Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 87

Teacher Cheng had likely forgotten just how many promotional “business CPs” netizens had paired her with over the years due to her work.

During a break, Cheng Yixin sat down in the rest area, and Chi Yi poured her a cup of hot tea.

“Why do you look a bit unhappy?” Chi Yi asked curiously.

“Someone just said I look very straight, not ‘bent’ at all.”

Chi Yi froze for a second, then burst out laughing. “Isn’t that a good thing? As a public figure, keeping your orientation ambiguous helps your career development.”

Cheng Yixin opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn’t find the words. Given the current trends in the industry, it was true.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that.” Cheng Yixin looked toward the rock-climbing area. “Let’s go play that in a bit? I’ve never tried it before; I wonder if it’s hard.”

Chi Yi followed her gaze. “Indoor simulated climbing is relatively safe. Just strap on the safety belt and step up.”

Cheng Yixin looked at her. “You sound quite experienced. Our President Chi plays at rock climbing too?”

Chi Yi smiled, took out her phone, and found a photo from an outdoor climbing trip to show her. In the photo, Chi Yi was in full climbing gear, safety ropes around her waist, flashing a “V” sign to the camera. Behind her was a sheer, bottomless rock face.

The people with her were those she had met in the mountain regions—mostly people from the foundation.

“Your company retreats include such extreme projects?” she asked, stunned.

“It wasn’t a retreat. This was from a few years back during the Spring Festival; we went out together. It’s just that in the last two years, they’ve gradually started families, so I haven’t gone with them.”

“It sounds like you’ve been to quite a few places. Where else?” Cheng Yixin thought about how, since she became famous, even having a reunion dinner at home during the Spring Festival was a luxury. Last year, she was invited to a local televised New Year’s Gala; by the time she got home, New Year’s Eve was already over.

Chi Yi thought for a moment. “The year before last, I flew abroad for the Spring Festival… last year, I went to the grasslands. The herders were very hospitable.”

“Wow! Did you get to ride a big horse?!”

Chi Yi found a saved video from last year. “A photographer helped me film this back then.”

In the video, Chi Yi was wearing traditional ethnic clothing—a red outfit—holding the reins as she galloped across the vast grasslands. When Cheng Yixin rode horses for her dramas, she always felt it was incredibly bumpy and rarely looked aesthetic. Yet in the video, while the steed beneath her galloped, Chi Yi’s upper body was as steady as Mount Tai, achieving a perfect harmony of rider and horse.

This heroic and dashing image instantly brought a line of poetry to Cheng Yixin’s mind: “Youth is the time for bright clothes and swift horses; knowing the value of time, one walks the path without regret.”

It was incredibly heart-stirring.

Cheng Yixin glanced around; it was a pity they were in a public place! No, no, Teacher Cheng shook the “yellow trash” out of her head and gave a light cough. “Why do you always go away during the Spring Festival? Don’t you spend New Year’s with your family?”

For herself, if she ran off during the holidays, it might be fine for a year or two, but Chi Yi’s tone implied she never stayed home. If she did that, her parents would nag her for the entire holiday season.

Chi Yi’s movements paused. She took a sip of hot tea and gave a faint smile. “I didn’t go to my uncle’s house for New Year’s.”

“Why?” Cheng Yixin didn’t understand. She knew Chi Yi’s parents had passed away long ago, but her mother’s family treated her very well; it was impossible that they wouldn’t invite her home.

Chi Yi’s gaze fell on the table, her hands unconsciously interlaced. Every year, her uncle’s family invited her back, but ever since she became independent, she had used the excuse of traveling to decline politely.

The Feng family’s Spring Festival was always bustling with relatives and business partners coming to pay their respects. On New Year’s Eve, the whole family would gather to give greetings to the two elders. Every time, Chi Yi couldn’t help but think: if her parents were still alive, would they have the same warm scene? Or would her grandparents feel sorrow looking at the two empty seats? The Feng family was just as lively without her; she was, after all, a child with a different surname.

“I…” Chi Yi opened her mouth. She didn’t know how to explain it, fearing Cheng Yixin would find her cold.

“You miss your mom and dad, don’t you?” Cheng Yixin understood instantly and reached out to cover Chi Yi’s hand. “Then, would you like to come to my house for New Year’s this year?”

Cheng Yixin paused, then said with a tone of certainty: “Come to my house for New Year’s.”

Chi Yi was stunned. That one sentence sent a thousand waves through her heart. She instinctively asked, “Will your parents agree…?”

