Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 5

Cheng Yixin’s eyes flew open. No matter how many times she blinked, the scene before her remained stubbornly real. Beneath the duvet, she reached down and gave her thigh a sharp pinch.

It hurts!

Perhaps she moved too much; the person sleeping soundly beside her stirred, long lashes fluttering before slowly opening her eyes.

Who was this? Oh, right—Chi Yi!

Cheng Yixin’s brain was operating on a delay. She scrambled to piece together the events of last night. Until now, she had firmly believed that “drunk sex” was a myth—surely Chi Yi had taken advantage of her intoxicated state to do something untoward!

However, out of the jagged fragments of her memory, she began to assemble the truth.

After those two cocktails, the delayed reaction had hit her full force. Fueled by liquid courage, she had praised Chi Yi’s beauty, even telling her she was “exactly her type.”

The sober Cheng Yixin now wanted nothing more than to slap her past self. How could I spout such nonsense just because I was drunk?!

Once she was truly wasted, Chi Yi had offered to take her home, but Cheng Yixin had stubbornly refused to give her address. Eventually, the bartender produced the slip of paper with her assistant’s phone number.

But when Chi Yi reached for her phone to make the call, Cheng Yixin had… actually… snatched the paper and ripped it up!

Oh, God. If she didn’t have the memory of it in her own head, she would never have believed she was capable of such a thing.

After that, Chi Yi had brought her to a hotel and checked into a room—

And once Chi Yi had tucked her in and tried to leave, Cheng Yixin had grabbed her, pulling her down onto the bed…

So… Cheng Yixin’s fingers began to tremble. She clutched the duvet, wrapping herself up so tightly one would think she was the “victim” in this scenario.

She watched Chi Yi sit up. On the patches of skin left exposed, there was a very obvious red mark on her collarbone and faint scratch marks on her shoulder.

Everything served as a vivid reminder of the truth: after twenty-seven years of being completely uninterested in such things, she had actually slept with a stranger while drunk!

This was not scientific!

Chi Yi blinked, taking a moment to fully wake up. The first thing she asked was, “Does your head still hurt?”

“No… it doesn’t.” Cheng Yixin shook her head. The shock of waking up had completely suppressed any lingering hangover.

She looked at Chi Yi, and the atmosphere lapsed into a silence that was awkwardly eerie.

Cheng Yixin’s mind raced through a mental storm. If they were to determine who was responsible for this… it seemed she was the one largely at fault.

“Um…” She looked at Chi Yi and tentatively said, “I’ll take responsibility…?”

Her intention was to make a tactical retreat—after all, a figure like President Chi surely didn’t lack bed partners. Last night was likely just an accident for her…

But before she could finish comforting herself, she heard the other woman reply: “Okay.”

“???” Okay?? What does ‘okay’ mean?? Is she agreeing?? But I only said it casually!

Though she kept her facial expression under control, her pupils were practically vibrating with shock.

“I want to take a shower. Do you want to go first, or should I?” Chi Yi asked.

“You go ahead…”

Cheng Yixin didn’t fully recover her senses until Chi Yi entered the bathroom.

Not long ago, she had decided to swear off love forever, and now she had somehow gained a girlfriend out of thin air?

Last night, she only wanted to get to know Chi Yi a little and the “are you down” comment was just a tease. She truly never expected things to escalate to this point.

The original goal was just to use Chi Yi to spite Lu Qing, but the price was too high! It was all that damn woman’s fault!

According to the rumors, Chi Yi was “hypocritical,” had a “messy private life,” and “exploited consumers.” Aside from her looks, she was the complete opposite of Cheng Yixin’s ideal type.

…Whatever. I’ll just find an excuse to have a peaceful breakup in a few weeks.

Settling her nerves, Cheng Yixin took a deep breath and got out of bed. Her clothes had been neatly folded and placed on a chair.

When Chi Yi emerged, she was wearing a white bathrobe. The thick hotel fabric hung on her, her slender waist accentuated by the tied belt.

Cheng Yixin hadn’t looked closely before, but Chi Yi had a small mole on the side of her neck. Against her pale skin, it stood out clearly—a tiny, dark speck.

The silence returned. They had only met three times. Aside from what Lu Qing had said, Cheng Yixin didn’t know Chi Yi at all. Suddenly switching roles to “lovers” was incredibly uncomfortable; she had no idea what to say.

“Should we add each other on WeChat?” Chi Yi took the initiative.

A relationship confirmed before they even had each other’s contact info—Cheng Yixin never imagined she would find herself in such a situation.

After adding her, she saw that Chi Yi’s nickname was simply “Chi Yi.”

The two sat side-by-side on the edge of the bed, quite close. She could smell the scent of the hotel body wash on Chi Yi—faint, clean, and refreshing.

However… why was she dressed like this after a shower?

Based on her impression of Chi Yi, was the woman trying to seduce her? Sober, she had no desire to do anything with her “stranger girlfriend.”

Just as she was thinking of an excuse to escape, the doorbell rang.

Chi Yi got up to answer it and soon returned with a shopping bag containing a set of clothes.

Cheng Yixin looked down at the clothes she had worn last night. Thinking they were for her, she prepared to decline.

“I’m going to go change,” Chi Yi said.

“…Okay.”

Good thing she hadn’t spoken up, or she would have been mortified.

What kind of girlfriend only buys clothes for herself?? Whatever, it was just a one-night stand anyway; we’ll break up in a few days.

