A Fake Marriage And We Still Have To Kiss? - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Red Thread Oolong—Is Using a Honey Trap Too Cliché These Days?

The resume before him was devoid of any clever embellishments. The layout was clear from top to bottom at a glance, with no special effort spent on design, which instead gave it a clean and sharp style.

Furthermore, the applicant’s past was so brilliant that he had the confidence not to trim the edges.

Chu Fuxuan’s starting point was high. During his student years, he made several indie games that stood out in major creative competitions. In recent years, his rise within a AAA developer had been rapid; thus, the black-and-white paragraphs were pleasing to the eye.

Qi Yingzhu kept his gaze lowered, scanning the text calmly. The HR Director couldn’t quite read his attitude, so he found a neutral topic as an icebreaker.

“He was quite a high-profile figure in school. He played in a band, held lawn concerts, and donated all the ticket earnings to charity and volunteer work.” The Director felt Chu Fuxuan was a decent person.

“Didn’t this person have finals week?” Qi Yingzhu remarked.

The Director guessed with a sense of awe, “Maybe he’s a natural non-sleeper. He even majored in Physics.”

Qi Yingzhu, who had suffered from insomnia for a long time, let out a scoff. The Director continued to speculate: “He doesn’t look like he belongs to the same species as the typical ‘science and engineering dog.’ Is he the type that everyone falls in love with at first sight?”

“Don’t know.” Qi Yingzhu had been asked a question outside his field of knowledge. He responded with a flat tone, “Aren’t they all just men? Is there a difference?”

The Director’s perception was very clear. He said sourly, “Of course there’s a gap. Teacher Fuxuan belongs to the ‘Canary’ category; standing next to him, I’m just a common weed.”

Hearing this, Qi Yingzhu didn’t respond. Perhaps he was uninterested, or perhaps he felt discussing someone’s appearance was impolite.

The Director was envious: “The ‘visual dividend’ is really direct. A team leader nags me every day to speed up the process. With the way he makes people lose their minds, he’d be more than enough if a competitor sent him to disrupt our morale.”

Qi Yingzhu felt the notion was absurd, his words laced with a sting: “Is using a ‘honey trap’ too cliché these days?”

“Fortunately, you’re the one conducting the final interview. I’m at ease. Even if a thousand-year-old fox comes, it won’t be a problem.” The Director took the opportunity to flatter him.

He planned ahead: “If everything goes smoothly, where would be a good place to schedule your meeting?”

Normally, an executive talk should be held in a conference room, but the office building there was still under renovation and wasn’t suitable for receiving external personnel.

The Director hesitated for a moment, then suggested based on past experience: “How about booking a private restaurant?”

Qi Yingzhu immediately felt a sense of dread. “Do you think either he or I would have an appetite?”

The Director said, “Let’s change it to a coffee shop then. It’s just a meet-up; no need to be too formal.”

Although a coffee shop sounded much more relaxed, Qi Yingzhu still had an intuition that things wouldn’t go well, though he couldn’t put his finger on why he had this premonition.

So he put on airs, attempting to use a pessimistic prediction to avoid it: “We’ll see when the time comes. It’s still hard to say if he can even pass the first few rounds.”

After perfunctorily dismissing the topic, Qi Yingzhu closed the tablet in his hand. Before the screen went dark, he caught another glimpse of the top right corner of the document.

The only color on the page was this ID photo. Most job seekers present themselves as steady and reserved, yet Chu Fuxuan was flamboyantly gorgeous, naturally smiling until his eyelashes curled before the camera.

A canary? Qi Yingzhu remembered the Director’s joke and thought of Chu Fuxuan’s written experience.

Averting his eyes from the standby tablet, that face still surfaced in his mind. Qi Yingzhu added his own rebuttal and evaluation internally.

—He should be a man-eating flower that is an expert at attracting prey.

Chu Fuxuan rolled sluggishly on the bed. Sleeping too long had made him a bit dizzy. He finally managed to scramble up, only to flop back into the quilt without a word.

Then he grabbed his phone, habitually intending to check in with his family.

However, when he opened the chat box, Qi Yingzhu’s profile was floating right there, vividly striking his eyes.

Chu Fuxuan felt his life span shortening: “.”

Back when the situation was urgent, he had been robbing Peter to pay Paul, and now he was increasingly trapped in a dead end.

