Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Wife, You’re So Hard to Trick

Xie Zhiqing held the wine glass and looked towards where Shen Lingxi was standing.

Hong Kong was right next door, so the Xie family naturally had some business dealings with merchants there, but she hadn’t had much interaction with Shen Lingxi. The two companies knew of each other’s reputation but rarely had commercial contact.

This matter clearly had nothing to do with her; she was just one of the onlookers attending the Cheng family’s birthday banquet tonight.

While the news that Shen Lingxi was married was shocking, Xie Zhiqing didn’t have a strong inclination for gossip.

But a sense of unease inexplicably arose in her heart.

As if to validate her premonition, the next second, Shen Lingxi abruptly looked in her direction.

Her gaze swept past Xie Zhiqing and settled on a stunning figure cornered by numerous businessmen against a wall:

“Chuxing.”

Shen Lingxi called her name in a seemingly intimate and cheerful tone, asking:

“Do you know where my wife went?”

Since Chen Chuxing had intentionally or unintentionally allowed the surrounding businessmen to corner her, she knew someone deliberately didn’t want her to have a chance to get close to Cheng Shiyuan. Seeing Shen Lingxi actively show up now, she knew tonight wouldn’t end well.

Shen Lingxi never fought a battle she wasn’t sure of; she always came prepared.

Answering “yes” or “no” at this moment would fall into her linguistic trap.

Over the past few years, Shen Lingxi had deliberately prevented Chen Chuxing and Cheng Shiyuan from meeting. If she answered now, and the words reached Cheng Shiyuan’s ears, it might lead to misunderstandings, perhaps making Cheng Shiyuan think Chen Chuxing had “sold her out” again—

Perhaps, that was exactly what Shen Lingxi wanted to see.

In just a few short seconds, countless thoughts raced through Chen Chuxing’s mind.

Yet, she couldn’t simply ignore the person who was asking her a question.

After much consideration, she could only respond with a polite smile, like the other guests who didn’t know the truth: “When did Chairman Shen get married? We haven’t even had the chance to hear about such a joyous occasion, so naturally, we’re not sure who your wife is.”

Shen Lingxi showed an expression of sudden realization.

Then, with a hint of self-reproach, she apologized: “I was too eager to find her just now. I forgot to introduce her to everyone.”

She gave Chen Chuxing a very obvious look of gratitude. At that moment, the secretary standing behind her took out a brand-new marriage certificate and presented it to the Cheng Old Master.

At the same time, Shen Lingxi deliberately raised her voice a few degrees, smiling as she replied:

“My wife is always the most dazzling person wherever she goes. Everyone must have an impression of her tonight, right?”

“Her name is Cheng Shiyuan, the most outstanding one of the Cheng family’s current generation.”

The Cheng family members all stiffened, their eyes filled with both surprise and joy.

They were surprised that Cheng Shiyuan had kept such a huge piece of good news a secret, marrying Shen Lingxi behind their backs.

They were happy because the Cheng family and the Shen family had jointly acquired a piece of overseas land for development before the New Year. They had been feeling uneasy about the few percentage points the Shen Group had given up in profit and were frantically investigating potential hidden dangers locally. They never expected this was a grand gift from Shen Lingxi?

The Cheng Old Master’s heart immediately settled back into his chest. Consequently, no one paid any mind to the grim expression of Ji Sheng, the protagonist of the banquet.

He smiled and beckoned a servant, asking about Cheng Shiyuan’s whereabouts.

The guests exchanged glances, some instantly sending out a dozen messages to share the gossip.

“That Chairman Shen from Hong Kong actually got married in secret! Guess who the spouse is? It’s the one from the Cheng family! Cheng Shiyuan!”

“The age gap is a bit much, but their relationship must be great! You ask how I know? No, who carries their marriage certificate with them every day? I feel like Chairman Shen is a hopeless romantic, such a contrast to her business demeanor. I’m actually rooting for them.”

