After Joining a Dating Show, My Silly Ex Got Jealous - Chapter 10

On the second morning, the seven guests sent their dating choices to the production team and gathered in the living room, waiting for the loudspeaker to deliver the verdict.

“Who’d you pick?” Qin Zheng nudged Ji Xiting’s arm.

Ji Xiting gave a dry laugh. “Anyone but you.”

Qin Zheng scoffed. “I didn’t pick you either.”

These two had shared a bed the night before, yet here they were at dawn, at each other’s throats again. The audience was practically screaming with excitement.

“Ahem.” The small speaker cleared its throat. “Dearest guests, we currently have only one successful match!”

Ji Xiting scanned the room. Everyone looked composed except for Shen Ruan, who was struggling to suppress a grin. Good, he thought. Everyone knows how to play the suspense game.

“The successful match for today is, Zhen Jiankang and Shen Ruan!”

The group broke into applause; it wasn’t a surprise to anyone. Shen Ruan and Zhen Jiankang shared a quick glance before looking away. Ah, the sweet innocence of first love, Ji Xiting thought, genuinely happy for his little fan.

Qin Zheng also let out a breath of relief. Thank god those two matched, or Ji Xiting might have actually ended up paired with Shen Ruan.

“Next, the guest with the highest number of votes,” the speaker continued. “Receiving interest from three separate guests… it’s Si Wen!”

“Congratulations!” Ji Xiting clapped, only to stop as reality set in.

Three people voted for Si Wen, and yet he didn’t have a mutual match?

Si Wen himself was stunned. He had voted for Zheng Jingren and fully expected to be rejected. He had also predicted that Ji Xiting and Qin Zheng would vote for him just to spite each other. But the third vote… He glanced at Gu Pei.

Gu Pei sat in his wheelchair, spinning slightly back and forth, looking completely unbothered. Didn’t the Big Boss say he wanted to pick a “cheerleader” for his race this afternoon? Si Wen adjusted his glasses. Did he really look like the type to wave pom-poms? Was he a natural-born cheerleader and just didn’t know it?

The speaker chirped, “Professor Si, the three guests who chose you are Ji Xiting, Qin Zheng, and Gu Pei. Please choose one of them for your date today.”

“Professor.” Ji Xiting stepped forward with a charming smile. “I think we’re a perfect fit.”

Qin Zheng’s eye twitched as he stepped up beside him. “Professor Si, this is a very important decision. Think it over carefully.” It was a blatant threat.

Ji Xiting was disgusted. If he were Si Wen, he’d pick the Top Star out of spite just to make Qin Zheng explode. But the mature Professor Si was long past his rebellious phase. He adjusted his glasses, gripped the handles of Gu Pei’s wheelchair, and pushed the man away from the drama.

“I pick him,” Si Wen told the speaker.

And so, they had two pairs—exactly the same outcome as the day before.

“Very well!” the speaker laughed. “Now for the remaining three.”

“Ji Xiting and Qin Zheng both received zero votes. Since you both voted for Si Wen, your dating mission has failed.”

“Zheng Jingren received a vote from Si Wen, but since you voted for Gu Pei, your date has also vanished! Hahaha!”

The three of them: “…” What is this speaker so happy about?

“Wait,” Ji Xiting realized. “So Professor Si picked Dr. Zheng, Dr. Zheng picked Mr. Gu, and Mr. Gu picked Professor Si?”

The group realized it too. It was a perfect closed loop of unrequited interest.

*****

【Whoa, that got intense fast.】

【Who would’ve thought the three most mature guests would form a perfect ‘friendzone’ triangle? Intellectuals are so unpredictable!】

【Bring on the drama! Ahhh!】

*****

Neither Si Wen nor Zheng Jingren explained their choices, leaving the air thick with mystery.

“Now, the remaining three must form one more pair,” the speaker prompted.

Zheng Jingren jumped in immediately. “I’ll do the mystery mission!”

“Settled!” the speaker declared, not giving Ji Xiting a chance to argue.

Qin Zheng struggled to keep his lips from curling upward. He maintained his “annoyed” facade and said, “This wasn’t voluntary, but I guess I have no choice.”

Ji Xiting scoffed. “Coincidentally, I’m only doing this reluctantly.”

The speaker then informed them that four pink cards were on the table representing four locations. Each group would draw one. Ji Xiting drew a card and immediately felt a headache coming on.

“What is it?” Qin Zheng leaned in until their heads were touching. He saw the card and said, “It’s fine. If we can’t make it to the top, we’ll just come down halfway.”

Ji Xiting nodded. “True.”

The production team mandated that today’s dates remain a secret from the audience; the footage would be edited and released later, rather than live-streamed. After a very awkward breakfast fueled by the weird voting results, everyone headed out.

*****

Ji Xiting and Qin Zheng’s destination was in the suburbs. Their mission: Hike Mount Hangu.

Mount Hangu was a famous local scenic spot, renowned for the Hangu Temple nestled halfway up the peak. The base of the mountain was crowded with snack stalls and tourists. Looking up, the suspension bridge near the temple was packed with people, though staff were managing the flow to prevent overcrowding.

“I heard Hangu Temple is very effective for prayers,” Ji Xiting said, looking up at the peak.

Qin Zheng nodded. “We’ve wanted to come here for a long time.”

