Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 17

As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Siqi began screaming on the other end of the line, her voice buzzing with excitement.

“Ahhh! Sis!!! Someone’s with you? Oh my god, is it your lover? Did I interrupt something?!!”

“It’s good that you realize that,” Chi Yi said, looking at Cheng Yixin. “We’re about to sleep.”

It was a perfectly normal statement, but under Chi Yi’s gaze, Cheng Yixin felt a strange flutter in her chest.

“Okay, okay! Go to sleep! Don’t worry about me! I’ll just go to Yuanhang tonight. I promise I won’t bother you! Sleep however you want!”

After hanging up, Chi Yi called her driver and instructed him to pick up Feng Siqi. With the matter settled, she silenced her phone to avoid waking Cheng Yixin later and lay back down.

Cheng Yixin noticed that Chi Yi had forgotten to take off her earrings. Seeing that the clasps looked a bit fiddly, she beckoned with her finger. “Come here.”

Chi Yi scooted over, submissively letting her proceed without asking a single question—like a gentle young deer.

Cheng Yixin carefully removed the earrings and placed them on the nightstand.

Thinking back to the call, she asked, “If I hadn’t reminded you just now, would you have actually gotten up to go get her?”

“Siqi does this occasionally. If I’m free, I usually go.” Chi Yi paused. “Were you worried about me?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Cheng Yixin said without thinking. “Even if you’re a dependable older sister to Feng Siqi, to me, you’re a ‘younger sister’ who needs protecting.”

The words sounded incredibly flirtatious, but they were delivered with Cheng Yixin’s usual blunt frankness.

Chi Yi was certain that the statement was meant entirely literally. She let out a very faint, inward sigh.

They spent the rest of the night sharing a bed and a quilt, chatting innocently until they drifted off.

The next morning, the world was bright. Washed clean by the rain, the air was exceptionally crisp, and birds chirped incessantly from the branches.

Perhaps because she wasn’t yet used to having someone beside her, Cheng Yixin woke up the moment she heard the birds. She slowly opened her eyes.

Chi Yi was already gone, leaving behind only the faint, lingering scent of her perfume—it smelled like jasmine.

It was only 8:00 AM. In half an hour, her assistant would arrive to pick her up for work.

In a rare move, she didn’t linger in bed. Cheng Yixin opened the window and took a deep breath. The fresh air, mixed with the scent of damp earth, was the unmistakable fragrance of a post-rain morning.

While tidying up, she noticed Chi Yi’s earrings on the nightstand. She had forgotten them again.

Cheng Yixin paused for a moment before finding a small blue jewelry box to put them in, making sure she wouldn’t lose them.

After a busy morning, she finally caught a moment to breathe. As soon as she returned to the company, she ran into Li Wenjing.

“The brand is officially announcing that ad we shot tomorrow. Remember to repost it on Weibo,” Li Wenjing instructed.

“Got it.”

Li Wenjing looked her up and down, speaking with earnest concern. “You don’t have many luxury endorsements right now. The company’s goal this year is to land you at least one, like Grace. Because of that, I need you to pay closer attention to your personal style and ‘off-duty’ looks.”

“…” Cheng Yixin looked down at her outfit. For the sake of comfort, she was wearing simple jeans and a T-shirt. It wasn’t exactly high fashion, but it wasn’t tacky either, was it?

People often called her a “fashion black hole,” but she personally didn’t see the problem.

Li Wenjing read her mind. “In clothes this plain, you only stand out because of your face. But when you’re compared to other actresses, do you really think fashion brands will notice you?”

Cheng Yixin rubbed her nose. “Fine.”

“How was the singing practice last night? Any progress?”

“Tons! A massive amount!” Cheng Yixin said righteously. “Chi Yi said I don’t sound like curry anymore!”

Li Wenjing chuckled. “Are you sure she isn’t just seeing you through rose-colored glasses?”

Just as Cheng Yixin was about to argue back, her phone chimed. It was a WeChat message from Chi Yi. Dropping the banter, she looked down at her screen.

Chi Yi had sent a video. Even without clicking play, she could see the thumbnail: a side profile of Chi Yi sitting at a piano.

Seeing her so mesmerized, Li Wenjing leaned in to watch too.

Chi Yi had recorded a video of herself playing and singing “Zhong Wu Yan.” Her pronunciation was crystal clear—it was practically a tutorial. Compared to the original singer, her cool, crisp voice gave the song a unique charm.

“Is that Chi Yi? She sings beautifully,” Li Wenjing said, surprised.

“She used to be in the music club,” Cheng Yixin noted, her expression carrying a hint of “girlfriend pride.”

“Look at her style,” Li Wenjing said, pointing at Chi Yi’s silhouette in the video. “A simple shirt, but she styled the hem into a beautiful draped collar effect. Then look at you—you just tuck everything in.”

“Is your eye a microscope or something?!”

Li Wenjing converted the video into an audio file. Cheng Yixin spent the entire afternoon listening to it on loop, humming along from time to time.

