Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: The Embarrassing Secret

However, a quick recovery was impossible.

The only person in the hospital room who felt mostly recovered after a good night’s sleep was Cheng Shiyuan, who, thanks to her over-the-top intimacy with Shen Lingxi, and following the overly cautious doctor’s orders, was taking anti-inflammatory drugs and using topical cream.

She had slept soundly last night.

When she woke up, only Chen Chuxing remained in the room.

She knew Xie Zhiqing was likely out for her morning run because a message on her phone offered several options for breakfast.

“Which one do you want? They’re all local specialty breakfasts.”

“If you’re not up before I get back, I’ll have the nearby hotel send a new menu.”

Just after reading Xie Zhiqing’s message and scrolling through the pictures, Cheng Shiyuan received a text from Chen Chuxing on the neighboring bed.

“The two from the Xia family went out to take a video call. Are you hungry? Is there anything you want for breakfast?”

Cheng Shiyuan turned her head.

Chen Chuxing was looking at her from a reachable distance, giving her the same beautiful smile as always.

Cheng Shiyuan hadn’t heard her speak since yesterday, so she mostly guessed where her burns were.

She suddenly slid off her bed and sat on the edge of Chen Chuxing’s bed.

Chen Chuxing’s eyes widened slightly, looking at her with pleasant surprise. She felt Cheng Shiyuan’s palm gently stroke her temple and heard her lean in to ask:

“Poor thing, Sister, how have you been eating these past few days?”

Chen Chuxing’s throat moved.

Hearing her voice and feeling her voluntary closeness, though she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t bear to chat with her through the cold phone screen.

She cautiously raised her hands and wrapped them around Cheng Shiyuan’s waist, prepared to be rejected and pushed away at any moment.

However, the expected rejection never came.

Until she affectionately rested her head on Cheng Shiyuan’s lap.

Long fingers ran through her hair with a steady, unhurried rhythm, like a soothing caress, making Chen Chuxing let out a nearly satiated sigh.

Then she inhaled deeply again.

Engraving Cheng Shiyuan’s scent back into her lungs, but a new greed was born.

Chen Chuxing couldn’t help but move her head. Though she was the older one, she acted like a newborn, displaying an instinctive, innocent attachment, rubbing against her beloved’s waist.

Cheng Shiyuan let out a slightly ticklish laugh.

But she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

No matter how many times, she loved this feeling of Chen Chuxing relying on her completely.

“Sister is so fond of cuddling now.” She pinched the woman’s earlobe, her tone brazenly implying insubordination: “You haven’t answered my question yet, but you’re already taking advantage of me here.”

Chen Chuxing felt her palm, in retaliation, leave her ear and rub near her sensitive neck.

It was dangerously close to venturing under the sick patient’s collar, but the patient herself was so helpless that, in order to keep the embrace, she even offered up her chest, pushing it forward in a sacrificial manner.

Soft ‘big bunnies’ bumped into her palm.

Cheng Shiyuan burst into uncontrollable laughter.

But, unusually, she moved her hand away and gently pushed her face—

She wasn’t falling for the beauty trap.

She even warned her while kneading her cheek: “No seducing me right now, Sister. I haven’t fully recovered yet.”

The seemingly composed Cheng Shiyuan.

Was actually clearly feeling that the spot on the bed where she was sitting was about to be stained by an unfortunate reaction…

The medication she had painstakingly applied last night would all be washed away again.

She sighed inwardly, unhesitatingly putting the blame on Shen Lingxi. She absolutely refused to admit that she was simply too easily affected because she hadn’t been intimate with Chen Chuxing in a long time, unable to resist even a little seduction.

Chen Chuxing let out a very deep sigh.

A childish and obvious regret showed in her soulful eyes.

But she was obedient, like a snail that had extended its feelers to test the waters. Since she wasn’t allowed to do more, resting in the current shell was enough.

She didn’t forget the previous question. She pointed to the IV drip, then reluctantly picked up her phone to reply.

“I’ve mainly been having liquid food and getting IVs recently.”

She had brought her own medication from home, so the effect was quite good.

Soon after, Chen Chuxing’s assistant arrived with a caregiver and milk breakfast. The others also gradually returned to the room.

Everyone’s eyes immediately landed on the extremely conspicuous head resting on Cheng Shiyuan’s lap.

But Chen Chuxing seemed to have fallen asleep again during that brief time, so Cheng Shiyuan smiled, placed a fingertip to her lips, and motioned for them not to wake her.

In the direction where no one was looking—

The woman resting on her lap showed a very faint smile.

