Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 84

At around the same time as the previous day, Cheng Yixin had her assistant buy roasted sweet potatoes and tofu pudding from the neighboring vendor to treat everyone.

However, the old gentleman did not show up today. Cheng Yixin didn’t have his contact information, and after some thought, she realized she had no way to reach him to come and eat. The old man was as elusive as a street peddler.

As Director Ma Zhou was heartily devouring his tofu pudding nearby, she thought for a moment and said politely, “Director Ma.”

“Yes, what is it?” Ma Zhou wiped his mouth with a tissue. “Is something the matter?”

“It’s about this…” Cheng Yixin scratched her cheek with her index finger, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Regarding Grandpa Feng, whom I recommended to you earlier—we rehearsed yesterday, and I feel he’s still not quite a right fit. He’s also getting on in years, and I’m afraid his body won’t be able to handle running around in this freezing weather. How about we just forget it?”

Even if she had a “personal connection” with the old man and was the one who recommended him, she couldn’t push him if his professional performance wasn’t up to par.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Ma Zhou waved his hand hurriedly. “There’s no rush to film his segment. You can teach him more when you’re free. He’s an elder, after all; people learn more slowly as they age.”

“Director, you don’t need to feel bad about rejecting him just because I recommended him. I also want the TV drama to present the best possible result.”

“No, no, I truly feel this way. Look at how old he is—he definitely can’t stay still at home. Having something to pass the time is actually excellent for him.” Ma Zhou was breaking into a cold sweat. How could he possibly dare to reject the “Big Boss” investor?

The director’s attitude was very strange.

Cheng Yixin pondered for a moment, took a step forward, and asked, “Director, do you know something? Does the old gentleman have some kind of special identity?”

Ma Zhou had been ordered not to reveal the old man’s identity. The director felt bitter in his heart and could only use an excuse about being busy to leave.

“…” Cheng Yixin rubbed her chin, staring at Ma Zhou’s departing back, and said meaningfully, “There’s definitely something fishy going on.”

Filming resumed quickly. Cheng Yixin cleared her mind and switched back to work mode. Today was Friday; Chi Yi had booked a flight for after work and would arrive in Zhenzhou by nightfall. Having not seen each other for over a week, she missed her dearly. She had already planned to give Chi Yi a big kiss the moment she saw her.

But—plans couldn’t keep up with changes.

“Yixin…” Chi Yi frowned slightly over the phone. “I might not be able to make it over tonight.”

“Hmm? Did something happen?”

“It’s my grandfather.” Chi Yi looked back. The old man was standing in the living room, while Feng Siqi sat upright on the sofa, looking obedient, helpless, and pitiable. “He suddenly told me to come home for dinner.”

“Oh~” Cheng Yixin breathed a visible sigh of relief, having thought something serious had happened. “Then you should keep your grandfather company.”

“If I can make it later, I’ll take the last high-speed train over.”

“No, that’s too late. Just come tomorrow.”

Chi Yi wanted to say something, but she just opened her mouth and eventually hummed in agreement.

After ending the call, Chi Yi walked from the courtyard into the living room. As she opened the floor-to-ceiling door, she heard the old man’s voice full of vigor.

“Siqi, you are the one I worry about most in this family.”

“Me? What’s wrong with me?” Feng Siqi looked confused.

“You’ve been soaked in a honey pot since you were a child. You’re spoiled and haven’t seen the evils of society,” Feng Nian said earnestly. “Grandpa needs to give you a proper lesson in ‘Moral and Ideological Education’ to restrain you, so you don’t get cheated by a bad man in the future.”

“???” Feng Siqi’s eyes widened in shock. “Grandpa, what’s wrong with you today? Are you okay? Why are you telling me this out of nowhere? I’d rather go to sleep!”

“If you don’t listen, I’m cutting off your allowance!”

Feng Siqi, who had just stood up, sat back down without an ounce of spine. Seeing Chi Yi walk in, she pointed at her and protested huffily, “Then why are you only giving me a lesson and not Sister?”

Because the eldest miss of the Feng family looks so pure and easy to trick, Chi Yi thought, suppressing a laugh while feeling a bit of sympathy for her cousin.

While she was thinking this, Feng Nian turned to look at her and said, “Yiyi, you come over here too. Join the lesson!”

“…Cracking.jpg”

The two sisters sat side-by-side on the sofa. The old man handed them two books. Upon closer inspection, the cover read Moral and Ideological Education.

“…Aren’t these our middle school textbooks?” Feng Siqi clicked her tongue and whispered to Chi Yi, “What kind of stimulus did the old man receive?”

“No whispering during class!”

“Yes…”

The old man held the textbook, flipped a page, and asked, “Now, answer a question.”

“We’re answering questions before the class even started?” Feng Siqi was stunned.

Feng Nian ignored her and continued, “Assume you are at an event. There’s a small problem with your dress. At this moment, a handsome man comes over to help you fix it. How would you react?”

Feng Siqi answered instantly, “Thank him politely!”

“Yiyi, what is your answer?”

