Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 79

“I’ve always said Chi Yi should avoid people in the entertainment industry. She was doing perfectly fine in business, but now that she’s involved with a female star, she’s being judged and criticized online. It’s absolutely irritating.”

“Mom, Sis and Cheng Yixin have a great private relationship. You should just stop reading those idiotic Weibo comments,” Feng Siqi said, immediately standing up for Cheng Yixin upon hearing her mother’s complaints.

As the Old Master’s only granddaughter, Chi Yi was not only doted on by Feng Nian and his wife, but also by Feng Tianyuan and his wife. Feng Tianyuan had always cherished his two sisters; unfortunately, the second sister and her husband had passed away young, leaving behind an only child who became a jewel in the Feng family’s palm, even more precious than Feng Siqi.

Because Chi Yi had been sensible, respectful, and hardworking since childhood, the entire family held her in high regard. Even after she moved out to live alone and start her own business, the Feng family never ignored her well-being. However, while they used to communicate directly, ever since Chi Yi became close with someone in the entertainment industry, they saw her movements more frequently through the internet.

Now, seeing their niece being judged by self-righteous fans—called “ugly” or described as having a “mean face”—was enough to make her aunt’s blood boil.

“I think you’ve been blinded by your celebrity chasing. There is no true sincerity in the entertainment industry,” Liang Yin said, frowning as she lectured her daughter. She was frequently invited to banquets by fashion brands and felt she knew better. “Do you really think people in that circle are simple? Someone like Cheng Yixin is just using Chi Yi to bind herself to traffic. Look at what her fans are saying about your sister. Has she ever responded? If your second aunt were still alive and saw her daughter being pointed at by people with too much time on their hands, she would certainly be heartbroken.”

Feng Siqi opened her mouth to argue, but then she hesitated and shrunk back. Her mother wasn’t entirely wrong.

Ever since her cousin appeared under Cheng Yixin’s first Weibo post, there had been “rebellious” comments from fans. Even when photos of the two were posted, they would pick apart Chi Yi’s flaws, intentionally attacking her looks and accusing her of leeching off traffic. Sometimes, Feng Siqi couldn’t understand the lunatics in fan circles.

Regarding this, Cheng Yixin really hadn’t clarified anything or spoken up for Chi Yi. Feng Siqi could understand Cheng Yixin’s difficulties as a signed artist under contract, but for the parents’ generation, they primarily felt the pain of their child being attacked without cause; “putting oneself in someone else’s shoes” wasn’t their priority.

By evening, the social-media-savvy Feng Siqi saw the trending search. Cheng Yixin’s new Weibo repost not only officially stated that she and Chi Yi were very close friends, but she also risked offending her fans by publicly protecting Chi Yi. She had explicitly restricted her fans from trashing Chi Yi.

Following that, she had blocked several “fans” who had made aggressive comments, leaving those self-proclaimed “true fans” fuming. In the entire entertainment industry, she was the first actress to openly favor and defend a friend, not just with words, but with the actual action of blocking and unfollowing.

The moment she got home, Feng Siqi eagerly showed her phone to Liang Yin.

“Mom, Mom, look! Cheng Yixin did speak up for Sis! She even blocked a bunch of idiotic fans! She’s on the trending search again and getting scolded for it, but this time, she’s taking the hit for Sister.”

“What are you all talking about?” The old man, just coming downstairs, heard the keyword regarding his granddaughter and showed great interest.

“Grandpa~” Feng Siqi ran over to help Feng Nian down the stairs, a flattering smile on her face. “Nothing much.”

“I heard everything. You were talking about your sister. What happened to Yiyi?”

“Nothing.” Seeing that the Old Master was determined to get to the bottom of it, Feng Siqi just said it: “Mom was unhappy about Sis hanging out with an actress and being mocked by her fans. But today, that actress went head-to-head with her fans and blocked a lot of the idiots who were insulting Sister.”

Feng Siqi assumed the Old Master didn’t follow the entertainment industry, so she kept it somewhat vague.

“The actress you’re talking about… her name is…” Feng Nian thought for a moment. “Cheng Yixin, right?”

“Grandpa, you know her?”

Of course Feng Nian knew her; he had once “scammed” ten thousand yuan from her, after all.

