Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 47

The elderly father’s surgery had failed, and he was transferred to the ICU.

Upon seeing this news, Cheng Yixin’s heart leaped into her throat, and she subconsciously knitted her brows. The ICU meant having one foot in the grave.

She didn’t know how to comfort the family of a patient whose surgery had failed. Her fingers tapped out a few sentences on the keyboard, only to delete them. In a situation like this, any words of comfort from an outsider felt hollow.

After thinking for a long time, she chose not to reply. She simply wasn’t good at consoling people.

That night, Cheng Yixin had a dream. She dreamed of an old man who, because his family was too poor to afford medical bills, could only wait for death at home with no one to handle his funeral arrangements. She didn’t know why she had such a dream, but it was likely influenced by “LifeLikeGe” before she fell asleep.

When she woke up, Cheng Yixin stared at the ceiling in a daze, feeling a heavy blockage in her chest. What would Chi Yi do? She would probably be much better at comforting people.

Throughout the morning, she wavered on whether to reply to “LifeLikeGe” with some encouraging words to help him pull through.

“Sister Yixin, are you in a bad mood today?” Xiao Yu couldn’t help but ask, as Yixin’s worry was far too obvious.

“I’m alright. It’s not really a mood thing.” Cheng Yixin paused, then told Xiao Yu about the fan who had been private messaging her to pour out his troubles. Finally, she asked, “Am I being too cold-blooded?”

“Not at all,” Xiao Yu said. “It’s precisely because your empathy is so strong that you think this way. You feel your words can’t truly help, yet you constantly want to do something—doesn’t that prove how kind-hearted you are?”

“Actually, I think that for a fan, even if words of comfort don’t offer practical help, they would be very happy just to receive them. They’d even think how wonderful it is to support a star who is such a kind person.”

“Many stars’ Weibos are managed by agencies; very few actually reply, and some don’t even look at them. I believe your words will definitely touch him and help him crawl out of his slump!”

Cheng Yixin thought it over and decided Xiao Yu was right. She sent a paragraph of comfort to “LifeLikeGe.”

The person on the other end seemed to be online 24 hours a day and replied almost instantly. This time, besides text, there was a photo. It was a middle-aged woman with salt-and-pepper hair, leaning against the glass window of the ICU to look at her husband.

[LifeLikeGe]: Yixin, thank you so much for encouraging me. To be honest, I didn’t think you would reply, let alone be so patient in comforting me. In my darkest moments, I thought about giving up, but the person lying in that bed is my father. He worked so hard to raise me, and he hasn’t even seen me get married or have children yet. I’m just not willing to let go.

[LifeLikeGe]: But my dad’s situation is very bad. He’s already on an artificial lung (ECMO). The initial setup fee alone was over 60,000 yuan, and the daily base treatment cost is 20,000. We’ve borrowed from every relative who would lend us money; now, no one even dares to answer our calls. Selling oranges through livestreams is so hard; I can’t see any hope. I want to give up. Sometimes I really envy stars like you—you’re loved by so many people and have no worries. If there’s a next life, I truly hope to be an outstanding and warm person like you. Thank you for always encouraging and comforting me.

“…” After reading this long message, Cheng Yixin’s heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously worried that the pressure of his father’s failed surgery might drive him to do something drastic.

Looking at the woman in the photo again, she realized profoundly what it meant when people said “fate picks on the unfortunate.” Even when someone tries their hardest to survive, tragedies keep striking, driving them to despair.

When she returned to the company, Li Wenjing was in a meeting. She knocked on the door. “Sister Wenjing, I have something to talk to you about.”

Seeing her solemn expression, Li Wenjing was startled, thinking something major had happened. She quickly dismissed the others in the meeting and told Yixin to sit down.

“What is it? That face is terrifying.”

Cheng Yixin detailed Liu Min’s situation to Li Wenjing and showed her the chat logs.

“What does this last part mean? Is he going to do something reckless?” Li Wenjing expressed the same concern.

“I don’t know,” Cheng Yixin shook her head. She hadn’t replied yet.

Li Wenjing said rationally, “In a case like this, where a major surgery fails and the patient is in the ICU, truthfully, there’s often no point in further treatment. Borrowing more money just leads to a dead end, and the survivors still have to live their lives.”

“I know. But—” Cheng Yixin frowned. “The family members usually understand that logic, yet they simply can’t give up. That’s their relative. Giving up leads to a lifetime of guilt, but fighting for them—even if it drains every penny—at least leaves them with a clear conscience later on.”

She thought back to when her maternal grandfather was ill. Some relatives advised them to give up because the medical bills were a bottomless pit. But her mother and her siblings went home to care for him, putting in both money and effort. Even though they couldn’t save him, at least on the day of the funeral, the children could hold their heads high.

Because she could empathize, she wanted to help Liu Min as much as possible.

“So, what do you want to do?” Li Wenjing asked.

“What can I do?” Cheng Yixin asked back.