Obtained Chen Chuxing’s affection: 1

After lying there for over forty minutes, sensing that the heat of the others’ gazes was practically drilling into her, and remembering that Cheng Shiyuan hadn’t eaten breakfast, Chen Chuxing reluctantly yet consciously rubbed her eyes and woke up.

She slowly moved back to the pristine white pillow on her bed, blinked, and lightly tapped Cheng Shiyuan’s shoulder with her fingertip.

Reminding her to hurry and eat breakfast.

Cheng Shiyuan had just been contacting a domestic head doctor, consulting about the conditions of the others and the best recovery methods. Sensing the slight force, she subconsciously rubbed Chen Chuxing’s head again.

Then, she got up and walked toward Xie Zhiqing.

She didn’t notice Chen Chuxing’s sharp eyes fixated on the deep, damp mark left where she had been sitting, a smile appearing on her face.

Cheng Shiyuan said to Xie Zhiqing: “I want to eat the third breakfast option you sent me. Should we just go to the shop?”

Xie Zhiqing said okay.

She turned to look at the two members of the Xia family who weren’t convenient to move: “Should I bring something back for you?”

Xia Zhiran raised her eyebrows and replied self-righteously: “Just bringing it back isn’t enough. I want you to feed me.”

To her surprise.

The person who had always unhesitatingly refused her casually nodded, as if she already knew her character.

Just as Xia Zhiran was about to smile, she saw her distribute her attention equally, looking at the other Xia patient: “Wangshu, do you want me to feed you too?”

Wangshu’s usually bright blonde hair had already looked dim.

First, she was jealous of Chen Chuxing, and then of her aunt. Now, she noticed Cheng Shiyuan’s gaze fall upon her.

She really, really wanted Cheng-Cheng to look at her like this forever.

She wished time could stop right now.

That way, only she would remain in Cheng Shiyuan’s world.

A young heart, sweet and tormented.

She didn’t even care about Xie Zhiqing’s warning, impatient look toward the two Xia family members. But after a long, reluctant look into Cheng Shiyuan’s beautiful eyes, Wangshu still answered softly:

“It’s okay. My hand isn’t injured.”

“Cheng-Cheng should eat first. I can feed my aunt.”

Every pore in her body was screaming for intimate contact with Cheng-Cheng, wanting to snuggle with Cheng-Cheng, even if it was just to be fed a bite—

Wangshu heard the sound of her heart bleeding, yet she could only answer like this.

She knew Cheng Shiyuan didn’t like overly aggressive types and would prefer to take care of the weaker, more yielding ones.

Indeed, Cheng Shiyuan laughed at her answer and even deliberately turned to look at Xia Zhiran.

Xia Zhiran… Xia Zhiran wanted to kick Wangshu out of the house today.

This useless person, who couldn’t even manage to eat on her own, was trying to drag her down too!

She heard her back teeth grinding: “No. I’m allergic to relatives. I can’t breathe when blood relatives get too close.”

She glared fiercely at Wangshu, her smile laced with a hint of malice.

But Wangshu was used to her anger and, considering herself thick-skinned, retorted with an air of intimacy:

“Since when, Auntie? I didn’t know that!”

“I’ve heard that with allergies, more exposure to the allergen helps, so I’ll try my best to cure you of this.”

Xia Zhiran’s lips twitched, and she said simply: “Scram.”

Cheng Shiyuan was absorbed in their exciting internal conflict until Xie Zhiqing ran out of patience and led her out.

Like a kitten being carried away by the scruff of its neck, she stretched out her hand to clutch the door as she left: “Alright, you’re not allowed to argue when I can’t see you—”

They all turned their heads, thinking she was going to mediate.

But then they heard Cheng Shiyuan add: “Otherwise, if I miss the excitement, I’ll have to ask someone to broadcast it to me later.”

Xia Zhiran, Wangshu: “…”

Three hours later.

“Still angry?”

Cheng Shiyuan, who had gone out with Xie Zhiqing for breakfast and a stroll through the local commercial street, approached Xia Zhiran, who was sitting alone sunbathing in the outdoor garden, and leaned in to look at her expression.

Xia Zhiran had already smelled her scent. Now, her cheek was lightly brushed by Cheng Shiyuan’s hair, causing a faint tickle.

She lazily opened her eyes and snorted coolly, “Yeah. Why haven’t you annoyed me to death yet?”

Cheng Shiyuan glanced at the clock on the hospital wall.

It was almost lunchtime.

She asked good-naturedly: “Did you eat the breakfast I had sent back earlier?”

