Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 9

The Maybach glided toward the apartment complex. The partition between the front and rear cabins was raised, completely isolating the back into a private sanctuary.

Cheng Yixin sat on the leather seat, feeling slightly stiff. Across from her, Chi Yi was checking messages on her phone. After a moment, Chi Yi looked up; noticing Cheng Yixin staring at her intently, she placed her phone face-down on the seat beside her.

“Is there something you want to say?” Chi Yi asked.

Faced with the question, Cheng Yixin hesitated for several seconds before finally nodding.

“There is something…” After a brief inner struggle, she decided to be honest; after all, fire cannot be wrapped in paper.

“Lu Qing is actually my ex-girlfriend. We broke up recently,” Cheng Yixin paused, then quickly added, “But shortly after we started dating, I left town for a shoot. When I returned, I caught her cheating, so we broke up.”

She omitted the fact that she had initially approached Chi Yi specifically to spite Lu Qing.

Chi Yi considered this for a moment and then nodded. “I know.”

“?” Cheng Yixin wanted to ask how she knew, but Chi Yi provided the answer immediately.

“I overheard a friend mentioning it by chance; she had heard it from someone else.”

“…” Cheng Yixin mused silently. The circle of the wealthy is indeed a small one.

“That’s the story between me and Lu Qing,” Cheng Yixin said. “She seems to have a grievance against you. That’s why I acted… that way earlier when she was around.”

“So, telling me you had good wine was just a lie?” Chi Yi asked lightheartedly. A faint smile played on her lips, showing no signs of anger.

It wasn’t exactly a lie—more of a spontaneous remark. But now that Chi Yi had brought it up… it wasn’t as if she had no wine.

“It wasn’t,” Cheng Yixin replied. Realizing she had to fill the hole she’d dug for herself, she asked, “Are you free right now?”

The Maybach pulled up at the apartment building. As they exited the car, Chi Yi instructed the driver to wait downstairs.

Apart from company staff, Cheng Yixin rarely had visitors. Chi Yi was one of the few exceptions—and a person she didn’t know particularly well at that. Two women alone together; Cheng Yixin felt a flicker of uncertainty.

But looking at Chi Yi’s upright demeanor, she wouldn’t do anything strange, right?

The cork popped from the bottle with a satisfying sound. Cheng Yixin took out two crystal glasses.

“How is your alcohol tolerance?” she asked.

“It should be alright,” Chi Yi replied.

Cheng Yixin hummed in response. Feeling more relaxed in her own domain, she remarked, “Sometimes I have a bit of red wine before bed; it helps me sleep.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she panicked. Would Chi Yi think I’m hinting at something?

Fortunately, Chi Yi didn’t seem to notice. “Do you usually stay up late?”

“It depends. If I’m filming, returning to the hotel in the early hours or shooting all night is normal. During breaks, I’m usually in bed by midnight.”

“That’s quite late.” Chi Yi took the glass and swirled the crimson liquid. The “legs” on the glass were excellent. “I’m usually asleep by nine.”

“???” Cheng Yixin looked at her in disbelief. “Nine? Nine PM? Are you serious?”

Chi Yi nodded. “Unless there are other arrangements, I basically fall asleep at nine.”

“So… that night when you said you were going to sleep, you actually went to sleep?”

“What else would I be doing?” Finding Cheng Yixin’s shock amusing, Chi Yi laughed. “Going out to be a cat burglar?”

“No… I mean, don’t you have a nightlife? Like going out with friends or going on dates?”

“Occasionally, depending on the situation. I keep meaningless social interactions to a minimum.”

“…Was it like this when you were in a relationship before?” Cheng Yixin imagined Chi Yi on a date with a girlfriend; just as the atmosphere got romantic, Chi Yi would probably insist on going to bed.

Then again, if the girlfriend were a wealthy socialite, perhaps she wouldn’t mind adjusting to an early schedule.

“I haven’t been in a relationship before.”

“…” Cheng Yixin fell silent.

What did I just hear? Chi Yi had never been in a relationship?

She found it hard to believe. The “messy private life” she had previously heard rumors about didn’t seem to fit the woman sitting in front of her at all.

Deciding not to pry further into Chi Yi’s dating history, Cheng Yixin shifted the topic. “If you’ve never been in a relationship, how did you confirm your… orientation?”

