Ji Fanyin flipped through the menu.

Regardless of what Song Shiyu was thinking at the moment, the restaurant he chose was still pretty classy.

Or at least that’s what the prices on the menu are saying.

Ji Fanyin also took special care to confirm with him earlier that all expenses incurred on today’s ‘date’ would be borne by him. The only bad thing about this was that she could only order the dishes Ji Xinxin liked.

I’ll tolerate it since it’s a free meal.

Hm.. Let’s go with a Mushroom Soup en Cro?te, Basil Prawn Balls, and a Slow-cooked Ribeye Steak. As for the beverage, I guess I can go with Ji Xinxin’s taste and try out the Lychee Cherry Soda.

After deciding on the dishes to order, Ji Fanyin finally raised her head to look at the conflicted man sitting opposite her and asked worriedly, “Are you alright? You look a little unwell. There’s no need to force it if you’re feeling ill. Shall we head back instead?”

Of course, you won’t be getting a refund for ending the service in advance.

Song Shiyu’s face remained clouded. He stared at Ji Fanyin deeply, as if trying to peer through the mask she was wearing. “When did you start preparing.. Forget it, this isn’t important.”

“Of course it isn’t.” Ji Fanyin fiddled with the menu in her hand as she smiled at Song Shiyu. “The terms of our exchange are simple, so you need not overthink it. You just have to think of me as another person during this period of time. Weren’t you dissatisfied that I don’t resemble her in the past? It should be much better now, no?”

Song Shiyu’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“What I’m proposing here is a straightforward exchange with no strings attached,” Ji Fanyin rested her chin leisurely on her arm as she spoke. “I have no intention of revealing this matter to my younger sister and cause you any trouble, so there’s no need for you to get so apprehensive.”

Song Shiyu snorted mockingly in response.

“Besides, don’t you wonder about it from time to time?”

“.. Wonder about what?”

“‘If she learns of my true personality, will she hate me?’” replied Ji Fanyin.

“.. Ji Fanyin.” Song Shiyu’s body straightened up as he warned her sharply.

“There’s no need to be nervous. Like I’ve said, I have no intention of telling her,” said Ji Fanyin with a casual wave of her hand. “I can fulfill your fantasies. You’ll be able to do what you dare not do with her. If that doesn’t work for you, we can end things here.”

Song Shiyu was what one would call a two-faced man. He carried himself with grace and tact in social settings, so hardly anyone was aware of just how scummy he was.

Someone who masks his true self deep down isn’t worth befriending, though I guess I can at least maintain an amicable relationship with him for the sake of his equally deep pockets.

Song Shiyu listened quietly to Ji Fanyin’s words for a while before his lips suddenly crept upward, as if he had suddenly thought things through. His expression visibly relaxed as he said, “Ji Fanyin, you’re the one who proposed this deal. Don’t regret it in the future.”

Ji Fanyin replied with a smile, “Rest assured, I won’t.”

Song Shiyu turned his gaze away before pressing down on the bell on the table to call the waiter over.

He seemed to have tossed away the baggage that was weighing down on his mind, allowing him to act more naturally. He tenderly asked Ji Fanyin what she wanted and placed their orders. Following that, they began sharing their daily life as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years.

Ji Fanyin had spent the night trawling through Ji Xinxin’s WeChat’s Moments and Weibo pages, allowing her to smoothly answer any questions from Song Shiyu. But rather than the one talking, most of the time, she was the one listening instead.

There could only be one reason behind that.

A man’s desire to flaunt before the lady he fancied was simply too great.

Song Shiyu casually talked about his work and his life while Ji Fanyin cleanly pulled out the flesh of a mussel with her fork before delivering it onto his plate.

Song Shiyu’s words immediately trailed to a halt.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Fanyin raised her head in surprise. “I remember that you avoided mussels in restaurants because you found it troublesome to eat, so I took out its meat for you.”

Song Shiyu stared at her with such an intense stare that it looked almost as if he was going to bore a hole through her.

A few seconds later, he finally replied softly, “No, I just didn’t expect you to notice it.. Thanks.”

“There’s no need for thanks. We’re friends,” said Ji Fanyin as she extracted the meat from two more mussels and placed it on his plate before turning her attention back to her steak.

“.. So I’m still a friend even though I asked for your hand in marriage yesterday?” Song Shiyu suddenly asked.

Ji Fanyin paused for a moment here as she pondered over the intention behind Song Shiyu’s words.

The real Ji Xinxin would surely put on a conflicted expression and reluctantly turn down Song Shiyu once more, but here was where the problem lay.

The character whom Ji Fanyin was playing right now was not the real Ji Xinxin but the one Song Shiyu desired. In other words, she wasn’t certain if Song Shiyu wanted the wish fulfillment element to her stand-in service too.

It was not beyond her to offer such a service.