Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Like Grasping the Leash of a Fierce Dog.

Hearing Cheng Shiyuan’s spoiled and commanding tone, Xie Zhiqing’s dark eyes deepened, and an inexplicable surge of malice swelled within her.

A voice screamed, demanding that she inflict pain, that she brutally grind and gnaw on those soft lips, refusing to spare her even if she were to cry out in pitiful anguish.

Seduced by this thought, Xie Zhiqing silently drew closer, their breaths mingling in a passionate fusion.

The instant their lips were about to touch, she was suddenly restrained by a tug.

—It was Cheng Shiyuan, gripping her ponytail.

Though lying beneath her, Cheng Shiyuan didn’t feel at a disadvantage in the slightest. She smiled, tightening her grip as if holding the leash of a fierce dog.

She looked at the perfectly composed, stoic face above her, which showed no hint of emotion.

Only I, probably, can see the dark intentions this person harbours, right?

So repressed, yet so subtly vicious.

Realizing the beast wanted to bite, Cheng Shiyuan held the thick, long black hair and yanked again, away from herself.

But it wouldn’t budge.

She froze, resignedly closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly.

Before the anticipated pain could descend, a sudden shout erupted nearby: “Dammit, Old Xie! You got me again!”

The voice, gasping and breathless behind the tall bushes, insisted on cursing: “Twenty—twenty laps! I ran all of them, and you didn’t even wait for me… You’re finished! Xie Zhiqing! Hmph, the invitation for that dating show I secretly signed you up for just arrived—”

“Where are you? Hiding won’t help you!”

“Agh~ Confirmed! Ah~ Invitation accepted! Just wait, Single Xie, you’re about to be laughed at by the entire nation on camera…”

Amidst the rambling, Cheng Shiyuan let out a soft laugh.

The speaker was startled: “Who?!”

Realizing she had scared the person, Cheng Shiyuan stretched out her arm, waving her palm back and forth to indicate where she was, though it didn’t seem to help much.

Xie Zhiqing pulled her up from the ground, gently picking the blades of grass from the hem of her shoulder.

Then, they circled out from behind the bushes. Xie Zhiqing looked expressionlessly at her morning workout partner, whose face was blank with shock: “I think twenty laps are still too few. It’s my fault for giving you the energy to cause trouble. How about thirty laps next time?”

The workout partner’s knees buckled, and she fell to the ground in despair.

Cheng Shiyuan, facing her, heard her mumbling hollowly: “Oh, Lord, has Old Xie finally killed me? Is this beautiful, stunning angel, even prettier than a celebrity, here to take me to heaven?”

“I’m a celebrity, but not an angel~” Cheng Shiyuan replied with a smile.

She then bent down and leaned in intimately: “That dating show you said you secretly signed Old Xie up for, what is it?”

The workout partner’s face instantly turned bright red, and she stammered: “It, it’s… Director Ke Yan’s Road to Love 2?”

“I see. Speaking of which, you look new. Are you Old Xie’s new partner? You must be pretty good, right? How’s your doubles coordination? Can I watch you play sometime?”

Watching her useless teammate get utterly charmed, forgetting even her own name, Xie Zhiqing observed with cold detachment for a moment before ruthlessly shattering her dream of getting close to the big star:

“There’s no tennis scheduled today.”

Xie Zhiqing then picked up the person who was deliberately unleashing her seductive charm, forcibly separating her from her new teammate, lest her teammate die not from exhaustion but from a sudden cardiac arrest.

Noticing more people gathering around, Xie Zhiqing, out of basic good citizenship, instinctively wanted to limit Cheng Shiyuan’s sphere of influence, so she drew her closer into her own space:

“I’ll call the driver to come over. Where do you want to go?”

Cheng Shiyuan saw that the teammate was completely blocked from view and realized Xie Zhiqing had no intention of introducing them. She couldn’t help but purse her lips.

Yet, she cooperated completely, batting her eyes at Xie Zhiqing and suggesting:

“When we’re together, hasn’t it always been your decision where we go?”

Once inside the car, Cheng Shiyuan took the initiative, boldly pulling Xie Zhiqing’s hand into hers, playfully touching those long, yet powerful, fingertips one by one.

