Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 73

“How generous of them,” Cheng Yixin said, a mocking smile curling her lips.

She could no longer understand the logic of some people. It was easy for them to take the moral high ground when they weren’t the ones being lashed; they didn’t feel the pain because the whip hadn’t landed on their own skin.

One reason the netizens favored Liu Min—aside from his family background—was that in the grand scheme of the incident, he was only responsible for receiving visitors at the hospital. While his personal information and his parents’ illnesses were real, everything else was a persona manufactured by the scammers.

Whether it was the Weibo private messages or the subsequent WeChat communication, the scamming syndicate had been operating under his name. He claimed he wasn’t personally aware of the details; he had simply taken the money and greeted the visitors as instructed by the group.

Liu Min’s life was a mess, and he had elderly, sickly parents. When a person is desperate, they will resort to any means to make money.

Cheng Yixin also came from an ordinary family, and in a way, she could understand Liu Min. However—that was not a reason for her to forgive him.

She had been full of kindness and a genuine desire to help him, but in return, she was met with ingratitude. She was subjected to large-scale cyberbullying and verbal abuse by “righteous” netizens, which even affected her parents.

Who was there to pity her? Even now, seeing the Weibo icon made her heart sink with a deep-seated fear.

Onlookers would simply say that stars earn so much money they should have a higher threshold for stress than ordinary people, and being scolded was just another form of “traffic.”

“If they feel so much pity for a scammer, then those people should go to jail in his place. If each of them served one day, he’d probably be out in less than a month.”

Fang Yuhan frowned and gave a tight smile. “Netizens only know how to talk trash. We’ll just ignore them. I’ve already instructed the lawyers to proceed with the standard legal process.”

“There is one more thing…” Fang Yuhan looked at the thick stack of documents on the desk. “Yixin, we must move on completely.”

Cheng Yixin tilted her head in confusion.

Fang Yuhan pushed the documents toward her. “This is evidence collected by our PR department over this period. It includes users whose posts were reposted or liked more than two thousand times—over five hundred people across all platforms. The content includes, but is not limited to, rumors, insults, and personal attacks. It meets the requirements for a lawsuit.”

Cheng Yixin flipped a page and saw archived evidence of printed Weibo screenshots—black text filled with foul language and vitriol.

She froze. A drop of ink seemed to fall onto the surface of her heart, expanding infinitely until the pitch-black darkness swallowed her. In that instant, a familiar sense of suffocation surged within her, and a chill swept from her fingertips to her limbs.

Even in the heated room, she felt incredibly cold.

Seeing her reaction, Fang Yuhan realized this was close to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), even if Cheng Yixin wasn’t showing it overtly.

Cheng Yixin loosened her grip, and the papers slipped through her fingers. The blank white cover hid the vile words once more.

“Over five hundred people. Although the litigation will be a long process, if you want to protect your rights, the company will fight with you until the end. Even if it takes several years, it will be worth it.”

Cheng Yixin thought for a long time. She hated the people in that evidence so much she wished they could all be lined up and shot. But… as Fang Yuhan said, protecting one’s rights was an exhausting journey.

The plaintiff would be physically and mentally drained, only to perhaps receive a trivial apology or compensation in the end. But during that process, it was the plaintiff who would be tortured. Every piece of evidence would have to be reviewed.

Thinking back to that room with the curtains drawn tight against the sun, where she curled into a corner, she didn’t want to be forced to relive those memories over and over again.

She clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Cheng Yixin slowly released her fingers. “Even if I win, what of it? I don’t care for their apologies, and I certainly don’t want to see those ugly faces. They make me want to vomit.”

In the afternoon, Li Wenjing arranged an exclusive interview at lightning speed. it was with a traditional, established talk show—a roundabout way to clarify and organize the events of the entire incident.

“I know the host. Just relax; she won’t ask any difficult questions.”

Li Wenjing went to grab the physical interview outline, only to realize she hadn’t printed it out in her haste. She said, “I have the electronic version here. Take a look while we’re on the way.”

