Dating Show with Five Exes - Chapter 1

Cheng Shiyuan was dying.

The exquisite beauty she had inherited from her mother carried a cursed gene that doomed her to a short life.

Despite undergoing annual medical check-ups without fail, she had been abruptly diagnosed with a terminal illness six months ago.

In the past half-year, her life had been a rollercoaster, experiencing the euphoric high of winning Best Actress only to be plunged into the depths of despair by the sudden appearance of a life-countdown timer.

Now, with only one hour remaining, she stared at the bl00d-red text visible only to her: Remaining lifespan: 35 minutes, 21 seconds.

Her oblivious manager, still trying to persuade her to accept new projects, continued his earnest pitch.

“My dear nemesis, it’s been six months since you won the Golden Award, and you haven’t even glanced at a single script! You’ve taken a full vacation! At least show your face for your fans’ sake—they’re already bombarding the studio with questions, wondering if we’ve sent you to Southeast Asia for your break!”

“I don’t care! If you want to keep taking time off, fine. But Director Xiao Ke’s Road to Romance 2 is starting filming soon. You need to make a token appearance on her dating show—just show your face and let your fans see you. You’ve always had a good relationship with her, and her mother’s decade-old project, Grey Scale, is finally getting greenlit. After the show, strike while the iron’s hot and join the cast. In three years, you’ll have two more awards under your belt. Which actress in your generation will be able to surpass you then?”

The manager’s face was etched with frustration, his lips worn thin from arguing. He raised his hand, ready to tie up this little troublemaker and drag her to the filming set himself.

Before the manager’s patience ran out and he resorted to drastic measures, Cheng Shiyuan softened her tone, acting like a child as she coaxed him, saying she wanted coffee brewed by her jie-jie herself.

No one could resist the charms of this newly crowned Best Actress, hailed as the “most alluring star in the entertainment industry”—not even her manager, who should have been immune to such tactics.

Clutching his slightly flushed cheeks, the manager gritted his teeth, pushed open the door, and went to brew coffee for the little troublemaker.

Then, Cheng Shiyuan donned a hat and mask and brazenly walked out of the studio.

She didn’t know how she was going to die, so it was best to keep her distance and avoid scaring her manager, who had worked tirelessly for her all these years and was always willing to make her coffee.

Though not much, she still had a shred of conscience.

Wandering aimlessly against the bustling crowd, Cheng Shiyuan eventually found herself in a secluded corner of a park on the city’s outskirts.

She paused, surprised to have ended up here unintentionally.

Though the timing was off—the peach tree branches were still bare—Cheng Shiyuan remembered this place as a tranquil haven.

Perfect for morning runs, and even more perfect for kissing the person she ran with.

Even the taste between their lips seemed infused with the sweet, unforgettable fragrance of the surrounding peach blossoms, a scent that once drove Cheng Shiyuan to obsessively search for perfumes that captured a similar aroma.

A short, rueful laugh escaped her lips.

She felt a pang of regret. If she had known, she would have bought a plane ticket and made time to see her White Moonlight ex before dying.

After all, kissing him had felt so good.

And she was certain that if she asked, he would always surrender to her—the confidence of being his first love and childhood sweetheart.

Sighing at her own lingering conscience, Cheng Shiyuan stretched languidly and sprawled on the grass, letting the sun lull her into a drowsy haze.

Her eyes closed, her sleeping face serene and tranquil, yet retaining a childlike innocence, as if she were some fragile creature requiring the utmost care and protection.

Little did anyone know, this was merely a trap for willing prey.

Xie Zhiqing had fallen for this ruse once in her youth.

But even after countless breakups and reconciliations, she still found herself instinctively pausing for this person.

Originally just out for her usual morning run, Xie Zhiqing instinctively slowed her pace and held her breath, as if afraid of disturbing a butterfly momentarily perched on a flower petal.

Though Cheng Shiyuan wore a hat and mask, concealing most of her face, her silhouette was etched into Xie Zhiqing’s very bones, having grown up side by side since childhood.

With a single glance, she could easily isolate this person from the teeming crowd.

Even though they were no longer lovers.

Xie Zhiqing closed her eyes, skillfully suppressing her racing heart and restoring the appropriate composure and distance of childhood friends.

She strode forward, her voice tinged with unmistakable displeasure.

“What are you doing here alone? No bodyguard, no assistant. I should have a serious talk with your manager later.”

The person lying down seemed startled.

Like a frightened little rabbit, half her face peeked out from under the hat’s brim, one eye squinting against the light.

Then, the rabbit raised her right hand, thumb and forefinger forming a childish shooting gesture, aiming at Xie Zhiqing.

Slowly, she drawled out Xie Zhiqing’s name, confirming her identity:

“Xie~ Zhi~qing~”

The rule-breaking charm that made fans blush, scream, clutch their chests, and dramatically collapse in adoration only made Xie Zhiqing frown.

As if witnessing some uncivilized behavior in a public place, she resolutely closed her eyes and turned her head away.

Cheng Shiyuan couldn’t help but laugh, thoroughly amused.

The thought of having to face Xie Zhiqing’s solemn expression again in a few days at her funeral made Cheng Shiyuan feel like she might just sit up in her coffin and laugh at her—if she could still see clearly by then.

So she decided to give this fortunate old friend, whom she had the chance to reunite with in her final moments, a little farewell treat.

