Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 55

Cheng Yixin’s spirit deflated instantly.

Li Wenjing said amusedly, “Why are you comparing yourself to her? You two aren’t even on the same level.”

“In terms of professional ability, your benchmarks should be the ‘young flowers’ of your own age or actresses who debuted around the same time as you—and your popularity is already higher than theirs.”

“In terms of fame, Huang Xinxi has been red for nearly thirty years. The competition in the entertainment industry back then was slightly less cutthroat than it is now. Many mothers and grandmothers recognize her. You’ve only been out for five years; if you were more famous than her, the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ would have to be your supporting actors. Even if you throw money at it, it’s hard to bridge a twenty-year gap.”

“So why compare yourself to her? You aren’t even on the same track.”

“It’s nothing, I was just asking.”

“I see.” Li Wenjing teased her. “It’s because Huang Xinxi has been close with your President Chi lately, and you’re feeling uneasy, aren’t you?”

“Don’t worry. President Chi isn’t the type to ‘eat from the bowl while looking at the pot,’ and she isn’t as arrogant as Lu Qing. Besides, there’s a dozen-year age gap between them. In a few more years, Huang Xinxi could practically be her mother. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“…” Cheng Yixin grumbled gloomily, “Don’t you know that in the ‘sapphic circle,’ the older the sister, the more popular she is?”

“…How could I possibly know that?”

“Then you should consider Huang Xinxi’s sexual orientation. Would she even like women? I doubt it.”

“What, my Chi Yi can’t even turn her?”

“…Your words leave me speechless. If your current partner were someone like Lu Qing, I’d be sending you ‘Kappa’ emojis (mockery). Anyway, do you want a standard answer?”

“No. Regardless, Chi Yi is the best in the world.” Cheng Yixin huffed, wanting to drop the subject.

Li Wenjing muttered under her breath, “Love-brain.”

“I wish I were a love-brain.” If she had no brain, she wouldn’t care about anything.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“By the way,” Li Wenjing said, “You know President Li, who owns the winery, right? We worked with him once. He’s hosting a wine exhibition; do you want to go take a look?”

“What kind of wine will be there?”

“All kinds, direct sales from enterprises and wineries. There’s also a Baijiu (white spirit) experience hall with many brands of vintage sealed-cask wines to taste on-site. The exhibition is open to invited guests and industry professionals.”

“It also relates to the profession of the character in your next drama. You can go learn a bit about wine culture.”

Cheng Yixin thought of the cabinet full of wine in Chi Yi’s living room and figured she might be able to pick up a bottle. She agreed, thinking she could also buy some Baijiu for Old Mr. Cheng, who would surely be happy.

Seeing her agreement, Li Wenjing had the driver turn toward the World Trade Expo Center. Since it was a semi-public event, there weren’t massive crowds at the entrance. Only a few people were trickling into the hall they were headed for. They exchanged their electronic invitations for entry passes and swiped in.

As they descended the escalator, Cheng Yixin scanned the venue. The hall wasn’t particularly large but was packed with booths displaying various corporate logos. Aside from the household names, she—having no knowledge of alcohol—didn’t recognize many brands.

“Sister Wenjing, is there any wine you want to buy?”

“Yes, I plan to get a few bottles for the New Year’s family dinner.” Li Wenjing paused. “Word is there are a few bottles of vintage wine. If there’s one from the year I was born, I’d love to buy a bottle for my collection.”

“Oh—” A thought struck Cheng Yixin. “Then I’ll buy one for Chi Yi. You reminded me that her birthday is next month. Is 25-year-old vintage wine expensive?”

“Depends on what you buy,” Li Wenjing said. “For a top-tier national brand, a bottle produced 25 years ago would be worth around 9,000 yuan on the market.”

“I want to buy the kind…” She gestured the shape of a wine jar. “The kind in a jar that looks very ceremonial. Like in ancient times, they had ‘Daughter Red’ (Nü’er Hong)—sealed when the daughter is a month old and opened when she marries.”

