Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 42

The location agreed upon with Huang Xinxi was a tea house. Passing by rockeries and flowing water, the waiter led Chi Yi to a private room.

Once inside, Chi Yi looked around. The decor was very elegant, featuring a tea table and a large floor-to-ceiling window that offered a view of the corridor’s greenery. Huang Xinxi had not yet arrived.

After a short wait, the door was pulled open.

“I thought I would be the one arriving early,” Huang Xinxi said, looking slightly surprised to see Chi Yi already there. she instinctively checked her watch; there were still ten minutes until the appointed time. “President Chi, you are truly punctual.”

Chi Yi smiled and invited her to sit at the opposite side of the table.

“Does Teacher Huang often encounter people who aren’t punctual?” Chi Yi began with small talk rather than diving straight into business.

“It’s about fifty-fifty,” Huang Xinxi replied.

As hot tea was placed on the table, Huang Xinxi noted how Chi Yi propped her chin with her hands—a very relaxed posture. She continued: “Let’s get straight to the point. I’m very interested in your organization’s ‘Seed Project.’ I have time to participate at the end of the month, so I hope you can explain the overall flow of the event in detail. If you can answer my questions, I will join.”

“Certainly. I’ve brought the materials and will explain everything in detail now. Please feel free to raise any questions along the way.”

Chi Yi took a tablet from her bag and meticulously explained the latest proposed flow of the auction, including the list of participating artists. At the end, Chi Yi looked at Huang Xinxi and said, “Teacher Huang, are there any details you’d like to know more about?”

“Can I ask a question that’s somewhat of a side note?” Huang Xinxi smiled. “I see many artists participating, and I know you have a very good relationship with Cheng Yixin—you two are on the trending list quite often. Why isn’t she participating?”

“Does Teacher Huang also follow gossip?” Chi Yi smiled back but answered nonetheless. “Because her schedule conflicts with the event, she won’t be attending in person, but she will be donating an auction item.”

Huang Xinxi nodded, stared at the tablet screen, hesitated for a moment, and continued: “Before coming here, I searched for information about your foundation online. I know that you, President Chi, have been quietly doing charity work for several years. This is a path many entrepreneurs find difficult to stick to and a difficult choice to make.”

“Of course, there have been news reports of charity organizations being exposed for corruption or embezzling public funds, with many people using the public’s kindness to make huge profits.”

“Can you tell me why you decided to do charity?” she asked. “With your status and wealth, you could easily stay out of it, driving luxury cars and living in villas; no matter how poor others are, it would have nothing to do with you. Yet, you personally handle the aid projects in mountainous areas and even go on inspection trips yourself.”

She paused and added, “I’m sorry, I speak quite directly. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

What followed was a long silence from Chi Yi. After a good while, she spoke: “Because… I died once.”

A look of surprise crossed Huang Xinxi’s face.

“Someone saved me, pulled me out of the mire, and told me to become a very powerful person. I didn’t know what kind of person counted as ‘powerful’ until my teens, when I met someone in a chat group. He told me his family was poor and he couldn’t afford the tuition for university, so I transferred the money to him.”

“He disappeared as soon as he got the money. There was no doubt he was a scammer, using people’s empathy to commit fraud online. In the end, he was caught, and the money was returned.”

“But the moment I transferred the money to him, the thought that someone who was about to drop out would have a different life because of my help… that sense of accomplishment made me very proud. From then on, I started learning about this field.”

Huang Xinxi let out a soft laugh. “You’re a bit innocent.”

“Perhaps,” Chi Yi smiled as well. “When I was very young, as you said, I was well-off. That sum of money meant nothing to me if I gave it away. It wasn’t until I learned more that I realized what I considered unimportant was a burden too heavy to bear for impoverished families.”

“And you?” Chi Yi turned the topic back to Huang Xinxi. “Before coming here, I did my homework too. You are present in almost every major public charity event and charity film. Why is that? Do you hope to gain positive public opinion?”

“Since you know my background, you should know I started as a child star, right?” Huang Xinxi took a slow sip of tea. “My family used to be very poor. Later, when our living conditions improved, my family told me not to forget to give others a hand while living a wealthy life.”

“I approve of your charity philosophy and this project. More so, I hope we can become friends.” Huang Xinxi reached out her hand, and the two shared a brief handshake.

Just as Chi Yi thought the collaboration was set, Huang Xinxi suddenly smiled, and her expression held a hint of deeper meaning.

“I will attend the auction and I’m willing to promote it. But I hope you can agree to one small condition.”

