Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Don’t You Dare Hurt Me Again

Cheng Shiyuan was dying.

The enchanting beauty inherited from her mother came with the curse of a short life.

Despite never missing an annual check-up, she was abruptly diagnosed with a terminal illness six months ago.

In those six months, her life saw great highs and lows: the ecstasy of winning Best Actress, and the despair of a sudden life countdown, forcing her into the most hopeless predicament.

Now, only the final hour remained.

She looked at the blood-red text visible only to her: [Remaining life duration: 35 minutes and 21 seconds

Her utterly oblivious manager was still nagging her to take on a new job.

“My nemesis! You won the Golden Award, and for six months you haven’t looked at a single script handed to you. You’ve taken a complete holiday! Even if it’s for your fans, you should make an appearance. They’re already questioning the studio about whether your holiday spot is Southeast Asia!”

“I don’t care! If you want to keep resting, fine, but Director Xiao Ke’s Road to Love 2 is starting soon. Just go on her reality dating show, make a token appearance, and let your fans see you—you have a good relationship with her anyway. Her mother’s script, Grayscale, which has been hidden for ten years, is about to be greenlit. After the variety show, you’ll strike while the iron’s hot and join the cast. By then, it’ll be two awards in three years. Which female star of this generation in the entertainment industry can surpass you?”

The manager’s face was a study in frustration, and after wearing out her tongue, she was ready to physically tie up her little ancestor and drag her to the set.

Before her manager completely lost it and actually laid hands on her, Cheng Shiyuan softened her attitude and, like a child, asked for a coffee personally made by her “sister” (the manager).

No one could resist the charm of the newly crowned Film Empress, dubbed the “Most Flirtatious Female Star in the Entertainment Industry,” not even her manager, who should have been used to it.

Clutching her slightly flushed cheeks, the manager gritted her teeth and opened the door to make coffee for her little ancestor.

Then, Cheng Shiyuan put on a hat and a mask and openly walked out of the studio.

She didn’t know how exactly she was going to die, but it was probably better to be far away, so as not to scare the manager who had worked so hard for her all these years and was always willing to make her coffee.

She had a bit of a conscience, even if not much.

Aimlessly walking against the crowds on the busy street, Cheng Shiyuan eventually stopped in a secluded corner of a suburban park.

She was momentarily stunned, not having expected to wander here.

Though it wasn’t the right season and the peach branches were still bare, in Cheng Shiyuan’s memory, this was a quiet, beautiful spot.

Perfect for a morning run, and even better for kissing the person who was having a morning run.

It felt as if the scent of the surrounding peach blossoms, which clustered around them, had dyed their very lips with an undeniable sweetness—a scent Cheng Shiyuan was once obsessed with finding in perfumes.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shiyuan gave a short chuckle.

She felt a little regretful; she should have bought a plane ticket and squeezed in a visit with her first love/ex before she died.

After all, kissing that person felt wonderful.

And she was certain that if she asked, the other person would always surrender to her—this was the confidence of a first love and a childhood sweetheart.

Lamenting her excessive conscience, Cheng Shiyuan stretched and lazily lay down on the lawn, letting the sun make her drowsy.

She closed her eyes, her sleeping face peaceful and serene, with a childish innocence, as if she were a fragile being who needed the utmost care and caution.

But little did she know this was a trap for the willing.

When she was younger, Xie Zhiqing had fallen for it once.

Now, after breaking up and getting back together several times, she still instinctively stopped for this person.

Xie Zhiqing, who was merely on her usual run, instinctively slowed her pace and held her breath, as if afraid of startling a butterfly resting momentarily on a flower petal.

Even though Cheng Shiyuan wore a hat and mask, obscuring most of her face, to the person who had grown up with her since childhood, her figure and outline were etched into her bones.

With just a glance, she could easily peel this person out of a vast crowd.

Although they were no longer lovers.

Xie Zhiqing closed her eyes, expertly suppressed her heartbeat, and reverted to the proper distance and measure of a “childhood friend.”

She strode forward, her voice carrying a clear note of displeasure.

“…Why are you here alone? No bodyguard, no assistant. It seems I’ll have to have a talk with your manager later.”

The person lying down seemed startled.

Like a frightened little rabbit, she showed a small part of her face from beneath the brim of her hat, one eye squinting against the light.

Then, the little rabbit raised her right hand, her thumb and index finger forming a childish gun gesture, aiming at her.

Slowly drawing out her words, she confirmed her identity:

“Xie~ Zhi~ Qing~”

The forbidden charm that could make fans blush, scream, and clutch their hearts in feigned collapse, only made Xie Zhiqing frown.

She reacted as if she had witnessed an uncivil act in a public place, closing her eyes resolutely and turning her head away.

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t help but be amused.

The thought of facing Xie Zhiqing’s solemn expression again when she came to pay her respects at the funeral in a few days…

Cheng Shiyuan felt she might not be able to resist sitting up in the coffin and laughing at her.

—If she could still clearly see the person by then.

