Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 72

Chi Yi sensed Cheng Yixin reaching out. Her instinctive reaction was to remember the reporters behind them who could snap a photo at any moment. She tried to pull away, but Cheng Yixin held her firmly until they left the airport and stepped into the familiar Maybach.

Inside the car, the air conditioning was set to a comfortable temperature. They sat across from each other, shedding their heavy coats.

“Just now…” Chi Yi attempted to discuss their current situation and how the rumors of a same-sex relationship might impact Cheng Yixin’s career.

However, Cheng Yixin simply reached out toward her, palm upward and fingers spread.

Unsure of the intent, Chi Yi extended her hand anyway. Cheng Yixin immediately grasped it, interlocking her fingers with Chi Yi’s.

Looking up at Chi Yi, she said, “When I hold your hand, don’t hide.”

Her gaze was serious, tinged with a slightly commanding tone that kept Chi Yi from answering immediately.

“Did you hear me?”

“I heard you.”

“Good girl.”

Cheng Yixin patted her head, looking genuinely happy and satisfied with the answer.

It wasn’t until they arrived home that Li Wenjing called.

“…Did you leak your schedule to those reporters?”

“This was your first public appearance in a while,” Li Wenjing replied. “Many media outlets were racing to find news of you. Isn’t it good to stir up some hype? Ever since the police cleared your name, the number of collaborators looking for you has significantly increased. In a way, this is a good thing.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Yixin thought of the “surprise” she left for the reporters at the airport and chuckled to herself. She wondered what Li Wenjing’s expression would be once she saw the actual reports.

She would probably have to do some “ideological work” on Cheng Yixin again.

But the current Cheng Yixin was indestructible. Only when you know what you want can you move forward with unwavering determination.

They arrived home very late. The long journey had exhausted them, and after showering, they basically fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.

When Chi Yi woke up the next day, the spot beside her was already cold. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and blinking.

Like every morning they spent together, Cheng Yixin had gotten up early for work. They didn’t have the sticky “good morning kiss” of ordinary couples.

The surroundings were quiet until she suddenly heard a sound like something being sawed—hiss-hiss, hiss-hiss.

Chi Yi got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and walked to the balcony. Looking down, she saw Cheng Yixin in the courtyard with a wood saw, battling the bamboo they had brought back yesterday.

Deeply focused on her struggle with the bamboo, Cheng Yixin didn’t notice the person upstairs had woken up. The bamboo was thick and the saw teeth were somewhat flimsy, making the cutting process very strenuous.

By the time she finally managed to saw off a section, fine beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. She looked up to see Chi Yi leaning against the balcony railing, watching her.

“When did you wake up? Did I wake you?”

“No, I heard you sawing something as soon as I got up.” Chi Yi looked at the red wood saw in her hand—a tool she had never seen before. “Where did you get a saw?”

“Borrowed it from property management.” Cheng Yixin put down the saw and added, “We have to go to the hospital at 11:00 AM. Go brush your teeth and wash your face, then come down for breakfast.”

“Okay.”

Chi Yi assumed the breakfast Cheng Yixin mentioned was a delivery from a restaurant ordered by Xiao Yu. When she came downstairs and saw a bowl of noodles in a ceramic bowl—clearly freshly made—she was quite shocked.

“You made this???”

Three question marks were enough to express her level of surprise.

In her memory, the last time Cheng Yixin had cooked noodles was that one time she taught her how to make seafood egg noodles; that was the first time “Teacher Cheng” had ever learned the skill. She still remembered the soup was very white, the eggs were a bit charred, and the presentation wasn’t great.

But this time, the egg was a beautiful sunny-side-up, and large, bright-red shrimp lay nestled next to it. There were several green vegetable hearts, and a sprinkle of fresh green scallions on top. The soup was a light reddish color due to the shrimp oil; one look was enough to sense the freshness.

“Who else would make it for you?” Cheng Yixin teased.

“You’ve improved so much.” Chi Yi smiled. “It looks very appetizing.”

During the days Cheng Yixin had shut herself at home and refused delivery, her logic told her she had to eat well and not do anything to harm her body. So, she used the ingredients Li Wenjing had prepared to cook noodles. After a few days, her technique had naturally improved.

Cheng Yixin could now think of those days calmly. Time can heal wounds, but it still leaves indelible scars. She looked at the person in front of her; if not for Chi Yi, she might have fallen into a bottomless pit of negativity.

Chi Yi, meanwhile, felt she had done nothing. When Cheng Yixin needed her most, she couldn’t even be by her side.

But to Cheng Yixin, it was enough that lovers could understand each other and provide appropriate space. In times of extreme distress, one often doesn’t want to talk to anyone but needs emotional companionship. Because she knew Chi Yi was waiting for her, she was able to climb out of the dark mire and stand in the light again.

“If you like it, I’ll make it for you anytime.”

Chi Yi teased her: “I thought you didn’t like cooking?”

“I’m happy to do it for my girlfriend,” Cheng Yixin said matter-of-factly. “It’s the same feeling as you always making cookies for me. Although, this is only my second time.”

After breakfast, Cheng Yixin washed the dishes while Chi Yi changed and came downstairs.

The weather in Jingning was warmer than in Ping County. The sun was out today, and it wasn’t particularly cold. Chi Yi was wearing a shirt under her down vest. Noticing the collar wasn’t straightened, Cheng Yixin beckoned her over.

“Hmm?” Unsure, Chi Yi leaned in. Cheng Yixin reached up and adjusted the shirt collar with her fingers. “You don’t even know how to fix your own collar.”