She spread her arms wide, a radiant smile on her face, and extended an invitation:

“What a stroke of fate to meet you here! How about a morning kiss to celebrate?”

This flirtatious and carefree demeanor made Xie Zhiqing deeply suspicious. If any random Tom, D1ck, or Harry had passed by, would Cheng Shiyuan have been just as indiscriminate, offering kisses to any old thing?

The unpleasant image flashed through Xie Zhiqing’s mind, causing her face to darken abruptly. She seized Cheng Shiyuan’s outstretched hand, yanking her roughly off the grass.

She resolved to give this entertainment industry-tainted creature a live-action re-education.

Xie Zhiqing’s hands, calloused from years of training and gripping tennis rackets, were already rough. When she deliberately exerted her full strength, Cheng Shiyuan’s delicate face instantly crumpled into a pained grimace.

Just as Cheng Shiyuan was about to play the pitiful card to escape punishment, a voice suddenly intruded into her mind:

Detected ‘Life-Sustaining Value Character’. Please proceed to unlock.

Warm Reminder: Successful unlocking will maintain your current lifespan. Intimate contact may extend your remaining lifespan.

Cheng Shiyuan: “…?!”

Before she could even process it, her body had already reacted, her hand snapping out to grip the other woman’s wrist tightly.

She absolutely refused to let this sudden lifeline slip away.

Even the words she was about to say changed: “I’m about to die.”

Xie Zhiqing’s heart skipped a beat.

But she quickly reminded herself that this woman was a habitual liar, and this convincing performance was just another trick honed through her daily habit of teasing others.

With a hint of annoyance, she tried to pull away.

Her dark eyes flashed with a sharp, penetrating gaze that seemed to see through Cheng Shiyuan’s facade. “What do you really want?”

Cheng Shiyuan glanced at the faint red marks left by her grip on her snow-white wrist. She raised the hand and waved it in Xie Zhiqing’s face. “Rub it. If you don’t make these marks disappear, I’ll hold a press conference and tell the whole country you’re abusing me.”

This exaggerated act of complaining, combined with her entitled arrogance, was a side of herself she only revealed to those she was closest to.

She wanted Xie Zhiqing to come back to her willingly.

Xie Zhiqing didn’t believe a single word she said.

Yet her feet inexplicably veered toward Cheng Shiyuan.

By the time she realized it, she was already leaning back against her, even cradling Cheng Shiyuan’s delicate, pampered hand and gently pressing the slightly reddened spot.

Though she was pressing lightly, the faint red mark seemed to bloom like a crimson haze, spreading further across the pale skin with each touch.

Her frustration grew as she pressed harder, but the person she was holding still wouldn’t stop fidgeting, muttering about her terrible massage technique.

Xie Zhiqing’s eyelid twitched. Just as she was about to snap, the other woman interrupted, “If a good morning kiss was my last wish before I die, wouldn’t you grant it?”

Xie Zhiqing paused, her expression hardening as she thought:

What kind of vile person would deny someone peace even in death?

Inevitably, her mind conjured the image of that vibrant color gradually fading into lifelessness in her arms.

Her breath hitched involuntarily, and her empty fingers clenched into a fist.

Under Cheng Shiyuan’s renewed pressure, Xie Zhiqing nearly lost her professional composure.

Reflecting on her past foolishness in pursuing this stubborn, suffocating “forbidden fruit,” Cheng Shiyuan glanced around and swiftly tugged Xie Zhiqing downward. “Someone’s taking pictures!”

Xie Zhiqing’s feet tensed momentarily, then relaxed as she followed the pull.

As they crouched down, the woman beside her suddenly kicked out, knocking Xie Zhiqing sideways behind a tall shrub.

It was like a small rabbit ambushing a mighty beast on the prairie, catching it off guard and toppling it over.

Crushed grass stems, rustling softly, clung to their bodies. Cheng Shiyuan watched this man, who had always been so righteous and stern, like a disciplinary committee member, scolding those who dared to take unauthorized photos and demanding they cease their violation of portrait rights.

Yet today, because of her celebrity status, he was rolling around on the park lawn with her like a thief in the night.

A sudden surge of satisfaction washed over her, as if she had dragged the cool moonlight down into the muddy depths of depravity.

Smiling sweetly, she leaned forward to kiss those cold, hard lips, breathing in the fresh scent of newly cut grass.

But he easily turned his head, deflecting her kiss so that it only grazed the corner of his mouth like a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface.

The man beneath her stiffened abruptly.

Finally, Cheng Shiyuan heard that icy, invigorating voice in her mind once more:

Life-sustaining value target ‘Xie Zhiqing’ has been touched. Character unlocked! Warm reminder: If the host’s distance from the target exceeds one meter, the life-sustaining effect will cease!

The relentless pain that had been seeping into her bones vanished!

She remained motionless, focusing all her attention on savoring the newfound lightness in her body, the relief of finally retaining her life force.

Until.

The world suddenly flipped upside down as she was violently thrown over by a force from below.

Cheng Shiyuan found herself pinned to the grass, staring up at the deep shadow looming over her. Those dark eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, locked onto her with unwavering intensity.

She slowly extended the tip of her tongue, brushing a layer of moisturizing, translucent color across her thin lips.

“Don’t hurt me again.”