“What is it?”

Huang Xinxi propped her chin on her hand. Her smile was infectious, and her eyes seemed to speak.

“Don’t look at my age; I’m a ‘5G surfer’ too. When your mall put up that outdoor short film for Cheng Yixin and it trended on natural traffic, I was a little bit envious. After all, that’s advertising that even Grace couldn’t buy with a massive budget.” Huang Xinxi then made her request: “Why don’t you sell me an advertisement slot as well?”

“I’m afraid I cannot agree to that,” Chi Yi said, already intending to leave. If this was Huang Xinxi’s condition for collaboration, there was no need to continue the conversation.

“Why?” Huang Xinxi pressed. “If it’s a matter of the advertising fee, you can talk to my advertisers; I’m sure they’d be willing to pay a high price.”

“It’s not about the fee,” Chi Yi paused. “Future City’s advertising prices are higher than other malls, did you know that, Teacher Huang?”

“I did.”

“The advertisement Future City put up for Cheng Yixin wasn’t a commercial collaboration,” Chi Yi said diplomatically. “It was a choice based on my personal feelings.”

“Oh~” Huang Xinxi nodded. “Free things are often the most expensive in the world. I understand what you mean now.”

“Then, about the project…”

“President Chi, if I said I wouldn’t participate unless you sold me an outdoor slot, would you still maintain that attitude?”

“Mhm. I won’t sell it.” Chi Yi’s answer was very blunt. Thinking the collaboration had failed, she stood up to leave. “Then, Teacher Huang, let’s collaborate some other time when there’s a chance.”

“Hey, don’t be in such a rush,” Huang Xinxi waved her hand. “President Chi, I was just testing your attitude. I will definitely attend the auction.” Seeing the confusion on Chi Yi’s face, she explained: “A person with principles is my ideal partner. After all, if one has no principles, it’s easy to do things without a bottom line, especially in charity projects.”

Huang Xinxi reached out her hand once more, and this time, she gave a very firm handshake. She stared at Chi Yi for a moment and said, “Have we met before? I don’t mean on the news.”

“We have,” Chi Yi replied. “Ten years ago.”

“Huh?” Huang Xinxi was stunned, trying hard to remember where her 27-year-old self would have seen her ten years ago. Chi Yi would have been much younger then.

“Teacher Huang, technically, you are my senior schoolmate,” Chi Yi said. “I also graduated from the Affiliated High School, though you graduated much earlier.”

“Ah! Oh!” Now Huang Xinxi remembered, looking very surprised. “I remember ten years ago, the school invited me back for the anniversary. There was a student representative back then who looked very quiet and gentle but wasn’t nervous at all on stage—she even gave her speech without a script. I told my manager then that she would definitely achieve great things in the future. Was that really you?”

Chi Yi nodded. “You were already a very famous actress back then. We only caught a glimpse of you from a distance; it’s normal that you didn’t remember.”

“Then it’s truly fate,” Huang Xinxi was delighted. “I didn’t expect my intuition to be so accurate, little junior.”

That day, Huang Xinxi, who hadn’t updated her Weibo in a month, posted a photo with Chi Yi.

@HuangXinxi: Just found out we met ten years ago! So happy, it must be a very special kind of fate [tongue out emoji].

The fans in the comments immediately recognized the person in the photo as the recent trending favorite, Chi Yi. The fact that they followed each other also hit the trending list.

Teacher Cheng, after reading the trending topics: “?”

She looked at Chi Yi, who was in the kitchen wearing an apron and washing dishes, then glanced at the small bird in the cage on the table. They had consulted a vet during the day, who confirmed the wound was just a scrape and would heal in a few days. The bird stood in its cage, staring at her and tilting its head. Looking at it for a while, the bird she had first thought was “ugly” actually looked quite pleasing to the eye.

“Want to pet it?” Chi Yi, having finished the dishes, came out to see Cheng Yixin sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at the bird and tilting her head in sync with it.

“No, I’m afraid it’ll peck me.”

Chi Yi smiled and reached out to pull her up. “The floor is cold, don’t sit there.”

The TV was playing a drama, but Cheng Yixin’s attention wasn’t on the screen. She tilted her head to look at Chi Yi and asked, “How did the talk with Huang Xinxi go today?”

“Very well. She agreed to participate in the auction.”

“Oh,” she said with a hint of hidden meaning. “I saw the trending list; the marketing accounts noticed you followed each other.”

“Yes, we followed each other after we finished this afternoon. Talking to her went more smoothly than I expected; she’s very easygoing.”