“I won’t look.” Cheng Yixin put on her eye mask. “You said she won’t ask difficult questions, so I’ll just answer as I go.”

Having been in the industry for several years and having handled countless interviews, Li Wenjing felt reassured.

The studio was decorated warmly, with two comfortable armchairs where Cheng Yixin and the host sat facing each other. The host had a soft voice, and the interview felt more like a chat. This allowed Cheng Yixin to relax, and the conversation flowed smoothly toward the recent storm.

The screen to their side displayed screenshots provided by the team of the entire chat history with the scamming group.

In chronological order, it showed the initial Weibo private messages—how “Liu Min” used a tragic story to gain Cheng Yixin’s sympathy, winning her trust step by step and leading the prey into the trap. Then came Li Wenjing’s active attempts to contact “Liu Min” regarding the situation. After the truth came out, the team couldn’t reach “Liu Min” at all; he had simply blocked her.

These screenshots had never been released by the team, even when the abuse against Cheng Yixin was at its peak. When the incident was in full swing, some people remained convinced that Cheng Yixin was lying even after fake Photoshopped screenshots were debunked. Even with a mountain of evidence, there would always be voices of doubt.

The “guardians of justice” only knew that Cheng Yixin had been scammed and even felt she was stupid—an adult in her twenties being led around by the nose. They didn’t know that this was a trap meticulously laid out by dozens of people, where every word was the result of rigorous psychological manipulation.

Now, looking at the screenshots on the screen, Cheng Yixin felt an indescribable sensation—as if her heart had been thrown to the ground and crushed, while onlookers said, “It’s just a small thing, no big deal.”

“Looking at these chat logs, Yixin is truly a very gentle person,” the host remarked.

Cheng Yixin gave a faint smile. The experience of being scolded so badly she didn’t dare leave her house or see the light was something others could hardly imagine.

“If someone encounters a difficulty in the future and hopes you can lend a helping hand, will you still help them?”

The faint redness in Cheng Yixin’s eyes faded. She shook her head with a smile. “No.”

“If I were just an ordinary person, I would do my best to help. But every move I make affects those who follow me. During this incident, the fans and netizens who stayed rational and spoke up for me were labeled as ‘brainless fans.’ I feel very sorry for them, and I would like to say I’m sorry here.”

Cheng Yixin stood up and bowed to the camera, offering a sincere apology to the fans and onlookers who had been unfairly branded.

“She only fell into the mire briefly. The Cheng Yixin standing before us again is still the same person full of kindness.”

The heavy topic ended, and the following conversation lightened the mood.

“Reporters caught you coming back from the airport with Chi Yi of Yixin Trading. Were you two out to clear your heads?”

“Not exactly.” Cheng Yixin smiled. “Chi Yi went to the mountains during that time. The Yixin Foundation has a charity project there—building a primary school to make it easier for left-behind children to attend school. She went to follow up on the project’s progress.”

She paused and then added, “Since childhood, we are taught that children are the flowers of the motherland, the seeds, and the hope. So, I hope everyone can pay more attention to the difficulties faced by left-behind children in the mountains regarding their education.”

Before this, Cheng Yixin’s attitude toward the host had been more “professional” than enthusiastic. But now, speaking of President Chi’s career, she became eloquent. What was supposed to be a personal interview turned into a promotion for the Yixin Foundation.

Once the program aired, the “CP fans” (shippers) who had been silent for a long time were resurrected. During Cheng Yixin’s scandal, the fans who had only shipped them for “traffic” had scattered like monkeys from a falling tree, even telling Cheng Yixin to stay away from their “oppa” so she wouldn’t bring him bad luck.

But the “Yixin Yiyi” Super Topic was originally a niche circle. Whether “the house collapsed” or not didn’t matter to them; this wasn’t a case of someone getting married or having children, nor was it a moral issue. It wasn’t a reason to leave the fandom.

