To Escape an Arranged Marriage, I Became the Heir’s Fake Girlfriend - Episode 36

Song Chu first met Qi Jinyou in his senior year of college. Later, after learning her identity, he seriously thought back to that encounter at Ba Zhong High School, wondering if it was truly the first time he had seen her.

He hoped it wasn’t.

But his strong memory told him that the meeting at Ba Zhong was indeed the first time.

Actually, even without his memory, he could deduce that his second meeting with Qi Jinyou was when Cheng Zian dragged him to attend the birthday banquet of an elder in their social circle. Before that, he had never attended these kinds of gatherings where people of all ages mingled.

Later, every time he saw Qi Jinyou, it was always at these gatherings.

In the first semester of his senior year, most of his university courses were already completed. He delayed his return to school but was pulled in by his former high school teacher, Mr. Feng—now a director of academics—to give a motivational speech to the senior students preparing for college entrance exams.

Back then, Song Chu was the top scorer in Haishi’s college entrance exams.

Along with him, a few other alumni were also invited. Mr. Feng was quite clever—he arranged for Song Chu’s speech to be the last one, right before the session ended. The moment he stepped out of the crowded auditorium, a group of younger female students immediately surrounded him.

Many small, beautifully decorated notebooks were thrust in front of him.

He was usually indifferent, but at that moment, he couldn’t quite keep his usual cold expression.

After signing for about ten students, the crowd around him only grew larger. He glanced around and frowned slightly—there were not just senior students but also underclassmen from first and second year, likely skipping class to come.

His old high school friend, Feng Yan, noticed his darkening expression and quickly pulled him away from the eager students.

Feng Yan couldn’t help but tease, “Mr. Feng really didn’t think this through. Didn’t he worry that if the students saw you in person, they’d lose all motivation to study?”

“Besides, you got good grades because you’re smart, not because you studied hard. But on stage just now, you confidently claimed you worked tirelessly—weren’t you even a little embarrassed?”

Avoiding the crowd, they walked toward the quietest garden area on campus, a place they could find even with their eyes closed.

Just like in most romance novels, they saw Qi Jinyou under the shade of a tree in the garden.

But unlike those stories, there was no breathtaking first glance—just a girl absorbed in her book, suddenly startled as if caught doing something wrong.

Her eyes paused on their non-uniformed clothes for a moment. Then, her face returned to calm as she closed her book, stood up, and left.

As she passed by them, Song Chu noticed something unmistakable in her eyes—complete disregard.

Yet, he clearly saw how the sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face, highlighting her delicate features, her tall, slender frame, and the youthful thinness typical of girls her age.

A faint scent of gardenia lingered in the air.

Feng Yan turned to look at her retreating figure, and only then did Song Chu openly follow his gaze.

Once she was some distance away, Feng Yan finally spoke, “I can’t believe a junior actually ignored you.”

Song Chu replied, “I’m not money—why should everyone like me?”

He didn’t even realize that his tone carried a slight hint of frustration.

The next second, Feng Yan exposed him, “You sound a little annoyed, though.”

Qi Jinyou’s indifference left an impression on their first meeting.

Until the day Cheng Zian dragged him to another social gathering.

In the midst of the crowd, that familiar, elegant figure immediately caught his attention.

Unlike before, when she wore her high school uniform, this time she was dressed in a beautiful outfit, sitting obediently beside Madam Shen.

Her expression was mild, and her clear eyes carried a hint of boredom—Song Chu understood the resistance behind that look.

When Cheng Zian pulled him over to Madam Shen’s table to greet the elders, for once, he didn’t refuse.

He didn’t hear how Madam Shen introduced him to Qi Jinyou—he only remembered that she had a beautiful name: Qi Jinyou, the niece of the Shen family.

He also remembered her soft voice when her aunt prompted her to greet him, “Song Chu-ge, hello.”

Her voice was not loud, but it was as clear as a flowing stream.

When their eyes met, there was a brief moment of surprise in hers—something Song Chu did not miss.

At the time, he thought she was remembering their encounter at Ba Zhong.

But she wasn’t.

Much later, Song Chu learned from Qi Jinyou herself that she had already known his name when she entered Ba Zhong. In her mind, she had imagined him as an elegant, slightly arrogant older brother. She had created a perfect image of him.

But when she actually saw him—with his proud expression and lazy posture—that illusion shattered instantly.

After that, Song Chu no longer avoided social gatherings.

Not every event had her presence, and when there were gatherings among their generation, she was rarely seen.

Gradually, he noticed that whenever she did attend, she always sat far away from Shen Yan, preferring to remain silent among the elders rather than interact with her cousin.

Between the two cousins, who should have been close, he sensed something unusual.

The Song and Shen families had been friends for generations. Song Chu knew Shen Yan’s spoiled personality well. If there was a rift between them, it was undoubtedly Shen Yan’s fault.

In the past, the older generation had jokingly suggested pairing him with Shen Yan.

As a result, she often clung to him like glue, but he always ignored her advances.

Once he noticed the tension between Shen Yan and Qi Jinyou, his dislike for Shen Yan became even more obvious—not just in his expression but in his actions.

Yet, no matter how many times they met, Qi Jinyou continued to ignore him. She never even spoke to him again.

Qi Jinyou’s indifference toward him had a long history.

She had always been blind to him.

Song Chu snapped out of his thoughts as he watched Qi Jinyou walk to her apartment entrance.

She took out her keys and reached out to scan the access card when suddenly, she turned and looked in his direction, her face filled with surprise.

He let out a slow breath. The frustration weighing on his chest suddenly vanished.

Finally, she could see him.

Just as he was about to open the car door, he froze.

A second later, another figure entered his sight.

It was Chen Nuo.

Qi Jinyou hadn’t expected Chen Nuo to be waiting for her outside her apartment complex—to be blocking her way.

That afternoon, she had turned down his invitation, saying she had already made plans to go shopping with a friend after work.

Now caught in her lie, her face showed clear embarrassment.

But Chen Nuo didn’t seem to mind. He acted as if her lie didn’t bother him at all. Instead, he gently asked, “Jinyou, do you have time to grab dinner with me now?”

They stood in the only shared path for pedestrians and bicycles. At this hour, e-bikes were coming in and out frequently. Seeing one approaching, Qi Jinyou quickly grabbed Chen Nuo’s arm and pulled him aside to the quieter seating area.

Chen Nuo looked down at her hand on his arm, then at the passing e-bike.

He smiled warmly and said, “Thank you.”

They were now only seven meters away from Song Chu’s car.

The moment Song Chu rolled down his window, he heard those two words.

Annoyed, he rubbed his ears—it was too irritating.

Seeing the look in Chen Nuo’s eyes made it even worse. Song Chu narrowed his gaze and clenched his teeth.

Before his eyes and ears could suffer any further, he opened his car door and stepped out.

His leather shoes tapped against the pavement as he called out loudly, “Chen Nuo.”

He was addressing Chen Nuo, but his eyes remained fixed on Qi Jinyou.

Both of them turned to look at him, equally stunned for two seconds.

“What a coincidence~~” he said, drawing out the last word in an exaggerated tone.

Qi Jinyou shuddered.

Yes, quite a coincidence.