The next day, close to noon, Yao Zhihao arrived as promised.
She opened the door and welcomed him in. Vet Yao was dressed in a sharp suit today, with a few longer strands of hair from his forehead combed up and fixed with gel into an upward-pointing spike. He was wearing glasses and looked incredibly refined.
But he was tall and burly, his shoulders leaving barely any gap as they squeezed through the doorframe, creating a striking contrast.
“Feeling okay?” Yao Zhihao tugged uncomfortably at his cuffs. “Does it look weird? This suit’s from a few years ago—I’ve put on some weight and it’s almost too tight now.”
Seeing him like this, Fang Nianchen smiled and complimented, “Not fat at all. Looks pretty good.”
“Ai…” Yao Zhihao suddenly sighed in deep distress. “Don’t compliment me like that. I woke up this morning feeling so guilty already.”
At his age, he could easily pass as Fang Nianchen’s big brother. Even though he was just helping out by pretending to be her boyfriend, he still felt like he’d done something utterly heinous.
With his beard shaved off, he no longer looked his usual scruffy self—he was much more polished now. Even his speech was gentle and soft-spoken, which Fang Nianchen wasn’t quite used to.
She asked him, “Would you like something to drink?”
“Nah, we’re heading to that auntie’s place for lunch soon anyway. Can’t be running to the bathroom every five minutes.” Yao Zhihao changed into slippers and walked into the house. All the kittens he’d “neutered” in the past had hidden away—no matter how Fang Nianchen called them, they wouldn’t come out.
Only Pan-fried Dumpling circled excitedly around him, scrambling to climb up his body.
“Is your Pan-fried Dumpling missing a few screws or something? It gets jabbed by me every day, but it’s still so clingy.” As he spoke, Yao Zhihao patted its head. “These little guys have it made. You took them in and take such good care of them every day.”
“Has this month’s food budget gone over again?”
Fang Nianchen thought for a moment. “A tiny bit over, but it’s fine.”
In fact, a few months ago, for some unknown reason, cat food, dog food, and treats from all brands had collectively gone up in price. But they had to buy them anyway, so Fang Nianchen had to cut back from her own living expenses to cover the pet food.
Most of the canned food came straight from Yao Zhihao’s pet clinic since he bought in bulk at lower prices. Even so, with so many mouths to feed, the consumption was staggering. No matter how frugally she managed, it was still a hefty expense.
“If you’re ever short, just tell me anytime. We’ve known each other for years—no need to be shy.” Yao Zhihao looked up at her, his expression turning serious. “I’m serious.”
“I’ve switched departments. My salary’s higher now. Who knows, I might even start saving some money.”
“Nice one. Not like other top students.” Yao Zhihao looked impressed. “Lemme guess—they begged you to join.”
“Not really begging…” Fang Nianchen smiled bashfully. “They just happened to need someone, and I sent in my resume.”
Though Su Xiazhi had come to find her twice, it wasn’t like she was irreplaceable.
Back at the coffee shop then, if she’d refused again, Su Xiazhi probably would’ve gone to someone else…
They chatted a bit about the cats and dogs, and time flew by. When it was time to head to Auntie Chen’s—or rather, Auntie Liu’s—house, they stood at the door for a final rundown of details.
“You’re not a vet right now—you’re a Yunqi executive. If they ask why you weren’t around recently, say you were on a business trip.”
“Got it. That’s about it. I pretty much know how many cats and dogs you have at home too.” This was Yao Zhihao’s first time playing the fake boyfriend role, and the pressure was immense. He double-checked with her uneasily. “If I mess up and can’t answer something, you gotta bail me out quick. My brain’s slow, EQ’s low—don’t let me screw this up for you.”
“It’s fine. I’m already super grateful you’re helping.” Of course, Fang Nianchen had considered the possibility of failure.
After all, Auntie Liu was razor-sharp about this stuff. She’d seen through her lie last time—how could she guarantee she wouldn’t spot it again?
Plus, she herself had zero interest in men and an intense aversion to even mildly intimate gestures. Hanging out with an acquaintance like Yao Zhihao meant less awkwardness than a stranger, but she still felt uneasy.
She could only try her best to adapt. As for the outcome, it all depended on whether luck was on her side today.
If she treated failure as the default, it didn’t seem so scary.
The two headed out and downstairs, one behind the other. When they reached the floor below, they saw Auntie Liu had already opened her door and was waiting for them.
Fang Nianchen jolted and quickly slowed down, waiting for Yao Zhihao to catch up so they could walk side by side.
“Auntie Liu, good afternoon,” Fang Nianchen greeted her with a smile.
“Good, good.” Auntie Liu beamed at her. “To host you properly, I went to the morning market bright and early. Got the freshest blue shrimp that arrived today—the dumplings are gonna be so fresh they’ll make your eyebrows fall off.”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Yao Zhihao standing nearby. “This must be your boyfriend, huh? Wow, he’s so tall. And handsome too—a natural clothes hanger.”
Even as she lavished praise from head to toe, Auntie Liu’s mouth was already turning down at the corners.
Clearly, she wasn’t thrilled to see Fang Nianchen actually bringing a man home. But as an elder, she still had to be polite.
“Hello, Auntie. I’m Yao—just call me Xiao Yao.” Yao Zhihao paused. “Xiao Chen says you’ve been taking good care of her. Thank you.”
By the end, even though he knew the relationship wasn’t real, he had to force his mouth not to curl up. His expression ended up looking somewhat menacing.
