Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 56

Five days had passed since the charity livestream.

In the Weibo fan support groups, some were chatting about the orders. Shipping labels had been created the very next day, but the status remained “pending pickup,” causing a stir among those anxious for their oranges to arrive.

“Sister Jing,” Cheng Yixin noted, “people in the group who bought oranges are saying the tracking numbers are out, but they haven’t been picked up yet. Quite a few people are asking. Do you think you should ask the other side what’s going on?”

“Alright,” Li Wenjing nodded. “I’ll give them a call.”

Li Wenjing dialed Liu Min, but the call ended after only a few seconds.

“What did he say?” Cheng Yixin asked. “Did he not pick up?”

“He did, but he said he’s busy and will call me back in a bit.” Li Wenjing began tapping on her phone screen. “I’ll just message him and tell him to get back to me when he can.”

“If the tracking numbers are out, they shouldn’t be sitting there for days without being picked up.” Cheng Yixin felt a flicker of doubt. Just as she spoke, Chi Yi sent her a photo.

In the picture, 200 boxes of oranges were neatly stacked in specialized packaging, ready to be sent out via a dedicated logistics service.

“Chi Yi said the 200 boxes she ordered arrived. She even said the shipping was fast.” Cheng Yixin showed the photo to Li Wenjing.

“Talk about a double standard,” Li Wenjing laughed. “I checked my own status and it’s still ‘pending pickup.’ Is he prioritizing big clients because he’s afraid of large-scale refunds?”

“That order was worth thousands of yuan; of course he’d be attentive.”

As they spoke, Li Wenjing’s phone chimed. Liu Min had replied.

“Liu Min got back to me. He said he was afraid people would place impulsive orders during the stream and then refund the next day, or get impatient if shipping was slow. So, he marked them as shipped first. Now, the couriers are gradually picking them up. He promised everything will be sent within ten days. The orchard staff are working overtime to pick, pack, and label everything.”

With Liu Min’s assurance and the fact that Chi Yi had already received hers, Cheng Yixin finally felt at ease. Perhaps sensing that text alone lacked credibility, he sent several photos. In a corrugated iron shed, workers were packing, sealing, and labeling boxes in a smooth, professional-looking assembly line. The photos were a bit blurry—likely because they weren’t sent in high resolution—but as long as the goods arrived on time, it didn’t matter.

Tonight was the dinner with Huang Xinxi, and Cheng Yixin was feeling apprehensive. When Chi Yi came to pick her up, she brought a box of the newly arrived oranges for her to taste.

“Have you tried them yet?” Cheng Yixin asked, placing a tissue on her lap to peel one. The box even came with a mini ring-style peeler, making it very easy.

“I have, they’re quite good,” Chi Yi said. “There’s another box in the back for you to take home. The one you’re opening now… let’s let Huang Xinxi try some later.”

“Wait, you’re giving her a gift? Then give her the unopened one; I’ll keep the one I started.”

“It’s fine.” Chi Yi’s lips curved into a smile. “I want you to have a full, perfect box. She won’t notice if one is missing anyway.”

The cardboard box used a folding design; once re-folded, you couldn’t tell it had been opened. Cheng Yixin peeled the orange and popped a segment into her mouth. It tasted exactly like the sample. Noticing a tiny “baby” segment—no bigger than her fingernail—she peeled it off with delight.

“Look! An orange baby! It’s so tiny and cute.”

“So, are you going to eat the orange baby?”

“I only eat the ‘Chi Yi baby.’ Here, you eat it.” Cheng Yixin popped the mini segment into Chi Yi’s mouth and watched her eat it, smiling as she bit her lip.

“I feel a bit childish,” she critiqued herself. She shook her head, cleared her throat, and struck a meditative pose. “Wait, I’m supposed to be a ‘cool, mature older sister’ (Gao Leng Yu Jie). I need to maintain my image.”

This made Chi Yi burst out laughing. “What, do you have an objection?”

“No, no,” Chi Yi said, stifling her laughter. “Very mature. Extremely cool. Definitely the ‘ideal type’ (Tian Cai) of the sapphic circle.”

Cheng Yixin laughed harder, begrudgingly accepting the compliment—though she knew she hadn’t met Huang Xinxi yet.

They met at a private restaurant—a traditional, antique-style building with small bridges and flowing water. It was classic Chinese elegance. Walking through the long corridors, she noticed each private room was its own independent area, spaced far apart.

When they entered the room, Huang Xinxi was already there, looking at her phone. Cheng Yixin remembered seeing her at the Grace gala; back then, Huang Xinxi was in a haute couture gown, surrounded by a never-ending line of people wanting photos. Back then, Yixin could only catch a distant glimpse. She had never seen her this clearly.

“Hi~” Huang Xinxi looked up and smiled. Her smile was incredibly warm and infectious—one of the reasons she was so well-loved by the public. “Finally, I get to meet you, Yixin.”

She seemed to glow when she smiled. Cheng Yixin was momentarily dazzled.

“H-hello, Sister Xinxi.” She stammered slightly, still feeling a bit nervous in front of such a legendary senior. After brief introductions, they sat down with Chi Yi in the middle.

Chi Yi brought out the oranges for Huang Xinxi to try, while Huang Xinxi pulled a palm-sized white gift bag from her side.

“I was shopping with a friend a couple of days ago and passed an interesting handmade gift shop. I saw these rose-shaped soaps and thought they were beautiful, so I bought them. These are for you, Yixin.”

