Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 81

Even though Director Ma Zhou had seen many grand spectacles in his career, he currently had no idea what expression to make.

“Director Ma, this is the candidate for the extra role I mentioned to you just now. His surname is…” Cheng Yixin was about to introduce him when she realized she didn’t actually know the old gentleman’s full name or even his age.

“My surname is Feng,” Feng Nian said.

Hearing the name Feng, any lingering hope or luck the director felt was completely extinguished. This man was definitely his investor boss. According to inside information from a former classmate, this old gentleman could buy the entire filming base with a wave of his hand, yet here he was “begging” for a bit part.

“He… hello.” Director Ma forced himself to stay calm. Trembling, he reached out his hand. Despite the comfortable air conditioning in the van, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

Cheng Yixin didn’t try to guess the old man’s identity; she simply felt he was easy to talk to. Seeing the director’s current state, she never would have imagined that Elder Feng was the very investor Ma Zhou had just recruited.

She asked with genuine concern, “Director Ma, are you cold?”

“Yes, a… a little.” When Ma Zhou touched the old man’s hand, he didn’t dare to actually grip it. He gave a weak, hollow squeeze and hurriedly withdrew his trembling hand.

Cheng Yixin immediately had her first assistant pour a cup of ginger tea for Ma Zhou.

“Director Ma, the role I told you about, it’s the one in the script…” Cheng Yixin spread out the story outline and pointed it out to Ma Zhou. Fearing he might think the role was unsuitable, she suggested an even smaller extra role.

“These roles are all quite good.” Ma Zhou forced a smile. Now, it wasn’t a matter of whether he agreed to let the old gentleman perform; it was whether the old gentleman was willing to play and which role he wanted. If the old man got excited and said he wanted to play the lead male spy, his status alone would make it happen with a single word.

Feng Nian looked at Ma Zhou and asked with a smile, “Director, do you think I have a chance?”

“You do,” Ma Zhou said, bracing himself. “Which role would you like to play?”

“Oh, anything is fine. You see which role fits me.”

What was said afterward or how it was finalized, Ma Zhou’s mind was in such a muddle that he couldn’t remember at all. When he stepped down from the production van, he felt as if he had finally returned to the light of day.

“Director Ma, thank you.” Cheng Yixin chased after him to see him off, saying with a smile, “Mr. Feng isn’t a professional extra, so his acting might not be that great. I was just mentioning it to you as an experiment; I didn’t expect you to agree. Thank you for providing a ‘re-employment’ opportunity for an empty-nester.”

Ma Zhou had assumed Cheng Yixin and Feng Nian knew each other—he had even hallucinated that the investment for this drama was actually coming from Cheng Yixin’s secret background. But seeing her sincere and naive expression, he grew confused.

He asked tentatively, “Do you know the background of the person in that car?”

“What background?” Cheng Yixin asked, puzzled.

“You don’t know him?”

“To be honest, I’m not that familiar with him.”

“Then why did you…?”

Cheng Yixin then told Ma Zhou about how they had met once by chance before and ran into each other again this time. To gain some “sympathy votes” for the old man, she added that his family was away working and he was lonely at home after retirement; working as an extra to earn a little money could help with household expenses so his children wouldn’t have to work so hard.

Ma Zhou listened, breaking into a cold sweat. He never expected anyone to feel pity for a billionaire.

“Actually, he is…” Ma Zhou wanted to tell her that the person in the car was someone they couldn’t afford to offend. Just as he started to speak, he saw a corner of the tightly drawn curtains on the van behind Cheng Yixin lift.

Caught off guard, he locked eyes with Feng Nian. The old man just watched him calmly, but it made Ma Zhou’s heart skip a beat in fear.

“He is what?”

“No, no, nothing.” Ma Zhou waved his hand hurriedly. “I’ll go check how they’re preparing. The ceremony starts on time.” With that, he fled as fast as he could.

Ma Zhou now completely believed the rumors about Cheng Yixin being scammed in that high-profile case. It wasn’t that she was “stupid,” but rather that she was pure and kind, treating people with a sincere, innocent heart. Such a heart can help others, but it can also become a knife turned against oneself. It was simply a matter of bad luck.

“Grandpa Feng,” Cheng Yixin got back into the car. “The matter of the role is settled, but we’re not sure when it will be filmed yet. I’ll contact you in advance. If it’s inconvenient for you to come because you’ve returned to Jingning, we can find another extra.”

“Alright, you’re very thoughtful.” The old man chuckled happily.

With half an hour left before the ceremony, Cheng Yixin didn’t plan to rest and instead chatted with the old man.

“I think you’re a good person, but you’re too simple-minded. You’ll easily suffer losses,” Feng Nian said.

“I read a story when I was a kid—I forgot the details—but the gist was that ‘suffering a loss is a blessing.’ For many years after that, I thought it made sense.”

“Do you still think so now?”

Cheng Yixin thought for a moment and smiled. “I’m not sure anymore.”

“You’ll be cheated,” the old man said.

“I’ve already been cheated,” Cheng Yixin exhaled with a “ha,” thinking the man before her probably didn’t use the internet or follow entertainment news. She told him about the previous scam.

After the old man heard it, the expression on his face hardened slightly. “He lied to you and hurt you so badly. Don’t you hate him?”

“I hate him, and I also pity him. Compared to the ringleaders of the fraud, he is a person whose ‘pitiable state is matched by his detestable actions.’ Legal punishment is enough for him.” Cheng Yixin thought for a moment and said, “Through my case, it serves as a reminder to the public and reduces the probability of others being scammed. According to the police, the suspects were chatting with several other people at the same time before they were caught. Because my situation became public, those people realized something was wrong, terminated their cooperation, and minimized their losses. I suppose that’s one of the few benefits.”