Was it because I was drunk that night? Cheng Yixin felt a wave of guilt. She looked at Chi Yi with a trace of trepidation.

Chi Yi smiled easily. Perhaps because of the wine, her expression held a hint of relaxed languor. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and looked at Cheng Yixin softly. “Are you trying to get to know me?”

In Cheng Yixin’s eyes, that casual movement was incredibly flirtatious.

If she didn’t know Chi Yi, her first impression would be that of a “cool and elegant” beauty whose smiles were polite yet distant. She never expected Chi Yi to have this side—a subtle, captivating charm.

“You could say that,” Cheng Yixin smiled back. She reminded herself that she was a professional actress who had starred in multiple idol dramas; she couldn’t let herself be outdone by someone younger.

Cheng Yixin rested her cheek on one hand, tilting her head at a perfect angle. She took the glass from Chi Yi’s hand—which still had one sip left—and drained it while looking her in the eye. Under the white light, the two overlapping lip prints on the rim looked suggestive.

“As your girlfriend, wanting to know more about you is within the reasonable scope of dating, isn’t it?” she said, feigning a slight tipsiness.

“That is very reasonable.” Chi Yi glanced at the lip print on the glass, then back at her. “There was a girl who left a deep impression on me. She doesn’t remember me, but I’ve always remembered her. Her smile was very warm.”

“So, you like her?” Cheng Yixin asked.

Chi Yi hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

“Someone who stays on your mind must be a special existence, at least.” As Cheng Yixin spoke, she felt a pang of annoyance. She didn’t want to continue this topic.

Having my current ‘girlfriend’ talk about a crush makes me feel like I’m about to be cheated on again.

“Yes,” Chi Yi said, then took the initiative to ask, “What about you? Is there a special person or memory in your heart?”

Cheng Yixin thought for a long time. “If you ask me, I can think of many, but when countless people and things pile up, they lose their special meaning. So, my answer is no.”

She was surprised to see a flash of loneliness in Chi Yi’s eyes.

Chi Yi nodded. “I should head back. Thank you for the wine.”

“So soon?” Cheng Yixin’s ingrained hospitality made her blurt out, “Stay a little longer.”

Chi Yi looked at the half-empty bottle. “If I stay longer, I’ll be drunk. Besides, you weren’t actually planning on letting me stay the night.”

“…” It’s true, but did you have to be so blunt? Save me some face!

Cheng Yixin rubbed her nose to hide her embarrassment. “Then… I’ll treat you to dinner next time.”

Chi Yi seized the opportunity. “When are you free?”

“Me?” Cheng Yixin paused. “Wait, let me check my schedule.”

She took out her phone. Her next available window was tomorrow evening, after finishing a recording session at the TV station around six o’clock.

The dinner was set for the following night. Chi Yi would pick her up from work.

After seeing Chi Yi off, Cheng Yixin checked the time: 8:30 PM.

Is she really rushing back to get her ‘beauty sleep’ at nine sharp? The thought was hilarious. What a strange, disciplined person.

The next morning, 999 roses arrived at the office. They were so large that it took two security guards to carry them up.

Before Cheng Yixin even reached the office, she heard about the delivery. Entering the lounge, she saw her manager, Li Wenjing, speaking to an assistant with a look of clear disgust.

“Hurry up and throw them away before Cheng-laoshi sees them and gets upset.”

“What would make me upset?” Cheng Yixin asked curiously. Walking past the sofa, she saw a massive bouquet of red roses wrapped in black lace and decorative paper.

“Your flowers.” Li Wenjing signaled the others to leave and handed her the card from the center. “Look at the signature.”

“No need.” Cheng Yixin tossed the card back into the flowers. “They’re from Lu Qing, aren’t they?”

“How did you know?”

“I ran into her at the banquet with Chi Yi yesterday. Who else would send such an eyesore?” Cheng Yixin sat on the sofa. “She must have seen me getting close to Chi Yi, and her competitive streak kicked in.”

“You need to handle this carefully,” Li Wenjing said seriously. “If the breakup gets too ugly, she might leak rumors about you.”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t leave any evidence in our chats. At most, there are minor issues that PR can handle.” She paused. “Besides, she wouldn’t be crazy enough to sabotage my career just because I rejected her, right? She’s a public figure too.”

“We’ll just have to deal with whatever she throws at us,” Li Wenjing sighed.