While Feng Nian also didn’t like his granddaughter being judged by outsiders, he felt this was a private matter of Chi Yi’s social life and shouldn’t be interfered with. Plus, since Chi Yi met Cheng Yixin, she seemed to have become more cheerful, so he turned a blind eye. As a veteran of the business world, he could also somewhat understand the difficult positions actors found themselves in.

Hearing that Cheng Yixin had publicly spoken up for Chi Yi with such a firm attitude was honestly quite surprising to him.

“Sister Yixin is a very good person. I’ve met her twice at Sis’s house. She isn’t arrogant, and it’s clear their relationship is great—not at all the ‘business CP’ relationship people talk about online,” Feng Siqi added, trying to put in a good word for Cheng Yixin.

“What does this… ‘CP’ you young people talk about mean?” Feng Nian asked, only partially understanding the current slang.

“Couple. Translated, it means to connect or pair up. Originally, it referred to ‘shipping’ characters in a romantic relationship, mostly in fan circles. Now it also refers to characters in anime or film; Grandpa, you can understand it as two people being as well-matched as a real couple.”

“As for ‘business’—well, when a new show comes out, don’t the actors have to create hype for promotion? They manufacture some romance rumors so that while the show is airing, it looks real. Once the broadcast ends, they start distancing themselves.”

The old man digested his granddaughter’s words. After a few seconds, his expression turned odd. “You mean they are a couple?”

Feng Siqi nearly bit her tongue. “No, no! I meant there are CP fans online who hope they are a couple. I never said they are!”

Liang Yin, listening nearby, shot her daughter a look. “Don’t tell your grandfather random things.”

“What?!” Feng Siqi grumbled. “Grandpa was the one who asked.”

“Goodness, what are people thinking nowadays,” Feng Nian said with a stern face. “Two perfectly fine young girls, having a good friendship, and people insist on pairing them up. They don’t even consider the other person’s feelings or how they’re going to get married in the future.”

Is it possible, Feng Siqi thought but didn’t dare say, that my cousin’s behavior is just too domineering, and the two of them keep feeding the fans so much ‘sugar’ that it’s hard not to ship them?

While they were chatting, dinner was ready. Just before sitting down at the table, Feng Nian received a call from his secretary.

“You all eat first; I’ll take this call.”

Feng Nian returned to the living room. The call was regarding a script investment. Previously, he had invested in A Space Odyssey on a whim, only for it to be ruined by the director’s poor decisions. Although the money was invested, the Old Master no longer expected much from the result. However, he was still open to the idea of investing in scripts to bring more good works to the market.

The script the secretary mentioned was titled Like a Dream. It was a Republican-era theme about a story that takes place in a tavern during a period of turmoil. The beautiful tavern owner appears charming and sociable by day, but she is actually a double agent who kills traitors without hesitation. Being about the resistance against traitors, it naturally interested the older generation.

Like a Dream was supposed to start filming next week, but the original temporary investor had backed out. The director was currently as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and had somehow heard that Old Master Feng was interested in investing. By coincidence, he found the secretary through high school connections, hoping to bridge the gap.

For the sake of his old classmate, the secretary hoped to make the deal happen. Additionally, seeing that Cheng Yixin—whom the Old Master had been paying quite a bit of attention to—was on the cast list, he felt there was a chance for success and boldly brought it up.

“Old Master, don’t you want to act? This script is set in the Republican era. You’d look very sharp in a Zhongshan suit; you could even do a cameo as a bank manager.”

Since retiring, the Old Master had spent every day fishing and walking his birds. Doing it day after day had become a bit dull. Hearing the secretary’s suggestion, Feng Nian was interested but didn’t agree immediately. He asked for the detailed electronic materials for Like a Dream to review first.

After reading the detailed plot, the Old Master slapped his leg and agreed to the investment. A television series cost much less than a sci-fi blockbuster, and it would give him a “back garden” to wander in to pass the time.

Right after Feng Nian told the secretary to negotiate the contract, his granddaughter called. Seeing Chi Yi’s name, a smile automatically appeared on his face.

“Yiyi, are you missing your grandpa?”

“How has Grandpa’s health been lately?”

