Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Do You Want Your Wife, Okay?

However, Shen Lingxi, who spoke of “just doing it,” barely touched her.

She simply had a very investigative spirit, changing out many different types of toys for Cheng Shiyuan.

Then, she put her gloves back on, acting like someone with a low libido, as if her interest in the book was greater than in the woman on the bed making continuous moaning sounds.

Cheng Shiyuan passed out in the first half of the night.

When she woke up groggily, the sky was just barely beginning to lighten.

She lifted her heavy eyelids, too exhausted to raise a single finger, and stared blankly at the sky outside, where she saw an exceptionally beautiful morning glow.

The countless rays of light, falling into her eyes at that moment, possessed a beauty that was oblivious to human life and suffering.

Until the cold, slick leather glove was once again placed on the back of her neck.

“Woke up so early?”

Shen Lingxi, who also hadn’t slept all night, sounded not much different from last night, perhaps even cheerful, as if delighted.

“Since you’re awake…”

She slowly drew out her tone.

Cheng Shiyuan, having gone through the terrifying experience of last night, had developed a conditioned reflex. Before Shen Lingxi finished speaking, she abruptly interrupted:

“I didn’t sleep well.”

Her voice was hoarse and sounded soft from sheer exhaustion.

Shen Lingxi closed the book in her hand and leaned close to her ear. Seeing the faint flush on the back of Cheng Shiyuan’s neck from the simple touch—a clear sign that her body was extremely sensitive—Shen Lingxi deliberately rubbed it with her thumb.

It wasn’t until she heard a muffled sound from Cheng Shiyuan, knowing that the body under the blanket must have been conditioned by the night of forced arousal to readily welcome any intimate touch, that Shen Lingxi curved her lips in satisfaction.

While performing such a cruel and wicked act, her words were thoughtful:

“What’s wrong, did you have a nightmare?”

Shen Lingxi withdrew her hand and sat upright. After a moment, she brought a pot of Sweet Osmanthus (Daphne odora) from the corner table and placed it in front of her.

“Tie a knot, and you’ll be able to sleep well tonight.”

Her coaxing tone was exactly the same as Cheng Shiyuan’s own from back then.

For a moment, Cheng Shiyuan thought she was back on the cruise ship where they first met.

At that time, she had just broken up with Chen Chuxing, was in a bad mood, and had no heart for work, so she booked a random cruise ticket, specifically choosing destinations with harsh conditions and rough seas.

Shen Lingxi was also on the ship, but for some reason, she was injured, and the wound showed no sign of healing.

Their suites were extremely close.

Every time Cheng Shiyuan entered or left her room, seeing the closed door opposite, she would think of Shen Lingxi’s pale, blood-starved face, always feeling that she might silently die in the cabin.

Cheng Shiyuan’s most fatal weakness in this lifetime was her inability to stand by and watch a beauty in distress.

It was the same with all her ex-girlfriends. When they were all pressing hard and taking a tough stance, Cheng Shiyuan only wanted to compete and win. But once they softened, looking at her with pitiful eyes and speaking soft words.

She would easily concede everything.

In short, late one boring night during the voyage, when she returned, she happened to see a waiter collecting the untouched meal from the room opposite. The cold meal was just as untouched as it had been when it was steaming hot.

So, she couldn’t help but knock on the door.

She was met by a pair of wary, sharp, even murderous eyes in the darkness.

Cheng Shiyuan almost thought she was about to be dragged into the room and killed, but then the light turned on. The other person unnaturally showed a seemingly friendly smile:

“I remember you. You live across the hall. Is something the matter?”

She looked like a small, ferocious beast, prematurely driven out of its lair, whose hunting skills weren’t mature, and who was merely putting on a brave face.

Cheng Shiyuan, who spent her days watching Animal Planet in her room, easily made a judgment.

At least, she couldn’t detect any genuine friendliness in that smile.