If his parents had been unsatisfied with the photo, that would have been fine. But as luck would have it, that arrogant face actually found great favor with the elders. They were now nagging him about when he could bring the man home for a visit.

Thinking of this, Chu Fuxuan buried his face in his pillow in dejection and curled his body up.

He didn’t know if Boss Qi’s profile was too scary or if his own problem was too severe, but in short, Chu Fuxuan was instantly wide awake.

He even considered acting out a breakup scene to let the “boyfriend” escape. But after faking such an affectionate relationship for so long, how much credibility would there be in suddenly fabricating such a sharp turn in the plot?

With a guilty conscience and no one to lean on, Chu Fuxuan felt this method wouldn’t work.

While fretting over his “empty backyard” catching fire, he was interrupted by a call from his headhunter friend. He had been dealing with various companies lately, and right now, there happened to be positive feedback.

“The HR from Hongni just came to me, asking if it’s convenient to meet and chat with you,” his friend said. “Did you go burn incense? How is it so smooth!”

Chu Fuxuan hadn’t gone to worship Buddha, but he indeed had offered silent prayers.

Was his mouth that magical? Chu Fuxuan had some doubts; maybe an angel was casting spells for him.

“I’m free whenever. Wait for their arrangement,” Chu Fuxuan said.

Then a sudden flash of inspiration hit him: “By the way, are you free tonight? I’ll treat you to dinner.”

This friend was named Dou Can. His main business was headhunting and negotiating, while his side job was matchmaking—keeping his network alive without wasting a single resource.

Hearing that Chu Fuxuan wanted to treat him, Dou Can didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just because they hadn’t had a meal together in a long time, and gladly agreed.

In the evening, Dou Can took a seat at the restaurant. From a distance, he spotted Chu Fuxuan wearing sunglasses and a mask, looking around as he walked in.

Dou Can didn’t understand why he was acting up: “Are you being wanted by your old employer for carrying classified technology?”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my expression.” Chu Fuxuan was extremely solemn. “I have a private matter to ask of you. Let’s speak softly.”

Dou Can was completely confused. “What?”

Chu Fuxuan probed hesitantly: “How is that matchmaking agency of yours doing?”

“Profit is stable. You want to invest?” Dou Can was at a loss, having no other guesses.

Based on his years of knowing Chu Fuxuan, the man was a total “long live freedom” type—an “emotional insulator” who thought receiving a love letter was bad for the environment.

This heartless block of wood was now shaking his head seriously: “No, I want to ask you to introduce me to a ‘plastic’ [fake] boyfriend.”

Dou Can: ???

He repeated in disbelief: “What?!”

This matter was truly embarrassing to mention. Luckily, half of his face was covered. Chu Fuxuan stuttered as he explained the whole story.

Dou Can was experienced and didn’t take it seriously at first, until Chu Fuxuan mentioned the candid photo of Qi Yingzhu. His expression became terrified.

“How are you so bold?” Dou Can almost screamed. “Now you’re looking for a replacement for Boss Qi? Do you even dare close your eyes in the bedroom?”

“Qi Yingzhu is very likely to be your boss. What if he catches you? You’ll be thrown into the Huangpu River to feed the fish!”

Chu Fuxuan said gloomily, “If I walk into my house empty-handed, I’ll be thrown back to the airport to be released into the wild by my parents first.”

Aside from explaining why the boyfriend evaporated, his parents hoped he would have a happy family. If he was found to be single, they would undoubtedly try to set him up on blind dates.

Instead of being so passive, it was better to struggle early. Chu Fuxuan asked Dou Can to help keep a lookout.

Even if the one found didn’t look like Qi Yingzhu, it didn’t matter. At worst, he’d blame it on beauty filters; the elders didn’t understand that kind of photo-editing tech.

Dou Can admired that Chu Fuxuan was indeed a professional planner—he had so many excuses when it came to sophistry. He then stated he would do his best to help.

Chu Fuxuan touched by his loyalty, promised that if his family held a wedding banquet, he would definitely give him a seat of honor at the head table.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Dou Can was terrified, fearing that Qi Yingzhu might poison the food by then.

They didn’t chat for long. Chu Fuxuan was still busy packing his luggage during this period. Having lived in California for five years, there were countless things to organize.