So, she decided to give this person, her long-lost acquaintance who was fortunate enough to cross paths with her in her final moments, a little farewell gift.

Opening her arms without reservation, she smiled and issued an invitation:

“What a destiny to meet here. Want a good morning kiss to celebrate?”

This frivolous and unrestrained attitude.

Made Xie Zhiqing highly suspect that if it had been any other stray cat or dog passing by, Cheng Shiyuan wouldn’t have cared and would have invited them for a kiss too.

The terrible image flashed in her mind, making Xie Zhiqing’s face instantly darken as she grabbed the hand extended towards her.

But without pity, she pulled her up from the lawn.

She decided to give this person, who had picked up bad habits in the entertainment industry, a live re-education.

The hand, hardened from years of exercise and gripping a tennis racket, was full of calluses. Under Xie Zhiqing’s deliberate punishment and lack of restraint, Cheng Shiyuan’s small face instantly wrinkled in pain.

She was about to go all-in on the pitiful act to escape punishment, but a voice suddenly pierced her mind:

Detected ‘Life Extension Value Target,’ please proceed to unlock, Host.

Friendly reminder: Upon successful unlock, Host can maintain current life duration. Intimate contact may extend remaining life duration.

Cheng Shiyuan: “…?”

Before she could react, her body had already moved, tightly gripping the person in front of her.

She absolutely could not let this suddenly appearing lifesaver disappear.

Even the words on the tip of her tongue changed to: “I’m going to die soon.”

Xie Zhiqing’s heart skipped a beat.

But she quickly reminded herself that this person was habitually deceitful, and even the current, realistic acting was just part of her daily habit of teasing others.

So, with a hint of irritation, she pulled away from Cheng Shiyuan’s grip.

Her dark eyes had a sharp light that could see through the other person’s thoughts: “What exactly do you want?”

Cheng Shiyuan looked at the red finger marks on her fair wrist from where she had gripped her, and simply raised the hand, shaking it at her: “Rub it. If you don’t make it go away, I’ll hold a press conference and tell the whole country you abused me.”

This exaggerated complaint and entitled arrogance were only displayed in front of the people she was closest to.

She wanted Xie Zhiqing to come back to her side willingly.

Xie Zhiqing didn’t believe a single punctuation mark in her words.

Yet, her feet somehow turned inexplicably.

When she realized it, she was already back by Cheng Shiyuan’s side, even holding her delicate, aristocratic hand and pressing gently on the slight redness.

She was pressing lightly, but for some reason, the redness seemed to bloom like a sunset, spreading more and more on the fair skin with every press.

Her heart grew irritable from the pressing, but the person she had cornered wouldn’t keep quiet, muttering that her massage technique was awful.

Xie Zhiqing’s eyelid twitched, and just as she was about to snap, the other person’s voice interrupted: “If that good morning kiss is my last wish before I die, won’t you even grant that?”

Xie Zhiqing paused, thinking coldly:

What kind of terrible person wouldn’t even let people die in peace?

She couldn’t help but imagine this vibrant color gradually losing life in her arms.

Her breath hitched, and her empty fingers instinctively clenched.

Cheng Shiyuan nearly lost her professional ability to manage her expression under Xie Zhiqing’s renewed grip.

Reflecting on why she had been foolish enough to want this tough, boring childhood friend, she glanced around and quickly pulled Xie Zhiqing down: “I think someone’s taking pictures!”

Xie Zhiqing’s feet tightened at first, then relaxed with her pull—

As she crouched down, she was suddenly pounced on by the person beside her, who kicked out her legs, knocking them both down behind a tall bush nearby.

Like a beast on the prairie being ambushed and knocked down by a little rabbit.

Crushed grass stems scattered all over them. Cheng Shiyuan looked at this person, who usually righteously rushed out to scold people for taking pictures, acting like a disciplinary committee member, demanding they stop the violation of her portrait rights.

And yet, today, because of her celebrity status, she was rolling on the park lawn with her like a thief.

A wave of satisfaction washed over her, like dragging a cool, serene moonlight into the mud to wallow.

Smiling, she leaned in to kiss those cold, hard lips amidst the fresh, grassy scent.

But the other person easily turned her head, causing her kiss to deflect, only briefly brushing the corner of her lips.

The person beneath her suddenly stiffened.

Cheng Shiyuan finally heard the cold voice in her mind again, bringing her immense relief:

Successfully touched Life Extension Target ‘Xie Zhiqing,’ character unlocked! Friendly reminder, the life extension effect will disappear if the Host moves more than one meter away from the target!

—The continuous, bone-deep pain had vanished!

She held the position, concentrating all her attention on savoring the sense of ease as life finally returned to her body.

Until.

The world suddenly flipped. She was violently turned over by a strong force from beneath.

Cheng Shiyuan was pressed onto the lawn, looking up at the deep shadow covering her, her dark eyes fixed on her like a hawk.

She slowly traced her tongue over her thin lips, coating them with a moisturizing, translucent sheen.

“Don’t you dare hurt me again.”