Xia Zhiran’s tone was languid: “No. I plan to starve to death.”

The small garden where they were sitting was an area specially provided for VIP patients. It was filled with various exotic tropical flowers and plants, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance.

Perhaps because the women had bought out this VIP floor of the hospital, only the two of them were in the beautiful garden.

Cheng Shiyuan lightly swung her leg.

The brown short boots’ tassels swayed with the flowers rustling in the breeze.

“You won’t eat anything?” she asked softly.

Xia Zhiran closed her eyes again, unmoved: “No—”

She didn’t finish her sentence.

Her thin lips were sealed by a soft warmth.

She opened her eyes in surprise, only to feel her cheeks being cupped by two soft hands in the next second.

Her lips and teeth, usually harder than a dead duck, were easily pried open by a soft tongue.

Xia Zhiran lowered her eyelids in a trance, barely remembering the last time Cheng Shiyuan had initiated such closeness.

The temperature of the Pearl Islands was so warm. Looking at the relaxed curve of her beloved’s brows and eyes, she was willing to remain in this summer moment forever.

Compared to the hard shell and the feigned venom, only when Cheng Shiyuan intruded deeper did she realize how cowardly this person truly was, crumbling instantly in her presence.

Willingly, she let Cheng Shiyuan play with her.

Even her response was clumsy.

The tongue, usually sharp and quick when cursing, now struggled just to keep up with Cheng Shiyuan’s rhythm.

…What awful kissing skills.

Seriously, acting so fierce normally, but so easy to bully now.

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t help but mock her in her heart, but the smile in the corner of her eyes became more pronounced.

She had discovered yet another fatal weakness in Xia Zhiran, but this time, she found it somewhat cute.

So much so that she only reluctantly pulled back when the root of her tongue started to ache.

Licking a trace of clear liquid from the corner of Xia Zhiran’s lips, she asked with a smile: “Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t eat anything?”

The distance was close enough for Cheng Shiyuan to capture the fleeting look of annoyance that flashed in the other’s eyes.

She was prepared.

She knew this person’s harmlessness was temporary, and venom-spraying was the norm.

She expected to be questioned about her skilled technique, asking how many people she had practiced with, or perhaps, criticizing other flaws and raining curses on her.

However, after a long wait—

Only silence came.

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t help but run her thumb over her lower lip, asking dramatically: “What’s wrong? Did I kiss you speechless?”

“Cheng. Shi. Yuan.”

She heard a warning voice, barely restrained.

Now that’s more like it.

The actively provocative superstar let go, satisfied, but then heard the other person speak another sentence very quickly.

“…What?”

She looked back in confusion, thinking she misheard.

Xia Zhiran lowered her gaze, looking at the swaying tassels on Cheng Shiyuan’s boots, feeling her heartbeat was starting to match that rhythm.

She suddenly realized.

What she had always liked was this vibrant little bird.

The wilful, lively little bird that unexpectedly landed on her branch, and whose every arrival brought her joy.

She actually didn’t like putting the little bird in a cage at all.

—Because she had already felt what her mood was like when the other person imprisoned this little bird.

Only utter fury.

She couldn’t even tell if her insomnia was due to the unbearable itching in the flesh and bone seams of her palms, or if she was tossing and turning, afraid that the next time she saw her, it would be those beautiful eyes, stripped of their freedom and sparkle.

It was a good thing Cheng Shiyuan was completely unharmed, inside and out.

And it was a good thing.

She was willing to briefly land on her branch once more.

Xia Zhiran heard herself speak that sentence with absolute clarity this time:

“Kiss me again.”

Obtained Xia Zhiran’s affection: 1

Cheng Shiyuan looked at her in surprise. This time, she wasn’t angry or fearful, meeting her gaze honestly.

In this moment, Xia Zhiran heard the sound of the chains in her heart breaking inch by inch, dissolving in the wind.

“When did you learn such a cheating move?” Cheng Shiyuan asked with her eyes curved in a smile.

Xia Zhiran tilted her head carelessly, the pride of a genius easily solving a competition problem evident on her face.

“As a top student like me, my learning ability has always been strong. Isn’t that only natural?”

They didn’t know how long they stared at each other, and neither knew who laughed first.

The sunlight became intense at noon, falling on them in fragmented pieces through the gaps in the flowers and plants.

Their shadows kissed once more.

…Oh no.

Cheng Shiyuan thought, This time, it’s true. I have to change my underwear again.