“Who would’ve thought? The Cheng family line looks sparsely populated, but the drama is certainly worthy of this circle, huh? Everyone thought Cheng Shiyuan joining the entertainment industry was a bad decision. Hey, who knew? She was just ready to give up the Cheng family and choose better soil to grow in. Visionary, high-level.”

Some young members of the second generation even created a group chat on the spot to gossip.

…

Cheng Shiyuan, the center of the gossip, had appeared in the crowd at some point.

Seeing the Cheng Old Master happily holding the marriage certificate and looking it over, she knew that her actions to confirm the facts through multiple avenues and channels when she divorced were entirely correct.

Watching the “lost” marriage certificate appear, she subtly curved her lips.

The instigator also saw her at this moment.

Shen Lingxi gently beckoned her. The cold black leather glove performed a soft gesture, and her whole demeanor seemed to gain a human touch.

“Wife, come here.”

She took a small pill bottle from her coat: “You said you weren’t feeling well just now. I specifically brought you medicine.”

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t see what was in the pill bottle, but she knew that the intentional or unintentional heat in her body hadn’t completely subsided.

She only looked perfectly fine standing there—

In reality.

Evidence of Xia Zhiran’s misconduct was still inside her body.

Just seconds before Shen Lingxi stepped into the Cheng family home, Xia Zhiran’s phone went from intermittent vibration to non-stop ringing.

Before answering the call, she was still playing with the pearls and teasing Cheng Shiyuan: “Don’t move. The pockets on this dress are shallow. They can’t hold all the pearls from your necklace.”

“You only swallowed a few. If more fall out and someone picks them up, don’t blame me.”

Cheng Shiyuan was so angry she wanted to kick her.

But just moving slightly made her clearly feel the rounded pearls, forced into a small, tight space, rolling back and forth with her movement, pressing her in a way that even made her breathing irregular.

She angrily cursed “you dog,” but her voice was warped, sounding like she was whining.

Xia Zhiran enjoyed it immensely, until she heard the elders’ instructions on the phone: “Shen Lingxi? What is she doing here? Oh, I see. I’ll handle it myself.”

The Xia family’s business partnering with the Cheng family was called a win-win, but getting a cooperation order from a giant like the Shen Group would always take them to the next level, regardless of the future.

The elders spoke such earnest words to her.

But Xia Zhiran always felt that Shen Lingxi’s intention tonight was a bit strange. She didn’t want to approach her rashly.

Still thinking, she was genuinely kicked.

She easily caught it, pressing the warm, hot sole of the foot against her cheek, looking down at Cheng Shiyuan and smiling:

“Are you trying to trick me again? You just said you couldn’t eat anymore, but your leg can still kick quite high, can’t it?”

“Ah, one fell out.”

Cheng Shiyuan watched her, feeling the misconception that Xia Zhiran would kiss her feet, even when she kicked her as if it were a reward.

She desperately tried to keep her breathing steady but couldn’t help but frown: “Go deal with your business.”

Xia Zhiran got out of bed cooperatively, like a dog that would behave once fed, or perhaps just playing a few little games with her was enough to quell that ever-present, unwarranted anger.

She even had the leisure to smooth Cheng Shiyuan’s skirt and tuck her into the blanket, telling her by the bedside: “I’ll be back soon. Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll bring it back for you.”

Cheng Shiyuan had answered indifferently at the time, “No.”

Now, she felt Xia Zhiran’s monstrous, betrayed fury, which seemed to cut through the crowd and burn right through her.

In her peripheral vision, Xie Zhiqing’s pale expression was reflected, as if her soul had been lost, or as if her beautiful dream had been cruelly shattered.

Wang Shu seemed to have genuinely obeyed and left the scene early. As for Chen Chuxing—

The glance she sent was blocked by a black glove.

She stood still, and Shen Lingxi took the initiative to walk to her side.