However, the CP fans had hoped Chi Yi would stand up for Cheng Yixin, yet they understood that speaking up at such a time would only draw the fire of the “justice warriors.” They wanted Chi Yi to speak, but they also didn’t—it was a very contradictory feeling.

Seeing Cheng Yixin accept the interview so gracefully, and seeing the two photographed at the airport a few days ago, gave the CP fans renewed hope. Cheng Yixin’s public support for Chi Yi’s career in the program boosted their confidence immensely.

Within thirty minutes of the interview airing, the Yixin Foundation posted on Weibo, announcing the allocation of a special fund to help elderly people with major illnesses and to provide medical and financial assistance to families under economic pressure.

Yixin Yiyi is Real: AAAAAAA I KNEW IT!! Oh my god! The program comes out, and right after, the Yixin Foundation posts on Weibo. Who would believe this is a coincidence?! President Chi must have been with Xinxin when she was sad!! Now that Xinxin has moved on, she immediately went to find President Chi!!! Supporting each other’s careers and accompanying each other in private—it’s the ideal relationship state!!

Pork Jerky Milk Tea: AAAAAAH!! I believe in love again! From now on, I’ll die in this shipping pit!! I want to see them get married in my lifetime!!

The legal sentencing for the case was successfully announced. According to Article 27 of the Criminal Law, those who play a secondary or auxiliary role in a joint crime are accomplices. For accomplices, the punishment shall be lightened, reduced, or exempted.

The amount of money Liu Min received was considered “huge,” and he was sentenced to three years in prison. The illegal gains were to be returned as compensation for Cheng Yixin’s mental distress.

However, all the money Liu Min had received had been used to pay for his father’s medical bills. Plus, the elder Mr. Liu still required regular medication and chemotherapy, so there was no way they could pay back the money.

Cheng Yixin’s side no longer expected Liu Min to pay it back. After all, the money was worth nothing compared to the harm she had suffered. She simply wanted the person who planted the bitter seeds to taste the bitter fruit.

Unexpectedly, Liu Min’s father sold the family’s farmland and scraped together enough money to pay the debt—not so his son could receive a lighter sentence.

Upon learning that the money his son had provided was obtained through illegal means, the old couple’s consciences were so troubled they couldn’t sleep. Their hair turned white overnight. They were simultaneously grateful to and ashamed before the Cheng Yixin they had never met. If they had known the medical bills were paid with the proceeds of a crime, they would have rather died.

After receiving the son’s sentencing notice, Liu Min’s legal aid called. The defendant was depressed and the lawyer asked if the immediate family was dissatisfied with the verdict and wanted to appeal for a second trial.

Mr. Liu’s eyes were bloodshot, and the hand clutching the phone trembled. During his time in the hospital, many relatives hadn’t dared to answer their calls, avoiding their family like the plague. During this period, only Cheng Yixin had sent people to visit, bringing fruit and condolence money. To receive comfort from a stranger they had never met was truly pathetic.

After a long silence, Mr. Liu suppressed his grief and said, “We accept the verdict. We will not appeal.”

“Let Liu Min reform himself well in prison so he can come out and be a new man.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Mrs. Liu could no longer hold it in and burst into loud sobs.

A knock sounded on the corrugated iron door: “Courier! Is anyone home?”

Mr. Liu put down his phone and went to open the door. A worker in uniform was holding a foam box. After verifying the information, he placed the box at the door.

“We didn’t buy anything. Is it the wrong address?” Mr. Liu asked.

“No, isn’t the recipient your name? The sender is ‘Miss Cheng.’ Do you want to open it for inspection?”

Miss Cheng.

Mr. Liu froze. The only Miss Cheng they knew was Cheng Yixin.

The courier skillfully opened the box. Inside was a full box of high-quality imported cherries.

Seeing the box of fruit, Mr. Liu’s pupils shrank. With a thud, he fell to his knees on the ground, wailing in profound sorrow.

The criminal was guilty, but the parents were innocent.