Then, abruptly, as if the teaching urge of an elder human had kicked in, she easily displayed a more textbook-standard friendly smile, voicing her concern and asking if Shen Lingxi was feeling better.

“…I just have some insomnia.”

The dry excuse was highly suspicious.

But Cheng Shiyuan, who had found no interest in the Cape of Storms, polar glaciers, and other sights during the voyage, and even felt that life was just this mediocre, felt a long-lost heartbeat because of this dangerous figure whose lies were full of holes.

Her instinct told her to stay away from this person of unknown origin, whose wounds looked like gunshot wounds, and whose temperament was erratic and strange.

But her survival instinct, having lost interest in everything else, led her to approach the danger, like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Just like those who love extreme sports, free-climbing steep glaciers, or skydiving from ten thousand meters—they know they are dancing on the edge of death, but once they enter a peaceful life, it’s like slow suicide, worse than death.

Cheng Shiyuan turned back to her room and retrieved a potted flower.

Smiling, she handed it to her travel neighbor across the hall: “I dug this up from my garden before my trip. I thought I’d bring some soil from home to help me adjust to the environment while traveling far away.”

“However, this Sweet Osmanthus happens to have sleep-aiding properties.”

“There’s also a folk legend that if you have a nightmare, you can tie a knot on one of its branches to get rid of the nightmare and wish for a beautiful dream. Anyway, that’s what my dad taught me when I was little, and it works. Want to try it?”

She temporarily lent the pot of Sweet Osmanthus to Shen Lingxi.

When they disembarked, Shen Lingxi returned the flower intact… well, not quite intact. The flower had even sprouted two more branches, looking much better than its half-dead, withered state when it was left to sunbathe in Cheng Shiyuan’s room every day.

And now.

The pot of Sweet Osmanthus Shen Lingxi handed to her had twisted branches, completely covered in knots.

A glance was enough to tell that in every sleepless night, she had made one nightmare after another.

Or perhaps.

Every day after her divorce from Cheng Shiyuan was a nightmare for her.

Shen Lingxi looked at her distracted state, a very faint hint of warmth appearing in her eyes, and asked: “No strength? Do you want me to help you?”

As she spoke, her palm reached out. Her fingers skillfully, as if repeating an action countless times, tied a knot on yet another branch of the Sweet Osmanthus with one hand.

Cheng Shiyuan heard her sigh: “803.”

This was the number of knots Shen Lingxi had tied on the several Sweet Osmanthus plants in the Shen residence, from past to present.

Cheng Shiyuan didn’t want to be pulled back into that vortex of desire. She asked blankly: “You still remember?”

“Of course. I remember every word my wife says.”

Shen Lingxi put the flower pot back on the table, gently brushed the strands of hair that were now damp with sweat from Cheng Shiyuan’s face, and glanced outside:

“When we got married, you wouldn’t let me have a big wedding. You clearly love this kind of warm, sun-drenched, year-round island near the equator, with blue skies and clear seawater—”

“I am the one who is meticulous and caring for my wife, always remembering your preferences.”

“By the way, this island also happens to be rich in pearls, so I can make you many beautiful pearl pieces in the future.”

“I’ve bought it. We’ll live here from now on. Do you like it?”

She looked as if she were seeking credit, as if this were a secret surprise she had quietly prepared for Cheng Shiyuan.

Only Cheng Shiyuan heard her repeating almost word-for-word what she had said to Xie Zhiqing and Xia Zhiran. Although her body was ignited with a hot sensation, her mind was like cold ice, sinking chillingly into the depths of her heart.

She lowered her eyes and replied softly: “I like it.”

Shen Lingxi, however, spoke in a tone of distress: “Wife is lying to me again. Who taught you such a bad habit?”

Subsequently.

She answered herself: “Since Wife doesn’t like to tell me the truth, I’ll have to test your physical condition myself. Which one did we try last night?”

Cheng Shiyuan, lying on the bed, suddenly stiffened.