Chi Yi thought for a moment and said, “If there is a difficulty, seek help from the staff on-site. If the staff doesn’t handle it, it’s a failure on the organizer’s part.”

The old man nodded, looking quite satisfied.

“Is there a problem with my answer?” Feng Siqi asked dissatisfied. Hadn’t she been taught to be polite to people since she was a child?

“The problem is huge! Haven’t young people nowadays learned the principle that men and women should maintain proper distance? Why would a stranger fix your dress—what are his intentions? It’s clear he’s up to no good! Ten points deducted from Siqi!”

Feng Siqi: 6 (Internet slang for “unbelievable” or “pro”)

The two sisters were held by the old man for a full hour of lessons, with over a dozen questions in between. Chi Yi’s “Moral Character” passed the test in the old man’s eyes—after all, President Chi wasn’t interested in “handsome men” at all. Meanwhile, Feng Siqi, who guessed wrong every time, was forced to accept one-on-one “tutoring.”

“Dad!!” Feng Siqi wailed in misery. “Aren’t you going to control your father?!!”

“I think it’s quite good,” Feng Tianyuan, who was watching the scene from the side, suppressed a laugh the entire time. “Learn more from your Grandpa. Keep your eyes peeled so you don’t get tricked by a rotten man.”

Chi Yi smiled slightly. “Then Grandpa, Uncle, I’ll be heading back first.”

“I’ll see Sister off!!” Feng Siqi hurried to follow her out; she didn’t want to take any more lessons.

“Sister, Sister, Sister!!” She trotted a few steps to catch up with Chi Yi, linking arms with her and venting. “What kind of fit is Grandpa throwing today? Suddenly wanting to give us lessons… it’s absolute torture!”

“Who knows.” Chi Yi shrugged. Since her grandfather retired, he had become increasingly childlike in his whims as he grew older. But if the elder was happy, she was willing to play along as a junior.

“I noticed he couldn’t stop talking about finding a partner today.” Feng Siqi frowned, then came to a sudden realization. “Is he hinting that we need to find boyfriends!”

Chi Yi’s footsteps paused. She turned her head to look at Feng Siqi. After a few seconds, she pulled Feng Siqi’s hand away.

She corrected her: “Remove the ‘we’.”

“Is he hinting that I need to find a boyfriend!” Feng Siqi repeated. “Me??! Wait…!” Her eyes bugged out. “Sister?? You?? You have a partner??!”

Chi Yi nodded.

“Holy crap! For real?!” Feng Siqi blurted out, “Is my brother-in-law handsome??! Who is it? Do I know him?!”

“You know her,” Chi Yi said.

“Don’t tell me yet!” Feng Siqi reached out to interrupt her. “Let me guess!” She reeled off several names of men—some familiar, some not—but Chi Yi denied them all.

“Fine, I give up. Just tell me.”

“Cheng Yixin,” Chi Yi said.

“Oh, Cheng Yixin… ah…!!??? Huh??! What???” Within a few short minutes, Feng Siqi’s young heart was hit by one shock after another, nearly letting out a marmot-style scream. “Isn’t she a gi-gi-girl?!”

Chi Yi didn’t say a word, just quietly watched her cousin. She saw Feng Siqi’s pupils slowly return to normal from their state of shock, and her gaping jaw retracted.

“Well… my sister is so beautiful, finding a girlfriend is also quite good… aesthetically pleasing.” Feng Siqi processed her cousin’s coming out, then leaned in to hug Chi Yi’s arm, giggling. “I saw people shipping you two online and thought it was kind of sweet… I didn’t expect it to be real! Tell me, how did you two start? How long has it been? How far have things gone? I’m so curious!”

Chi Yi checked the time and pulled Feng Siqi’s hand away once more. “I’m in a hurry. I’ll tell you when there’s a chance later.”

All that was left for Feng Siqi was car exhaust.

“…” The young woman stomped her foot. Sure enough, “valuing a lover over a sister” was a universal rule!

Hundreds of kilometers away, Cheng Yixin had originally planned to have dinner with Chi Yi and then take a walk in the park near the hotel. She hadn’t expected the grandfather to intercept her. Tonight, she was destined to stay in her room alone.

Cheng Yixin held a needle, stabbing a ball of wool fiercely. After her efforts over the past few days, the large mass of wool had gradually taken shape. However, it was still a long way from being a finished product. At this speed, Cheng Yixin wasn’t sure if she could finish it before Chi Yi’s birthday.

Ding-dong—

Someone rang the doorbell.

Cheng Yixin sat up straight as a reflex. No one usually rang the bell at this hour, and she hadn’t called for room service. For a brief second, she imagined Chi Yi had come over overnight to give her a surprise. She checked the time; it was nearly 11:00 PM.

She shook her head. Impossible. There were no flights at this hour, and she had given strict orders for Chi Yi to rest well at home tonight.

Sure enough, she opened the door to see Song Zheng’s face.

“Yixin, let’s go get a late-night snack!” Song Zheng extended an invitation.

