Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 46

The fan hadn’t expected Cheng Yixin to reply. They sent back a long paragraph of text, essentially saying that even though life was bitter, they would pull themselves together for the sake of their family.

They also mentioned that Cheng Yixin had brought them good luck; they had sold several orders of oranges through their livestream, which gave them hope for the family’s stagnant stock. Their father was scheduled for surgery in a few days, and they hoped everything would go smoothly.

Cheng Yixin felt a wave of emotion after reading this. Regarding her career as an actress, she hoped to bring positive hope to her fans.

She then clicked into the fan’s profile. The ID was “LifeLikeGe.” The most recent posts were links to livestreams, and further back was a link to a mutual aid crowdfunding platform.

After a moment’s thought, she clicked the link. The homepage contained a self-introduction by the fan, who explained that his name was “Liu Min” and he was an only child. His parents were farmers who had worked hard most of their lives to put him through school. Now that he was working, they should have been at an age to enjoy their retirement.

However, his father had been diagnosed with cancer. Such a severe illness brought additional misery to an already struggling family. To make matters worse, his mother had congenital health issues; due to his father’s illness, she seemed to have aged several years overnight and had to stay at the hospital around the clock to provide care. The astronomical medical bills had left the family heavily in debt, and they hoped kind-hearted people could help.

Cheng Yixin considered the situation. The family information disclosed on the crowdfunding site matched what “LifeLikeGe” had told her in the private messages. There was also a pathology report for Liu Min’s father, which basically confirmed that the illness was real.

For a moment, she felt heartache for this stranger, but more so, she admired how a young man in his twenties could face such a domestic blow with a positive attitude. She thought that if she were in his shoes, she would also hope for someone to lend a helping hand.

Even though Liu Min hadn’t explicitly asked for her help, Cheng Yixin wanted to do something—even if it just gave this flickering household a glimmer of hope.

She originally thought about “liking” the crowdfunding post on Weibo, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Whether she donated or not, she couldn’t let other fans foot the bill on her behalf.

Instead, she made an anonymous donation to Liu Min on the platform. Watching the raised amount jump from four digits to five, her heart felt a little lighter. She hoped her modest contribution would slightly ease the family’s burden.

Cheng Yixin soon put the donation out of her mind as life continued its steady pace. During this time, Chi Yi was extremely busy preparing for the charity auction, often working overtime, so the two of them communicated mostly through WeChat.

“Yixin, there’s a change in the platform’s plans. Tonight’s livestream is canceled.”

“Oh!” Cheng Yixin immediately perked up. “So I don’t have work tonight?”

Li Wenjing nodded and looked at her. “Are you going on a date?”

“I don’t know,” she smiled. “I’ll ask Chi Yi if she has to work late.”

“Speaking of which, the auction is coming up soon. President Chi must be very busy these days.”

“Yeah, she’s been coming home at nine or ten lately. We haven’t seen each other in days,” Cheng Yixin replied.

“Is she really working overtime?”

Cheng Yixin laughed. “What else would she be doing? From your tone, do you think she’s having an affair?”

“With President Chi’s character, an affair is obviously impossible,” Li Wenjing smiled. “However, a couple of days ago, I saw a marketing account post photos of her and Huang Xinxi going to a KTV.”

“Those marketing accounts are so boring. They make a big deal out of someone just going to sing at a KTV.” Cheng Yixin rolled her eyes, her tone full of indifference, but Chi Yi actually hadn’t told her about going to the KTV with Huang Xinxi.

Even if she did go, it was nothing. Just relaxing after work, Cheng Yixin comforted herself.

When she got home, it was just getting dark. The house across from hers was pitch black; President Chi had once again failed to get home on time. After thinking for a bit, she sent a message asking if she was working late again.

[Cheng Yixin]: There was supposed to be a livestream today, but the brand canceled at the last minute. I’m so bored at home.

[Chi Yi]: I should be finished with things in about half an hour. Want to have dinner together?

Cheng Yixin perked up and immediately agreed. Unable to wait for Chi Yi to finish work and drive over, she opened a ride-hailing app. There were three people in the queue ahead of her.

[Cheng Yixin]: I’m calling a car now. I estimate I can be at your office building in 40 minutes.

[Chi Yi]: Does it take that long?

The drive from Junshan District to the office was only 20 minutes, but the app’s estimate included the driver’s arrival time plus the queue, so it naturally took longer.

[Chi Yi]: Do you know how to drive?

Cheng Yixin usually took the company van or Chi Yi’s car; she had never been seen driving herself, which is why Chi Yi asked.

The answer was yes. It was just that with a driver provided for work, and the hassle of car maintenance, she felt it was more convenient to call a car, so she didn’t own one herself.

