Chapter 2: Isn’t using a honey trap these days a bit too tacky?

The resume before his eyes had no flowery language or embellishments. The layout was clear at a glance from top to bottom. It hadn’t been specially designed with much thought, but rather appeared clean and crisp in style.

Furthermore, this applicant’s past was glittering and glowing; he had the confidence not to polish the other extraneous details.

Chu Fuxuan’s starting point was very high. During his student days, he had made several indie games and stood out in major creative competitions. In recent years, he had joined a AAA developer and gotten promoted quickly. Therefore, the paragraphs of black text on a white background were pleasing to the eye.

Qi Yingzhu lowered his eyelids, calmly scanning over the text. The HR Director couldn’t guess his attitude, so he found an inconsequential topic as an entry point.

“He was very prominent in school. He played in a band, held lawn concerts, and donated all the ticket earnings to do volunteer work.” The Director felt Chu Fuxuan was a good person.

“Does this guy not have a finals week?” Qi Yingzhu said.

The Director, harboring a sense of awe, guessed: “Maybe he’s naturally born not needing to sleep. He even studied in the Physics Department.”

Qi Yingzhu, who had been suffering from insomnia for a long time, scoffed. The Director then speculated: “He doesn’t look like the same species as those STEM dogs. With these looks, isn’t he loved by everyone who sees him?”

“I don’t know.” Qi Yingzhu was asked about his knowledge blind spot and responded with a flat tone, “Aren’t we all men, what’s the difference?”

The Director’s cognition was very clear, and he said sourly: “Of course there’s a gap. Teacher Fuxuan belongs to the canary category; standing next to him, I’m just a piece of dogtail grass (foxtail).”

Hearing this, Qi Yingzhu didn’t chime in. Perhaps he wasn’t interested in it, or perhaps discussing someone else’s looks was impolite.

The Director envied: “The beauty dividend is really intuitive. There are team leaders nagging on his behalf every day, urging me to quickly push the progress. With this kind of posture that fascinates people, he’s more than qualified to be sent by a rival company to disrupt our military morale.”

Qi Yingzhu felt it was utterly absurd and spoke with barbs: “Isn’t using a honey trap these days a bit too tacky?”

“Fortunately, you are the one interviewing in the end, so I’m very relieved. Even if a thousand-year-old fox spirit 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 arrange your meeting?”

Logically speaking, executive talks should be scheduled in a conference room, but the office building over there hadn’t finished renovations yet and wasn’t suitable for receiving external personnel.

The Director agonized for a moment and proposed based on past experience: “Book a more private restaurant?”

Qi Yingzhu immediately felt his hair stand on end: “Between me and him, who do you think 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 intuitively felt it wasn’t a good idea, though he couldn’t put into words why he had this premonition.

So he put on airs, attempting to use his jinxing words to escape: “You just take a look when the time comes. It’s hard to say if he can even pass the first few rounds.”

After Qi Yingzhu finished brushing him off indifferently, he took the opportunity to turn off the tablet in his hand. Right before the screen went dark, he glanced once more at the top right corner of the document.

The only color on the page was this ID photo. Most job seekers presented themselves as steady and restrained, but Chu Fuxuan happened to be gorgeously showy, his eyelashes curving naturally in a smile in front of the camera.

Canary? Qi Yingzhu remembered the Director’s teasing, and then thought of Chu Fuxuan’s written experiences.

Looking away from the standby tablet, that face still surfaced in his mind. Qi Yingzhu added his own rebuttal and evaluation in his heart.

—Should be a man-eating flower adept at attracting prey.

·

Chu Fuxuan rolled over limply on the bed. Sleeping too long had made him a bit dizzy. He finally managed to flop up, only to silently plant himself right back into the blankets.

Immediately after, he fished out his phone, habitually intending to exchange warm greetings with his family.

However, upon opening the chat box, Qi Yingzhu’s side profile floated right in it, glaringly entering his eyes.

Chu Fuxuan felt his life shortening: “.”

Back then, the situation was urgent, so he robbed Peter to pay Paul, only to become increasingly trapped in a dead end.