Chi Yi soon returned, wearing an outfit almost identical to the one from the night before: a perfectly tailored shirt and striped trousers.

“I have an important event today, so I need to wear formal attire.”

Cheng Yixin instinctively looked at the folded clothes on the chair. “Isn’t there a set right there?”

Chi Yi followed her gaze, picked up the shirt on top, and spread it out. She pointed at the placket. “The buttons are gone.”

Looking closely, there really weren’t any buttons. Just as she was about to ask where they went, it hit her… she had apparently torn them off last night.

Best not to ask that question.

Chi Yi offered to drive her back, but first asked if she wanted to shower.

She wanted to, but she didn’t feel safe showering with a virtual stranger in the room. She opted to go home and wash there.

She followed Chi Yi to the hotel’s underground garage and was surprised when she saw the CEO’s ride. It was a white Volvo—quite modest given Chi Yi’s status.

In her experience, rich socialites usually drove sports cars at the very least, or luxury sedans worth millions. Especially Lu Qing, whose flashy red car could be heard from blocks away.

Noticing her lingering gaze, Chi Yi asked, “Is there something wrong with the car?”

“No,” Cheng Yixin said. “I just thought you all drove very expensive cars.”

“Volvos have better safety ratings.”

They got into the car. Cheng Yixin sat in the passenger seat; the interior was actually quite nice, with soft leather seats. Chi Yi even provided a lumbar cushion for her.

The drive back to the apartment took about twenty minutes. She couldn’t let the atmosphere remain awkward the whole way.

With that in mind, Cheng Yixin decided to learn some basic information about her “girlfriend.”

“President Chi,” she said, choosing a safe title after some hesitation. “How old are you?”

Even though Chi Yi was now her girlfriend, she was well aware of the power dynamic. Actors and stars might look glamorous, but they were only slightly wealthier than average people.

In the face of real capital, they were fragile. She had seen people in the industry win an award one moment and be dragged off their pedestal the next, all because of a single word from a powerful investor.

“I’m twenty-five. Two years younger than you.” Chi Yi glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “You can just call me by my name.”

“How do you know my age?” Cheng Yixin asked instinctively.

As soon as she said it, she realized how stupid the question was. Aside from the fact that her info was a quick Google search away, Chi Yi probably knew everything about her given her rivalry with Lu Qing.

However… she was a bit disappointed that Chi Yi was two years younger. In her dating criteria, younger partners weren’t a priority, even if Chi Yi seemed very steady.

Chi Yi dropped her off at the apartment complex, stayed for a moment at the entrance, and then left.

Cheng Yixin had expected Chi Yi to be like Lu Qing—who, even as a “friend,” would have shamelessly insisted on coming up for a glass of water.

She looked up at her building. She needed to move as soon as possible to keep Lu Qing from bothering her again.

A calm week passed. The last time she had communicated with her girlfriend was the day Chi Yi dropped her off.

Since adding each other on WeChat, their chat history consisted only of the initial system message. They hadn’t exchanged a single word.

This was a relief to Cheng Yixin. She hated meaningless “good morning/good night” texts and awkward small talk.

President Chi was so quiet that she almost forgot she even had a girlfriend.

“Sister Xin, here is your upcoming schedule.” Xiao Yu handed her a printed document. “On the 20th, you’re recording Happy Saturday to promote your new drama, The Moon’s Journey. The director said you need to interact more with the male lead during this period.”

“The Moon’s Journey is airing so soon? I thought it would take another six months.”

Although it was an idol period drama, the setup was a “strong female lead” story. Cheng Yixin had enjoyed the martial arts scenes and had a feeling the show would be a hit.

Today’s work ended at noon, leaving her with the whole afternoon off.

Before going home, Cheng Yixin suddenly craved fruit and decided to stop by a supermarket.

Previously, she would have gone to the one near her house, but that supermarket happened to be an investment of Lu Qing’s. They had even shopped there together.

Remembering that, she immediately passed on it. No sense in giving money to a scumbag.

Instead, she asked her driver to take her to a mall to try a “supermarket blind box.”

“Ms. Cheng, let’s go to Future City then. It’s in the opposite direction from your place, though.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go.”

Her usual life revolved around her company and apartment. She always prioritized proximity, so spending thirty minutes just to buy fruit was a first.

She took a nap in the car and arrived at her destination just as she woke up. Masked up, she told the driver he could go and she would call him if needed.

Looking at the building, the words “Future City” were written on the exterior in a sophisticated, minimalist font.

She stared at it, sensing something was different.

After a few seconds, she realized what it was. The mall’s exterior had no advertisements or banners. There was only one massive electronic screen, and it was displaying a weather forecast.

Without the cluttered ads, the whole place looked clean and comfortable.

Compared to other malls that plastered every square inch with ads to maximize revenue, this owner clearly didn’t know how to run a business.

She stepped inside. Unlike the minimalist exterior, the interior was luxuriously decorated, with counters laid out in a very user-friendly way.

The directory listed more luxury brands than she expected. She hadn’t been shopping in so long she didn’t even know some of these brands had branches here.

But she wasn’t here for luxury goods today. She found the supermarket entrance on the digital map and prepared to head over.

“Huh?”

She stared at the words “Yixin Life Supermarket.”

If she remembered correctly, she had heard Lu Qing mention this place. The fact that it shared the same pronunciation as her name (Yixin) had left a deep impression.

This was the legendary supermarket that allegedly sold items at higher prices than anywhere else to “exploit consumers”—and it was owned by her current girlfriend, Chi Yi.