Thinking of the silky, long, black hair that had slipped through her fingers moments ago, just as full of life as this palm, Cheng Shiyuan suddenly felt like the kind of spirit in old folk tales who steals people’s essence.

She was amused by the thought and glanced at the person sitting rigidly beside her.

“Why are you so harsh on your new teammate, Old Xie? That variety show she signed you up for sounds quite fun. Why don’t you try it?”

Cheng Shiyuan intended to probe Xie Zhiqing’s plans, but the words were completely misinterpreted by the other person.

Xie Zhiqing suddenly pulled her hand out of Cheng Shiyuan’s grasp.

She repeated one word with an unclear meaning: “Old Xie?”

She eyed the person who had just met her teammate for the first time yet was already taking their side: “She’s young and rude; I’ll teach her slowly. But we’re the same age. Is it appropriate for you to call me that?”

“…”

Cheng Shiyuan licked her lower lip.

She couldn’t help but wonder if completing what they hadn’t finished on the lawn would soothe her.

But her silence only deepened Xie Zhiqing’s misunderstanding.

Thinking of the bright, sunny smile Cheng Shiyuan had given her teammate, her current flirtation in the car, and recalling her lifelong, reckless, and indiscriminate nature, a lump formed in Xie Zhiqing’s throat.

She crossed her arms in a defensive posture and stated coldly: “I’ll drive you back to your company.”

After a pause, she added a warning: “I don’t care who you flirt with. But don’t be so desperate as to target people around me. We have an important competition in a few months, and a temporary personnel change is not in my plans.”

Cheng Shiyuan: “?”

Her expression froze for a moment; she felt unfairly accused.

She was clearly aiming to take Xie Zhiqing back, so what did her teammate—whose name hadn’t even come up—have to do with anything?

However, seeing that the life countdown on her head had begun to increase instead of decrease after holding Xie Zhiqing’s hand, Cheng Shiyuan quickly decided to enact a rapid reconciliation plan.

She subtly pressed the send button, confirming the text message she had already drafted.

Less than ten seconds later, an incoming call broke the tense atmosphere.

“Oh, my dear lady! Just a while ago you said you wouldn’t go on that show, and now you’ve changed your mind? You’re even volunteering to report to that dating show? Who is this great person who changed your mind? Tell me, and I’ll burn extra high-quality incense for them every New Year and holiday!”

Afraid Cheng Shiyuan would change her mind, the manager didn’t give her a chance to speak, quickly concluding: “Anyway, filming starts tomorrow! I’ll confirm the procedures right now. It’s settled!”

Beep beep went the phone as the call ended.

Only Cheng Shiyuan was left in the car, looking down with a slightly wronged, pitiful expression, like a delicate flower beaten by the rain.

She didn’t hesitate to frame the unexpected park encounter as her own elaborate plan: “I came here specifically for you.”

“Speaking up for your teammate just now was simply because the thought of spending more time with you—maybe even getting to accept the audience’s blessings and capture some beautiful moments together on the dating show—made me so happy that I got a little carried away—”

“Please, don’t be mad at me because of that, okay?”

Even a total stranger would probably find it hard to speak harshly to Cheng Shiyuan looking like this.

Especially Xie Zhiqing.

She was silent for a moment, then said softly: “No matter why, I’m glad you came to find me.”

The wilted flower instantly lifted its head, a bright smile appearing at her words.

But before Cheng Shiyuan could press her advantage and try to hold her hand again to extend her life, Xie Zhiqing smiled faintly, pulling the distance between them, which had been painstakingly shortened, back to a safe range.

“As for that dating show—”

She opened her mouth, using Cheng Shiyuan’s pet name affectionately: “Shiyuan.”

Then, the smile instantly vanished: “Do you think that no matter what, no matter how you choose to play, I will always be here waiting for you?”

Xie Zhiqing didn’t believe a word of the sweet, pleasant talk and the beautiful future she painted for them.

Even the stupidest prey, after being tricked by the hunter multiple times, should have learned their lesson.

I get hurt too, Shiyuan.