Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: What Do You Do When You Have a Spoiled Princess Who Can’t Keep Her Scale Balanced and Is Unfairly Biased?

However, this “well-intentioned” reminder, to Cheng Shiyuan, was nothing short of a naked threat.

She had no doubt that the moment Xie Zhiqing learned of her true physical condition, she would immediately force her to stop all work and make her rest until a solution was found.

Thanks to Chen Chuxing’s reckless actions, Xie Zhiqing was now clearly suspicious of her health.

And she seemed to be planning to use the tactics she learned as an heir on her.

Cheng Shiyuan almost laughed in anger.

First Chen Chuxing, and now Xie Zhiqing. Was it because she hadn’t lost her temper for so long due to the life-prolonging system?

One after another, they really treated her like a canary to be manipulated as they pleased!

“You’re threatening me again. Xie Zhiqing, what, do you want to be like Chen Chuxing too? Do you want to use some underhanded methods against me too? Oh, wait, you’re even bolder than she is.”

With one hand hooked on the other’s collar, Cheng Shiyuan used just a little force to make the dominant, seemingly high-and-mighty Xie family heir bend down for her.

Even though Xie Zhiqing frowned deeply, clearly disliking this flirtatious move and hating being compared to Chen Chuxing.

Cheng Shiyuan still managed to get her way.

Just like every time in the past.

This time was no exception.

Since Cheng Shiyuan had been to the hospital so many times before, she remembered that the fresh blood just drawn from the body would start to clot within a few minutes if not treated with a reagent.

As long as she could stall Xie Zhiqing and make her delay giving the order, the test results would be invalid.

Lowering her eyes to hide her clear-headedness and sharpness, Cheng Shiyuan looked up again, using her soft and affectionate eyes to gaze at the person in front of her, meticulously outlining her features with her gaze.

It was neither the deliberate distance after their breakup nor the overly well-behaved, almost alarmingly deliberate flattery of recent times.

For a moment, her demeanor seemed to have returned to the period when they were most in love.

Even though Xie Zhiqing’s mind knew perfectly well that Cheng Shiyuan was likely trying some new trick on her, she couldn’t help but fall into it.

She couldn’t bear to be the one to break this rare moment of peace.

But in the next second, Cheng Shiyuan, with a playful smile, personally tore that picture to shreds.

“—You wish you could lock me up in your house, confine me to your territory, make me look at only you all day, and even dictate what I eat and what clothes I wear, don’t you?”

“But Xie Zhiqing, you know I hate it the most when people control me under the guise of ‘doing what’s best for me.’ What’s the difference between what you’re doing and what Chen Chuxing just did?”

“You’re doing this again. You’re always doing this… it seems you’re the one who hasn’t changed at all.”

Cheng Shiyuan tugged at her lips and then suddenly let go.

Xie Zhiqing, who was suddenly free from the restraint, instead felt a sense of being abandoned, and was the one who was at a loss.

She frowned, wanting to sort out the logic and refute Cheng Shiyuan’s accusations one by one.

—She could admit that she had, in a fit of rage or a brief moment of tossing and turning at night, imagined such a scenario.

In fact, Xie Zhiqing was fully capable of doing it.

But she had never truly intended to put it into practice, not even on the night she heard that Cheng Shiyuan had given up her right of inheritance for an actress.

Because she loved Shiyuan.

Because she knew that without freedom, Shiyuan would be like a rose without sunlight, a nightingale locked in a cage.

How could she bear to do that?

She couldn’t.

But if she were to reveal her true feelings, she would completely lose the only weapon she had to intimidate Shiyuan in this unspoken struggle. What would be the difference between that and forfeiting and admitting defeat?

Xie Zhiqing understood Cheng Shiyuan just as Cheng Shiyuan understood her.

Because of this, she was even more certain that she couldn’t easily back down on this matter.

But Cheng Shiyuan didn’t give Xie Zhiqing much time to think.

“Okay.”

After letting go, Cheng Shiyuan smiled and agreed lightly.

“Then go and have the blood tested now. Since you two don’t like listening to others, then go and see the answer for yourselves.”

Cheng Shiyuan’s eyes were indifferent, as if she no longer cared about anything.

Xie Zhiqing’s breath hitched.

It looked like Cheng Shiyuan had nowhere to retreat, but in that instant, she clearly realized that the one standing on the edge of the cliff was actually herself.

Even though her rationality kept telling her that there was probably a landmine hidden in Cheng Shiyuan’s physical condition that she didn’t know about.

But the consequences of Chen Chuxing’s forced methods had just happened.

Regardless, she had to let go of this matter.

Otherwise, she would only push Cheng Shiyuan even further away from her.

Realizing this, she bent down again, even actively taking that soft hand and placing it back on the tie on her chest.

Her thin lips pecked at Cheng Shiyuan’s soft lips like a caress.

“I will, of course, choose to believe you, no matter what.”

“I was just overly anxious and worried just now. Our Shiyuan has always paid attention to her health and gets a check-up every year. If there’s a problem she can’t handle, she’ll definitely come to me on her own, right?”

Xie Zhiqing softened her expression and put away all her sharpness.

She had always had a clear and ruthless self-awareness. The reason Cheng Shiyuan had allowed her to appear in her life at any time over the years was because Xie Zhiqing understood the proper boundaries of an “ex” and a “childhood friend.”

She constantly told herself to be patient, and now was not the time to break those boundaries. Especially since, at this moment, several watchful hyenas were guarding Cheng Shiyuan.

Unlike the biting force from before, when the restrained, almost gentle kiss, filled with a sense of cherish, slowly descended.

Cheng Shiyuan let out a sigh of relief in her heart.