If his parents had been dissatisfied with the photo, it would have been fine. But as luck would have it, that arrogant face actually found immense favor with the elders. They were rushing him about when he could bring him home for a look.

Thinking of this, Chu Fuxuan frustratingly buried his face in the pillow, then curled his body up.

He didn’t know whether Boss Qi’s side profile was too terrifying, or if his own problem was too severe, but in short, Chu Fuxuan instantly sobered up.

He even considered acting out a breakup scene, allowing his “boyfriend” to escape like a cicada shedding its shell. But having faked being deeply in love for so long, suddenly fabricating such a precipitous plot twist—how much credibility would it have?

Chu Fuxuan had a guilty conscience and no one to rely on, realizing this method wouldn’t work.

While fretting over the fire starting in his own unoccupied backyard, he was interrupted by a call from his headhunter friend. Recently, he had been negotiating with various companies, and just now he coincidentally had a positive response.

“Hongni’s HR just came looking for me, asking if it’s convenient to meet and chat with you,” his friend said. “Did you go burn incense? It’s actually going this smoothly!”

Chu Fuxuan hadn’t gone to worship Buddha, but he had indeed prayed silently.

Is my mouth really that magical? Chu Fuxuan had some doubts; maybe an angel was casting a spell for him.

“I’m fine with anything, I’ll wait for their arrangement,” Chu Fuxuan said.

He then had a flash of inspiration: “Oh right, are you free tonight? I’ll treat you to dinner.”

This friend was named Dou Can. His main job was a headhunter haggling over prices, and his side gig was acting as a matchmaker pulling strings, utilizing his network of resources to the fullest without wasting a single bit.

Hearing that Chu Fuxuan was treating, Dou Can didn’t think much of it, assuming the two just hadn’t gathered for a meal in too long, and happily agreed.

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

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

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my facial expression.” Chu Fuxuan was incredibly solemn. “I have a personal matter to ask of you, let’s keep our voices down.”

Dou Can was completely baffled: “What?”

Chu Fuxuan hemmed and hawed, probing: “How is the business at your matchmaking agency doing?”

“Profits are considered stable. Do you want to invest?” Dou Can was totally confused, having no other guesses.

Based on his years of knowing Chu Fuxuan, the other party was an out-and-out “long live freedom” advocate, a romance insulator who even thought receiving love letters wasn’t environmentally friendly enough.

This heartless piece of wood, at this moment, seriously shook his head: “No, I want to ask you to introduce a plastic (fake) boyfriend.”

Dou Can: ???

He repeated in disbelief: “What?!”

This matter was truly hard to speak of. Luckily, more than half of his face was covered. Chu Fuxuan hemmed and hawed as he explained the ins and outs of the situation.

Dou Can was widely experienced and initially didn’t take it seriously, until Chu Fuxuan mentioned the sneak shot of Qi Yingzhu. His eyes became very terrified.

“How is your courage so big?” Dou Can almost screamed. “Now aren’t you looking for a substitute for Boss Qi? When you go into the bedroom, do you even dare to close your eyes?”

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

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

Leaving aside explaining why his boyfriend evaporated for the moment, his parents were hoping he could have a happy family. If he was discovered to be single, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be set up on blind dates.

Rather than being so passive, it was better to struggle a bit earlier himself. Chu Fuxuan begged Dou Can to help keep an eye out.

Even if the person he scrounged up didn’t look like Qi Yingzhu, it didn’t matter. At worst, he’d blame it on beauty filters; the elders couldn’t understand these high-tech photo editing tools.

Dou Can admired Chu Fuxuan for truly being a professional planner; when quibbling, he sure had a lot of excuses. He then indicated he would try his best to help.

Deeply moved, Chu Fuxuan praised him for being loyal enough, promising that if his family held a wedding banquet, he would definitely invite him to sit gloriously at the main table.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Dou Can was terrified, afraid that Qi Yingzhu would poison the food when the time came.

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

He carried boxes up and down by himself, shipping everything that could be packed via courier. Tossing about like this for two weeks, he finally had his rented apartment mostly sorted out.

