I Turned a Competitive Variety Show into a Dating Show - Chapter 25

“It was… fun,” Jian Zhi managed between gasps. “I’ll… come again… next time…”

Before she could finish, she turned and vomited again. Jian Zhi patted her back, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Even though she’s so scared, she still insisted on trying all the high-altitude rides. This kid is really…

“Shi Xu,” she called softly.

Shi Xu wiped her mouth and turned to look at her. “What is it, Sister?”

Jian Zhi straightened the dog-ear headband on Shi Xu’s head. “Anything else you want to do? If not, let’s go get dinner. My treat this time.”

Shi Xu longed for a candlelit dinner with Jian Zhi, but even more, she craved their private moments alone together.

She glanced up at the Ferris wheel towering above them, her eyes sparkling. “Let’s ride that! They say fireworks go off when it reaches the top.”

Jian Zhi had assumed Shi Xu was a regular here, but her tone suggested otherwise. The realization stirred a strange feeling in her chest.

It was Friday night, and the Ferris wheel was packed with couples. Just as their turn came, fireworks burst into the sky. Jian Zhi stared blankly out the window, while Shi Xu’s gaze remained fixed on her face.

The flickering light cast Jian Zhi’s features in shifting shadows, making her emotions unreadable. Yet her eyes betrayed a sense of wonder, as if this trip was entirely new to her.

At least she seems to be enjoying it, Shi Xu thought.

From the moment Jian Zhi stepped into the Ferris wheel cabin, she felt a burning gaze on her face. She pretended not to notice, hoping the other person would realize and stop, but this only seemed to embolden them.

Her cheeks burned as if they were about to be pierced by the intensity of the stare. Jian Zhi couldn’t take it anymore.

The moment she turned her head, the caught-red-handed puppy froze for a few seconds before quickly averting her gaze, pretending nothing had happened.

Jian Zhi smiled faintly. “Do you think your disguise is very clever?” she asked.

Shi Xu still refused to look at her, thinking she could get away with it.

“Come here,” Jian Zhi beckoned with a flick of her wrist.

In a mere 0.00000001 seconds, Shi Xu accepted this new dynamic, wagging her tail as she moved closer.

She leaned down, standing before Jian Zhi, her gaze fixed on Jian Zhi’s features, which seemed even more striking in the shadows. Her heart pounded louder than the fireworks outside.

Jian Zhi tilted her head back to look at Shi Xu, her voice soft. “What are you doing? Sit down.”

Just as Shi Xu was about to sit, the Ferris wheel suddenly lurched. To steady herself, she braced her hand against the back of Jian Zhi’s seat, completely encircling Jian Zhi in her arms.

At this close range, Shi Xu could count every one of Jian Zhi’s eyelashes. She tried to look away, but Jian Zhi’s face seemed to have a magnetic pull, drawing her gaze back.

Fine, what’s wrong with just looking?

Shi Xu accepted this even faster, her eyes blinking once without shifting at all.

Jian Zhi tilted her head back to look at her, her red lips parting slightly. “I told you to sit down, and you picked quite the spot.”

“Huh?” Shi Xu looked a little confused.

Jian Zhi: “Do you want to sit on my lap?”

“Sure,” Shi Xu replied, feigning ignorance while fully understanding the situation. She draped her arms around Jian Zhi’s neck and settled into her lap, their faces so close that a simple word could bring their lips together.

Now it was Jian Zhi’s turn to fall silent. She subtly turned her face away and murmured, “Stop teasing. Get up now.”

“Then praise me. Tell me I’m the best little puppy in the world.”

Jian Zhi glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “Little puppy?”

Though she had always thought of Shi Xu that way, she had never voiced it aloud. Did Shi Xu have some self-awareness?

“Mhm,” Shi Xu confirmed, leaning against Jian Zhi’s shoulder. “Someone’s been calling me ‘little puppy’ all the time, and I’ve finally accepted the role.”

“You’re the best little puppy in the world,” Jian Zhi said softly.

She wasn’t just yielding under pressure; she genuinely meant it. Only heartfelt words could sound so tender.

Shi Xu boldly tested the waters, and when Jian Zhi didn’t recoil, she leaned fully against her shoulder. “Can we stay in touch after the show ends?”

Jian Zhi fell silent again. She could tolerate her little puppy’s affection, but she wouldn’t make any promises lightly.

As the show ended, the bond between them would fade. With time, Shi Xu’s affection for her would gradually diminish, and they would eventually become… just unfamiliar colleagues.

Jian Zhi’s heart clenched. She pushed Shi Xu away and stood up. “It’s almost time. Let’s get ready to go down.”

The Ferris wheel lurched again. Before Jian Zhi could hit the side, Shi Xu pulled her into her arms, her own head colliding with a loud thump.

The fireworks had just finished, and the sound of the impact echoed in the silent cabin, sounding painful.

“Are you okay?” Jian Zhi asked, looking up from Shi Xu’s embrace.

Shi Xu grinned. “It stings a bit. Maybe Sister could kiss it better?”

Jian Zhi pressed her lips together, silent. Just as Shi Xu was about to say she was joking, a soft touch landed on her lips.

Shi Xu: Oh? Oh oh oh!

The kiss was fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water. By the time Shi Xu recovered, Jian Zhi was already standing two steps away, her expression perfectly normal, as if the kiss had been Shi Xu’s imagination.

“Does it still hurt?” Jian Zhi asked.

Shi Xu shook her head vigorously. She was about to reply when the Ferris wheel clunked to a stop.

Her words caught in her throat, the moment to speak lost. After they exited the Ferris wheel, Jian Zhi seemed somewhat downcast. Shi Xu replayed the earlier events in her mind, feeling she had behaved well and hadn’t done anything wrong.

But there’s also the possibility that if Sister is in a bad mood, I could just cheer her up, right?

“Sister…”

“Let’s go back. I’ll treat you to dinner another day.”

Shi Xu naturally agreed. Spending the whole day together was already progress; she couldn’t ask for more.

Back at the dorm, Jian Zhi was nowhere to be found. Shi Xu texted Xue Qing and learned they had gone out. Xue Qing sent her their location, but after a moment’s thought, Shi Xu decided not to go. She took a shower and lay in bed, replaying the kiss in her mind.

Half an hour later, Xue Qing called, her first words a demand: “Why didn’t you come?”

“I thought you two might want some space,” Shi Xu replied.

Having clung to Jian Zhi all day, Shi Xu worried that chasing after her now would make her feel suffocated. What if she started to resent her?

Xue Qing roared, “I’m going to challenge that scum woman to a duel! Are you just going to leave Senior Sister here alone until dawn?!”

“Huh? Can’t she come back on her own?”

“She’s drunk and rambling nonsense while slumped over.”

Xue Qing’s voice crackled through the phone, sending a jolt through Shi Xu’s heart. She grabbed her hat and bolted out the door.

“Get here right away. Stay with her and don’t let her go anywhere.”

Given Jian Zhi’s past drunken escapades, leaving her alone was unthinkable. What if she grabbed some random person and started treating them like a puppy? It would be a disaster.

Shi Xu sprinted for fifteen minutes, arriving drenched in sweat. Jian Zhi was slumped quietly on the table, while Xue Qing sat opposite her, furiously texting someone, her fingers practically smashing the phone screen.

Shi Xu sighed in relief, catching her breath with her hands on her knees. Xue Qing grabbed her bag and stormed out without even glancing at her.

After catching her breath, Shi Xu woke Jian Zhi. Jian Zhi stared at her with glazed eyes for three seconds before suddenly pinching her cheek.

“Oh? My little puppy.”