Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Prove to Me How Much You Miss Me

Xia Ziran held her quietly, an unusually obedient and well-behaved demeanor that suddenly reminded Cheng Shiyuan.

This person wasn’t spraying venom every minute of the day.

It was just like what those snake-petting bloggers online shared.

Cold, damp, terrifying were the definitions fear-stricken people ascribed to snakes. Like the players who had stayed behind to help, they were clearly worried about their situation, but no one dared to approach.

They were all terrified by Xia Ziran’s previous outburst, worried that she might pick up the axe and attack again the next second.

Only Cheng Shiyuan, resting in her arms, knew clearly.

At this moment, Xia Ziran was just a small, lazy snake that had been sunbathing and was full and content. Because she was with a familiar owner, she wouldn’t show the slightest aggression.

Finally, the staff, checking the time, cautiously spoke:

“Ms. Xia’s wounds should be treated, shouldn’t they? It’s almost six o’clock; there’s still time to catch a taxi to the port.”

As the one who was rescued, Cheng Shiyuan was virtually unharmed—

If you ignored the renewed injury on the corner of her lip.

The rescuer, however, was visibly battered. Her hands, which usually held a pen and had never done any heavy labor, were a startling sight.

The web of skin between her thumb and forefinger was split, still embedded with wood splinters, and fresh blood layered over dried old wounds.

Cheng Shiyuan took the first-aid kit. The emergency knowledge she had forgotten was once again solidified and reviewed, thanks to the continuous injuries sustained by these two members of the Xia family.

As the cotton swab dipped into the iodine solution, she suddenly smiled.

She looked up at the quiet, obedient person in front of her, who seemed so unlike herself:

“Hey, am I really jinxed when it comes to your family?”

The person who would usually use such unpleasant words as a weapon to pierce her was, uncharacteristically, struck by her own boomerang.

Xia Ziran’s eyebrow twitched. Clearly annoyed by the remark, she pulled up the corner of her mouth and stared at her:

“That’s just too bad. I have a tough fate. I might as well consider wearing Nike in the future.”

Having been ‘jinxed’ for so long without dying, how was that not a form of compatibility?

Before Cheng Shiyuan could show her speechless expression at the terrible pun, the person who had just finished having her wounds treated suddenly spoke:

“Hand me my phone and dial my assistant’s number.”

Cheng Shiyuan, being good-natured, did as she was told, asking without looking up: “Password.”

Xia Ziran answered indirectly, just staring at her: “You remember Xie Zhiqing’s password, but not mine?”

—Obedient for less than two seconds, and now she has the energy to be crazy again, right?

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t even recall when she had unlocked Xie Zhiqing’s phone in front of her, simply because there were too many such occasions.

Mainly, Xie Zhiqing was too easy to figure out. Like her taste in food, she stuck to one dish and wouldn’t change. She could eat at the same restaurant until the day she died, unless it closed down.

The passwords she liked to use were also just a few combinations. Cheng Shiyuan sometimes felt that if she ever found Xie Zhiqing’s wallet, she could probably swipe every one of her bank cards.

Cheng Shiyuan: “She’s simple-minded, so she’s easy to guess. Are you simple-minded too, great artist?”

Xia Ziran didn’t fall for it and scoffed lightly: “You haven’t even started guessing. How do you know if I’m easy to guess?”

So.

Cheng Shiyuan expressionlessly started typing in her birthday: 011111

She even commented: “Tsk, if Miss Xia had been born ten years later, she’d be the golden single saint.”

After saying that, she was prepared for Xia Ziran to mock her, perhaps saying that someone born on Valentine’s Day was naturally promiscuous and had many lovers.

The person who had just been sparring with her now only lowered her eyes, looking at the password-failed message on the phone:

“So, to finally stop being single, I put a beautiful wish into the password digits.”

“—Aren’t you going to try again?”

Cheng Shiyuan suddenly realized.

Then she looked down and typed six zeros. If so many ones couldn’t get her a partner, how about trying to be a zero?

Xia Ziran succeeded in making her laugh in exasperation.

She shouldn’t have let her off the hook in that small dark room just now. Not only should she have whipped her butt until it was red, but she should also have grabbed and kneaded those two soft patches in her palm under the pretense of rubbing them, waiting until she was teary-eyed with pain.

