Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 18

“‘The Legend of the Bright Moon’ premieres next week. To coordinate with the production team’s promotion, here are the matching couple’s hoodies and shoes—one set for you, and one for Yu Siyang. Wear the shoes during the show recording, and just take a few casual paparazzi-style photos in the hoodies later. We’ve already come up with your CP name: ‘Yi-Men-Xin-Si.’ Promotion begins right after ‘Happy Weekend’ airs next weekend.”

Whenever a new drama is released, it is inevitable for the male and female leads to “炒 CP” (hype a romantic couple) to boost the show’s popularity.

The so-called “matching couple’s outfits” weren’t common styles found on the market; they were subtle and low-key. For fans, “secret sugar” often works much better than blatant fanservice.

Though Cheng Yixin felt helpless about the marketing stunt, she had no choice but to follow the work schedule.

“Is Chi Yi’s pass sorted out?”

“Done. I’ll have Xiao Yu meet her at the entrance,” Li Wenjing said. “Thanks to her, you managed to fix that ‘curry’ accent in record time and didn’t embarrass yourself at rehearsal. The least we can do is let her watch the live recording.”

“The official recording starts at 3:00 PM. Since Chi Yi is there, you’d better give a good performance.”

“How much more can I perform? The script is right there.”

“Mainly, let her get a feel for what your work entails,” Li Wenjing said meaningfully. Thinking about the faux-ambiguous interactions Cheng Yixin would have with Yu Siyang, she was rather curious about President Chi’s reaction.

The theme of this episode of Happy Saturday was promoting the new drama. The guests were all actors from the cast, and the content followed the standard variety format: an opening show, an interview segment, and finally, a game segment.

In the afternoon, Cheng Yixin arrived at the television station. In the backstage lounge, she saw today’s co-star, Yu Siyang, confirming the program flow with the director.

Seeing her arrive, Yu Siyang flashed his trademark smile and greeted her; Cheng Yixin responded with the same professional warmth. Despite their on-screen romance, they hadn’t been in touch since filming wrapped; they were just ordinary colleagues. In fact, he reportedly had an underground girlfriend outside the industry.

However, in today’s program, she needed to interact “sweetly” with Yu Siyang, and they were even paired up for the game segments.

The show began with a performance. Several male guests sang a song together, leading into Cheng Yixin’s solo rendition of “Zhong Wu Yan.”

Hearing the staff’s cue through her earpiece, Cheng Yixin stood at her mark as the lift platform slowly rose. Yu Siyang stood by the platform, and as she stepped down, he reached out to take her hand, smiling radiantly as if they were in the throes of a passionate romance.

Cheng Yixin played along, curling her fingers slightly as she rested her palm lightly in his.

Waiting for the accompaniment to hit the first verse, Cheng Yixin immediately spotted Chi Yi sitting in the front row of the guest section.

Today, Chi Yi wore a sage-green suit set with a white V-neck silk blouse. The fresh color palette allowed Cheng Yixin to pick her out from the crowd instantly.

The staff’s voice in her ear monitor snapped her back to attention. She hit the rhythm perfectly.

“Actually, I fear you always praise and overestimate my resilience…”

The stage lights focused on her. Not knowing where to look, she let her gaze fall on Yu Siyang’s face to keep the performance from looking stiff. Up close, his makeup was a bit too heavy, nearly covering the beauty marks on his face and making him look a bit less masculine than usual.

She shifted her gaze toward the audience.

Chi Yi sat elegantly in her seat, her makeup exquisite and her red lips striking. Compared to the more relaxed audience members, her natural air of nobility stood out. Someone unaware might have mistaken her for a celebrity visiting the show.

The moment their eyes met, the coldness in Chi Yi’s expression thawed with a touch of warmth.

“I hate being mature enough to not want you to watch me weep…”

I wonder how I’m doing? Better than during practice, I hope, Cheng Yixin mused, grading herself internally.

After the opening show, the hosts joined the guests in a line. As the leads, Cheng Yixin and Yu Siyang were naturally placed at “Center Position.”

On variety shows, questions about one’s love life are unavoidable. Actors at the peak of their careers typically give the standard answer: “I’m single.”

“Then tell us about your ideal partner,” the host asked. “Yixin, what kind of boy catches your eye?”

This question wasn’t in the script; the host had added it on the fly.

Cheng Yixin thought for a moment and smiled. “I like someone who is filial and compassionate. It’s even better if they can cook, because I’m terrible in the kitchen.”

It was a very standard, safe answer. She avoided specifying a gender, giving herself enough “wiggle room” for the possibility of coming out in the future.

“Aren’t you describing Siyang?” another host teased. “I saw Siyang post photos of his cooking on Weibo; it looks very appetizing.”