The moment Shen Lingxi got up, she stretched out her fingers, struggling to grip the cold corner of her coat.

“Don’t…”

She said: “I… I miss you, Shen Lingxi.”

The person who was pulled paused only slightly: “Hmm?”

Cheng Shiyuan’s palm faced upward, moving along the corner of her coat like a struggling mountaineer, her fingers inching up until she grasped Shen Lingxi’s hand, pulling it and pressing it against her cheek.

Her pale face was covered in a blush, like beautiful clouds in the sky, willingly falling into Shen Lingxi’s cold, dark palm.

In her already aroused, watery eyes, seduction was rampant:

“I miss you.”

Her husky voice spoke of moving longing.

Shen Lingxi stood by the bed, observing her temperament, which had drastically changed overnight. After a moment, she curved her lips.

Appearing to be genuinely seduced, as she leaned over, she asked a question as if investigating: “How much do you miss me?”

Cheng Shiyuan froze for a moment.

Looking at this person who claimed to be “generous” but had remembered every interaction she had with everyone else word-for-word, and was now reviewing them with her, she felt like she had been pulled back into the suffocating coffin of the escape room.

Although Shen Lingxi was emotionally distant, she was exceptionally sensitive to the emotional changes of others.

Seeing the person on the bed staring blankly, she couldn’t help but hook Cheng Shiyuan’s nose with her other hand.

“Wife, don’t misunderstand.”

“I’m not secretly spying on you all the time. It’s mainly because, as a sponsor of the show, all the footage has to be sent to me for my approval before editing—”

“I only saw these to protect my wife’s privacy and to keep an eye on the investment project.”

As for why she was the show’s sponsor?

Initially, Shen Lingxi couldn’t understand the divorce. Seeing Cheng Shiyuan walk away from her without hesitation, she remembered that someone in her beloved’s past was very good at repeatedly coming back to her.

So, Shen Lingxi, with a sincere learning attitude, paid the director to film the second season, preparing to seriously and attentively learn some experience from these exes in front of the camera.

She even had the leisure to find a few more samples.

She noted down the actions of those who, like her, were dumped by Cheng Shiyuan and never spoke to her again—as examples of what not to do.

She also noted the newcomers who hadn’t dated Cheng Shiyuan. If they succeeded, she would learn from their success.

As for the fact that these exes, by sheer coincidence, made her discover Cheng Shiyuan’s anomaly and secret, and that she deliberately sent Chen Chuxing there for verification—that was a story for another time.

In short.

Shen Lingxi firmly believed that her deep, unforgettable love for Cheng Shiyuan had moved the heavens, which was why she was now so fortunate to be a sharer of Cheng Shiyuan’s secret.

She sat back in the chair at her leisure. Although Cheng Shiyuan disliked being her study material right now, Shen Lingxi was already accustomed to observing and learning her every move.

So, at this moment, she also mimicked Cheng Shiyuan’s innocent head tilt, asking lightly:

“Wife, are you touched?”

While saying such gentle words.

Cheng Shiyuan felt the palm she was barely holding onto being withdrawn little by little.

Her already sweaty palm couldn’t grip the even slicker leather glove.

This was Shen Lingxi’s final chance.

Although her bones ached, and her legs were so weak that she would surely fall if she got out of bed now, Cheng Shiyuan still slowly moved out from under the blanket. The moment she got out of bed, she fell into Shen Lingxi’s arms.

But the woman made no move. Although she understood Cheng Shiyuan’s intent, she neither helped her up nor made any effort to remove her gloves as she had when she initiated contact yesterday—

Shen Lingxi simply watched coldly as this exquisite body, covered with her many marks, weakly clung to her neck with feeble hands, barely settling securely on her lap.

Her separated toes could only just touch the floor, as if she were about to fall at any moment.

Cheng Shiyuan quietly gasped in her arms. After a while, she reached for the wrist hanging by her side.