He carried boxes up and down alone, sending everything he could pack via express delivery. After two weeks of such tossing and turning, he finally had the rental apartment more or less sorted out.

The fridge was cleared out until only two eggs remained. Chu Fuxuan hummed a song as he fried them, but unfortunately, his skills were lacking, and the eggs were burnt quite miserably.

He didn’t take it to heart and ate them with tomatoes. His parents cared about his diet, so Chu Fuxuan called it “North African Eggs in Hell” [Shakshuka]—the ingredients were exactly the same anyway.

Chu’s mother asked: Xiao Xuan, is your boyfriend still out of town?

Thinking about Dou Can’s efficiency, Chu Fuxuan promised: Mhm, but he’s coming soon.

Not long after he said that, Dou Can came to the rescue. He said he attended a banquet today and found someone who basically met Chu Fuxuan’s criteria—someone who could be considered a “budget version” of Qi Yingzhu, barely enough to make do.

Chu Fuxuan told him to keep investigating and reporting. Dou Can felt the weight of the responsibility. However, there was an interlude: Hongni’s HR called, saying they expected to meet the candidate for coffee at noon next Tuesday.

Dou Can, who was in close contact with HR, asked which leader had come to California. HR smiled and said it was an executive at the President level.

A big company could have several Presidents, but they couldn’t provide more details. For the sake of fairness, their rule was a single-blind format; they couldn’t reveal the interviewer’s name in advance.

Dou Can stopped while he was ahead and confirmed the interview location with HR before returning to the table. He was teased and toasted with a few drinks by his colleagues, but didn’t forget to worry about Chu Fuxuan’s lifelong affairs.

The man who met the criteria was tall and had a dashing appearance. After hearing Dou Can explain the situation, he straightforwardly said he was willing to help.

“Then I’ll book a restaurant for next Tuesday night and chat with Teacher Fuxuan in detail?” The man also toasted Dou Can.

Dou Can, smelling of wine, waved his hand to say it was no problem. After the gathering, he contacted Chu Fuxuan with a floating step.

Next Tuesday. Noon at the coffee shop, evening at the Western restaurant…

He thought with great effort, Who is drinking coffee, and who is eating?

Normally, Hongni was always very generous and often arranged dinners for receptions; an occasion where an executive appeared shouldn’t just be a simple coffee meeting.

Dou Can suddenly felt enlightened and excitedly sent a notification: Teacher Fuxuan, you’re going to be busy. The blind date at noon and the interview in the evening have collided!

On the other end, Qi Yingzhu received the address and private room number from the HR Director.

He slowly pried for information: How many times have you talked to him?

The Director replied: We’ve had six rounds of cross-interviews. Both the producer and I have dealt with him. The impression was quite surprising. I don’t think this will waste your time; you can prepare your pen to sign the appointment letter.

Seeing this line, Qi Yingzhu thought the Director’s description was too exaggerated and perfunctorily curled his lip.

He then recalled Chu Fuxuan smiling brightly on the resume and pondered with caution—that “thousand-year-old fox” might actually have some real skill.

After arriving in California as planned, Qi Yingzhu first went to meet hardware suppliers. His English was excellent, and he didn’t need a translator’s assistance in professional settings. Only a secretary accompanied him.

All schedules proceeded according to plan. Someone rare interrupted to ask if he had started a family. The accompanying secretary was observant and asked in return: Boss Qi is so busy he almost lives in the office, how could he find the time for other things?

“Boss Qi, the company doesn’t assign wives. It owes you too much, doesn’t it?” the person joked.

Qi Yingzhu found this kind of small talk utterly boring and coldly stated that he liked peace and quiet.

This wasn’t a lie. Living alone provided a sense of order; he wouldn’t have his rhythm disrupted by another person. Thus, being a bachelor wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After meeting the suppliers one by one, being congratulated on his promotion, and being probed about his status both openly and secretly, a few days flew by. The secretary reminded him he had a meeting at noon.

Qi Yingzhu wasn’t familiar with the traffic here, and the SUV assigned for the business trip wasn’t that handy. However, he didn’t summon a driver. He turned on the navigation and drove himself ahead of time, arriving at the coffee shop half an hour early.

The shop booked leaned toward a business focus. A waiter led him into the private room and diligently handed over the drink and dessert menus.