“That might be hard to find,” Li Wenjing noted. They strolled through the hall. The guests weren’t numerous and were scattered among the displays, so the aisles were spacious. It wasn’t like other crowded expos where one loses the mood to browse.

Li Wenjing bought two bottles of red wine; the direct exhibition price was slightly cheaper than in physical stores.

Suddenly, an announcement rang out: “The wine tasting will begin in ten minutes in the Baijiu Experience Hall in Zone C. Over twenty types of Jiang-fragrance Baijiu will be unsealed on-site. Everyone is welcome to come and taste…”

“Let’s go check it out!” Cheng Yixin said immediately. She had asked the staff earlier and learned that if she wanted vintage wine, she had to try her luck at the experience hall, as they held a small amount of stock.

The experience hall was small, and the staff was still setting up. A circle of people had already formed when they arrived, so they stood on the outer edge, waiting for the tasting to begin.

An elderly man came to stand nearby, about two or three steps away. Cheng Yixin glanced at him; his hair was white, old enough to be a grandfather. It was rare to see someone his age at the expo. He must really love wine to make a special trip here.

Just as she was thinking this, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and walked a short distance away to answer. Cheng Yixin noticed a folded piece of red paper had fallen where the old man had been standing.

As if possessed, she picked it up. She could see handwriting on the red paper, and it was folded neatly. It didn’t look like waste paper.

“I found a piece of paper,” she said.

“What paper?”

“I don’t know, looks like a receipt.” Cheng Yixin pointed toward the old man. “That grandpa dropped it.”

“Is someone that age still coming out to browse wine expos?” Li Wenjing was surprised. “That’s rare.”

“I don’t know. He’s finished his call; I’ll go give it back to him.”

Cheng Yixin stepped out of the crowd and walked toward the elderly man. “Grandpa, you dropped something.”

The old man looked confused at first, but after seeing the paper in her hand, he patted his pockets. “It really is mine. It would have been a hassle if I lost this.” He took the receipt and said, “Thank you.”

After making eye contact, she noticed the old man looked spirited; he seemed ordinary yet somehow different.

“You’re welcome. It’s crowded; please be careful being here alone.” Cheng Yixin gave a slight nod and returned to Li Wenjing’s side.

The tasting soon began. A long row of wine jars sat on the table, each beautifully packaged with various patterns and textures. Even as someone who didn’t drink Baijiu, Cheng Yixin felt like buying a few jars. She had to admit that the alcohol industry was starting to prioritize aesthetics.

Cheng Yixin didn’t participate in the tasting but instead looked at the display wine in the hall. Each piece was exquisitely packaged, perfect for gifts or collections.

“Madam, do you prefer Jiang-fragrance or Light-fragrance?”

“I don’t know much about Baijiu. I want to buy a bottle for my father; can you recommend one?”

“Then I recommend the 53-degree Jiang-fragrance Baijiu. These models are quite popular. Their characteristic is a smooth and mellow entry…”

Cheng Yixin didn’t really understand the technical explanation. She picked a bottle of Jiang-fragrance Baijiu from a long-established enterprise. During the process, she saw the old man again, sipping wine in the tasting area. He really was a “wine-loving old man.” If her own grandfather were retired with nothing to do, he’d surely come to browse the expo and have a couple of drinks, too.

“I heard from others that you sell vintage wine here. Can I buy some now?”

“Vintage wine? We have a small amount left. What year are you looking for?”

Cheng Yixin gave the year.

“I remember there’s one jar left. Wine of this vintage is much more expensive than new wine. I’ll check for you in a moment. If you had come on the first day of the expo, you might have even been able to buy a bottle produced on your exact birthday.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yixin was delighted. “I want December 23rd. If it’s not in stock, I can wait.”

“Vintage wines are only sold here at the expo; once they’re gone, they’re gone. I remember the remaining jar was from December.”

With anticipation, Cheng Yixin waited for the staff to check the computer inventory.

“Hello, the remaining jar I mentioned is indeed from the month and year you wanted.”

Before the corners of Cheng Yixin’s mouth could lift—

“But it was reserved yesterday, so it’s sold out.”

“…” Cheng Yixin’s enthusiasm cooled instantly.