“Aren’t my parents yours too? We’ll be one family sooner or later; that’s your home too. There’s no such thing as ‘agreeing’ or not when going home for the New Year.”

“Yeah. It’s decided. We’re going home for the New Year together.” Cheng Yixin cupped Chi Yi’s hands and gave a solemn nod. “I’ll have Old Cheng cook a table of his best dishes. He didn’t even show off his specialties last time. After the New Year’s Eve dinner, they’ll even give us red envelopes.”

Seeing that Chi Yi hadn’t quite processed it, she said, “Did you hear me, Chi Yi?”

Chi Yi snapped out of it. Being looked at so intently by Cheng Yixin made her ears heat up. She gave a soft “mm” and said, “I heard you.”

Teacher Cheng was satisfied. She reached out to pat Chi Yi’s head and smiled comfortably. “My Yiyi won’t be a wanderer anymore.”

Cheng Yixin was touching hands and patting heads, completely unbothered by the public setting. However, two beautiful women sitting there were a scenery in themselves, and passersby had already started secretly snapping photos of their interaction.

“Alright, let’s go.” Sensitive to cameras, Cheng Yixin naturally noticed.

“Don’t you want to climb?”

Cheng Yixin threw up her hands. “After seeing those cool photos of you climbing, I’m not interested in this child’s play anymore. We might as well use this time to… mmm~~” The rest went unsaid, but it was all in her eyes.

Leaving the mall, their production van had already gone back, so they had to call a taxi. Chi Yi was about to book a ride when Cheng Yixin stopped her. “I saw a park nearby on our way here. I’ve never been; let’s go for a stroll?”

The park was only a ten-minute walk from the mall. Since it was just past 9:00 PM, they still had time to kill.

Eight or nine o’clock was the park’s busiest time; by nine, people were heading home. The two walked along the park path, the dim yellow streetlights casting long shadows. Cheng Yixin glanced around; seeing no one ahead or behind, she reached out, grabbed Chi Yi’s hand, and interlaced their fingers.

Chi Yi gave a couple of gentle tugs but couldn’t break free. She had to remind her: “We’re outside. There are people.”

Chi Yi didn’t mind Cheng Yixin holding her hand in public, but this kind of interlaced grip was too intimate.

“Keep hiding and I’ll kiss you right now,” Cheng Yixin threatened.

Chi Yi: Small-helpless-and-pitiable.jpg

The night temperature was lower, and every breath felt icy in the chest, but walking with Chi Yi like this made time feel slower and her heart feel warm. She wasn’t afraid of the cold anymore.

Cheng Yixin looked up at the deep blue sky. There were no stars tonight. She suddenly asked, “If I stop being a celebrity one day, will you still like me?”

Chi Yi tilted her head to look at her, really wanting to know what was inside her girlfriend’s head. She answered: “I like you not because of who you are.”

“Then because of what?”

“Because I like you.”

Cheng Yixin burst out laughing. “Truly, listening to your words is like listening to words.”

Indeed, her Baby Chi Yi was just like her—incapable of saying anything particularly romantic.

They walked deep into the park to a large green belt where the trees and bushes were thick. It was pitch black without streetlights, but the faint sounds of a couple flirting could be heard. Driven by an adventurous spirit, Cheng Yixin decided to go in and look.

The green belt had a cobblestone path, meaning it wasn’t off-limits. They followed the path inside and found it was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. The bushes were neatly trimmed, and there were stone benches for resting. Combined with the lack of light, it was the perfect spot for a date.

After a quick “reconnaissance” sweep, she confirmed there was only one other young couple whispering to each other, completely oblivious to their surroundings. Cheng Yixin pulled Chi Yi to the most secluded stone bench at the back.

The moment she sat down, the icy temperature of the stone seat chilled her through her pants. The unexpected cold made her shiver. “So cold.”

“I told you to wear more,” Chi Yi said, taking off her scarf to wrap it around her.

“It’s not my neck that’s cold.” Cheng Yixin giggled. “Do you think there are security cameras here?”

“There aren’t even streetlights; a camera wouldn’t see anything clearly,” Chi Yi answered seriously.

“Ooh~~ Then I can relax.”

Chi Yi was about to ask what she was relaxed about when the answer arrived a second later. Cheng Yixin grabbed her collar and leaned in to hug her, her lips icy as she first kissed Chi Yi’s chin.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since we were at the mall. I’ve been holding back for so long.” Cheng Yixin wrapped both arms around her waist. They were both in winter clothes, so the hug wasn’t as satisfying as when there were no barriers.

