Joining A Dating Show With Five Exes - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Be Good, Quiet Down. You Wouldn’t Want to Wake Up the Other Person in the Room, Right?

Good news: Cheng Shiyuan no longer had to rack her brains thinking about how to unlock new characters. Two fish had very consciously flopped their tails into her pond.

Bad news: These two fish would likely stir up her pond into chaos, possibly dragging her into the pool to drown.

She looked up at the life value above her head, which was multiplying as if an accelerator had been installed. For once, she couldn’t manage a smile.

Xia Ziran, not satisfied, pressed her further: “There are only two bedrooms in each house, right? That sports student and I definitely won’t get along; we’ll each have to take a room. What about you?”

“Which one are you choosing tonight?”

What is this, waiting for the Emperor to flip the token?

Cheng Shiyuan noticed Xie Zhiqing in her peripheral vision, whose face was already as dark as the bottom of a pan. Looking at Xia Ziran’s dagger-behind-the-smile expression, it was clear that no matter who she chose, she was destined not to get a good night’s sleep.

But the production team, which had consistently shown no mercy, seemed to suddenly grow a conscience, announcing a new segment:

“Time for the Heartbeat Message!”

“All guests, please come forward to collect a designated phone and send a message to the person who made your heart flutter today! Please note, each person may only send one message to one target! If you don’t feel a flutter for anyone, you may remain silent.”

Cheng Shiyuan accepted the phone handed to her.

First, without hesitation, she sent a message to the lovely Little Moon, thanking her for the personalized Eggs Benedict she had made that day.

Then she twirled the thin phone in her palm, looking at the two people in the room, waiting for her own messages to arrive.

“Buzz.”

The phone vibrated quickly, as if unwilling to let her be disappointed.

But that was it. In the next five minutes, Cheng Shiyuan didn’t hear a second sound.

Slowly, she lit up the screen and opened the single text message.

It didn’t belong to either of the two people in the room.

It was from Wang Shu in the other house—

“Will you miss the delicious flavors you once tasted in California more, or will you choose this exclusive memory, the improved dish I made for you this afternoon, mixed with the sunset and sea breeze?”

So, she’s an old acquaintance?

She couldn’t help but smile, trying to recall where she had met such a beauty during her study abroad days.

Until her train of thought was sarcastically cut short: “It looks like just the two of us still isn’t enough for her to choose from.”

Xia Ziran handed back the phone that hadn’t made a single sound, looking as dead as a stone, while giving Cheng Shiyuan a half-smile.

Xie Zhiqing, seeming to expect it, only gave her a faint glance.

But that look was also a silent accusation, as if saying:

I knew you had this restless, fickle nature.

Being criticized by them so openly and subtly, Cheng Shiyuan only felt a ridiculous absurdity.

These heirs and heiresses, having lived a high and mighty life for too long, were accustomed to getting everything they wanted with just a look.

Now, they were stingy about typing a free, heartfelt text message, yet they could so righteously accuse her for not making a move.

Cheng Shiyuan now felt that giving up her heir status in the Cheng family and not associating with this arrogant group was the most correct choice she had ever made.

Since her life wasn’t in danger as long as she stayed in this villa tonight, why should she be the stressed-out filling in their sandwich?

Cheng Shiyuan offered a professional fake smile and retorted to Xia Ziran’s aggressive words:

“Of course, it’s not enough to choose from. Who knows if you two have bad habits like teeth-grinding, snoring, or sleepwalking?”

She took three steps forward and gently patted the back of the spacious sofa, as if highly satisfied with it:

“I’ll choose a safe night’s sleep—”

“After all, I have high standards for my sleep quality and am not used to other people’s scent being too close to me.”

Lies, all lies.

Xia Ziran looked at her with utter scorn, silently asking how well she knew their sleeping habits.

Besides, who was it who used to whine and demand to nap on her lap when they didn’t want to do test questions in the competition class? Why wasn’t she complaining about people’s scents being too close then?