“I saw it,” Chi Yi said, her eyes shifting to meet Cheng Yixin’s gaze. “I wanted you to do it for me.”

Those brown eyes stared at her without blinking. Cheng Yixin could almost see the shimmering light in their depths. Her hands slid down to the middle button of the vest.

With a slight tug, she pulled Chi Yi closer. Their noses were only a centimeter apart, and she could feel the faint warmth of the other’s breath. Cheng Yixin’s eyes flickered with a hint of seductive charm, yet she didn’t move.

Chi Yi pursed her lips. The atmosphere had reached its peak, and since she was no saint, she kissed her fiercely. In their own home, they didn’t have to worry about “third wheels” or bystanders jumping out; they could kiss without restraint.

Cheng Yixin stepped back two paces until her lower back hit the edge of the shoe cabinet. She wrapped her hands around Chi Yi’s waist, tightening her grip bit by bit.

“We have to go out.” Cheng Yixin tilted her head slightly, not forgetting the main task. She lightly tapped Chi Yi’s right hand. “Let’s get your hand fixed first. We need an X-ray to see what’s going on.”

Because of the injury, Cheng Yixin drove for safety’s sake. After buckling her seatbelt, she teased, “A new driver is on the road. Are you scared?”

“If I were driving, you’d be even more scared.”

Cheng Yixin laughed instantly. “That’s true.”

Having driven a few times before, she wasn’t too nervous once she hit the road. She released the brake and slowly started moving. Cheng Yixin suddenly remembered the time Chi Yi had fired a driver for braking too hard; her reaction back then seemed very off in hindsight—as if she had some kind of psychological trauma.

She glanced at Chi Yi through the rearview mirror. Fearing that asking directly might trigger a bad memory, she decided to find a chance to ask Si Wen instead.

The previous night, Chi Yi had applied the herbs the grandmother had picked. According to Chi Yi, it felt a little better, but the recovery wasn’t obvious. Fortunately, the hospital X-rays showed only soft tissue contusion. The reason the ointment wasn’t working was simply that the “barefoot doctor’s” medicine wasn’t very potent. The hospital arranged for physical therapy and topical medication.

Cheng Yixin ran back and forth handling the forms, payments, and prescriptions, acting even more energetic than if she were the patient. Since the therapy took some time, they were hungry by the time they left.

With half a day left and the sun still high, Cheng Yixin suggested, “Let’s go for a walk in the park.”

They went to the same park where they had released the bird. The difference was that last time, President Chi had booked the entire place to avoid being photographed. This time, being a workday, there were still some tourists picnicking or playing badminton.

As they sat on a stone bench watching people play, Chi Yi’s sharp eyes spotted someone in the distance holding a camera and taking photos of them.

“There are paparazzi.” She was more nervous than the person involved and stood up abruptly. “Let’s go back.”

“We just got here and you want to leave?” Cheng Yixin pulled her back. “Sit a while longer. If there are paparazzi, let them take photos. We aren’t doing anything wrong; there’s nothing to hide.”

“Even if we aren’t doing anything, your name is practically a ‘traffic password’ right now. Weibo views are huge; everyone is waiting for you to update.”

“Oh. I don’t check Weibo anyway. Out of sight, out of mind. Let them be.”

Chi Yi gave a helpless smirk. She personally didn’t mind being photographed with Cheng Yixin, so since the person involved had said so, she didn’t say anything more.

Li Wenjing had only given her one day off to accompany Chi Yi to the hospital; after that, she had to dive back into work.

On the morning of her first day back, she was called into the office by Fang Yuhan, with Li Wenjing joining them. The setup looked as if they were about to discuss something very serious.

Upon entering the office, Cheng Yixin saw a thick stack of documents on Fang Yuhan’s desk, nearly as high as a pen holder.

“President Fang.”

The two sat down in front of the desk. She caught a glimpse of the documents; the cover was a blank piece of A4 paper.

“Yixin, Wenjing told me you went to the mountains to find Chi Yi these past few days,” Fang Yuhan said. “Starting today, you need to focus on work. Many things are waiting for you.”

“Yes, I know.” Cheng Yixin nodded. Though she and Fang Yuhan had a good personal relationship, business was business; she wouldn’t try to take shortcuts just because of their friendship.

“Then I’ll start with the first thing. The online attacks against you have stopped, but the matter isn’t over.”

“Regarding the case follow-up: the fraud syndicate will be sentenced heavily for multiple crimes, so don’t worry. All the money has been returned to the buyers, and the orchard owner who took money to cooperate with the inspection has been punished too.”

“The issue now is Liu Min. Since he wasn’t the principal offender and acted under instructions—and considering he has a critically ill father and a mother with chronic illnesses—his lawyer hopes you can show mercy. If you grant him a Letter of Forgiveness, his sentence could be reduced by several years, allowing him to come out early to fulfill his filial duties.”

“Normally, this would be your decision to make. However… the news that Liu Min applied for your forgiveness was leaked to the media. You know those marketing accounts are vultures; they are using the angle that Liu Min only helped the fraudsters because his family was in dire straits and he was ‘forced’ to earn dirty money, all to grab eyeballs.”

Cheng Yixin asked directly, “President Fang, just tell me. What do the ‘keyboard warriors’ want me to do?”

“They feel Liu Min is a pathetic person and that this incident didn’t cause you any ‘substantial’ harm. They hope you can let him go. They claim that through this, Liu Min will surely learn his lesson and turn his life around.”

How generous of them to be charitable with someone else’s suffering, Cheng Yixin thought.