As they were talking, Feng Nian’s phone rang. It was likely his secretary calling to find him.

“I have something to attend to, I must go now.” Feng Nian pressed the power button to mute it and said, “See you next time.”

“Okay.” Cheng Yixin smiled. “Though, I hope I don’t see you again.”

The old man raised an eyebrow. Cheng Yixin continued, “If I don’t see you, it must mean you have your family accompanying you, so you won’t have to come out looking for ‘pastime’ work.”

Feng Nian burst out laughing. “Interesting! I’ll take those as auspicious words then.”

After seeing the old man to the door, Cheng Yixin got back in the car. Chi Yi had sent a message a few minutes ago saying she had arrived at the hotel. Cheng Yixin had been chatting and hadn’t replied yet. Now that she was free, she immediately placed a voice call.

“You’ve arrived? My ceremony starts in ten minutes, I’m not sure when it will end.”

“Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No need, it’s freezing outside. Didn’t you get up early? Rest at the hotel first, I’ll bring food back for you.”

The two chatted for a while until a staff member came to inform her that they were ready to start.

The process was tedious: introductions, speeches, burning incense, and praying to the gods. She had to stand throughout the entire sequence. Beneath her down jacket, Cheng Yixin was wearing a qipao, and her exposed calves were nearly frozen stiff.

Feng Nian’s secretary felt the same. He finally understood why the old man let him attend in his place—it was an exhausting process.

The business car was parked in a secluded corner of the plaza. When the secretary got in, he saw the old man sitting in the back row, frowning at his phone. He looked very unhappy about whatever he was reading.

“Old Master, where are we going next? Didn’t you say you wanted to visit the winery?”

“I’m not in the mood. Let’s go eat,” the old man said.

Feng Nian didn’t usually follow the entertainment industry. The secretary would give him special alerts regarding Chi Yi’s movements, but other than that, he didn’t know many of today’s popular stars, let alone the scam case that had caused such a stir. Now that he had looked it up, seeing the full story, the old man who had been in a good mood was now shrouded in dark clouds.

Listening to Cheng Yixin talk about it earlier, it sounded like no big deal, but the reality was much worse than she had expressed. It made the justice-oriented Feng Nian feel incredibly furious. Today was a day where the old gentleman felt angry on someone else’s behalf.

Cheng Yixin returned to the hotel at two o’clock in the afternoon. She had originally thought about packing lunch for Chi Yi, but on second thought, it wasn’t right for Chi Yi’s first meal here to be a boxed lunch. She didn’t know if they would have free time to go out later. So, she searched for highly-rated restaurants nearby and decided to take Chi Yi out.

She swiped her card at the room door and pushed it open cautiously. She peeked her head in first; the blackout curtains were closed, the room was dimly lit, and the heating was comfortably on. She stepped in lightly, wanting to give Chi Yi a surprise.

To her surprise, Chi Yi was sleeping.

On the 1.8-meter king bed, she was sleeping neatly right against the edge, leaving a large portion of the space empty. The earliest high-speed train or flight meant Chi Yi must have woken up at 4:00 AM and traveled for several hours.

Her sleeping face looked so well-behaved that Cheng Yixin was filled with joy. Perhaps her gaze was too intense, as the sleeping Chi Yi slowly opened her eyes.

“Yixin,” Chi Yi rubbed her eyes. “How did I fall asleep?”

“The trip must have been tiring.” Cheng Yixin smoothed her hair. “Do you want to sleep more?”

“I’ve slept enough.”

“Then let’s go out and eat! I’ve already picked out a restaurant.”

Cheng Yixin didn’t hide her affection at all. Leaving the room, she couldn’t wait to grab Chi Yi’s hand in the hallway and head toward the elevator. “Let’s go try the local specialties. It’s the top-rated place nearby; they say you’ll regret it if you don’t eat there.”

“Then we definitely have to try it,” Chi Yi smiled. “Did the opening ceremony go smoothly this morning?”

“Very smoothly. I even met an old man at the set.” Cheng Yixin shared the daily trivia with her. “When I went to the wine exhibition before, I wanted to buy a bottle but it was out of stock. It turns out the old man had it, so I bought it from him.”

“You’re even buying wine now?” Chi Yi teased.

“Yeah.” Cheng Yixin instinctively wanted to say it was a very special jar from her birth year, but the words stopped at the tip of her tongue. Looking at the date, Chi Yi’s birthday was indeed approaching! She hadn’t given that jar of wine yet. “…Um, that’s when we first met. I was surprised to see him at the film set today.”

“Is he an actor too?”

“No, he’s just traveling through. He wanted to find an extra role to earn some money. I think he’s not short on money; he’s just alone at home with no one to accompany him. He felt lonely, so he came out.” At this, Cheng Yixin said earnestly, “You should go back and see your grandparents more when you’re free. Elderly people get bored at home and just want company. It’s better when the house is lively with family.”

“My grandparents?” Chi Yi said. “They basically don’t need me to accompany them.”

“My grandmother usually has my aunt-in-law with her. They go shopping, watch shows, attend banquets, and occasionally invite people over for mahjong.”

“As for my grandfather…” Chi Yi thought for a moment. “His extracurricular activities are much richer than us young people. He grows flowers, walks his birds, goes fishing in the pond, plays golf, and visits exhibitions. He doesn’t even have to ask; plenty of people line up wanting to entertain him.”

“When Siqi stayed home to play golf with him, he was even scolded by the old man for having terrible skills.”

Cheng Yixin’s movements paused. She made a “cupped fist” salute of respect. “My apologies for the interruption!”

She was actually worrying about a capitalist. Talk about overestimating herself!