—She had bet on the right thing.

Seeing this person who always appeared with a dominant attitude now willingly bowing her head and submitting.

Especially since Xie Zhiqing’s emotional change in such a short time had provided her with an additional ten minutes of life duration.

Cheng Shiyuan’s fingertips wrapped around her tie, tightening her grip, and she, too, uncharacteristically and tenderly returned the rare, sweet kiss that was free of any rough or dangerous intent.

At the end, as if a reward, she lightly licked the corner of her lips.

“Of course. You’re the person I trust the most.”

Her eyes were filled with dependency, as if she had returned to the naive little girl she was in her youth, her clear eyes only reflecting Xie Zhiqing, because she was all the world she could rely on.

“You have no idea how happy I was when I saw you come to save me! You’ll never disappoint me, will you?”

Xie Zhiqing’s rationality kept reminding her.

This was Cheng Shiyuan’s usual sweet talk, meant to make her lose her head.

But who was she to complain? She wanted not only the person but also that heart in the palm of her hand.

Knowing her own greed, Xie Zhiqing could only follow her wishes and instruct her bodyguards to destroy the blood samples.

But as she flipped the phone to show her, she mentioned as if by accident:

“Since I’ve performed so well, how are you going to reward me? I remember an old saying in a book about how to repay a life-saving favor?”

Even if it wasn’t with a marriage proposal on the spot.

Making up for the date she owed her, the one that was ruined by that detestable person, would be acceptable, right?

This big wolfdog still seemed uncomfortable with acting cute.

She had just obediently laid down to be petted, but her body was still following its dangerous instincts and showing its fangs.

However, Cheng Shiyuan, whose secret was temporarily safe, was not stingy with her comfort and reward at this moment.

But on the surface, she deliberately acted as if she didn’t understand, tilting her head: “What reward? A life-saving favor… I have nothing to repay you with, so I’ll be a grass-knotting servant for you in my next life—”

The rest of her words were again silenced by Xie Zhiqing.

Her dark eyes held a warning. The cold beauty in the crisp suit held her lips, dangerously grinding them between her teeth:

“Shiyuan…”

Amidst Cheng Shiyuan’s laughter, Xie Zhiqing’s phone rang again.

But she didn’t pay attention, guessing it was a normal reply from the bodyguard regarding the task, and she didn’t want to break the rare moment of harmony between them.

It was only after they returned to the villa that she remembered and casually lit up the screen, taking an inadvertent glance.

In the next moment, her gaze was completely fixated.

“CEO Xie, Miss Cheng’s blood sample was stolen.”

“It was a person dressed as a cleaner. We couldn’t catch them, and we couldn’t see their face on the surveillance. Judging by their skills, they’re professionals.”

The light-hearted smile that had just been in her dark eyes instantly vanished.

Xie Zhiqing couldn’t help but ponder: Besides Chen Chuxing, who seemed to know more than she did, was there someone else who was so concerned about Cheng Shiyuan’s physical condition?

Who would have sent those people? And what secret was Cheng Shiyuan hiding in her blood?

At that moment, her focused thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud broadcast:

“A guest has already won the ‘Mid-week Exclusive Date’ invitation. Congratulations to guests Cheng Shiyuan and Xie Zhiqing for winning an exclusive all-day date.”

She saw Cheng Shiyuan skipping toward her from the garden outside.

Like a lively little kitten, she came scampering over, even making a cute “ding-ding” sound to herself.

She unfolded a dramatic award certificate that Xie Zhiqing remembered only being used in elementary school.

It had a few beautiful and lovely lines of text on it:

“Dear classmate Xie Zhiqing:

Due to your excellent performance recently, you are hereby commended and rewarded with an exclusive date with me.

This certificate is issued as a token of encouragement.”

Along with the certificate was the little ball, which she presented like a treasure, used to activate the mid-week date.

Xie Zhiqing instinctively turned off her phone and accepted this gift for her obedience with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

Throughout the entire time, Xia Ziran, who was making coffee in the open kitchen, had been watching their every move.

Earlier, due to the chaos at the concert venue, by the time she reacted, she had already been protected by Wang Shu and left the venue with the crowd. Her rival, Xie Zhiqing, was nowhere to be seen.

When she asked about Cheng Shiyuan’s whereabouts, the production team said, “She and Teacher Chen have both gone missing. We have no information for now.”

Soon, even Xie Zhiqing went missing.

She was about to send people to search for their whereabouts, and now, these three had all returned at the same time?

And while the one who seemed to have made the most progress, Chen Chuxing, was looking downcast and heartbroken, the one who was always a step behind, Xie Zhiqing, seemed to have reaped a great harvest this time.

Xia Ziran thoughtfully put down her coffee spoon.

Since she didn’t have to stay up all night waiting for news about them, she naturally didn’t need to drink this bitter, concentrated stuff.

Looking at the two who seemed intimate in the living room, Xia Ziran suddenly smiled.

She pointed her fingertip from a distance, as if affectionately stroking Cheng Shiyuan’s face, and murmured to herself thoughtfully.

“Silly bird, did you give something away to Xie Zhiqing again?”

There was no such logic in this world. They were both bossed around by the “princess” all day, so how come only Xie Zhiqing got all the benefits?

Thinking of this, Xia Ziran pleasantly narrowed her eyes and unilaterally made a decision:

She would go and give those two a little “surprise” on their date tomorrow.

What do you do when you have a spoiled princess who can’t keep her scale balanced and is unfairly biased?

It doesn’t matter. Xia Ziran was best at contending and fighting.

—The rewards that aren’t given to her, she’ll go and take them herself.