“Don’t be angry with me anymore, wife.”

If one didn’t look at those emotionally distant eyes, and only heard the gentle and elegant tone, anyone would soften towards Shen Lingxi.

Only Cheng Shiyuan wouldn’t.

She looked expressionlessly at this person who dismissed all her reactions as “pouting and throwing a little tantrum.”

After two seconds, she suddenly moved her lips.

Just as she was about to speak, a cold, leathery touch landed on her lips.

“Shh, don’t say angry words. There are so many people here. If some people hear things they shouldn’t and spread rumors, it will affect the group’s stock price.”

Shen Lingxi perfectly played the role of a mature businesswoman teaching an unsophisticated little wife a lesson.

The gentler Shen Lingxi became, the colder the emotion in Cheng Shiyuan’s eyes grew.

—Even when they signed the marriage agreement all those years ago, Cheng Shiyuan never accepted even 0.1% of the shares under Shen Lingxi’s name.

Hearing Shen Lingxi threaten her so brazenly, she curved her lips.

She raised her hand to touch the long hair near Shen Lingxi’s ear, which looked beautiful but was actually extremely stiff and never felt smooth no matter how she touched it.

The next second, she suddenly grabbed it and pulled down.

Amidst the fear of the bystanders, who gasped, Shen Lingxi was prepared. She offered almost no resistance, submissively lowering her noble head, adopting an appearance of interested listening.

Cheng Shiyuan’s lips were pressed right against her ear, and she asked, word for word:

“Shen Lingxi, are you breaking the contract?”

A rich, almost choking scent of Daphne odora enveloped her from all directions.

Even though Cheng Shiyuan was mentally prepared, she still felt dizzy from the heavy scent.

At that moment, Shen Lingxi laughed out loud at her words.

It started as a soft laugh, then escalated as if she had heard a funny joke. Her shoulders shook, and bursts of laughter spread out.

She raised her hand, like a partner who had just heard the murmuring complaint of a lover, helpless and without recourse.

Her palm slid down Cheng Shiyuan’s bare back, touching the complex silver ornaments woven between the fabric of her dress, letting out a light, isolated tinkling sound.

The cold, slippery sensation moved upwards—

Finally stopping at the back of Cheng Shiyuan’s neck.

Her palm casually pinched it, feigning comfort.

Cheng Shiyuan raised an eyebrow, enduring the tingling sensation rushing up her spine, preparing to hear what nonsense she could spout in public now.

The world suddenly went black.

It was Shen Lingxi suddenly pressing hard on her carotid sinus, causing her heart to momentarily lack blood supply.

She instinctively widened her eyes, seemingly unable to believe her methods were so simple and brutal.

The moment her body went limp, Shen Lingxi couldn’t help but laugh out loud again. As she caught her, she intimately rubbed her nose against Cheng Shiyuan’s earlobe, “Wife, you’re so hard to trick.”

I asked you to come over, but you refused. I said I’d give you the antidote, but you didn’t want it either.

As she stood up holding Cheng Shiyuan, Shen Lingxi tossed the empty vitamin bottle disguised as an antidote back into her coat pocket.

Regardless, letting Cheng Shiyuan lose the ability to move first was indeed the right choice, even if some irrelevant people had managed to steal a taste during the process—

But it doesn’t matter. She’s a very generous person.

She heard the sound of helicopter blades circling, approaching the Cheng family’s old house.

Shen Lingxi, pleased with her successful capture, bid farewell to the Cheng family and the guests in high spirits:

“My wife is a little tired and wants to go home to rest first.”

“Then we won’t bother everyone. We wish you a pleasant evening.”

Xie Zhiqing had personally witnessed Cheng Shiyuan’s sudden and strange collapse just now, her eyelids twitching wildly.

Even though she had been severely affected by the news of Cheng Shiyuan’s marriage, almost unable to stand, seeing this scene, she still instinctively wanted to stop her.

The moment she opened her mouth.

