Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 37

Cheng Yixin nearly bit her tongue, but the screen only showed a plain white ceiling. She heard the sound of rushing water nearby; from the angle, it seemed Chi Yi had placed the phone on the bathroom vanity.

At least President Chi still has a sense of modesty, Yixin thought.

“Is this a video call or not?” Yixin moved the phone away, making sure her own face was visible to the front camera. “Why am I the only one here?”

“I haven’t finished showering yet,” Chi Yi replied.

Testing her luck, Yixin pushed further. “Can’t I watch you shower?”

“You want to see?” Chi Yi countered. “It’s not impossible.”

Yixin thought she was just joking, but then the camera moved. With a slight blur, Chi Yi’s face appeared.

The lens was very close. When Chi Yi looked down at the phone, Yixin could clearly see droplets of water on her eyelashes. The angle shifted again.

Chi Yi revealed her full face. Water droplets slid down her cheeks to her chin, dripping into the unseen space below. Her hair was tied up, exposing a smooth, fair neck and a distinct mole on the side. Below that were her collarbones and the faint silhouette of rounded, bare shoulders.

From this angle, she was clearly undressed.

“Is this okay?” The person in the video asked, seemingly nonchalant. “Do you want me to move the camera lower?”

Well, I’m definitely not sleepy anymore, Yixin thought.

Truthfully, Yixin was a bit captivated by the sight. Since Chi Yi had asked, it felt “impolite” not to follow through. “Ahem… I don’t mind.”

Yixin tried to keep her expression neutral. She figured the usually restrained and polite Chi Yi wouldn’t actually lower the camera to show anything private.

“Oh, okay then,” Chi Yi said.

Wait? Yixin panicked. Are we really doing this? Though it was thrilling, she felt a sudden rush of hesitation. As the camera slowly tilted down, revealing more of those white shoulders, Yixin couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Chi Yi’s gaze through the screen was intense and ambiguous, making Yixin’s face flush. Her heart began to race.

“Wait!” Yixin slammed on the brakes. “Forget it! Never mind!”

“Why?” Chi Yi pressed, her voice teasing. “Didn’t you want to see? I don’t mind.”

Yixin was speechless. She had tried to tease Chi Yi, but now that the other woman was serious, she lost her nerve. Her face was bright red.

Seeing her silence, Chi Yi reached out and tapped the “Flip Camera” button.

The view instantly switched from a close-up of her face to the large mirror above the vanity. Yixin saw that while Chi Yi wasn’t wearing clothes, she was wrapped tightly in a bath towel from the shoulders down.

Yixin’s face went from red to green with embarrassment. Chi Yi flipped the camera back, a suppressed smile tugging at her lips. “You…!”

“Did you think I was wearing nothing?” Chi Yi teased. “I’m on the final step—washing my face.”

Exposed, Yixin immediately hung up. “Stupid kid!” she muttered, her face burning.

Yixin was staying in a high-end seaside hotel for a brand endorsement shoot. After a while, Chi Yi called back via voice. They chatted about her parents, and Chi Yi promised to look after them while Yixin was away.

“What are you doing now?” Chi Yi asked.

“Just sitting. It’s a bit boring.”

“There should be a smart TV in the room,” Chi Yi suggested.

“I don’t want to watch it alone without you,” Yixin blurted out. She immediately froze. That sounded way too intimate!

She heard Chi Yi chuckle. “Do you want to see me?”

“I mean… it’s fine,” Yixin said, trying to regain her cool.

“If you want to see me, I’ll come to you,” Chi Yi said seriously.

After a ten-second silence, Yixin sighed. “Forget it. I’m going back tomorrow anyway.” It was a two-hour drive from the city, and it was already 9:00 PM.

Disappointed, Yixin hung up and decided to take a bath. While she was drying her hair afterward, the doorbell rang. Her heart leapt. Could it be?