“I’m not going.” Cheng Yixin looked Song Zheng up and down and said with a chuckle, “We’re filming; are you really being so indulgent with late-night snacks? Aren’t you afraid of not looking good on camera?”

“Not afraid~! The director actually thinks I’m too thin and told me to eat more.”

No matter how much Song Zheng tried to persuade her, Cheng Yixin wouldn’t budge. It was late and cold outside, but mainly, Teacher Cheng was feeling despondent because she hadn’t seen her girlfriend. She had no mood for snacks.

Song Zheng had no choice but to give up and went to lobby others instead. Cheng Yixin closed the door and sat back at her desk. Her fingers were a bit sore from felting for so long, and her eyes were tired. She stretched and grabbed her phone. Since that evening call, there had been no new messages from Chi Yi. It seemed she was so happy at her grandfather’s house that she had forgotten her girlfriend.

Cheng Yixin poked the screen hard with her index finger. “Doesn’t even know to send me a message. Good job.”

She threw the phone aside in a huff, picked up the needle to continue her wool empire, and stabbed the ball of wool as if it were Chi Yi. As a result, she accidentally pricked her own hand.

“Hiss—” Cheng Yixin took a sharp breath, her eyes widening. This time it went quite deep, and a tiny bead of blood emerged.

She was extremely annoyed. At that moment, the doorbell rang again, which was like stepping on a landmine. Thinking it must be Song Zheng failing to find a snack buddy and coming back to lobby her again, she walked to the door aggressively and threw it open.

The moment she saw the person standing there, her anger vanished instantly, replaced by shock. She blinked twice to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, then suddenly lunged at the person, leaping onto Chi Yi and wrapping her legs around her waist like a sloth.

“Why are you here! Didn’t I tell you to rest well at home tonight?”

“I wanted to see you sooner.” Chi Yi smiled, carrying her as she took two steps into the room. Cheng Yixin reached back and slammed the door shut.

“Let me see if our little Chi Yi has grown haggard from missing me these past few days.” Cheng Yixin cupped Chi Yi’s face in both hands, gazing at her intently.

Chi Yi looked back, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the girlfriend she had missed day and night. The atmosphere shifted after a few seconds. Cheng Yixin pressed her forehead against Chi Yi’s, feeling the other woman’s cool face and the lingering chill from outside.

“Kiss.”

Having not seen Chi Yi for a week, her tone carried a hint of acting spoiled. Chi Yi obliged by looking up, and Cheng Yixin took the initiative to kiss her. The passionate kiss instantly heated the air.

“Your lips were so cold just now.”

Chi Yi bit her lip, a clear smile in her eyes. “They aren’t cold anymore.”

“Well, that’s thanks to me.” Cheng Yixin tilted her head up, climbed down from Chi Yi, and stood on the floor tiles.

In her excitement, she forgot she had pricked her hand. She accidentally brushed her fingertip, let out a grunt, and instinctively looked at her hand.

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Chi Yi’s expression tightened as she caught Cheng Yixin’s fingertip. There was a distinct red bloodstain, though small.

“I accidentally pricked it just now. It hurt quite a bit, but I forgot once I saw you. It’s fine, don’t worry.” Cheng Yixin led her inside and pressed her down onto the sofa. “Is it cold outside? I’ll turn up the air conditioning.”

As she turned to grab the remote, Chi Yi hooked her pinky finger and looked up at her. “I won’t be cold if you hug me.”

“Aya,” Cheng Yixin teased with a smile. “You’ve learned how to act spoiled.”

Even as she said it, her body was honest. She knelt on the sofa cushion and sat across Chi Yi’s lap. Long-distance relationships were exhausting; the moment she saw Chi Yi, she wanted to be close. Cheng Yixin draped her arms over Chi Yi’s shoulders and hugged her tightly. Chi Yi could even hear the sound of Cheng Yixin’s heartbeat.

“I told you not to come so late,” Cheng Yixin said, twirling Chi Yi’s hair with a hint of reproach in her voice.

“I couldn’t wait until morning. I wanted to come to you as fast as possible,” Chi Yi said earnestly. To Cheng Yixin, these words were quite flirtatious, making her heart skip a beat.

“Good girl.” She kissed Chi Yi’s forehead. “I told Siqi tonight. She seems very eager to gossip about us.”

“Let her gossip,” Cheng Yixin said dismissively. “You said your Grandpa called you back for dinner tonight; I thought something had happened.”

“Something did happen.”

“???” Cheng Yixin immediately backed away slightly, resting her hands on Chi Yi’s shoulders to look at her, fearing the other woman was about to say something unbearable.

“Grandpa gave Siqi and me a lecture.” Thinking of the old man tonight, Chi Yi felt a mix of helplessness and speechlessness.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. He held us and lectured us earnestly, even gave us a lesson on ‘Moral and Ideological Education’.”

“Huh?” Cheng Yixin chuckled. “That sounds so funny—he actually gave you a lesson?”

As she spoke, she realized something was off. Wait… Moral and Ideological Education? Why did that term sound so familiar??!