But Xia Zhiran’s uncharacteristic, straight-talking demeanor was a rare sight, so Cheng Shiyuan could only endure the sticky, cold feeling and accompany her to lunch.

More specifically.

She fed her lunch.

When they returned to the room, Cheng Shiyuan felt she couldn’t continue like this—

Changing underwear several times a day was fine, but her waist was already protesting.

No matter how strong her body was, it couldn’t withstand the previous unrestrained indulgence.

And now, the frantic leaking several times a day.

After all, she was currently in a state where she could look, but absolutely could not eat.

Cheng Shiyuan pressed her lower abdomen. As she exited the bathroom in the room, she made a firm decision:

She had to practice abstinence.

She couldn’t fall for these beautiful seductions anymore.

The moment the thought surfaced, she bumped into a tall figure waiting outside the door, making the person leaning on a crutch sway.

Cheng Shiyuan was startled and quickly reached out to support her, worried it wasn’t enough.

Only having served as a crutch for someone of Shen Lingxi’s height, she was afraid she would make Wangshu fall. She nervously braced the person against the bathroom wall with her body until she confirmed Wangshu was stable.

Then, she asked softly: “Are you okay?”

Although Wangshu felt a slight pain from her shoulder pressing against her, it wasn’t unbearable.

But thinking of her aunt, whose mood had visibly improved after leaving the room for a long time, her light-colored eyes couldn’t help but dim.

She conveniently rested her chin on Cheng Shiyuan’s shoulder.

The always well-behaved child who had never been given a treat was ready to throw a tantrum.

“It hurts.”

She said in an aggrieved tone: “Cheng-Cheng, you bumped me. It hurts so much.”

Cheng Shiyuan heard the child’s almost tearful voice. She raised her hand to stroke her head, but the texture of the hair didn’t feel as smooth as before.

She lifted her head slightly, looking at the uneven, already-fading light blonde hair.

…She wondered how inferior the hair dye used was.

Her tone couldn’t help but soften, carrying a coaxing quality: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Shall we go see the doctor?”

Wangshu shook her head slightly: “I want Cheng-Cheng to blow on it for me.”

Cheng Shiyuan instinctively thought about her own height and where she might have bumped Wangshu just now.

Then she fell into a suspicious silence.

Wangshu waited and waited, but didn’t get her permission.

Her already tormented heart slowly descended into icy pain.

A faint cool drop fell into Cheng Shiyuan’s collar, running down her back, making her shiver.

She heard a very quiet sob next to her ear:

“I’m sorry. It’s all because I’m too useless.”

“When Cheng-Cheng was in danger, I didn’t do anything useful, and on the island… I almost dragged you down.”

Although Wangshu had been placed very far from the cottage by the team leader back then.

She still heard the faint sobbing carried by the sea breeze at night.

If she hadn’t been wearing tactical gloves, her fingers would have nearly drawn blood crescent moons in her palm.

Thinking of the crucial information Chen Chuxing had almost traded her life for, her aunt’s persistence in obstructing Shen Lingxi through the financial market despite being tormented by her strange illness, plus Xie Zhiqing’s significant contribution to the rescue operation—

Wangshu had never felt this desperate.

Compared to these seasoned competitors, she seemed too immature.

Like a fledgling still covered in down, she wished she could pluck out the down feathers one by one with her beak, forcing the mature feathers to grow out quickly, and then ruthlessly grind away the soft yellow on her beak that symbolized immaturity bit by bit.

She found that even her youth was proving to be useless.

At first, she was only half-heartedly playing the victim, but as she spoke, the anxiety and inferiority hidden in Wangshu’s heart gradually surfaced.

She was even apologizing to Cheng Shiyuan for crying.

“I’m sorry… I’m too weak… I only cause you trouble…”

Cheng Shiyuan felt a headache coming on.

If she had known that a moment’s hesitation would make the child cry so miserably, she would have grit her teeth and agreed to the request.

Blow on it, so what?

Just another change of underwear. Was it that expensive?

She heard her own bottom line retreating again and again, having already forgotten the firm principle of “abstinence.”

She wanted to lift Wangshu’s head and comfort her, but the person with the injury on half her face refused to cooperate.

“Ugly… don’t look.”

“Cheng-Cheng, don’t kiss me… I’m very ugly.”

The thought that she had once attracted her beloved’s attention with this unique face, but now had lost her proudest asset.

Wangshu’s heart was shattering.

If she couldn’t win Cheng Shiyuan’s heart, what did the recovery of the injury on her face matter anyway?

“Stop moving.”

