Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 75

Big Yellow was treated to a late-night emergency bath service.

Usually, when Cheng Yixin’s parents were busy, they sent him to the pet shop. They only washed him at home if the prices went up during the holidays and they happened to have free time. In the past, baths were always scheduled for a sunny afternoon; after the wash, they would let the dog loose in the yard to frolic, and he would dry off quickly on his own without needing a blow-dry.

But this time, the night was dark and the wind was high. On top of that, it was a cold winter. Old Cheng, drenched in water flicked from the dog, gripped Big Yellow and scrubbed him dry with a towel.

He grumbled as he worked, “Does he really have to be washed this late?”

Big Yellow barked twice in response, man and dog both complaining in their own ways.

After finally finishing the bath, the grueling task of blow-drying began. The dog was eventually dried, but the nearly retired hairdryer started smoking from the effort.

While tidying up, Mother Cheng found a bow tie she had bought for Big Yellow during a previous Lunar New Year—festive red with a small bell. Once it was put on, the big yellow dog actually looked quite dashing and spirited.

The old couple worked until midnight before finally going to bed. Before falling asleep, Mother Cheng muttered, “Remember to buy a new hairdryer tomorrow…”

A few hours later in Jingning, Cheng Yixin and Chi Yi had already woken up. The driver loaded their luggage into the car. Due to the tight schedule, they didn’t plan on staying overnight, so they hadn’t brought a change of clothes or toiletries. Instead, they had bought a variety of health supplements and tonic products to give to the Cheng parents.

“Should I buy some fruit as well?” Chi Yi, who had been buried in her phone, suddenly looked up and asked.

Cheng Yixin looked at her with confusion, then caught a glimpse of the search query on the other woman’s phone: What to pay attention to when visiting a girlfriend’s house for the first time…

“Didn’t we already buy the supplements? There’s no need. My family isn’t picky about that.”

Chi Yi pondered for a moment, making a mental note. “We’ll see when we get there.”

When they arrived at the airport, they were recognized while preparing to check in. They had no choice but to use the VIP channel, which was faster and more convenient. An airport staff member led them to a small lounge equipped with a water bar and a self-service snack counter. Most importantly, no one else was inside.

Having rushed for an early flight, Cheng Yixin hadn’t eaten breakfast, planning to eat the airline meal. Now seeing the snacks at the buffet, she grabbed a few bites to tide her over.

“This cookie isn’t even half as good as the ones you make,” Cheng Yixin said with a hint of disdain, placing the half-eaten cookie back on the plate. “Good thing I only took one.”

“Is it that bad?” Chi Yi asked.

Cheng Yixin fed the remaining half to Chi Yi. After a few chews, Chi Yi agreed, “It really is quite bad… especially since it looks so nice.”

With about ten minutes left until boarding, Chi Yi went to the restroom.

“Oh my, look who I’ve found?” A male voice suddenly rang out in the quiet VIP room.

Bored and looking at her phone, Cheng Yixin looked up toward the source of the sound. It was a young man with dyed grey hair, dressed in a hip-hop style and wearing “cool” sunglasses. With half of his face covered, Cheng Yixin didn’t recognize him. Thinking he was a fan, she gave a simple nod as a greeting.

“Big Star, based on your reaction, you’ve forgotten me, haven’t you?” Chen Fei took off his sunglasses and sat down at her table with unearned familiarity. “We met before, at Feng Siqi’s birthday party.”

Mentioning that specific event jogged Cheng Yixin’s memory. A profligate rich second-generation heir. He had spoken rudely to her at that party, which was also the first time she and Chi Yi had crossed paths. Her expression tightened, and she went back to looking at her phone.

“Big Star, don’t be so cold. We’re practically colleagues now; strictly speaking, you’re my senior.”

Senior?

Cheng Yixin’s brow furrowed, and she instinctively looked at Chen Fei.

Chen Fei tucked his sunglasses into his collar and gave her what he thought was a very handsome, wicked smile. “You must have heard of me. I’m no longer the eldest young master of the Chen Group; I’m an independent musician now. I’d say I’m quite famous in the entertainment industry.”