The Cheng Old Master suddenly announced loudly: “It’s too late today. We won’t keep Chairman Shen. Since we are all family, we must get together again when we have time.”

Shen Lingxi smiled and agreed.

Since the Cheng family elder spoke up, classifying this as a family matter, even if some people saw that the manner in which Shen Lingxi was taking the person away was wrong, no one dared to say anything more.

If anyone asked, it was just playful banter between a couple. If they asked again, it was a secret of the wealthy elite; they just had a unique way of getting along.

Everyone watched Shen Lingxi appear so brazenly and then leave with the person, their eyes fixed on their own noses and hearts.

…

The helicopter continued its journey, flying over the Cheng family, following the emergency-approved route, heading toward a small island in the Pacific Ocean.

When Cheng Shiyuan woke up, she heard the continuous sound of ocean waves outside the window.

As the pleasant sea breeze drifted in, she vaguely thought she had returned to the island where they filmed the show.

Until she saw the face of Shen Lingxi directly above her—

What a nightmare.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her re-established rationality had coldly helped her sort out the truth.

No wonder she had been lingering around her like a ghost, not showing up. It turned out she was waiting for a timely and advantageous opportunity like the Cheng family’s birthday banquet.

Given the Cheng family’s mercenary nature, Shen Lingxi probably didn’t even need to lift a finger. That uncancelled marriage certificate was enough for them to rush to drug Cheng Shiyuan and deliver her to Shen Lingxi’s bed.

When a person is utterly speechless, they genuinely feel like laughing. Since things had come to this, Cheng Shiyuan calmed down.

“What’s your relationship with Chen Chuxing?”

She still remembered Chen Chuxing’s recent extraordinary state.

Hearing that the first question she asked after waking up was this, Shen Lingxi’s eyes widened slightly.

Then, stroking Cheng Shiyuan’s cheek, she complained in a sincere manner: “Wife, why are you so concerned about someone else when you’re here with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get jealous?”

Her hand’s motion was avoided without hesitation.

Shen Lingxi looked at her empty palm, her expression suddenly growing cold.

Once she didn’t deliberately control her facial expressions, that icy, emotionally indifferent, and vacant aura instantly enveloped her.

Staring at her palm gloomily for a long time, she seemed to remember something and raised her hand to her lips.

Her pale teeth clamped down on the edge of the pure black glove. After slowly pulling off the leathery, slick glove, she smiled at Cheng Shiyuan again.

“I forgot. Wife likes to have direct contact with me, right?”

She held out her hand to Cheng Shiyuan. The pale skin, a result of years spent out of the sunlight in her youth, made even the bluish veins look cold.

She wanted Cheng Shiyuan to willingly return to her palm if she wanted the previous answer.

Cheng Shiyuan remained indifferent.

It was as if to contradict her, she intentionally asked about a third party instead of the question Shen Lingxi wanted her to ask.

After a moment of silent confrontation, Shen Lingxi was the first to give in, letting out a deliberate sigh.

“Fine, I won’t be jealous. Wife doesn’t like someone who is very jealous and throws tantrums at you, right?”

She seemed to be alluding to someone, then explained on her own:

“And you don’t like people who deliberately hide things from you?”

“I didn’t mean to, you know. You didn’t ask me, either. Back then, you looked so sad and heartbroken, like you never wanted to see her again, so I was afraid you’d see her and be reminded of your heartbreak. I went to great lengths to make sure your paths crossed at different times.”

She leaned her face closer, her eyes curved, looking expectantly at Cheng Shiyuan:

“Won’t Wife praise my thoughtfulness?”

Cheng Shiyuan looked at the face in front of her, which was indeed pale and delicate.

But it was as if her facial nerves were dead. No matter how hard she tried to mimic normal emotional expressions, as soon as her emotions faltered, that sense of uncanny dissonance would instantly emerge.