Cheng Shiyuan pretended not to understand.

It wasn’t until midnight.

Finally finishing her schedule confirmation for tomorrow’s commercial shoot with her manager, she let out a sigh of relief, happy to not have to deal with any troublesome characters, and lay down on the soft sofa.

“Growl…”

Her stomach chose this moment to demand attention.

The celebrity, adding a midnight snack to her diet, walked sadly toward the refrigerator, not forgetting to maintain her image in front of the camera.

—If the camera is off, no one will know the big star is secretly having a late-night snack!

However, the only thing greeting her, who was fully prepared, was a cold row of sponsor-provided yogurt in the fridge.

Damn it!

She forgot that Xie Zhiqing was even more disciplined about her diet than a celebrity. Even if she made dinner at the villa, she would never leave any leftovers in the fridge.

Cheng Shiyuan pouted, forced herself to drink a glass of warm water, and mentally recited a list of dishes to herself.

She tried to trick her mouth and stomach into not bothering her sleep with a late-night craving.

But while her stomach quieted, the thin blanket she randomly chose couldn’t withstand the sudden temperature drop common to an island climate.

Even after getting up to close the balcony window, she still felt a chill on her body.

Cheng Shiyuan was too lazy to bother anymore, vaguely bundling herself into a cocoon, hypnotizing herself to fall asleep quickly.

Just as she was tossing and turning for the umpteenth time, a sudden warm weight settled on her body.

She stretched her limbs out comfortably, unconsciously rubbing against the warm new blanket, then suddenly woke up with a start: Oh no, Xie Zhiqing is the light sleeper, easily awakened by any noise!

So she lazily opened one eye and mumbled in a softened voice, “I’m sorry, did I wake you…”

Before she finished speaking, she was caught by the sharp emotion in the phoenix eyes in the darkness.

Unlike the warm, thick blanket covering her, the fingers that touched her cheek were slightly cool, even cold.

Then, the next second, Xia Ziran used this cold palm to grip Cheng Shiyuan’s slender neck, slowly tightening her strength until the other person’s peach blossom eyes widened at the sudden suffocation.

She smiled, leaning in closer: “It’s okay. Do you see clearly now? Will you still mistake your ‘Zhi Zhi’ again?”

Cheng Shiyuan pulled her hand away, then, thinking that wasn’t enough to vent her anger, kicked her.

She lowered her voice and cursed: “What the hell is wrong with you now?”

Xia Ziran saw that she didn’t even dare to raise her voice in anger, still afraid of waking the person who was probably already sound asleep. She let out a cold snort.

She then grabbed her ankle, preventing her from retreating back under the covers.

The cold fingertips tightened, like a snake coiling around her ankle, warning the prey that any struggle would trigger the baring of its fangs, biting two bleeding holes into the soft skin.

Xia Ziran sat down on the edge of the sofa, looking down at her under the moonlight filtering through the window. She saw a prey who had deliberately chosen the sofa to be frozen with a red nose in the night, intentionally using clumsy self-pity to elicit sympathy.

She even caused noisy disturbances repeatedly, afraid others wouldn’t notice.

“How pitiful. You waited for so long and still didn’t get the person you wanted. Are you very disappointed?”

She even noticed the living room camera that Cheng Shiyuan had covered beforehand, concluding that this was preparation for a midnight tryst with a lover.

However, the thought that the lover wasn’t herself made Xia Ziran’s smile even colder and thinner:

“How many times will it take for you to learn your lesson?”

“You’re always the one who gets abandoned first. Why are you still so tirelessly obsessed with her?”

Fearing her voice wasn’t clear enough, she lowered her waist until she was practically whispering into Cheng Shiyuan’s ear:

“Do you just like being abused?”

The whole school once thought that the charming social butterfly Cheng Shiyuan didn’t cherish her silent childhood friend and heartlessly dumped her.