Cheng Shiyuan coaxed her twice, but when she realized she wouldn’t listen, she added a touch of firmness to her voice: “Little Moon, are you being naughty?”

The child, who hadn’t heard that nickname in a long time, instantly froze.

She felt the force cupping her chin, slowly turning the face that refused to look at Cheng Shiyuan.

Wangshu closed her eyes in fear, burying her head in the sand.

Until she felt a gentle, feather-light pressure fall on her still aching cheek.

“What’s ugly?”

As she held her breath, seemingly only needing to keep her eyes closed to avoid the terrible reality, another sentence fell with certainty:

“Don’t doubt my taste. A beautiful woman I find beautiful cannot be ugly.”

Cheng Shiyuan gently patted the other side of her face, which still had a perfectly superior bone structure.

“I won’t let you be left with a scar, hmm? So don’t say those things anymore.”

“I don’t like beautiful women who are too self-deprecating.”

Actually, quite the opposite—

A beauty unaware of her own beauty, even anxious and fearful because of it, constantly worried about losing favor, was the most captivating.

To prove her words, her kiss traveled down from the injured cheek, and when it reached the collarbone.

Her teeth gently caught the first button.

Her lips and teeth skillfully opened the collar.

Even though she was prepared and had felt the superiority of Wangshu’s assets with her body before.

In the instant she truly saw the sight, she still felt a flush in her nasal cavity.

In this moment, Cheng Shiyuan sincerely acknowledged that Wangshu truly couldn’t be blamed for the outcome of the cake-making date last time.

Her jaw ached inexplicably.

As if she had already held a piece of snow-white, tender flesh in her mouth.

Cheng Shiyuan could even clearly see that the slightly reddish, glistening color intensified as her breath swept over the prominent collarbone.

She only stared for a while, then felt a pang of soreness in her lower abdomen again—

Cheng Shiyuan despairingly buried her head gently into the surging ‘spring scenery.’

Today.

Was destined to be a day of flooding.

Yet, she still heard the child’s unreserved, hesitant voice near her ear: “…Cheng-Cheng?”

She raised her hand to cover the other’s lips, unmoved.

“Don’t talk.”

She spoke weakly: “You don’t want me to die from blood loss today, do you?”

She paused, then admitted, quite embarrassingly: “Of course, it could also be dehydration.”

Wangshu was stunned for a long time.

After realizing what she was saying, she uncertainly pressed Cheng Shiyuan’s head tighter against her chest.

Then, she heard Cheng Shiyuan’s muffled warning: “Wangshu!”

The child who had been crying moments ago finally showed her first smile in days.

After letting go of her hand, she hugged her tightly again, whispering into Cheng Shiyuan’s ear:

“I like it.”

“I like Cheng-Cheng the most.”

【Obtained Wangshu’s affection: 1】

They had lingered in the bathroom for too long, so eventually, Xie Zhiqing patiently knocked on the door:

“Shiyuan, come out and apply the medicine.”

Cheng Shiyuan suddenly froze.

Five minutes later—

Cheng Shiyuan, who reluctantly walked out of the bathroom, repeatedly claiming she was fine and didn’t need any more medicine, was coldly pressed back onto the hospital bed by Xie Zhiqing.

Under the newly bought beautiful dress.

One piece of fabric after another left her skin. The breeze blew through the curtain gaps. It wasn’t cold, but it made her hair stand on end.

She closed her eyes in utter despair.

The moment a calloused palm grasped her knee joint, she knew she was done for.

Sure enough.

In the room, Xie Zhiqing’s voice, cold as ice, quickly rang out. It seemed to pierce through the curtain, directly hitting the faces of the other three:

“Crippled like this, yet you still can’t control yourselves, can you? So dishonest, do you want me to send you to the ICU?”

The three patients, who had only tasted a little sweetness each, lay nonchalantly on their respective beds, reminiscing about Cheng Shiyuan’s deliciousness while simultaneously guessing in their hearts: Who was the one who sneakily ate?

Only Cheng Shiyuan, the protagonist who was fully aware of everything, having participated in every intimate scene and even orchestrated every one of them.

Quietly, she lowered her head and buried it deep into the soft, silky quilt.

She took a deep breath.

She firmly closed her mouth this time, imagining herself as a hard river clam.

There was no sneaky eating going on at all. It was just that she was too sensitive, so embarrassingly sensitive that she accidentally wasted all the medicine—

She absolutely wouldn’t tell anyone.

Let Xie Zhiqing’s anger be unleashed upon them instead.

In short, such an embarrassing secret should be buried in the dust.