Seeing her answer, Chi Yi told her to take one of her cars.

“???” Cheng Yixin looked around the empty spots in front of Chi Yi’s door. Where was a car?

A few seconds later, Chi Yi called her directly to guide her to the garage. Cheng Yixin walked around the perimeter of the villa to the back and discovered for the first time that Chi Yi had an underground garage. Ridiculous!

The entrance used an electric lift gate. She entered the code to open it, and as the gate slowly rose, the lights inside the parking lot turned on automatically.

The entire underground floor was filled with luxury cars. She had only seen this many expensive sports cars at high-end auto shows. One of them was even a Bugatti that had been borrowed for a shoot once—marketing accounts had leaked that it cost tens of millions before taxes.

Cheng Yixin’s jaw nearly hit the floor, her shock evident.

“These cars… are all yours???” she asked in amazement.

President Chi gave an affirmative “Mm” and added, “They all have license plates and have passed annual inspections. Take whichever one you want. The keys are in the cars.”

Who knew President Chi was such a law-abiding citizen? Despite hiding dozens of luxury cars at home, she usually drove that “shabby” little car. Truly wealthy people always keep a low profile.

In the end, Cheng Yixin picked a more “low-key” SUV. Driving such a massive vehicle gave her a bit of that “one-handed steering” joy.

While waiting at a red light, Cheng Yixin checked the time. Once she passed this light and drove another two hundred meters, she’d be at the company. Just then, Chi Yi called to ask where she was, worried she wouldn’t be used to driving herself after being a passenger for so long.

“It’s been a while, so I’m a bit rusty,” Cheng Yixin joked. “I’m driving so slowly, I’m a little scared. What if I mistake the gas for the brake and hit a pillar?”

She expected Chi Yi to offer some comforting words and tell her to take her time, but the other woman’s tone suddenly became serious. “Pull over. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Huh?”

“Where are you now?”

Sensing that Chi Yi was genuinely worried, she hurriedly said, “No, no, I was joking! I’m at a red light now, only two hundred meters away. The navigation says two minutes.”

“…You aren’t lying to me, are you?” Chi Yi’s voice held a hint of hesitation, doubting her for the first time.

“Really!” Cheng Yixin said. “I’ll send you a picture of the navigation! Just two hundred meters!”

Chi Yi paused for a few seconds, likely checking her WeChat messages. After a moment, she said, “Then focus on driving. I’m almost finished.”

“Okay, I’ll come straight up to find you~”

The AC wasn’t on in the car, and in her rush to leave, she hadn’t figured out how to adjust the temperature. It was getting a bit stuffy, so Cheng Yixin rolled down the window for some fresh air.

She leaned her head out to breathe. Although the car was very clean and clearly well-maintained, it wasn’t driven often; the smell of cleaning agents was a bit overwhelming after a while, making her head spin.

Click-click-click—

The window of the car in the next lane rolled down halfway, and immediately, someone pointed a camera at her and snapped several photos.

“…” Honestly, the paparazzi’s stalking was getting a bit too blatant.

Cheng Yixin rolled the window back up. The light turned green, and the car soon reached Yixin Trading. She assumed Chi Yi’s license plate would be registered, but she was still stopped by the barrier at the gate.

A security guard quickly stepped out of the booth. Cheng Yixin rolled down the window.

“Oh, it’s Miss Cheng.” Before she could speak, the guard recognized her and greeted her first. “Are you here to see President Chi?”

After she confirmed, the guard quickly pressed the remote to let her through.

“That black car behind me has been following me. Can you remove them?”

The guard glanced at the black car parked a distance behind her. “No problem. Don’t you worry.”

With that, the guard pulled out a walkie-talkie to call for backup. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were getting ready for a fight.

When she got out of the car, Cheng Yixin looked up at the building. Except for the top floor, which was lit, all the other lights were off.

She took the elevator up. When the doors opened, she saw a few people coming out who looked familiar—they were the core members of the Yixin Foundation who had been in Chi Yi’s office the last time she visited.

Seeing her, the man in the lead teased, “You’re here! Baby Chi Yi is in the office~”

Hearing that nickname again, Cheng Yixin didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed before the group laughed and walked away quickly.

How humiliating.

The door to Chi Yi’s office was slightly ajar, and she could faintly hear voices from inside. She knocked once and pushed it open to see Chi Yi standing by the floor-to-ceiling window on the phone.

Turning to see her, Chi Yi waved her over while continuing her conversation. Cheng Yixin heard Chi Yi address the person as “Sister Xinxi”; they seemed to be discussing seating arrangements.

She sat down in President Chi’s executive chair. The leather seat was soft and comfortable, and the height was just right for her feet to touch the floor.

