Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 70

The secret base was quite far from the village, requiring a twenty-minute hike up steep mountain paths. As the woods grew denser, Cheng Yixin felt her energy flagging. She leaned against a tree. “I’m exhausted. I need a break.”

Chi Yi stopped a few steps ahead, her flashlight scanning the surroundings. She turned back. “We’re almost there.”

“You said that ten minutes ago!”

Yixin pulled out her phone and was delighted to find two bars of signal. The notifications for the “Red Envelopes” Chi Yi had sent earlier finally popped up. “The money’s here,” she said happily. “Let me claim my lucky one.”

She counted to the seventh one. Just as she went to tap, her finger slipped, and she accidentally claimed the eighth one instead. It was 200.00 Yuan.

She stared at Chi Yi suspiciously. “You didn’t send ten envelopes that were all 200 yuan, did you?”

Knowing Chi Yi, that was exactly the kind of move she’d make. Yixin tapped the first one: another 200.00 Yuan.

She laughed. “I was wondering why my luck was so good. Turns out you were rigging the game.”

“…” Chi Yi rubbed her nose. “I just wanted to make you happy.”

Yixin beckoned her closer. When Chi Yi was within reach, Yixin whispered, “Turn off the flashlight.”

Chi Yi complied. The moment she stepped into the darkness, Yixin pulled her into a full embrace. “Look up,” Yixin whispered. Above them were the stars and a crescent moon.

Suddenly, a light touch fell upon Chi Yi’s neck. The sensation of cool lips made her shiver uncontrollably. Yixin’s hand moved to the nape of her neck, her thumb tracing the mole there. Small, lingering kisses trailed upward, slow and agonizingly sweet, until they reached Chi Yi’s lips. In the darkness of the open air, their senses were heightened—the rustle of leaves and the slight fear of someone walking by made the kiss feel thrillingly intimate.

The moment was shattered by a ringing phone. It was Li Wenjing.

Cheng Yixin groaned. “…Of course the signal works now.”

“I finally got through! Why haven’t you replied to my messages? Didn’t you get them?”

“I did, but I’m on vacation,” Yixin said. “Whatever it is, it can wait until I’m back in a few days.”

“It can’t! I’ve pushed back what I could, but you have to be back the day after tomorrow at the latest. There’s an advertising contract that needs your signature in person.”

Even without the speakerphone, Li Wenjing’s voice was clear in the mountain silence. Chi Yi used her left hand to lead Yixin toward their destination while holding the flashlight in her injured right hand.

“Can’t I sign it later?”

“Are you turning down money? Plenty of brands wanted this slot, and now that they’ve picked you, you want to ‘play diva’?” Li Wenjing continued, “Besides, you’ve seen Chi Yi now, right? It’s time to focus on work. People online are waiting for an update from you.”

Hearing “online” made Yixin’s expression sour. “They probably just want to see if I’m dead yet.”

“Don’t be so extreme. Rational people are the majority. The negative tide has turned, and there are many people encouraging you in the comments now. Also, the police want to know your stance regarding Liu Min’s punishment. Come back early.”

“I just got here. Chi Yi is injured. It’s impossible to return so soon.”

As Yixin bargained with Li Wenjing to stay at least six more days, Chi Yi spoke up: “Yixin, let’s go back tomorrow.”

“Wait,” Yixin said to the phone, then turned to Chi Yi, lowering her voice. “Why go back tomorrow? You were supposed to stay a week. Things aren’t finished here; don’t leave just for me.”

Chi Yi had originally planned to return early to see Yixin, but after her arm injury, she had delayed her return so Yixin wouldn’t worry. “I can’t bear to see you suffering out here,” Chi Yi said, shrugging slightly. “And didn’t you say you wanted to take me to a doctor? There are no orthopedic specialists in these mountains.”

“But the work…?”

“It’s fine. I’ll talk to Wei Qi. We’re near the end of the mission anyway.”