It wasn’t just hiking; they had talked about camping and traveling together, but they never had the time. Their schedules were a nightmare, either he was busy or Ji Xiting was. On the rare occasions they were both free, they usually just wanted to stay home and engage in “adult activities.” They had never really had a proper, official date.

“Fine, let’s get it over with. I want to get back for the wheelchair race,” Ji Xiting said, leading the way.

Qin Zheng followed closely as the cameramen tracked them with drones. They wore sunglasses and caps to blend in, but being a Top Star and a Film Emperor, they were recognized almost immediately. However, seeing the drones, most tourists were too shy to approach, and those who wanted to couldn’t keep up with their pace.

Ji Xiting had long legs and took two steps at a time. Qin Zheng stayed right beside him, matching him stride for stride. Oh, so he wants to race me? Ji Xiting narrowed his eyes and accelerated.

Qin Zheng raised an eyebrow and sped up too.

But hiking at high speed had a side effect. Ji Xiting suddenly felt his big toe on his left foot threatening to break free from his sock. He paused for a fraction of a second, and Qin Zheng immediately looked at him with an expression that clearly said: Giving up already?

Tch.

Ji Xiting continued climbing with a poker face. But the more he walked, the more his big toe had a mind of its own. Soon, it had achieved total freedom. Ji Xiting felt like he was suffocating. It was agonizing, but he couldn’t exactly take his shoe off and fix it in public. What would people think if a Top Star like him was seen with a hole in his sock?

He looked up. The temple wasn’t far. Once they arrived, he’d find a bathroom, rip the sock off, and throw it away—parting ways with that flimsy fabric forever!

With a goal in sight, Ji Xiting practically flew up the steps. Qin Zheng didn’t miss a beat, sticking to him like glue. And so, during their supposed “date,” neither of them said a word, both consumed by their silent mountain race.

A five-year-old boy hiking with his mother was doing great until the two of them blew past him like a whirlwind. The kid burst into tears. “Mommy, I don’t want to hike anymore! I’ll come back when I’m big like them, waaaaah!”

His mother comforted him. “Those two brothers are just racing; they don’t even know how to enjoy the view. We aren’t like them.”

Qin Zheng looked back and nudged Ji Xiting’s hand. “Ting-ge, did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“They said we don’t know how to enjoy the scenery.”

What scenery? Ji Xiting thought. His big toe was currently gasping for air. To avoid looking too suspicious, he slowed his pace. “Nonsense. I just don’t care for the view from the mountainside.”

Despite his words, his body instinctively turned to look out over the valley. The forest was a lush emerald green under the clear blue sky. Eagles soared in the distance, and a cool breeze swept away the summer heat. It was breathtaking.

It was also a little high up.

Ji Xiting pulled his gaze back. “Let’s spend some time in the temple once we get there.”

He definitely wasn’t dizzy from the height, and he definitely wasn’t doing it just to take off his sock. A Top Star would never admit to something so embarrassing.

Qin Zheng nodded. “Sure.” He’d heard the temple was a great place to pray for marriage and romance.

They soon reached the halfway point and entered Hangu Temple. The air was thick with incense and the sound of chanting. Since they were there, they both offered prayers for health and safety.

Wandering past the main hall, they found the backyard filled with pavilions and stone benches. In the center stood an ancient peach tree, its branches draped in thousands of red silk ribbons.

“Honey, once we’re married, we have to come back and give thanks,” a young man said, holding his girlfriend’s hand.

The girl looked at the ribbon they had just tied, bearing both their names, and smiled sweetly. “If we don’t get married, I’m coming back to snip this off.”

The guy laughed, and they both bowed piously to the tree before wandering away.

Qin Zheng listened in and immediately hatched a plan. He glanced at Ji Xiting and whispered, “Ting-ge, I’m going to go look around over there.”

“Mm,” Ji Xiting replied distractedly. He sat on a stone bench, eyeing the bathroom. The line for the stalls stretched out the door. How was he supposed to sneak in and ditch a sock now? If he did, it would probably trend on Weibo within the hour: SHOCKING! Top Star caught wearing socks with holes! Is this the new trend? How humiliating.

Suddenly, his vision was blocked as Qin Zheng returned with a red silk ribbon. “Ting-ge, the old monk selling these said I looked like I had ‘affinity’ with the temple and insisted on giving me one. I couldn’t say no.”

Ji Xiting: “…” Lie to me more, go on.

“Well, since I have it…” Qin Zheng rubbed his nose. “How about we go tie it up?”

Ji Xiting glanced at the bathroom again. The crowd hadn’t thinned at all. Fine, he thought. I’ll just pray, get it over with, and find another bathroom down the mountain.

He stood up and took the ribbon. Their names were already written on it, with a plump little heart drawn in the middle.

Qin Zheng said guiltily, “Would you believe me if I said the monk is a fan of our ‘ship’?”

Ji Xiting smiled thinlly. “What do you think?”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Qin Zheng took his hand and led him under the peach tree, his “puppy eyes” shining. “Ting-ge, let’s tie it together.”

Ji Xiting let out a soft “Mm,” an unconscious smile tugging at his lips.

They each held an end of the red silk and tied it to a high branch. A breeze swept through, and as the ribbon fluttered, their names brushed gently against each other.

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