The refrigerator had been emptied until only two eggs remained. Humming a song, Chu Fuxuan took them to fry, but unfortunately, his skills were lacking, and they burned rather tragically.

He didn’t take it too seriously and ate them with a tomato. When his parents asked about his diet, Chu Fuxuan called it “North African Egg in Hell” (Shakshuka), since the ingredients were exactly the same anyway.

Mother Chu asked: [Xiao Xuan, is your boyfriend still out of town?]

Chu Fuxuan, pondering Dou Can’s efficiency, painted an illusion: [Mhm mhm, but he’s coming soon.]

Not long after he said that, Dou Can hurried over to put out the fire, saying he had attended a drinking banquet today and realized someone basically fit Chu Fuxuan’s criteria. He could serve as a low-end version of Qi Yingzhu, barely making do.

Chu Fuxuan told him to investigate further and report back. Dou Can deeply felt his responsibility was heavy. It was just that there was an interlude during this time: Hongni’s HR called, saying they expected to schedule a coffee meeting with the candidate at noon next Tuesday.

Dou Can interacted closely with HR and asked which leader had come to California. HR smiled and said it was an executive at the President level.

A major company could have several Presidents, but they couldn’t be more specific. For the sake of fairness, their rule was a single-blind format, so the interviewer’s name couldn’t be disclosed in advance.

Dou Can stopped while he was ahead, confirmed the meeting address with HR, and then returned to the table. He was toasted a few glasses by his peers while joking around, not forgetting to worry about Chu Fuxuan’s lifelong major event.

The man who met the criteria was tall, and his appearance could be considered dashing. Hearing Dou Can explain the situation, he straightforwardly said he was willing to help each other out.

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

Smelling of wine all over, Dou Can waved his hand indicating no problem. After the gathering broke up, he contacted Chu Fuxuan with floating footsteps.

Next Tuesday, coffee shop at noon, western restaurant in the evening…

He thought strenuously: Who is drinking coffee, and who is eating dinner?

Normally, Hongni was always very generous, often arranging dinner banquets for receptions. Occasions where executives made an appearance shouldn’t just be simply drinking coffee.

Dou Can suddenly saw the light, excitedly crackling out a notification: [Teacher Fuxuan, you’re going to be busy. A blind date at noon and an interview in the evening clashing together.]

On the other side, Qi Yingzhu received the address and private room number sent by the HR Director.

He leisurely probed: [How many times have you guys chatted with him?]

The Director replied: [We’ve done six rounds of cross-chats. Both the Producer and I have interacted with him. The impression is quite surprising. I don’t think he’ll waste your time this time; you can get your fountain pen ready to sign the appointment letter.]

Seeing this line of text, Qi Yingzhu felt the Director’s description was too exaggerated and perfunctorily twitched the corner of his mouth.

He thought again of Chu Fuxuan smiling radiantly on his resume, and pondered with no lack of wariness that a thousand-year-old fox spirit might actually have some real skills.

After arriving in California according to plan, Qi Yingzhu first went to meet hardware suppliers. His English was very good, and he didn’t need translation assistance in professional settings. Only a secretary accompanied him.

All schedules proceeded step by step. Someone rarely interrupted, asking him if he had started a family. The accompanying secretary was quite perceptive and asked back how Qi Yingzhu, who was so busy he practically lived in the office, could spare the mind to do anything else.

“President Qi, the company doesn’t issue wives, they owe you too much, don’t they?” the person joked.

Qi Yingzhu thought this kind of small talk was thoroughly boring and coldly stated he liked peace and quiet.

He wasn’t speaking against his conscience. Living alone had a great sense of order and wouldn’t have its rhythm disrupted by another person. Therefore, being a bachelor wasn’t necessarily not a blessing.

After meeting with the suppliers one by one, being congratulated on his promotion, and having his status probed both openly and covertly, several days passed in the blink of an eye. The secretary reminded him he had a meeting at noon.

Qi Yingzhu wasn’t familiar with the traffic conditions here, and the SUV provided for the business trip wasn’t that handy, but he didn’t order the driver around. He turned on the navigation in advance and drove there himself, arriving at the coffee shop half an hour early.