And now, Shen Lingxi was clearly trying to make her see this disharmony, even taking it a step further, adopting a gentle, overwhelming tone to speak such sickeningly sweet words.

She couldn’t help but raise her hand and slap her.

A soft slap sound.

Cheng Shiyuan ordered expressionlessly: “Speak to me normally.”

She paused, then warned: “We are divorced. Our marriage has been terminated. I am not your wife, nor your spouse. Don’t use those titles again—”

“On a side note, you disregarded my personal will in public today, assaulted me, and restricted my personal freedom. I can sue you, Chairman Shen.”

Shen Lingxi’s movements stopped.

She looked at the lover in front of her, who had been drugged by Chen Chuxing, yet was still demanding to downplay the situation, but who was now threatening to use the law against her without any evidence.

Her inorganic, cold eyes met Cheng Shiyuan’s for a moment.

She tilted her head, not caring about the redness spreading across her face.

The deliberately feigned tenderness and gentleness vanished. Only a faint, spine-chilling lightness remained in her voice.

“Why do you think I agreed to your divorce request in the first place, baby?”

“Because your doctor told me you had cancer, and not much time left, and that the patient should be happy in their final days.”

Cheng Shiyuan’s pupils contracted.

She remembered the only question Shen Lingxi had asked her when signing the divorce agreement:

“If I sign this, will you be happy?”

She had answered yes, resolutely.

And the battle of persuasion she thought would be protracted had smoothly proceeded to the ending she desired.

“My company possesses the most advanced medical systems and equipment. Unfortunately, these fools are getting worse with each generation. Even after I fired several directors, no one could develop a controllable special remedy within a year.”

Shen Lingxi looked at her fixedly, narrating in an utterly calm tone:

“The day you walked into ‘Spring Park,’ I was still struggling to choose whether to just grab you back, replace your blood, replace your organs one by one, and confine you to a sterile medical room for perpetual treatment…”

Noticing that Cheng Shiyuan’s hair was standing on end.

She casually changed her words: “Ah, but you probably wouldn’t be very happy with that.”

“I can’t help it. I always have to respect your will—”

“But fortunately, will only matters for the living, right?”

Shen Lingxi spoke calmly, recounting how she solemnly prepared Cheng Shiyuan’s burial ceremony on the day she was supposed to die, and how difficult it was to procure the coffins and embalming techniques favorable for preserving the body.

This reminded Cheng Shiyuan of the day years ago when she accompanied her to the Shen family cemetery to worship their ancestors.

Only at this moment did she confirm it.

Shen Lingxi genuinely intended to be buried with her, even doing everything possible to keep them intertwined for all eternity.

If Cheng Shiyuan had died young, Shen Lingxi would make the coffin her bed, to spend the rest of her life with her corpse.

If Cheng Shiyuan had become a lonely ghost, she would use every means possible to bind that soul to her side.

Cheng Shiyuan looked at the lunatic in front of her, who had finished talking about finding someone to conduct a ghost marriage to renew their bond after her death. For the first time, she was immensely grateful that she had survived.

“Respect my will?” She slowly repeated the sentence.

She raised her eyelids, looked at the house, which she didn’t know the location of, and then smiled after a moment: “Shouldn’t the first step be to send me back? My schedule is very busy. If Chairman Shen wants to see me in the future, please make an appointment in advance.”

Shen Lingxi, however, reminded her very strictly:

“That promise was made when you were sick.”

Cheng Shiyuan: “?”

Shen Lingxi mimicked her slow speaking style from earlier, gazing at her: “Now you’ve found a way to cure your illness, haven’t you?”

“…”

Cheng Shiyuan, who was usually good-tempered, cursed in her heart for the first time.

Did her having a cure have anything to do with Shen Lingxi going back on her word? What the hell kind of logic was this?

As if hearing her thoughts, Shen Lingxi subtly curved her lips.

“Illness is withdrawn. My promise is also withdrawn.”

