Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 49

The moment their eyes met, Chi Yi blinked. She was the first to speak, sounding puzzled. “Why are you here?”

“Just passing by on a walk.” Cheng Yixin didn’t throw Si Wen under the bus. She took a few steps into the kitchen and added, “Are you surprised to see me?”

“No. I just thought you were asleep.”

“What made you think that?” Cheng Yixin teased, though she actually had just woken up.

“When I came back, I saw only the nightlight in the second-floor room was on. Given the time, I assumed you’d turned in.”

“You’re quite the detective.” She shot Chi Yi a playful look and walked over to peer into the wok on the stove. It was empty; nothing had been added yet, but there was an egg sitting on the counter. “What delicious thing are you planning to make? A midnight snack at this hour?”

Standing close, she could smell the scent of alcohol on Chi Yi. it was quite strong, but from her expression, it seemed she had mostly just been soaked in the atmosphere of the party rather than being truly wasted.

“I was too busy talking to people tonight to eat much. I got home and felt hungry, so I thought I’d boil some noodles,” Chi Yi paused and asked, “Do you want some? I’ll cook for you.”

Cheng Yixin remembered she hadn’t eaten dinner yet. At the mention of it, her stomach began to growl.

“Sure.” She readily agreed, then turned to scan Chi Yi’s face, noticing the slight exhaustion. “How about I do it? You take a break.”

Chi Yi hesitated. “…Do you know how?”

“No, but you can tell me what to do.” With that, Cheng Yixin rolled up her sleeves and took the spatula from her hand. “Alright, tell me, what’s the plan?”

Chi Yi was worried about Yixin’s skills, but seeing her so energized, she didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm. She stood to the side, ceding the stove to Cheng Yixin. “Fry the eggs first. Turn on the heat, add oil, and once the oil is hot, crack the eggs in. Flip them once they’ve set.”

Chi Yi was worried about oil splashes burning her, but Teacher Cheng performed admirably. She fried two poached eggs and then added boiling water to make the broth.

The water came back to a boil quickly, but Chi Yi wasn’t in a rush for the next step. she covered the pot and turned the heat to medium to let the broth continue to simmer.

During the wait, Cheng Yixin asked, “Boiling water makes it faster, right?”

“Sort of,” Chi Yi said. “Mainly, using boiling water makes the broth turn milky white, which looks more appetizing. Cold water can do it too, but it takes much longer. So I usually use boiling water.”

Teacher Cheng applied the logic: “So that milky white fish soup you made… you used boiling water for that too?”

“It seems interesting. I’ll try making it myself next time.”

While they talked, the egg soup turned white. Cheng Yixin uncovered the pot, and Chi Yi brought out frozen shrimp and washed greens from the fridge. A simple seafood and egg noodle dish was born under Teacher Cheng’s direct supervision.

For the sake of presentation, she specifically placed the fried eggs and shrimp on top of the noodles. The white broth looked incredibly appetizing. Thinking about how she had made this herself, Cheng Yixin felt a small sense of accomplishment and immediately took a photo.

Chi Yi glanced at her. Her phone screen showed the Weibo edit page. “Posting to Weibo?”

“Yeah.” Cheng Yixin was a bit proud. “First time making noodles, and they look and taste great. I’m a little genius!”

As they ate, Chi Yi spoke about the auction results. It had gone much better than she expected, and everyone was happy. The auction business was finally wrapped up, so she could relax a bit.

“Do you have time in the next few days?” When she asked this, Chi Yi’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Want to go somewhere for a walk?”

“I’m quite busy lately.” Cheng Yixin looked troubled. Between her current commitments and the fact that she was entering a film set in a month—meaning she’d be long-distance with Chi Yi for two or three months—she felt a bit stressed.

Chi Yi nodded and didn’t say more, looking visibly disappointed.

Cheng Yixin finished her meal, put down her chopsticks, and looked at Chi Yi. “Do you ever feel that dating an artist is exhausting? There are so many restrictions, we can’t even have a normal date. I’m on a break now, doing side jobs, but once I get really busy, I’ll be flying everywhere.”

“Waiting is also a process of accumulating anticipation. Like coins in a piggy bank—a little at a time, until you break it open and see a full jar, which brings great joy.”

“I have a goal: I want to win Best Actress at a film festival,” Cheng Yixin said on a whim. “Once I get that award, I’ll consider my life goal achieved. At that moment, I want to announce to the world immediately that I have a girlfriend who loves and supports me!”