“Sister Xin, your singing is getting better and better.”

“Really?” Cheng Yixin looked delighted. “I feel like the song isn’t that hard anymore.”

“Must be the power of love,” Xiao Yu teased.

Chi Yi came over that evening to retrieve her earrings.

Cheng Yixin arrived home a bit late and messaged Chi Yi as soon as she walked in. A moment later, the doorbell rang.

Chi Yi was carrying a bag. “These are the cookies I promised you as a reward yesterday.”

Cheng Yixin had completely forgotten about the reward system, so the sight of the cookies was a pleasant surprise. She took the bag and joked, “If it’s just cookies again today, you’re lacking creativity.”

“Of course not. Today’s reward is something else. I’ll tell you after we finish,” Chi Yi said mysteriously, piquing Cheng Yixin’s curiosity.

One had to admit that this incentive-based learning was very effective on her.

“I watched the video you sent at noon,” Cheng Yixin said, handing her a bottle of water. “I didn’t know you played the piano.”

Since Chi Yi had learned the piece that morning and there was a piano in the house, it was only natural to have her provide a live accompaniment.

Chi Yi sat down at the grand piano, opened the lid, and ran her fingers over the keys before looking at Cheng Yixin.

Usually, when she had lessons, the vocal coach would sit while Cheng Yixin hovered nearby. Looking around the living room and finding no other suitable chair, she simply stood by the piano.

Chi Yi shifted over on the long bench, leaving plenty of space, and patted the spot beside her. Cheng Yixin took the hint and sat down.

The gentle notes of the piano filled the quiet living room as Chi Yi taught her section by section. After they had practiced the full song twice, Chi Yi closed the keyboard lid.

“That’s enough for today,” she said.

“So soon?” Cheng Yixin was surprised; it felt like they had only just begun.

“Seventy to eighty percent mastery is enough. Just listen to the song a few more times over the next few days, and you’ll be fine on stage.”

Cheng Yixin chuckled. “Why not a hundred percent?”

“If you’re at a hundred, you might get overconfident on stage and make a silly mistake. Keeping that extra twenty percent keeps you alert.”

Cheng Yixin didn’t mention things like teleprompters or the magic of “million-dollar sound engineers.” Chi Yi’s logic made sense in its own way. She glanced at the clock; it wasn’t even 8:00 PM.

“We finished early today. Are you going back to get your beauty sleep?” Cheng Yixin leaned her elbow on the piano lid, looking at Chi Yi.

Chi Yi glanced at her and then looked away, pretending to study the lyrics. “I’m in no rush to sleep.”

Cheng Yixin reached out, her fingers brushing a stray hair from Chi Yi’s face. Noticing a sapphire stud in her ear, she reminded her, “Don’t forget to take your earrings this time.”

“Where are they?”

“In my room.”

The word “room” felt unexpectedly intimate. Chi Yi gave a small “Oh” and added, “In a bit.”

Remembering Li Wenjing’s suggestion, Cheng Yixin asked, “When I record the show, do you want to come and watch?”

“Is that allowed?”

Cheng Yixin smiled. “Variety shows always give guests internal tickets. Even if they don’t, I can just tell the director a ‘family member’ wants to watch, and I can get a ticket through connections. Though… I’ve never actually used that privilege before.”

“Oh?” President Chi was quick to catch the important detail. “So, I count as your ‘family member’?”

Suddenly wanting to tease her, Cheng Yixin asked, “What do you think?”

Chi Yi tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Probably not officially yet. But I’d like to work toward it.”

Cheng Yixin burst into laughter. President Chi certainly had a streak of rigorous logic.

While she didn’t yet have deeply intense feelings for Chi Yi, for someone as emotionally slow-to-warm as Cheng Yixin, this was a very promising start.

“I’ll get a ticket ready for you,” she said with a smile. “Now, what’s today’s reward? Can you reveal it?”

“I’ve already cleared it with Sister Wenjing,” Chi Yi paused before adding, “I’m taking you to the supermarket. You can buy whatever snacks you want.”

Li Wenjing usually didn’t let her eat too many processed snacks. If she saw them in the house, she’d nag for ages, so Cheng Yixin usually had to hide them. She wasn’t a huge snacker, but she liked having something while watching dramas.

Cheng Yixin stared at her for a long time. “Actually, you just want to go on a date with me, don’t you?”

Chi Yi went along with it. “Who says I don’t?”

They chatted idly for a while. As 9:00 PM approached, Cheng Yixin urged Chi Yi to go home for her beauty sleep. After all, she had stayed up late the night before for the singing lesson; it wouldn’t be right to let her stay up late again tonight.

Since the houses were so close, Cheng Yixin walked her to the door. It was only a few steps for Chi Yi to get home.

The moment she closed the door and turned around, Cheng Yixin realized Chi Yi had forgotten her earrings—again.

“…” Oh well, she thought. We have plenty of time.