Seeing that Chi Yi didn’t seem to get her point, she said directly: “What was with that Weibo post from Huang Xinxi?”

“What?” Chi Yi asked, opening Weibo to check. She quickly explained, “We graduated from the same high school. Ten years ago, she came back for the anniversary while I was a student. We met once.”

“Ten years ago you…” Cheng Yixin thought for a moment. “Fifteen? You were just starting high school.”

“Yes, tenth grade.”

“Back then… I was already in twelfth grade.”

Thinking that Chi Yi and Huang Xinxi had met ten years ago while she was busy with the college entrance exams in another city made her feel a little bit “sour.” The 15-year-old Chi Yi and the 27-year-old Huang Xinxi… back then, Huang Xinxi was already as high-profile as she was now—no, the 27-year-old Huang Xinxi had already won major awards.

“What are you thinking about?” Seeing her dazed, Chi Yi poked her cheek with her index finger.

Cheng Yixin caught her finger, her gaze settling on Chi Yi’s face and lingering in her eyes. The atmosphere slowly shifted. Cheng Yixin moved her face closer, proactively taking Chi Yi’s soft lips and teasing her over and over. She pressed one knee into the seat cushion, rising slightly as her body slowly pressed down over Chi Yi.

With her other hand cupping Chi Yi’s face, the other understood. Chi Yi leaned back, her shoulders against the sofa, looking up at her with clear eyes that were obedient and submissive.

“Chirp, chirp.” The bird in the cage flapped its wings and called out. Cheng Yixin turned to see the bird tilting its head and watching them, its tiny eyes full of curiosity.

“Little thing, curiosity will be the death of you,” Teacher Cheng said solemnly. She took the blanket from the sofa and covered the cage, then turned back to start unbuttoning the President’s clothes.

At the same time, she lowered her head to Chi Yi’s neck and gave the tiny mole there a little suck. Feeling it wasn’t enough, she applied a bit more pressure, causing Chi Yi’s body to shiver slightly and break out in goosebumps.

“So sensitive here,” she laughed softly, her index finger tracing the slightly reddened skin. She looked up, meeting Chi Yi’s eyes.

Everything was understood without words.

The web drama required scenes at a “prince’s manor.” After confirming Cheng Yixin’s schedule, the director immediately arranged the shoot. The traditional courtyard Chi Yi lent them was magnificent, with front and back gardens; such a courtyard in Jingning was priceless and rarely seen on the market.

Due to the exquisite luxury of the filming location, some staff member leaked a “behind-the-scenes” photo. The person who posted it was so excited they even mentioned that Chi Yi had lent the venue for free just for Cheng Yixin’s shoot. Once posted, it was immediately shared to the Weibo CP Super-Topic.

Originally, it was just fans enjoying the “sweetness,” and the management company wouldn’t bother with such harmless leaks. That was until a self-proclaimed “industry staffer”—actually a paparazzi—leaked a rumor on a forum.

A famous actress, who claims to be straight and has “heterosexual CPs” all over the place, is actually a lesbian. The CP rumors are all just to hype up her dramas. She is currently dating a wealthy female girlfriend worth over a hundred million. Her ex-girlfriend was a second-generation rich girl; both are very beautiful.

As soon as this “melon” dropped, netizens swarmed to follow and ask for details. Seeing the attention, the paparazzi continued to drop clues.

She only became famous in the last two years and is a near-A-lister. After the netizens narrowed the scope, he further claimed to have photographic evidence.

A group of netizens scanned the entertainment industry and eventually concluded that the actress was Cheng Yixin. Her frequent interactions with Chi Yi fit the “wealthy girlfriend” description, and combined with the Future City video and the free loan of the expensive courtyard, all signs led the netizens to believe the paparazzi was indeed talking about Cheng Yixin.

The paparazzi seemed determined to expose her. Xinyu Media’s PR department couldn’t contact him directly, and a check of the IP address showed it was overseas; it looked like he didn’t want a private settlement. The matter fermented for a few days until, under the public’s intense demand, the paparazzi finally released a set of photos.

Within half an hour of the photos being released, Cheng Yixin was called back to the company urgently. When she walked into Fang Yuhan’s office, Fang was alone; Li Wenjing was not there. Suddenly, she felt a bit apprehensive.

“Manager… President Fang,” Cheng Yixin walked over.

“Sit.” Fang Yuhan pointed to the chair across from her desk, her face showing signs of exhaustion. “Yixin, I’ve been busy with the trainees these past few months and haven’t kept a close eye on your situation.” Fang Yuhan paused, her expression turning grave. “Can you tell me what this is all about?”