This award was very difficult for her; she hadn’t even received a nomination invitation yet. After speaking so excitedly, she felt like one of those bosses who “paints a big picture” (makes empty promises) for their employees.

Chi Yi smiled. “Okay.”

After finishing the noodles, Chi Yi washed the dishes while Cheng Yixin took the time to check Weibo. The comments were all praising her noodle-making skills, saying it looked delicious.

As she scrolled, she subconsciously clicked into the “Yixin Yiyi” Super Topic. The “shipping” fans would never guess that the subject herself came here every other day to enjoy the “candy.”

Today, the Super Topic was peaceful. On the real-time feed, a fanfiction writer was updating a story, and it was quite well-written. Cheng Yixin clicked in to read the update.

That was a mistake. One look at the comments, and she was nearly fuming. Because the author interacted frequently with the commenters, they were all quite familiar and often joked around.

@CoffeeCoffeeTea: Next door at the “Xin Yi Connected” (Chi Yi x Huang Xinxi) topic, the bed is practically shaking apart! Meanwhile, our certain someone is still eating noodles. At her age, how can she have the heart to just eat!

@BigBoxerBriefs: Exactly! The related recommendation posts are practically rolling all over my face! They’re being way too bold!

@YixinYiyiIsReal: Sobs… It’s bad enough that the rivals are throwing “candy” like crazy, but then I read this fanfic and it’s so “clear soup and plain water” (tame)—they don’t even dare to confess! Heavens! Author, don’t pity me just because I’m a delicate flower—I’m an adult! [I can handle the spicy stuff.jpg]

“What are you looking at? Your brow is furrowed enough to crush a fly.” Chi Yi came out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a paper towel. Seeing Yixin’s expression, she wondered how her mood had plummeted in just a few minutes.

Cheng Yixin put down her phone and stood up, walking toward Chi Yi. Her fingers brushed across the table inch by inch, making a faint scratching sound.

“I’m looking to see whose bed is ‘shaking apart’.”

“Huh?” Chi Yi was dazed, having no idea what she meant.

When she reached Chi Yi, she tapped her finger on the other woman’s shoulder, moving forward and forward until she had her pinned against the wall.

“You and Huang Xinxi’s ‘shipping’ fans are being very bold,” Cheng Yixin said with a half-smile. “I heard the bed in their Super Topic is shaking apart.”

“What? I haven’t seen that topic. If there’s explicit content, just report it.” Chi Yi said matter-of-factly. She knew the “Xin Yi Connected” topic existed; on its first day, the follower count had reached tens of thousands, which was unusually high.

Immediately, several fanfic writers and video editors had become fans—some of whom were originally Huang Xinxi’s solo fans. They had posted a lot of high-quality content, attracting many casual observers to “ship” the couple. The follower growth was so fast even Chi Yi found it absurd.

“Reporting it won’t satisfy my anger!”

“Then you want…” Before Chi Yi could even finish the word “lawyer’s letter,” she heard Cheng Yixin say in a declarative tone:

“You’re taking tomorrow off and not going to work, right?”

“Mhm? I didn’t—”

“No, you are.”

Chi Yi: “…” Alright, she understood.

The two of them “battled” back and forth until the middle of the night.

Teacher Cheng’s mood was finally satisfied. The next day, she went to work with large dark circles under her eyes, yet her face was glowing with a healthy flush.

The variety show recorded the previous afternoon released a preview of the next episode with incredible efficiency. Cheng Yixin’s views on love took up a large portion of the trailer. Her statement somehow hit the trending searches, and netizens’ reactions were mixed.

@SummerGrassDeep: Why is it Cheng Yixin again? Did she buy a monthly subscription for the trending searches? I’m sick of seeing her every day.

@LookingAtHousesEatingSoftRice: The only reason Cheng Yixin says that is because she’s already rich! She has the “qualifications” to enter a wealthy family, so she can say that. She wouldn’t even look at anyone below her level. If she weren’t a star, let’s see if she’d still say she doesn’t care about money!

@djzJn: People in the top comments talking about “qualifications to marry into wealth” make me laugh. Real wealthy families don’t look down on stars who “show their faces in public” all day. Even if a wealthy heir likes her, the parents wouldn’t agree to let her in to split the family assets. Compared to the truly rich, these stars are just slightly wealthier commoners—just “performers selling smiles.”