Cheng Yixin spoke in a low, inadvertently seductive voice. Chi Yi’s throat bobbed. Even though she had confirmed no one was around, she still glanced about alertly. Logic made her say: “We’re still outside… be careful of being filmed.”

“…” At a time like this, Cheng Yixin did not want to hear such a buzzkill. Her passion cooled instantly, and she gave a cold “oh.” She let go of Chi Yi and sat further away.

Seeing this reaction, Chi Yi knew she had said the wrong thing. After everything that had happened, she was indeed walking on thin ice, terrified that Cheng Yixin would face another wave of online abuse.

“I’m sorry. I was just too nervous,” Chi Yi apologized sincerely.

“You’re doing it for my own good.” As Cheng Yixin said this, she was already thinking that maybe she should just leave the industry. Going on a date felt like having an affair; if she was going to have an “affair,” she might as well not care about being caught.

Chi Yi took a breath and took off her trench coat, leaving her in just a knitted sweater.

“What are you doing?” Cheng Yixin looked at her in surprise. “Aren’t you cold?”

Chi Yi didn’t speak. She stood up, holding the coat, and stepped in front of Cheng Yixin. The next second, she draped the coat over Cheng Yixin’s head and shoulders. Before Cheng Yixin could react, Chi Yi cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her.

The lips were cold, but the kiss was incredibly hot, grinding into her mouth and making the air in that small space grow thin. During a break for air, Cheng Yixin’s chest heaved. She looked up at Chi Yi’s face, still a bit petty about Chi Yi’s earlier logic. “Aren’t you afraid of being filmed now?”

“Have you ever heard a certain line?” Chi Yi suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

“Hmm?”

“Since we’re seeking excitement, we might as well go all the way~” Chi Yi said, mimicking the tone of a TV actor.

Cheng Yixin froze, then bit her lip and let out a low laugh. “You’re so naughty.”

Being outside was indeed too restrictive. Cheng Yixin hooked her arms around Chi Yi’s neck, and once she was satisfied with the kissing, she pulled her back to the hotel, not wanting to stay another second.

Back in the hotel room, the lights weren’t on. The faint light from the neighboring building filtered through the half-drawn curtains, outlining the room. Chi Yi slumped onto the sofa, and the moment she sat down, Cheng Yixin climbed on top of her, arms around her shoulders. “Let’s ‘go all the way,’ Baby Chi Yi~”

The kiss was like a match dropped into a haystack, spiraling out of control. As the atmosphere built toward a climax, the phone in the coat pocket suddenly rang. The sudden noise startled them, and the passion withered instantly.

“Dammit, who is it?” Teacher Cheng was furious.

Chi Yi felt for the phone in the coat pocket. “It’s your phone.”

Cheng Yixin checked the caller ID—Li Wenjing. She certainly knew how to pick her timing for a lecture.

The moment she picked up, Cheng Yixin held the phone away from her ear. She didn’t use speakerphone, but Chi Yi could still hear Li Wenjing’s roaring voice from the other side. The gist was that the couple was stirring up trouble again and was back on the trending searches.

“Aya,” Cheng Yixin said, fiddling with Chi Yi’s hand. “Isn’t being on the trending search just more exposure? It’s great to get traffic without paying for it. Besides, there’s no hard evidence. What does a hickey prove? We’re adults; isn’t it normal to sleep together? Can they prove I’m the one who left it?”

“You’re trying to kill me! The company has already spent enough on your PR costs.”

“Haven’t I made money for the company too? It’s mutually beneficial~”

“You’re just fearless!”

“That’s right,” Cheng Yixin replied smoothly, rubbing Chi Yi’s knuckles with her thumb. “My Yiyi has plenty of money. If I stop working in this industry, she’ll take care of me.”

Li Wenjing was nearly driven to a stroke by her rebellious artist.

“Fine! I won’t talk to you about this, lest I get a brain hemorrhage. I have actual business: I’ve negotiated a variety show for you.”

“What show?”

Li Wenjing was a bit vague: “Just… a reality show.”

Cheng Yixin sensed something was wrong immediately. “Reality shows have many types. Which one? Don’t tell me you want me to go on a singing and dancing idol survival show.”

“No, how could I let you do that?”

Cheng Yixin relaxed slightly, but her heart leaped into her throat at Li Wenjing’s next sentence.

“It’s a dating reality show.”

What???!!