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her poorly timed, pointless attempts at acting cute. She lifted the blanket to get out of bed.

Her long leg extended out from under the blanket, just as it was about to touch the floor—

It suddenly trembled.

A terrifying vibrating sound came from under the blanket, and a gasp involuntarily escaped her lips.

Her waist instantly went weak, and she collapsed back onto the bed surface.

Within her line of sight, a wet pearl rolled out of Shen Lingxi’s palm and landed on the floor with a thunk, making a drip, drip, drip sound.

…How much did this person do while she was unconscious?!

“Baby is so impatient with me now.”

Shen Lingxi propped her chin on her hand, sitting on the chair by her bed, looking down at her.

Her emotionally distant eyes reflected Cheng Shiyuan’s rapidly lust-dominated, flushed, and beautiful face.

Watching her being pulled into a vortex of desire, momentarily unable to move, Shen Lingxi suddenly realized the answer: “I knew it. I was communicating in the wrong way just now. I need to talk to you in the way you like, right?”

Watching Cheng Shiyuan take a deep breath and unhesitatingly reach under the blanket.

She grabbed a certain wire, intending to pull out that thing that was replacing the pearls, yet was more detestable than them—

“Mmmph!!”

Her eyes went wide and unfocused, her pupils dilated, with gasps that were close to suffocating.

Shen Lingxi kindly reminded her: “Don’t move randomly without my permission. The current will get stronger.”

And there was more.

Cheng Shiyuan was forced to learn that Shen Lingxi not only spoke ambiguously but also liked to only tell half the truth.

Because just as she decided to ignore the current and struggle to get rid of the terrifying thing’s control.

She could feel it.

Her body seemed to be continuously expanding and stretching.

She had to gasp, clinging tightly to the blanket on the edge of consciousness, where the vibration made her feel numb and hazy, just to barely restrain herself from making sounds that would greatly please Shen Lingxi.

She swallowed for a long time, finally managing to keep her tone normal:

“Speak. What do you want to talk about?”

Shen Lingxi casually picked up a thick manila envelope from the nearby table.

In contrast to Cheng Shiyuan’s moment-by-moment struggle and pain in the throes of terrifying desire, Shen Lingxi unhurriedly untied the thin white string of the manila envelope with great patience.

One by one, one by one, the photos fluttered down like snowflakes.

They were all high-definition, numerous photos of Cheng Shiyuan being intimate with various contestants in public, non-public, and secret settings after joining the dating show. Enough to wallpaper the entire room.

As the photos fell from Shen Lingxi’s hand like playing cards, she enunciated clearly, summarizing Cheng Shiyuan’s actions:

“Touching. Kissing. Constantly clinging. Intimate contact—”

Shen Lingxi paused, watching Cheng Shiyuan’s skin flush crimson, yet she deliberately used a cold hand to stroke the back of her neck.

As the person under her palm shivered, whether from the cold or from startled alarm.

She slowly asked:

“Is doing these actions with these people what cured your illness and kept you alive?”

Cheng Shiyuan’s breathing couldn’t help but become ragged.

According to her expectations, Shen Lingxi should have started with the vial of blood she got from the hospital.

Why did she instead collect so much intelligence, almost digging out the lifespan system in her brain?

When she spoke, she couldn’t help but gasp: “…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Shen Lingxi chuckled softly.

“I thought so.”

She raised her hand, took the remote control, and flipped a wall panel over. It was covered with a dazzling array of specialized items.

In addition to the common, ordinary types, Cheng Shiyuan also saw things that Xia Zhiran particularly liked: candles, handcuffs, and various types of whips.

Her eyes were blank, as if she had suddenly entered some new-era special torture chamber.

Cheng Shiyuan heard the slap sound when she took off her other leather glove.

Shen Lingxi’s voice drifted down from above.

“Then let’s stop talking. Let’s just do it?”

“It’s more important to treat my wife’s illness first, right?”