“Oh?” Cheng Yixin hadn’t expected a gift. She felt a bit awkward being empty-handed, but Huang Xinxi continued with a smile: “Mostly, I saw the word ‘Luck’ on the back. I hope they bring you some good fortune.”

Cheng Yixin understood the subtext: Huang Xinxi was referring to her recent “hot search” troubles and the drama surrounding the public welfare film. Her heart warmed. The gift was just a bar of soap—not expensive, but the sentiment was rare. She accepted it.

During the meal, she and Huang Xinxi chatted about life. As the youngest at the table, Chi Yi participated in the conversation while quietly peeling oranges for them. After meticulously cleaning an entire orange, Chi Yi split it in half and handed the first piece to Cheng Yixin. “Eat some orange.”

Once Cheng Yixin took it, Chi Yi handed the other half to Huang Xinxi. Huang Xinxi looked at the orange in Chi Yi’s hand, then glanced at Cheng Yixin. Seeing that Yixin didn’t seem to mind, she took it. “Thank you.”

Unlike Yixin, she didn’t eat it immediately but set it on her plate as they continued talking. As Yixin happily ate, Chi Yi peeled another orange. Thinking Huang Xinxi hadn’t eaten hers yet, Chi Yi split the new one into four segments and began “feeding” them one by one to Cheng Yixin.

When the server brought out the double-boiled soup, signaling the start of the main course, Chi Yi wiped her hands with a damp towel. She assumed Huang Xinxi didn’t want the orange, but when she looked again, the plate was empty. Huang Xinxi had eaten it. Chi Yi couldn’t quite read her intentions.

The meal was pleasant. Cheng Yixin gradually understood why Chi Yi got along so well with her. Huang Xinxi had no “diva” airs, didn’t talk about work, and simply shared everyday anecdotes. She was an attentive listener, nodding and responding in a way that made Yixin feel relaxed and eager to share.

Near the end, Cheng Yixin went to the restroom. The private room was large but lacked its own toilet; she had to go around the large floor screen at the entrance to use the one outside. When she returned, the waiter at the door opened it for her.

Just inside was that large floor screen, designed for privacy. As Yixin stepped in, she heard the two inside talking. Hearing herself being mentioned, she instinctively stopped. Her body reacted before her mind did, and she hid behind the screen.

…She admitted it. She wanted to know how Huang Xinxi “judged” her.

“Are you and Yixin the kind of friends whose relationship is ‘very, very good’?” Huang Xinxi asked, emphasizing the words.

“I thought you could sense it,” Chi Yi replied cryptically.

“Then let me give you a suggestion.” Huang Xinxi’s tone became a bit more serious. “Take those oranges just now—in the future, don’t share things so ‘fairly’ in front of her.”

“Do you mean she’d be unhappy because I peeled an orange for you?” Chi Yi asked. “But I didn’t mean anything by it. With any other friend, I’d give them half out of respect.”

“I’m not saying she’ll be unhappy with your actions,” Huang Xinxi said. “I’m saying that what a girl wants is favoritism (Pian Ai). If she is someone very important to you, no matter the occasion, you should express that favoritism. It’s a huge bonus. If everything is shared equally, it’s no longer special.”

“I understand.”

Cheng Yixin knocked twice on the door frame and walked out from behind the screen, smiling as if nothing had happened. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Just saying the oranges are delicious. I’ll buy a couple of boxes later,” Huang Xinxi replied with a smile.

The dinner concluded, and they prepared to head home. Huang Xinxi had driven herself and waved goodbye at the entrance. Watching her car fade into the distance, Chi Yi let out a soft breath and turned to Yixin. “Let’s go home.”

“Okay.”

Back at the Junshan neighborhood, they stood at their doors. Cheng Yixin could see the lingering expectation in Chi Yi’s eyes, but she politely declined to let her in.

“I’m so tired today. I’m going to take a bath and go to bed.” Cheng Yixin patted Chi Yi’s head. “You should get some sleep too.”

“Mhm. Goodnight.”

The moment she turned away, the relaxed smile on Cheng Yixin’s face collapsed. Back inside, she finally checked her phone. The latest message was the system notification that she and Huang Xinxi were now WeChat friends. Song Zheng, knowing about the dinner, had sent several messages asking how it went.

[Song Zheng]: How was it!! Were you conquered by Sister Xinxi’s charisma? She looks even better in person than on TV, right? You can’t even tell she’s almost forty!

It was no surprise that Song Zheng, who had millions of fans herself, sounded like a little fangirl.

[Cheng Yixin]: Yes, she’s very easy to get along with. She even gave me a gift.

After replying, she tossed her phone aside. The dinner had been pleasant, but that last overheard conversation stuck in her throat. Before tonight, her desire to meet Huang Xinxi was partly to see if she was as good as the rumors said, and… to see if her intentions toward Chi Yi were “pure.”

She admitted it: she felt a sense of crisis. If Huang Xinxi liked Chi Yi, she would be a formidable rival. But from tonight’s interaction, they really were just friends.

Realizing her deep-seated insecurity and her fundamental lack of trust in Chi Yi made her feel ashamed. Yet a difficult emotion blocked her chest—why did she eavesdrop? She felt a sudden wave of self-disgust, like she had swallowed a fly.

Chi Yi had given her so much certainty. Why was she still not satisfied?!