“No big deal—we’re neighbors. Come on in.” Auntie Liu ushered them inside. The moment they entered, the corgi charged at the door, barking its head off.
Normally, the corgi would wag its tail happily and approach Fang Nianchen, but today it was the opposite—barking furiously while backing away, like the sheer volume of its own barks was pushing it backward.
Fang Nianchen exchanged a helpless glance with Yao Zhihao.
Animals had keen senses for people. As a vet, Yao Zhihao had jabbed plenty of dogs with needles; the corgi must have smelled the dangerous aura on him and was terrified.
“Quiet!” Auntie Liu scolded loudly, but the corgi barked even louder, making the scene super awkward.
In the end, Auntie Liu’s husband popped out from the kitchen, scooped up the dog, and locked it in the bathroom. The noise finally stopped.
“No idea what’s up with it today. Sorry about that.” Auntie Liu looked apologetic, baffled by her own dog’s sudden freakout.
Fang Nianchen quickly said it was no problem.
Auntie Liu’s place was about the same size and layout as Fang Nianchen’s, though the living room light was dimmer, blocked by the enclosed balcony. It wasn’t as sunny as the top floor, but much cooler.
Once they sat down, Auntie Liu offered them fruit. Seizing the chance, she went to her son’s bedroom door.
She called out twice, but the door next door stayed shut. Instead, an annoyed protest came from inside: “Don’t bug me! I’m studying!”
“Xiao Chen and her boyfriend are here—come out already, stop reading!” Auntie Liu knocked urgently. After a half-minute standoff, the door finally opened.
The man was in a tank top and slippers, looking like he hadn’t woken up properly. He griped at her, “How many times do I gotta tell you? Knock once—that’s it. Don’t bang away nonstop, it’s annoying…”
Auntie Liu gasped. “Look at this slob! Didn’t I tell you we had guests coming today? Get up early and clean yourself up!”
The man got irritated, slumping his shoulders. “What’s there to clean? It’s my house—I wear what I want.”
Afraid he’d blurt something rude for everyone to hear, Auntie Liu pinched him hard. “Go wash up, quick!”
“No wonder you needed a fake boyfriend…” Yao Zhihao whispered suddenly in Fang Nianchen’s ear. “Who could handle a blind date like this?”
Fang Nianchen gave a wry smile: Tell me about it.
From the start, once she’d seen through Auntie Liu’s intentions, she’d been pretty spooked.
Auntie Liu’s son wasn’t handsome in the conventional sense—just average. Of course, Fang Nianchen never judged people by looks alone, but with his three years of failed grad school attempts, she had a rough idea.
After a few more interactions, she realized his EQ was shockingly low. Few people made even chatting feel suffocating.
He dominated conversations, tossing in preachy lines now and then. The funniest time, when he brought up foreign university rankings, he smugly told Fang Nianchen: Students who go abroad are just the ones who couldn’t make it domestically—throw money at foreign schools and you’re in.
Fang Nianchen had given him a polite smile, which he took as agreement.
He even probed, “So how much does your school charge to get in? If it’s not too pricey, I’ll have my mom cough up some cash and go study abroad too.”
That moment, Fang Nianchen recalled Xiao Ning’an’s favorite line: “People like this survive to adulthood without getting beaten to death purely because society’s too civilized.”
That conversation had undoubtedly stepped on her bottom line, trampling it repeatedly. After that, Fang Nianchen hated having to see Auntie Liu’s son and would go out of her way to avoid him.
After venting, Yao Zhihao felt hot and took off his suit jacket, draping it over his arm. Auntie Liu saw and enthusiastically reached out. “Give it to me, I’ll hang it up for you.”
Yao Zhihao quickly stood up. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sit, sit.” Auntie Liu finished, then looked at Fang Nianchen. “Xiao Chen, do you want to put your bag down too?”
“Sorry to trouble you.”
“No trouble at all.” Auntie Liu took her bag and Yao Zhihao’s jacket together and went to the next room.
When she came back, her son was following behind her. He’d changed into a new set of clothes, but the shirt was too big—the shoulders were a bit wide, and since he was skinny, it made him look even more listless.
“This is Xiao Yao, Xiao Chen’s boyfriend. Say hi.” Auntie Liu acted as the go-between and made the introduction.
“Hello, Yao Zhihao.” To be polite, Yao Zhihao stood up first and extended his hand cordially. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oh~” The man suddenly let out a weird yelp. “You’re her boss?”
Not sure what his sudden outburst meant, Yao Zhihao was momentarily stunned. “Ah… yeah. What’s up?”
“Nothing. Haha, I thought you’d be as old as my dad. Didn’t expect you to be so young.” The man laughed ambiguously a couple times before finally shaking Yao Zhihao’s hand, squeezing it hard. “Hi, hi. I’m Guo Zhen.”
Only then did Fang Nianchen realize this was probably the first time she’d heard Auntie Liu’s son’s real name.
But why had he said Yao Zhihao was old?
After the small talk, the food was served—seven or eight dishes big and small, with a plate of dumplings right in the center.
Since it wasn’t at her own home, Fang Nianchen felt restrained, and Yao Zhihao was even more so.
Once they started eating, to make the act convincing, Yao Zhihao steeled himself, picked up some food with his chopsticks for Fang Nianchen first, then began eating himself.
Fang Nianchen looked up and met his eyes as he served her the food.
“Xiao Yao, you and Xiao Chen, how did you two meet?” After a few bites, Auntie Liu started gossiping.
