”