Only Xia Ziran knew that this pure and devoted idiot from their youth was given up on by Xie Zhiqing first.

If not, how could this little idiot have fallen into the hands of Xia Ziran?

She heard they had broken up and reconciled many times since then. Although Xia Ziran didn’t know the specifics of each segment, she was almost certain that Xie Zhiqing had prioritized what was most beneficial to herself in some important choices—

Because a qualified heir like her should always put herself and the family first; she can love anyone, but never more than she loves herself.

Xia Ziran couldn’t accept losing to such a self-serving opponent.

She narrowed her eyes, looking at the woman pinned beneath her, who, in the dim moonlight, was beautiful like a spirit: “If you like being abused, I can satisfy you, too.”

Cheng Shiyuan’s eyes were vacant, having given up trying to understand her twisted mindset.

Maybe a genius’s thoughts are just that different from ordinary people’s?

She flattened her body expressionlessly. Amidst the completely audible and uncontrollable growling of her stomach, she calmly replied with a “Fine.” “Then go make me a bowl of mini wontons.”

Xia Ziran: “?”

For a moment, she doubted her own ears.

Until Cheng Shiyuan broke free of her restraint and pushed her with both hands and feet: “Hurry up! I want the hand-made mini wontons you used to cook at home. I’ll only eat that.”

It’s the middle of the night! Where the hell is she supposed to find those damned hand-made mini wontons?

Xia Ziran frowned at her demanding command but quickly reacted, snorting a laugh:

“Why should I cook for you?”

“—You’re not my girlfriend.”

Cheng Shiyuan understood her subtext and was speechless.

Who would compromise herself into dating this moody person just for a bowl of mini wontons?

She was hungry, not stupid.

She was about to yank this clinging, beautiful snake—whose body temperature was anything but cold—off her body, but this time, the other person saw through her intention first.

Xia Ziran pressed down on the blanket beside her, sealing her inside the covers. She watched her forced submission, focusing on her lips with interest:

“It’s okay if you’re not my girlfriend. A big star ordering people around shouldn’t be so stingy as to give no reward at all, right?”

With that, she tentatively took the kiss she had been coveting since the art museum.

Xia Ziran hated eating only half of a meal. The interruption by her inexperienced relative that afternoon had led to a sleepless night, her mind constantly revisiting that fleeting kiss.

She firmly believed that once tasted, she would completely lose her curiosity and interest in the matter.

After all, they were just students back then, and couldn’t have done anything too intimate.

But the ripe berry, tasted only after many years, seemed even more delicious than she had imagined.

Xia Ziran couldn’t help but bite down hard on the lip she held between her teeth right at the beginning, trying to confirm if she could taste a sweeter nectar flowing out.

This resulted in a fierce protest.

She perfunctorily and soothingly licked the teeth marks she had left: “Shh.”

Xia Ziran casually threatened: “Be good, quiet down. You wouldn’t want to wake up the other person in the room, right?”

But this sentence only made Cheng Shiyuan struggle harder.

If turning her head to avoid Xia Ziran moments ago had only made her mistake the faint, shadowy figure by the distant wall for a window curtain or piece of clothing under the moonlight.

Then at this moment, Cheng Shiyuan saw clearly: there was really someone standing there.

The surrounding darkness had solidified into a terrifying aura. Xie Zhiqing had been silently watching for an unknown period of time, only now breaking her composure to give a seemingly calm, slight smile.

Only Cheng Shiyuan, who knew her best, sensed the suppression beneath that false calm.

She met Xie Zhiqing’s eyes, her breath hitching.

But it was Xie Zhiqing who broke the silence first:

“I thought you were making such a commotion on purpose to invite me to watch.”

“—Why stop now?”

Cheng Shiyuan, walking on thin ice, felt like she heard the sound of something shattering.

Perhaps, it was Xie Zhiqing’s flickering rationality.