Then, she should have aggressively penetrated her.

To make her physically remember who the bottom was from now on, by only associating pain with pleasure.

Cheng Shiyuan saw her dark eyes, decided not to tease her anymore, typed in “000214,” unlocked her phone, and called her assistant.

The moment the call connected, Xia Ziran’s voice was calm again. She calmly stated her address and asked the assistant to negotiate with the owner through legal channels, stating that she needed the surveillance footage from today to investigate…

“Beep.”

Cheng Shiyuan quickly hung up the phone.

Xia Ziran stared at the injury on her lip. Since it appeared, she had found the wound incredibly annoying.

Having a childhood friend like Xie Zhiqing was one thing. Being a fatal attraction to the Xia family was fine. Even Chen Chuxing was somewhat understandable since they were in the same industry and had some common ground—

But what was that thing that showed up today?

Her displeasure was practically oozing from her phoenix eyes. She asked with a forced, cold smile: “What, I was injured here as a consumer. Can’t I ask a lawyer to help me defend my rights against the owner?”

Whether she wanted to defend her consumer rights or declare ownership, she knew in her heart.

But Cheng Shiyuan remembered the Affection Value she had just provided, which was 20 times more generous than Shen Lingxi’s.

She decided to give her a break.

“Is defending your rights important, or am I important?”

Cheng Shiyuan slowly poked the cotton swab into her wound, successfully catching the uncontrollable twitch of her eyebrow.

She then smiled sweetly, raising her head while half-squatting to look at her: “Xia Ziran, I’m choosing to give you my time right now. Are you sure you want to waste it?”

Gulp.

Xia Ziran swallowed, looking at those beautiful, seductive peach blossom eyes.

Sweet words, sugar-coated bullets.

She was probably saying this to cover up for the ghost in the coffin, possibly having found a lover even more embarrassing and unpresentable than Chen Chuxing, and was now stalling here just to prevent her from making trouble for that tactless person.

A thousand ways to settle the score flashed through Xia Ziran’s mind.

But her brain, completely disobedient, was playing a loop on a loudspeaker:

“I’m choosing to give you my time… I’m choosing to give you my time… I choose you… I choose you, I choose you, I choose you…”

She had seen Cheng Shiyuan turn away and choose others too many times—

She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be chosen decisively.

Such an irritating vixen, saying seductive things without a care. Is she like this with everyone else, too?

That’s why she attracts bees and butterflies even on a dating show, drawing in a bunch of ex-lovers. She could probably field an ex-lover soccer team.

“I choose you, I choose you, I choose you…”

I know, I know, I know!

So annoying!

Xia Ziran struggled to keep her lips tight, not wanting to appear too cheap to her. She put on a cold expression and turned her head away.

Even though Cheng Shiyuan’s movements in treating the wound were rough and unprofessional, and even the bandage was wrapped poorly, her heart began to thump uncontrollably, as if she were the one who felt pleasure from the pain.

Noticing that she had stopped bringing up the earlier incident, Cheng Shiyuan remembered something and asked the staff: “Do we need to change into evening wear for dinner tonight?”

Xia Ziran immediately turned her head back, looking at her meaningfully:

“Do you want to change my clothes for me?”

Cheng Shiyuan considered that giving her such a reward would likely lead to another long delay. So, she casually put a Hello Kitty bandage on her face.

After the assistant arrived with the makeup and styling team, Cheng Shiyuan ruthlessly pushed her toward the team, ignoring her resentful glare.

The two rushed, but still arrived late at the port.

Wang Shu descended upon them like a whirlwind: “Cheng Cheng! What happened to you?”

—Who on earth was it this time?

That dreadful exclusive date today was surely in public, wasn’t it? Weren’t the program’s cameras following them? Why was someone still so shameless as to leave another mark on Cheng Shiyuan’s lip?

Were these older women just taking advantage of their age and thicker skin to be more reckless?

Wang Shu’s heart, which had been hanging since she heard about the exclusive date yesterday, finally died completely.

She could barely contain her jealousy and resentment. Ignoring Xia Ziran’s increasingly dangerous, warning glare, she spoke directly:

“When will these randomly biting insects finally be poisoned by insecticide?”