@CutoutLongTailClip: With a “Gold Pig” (Sugar Daddy) sponsoring her, why would any ordinary poor man even want her? [Eating Melons]

@GoingCrazy: Some people are so bitter. Making up rumors without evidence every day. I’m cursing you out, you idiot @CutoutLongTailClip, don’t even come near us. [Disdain] [Disdain] [Disdain]

The comments from some mindless netizens left Cheng Yixin speechless with anger. She wanted to argue, but then she realized: in a way, Chi Yi was the “wealthy family.” Even if she publicly stated they were in an equal relationship, those determined not to believe her would still find fault.

She had to keep climbing—higher and higher. Only when she reached a status where she could stand side-by-side with Chi Yi would she have true confidence. Just like the Weibo posts of Huang Xinxi and Chi Yi together—the comments were all about how eye-catching the two beauties were and how people looked forward to their next collaboration.

“Yixin.” While she was lost in thought, Li Wenjing pushed the door open. “I was just chatting with a friend and heard about a great opportunity I want you to go for.”

“What is it?”

“I heard the Feng Group is filming a public service short film and is looking for a female lead. I want you to try for it.”

“Sure,” Cheng Yixin agreed. “When is the audition? Any schedule conflicts?”

“I don’t know.”

“This project isn’t like a film crew holding auditions. The investors just pick the actors they like and negotiate. The pay is good, but mainly, if you can collaborate with the Feng Group, it opens up a new network for business deals later.”

“So, did the Feng Group contact you to have me act in it?”

“No.”

“…” Cheng Yixin was speechless.

“I also heard that Chairman Feng handed this project to President Chi, likely because she’s popular in the entertainment industry lately. So, since the cast isn’t decided yet and it’s still in the early stages, you can mention it to President Chi and grab the opportunity.”

“Don’t mix work with our relationship,” Cheng Yixin said. “You should ask President Feng. She’s Chairman Feng’s sister; her word carries more weight than Chi Yi’s. More importantly, she’s a major shareholder in the company.”

“President Feng went solo years ago. On the surface, she’s affiliated with the Feng Group, but in reality, she doesn’t interfere with their affairs. Asking her is useless.”

“…But if there are other actors more suitable for the job, I shouldn’t influence her decision.” Cheng Yixin paused, giving herself an “out”: “If she asks me, I’ll mention it.”

Despite saying that, she thought there was a 99% chance Chi Yi would come to her. After all, why let “fertile water flow into others’ fields”? Besides, while she wasn’t classically trained, she had some acting skills. A short film would be a piece of cake.

A few days later, there was progress on Liu Min’s situation. Staff members visited the hospital under the guise of offering condolences and confirmed with the doctor that Liu Min’s father’s illness was real.

“Mhm, go to the orchard for a field inspection as soon as possible. If there are no issues, prepare for the livestream,” Li Wenjing said into the phone.

“I told Liu Min about it. He said his dad’s condition is unstable right now, so he can only take us to the orchard in two days.”

“Alright,” Li Wenjing muttered. “Strange. If the family is that short on cash, why aren’t they trying to make money faster? Why the delay?”

“Yeah. But I did confirm with the doctor; the illness is real. The hospital debt is currently over a hundred thousand. He’s probably just too worried to leave the hospital while his father is in the ICU. When he saw us, he fell to his knees, sobbing and begging us to save his dad… they must be very close.”

Li Wenjing thought for a moment. “In that case, when you go to the orchard, record the whole process and send it to me.”

“Got it.”

Ending the call, she dialed Cheng Yixin to update her on Liu Min’s case. Finally, she asked, “Did President Chi talk to you about the public service short film?”

“No,” Cheng Yixin replied. “We see each other every day and she hasn’t mentioned a short film once. Is your intel wrong?”

“Did my friend trick me?” Li Wenjing didn’t have an answer.

Around 10:00 PM, Cheng Yixin finally finished work and returned home.

A figure was standing by her door, pacing back and forth.

“What are you doing standing at the door?” Cheng Yixin joked. “Isn’t it cold out here?”

The person looked a bit surprised to see her and turned to look at the window of the house. It turned out Yixin had left a nightlight on in her room that morning, so Chi Yi assumed she was home and was hesitating on whether to go in.

“I just came back from my uncle’s place. I saw the light and thought you were home. There’s something I want to tell you in person… I was just thinking about how best to say it.”

There was a look of worry in Chi Yi’s eyes; it wasn’t a relaxed expression.

Cheng Yixin, however, didn’t notice the detail. Hearing “uncle,” she immediately linked it to what Li Wenjing said about Chairman Feng filming a public service short film.

She has something to say… is she going to invite me to act in it?