Li Wenjing thought carefully and replied, “Forget about crowdfunding. If it’s not handled perfectly, it could be labeled as illegal fundraising. Plus, too much outside attention isn’t great for the patient’s family.”

“Isn’t he selling oranges? It’s peak season, and they should be sweet and delicious. Maybe you can consider helping him sell his backlog. First, it counts as supporting rural farmers. Second, it’s a standard commercial transaction. You just promote it without handling the money or shipping, so there’s no risk. Your recent romance rumors had some impact; this is a good chance to improve your image and gain public favor.”

“He clears his stock and gets money for his father’s treatment, and you improve your image. It’s a win-win.”

Cheng Yixin pondered for a moment. “Chi Yi said that if you truly want to do something good, you shouldn’t expect a return. So, if he needs it, I can help him sell oranges. But let’s not mention his father’s illness. That would be a psychological burden for the family… why are you laughing?”

“Nothing.” Li Wenjing pursed her lips. “I just feel that since you started dating Chi Yi, you’ve changed a lot. Your thoughts have become much softer.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“A good thing, of course,” Li Wenjing said. “Being with the right person makes you a better version of yourself. That’s a rare thing.”

With Li Wenjing’s support, Yixin handed over her phone to let her contact “LifeLikeGe.” As it turned out, his thoughts aligned with theirs.

Upon hearing that Cheng Yixin was willing to help, he was overwhelmed with gratitude, his voice cracking with emotion over the phone. He genuinely wanted Yixin to help him sell the backlog of oranges, and he was willing to sell them at a price lower than the market rate.

Li Wenjing rejected that point. They would sell at the normal online price—not higher than the market, but not lower either—while ensuring the quality of the fruit.

Liu Min wanted to send her a free box of oranges to taste, but she refused. Cheng Yixin insisted on paying for them herself.

Only after seeing that Liu Min had accepted the payment did Li Wenjing breathe a sigh of relief. “We’ll wait for the oranges to arrive and see the quality. If it’s poor… then forget it. The prerequisite for doing a good deed is not making the fans pay the price.”

Cheng Yixin nodded. She felt the same. “If the quality is good, we’ll move to the next step of verification.”

She wrote down the list of things to verify on paper: Conduct a field inspection of the orchard to see if the quality is consistent and the output is sufficient. Check if they have the capacity for high-volume packaging and shipping. Also, visit the hospital to confirm Liu Min’s father’s situation and offer condolences.

“Not bad,” Li Wenjing smiled. “Very comprehensive. You can’t leave right now, and his place is thousands of kilometers from Jingning, so I’ll send someone to check things out.”

“There are too many scammers these days; we have to be cautious.”

Two days later, the express delivery from Liu Min arrived. The oranges inside were all plump, sweet, and juicy. They came in small, medium, and large sizes; even the smallest were larger than those in supermarkets. The quality was excellent.

“His pricing is a 5-catty (2.5kg) minimum. Small fruit for 39.8, medium for 45.8, and large for 49.9. What do you think?” Li Wenjing ate a slice. Eating one in this season was cool and refreshing.

“The cheapest is 8 yuan per catty… isn’t that a bit expensive?” Cheng Yixin asked.

“These are from the original source. Supermarket oranges right now are 5 or 6 yuan per catty and aren’t this big. Plus, online prices include shipping, so it’s naturally more expensive. Personally, I find this quality acceptable. I compared it to others, and famous agriculture bloggers sell at similar prices,” Li Wenjing explained.

Cheng Yixin tried one. The taste was indeed great—sweet and full of juice.

“Alright.” Cheng Yixin was convinced. Since the fruit was high quality, she decided to help him. She kept some for use during the livestream.

“I’ll send someone to fly over to Liu Min’s place immediately to verify everything. Once confirmed, we’ll schedule the livestream,” Li Wenjing said. “Don’t worry too much. If this sale goes well, Liu Min can build up some repeat customers for next year. It’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. This is all we can do. It’s up to him to seize the opportunity.”

Cheng Yixin nodded.

“Alright, go home and rest early. You have a show to record tomorrow.”

When Cheng Yixin got home, the house across the way was still dark. Chi Yi hadn’t returned. She wouldn’t be coming back tonight; the auction was tomorrow, and the artists were staying at a hotel. Chi Yi was staying there too to make tomorrow’s work easier.

Cheng Yixin showered and went to bed early. She saw a message from Chi Yi saying the hotel was very lively; the artists had organized their own entertainment, and she had been dragged into a game of “Fight the Landlord.” It was good that the organizer could bond with the artists.

The other woman was likely in the heat of battle as she hadn’t replied yet. Cheng Yixin decided to browse Weibo for real-time trending topics.

The charity auction hosted by the Yixin Foundation was officially starting tomorrow. The guest list released today was so star-studded it had already hit the trending searches. Some artists already at the hotel were posting related updates. It was as lively as the night before a major awards ceremony.

As she scrolled, a message from Song Zheng popped up.

[Song Zheng]: Oh my god, I’ve lost four rounds, and she hasn’t lost even once!