The paparazzi had sent high-definition negatives of the photos leaked on the forum, but for photos that were already public, the negatives were no longer important.

“I thought you and Chi Yi were just good friends.” Fang Yuhan looked at the photos spread out on the desk. They were from when Chi Yi went to the hotel to see Cheng Yixin, showing them on the beach.

The first photo showed them walking hand-in-hand on the sand. The second showed Cheng Yixin squatting to put shoes on Chi Yi. The third was of Cheng Yixin carrying Chi Yi on her back, showing them kissing. Although the angle was a bit unclear and the quality was poor, one could roughly deduce they were kissing on the lips.

The first two could be explained away, but in the third, they were indeed kissing.

“We are indeed dating.”

“For how long?”

“Since… after Feng Siqi’s birthday party.”

Fang Yuhan’s eyebrows knitted together instantly, and her voice rose several decibels. “Why didn’t you tell me something this important sooner?!”

Sooner? Back then, she and Chi Yi weren’t even in a proper relationship; it had started as a messy hook-up out of her own desire for revenge. Come to think of it… she and Chi Yi had never officially confirmed their feelings, yet it was already an unspoken understanding.

In a situation like this, Cheng Yixin actually found herself dazing.

“Yixin!” Fang Yuhan’s voice snapped her back.

“Sorry, President Fang, I dazed off for a second.”

Fang Yuhan rubbed her forehead and sighed. “The public opinion is currently very unfavorable to you. Everyone is talking about you being a ‘lesbian posing as straight’ to hype CPs. It has already affected the ratings for Moonlight Journey.”

“But there are also people wishing us well and hoping it’s true…” Cheng Yixin countered softly.

“Looking at you, do you still want to go public?”

“…” Cheng Yixin thought about it seriously and said, “President Fang, you know my sexual orientation. I’m not interested in men. I cooperated with the CPs the company arranged, but if I keep lying, the backlash will only be worse when things go south.”

“The atmosphere in the industry is actually better than before. Not long ago, didn’t another actor come out on a livestream? Everyone wished him well…”

“You can come out,” Fang Yuhan said categorically. “But not now.”

Cheng Yixin instinctively frowned.

Fang Yuhan sighed again, her tone softening. “Yixin, you know the company signed a ‘betting agreement’ this year. If you admit to being gay at this critical juncture, it will have a huge impact on the company. And those endorsements you have—if things go wrong, you could be sued for astronomical breach-of-contract fees. All the money you’ve made these past few years would be gone!”

“But I…” Cheng Yixin felt a surge of frustration and wanted to argue back, but she opened her mouth and didn’t know what to say.

Logically, Fang Yuhan was the boss who made her famous; many company resources had been poured into her, and she needed to give back. Emotionally, Fang Yuhan was her senior; in the years since she joined Xinyu Media, she had been given the best treatment and never forced into any undesirable social engagements.

“It’s normal to want to date and have emotional needs; the company doesn’t interfere with artists’ relationships. But at the very least, do not go public this year. Tone things down with Chi Yi in public. Once the storm passes, continue to build the image of a ‘deep sisterly bond’—as long as no definitive evidence is leaked.”

Cheng Yixin was dazed. After a long while, she said, “Then what about the leaks online?”

“Clarify that you are just good friends and deny the relationship. There is still room to explain those photos. A few days after the clarification, it will blow over.”

Seeing her frown in hesitation, Fang Yuhan added: “Yixin, I know you can be impulsive in certain matters, but this time, you have to consider not just your own situation, but Chi Yi’s as well.”

“Yixin Trading is currently preparing for an IPO. Any bad news at this juncture will affect her career. And I remember she’s preparing for a charity auction, right? If you push her into the eye of the storm now, it will do only harm and no good.”

“In this industry, only when you have a solid footing can you achieve true freedom and not fear the judgment of others. Clearly, you haven’t reached that point yet.” Fang Yuhan said solemnly, “If you’re not satisfied, keep climbing. Don’t let your rivals pull you down.”

Cheng Yixin remained silent, her mood sinking.

After another moment, Fang Yuhan took her silence as acquiescence and said, “I’ve invited some reporters for a press conference in an hour to clarify. As for Chi Yi, I’ll communicate with her. I believe she can understand your situation.”

“Yixin,” Fang Yuhan called her name.

Cheng Yixin looked up blankly.

“She has to become a secret.”