Too bad.

Cheng Shiyuan thought regretfully, in the midst of Wang Shu’s frantic pulling and checking, the one who bit me this time is far more poisonous than insecticide.

“Wang, Shu.”

Xia Ziran drew out the syllables, reminding her expressionlessly: “Anyone with eyes can see that my injury is more severe than hers, right, Little Aunt?”

Glancing over their shoulders, she narrowed her eyes, seeing the specially decorated luxury cruise ship.

Then, she delivered the final word: “My hand injury makes it difficult to move around. You’ll sit next to me and plate my food later.”

Wang Shu bit her lip.

Her light-colored eyes were filled with indignation.

But when she looked up from Cheng Shiyuan’s side, her face was completely plastered with genuine obedience. She blinked, like a well-behaved and spoiled child:

“Then can I sit between Cheng Cheng and Little Aunt? There are six of us, after all. The three of us can sit on one side.”

Xia Ziran saw through the child’s attempt to isolate herself and monopolize Cheng Shiyuan under the guise of being considerate.

She didn’t take this little trick seriously, chuckling softly and looking at Cheng Shiyuan: “How about I sit in the middle? My injury is so severe, one person plating my food won’t be enough.”

Cheng Shiyuan saw that Xia Ziran’s treatment for a minor injury was practically that of an empress. She was tempted to ask if this Emperor Xia wanted everyone on the ship to serve her.

But seeing the varying degrees of bandages on both of their hands, Cheng Shiyuan, who was always clear about favors and grudges, sighed:

“I’ll sit in the middle, and I’ll feed both of you, alright?”

Perhaps it was the unique, unspoken understanding between blood relatives.

The moment Cheng Shiyuan spoke those words—

They both simultaneously envisioned the same scene.

A woman, naked, with their retreat cut off from both sides, forced to be awkwardly wedged between their two bodies.

After feeding one mouth above, the mouth below would also demand to be satisfied, unwilling to be outdone.

She would struggle in vain, unable to satisfy either of them.

The aunt and niece fell into an eerie silence, neither of them managing to utter the word “No.”

When they saw Xie Zhiqing and Chen Chuxing waiting at the cruise entrance, they couldn’t afford to squabble internally and reluctantly yielded Cheng Shiyuan to the outsiders.

With a strange, mutual understanding, they took up positions to Cheng Shiyuan’s left and right.

Cheng Shiyuan didn’t mind having these two bodyguards until they were seated at the exquisite long table. She then realized there was something even more outrageous than having to feed two people tonight.

The dinner on this beautiful cruise ship was prepared by a Michelin chef.

As Cheng Shiyuan scooped up the first spoonful of the appetizer on her plate and sweetly brought it to Xia Ziran’s mouth.

Chen Chuxing, sitting across from them, gave an especially sour look.

Until she noticed that Xia Ziran’s expression was fluctuating between pleasure and pain.

Chen Chuxing hadn’t been paying attention to the head chef’s introduction of the appetizer. She picked up her spoon curiously.

She scooped up a spoonful of the so-called molecular gastronomy foam.

As the flavors of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty exploded on her tongue, she couldn’t help but laugh lightly, holding her hand to her forehead.

While she found Cheng Shiyuan’s hidden mischievousness under the guise of affection endearing, she still couldn’t help but feel jealous that Xia Ziran was enjoying the food from her plate.

Chen Chuxing suddenly sped up and finished the remaining foam on her plate.

She knew that the most hardship Cheng Shiyuan had ever endured was probably during her time studying in the US.

But she was different. Although she was a child star, in those days, even big-name actors in Hong Kong film crews had to watch the director’s expression, let alone an unknown role like her.

When she was at her poorest, Chen Chuxing secretly scavenged expired food that others had just thrown into the trash. She even once thought that slightly spoiled expired food tasted quite good.

Before the waiter could clear her empty plate and serve the next course.

Chen Chuxing suddenly stood up, performing a particularly impolite action in dining etiquette—

She moved Cheng Shiyuan’s plate, which still had two-thirds of the food remaining, to her own front.

Meeting those surprised peach blossom eyes, she said gently:

“If you don’t like it, just give it to me.”