The booked storefront leaned relatively towards business. The waiter welcomed him into the private room and attentively handed over the drink and dessert menus.

“Thank you, I’ll order when everyone is here.” Qi Yingzhu nodded distantly.

Taking advantage of this free time, he recalled Chu Fuxuan’s information. Not only was his workplace record glamorous, but his educational background was also good. He had been sent to study abroad in high school.

Probably a little young master doted on by his family, Qi Yingzhu thought to himself. He handles things romantically and impulsively, keeps long hair—does he even have to look in the mirror to braid it when he wakes up every day?

Letting his imagination run wild to pass the time, he then pondered that he shouldn’t generalize with stereotypes. Forget it, let’s look through the menu. Who knows, the young master might want to eat dessert.

Having killed a quarter of an hour like this, the door to the private room was knocked lightly, but it wasn’t the waiter’s voice.

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

Qi Yingzhu raised his head following the noise. The newcomer was so boisterous, he thought some passerby had walked into the wrong place.

But the next second, that door was suddenly pushed open, and their lines of sight unexpectedly crashed in mid-air.

The eyes he had seen several times on the resume came up close. Unconfined by the camera lens this time, they looked over curiously. The smile was bright and clean, making his whole person exceptionally vivid.

After seeing the scene inside the room clearly, a confused expression flashed across Chu Fuxuan’s face. Facing Qi Yingzhu, he didn’t make another sound, using his eyes to repeatedly confirm in disbelief.

He was like a feline that had been abducted into a dangerous environment. Amidst vigilance, slyness, and agility, a hint of helplessness and clumsiness flashed through.

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

He inhaled slightly as if sighing, then carefully leaned closer, his wide-open eyes still continuing to size him up.

The scrutinizing gaze fell on his body and kept circling. Qi Yingzhu wondered inwardly, Why can job hunting these days put on the posture of visiting a brothel, as if it’s time to flip over a name tag (choose a companion) next?

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

Qi Yingzhu maintained his demeanor, handing him the drink menu: “I didn’t wait long. Mr. Chu, see what you’d like to drink.”

Chu Fuxuan nimbly took the item: “They have cakes and light meals here. Have you eaten lunch? We can order a combo set.”

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

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

As he spoke, he politely looked at Qi Yingzhu, and looking closely at this face made one even more astonished. He ultimately couldn’t resist investigating.

“Has anyone ever mentioned this to you? You and the boss of Hongni have very similar figures, and your silhouettes are similar too, though looking at his photo, he’s not as handsome as you,” Chu Fuxuan said courteously.

He didn’t speak against his conscience. In the photo, Qi Yingzhu hadn’t shown his full face, and the camera’s focal length even distorted his bone structure; at most, it had a good atmosphere. The person before him, however, very clearly had exceptionally good looks.

Qi Yingzhu wasn’t on the same wavelength as him. Receiving the compliment, he asked instead, “Which boss?”

“The new head of the Games Business Group,” Chu Fuxuan answered. Since the other party knew Dou Can, he must be a peer in the industry.

He selected a meal set for two, asking Qi Yingzhu if he had any dietary restrictions, thereby shifting the menu towards the other party, his body following suit and leaning over slightly.

Isn’t this too close? Gathering his peripheral vision, Qi Yingzhu somewhat uncomfortably noticed this point.

His gaze darted back and forth between them. He wondered, Did Chu Fuxuan use similar tricks in previous interviews? Hasn’t he ever been complained about for workplace harassment with this kind of distance?

Qi Yingzhu disguised it extremely well, not exposing his own chaos. He restrainedly shook his head to indicate no dietary restrictions. At the same time, his center of gravity shifted backwards. His stiff back was almost stuck to the chair, wanting to run outside along with it.

However, Chu Fuxuan didn’t notice his little movements. After calling the waiter to place the order, he said cheerfully to Qi Yingzhu, “Then let’s just talk directly.”

Finally, some proper business. Qi Yingzhu pricked up his ears, only to hear Chu Fuxuan speak straightforwardly.

“This is my first time on a blind date, what number is it for you? Why are you also in a rush to fake a marriage?”