The moment she tried to pull off the glove, Shen Lingxi calmly shook her off.

Then.

The right hand was extended in front of her again.

Her flushed, beautiful peach blossom eyes stared blankly at the gloved hand. Realizing something, she looked up at Shen Lingxi with an embarrassed expression.

After a moment, Cheng Shiyuan’s face was completely red. She had no choice but to open her hand and grip Shen Lingxi’s index finger, her hand trembling as she guided it downwards.

Her toes pressed against the ground, like a ballet dancer learning to dance for the first time.

The sharp pain in her toes, which were bearing all her weight, barely gave her the strength to hold up her overly heavy body.

But the moment her strength suddenly gave out, and she closed her eyes, falling back into Shen Lingxi’s embrace.

She still let out a cry of overwhelming distress.

—It was Shen Lingxi, who, without a word, arbitrarily used her middle finger as well.

Hearing the sweet moans near her ear, feeling the trembling, curled-up actions of the person in her arms, which seemed extremely resistant.

Only then did Shen Lingxi slowly lower her head. Her other hand pressed against the woman’s lower back, confining her more tightly in the embrace. Amidst the almost melting shrieks in the room, she asked calmly:

“Didn’t Xie Zhiqing do this too? Why are you complaining so much when it’s me?”

Cheng Shiyuan shook her head, crying, almost breathless.

Tears fell from the corners of her eyes like pearls.

She couldn’t help but think that no matter how much of a dog Xie Zhiqing was, she wouldn’t be this inhuman… The normal length and width of a finger, compared to Shen Lingxi’s, which was encased in a thick, possibly winter-use glove, meant the circumference was completely different.

Sensing Shen Lingxi’s displeasure, Cheng Shiyuan immediately came back to her senses, hugging her neck and pressing her cheek against her neck.

“I like it… I like it. Wife’s many, many loves, I, I like it too.”

“Don’t, don’t use those things. I want my wife, okay?”

Honestly.

Shen Lingxi looked down at her, seeing her distracted state where she almost bit her tongue while speaking. She knew she was lying, merely trying to escape those cold, hard objects.

Yet, she couldn’t help but be willingly deceived by her continuous whispers of “I like it” and the sweet, intimate address of “wife.”

So adorable.

Shen Lingxi narrowed her eyes and lowered her head, her breath falling onto the woman’s eyes and brows.

Cheng Shiyuan was still dazed, but her body had recalled a long-lost instinct. She initiated a lingering, passionate kiss, occasionally struggling for breath but never daring to loosen her grip on Shen Lingxi’s neck.

Her hands, intertwined behind the other’s neck, unconsciously rubbed against each other.

Initially, she was forced into confusion, unable to distinguish between the itch and the heat, the pain and the pleasure. It wasn’t until she unconsciously bit down hard on the back of her left hand, leaving rows of deep teeth marks.

Only then did Shen Lingxi speak, as if remembering something: “Be good, don’t bite randomly.”

“…It’s… itchy…”

Cheng Shiyuan whined vaguely: “Wife, it’s so itchy.”

Shen Lingxi chuckled softly.

The vibration in her chest caused the conscious-hazy person in her arms to show a puzzled expression.

“Who told you to be so reckless with sympathy and use outside medicine carelessly?”

“It’s true that a batch of counterfeit medicine has recently entered the market. I heard the side effects after wound healing are enormous.”

Although they were engaged in the most intimate act, Shen Lingxi seemed detached from the entire process.

Her fingers moved, skillfully coaxing sweet whimpers from Cheng Shiyuan, yet on her face, she looked like a gentle woman telling a bedtime story to a mischievous child at home, narrating softly:

“The fake medicine contains toxins that cause nervous hallucinations. The side effect of accelerated wound healing is a sensation that itches to the bone, like thousands of ants crawling into the bone marrow, constantly nibbling.”