“Wow~!” The other cast members joined in the cheering. In response, Cheng Yixin merely gave a “shy” smile. This bit was pure “business,” destined to be clipped into countless fan-made CP videos once the episode aired.

Cheng Yixin was already an expert at handling such questions. She bantered on stage, playing back and forth with Yu Siyang to provide material for the upcoming “Yi-Men-Xin-Si” hype.

Suddenly, her eyes drifted to Chi Yi in the audience.

She noticed Chi Yi’s expression had turned stern. Though the change was subtle, combined with her cold, elegant makeup, she looked quite imposing.

Cheng Yixin: “…” I suddenly feel a little guilty.

Work, work, it’s all just work, she comforted herself internally.

The show moved into the game segment. Cheng Yixin had completely loosened up; as soon as the team competition started, her competitive streak took over.

The hosts and guests were mixed into two teams. Cheng Yixin and Yu Siyang were cleverly split up, putting her on a team with the second male lead, Li Huang.

The veteran host announced the rules: “Our first game is ‘Scavenger Hunt.’ There’s a box on the table; everyone will pick a random ball. You must find the specific item written on the slip of paper inside. The team with the fastest total time wins!”

Cheng Yixin was the first to draw. She reached into the box and grabbed a ball, then waited for her teammates to finish so they could open them together.

“Is there a limit to the search area?” Li Huang asked. “Is it limited to things on stage, or can we borrow from the audience?”

“Anything goes,” the host laughed. “You can even go out and buy it, but don’t forget our rule is based on total time. Your team’s victory depends on your speed!”

The host shouted “3, 2, 1,” and they opened the slips. When Cheng Yixin saw her requirement, she was stunned.

There was only one word: Mole.

“Everyone has seen their items. The game officially begins! Go find them!”

The studio speakers blasted a tense countdown timer, heightening the pressure. Cheng Yixin hadn’t recovered from the bizarre requirement. How do you “borrow” a mole? Did her own count?

The sound of the timer made her nervous, slowing her thoughts. She paced the stage with her teammates before stopping. Seeing this, the host asked, “Yixin, you look lost. What item did you draw?”

“Uh…” Cheng Yixin opened her mouth. Being called on snapped her out of it. She caught sight of someone sitting below the stage and acted on reflex. “I found it!”

Clutching her slip of paper, she jogged off the stage to the front row. The big screen followed the camera as she reached out to someone in the audience.

The person looked confused but reached back anyway. Cheng Yixin gripped her hand, pulled her up from her chair, and led her up onto the stage.

BEEP—!

Cheng Yixin slapped the button on the table, becoming the first person to “borrow” her “item.”

They waited for the other members to finish before revealing the answers one by one. Aside from Cheng Yixin, everyone else had brought back inanimate objects. Everyone was curious about what she had drawn to bring a whole human being on stage.

“I know you’re all curious about Yixin’s slip,” the host said, playing to the crowd. “So let’s look at the others first!”

The other answers were easy to guess: a necklace, a phone, a jacket, etc. Finally, it was Cheng Yixin’s turn.

“I only drew one word.” She opened the paper, and the word MOLE appeared in bold on the screen.

“So, I brought her up,” Cheng Yixin said. She reached out with her thumb and forefinger and playfully gestured toward the mole on the side of Chi Yi’s neck. “She has a mole right here on her neck. Does that count as a pass?”

“It counts, it counts!” the host nodded, amused.

Chi Yi’s hair fell loosely over her shoulders; unless you were looking closely, the mole was hard to spot.

“The director said that was a hidden ‘bonus’ question, and you actually drew it,” the host added. “I thought you were going to grab Siyang—he has a beauty mark on his face too.”

Cheng Yixin gave a hollow laugh. Who could have known that in that moment, Yu Siyang didn’t exist in her mind at all?

She had grabbed Chi Yi out of pure instinct, without even asking if she was okay with being on camera.

The host received some brief background info on Chi Yi through his earpiece. The director also wanted to use Chi Yi’s striking looks to generate some buzz for the show.

Consequently, the host didn’t rush Chi Yi off stage. Instead, he handed her the microphone. “Could this audience member introduce herself?”

“Chi Yi.”

“For Yixin to see the mole on your neck instantly… I can barely see it even from this close. Do you two actually know each other? Or are you an actress or model, Chi Yi?”

“No, I’m just an ordinary office worker.” Chi Yi looked at Cheng Yixin. “We do know each other. I came to watch Yixin record today because I was free.”

The host took the opportunity to invite her to participate in the rest of the program. Chi Yi glanced meaningfully at Yu Siyang.

She agreed.