“Thanks, I’ll order when everyone is here.” Qi Yingzhu nodded with a sense of detachment.

Taking advantage of this time, he recalled Chu Fuxuan’s information. Not only was his professional background impressive, but his educational background was also good; he had been sent abroad for study since high school.

Probably a pampered young master at home, Qi Yingzhu thought. With a romantic and unconventional way of living and long hair—does he still have to look in the mirror to tie his braid every morning?

Idly passing the time with random thoughts, he reflected again: I shouldn’t generalize with stereotypes. Never mind, let’s flip through the menu; maybe the young master will want dessert.

After killing fifteen minutes like this, there was a soft knock on the private room door, but it wasn’t the waiter’s voice.

“Hi! As soon as I entered the shop, they said you were here. Why did you come so early?”

Qi Yingzhu looked up at the sound. Since the newcomer was so loud, he thought some passerby had entered the wrong place.

But in the next second, the door suddenly pushed open, and their gazes unexpectedly collided in mid-air.

The eyes he had seen several times on the resume were now close by. They weren’t confined by the camera lens this time, looking over with curiosity. The smile was bright and clean, making the whole person exceptionally vivid.

After seeing the scene inside the room, a confused expression flashed across Chu Fuxuan’s face. He stopped speaking in front of Qi Yingzhu, repeatedly confirming with his eyes in disbelief.

He looked like a feline lured into a dangerous environment—alert, cunning, and agile, with a flicker of helplessness and clumsiness.

However, before Qi Yingzhu could ask, Chu Fuxuan had already cleverly regained his senses.

He took a slight breath as if in admiration, then approached carefully, his rounded eyes continuing to size the other up.

The scrutinizing gaze lingered on him, revolving incessantly. Qi Yingzhu wondered inwardly why job hunting these days could take on the air of visiting a brothel—as if it was time to “flip the tablet” [choose a companion].

Chu Fuxuan sat down next to Qi Yingzhu. “How long have you been waiting? I’m really sorry. Please let me pay the bill today!”

Qi Yingzhu maintained his poise and handed him the drink menu. “I haven’t been waiting long, Mr. Chu. See what you’d like to drink.”

Chu Fuxuan nimbly took the menu. “There are cakes and light meals here. Have you had lunch? We can order a set menu.”

Qi Yingzhu glanced at him several times, patiently letting him do as he pleased. “If you have an appetite.”

“I almost burned the kitchen down trying to cook this morning. I’m super hungry,” Chu Fuxuan followed up.

As he spoke, he looked politely at Qi Yingzhu. This face was even more startling upon closer inspection; he finally couldn’t help but probe.

“Has anyone mentioned it to you? Your build is very similar to the boss of Hongni. Your silhouettes are also alike, though he doesn’t look as handsome as you in photos.” Chu Fuxuan said politely.

He wasn’t lying. In the photo, Qi Yingzhu hadn’t shown his full face, and the camera’s focal length had even distorted his bone structure; at most, it was atmospheric. The man before him, however, was clearly and exceptionally good-looking.

Qi Yingzhu wasn’t on the same wavelength. Receiving praise, he asked, “Which boss?”

“The new head of the gaming business group,” Chu Fuxuan replied. Since the other person knew Dou Can, he must be a colleague.

He selected a set menu for two and asked Qi Yingzhu if he had any dietary restrictions, moving the menu toward the other person and leaning over slightly with his body.

Is he too close? Qi Yingzhu caught the movement in his peripheral vision, focusing on this point with a slight sense of awkwardness.

His gaze flickered between them. He wondered, Did Chu Fuxuan use similar tactics in his previous interviews? Hasn’t he been reported for workplace harassment at this distance?

Qi Yingzhu masked his confusion perfectly. He shook his head reservedly to indicate no dietary restrictions, while simultaneously shifting his center of gravity backward. His stiff back was almost against the chair, wishing he could flee, chair and all.

However, Chu Fuxuan was oblivious to his small movements. After calling the waiter to place the order, he said to Qi Yingzhu with excitement:

“Then let’s talk directly.”

Finally, a serious matter. Qi Yingzhu pricked up his ears, only to hear Chu Fuxuan speak straightforwardly.

“This is my first time on a blind date. How many have you been on? Why are you also in a hurry for a fake marriage?”