“Well… would you like to look at another year?”

“Forget it.” Cheng Yixin felt a wave of disappointment. “I’ll just take these two bottles. Please check me out.”

“It’s okay,” Li Wenjing comforted her from the side. “It’s very hard to buy wine from the same month and day. Worst case, we’ll go back and find a bottle of the national brand from the same year.” She lowered her voice and added, “Anyway, this isn’t a very famous brand. It’s probably just a gimmick, like those birthday newspapers.”

During the checkout, the printer malfunctioned. While the cashier was troubleshooting, a line formed behind her. Cheng Yixin caught a glimpse of white hair in her peripheral vision.

“Little girl, are you buying wine?” The old man took the initiative to greet her.

“Yes, buying a gift for family.” She looked down and saw the old man was empty-handed. She asked curiously, “Did you not buy any wine?”

“I just tried some, but it was a bit lacking, so I didn’t buy any.” The old man took out that red receipt from his pocket. “I had a secr… secretary reserve a jar. I came to pick it up and browse while I was at it.”

This time, the receipt was open. She saw the order information clearly. There were two items, and one of them was the vintage wine she had wanted—the wine produced on the very day Chi Yi was born.

Her eyes widened. she confirmed the year with the old man again.

“That’s right,” the old man nodded. “I thought it was interesting, so I bought it for my granddaughter.”

“I wanted to buy that too, but it’s out of stock,” Cheng Yixin said. “Could I discuss transferring this December 23rd bottle to me? I’m willing to pay extra.”

The old man stared at her for a few seconds. “Who are you giving it to?”

She didn’t have a granddaughter to give it to.

She looked at the people around them and said, “To a friend. Her birthday is coming up, and I happened to see the wine from her birth date, so I wanted to give it to her. It would be very meaningful.”

“This wine isn’t worth you paying extra for.”

“But the date is worth it.”

“You really are willing to spend.”

“It’s not about being willing or unwilling, only whether it’s worth it.”

The old man was silent. “Then I want ten thousand yuan for it.”

“Deal. I’ll transfer the money to you now.”

Li Wenjing secretly pinched her from the side—ten thousand yuan could buy two bottles with change left over! But she couldn’t stop her, just as Xiao Yu couldn’t stop her from buying ten Starry Sky Bears.

As she scanned the code to transfer the money, Cheng Yixin beamed with joy. “Thank you!”

…She actually thanked him.

The old man shook his head. “Young people really engage in impulsive spending.” His tone sounded a bit like “hating that iron cannot become steel,” but was there also a hint of happiness?

As they left the exhibition hall, Li Wenjing shook her head in frustration. “He clearly saw how much you wanted it and scammed you! That old man is wicked. Think of how much wine you could buy for ten thousand!”

“I know. But isn’t it fate that I ran into it? When I give her this wine on her birthday, she’ll definitely be touched.”

“A friendly reminder: on December 23rd, if nothing goes wrong, you’ll be on a film set in another city.”

“…” Cheng Yixin gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier!!!”

“You looked like you were drowning in the river of love; I didn’t have the heart to pour cold water on you.”

“Then why tell me now??”

“To pull you back to reality before you get too carried away.”

At that same time, the old man exited from the other side of the expo center, running into his son who was walking in.

“Dad. You’re already out? I was going to go in to get you,” Feng Tianyuan said, reaching out to take the carrier bag from the old man’s hand.

“It’s fine. I won’t get lost.”

“I was just afraid there would be too many people.”

“There weren’t that many people.”

“How come there’s only one bottle of wine?”

“A little girl bought one from me, said it was for a friend. Guess who it was?”

“I don’t know,” Feng Tianyuan replied honestly.

“If I remember correctly, she’s Yiyi’s friend. What was her name… Cheng Yixin.”

“Her? She had a scandal with Yiyi a while ago, but it was clarified.” Feng Tianyuan paused. “As your granddaughter’s friend, what was your impression of her?”

The old man pondered for a moment, patting his phone as if he could feel the warmth of the ten thousand yuan.

“Quite a na… easy-to-scam little girl.”