There’s a Michelin rule of “no second course until the first is finished.” She didn’t want to see Cheng Shiyuan starving while busy feeding someone with a severe disability or severed limb.

Xia Ziran stared at her with a gloomy face, not expecting this famous actress to stoop so low as to eat someone else’s leftovers.

…But to be fair, she really couldn’t eat a double portion of this awful food.

Meanwhile, Wang Shu next to her was intensely thinking, gripping her fork, whether she should try to snatch the food before Chen Chuxing.

But she was suddenly reminded by Ji Sheng with a smile: “If one portion isn’t enough, you can have mine too.”

Wang Shu: “…”

However, this one action by Chen Chuxing triggered more than just a momentary reaction.

Xie Zhiqing, who should have been the focus due to today’s exclusive date, had been unusually passive, sitting in a corner as if voluntarily withdrawing. Now, seeing them squabble over food, she suddenly got up and left the table.

She briefly communicated with the head chef, put on one of the chef’s spare, brand-new chef uniforms.

Twenty minutes later—

The noble blue lobster was transformed into a fragrant plate of lobster with three kinds of scallions, the A5 Wagyu beef was turned into black pepper garlic beef cubes, and even ingredients like black truffle and eel were stir-fried with the so-called sterile vegetables to make a fried rice.

After placing these dishes in front of Cheng Shiyuan, Xie Zhiqing saved a portion of the fried rice for herself and returned to her original seat.

Chen Chuxing looked at the dishes, which were excellent in color, aroma, and taste. Although they didn’t have the elaborate presentation of Michelin cuisine.

They were clearly more to Cheng Shiyuan’s taste than the pretentious dishes served earlier.

A bitter feeling rose in her heart.

She suddenly realized that these young people around Cheng Shiyuan, whom she had originally dismissed, seemed to be slowly making progress too.

She mindlessly dug into the foam on her plate. As she brought it to her lips, she suddenly caught a very faint, extremely unique fragrance.

…Daphne flower?

Chen Chuxing instinctively flinched.

She was almost triggered to recall a certain Hong Kong villa halfway up Fragrant Hill.

The Western-style, dimly lit study, with only one bright, large window.

The terrifying figure who always sat by the window, casually leaning a cane against the chair, yet whose shadow was the only thing anyone ever remembered in the sunlight.

The echoes of the wealthy people’s discussions she heard there years ago seemed to ring in her ears again:

“Mr. Shen’s garden has changed styles again recently? What kind of flower are these knotted branches? What’s the significance?”

“Haha, the richer they are, the more superstitious they are. My friend, you don’t understand this, do you? This is a Daphne flower, the raw material for making cash. It’s no wonder the Shen family is getting richer and richer if they plant this.”

“More than that! I heard that in the new building she built, besides the ivory carvings and raw imperial jade craftsmanship in the lobby, the central exhibit is also a several-meter-high pure gold sculpture, also of this Daphne flower.”

“This flower indeed has a meaning. Besides attracting wealth, it also signifies dreams coming true. Exactly ten plants, perfect in every way, huh? Not bad, right?”

Chen Chuxing wholeheartedly believed their words.

After all, in her eyes, her boss, Shen Lingxi, was a person who existed to seize more power.

She wasn’t even obsessed with power itself, but she learned to obtain it because everyone else considered it valuable.

Chen Chuxing suddenly realized a terrifying fact at this moment—

What if her boss, one day, got tired of the domain of power and wanted to learn more other things?

That intensely strong Daphne flower scent, she had only ever smelled it at the Shen residence, only around that person.

Staring at the injury on Cheng Shiyuan’s lip, the more Chen Chuxing tried to avoid connecting her with that terrifying figure, the more her mind uncontrollably pieced together the possibilities between them.

Did the Daphne flower really only signify money?

Shiyuan (拾元, which can mean ‘pick up currency’), didn’t that name have the same connotation?

Did those ten Daphne flowers in Shen Lingxi’s front garden refer to Cheng Shiyuan?!

No, no, no!

Impossible, impossible!

The plant itself was suitable for Southern planting. She must be overthinking it! Maybe Cheng Shiyuan accidentally brushed against it while on a date with other people today?