The attached photo showed Chi Yi holding playing cards, tidying them up. Even in a still photo, Yixin could imagine Chi Yi’s methodical way of playing.

[Cheng Yixin]: You guys are playing cards?

[Song Zheng]: Wait a sec, I’m about to lose this round. I’ll talk to you in a bit.

[Cheng Yixin]: …

She waited a while until Song Zheng, who had lost and was knocked out of the game, called. Her high-pitched voice came through as soon as the call connected.

“Yixin! My dream has come true!”

“What?”

“I’m actually sitting at a table playing cards with my goddess! Coming here was definitely the right choice!”

“Your goddess is Chi Yi? Since when?”

The other end went silent for two seconds. “It’s Huang Xinxi! Huang Xinxi—!”

Once Huang Xinxi was mentioned, Song Zheng was unstoppable: “Let me tell you, I thought a legendary senior like her wouldn’t pay us any mind, but up close, she is so nice! She was worried we’d be uncomfortable, so she took the initiative to play with us. She doesn’t put on airs at all. I finally know why she’s so popular with the public—who wouldn’t love someone so beautiful and considerate?”

“Oh~” Cheng Yixin nodded. “I’ve never met her, but she does have a great reputation. I wish I could have attended.”

“You had a prior engagement, nothing to be done~ I thought an event with so many artists would be awkward, but it’s actually quite fun. Like a company retreat. The room assignments didn’t feel hierarchical either. I even exchanged WeChat with [Artist Name].”

“That’s good,” Cheng Yixin smiled.

“Why don’t you come over and play? It’s very lively here. The host set up a private entertainment room in the hotel. You could meet a lot of artists.”

“Nah, I’m not in the event tomorrow. I’ll join the fun some other time.”

After chatting with Song Zheng, Chi Yi’s video call came in. Naturally, she ditched Song Zheng to answer it.

“Were you on the phone?” Chi Yi appeared on the screen, her background looking like her own hotel room.

“Yeah, with Song Zheng. She told me she’s having a great time and made new friends.”

“That’s good. At least she’s gaining something from it.” Chi Yi smiled. “The auction starts tomorrow. I’m a little nervous.”

“Even our President Chi gets nervous?” Cheng Yixin teased.

“If Teacher Cheng gave me some encouragement, maybe I wouldn’t be.”

“So you were waiting for me to say that,” Cheng Yixin laughed. “How do you want me to encourage you? How about a kiss?”

“Okay.”

Cheng Yixin blew a kiss at the camera, just as the doorbell rang on the other end.

“Hold on, let me check.” Chi Yi took the phone to the door and opened it with her other hand.

Yixin heard Huang Xinxi’s voice: “You forgot your jacket. I was heading back to my room and brought it over for you.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Nervous about your speech tomorrow?”

“Maybe a little. I’ll keep practicing.”

Huang Xinxi gave a light laugh. “It’s fine. I’m here; I’ve got your back.”

The two exchanged a few more words for less than a minute before the door closed.

“What about you?” Their conversation resumed. Chi Yi asked, “I remember your work tomorrow is recording a variety show… a debate competition.”

“Yeah. The topic is ‘Is a long-term prayer/wish a sign of a “Top” (Dominant) personality?’ It’s so obviously a ‘yes,’ yet we still have to debate it. So boring.”

“Finding the ‘no’ within a ‘yes’—that’s what makes a debate interesting.”

Listening to Chi Yi’s voice, Cheng Yixin’s sleepiness began to take over. She forgot what they talked about toward the end and fell asleep with her eyes half-closed. On the other end, hearing no response and only the faint, rhythmic sound of breathing, Chi Yi realized she had fallen asleep again. She couldn’t help but smile and whispered a soft “Goodnight.”

The auction was set for the afternoon, as was the variety show recording, which meant Cheng Yixin couldn’t watch the livestream. Before the recording, she repeatedly reminded Xiao Yu to screen-record the entire auction so she could watch it when she got back.

The production team assigned a private dressing room to each guest. Cheng Yixin had known who the other guests were beforehand, but seeing Lu Qing in the guest seats made her freeze.

The assistant director explained to her: “Teacher Zhang was feeling unwell today, so President Lu attended in his place.” Then, in a whisper, he added, “One of the contestants is under Lu Qing’s agency.”

So, as a boss, attending as a guest was normal. Moreover, Lu Qing had produced several famous influencers, so he had his own share of fame. And for some reason—coincidence or otherwise—Cheng Yixin’s seat was right next to Lu Qing’s.

“What a coincidence,” Lu Qing smiled at her. “I haven’t seen you since the Grace Gala. You must have been quite troubled by your relationship being exposed recently?”

“Don’t trouble yourself over my affairs,” Cheng Yixin said with a fake smile.

Once all the guests were seated, the show officially began. The debaters took the stage, and the host announced the topic.

However, the topic wasn’t the one from the script. The director had changed it at the last minute based on recent social news:

[Should a romantic relationship be between equals of the same social standing?]