Cheng Yixin gave a cold smile. Another “star” manufactured by throwing money around.

“Are you alone?” Chen Fei was still running his own little schemes. Following the livestream scandal, Cheng Yixin’s popularity index had soared. She had gained millions of followers on Weibo—active, quality fans. The “traffic” she commanded made people envious.

“Consider what I told you before,” Chen Fei said, raising an eyebrow. “Lu Qing has gone abroad. You might have been worried she would harass you before, but now you can rest easy. As long as you’re with me, I’ll never treat you poorly. I have money, you have traffic. If we collaborate, it’s a win-win.”

As Chen Fei rambled on about his delusions, Cheng Yixin saw Chi Yi emerge from the restroom. Chi Yi had clearly overheard his arrogant words, and her face was terrifyingly grim.

Cheng Yixin wasn’t in a rush. She smiled, digging a hole for Chen Fei. “Since you consider yourself part of the industry, aren’t you aware of the gossip surrounding me?”

“There’s too much gossip. What are you referring to?”

“For example…” she dragged out her voice, “…me and Chi Yi.”

“I know the sexual orientation of you stars is flexible. I don’t mind you serving both of us. Besides, is Chi Yi as ‘useful’ as I am?” As Chen Fei spoke, he made a vulgar thrusting motion.

Chen Fei laughed arrogantly. The next second, a sharp, tearing pain shot through his scalp.

His head was forced backward. When he saw Chi Yi’s face, his trash-talking smile froze.

Chi Yi said with a half-smile, “Are you referring to my fist?”

Her hand was balled into a fist, resting lightly against the side of Chen Fei’s face. Before he could experience any “softness”—

Chi Yi exerted force. Her fist slammed directly into his jaw, knocking half of his face askew.

“Agh—” Chen Fei clutched his jaw. He couldn’t move it at all. He didn’t know if it was broken or dislocated, but the intense pain prevented him from speaking. He could only make pained “ah-ah” sounds from his throat.

Chen Fei tried to stand up, but Chi Yi pressed down on his shoulder, preventing this “mighty man” from rising.

“Since you don’t know how to speak, there’s no use keeping your mouth.” Chi Yi’s smile deepened. “This is a lesson for today. Next time—if I have to cut your tongue out, I think Chairman Chen will thank me for disciplining his son for him.”

“Qi-Yi… wu-wu-wu…” Chen Fei pointed at her, unable to form a complete sentence, but one didn’t need to guess to know he was cursing her.

The commotion in the VIP room caught the attention of the staff outside. When they opened the door, they saw a man with a crooked jaw groaning and making incomprehensible noises.

Chi Yi picked up a wet wipe from the table and slowly wiped her hand. She told the staff, “This gentleman accidentally hit his face against the corner of the table. He needs to go to the hospital.”

The staff quickly prepared to take Chen Fei away. Having been beaten, Chen Fei wasn’t willing to let it go. he launched an unintelligible tirade at Chi Yi, refusing to be calmed. Left with no choice, two staff members hoisted Chen Fei up by his arms and carried him out.

Once the “fly” was gone, the VIP room returned to tranquility.

The now-calm Chi Yi began to worry that her actions might have seemed too violent to Cheng Yixin. To her surprise, Cheng Yixin couldn’t hold it back and burst out laughing.

“My Yiyi did a great job! He deserved it! What a pathetic, disgusting loser!”

Once her laughter subsided, Cheng Yixin had a delayed realization. “But you hit him. Compensation is one thing, but what if he causes trouble for you?” She looked up and saw a surveillance camera directly above them. “If he calls the police, it won’t just be about money.”

She remembered a news story about a rich heir who assaulted a pedestrian and faced seven days of detention. Usually, they paid large sums to settle out of court. But Chen Fei was already rich; he wouldn’t settle for money. Cheng Yixin’s mind was already racing toward “tears behind iron bars,” and her good mood vanished.

“He won’t dare call the police,” Chi Yi said firmly.

“Why?”