“I heard that Mr. Shen recently took a liking to a little star. Did you hear the commotion on New Year’s Eve? Fireworks went off in Victoria Harbour all night long. It was her birthday gift to that little lover.”

“Little lover? Why did I hear they got their marriage certificate? Her assistant has been buying hundreds of millions worth of jewelry at various auctions. She treasures the person so much that she won’t even let anyone catch a glimpse, probably planning to keep her hidden forever.”

“Huh? Keeping her hidden? You actually believe that? I bet her background is unpresentable, and she’s not worthy of the Shen family. How could she possibly get married? Just wait, she’ll get tired of her in a couple of years, and everyone will forget about this.”

“Screech—”

The spoon scraped against the plate, emitting a jarring sound.

Chen Chuxing clenched her lips, thinking about the surveillance video the hospital had proactively sent her last night.

She had initially been playing a guessing game, unilaterally speculating about Cheng Shiyuan’s ex-lovers. But in this moment.

Her leisure vanished. She felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave.

The more she didn’t want to uncover the answer, the more vividly her sixth sense reminded her that this was the truth.

…Was it because of me?

Is it my fault that Cheng Shiyuan was noticed by Shen Lingxi, isn’t it?

“Hey.”

An open hand waved in front of her. The pale palm was illuminated by the moonlight.

Chen Chuxing finally looked up in a daze, realizing the dinner on the cruise ship had ended long ago. She was sitting in the villa, like a wandering ghost, somehow having returned and seated herself on the sleeping bag she had placed on the balcony.

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t stand the sight of the inexplicable look of guilt on her face after she had proactively taken her plate. She was constantly shifting in her line of sight, which was utterly irritating.

But she couldn’t help but ponder: Among everyone, how much Affection Value could she brush off of Chen Chuxing, whose love for her was the most intense?

If, like last time, merely tormenting her a little could yield a generous 40 hours of life value, was it possible to gain a few dozen points of Affection Value tonight?

Maybe.

She could graduate healthily without waiting 25 days?

In the dead of night when everyone was asleep, Cheng Shiyuan, like a pixie who had snuck out of the moonlight, leaned in.

Her lips moved near Chen Chuxing’s ear:

“It seems sister is once again presumptuously thinking about things that make me very disgusted.”

“Let me guess, you’ve found another utterly detestable reason to blame yourself for leading me on, and are spontaneously reflecting here?”

She elongated her voice like a thoughtful sigh, letting out an “Mm.”

Chen Chuxing, who had already reached a desperate conclusion on her own, felt Cheng Shiyuan’s breath—one moment cool, the next warm—spraying onto her skin.

The voice was like a small brush, tickling her earlobe.

She finally lost control and instinctively raised her hands to pull Cheng Shiyuan into a hug.

She used an embracing posture, wanting to tightly protect her.

‘It’s okay, Chen Chuxing. If it’s for Shiyuan’s safety, you can do anything—

Haven’t you already made up your mind for this?‘

She cheered herself up over and over in her mind.

As Chen Chuxing tightened her arms, she heard her own hazy sigh: “No, I just miss you.”

“I want to hold you like before, feel your body temperature, and sleep with you.”

Cheng Shiyuan seemed to believe her excuse.

She smiled and raised her head from the embrace, confirming: “Really?”

But she didn’t wait for Chen Chuxing’s answer. After all, this person was her acting coach. She didn’t want to waste time guessing which “one thousand faces” this Queen Chen was showing her tonight.

Cheng Shiyuan slowly raised her hand.

“I want sister to prove to me how much you miss me.”

She pointed to the tempting curve of her lip: “But, you’re not allowed to use this mouth to speak.”

Her fingertip slid down.

Following her throat, collarbone, and resting on her proud cleavage: “Use here.”

Continuing downwards.

Teasing her slender waist, tracing circles.

Finally, stopping between her parted legs.

“And here.”

She smiled and announced the rules: “Let your body tell me how much you miss me.”

Cheng Shiyuan even casually picked up the empty glass that had been placed beside her.

As if pondering, she placed it in front of Chen Chuxing.

“Fill this cup with your so-called ‘missing me,’ and I’ll believe you.”