“I heard that some people in the wild, who accidentally got contaminated with this plant neurotoxin, itched so much that they frantically cut their wounds with a knife, severing tendons one by one…”

She spoke lightly, as if sharing an interesting anecdote.

Cheng Shiyuan saw in her mind’s eye Xia Zhiran’s light hands, hands that could solve a difficult competition problem by just twirling a pen twice, hands that could use a casually grabbed twig, an eraser, or even toy blocks as a paintbrush, hands seemingly kissed by God—

Now covered in blood-soaked, shattered wounds, one on top of the other.

Interlaced, overlapping.

Until the muscle fibers separated and the nerves shattered and broke.

“Wife is trembling, are you scared?” Shen Lingxi stopped at the right time.

Cheng Shiyuan continuously nodded, crying and telling her “I’m scared,” begging her to quickly sue those dreadful fake companies, and finally, sobbing, asked if her left hand would have to be amputated now, saying she didn’t want that, it was too ugly.

Shen Lingxi kissed her cheek.

“Is Wife pouting at me? So cute.”

Sensing her scrutinizing gaze, like sharp icicles, Cheng Shiyuan paused, and as she wished, cried even louder.

“You won’t, you won’t let me become like that… Wife, wuwuwu…”

Shen Lingxi clearly enjoyed her trust immensely.

On the surface, she only showed a troubled expression: “I also hate that kind of counterfeit product that damages my company’s reputation. When I learned that Wife had accidentally misused it, I immediately sent people to study a solution.”

Then, her tone was filled with genuine regret:

“Unfortunately, time is too urgent. We still can’t find a complete solution, only products for phased suppression.”

Cheng Shiyuan buried her head in Shen Lingxi’s shoulder and cried.

She heard her own delicate, sobbing voice: “It’s okay. I’ll always follow my wife, wuwu, it’s too itchy… I don’t want, don’t want to leave you…”

Shen Lingxi smiled contentedly.

“So clingy,” she sighed.

Yet, without warning, she abruptly changed the subject:

“So—I have also been chosen as one of your lifespan extension targets, haven’t I?”

“If you stay with me forever, you won’t die, right?”

Cheng Shiyuan froze all over.

She seemed to belatedly realize that everything Shen Lingxi had done was merely to confirm whether her lifespan extension mechanism was what she had initially guessed.

Shen Lingxi gripped her jaw, forcing her to look up.

She asked coaxingly: “Wife doesn’t want to be stuck on this bed forever, unable to get off, right?”

“For the sake of your body, be good and tell me the other more important things, okay?”

“Otherwise, seeing you cry every day and bite your hand raw with teeth marks, will also break my heart.”

In those beautiful peach blossom eyes, the deepest sense of brokenness and despair gradually emerged.

As if she had finally, reluctantly realized that she had no more excuses to escape.

Shen Lingxi finally confirmed it at this moment.

Cheng Shiyuan had surrendered to her.

Sure enough, after a brief standoff, the answer Shen Lingxi had long waited for was uttered from her flushed, slightly swollen red lips: “I need… your love.”

Shen Lingxi was stunned for a moment, thinking that Cheng Shiyuan still had the strength to deal with her at a time like this.

Her expression shifted: “Alright, then let’s confirm it.”

She picked up Cheng Shiyuan and carried her to the bed. Under the other’s horrified gaze, she kissed those lips again, coaxing:

“Be good. You’ve tricked me too many times. I have to confirm whether my wife has truly opened her heart to me this time.”

The crying in the room grew stronger.

It wasn’t clear how long passed before it gradually subsided.

…

Missing breakfast time, Shen Lingxi inevitably felt a little bad for Cheng Shiyuan’s stomach and coaxed her to get up and eat lunch.

“You were always a picky eater at home. I fired so many chefs. I saw you didn’t like Chinese food or Western food. It turns out you only like things Xie Zhiqing makes.”