Only after Chi Yi’s repeated assurances did Yixin agree. She told Li Wenjing, “Fine. We’re coming back tomorrow. But I’m taking Chi Yi to the doctor, so I need at least a few days of rest.”

Li Wenjing had no choice but to agree.

They continued deep into the woods until they reached a thicket where a faint glow seemed to outline the bushes. Chi Yi pushed the branches aside to reveal a view of the city’s night lights—distant, tiny, and shimmering in white, red, purple, and orange. A winding S-shaped highway stretched out below.

“That’s the provincial capital,” Chi Yi said, pointing. “City life is just starting while the mountain folk are already asleep. Different lives under the same sky.”

“Is that like us?” Yixin looked at her. “If I hadn’t become an actress, we wouldn’t be standing here together.”

“We would have met some other way,” Chi Yi insisted. “I believe in our fate. Like that variety show—I was just bored and happened to see you. Maybe we would have met at your parents’ hot pot shop, or a train station, or just on the side of the road.”

“So many ‘what-ifs’,” Yixin laughed, leaning her head on Chi Yi’s shoulder. “Meeting and liking each other is already a miracle.”

“It is.”

They stood huddled together, as sweet as any couple. “When your hand is better, come to our house for hot pot,” Yixin said suddenly.

“I’d love to.”

“We’ll go to the shop; the atmosphere is better. Then I’ll take you home to see my place and introduce you to the big yellow dog in the yard.”

“Will it bite me?”

“I’ll protect you; he wouldn’t dare.” Yixin giggled. “I remember one New Year, a relative set off firecrackers and blew the dog’s metal food bowl high into the air. It landed with a loud clang, dented forever.”

Chi Yi laughed. “And then?”

“My dad fixed the bowl, but from then on, every time that relative visited, the dog would chase him and bite his pant legs.”

“Serves him right,” Chi Yi said.

“He did deserve it. Chi Yi, what about you? What was your life like?”

“Before university, I lived with my grandparents. In college, my grandfather worried about the dorms, so he found me a place nearby. I’ve lived alone since graduation. My uncle asked me to move back, but I never did.”

“For the freedom?”

“Maybe… but not entirely,” Chi Yi mused. “At my uncle’s house, there’s him, my aunt, and Siqi. They are the ‘main family.’ Sometimes I felt like the ‘outsider.’ They treated me well, always buying me the same toys as Siqi, but I couldn’t stop that feeling of being a ‘white-eyed wolf’ (ungrateful person). No one’s heart is as pure as a blank sheet; everyone has a side they keep hidden.”

Yixin felt for her. Growing up without parents, the original love of a mother and father is irreplaceable. “Then… when we have our own little family, you won’t feel that way,” Yixin said, her eyes bright. “With me, you aren’t an ‘outsider’.”

“Yixin…” Chi Yi’s heart felt a flutter.

Yixin straightened up, her hand on the back of Chi Yi’s neck, and leaned in until their noses brushed. Suddenly, a streak of light cut across the deep blue sky.

“…Was that a meteor?” “I didn’t see it.” “…”

They stared at each other. “It’s an old cliché: if you wish on a star, it comes true,” Yixin said. “What do you want to wish for?”

“I wish for Yixin to be happy, pure, and strong.”

“Nothing for yourself?”

Chi Yi thought seriously. “I wish for my Yixin to be happy, pure, and strong.”

“That’s still me!” Yixin laughed. “What’s your wish?”

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

Just then, a white line sliced the sky, then another, and another. A spectacular meteor shower began.

“Quick, wish!” Yixin grabbed Chi Yi’s sleeve.

Yixin used to scoff at such “superstitions,” but since meeting Chi Yi, she wanted to give her every blessing in the world. She closed her eyes and whispered in her heart: I hope my Chi Yi is healthy, happy, and forever loved.

Yixin posted a photo to her WeChat Moments with a weak signal—a silhouette of Chi Yi looking down at the city lights. The post was set so that only Chi Yi couldn’t see it.