I'm not a liar

"You're acting like this is a kitchen. Not very polite," He Linlin sneered.

Ye Fei frowned, "Is there a problem? We agreed on the deal before."

Hong Yaqin stopped He Linlin and said to Ye Fei, "I've done what you asked for. Now it's your turn to take action."

Ye Fei calmly replied, "I'll talk after I finish eating."

He dealt with the delicacies on the table without changing his expression, but his mind was racing. Hong Yaqin had urgently sought him out today, just after they had agreed on the conditions yesterday. She must be very anxious. She was a woman of both beauty and talent, surely having many suitors. Why did she choose him?

The reason was simple: they were strangers. He was a stranger, eliminating the possibility of a real romantic relationship. Her background must be complicated, and she was doing this to protect herself from being used. Pressured by her parents, she would rather find a fake boyfriend than engage in a real relationship. Either she had personal issues, or she was already committed. The latter seemed more likely. But it had nothing to do with him; he was interested in her connections in the capital.

People in the capital had friends and relatives in various government departments, especially someone like Hong Yaqin, a top chef.

For now, Hong Yaqin was a good connection for him. Unfamiliar with the city, he needed local help to establish himself. He had to seize this opportunity, not necessarily to make something happen, but to help her, get to know her, perhaps even become friends. If the opportunity arose naturally, he could assist her. When he needed help, would she ignore him? Furthermore, building a relationship with her and her parents using this fake identity would greatly benefit him.

Ye Fei didn't think there was anything wrong with his approach. According to Wang Yue's teachings, no one should be off-limits for success. He couldn't be as ruthless as Wang Yue, exploiting even family members, but using a stranger didn't burden him morally.

It was simply mutual benefit; he had no ill intentions, just looking for a foothold. Reality wasn't like a novel, filled with extraordinary encounters. Having special abilities was already a stroke of luck. Letting go of such a good opportunity—did he have to rely solely on his own efforts? There were no benefactors falling from the sky, especially valuing him as a rare talent. Even if he was a prodigy, without personal gain, no one would help him.

This society relied on interpersonal relationships; only by helping and using each other could one make progress. Starting from scratch alone, even with money, would be extremely challenging and achieving success would be difficult.

Setting down his chopsticks, Ye Fei looked up and smiled rarely, "I'm full. So, what do you need me to do?"

He Linlin exclaimed in surprise, "I thought you'd run as soon as you finished eating!"

"You don't know me. Although I don't have many virtues, keeping my word is something I can do. Unless you break our agreement, I'll follow through on our verbal agreement," Ye Fei declared.

A glint flashed in Hong Yaqin's eyes at Ye Fei's attitude, which surprised her, but it was exactly what she hoped for.

"Here's the thing: my parents just called me, insisting that I bring a boyfriend home. Otherwise, they'll say I lied to them and arrange blind dates for me," Hong Yaqin said.

Ye Fei lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag. One hand held the cigarette while the other lightly tapped the table. Previously, when Ye Fei contemplated, he liked to ruffle his hair. Wang Yue later forced him to stop, but it had become a habit to tap the table.

"There's no problem meeting your parents. But we need to get our story straight to avoid any mistakes," Ye Fei replied.

Hong Yaqin nodded, "That's why I brought you here. This is the identity I've prepared for you, remember it!"

Ye Fei shook his head and didn't even glance at the resume on the table, "The condition I agreed to was to pretend to be your boyfriend, not change my identity. I am Ye Fei, and this is who I am! If you want me to play a nonexistent character, I'm sorry, I can't do that!"

This was a matter of principle and related to his future plans. If the false identity was exposed, he would face enormous trouble.

"Hong Yaqin said unhappily, 'I know nothing about you, how can I understand your real situation? Besides, this is just to appease my parents, and no one will investigate it.'"

"I am not a fraud! I am helping you because you really need help. I don't want you to have an unhappy marriage in the future, lacking an excellent chef. Someone once told me that only with a careful heart can delicious dishes be cooked. But that doesn't mean that I will accept a forged resume and face others as a fraud. As for my real situation, it's very simple. I just arrived in Beijing from Tianjin two days ago. I have my own apartment and car, as well as savings. Do you have any other questions?" Ye Fei asked.

Hong Yaqin was speechless by Ye Fei's words.

After a while, she frowned and said, "Let's be honest. We have only known each other for three days. How can we become lovers? In such a short time, do you think the old folks will believe that we fell in love at first sight?"

Ye Fei said, "Just because I just arrived in Beijing doesn't mean we just met. You can say we are online friends, or blog friends, or enthusiasts who met by chance at an event. As for my purpose in coming to Beijing, it's to be with you for the long term. This explanation is reasonable. As for why you have been reluctant to introduce me to your parents, on the one hand, it's because I'm not in town, and you feel our relationship isn't stable enough; on the other hand, it's because you are older than me and worry that an age gap relationship won't be accepted; and finally, it's because my family background is not great, and you are worried they won't accept me."

"Wait, that's enough," Hong Yaqin interrupted Ye Fei.

He Linyin sat next to her, opened her mouth wide, looked at Ye Fei, and turned to Hong Yaqin, saying, "Hong Jie, he just said he is not a fraud, but I think he is a fraud. Listening to the lies he made up, it's impossible to distinguish what's true or false. If I didn't know the situation, I would definitely believe him."

Ye Fei had a few black lines on his forehead and looked unhappy as he looked at He Linyin. He said to Hong Yaqin, "I am only following our agreement. If you think we can continue, then let's continue. If not, you can find someone else."

If Hong Yaqin had more time, she wouldn't have traded with this stranger. She was also scared by Ye Fei's words and even began to doubt if she really had such an online friend.

"Okay, let's do it your way. Let me tell you my situation. I'm 25 years old this year and a first-class chef. I like reading books, cooking, and occasionally playing tennis," Hong Yaqin said.

"Is that all?" Ye Fei asked.

Hong Yaqin nodded.

Ye Fei rolled his eyes and took out his phone, saying, "Let's add each other as friends and set me as your husband and you as my wife. I'm five years younger than you. After graduating from high school, I came out to work because of my poor family background. I like chatting online in my spare time. That's how we met. Because of loneliness, we became good friends and chatted frequently. Later, we started calling each other. With your encouragement, I achieved some small accomplishments. Because of you, I gave up my job in Tianjin and came to Beijing to develop. Do you have anything else to add?"

Hong Yaqin shook her head foolishly, "No."

"Okay, now we need to keep our stories consistent because we are in an online relationship, so there hasn't been any intimate behavior. I don't want to be seen as a fraud who plays with women's feelings by your parents. Because we are online friends, we don't show the same intimacy as ordinary couples, which is also a reasonable explanation. We both need time to adapt to our new identities and ages. You can lie and say that I never mentioned my age online, and you always thought I was the same age as you," Ye Fei said.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them, with their unified stories, got into Ye Fei's car and headed towards Hong Yaqin's home.