Cheng Yixin then handed a business card to her manager with a smile. “Sis, see if you can secure this for me.”

“Chen Sheng!?” Li Wenjing was shocked. “I knew he was preparing a film recently, and I wanted to try for it, but you know how the market is—the investors have everything in a vice grip. How did you get his card?”

“At the banquet last night, Chen Sheng and Chi Yi exchanged cards. She gave it to me.”

“Good, good! I’ll contact him immediately!” Li Wenjing’s mood brightened instantly as she hurried off to make the call.

Cheng Yixin exhaled and stretched. Her phone chimed—a message from Chi Yi.

They hadn’t decided what to eat tonight. Since Cheng Yixin was hosting, she had left the choice to Chi Yi. Chi Yi had sent a restaurant suggestion; it looked high-end and reasonably priced.

It was Western cuisine, which Cheng Yixin wasn’t particularly fond of, but for a formal thank-you dinner, paying for the atmosphere was worth it

“Goodbye, Cheng-laoshi. Thank you for your hard work!”

As the day’s work ended, the staff escorted her to the elevator. Cheng Yixin waved goodbye. Once the doors closed, she checked her phone.

Chi Yi had messaged five minutes ago saying she was stuck in traffic and would arrive in five minutes. She should be there now.

Just as she stepped out of the elevator, someone called out. “Cheng-laoshi!”

She turned to see Lu Qing’s assistant waiting by the elevator. Cheng Yixin put her phone away and waited.

“Cheng-laoshi, our CEO Lu would like to speak with you.” The assistant gestured toward the lounge area, where Lu Qing sat with an impeccable smile.

“I’m sorry,” Cheng Yixin’s assistant, Xiao Yu, stepped forward to block the path. “Cheng-laoshi has other work arrangements.”

As her assistant, Xiao Yu knew the history between the two and wanted to avoid any bad press, per Li Wenjing’s instructions.

“Cheng-laoshi, we know you’re busy, but we hope you can spare a few minutes.” Lu Qing’s assistant spoke again, her expression hardening with a hint of pressure.

“Xiao Yu, wait for me at the entrance. Two minutes,” Cheng Yixin said.

She knew why Lu Qing had chosen the TV station to corner her; in a public place like this, any scene would be on the trending searches within half an hour.

She was led to the lounge. The surrounding seats had been cleared, providing them with a private space.

“Did you receive the flowers this morning?”

“I did,” Cheng Yixin said calmly. “But President Lu, please stop sending them. Our company doesn’t have a trash can big enough for that.”

“If you don’t like roses, I’ll send something else.” Lu Qing moved to a sofa closer to her, maintaining a calculated distance while trying to exert her charm.

“I like roses. I just don’t like yours.”

Lu Qing stared at her. Cheng Yixin didn’t flinch, meeting her gaze in a silent standoff.

After a long moment, Lu Qing sighed, putting on a devoted act. “I know you’re only with Chi Yi to spite me. I’m sorry for what I did. You can hate me, you can reject me, but don’t do this to yourself. Chi Yi… she isn’t a good person.”

“Don’t misunderstand,” Cheng Yixin smiled. “A ‘dead’ ex isn’t that important to me. You know I’m not easy to pursue. My relationship with Chi Yi is based on love at first sight and mutual attraction.”

“In fact, I should thank you. You gave me the chance to be single again so we could be together so quickly.”

Lu Qing’s mask of devotion began to crack. “Have you two been seeing each other behind my back? Did you cheat on me!?”

“I’m not as classless as you, two-timing and acting righteous about it.”

Cheng Yixin rose to leave, but Lu Qing grabbed her arm.

“I told you, she’s no good. You’ll regret being with her.”

Cheng Yixin felt a surge of inexplicable annoyance. She said coldly, “She’s still much better than you.”

As she shook off Lu Qing’s hand, Lu Qing suddenly leaned in and hugged her with great force. Instead of being angry, Lu Qing smirked. “You defend her so much, but I wonder if she even appreciates it.”

“That’s between us. It’s none of your business, you third party.”

The proximity disgusted Cheng Yixin. She pushed Lu Qing away forcefully. Lu Qing intentionally let go, allowing Cheng Yixin to stand up abruptly—just in time to see Chi Yi walking through the entrance.

Their eyes met instantly.

Chi Yi stopped in her tracks. She had clearly seen them “embracing.”