“His father’s company has business dealings with both the Feng Group and Yixin Trading. For the sake of money, Chairman Chen will keep him down. It’s just that Chen Fei is a clueless playboy who doesn’t understand the stakes. Besides—” Chi Yi glanced at the camera. “He hit the table himself. What does it have to do with me?”

“Oh~ well, that’s a relief then.” Cheng Yixin felt reassured and laughed again. “I didn’t expect you to have such a fierce side.”

“I…” Chi Yi hesitated. “I’m not as good as you think I am.”

“What I think of you and how you actually are doesn’t matter much to me. I think you’re very good to me, and that’s enough.” She held out her hand, palm up, signaling Chi Yi to take it.

Chi Yi interlaced her fingers with hers but hesitated, glancing at the camera. “There’s surveillance.”

“You weren’t afraid of the camera when you hit him. Is it a crime to hold my girlfriend’s hand?”

“Point taken.”

When it was time to board, the two used the priority lane. Before takeoff, Cheng Yixin sent a message home saying the flight was on time and they were about to depart.

Three hours later, the plane landed smoothly. They caught a taxi at the airport and hurried toward the house. Midway through the ride, Chi Yi had a thought.

“Aren’t your parents at the hotpot restaurant? If they aren’t home, isn’t it bad for us to go back there?”

“Then let’s go straight to the shop! We’ll arrive just in time for lunch.”

Agreeing on the plan, they told the driver to change the destination, intending to give her parents a big “surprise.”

Sande Street was always busy. The taxi couldn’t easily drive in, so it dropped them off at the end of the street. The hotpot restaurant was located in the middle of Sande Street. Walking in meant passing many shops. Some had been sublet and renovated, while others still had very familiar signs.

Cheng Yixin had played on this street since she was a child and was familiar with many of the old shop owners. This time, however, she was wearing a mask and wasn’t recognized as she passed by.

“This used to be a rice noodle shop. I remember it was run by an old couple; they cooked in clay pots, and it was delicious. The business was great too,” Cheng Yixin shared her memories as they walked. The shop was now a women’s clothing store.

“Why did they stop?”

“They got too old to keep going. Their kids thought the catering industry was too exhausting and didn’t take over, so they transferred the lease.”

They passed another hotpot restaurant where the main doors were locked tight. Through the windows, they could see the chairs stacked on the tables—usually a sign of renovation or a long-term closure for cleaning. A red sign was posted on the window with the word “Transfer” (for lease). There were marks on the red paper as if something had been splashed on it. This was the shop owned by Haizi’s parents—the family that had conspired with others to splash paint on the Cheng family’s restaurant.

Because it was discovered that their son had done such a thing, the neighbors had distanced themselves from the family. Combined with their son’s actions being exposed online, customer traffic had plummeted, so they simply gave up the shop. Cheng Yixin didn’t know how to feel about it.

“Our hotpot restaurant is just ahead. There should be a lot of people at this hour. I’ll ask if there’s a table later; we can pull one out and eat outside.”

From the street entrance to the restaurant was a walk of about one kilometer. Along the way, Cheng Yixin and Chi Yi discussed what to order and which stir-fried dishes were worth trying. Having filled a mental order sheet, they finally reached the Chen Family Hotpot.

What awaited them was a tightly closed door with a padlock hanging from it. Next to the lock was a sign:

CLOSED TODAY.

“…???”

Mother Cheng hadn’t told her that they had cleaned all night and even bathed the dog, let alone that they were closing for a day specifically to welcome their guests.

Cheng Yixin felt like she was about to faint from hunger. This was undeniably a bolt from the blue.

Meanwhile, at home, Mother Cheng looked at the clock on the wall and muttered, “They should be here by now…”

On the floor, Big Yellow was still struggling and whining, accompanied by the tinkling of a bell. Old Cheng gripped one of the dog’s paws and attempted to dress him in a pink, puffy, dog-specific tutu.

The guests hadn’t even arrived, yet Big Yellow, forced into “business mode,” was so “tortured” he didn’t dare come out from under the sofa.