Looking up, she saw Chi Yi watching her. She raised an eyebrow and beckoned her with a finger.

President Chi responded immediately and walked over to her.

She held out her hand, palm up. Chi Yi quickly placed her own hand over hers, interlacing their fingers.

Cheng Yixin couldn’t help but smile. Under the white light, Chi Yi’s hand was even paler than hers, with blue veins clearly visible. She began to play with Chi Yi’s hand. Her thumb lightly pressed against Chi Yi’s wrist to feel her pulse, then she’d hook her fingers when she got bored.

After a while, perhaps out of boredom, she stopped. Looking up again, she saw Chi Yi was still watching her with a smile on her lips, yet she was still able to seriously discuss proposals with the person on the phone—truly a multitasker.

A “wicked” thought suddenly occurred to her. Imitating the seductive manner of a glamorous actress on TV, she lowered her head slightly, looked up at Chi Yi with shimmering eyes, and brought Chi Yi’s hand to her lips.

She lightly bit the knuckle of Chi Yi’s index finger.

She noticed the person who had been speaking suddenly faltered, as if their brain had gone blank. Two or three seconds later, she resumed talking.

Satisfied with President Chi’s reaction, she continued to tease her even more mischievously.

“Mhm, then we’ll arrange it like that.” In the quiet office, she heard Huang Xinxi’s voice over the phone, indicating the call was ending.

Instantly, she let go of Chi Yi’s hand and spun the chair toward the desk, staring at the blank computer screen pretending as if nothing had happened, avoiding any “reckoning” from a certain someone.

The dark, sleeping screen reflected the outline of her face. Cheng Yixin saw Chi Yi put the phone on the desk and lean down slightly, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

She thought Chi Yi was going to bring up her teasing, but the face buried in her neck took a light breath and said, “I’ve missed you so much these past few days.”

“Well, who told you to always work so late?” Cheng Yixin turned the chair slightly to face Chi Yi and patted her head. “The auction date is close; things will get better once the rush is over.”

“After the auction ends, the funds will be used to build a charity primary school. I’ll need to go to Ping County for a while with the team to implement the aid work.” Chi Yi paused. “Probably next month.”

The atmosphere fell into a brief silence. Cheng Yixin hugged Chi Yi gently, enjoying this warm moment.

After a while, Chi Yi said, “Actually, I didn’t have to work overtime the day before yesterday. I planned to find you, but the team suggested taking Huang Xinxi’s team out for a meal, so it turned into overtime.”

Cheng Yixin thought for a second. “Oh, the time the marketing accounts caught you at the KTV?”

“Yes, did you see that?” Chi Yi explained. “There were over a dozen people there that day, but they only reported my name and Huang Xinxi’s to grab attention.”

“Sister Wenjing mentioned it today, so I took a look.” Cheng Yixin joked, “You don’t have to tell me; it’s work, I understand.”

Despite saying that, Cheng Yixin couldn’t deny that hearing Chi Yi’s explanation made her feel much better.

“I don’t have to tell you, but I want to. I was afraid you’d misunderstand.”

“I’m not that narrow-minded.”

Teacher Cheng felt a bit guilty saying that. After all, her “rival” was the goddess Huang Xinxi, who had countless fans. But since it was Chi Yi, she could rest easy.

“Speaking of which…” Cheng Yixin suddenly remembered the fan’s private message. Several days had passed. “LifeLikeGe” had messaged her last week; if she remembered correctly, his father’s surgery was supposed to be these few days.

Chi Yi had heard about Liu Min’s situation. She thought for a moment and said cautiously, “Being willing to help people is a good thing, but you must distinguish whether it’s a scam. Nowadays, some scammers specifically exploit people’s kindness to make money.”

“It shouldn’t be…” Since it came from Chi Yi’s mouth—and an insider would know more about the realities of charity than she did—the warning carried weight. She opened the crowdfunding page to show her.

“It looks like a legitimate website,” Chi Yi said. “If you want to help him, after verifying the facts, go through the website or donate privately. But whatever you do, do not share this link on your Weibo. If anything goes wrong, it will affect you.”

“True. I originally wanted to ‘like’ it,” Cheng Yixin said. “But then I thought the exposure wouldn’t be good, so I didn’t.”

“You have a good sense of crisis management,” Chi Yi smiled.

“You bet.” Teacher Cheng tilted her head proudly. “Now let’s go eat. I’m starving waiting for you.”

Cheng Yixin had work scheduled for the next morning. After dinner, they both went home to rest. Before going to sleep, she checked Weibo.

After several days, “LifeLikeGe” had sent another private message.

However, it wasn’t the “all clear” she had hoped for. The elderly father’s surgery had failed.