“Very well. The doctor said my blood pressure is a bit high and I need to stay calm. A small matter.”

Chi Yi had the words at the tip of her tongue but pulled them back. “You should still be careful with high blood pressure. I was quite busy a while ago, but I’m free now. I want to accompany Grandpa for some fishing, if you’re up for it.”

“If my granddaughter wants to go fishing with me, of course I am!” The old man sounded very happy. “Yiyi is much more thoughtful than that girl Siqi; she’d rather play on her phone than fish with me.”

After making the date, Chi Yi handled her work at the company, took her car keys, and left. Before returning to the manor, she stopped at a dessert shop. She bought low-sugar pudding for her grandparents and a set of exquisitely shaped macarons for her aunt.

As she entered the house with the treats, she happened to run into Feng Lan, who had also returned. As a major shareholder of Xinyu Media, Feng Lan had some “feelings” about Cheng Yixin’s recent bold attitude. Her first words were: “Yiyi, your ‘friend’ has been quite restless lately.”

Chi Yi let out a brief “Uh” from her throat, pausing for half a second before saying, “Sorry, Auntie, for the trouble.”

“Which one?” Liang Yin asked, completely confused. “Yiyi, are you in a relationship?”

The only person in the family who knew Chi Yi and Cheng Yixin were dating was Feng Lan. Realizing she had slipped up in front of her sister-in-law, she covered for herself: “We’re talking about work, it’s nothing.”

“I see~” Liang Yin didn’t think twice about it.

“Auntie, I bought some afternoon tea for you.” Chi Yi set the desserts on the table. “Since my other aunt is here, the two of you can drink tea together.”

“Wonderful,” Liang Yin smiled. “I was just about to send someone to buy some. Your grandfather said you were coming back to fish; he’s already at the pond waiting for you.”

After greeting her elders, Chi Yi went to the pond. From a distance, she saw an old man in a straw hat and a white Zhongshan suit sitting on a small folding stool.

“Grandpa!”

After eating the pudding his granddaughter bought, the old man’s face was full of smiles. Compared to his other granddaughter, Feng Siqi—who always seemed like a child who wouldn’t grow up—Chi Yi was sensible and independent, which made him favor her even more.

“You haven’t come to visit this old man in a long time.” The Old Master looked at the bobber on the water and chuckled. “Are you having trouble at work?”

“No, I just missed Grandpa.”

The old man nodded but didn’t say anything more. After finishing the pudding, he set the box on the small table and before he could even reach for anything, Chi Yi handed him a wet wipe. The grandfather and granddaughter fished by the pond, chatting casually.

Eventually, Chi Yi steered the conversation toward a currently popular TV drama and took the opportunity to ask about Like a Dream.

“You mean that drama?” The old man nodded. “I did invest in it. I thought the script was interesting; it would be a pity if it couldn’t be filmed due to a lack of money.”

“Grandpa, someone I know is in that drama.”

“Who?” Feng Nian asked. He hadn’t reached the cast list yet; he had decided to invest just based on the story.

“Cheng Yixin.”

Feng Nian gave an “Ah.” Why did it feel like Cheng Yixin’s name was showing up everywhere lately?

“Do you want me, as the producer, to talk to the director and give her special treatment?” Feng Nian asked.

“No,” Chi Yi said. “I thought you invested because she was in it.”

The old man was confused. “Why would you think that was the order of events?”

“Because… I hope Grandpa can get to know Cheng Yixin.” She was afraid that if she came out suddenly, the old man’s blood pressure would spike, so she had to take it step-by-step. “If you get to know her, you’ll see she’s a very good person.”

“Do you have some idea in mind?” The old man thought for a moment, and a flash of realization hit him. “I know!”

“It’s because of last time, isn’t it?”

Chi Yi’s eyes flickered with a hint of expectation.

“Last time, for the group’s charity short film, we chose Huang Xinxi instead of her. You want me to get to know her better so that if there’s a similar collaboration in the future, we can ask Cheng Yixin to perform.”

“Honestly, if you just say the word, we’ll hire whoever you want. Even investing in a drama specifically for her is a small matter as long as my granddaughter is happy.”

Chi Yi suddenly felt that her hopes regarding the Old Master’s “straight-male logic” were quite foolish.