She opened the door to find a hotel server with a food cart. “Miss Cheng, the manager sent some midnight snacks, fruit, and red wine to help you sleep.”

Yixin let him in. Curiously, there were two wine glasses. “I don’t need two glasses. Take one back,” she told the server. He looked confused but complied.

Shortly after, she received a barrage of flirtatious messages from the hotel manager, a middle-aged man calling himself “Brother” and offering to be her “tour guide.” Yixin rolled her eyes so hard they nearly stuck.

The doorbell rang again. Thinking it was the manager coming to harass her, she ignored it. When the person wouldn’t stop ringing, her phone buzzed. It was Chi Yi.

“Are you asleep?”

“No,” Yixin snapped. “Some idiot is ringing my doorbell. It’s annoying.”

There was a long silence. Finally, Chi Yi spoke quietly. “I’m that idiot.”

Yixin sprinted to the door. It really was Chi Yi.

“Why are you here?!”

“You said you wanted to see me, so I came,” Chi Yi said. She was only wearing a thin shirt, and the seaside air was cold. Yixin quickly pulled her inside and wrapped her in a jacket.

“It’s 11:00 PM! You shouldn’t have driven all this way,” Yixin scolded, though her heart had softened completely.

“I didn’t know if you wanted to see me, but I knew I wanted to see you,” Chi Yi said, looking at her with the eyes of a devoted little deer.

They sat down to the snacks and wine. Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. It was the “gentlemanly” hotel manager, holding a bottle of wine and trying to push his way into the room “to discuss the script.”

“Who is it?” Chi Yi’s voice rang out from inside as she stepped into view.

The manager froze. Chi Yi looked him up and down. “Do you think it’s appropriate for a man and woman to discuss work alone at this hour? Or are you just that bored?”

The manager stammered, tried to save face, and finally retreated after Chi Yi shut the door in his face.

“I have to work with him tomorrow,” Yixin sighed.

“Do you?” Chi Yi poured more wine. “I think the boiler room downstairs suits him better.”

After their snack, the two went for a walk on the beach. It was dark and cold, but the atmosphere was quiet. Chi Yi stepped on a sharp stone and winced.

“Did it cut you?” Yixin asked, concerned.

“No, it just hurts a bit.”

“I’ll carry you,” Yixin said, bending down. She hoisted Chi Yi onto her back.

“Am I heavy?”

“No. You’re lighter than I thought.”

As they walked, they talked about Yixin’s career and the ups and downs of the industry. Chi Yi’s chin rested on Yixin’s shoulder.

“Yixin.”

“Hmm?” Yixin turned her head.

Their faces were inches apart. Chi Yi leaned in and kissed her. It was a soft, brief kiss that tasted of the salty sea breeze. They continued walking in silence, the intimacy growing deeper.

When they got back to the room, Chi Yi realized she hadn’t brought a change of clothes or her ID to get her own room. They would have to share.

Yixin gave Chi Yi a hotel bathrobe. It was oversized, and the belt hung loosely.

“Come here,” Yixin beckoned. She took the belt and pulled Chi Yi closer. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll untie this?”

“Why should I be?” Chi Yi countered.

Yixin tied a neat bow at her waist, but Chi Yi didn’t pull away. The room was silent. Chi Yi cupped Yixin’s face and leaned in, pinning her against the chair. They shared a long, passionate kiss.

“Let me… catch my breath,” Yixin whispered, her heart pounding. She stood up and pushed Chi Yi against the wall, returning the favor.

That night, they slept in the large bed together, Yixin nestled in Chi Yi’s arms.

The next morning, Chi Yi was already gone when Yixin woke up. At the shoot, Yixin was met by a new person.

“Hello, Miss Cheng. I’m the new person in charge, Vice Manager Zheng. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Oh? What happened to Manager Liu from yesterday?”

Zheng couldn’t hide his grin. “The boiler room was short-staffed. He’s been reassigned as a security guard there.”