“Fortunately, the head chef I hired seriously learned her techniques—”

The scent from the dining table drifted over.

Cheng Shiyuan easily recognized the smell of the Three-Onion Lobster with Black Pepper Garlic Beef Cubes and Fried Rice that Xie Zhiqing had made at the cruise dinner before, but she didn’t move.

Shen Lingxi paused: “Wife, if you don’t eat, do you want me to tie you up and keep you alive with nutrient injections from now on?”

“Go ahead and tie me.”

Cheng Shiyuan’s throat was so hoarse it almost hurt, but she spoke indifferently: “You prefer me when I don’t speak, anyway. You can’t wait to turn me into a corpse and keep me by your side, right?”

Shen Lingxi looked at her in silence for a while.

She smoothly lowered her head: “I was wrong. I was being mean just now. I have a bad habit of being suspicious. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“…”

Cheng Shiyuan didn’t say anything.

She simply raised her hand and, still expressionless, scratched at the raw, broken skin on the back of her left hand again.

Shen Lingxi immediately grabbed her hand without hesitation.

“You have to eat before you can take medicine, or it will be bad for your stomach, baby. Please, hmm?”

Cheng Shiyuan asked her expressionlessly: “How long does one pill last?”

Shen Lingxi paused for two seconds and said: “Three days.”

Cheng Shiyuan opened her palm to her: “Give me two pills. I don’t want to do this with you for six days.”

Does that mean after six days, they can do it?

Shen Lingxi subtly frowned, but seeing that Cheng Shiyuan was about to take back her offer and starve herself to death, she could only helplessly agree.

It wasn’t until the person on the bed slowly reached out to her, allowing Shen Lingxi to carry her to the dining table, that Shen Lingxi picked her up again.

Although the injured foot was still noticeable when she walked, Shen Lingxi really liked Cheng Shiyuan’s attitude of giving her orders straightforwardly, not treating her like someone with an injury.

As they sat down at the dining table, Shen Lingxi was still asking her:

“Do you want to go for a walk later? The scenery on the beach is very nice, and the sun is just right.”

“I had people pick out pearls with good color and quality and made you a new set of jewelry.”

But Cheng Shiyuan remained listless, seemingly uninterested in these things.

It wasn’t until Shen Lingxi asked if there was anything else she wanted to do that she finally spoke up, as if remembering something:

“You set off fireworks in Victoria Harbour during the New Year once.”

Shen Lingxi realized something keenly: “You want me to set off fireworks on this island tonight?”

Fireworks are loud and create a big spectacle. Setting them off on this island late at night—

Cheng Shiyuan glanced at her faintly: “I didn’t see it when I was filming the show outside. Later, I saw others’ photos, but not the whole process. I’m asking if you recorded the whole thing yourself. I want to watch the fun.”

Shen Lingxi knew there was a 99% chance she wanted to create a commotion on the island to attract a rescue.

But the 1% chance of being needed by Cheng Shiyuan had already outweighed everything else.

She smiled softly: “How can watching it on a screen compare to seeing it in person? I’ll have people set them off for you tonight.”

Cheng Shiyuan propped her chin: “No. You go set them off in Victoria Harbour and have someone live stream it for me. The smell of gunpowder is too strong. Stay far away from me.”

Shen Lingxi laughed heartily.

Considering the environment around the island and the fact that it was a private, restricted area in the center of the archipelago, she felt that given the tenuous relationships of the few young people around Cheng Shiyuan.

Even if they thought of it, none of them could get in on their own.

So, she kissed the top of Cheng Shiyuan’s head, like a child who enjoys playing a prank on their beloved:

“Then I must set them off for you. The smell outside is bad. Only then will my wife obediently sleep smelling my scent, right?”

Cheng Shiyuan remained silent.

She only thought to herself.

Island. Pearl. Those two better remember what she said—

If they missed the fireworks show tonight, she definitely wouldn’t forgive either of them.