Chapter 21
The audience hadn’t expected it—a reality show with a sudden twist.
They thought it was just two cowards braving a haunted house. Who would’ve guessed that right after being dragged off by a ghost, Xie Mi suddenly flipped the script—stripping the ghost’s clothes and wearing them herself.
She swaggered through the mansion like she owned the place. When a ghost rushed out to scare her, she went berserk and scared the ghost into rolling its eyes back.
A complete 180.
[Wait, is she scared or not??]
[Plot twist after plot twist—first I thought she was a pro but she looked like a rookie, then I thought she was a rookie but turns out she’s a boss!]
[So she was acting scared the whole time? Amazing.]
[Where is she going now??]
They watched as Xie Mi breezed through the mansion, discovering every secret passage on the way, until she slipped into the room where Shen Yongqing was.
Next, she pretended to be a ghost and even tied Shen to a chair.
Viewers in Shen Yongqing’s livestream were terrified, but in Xie Mi’s chat, people were laughing themselves to death.
[HAHAHA you’re shameless]
[I’m seriously suspecting that even getting caught earlier was part of her plan, just so she could come back and scare Mr. Shen]
[Old Shen looks genuinely scared, Old Xie please have some mercy]
[Wait, why is there no sound??]
[They seem to be talking?? Ughhh can’t hear a thing]
[Huh??? Why are they hugging?!!]
[Holy sh*t!! Old Shen was acting too!!!]
The audience finally realized.
Turns out neither of them was scared at all. From the start, they’d just been pretending!
They had become the first viewers in history to be played by the guests themselves.
…
“You’re not scared?” Xie Mi was stunned.
If he’d truly been terrified, there was no way he would’ve guessed it was her. That left only one explanation—he was never scared in the first place.
Shen Yongqing pushed back the wig hiding her face and met her eyes. “Seems like Teacher Xie isn’t scared either.”
Xie Mi’s expression collapsed.
Fine. He got her.
But she wasn’t going to waste such a good opportunity.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll be direct.”
She sat up from his arms and spoke bluntly. “On the first day, during the finger-bending game, you said you came here for someone. Back then, I didn’t think it had anything to do with me. But looking at everything that’s happened since—it seems like you meant me.”
“The staged collision, the secret observations, all the ways you’ve tried to get close… You’re clearly interested in me.”
“So here’s the question: we don’t even know each other. Why would you join a show for a complete stranger?”
For someone as mysterious and wealthy as him to risk exposing himself—surely the price was too high.
Through her comments of questions, Shen kept his faint smile. Only when she finished did he reply.
“Teacher Xie is a public figure. I saw you online and admired you. Is that really so strange?”
Of course it was strange.
In the original novel, this character didn’t exist at all. Which meant this so-called storyline of Shen admiring her after seeing her online shouldn’t exist either.
If this was all just butterfly effect from her arrival…
She still didn’t believe that a billionaire would fall in love at first sight just because a starlet went a little wild online for a couple days.
She never believed in melodramatic love stories like that.
“You’re right.”
Xie Mi lifted her chin proudly. “I am quite charming. With a face that can shame the moon, sink fish, topple birds, a beauty that everyone loves, of course it’s normal you fell for me at first sight.”
Since he didn’t want to tell the truth, she’d just pretend to believe him—for now. She’d dig deeper later.
…
Meanwhile, the other two groups had reached their date locations.
Liu Woxing and Qiu Chengye went to a luxurious spa theater, enjoying the full deluxe treatment—massage, foot soak, sauna—the true health-preservation group.
The “romantic group” of Xu Shuangrong and Xiao Jingxi visited a love art museum together, then checked into the upstairs couple’s café.
They chatted happily, eyes meeting with teasing glances, serving up sweet moments for the cameras.
But when it came time to pay, Xiao Jingxi pulled out his phone—only to be distracted by Weibo’s trending topics.
#ShenXieBondagePlay#
#XieMiShenYongqingSmithsOfOurTime#
#ShenXieCPIsCrack-levelSweetness#
His smile vanished instantly.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Shuangrong noticed his face and instinctively glanced at the screen, surprised. “That’s Mr. Shen and Teacher Xie?”
“It’s nothing.”
Xiao Jingxi forced himself calm, swiping away Weibo before paying.
But the crew nearby had already started whispering.
“Did you see? Mr. Shen and Teacher Xie are trending!”
“I think their schedule was the haunted house, right? That makes sense—audiences love watching celebs get scared in escape rooms.”
“No no no, it’s their CP sweetness that’s trending!”
“Huh?”
Curiosity got the better of a staffer. He clicked open the trending tag and found a flood of fans going feral—
—and countless fan-made videos.
One had already hit 300,000 reposts, titled:
[Shen Yongqing × Xie Mi] Super Sweet Edit | Ambiguous Bondage | Drama Style
The video showed them together in the dark escape room:
She fell into his arms after a scare, he whispered in her ear, she blushed and turned away. First stirrings of love.
Chased by the chainsaw monster, he held her hand as they ran, hiding together in a narrow space, bodies pressed close, breaths mingling. Feelings heating up.
She was snatched by a ghost, reaching for him instinctively—their hands torn apart, separated by fate. The angst begins.
Then she shed her timid image, put on fiery red clothes, and came back with a whip, tying him up. The revenge return.
He pretended to submit, but suddenly pulled her into his arms, revealing the wolf beneath. It had all been a ploy to chase his wife.
A high-sweet ending.
“AAAAHHH!!!” One staffer squealed uncontrollably. “This concept is genius!!”
Xiao Jingxi frowned at him, Xu Shuangrong also looked over.
“Shh shh!” Another staffer quickly covered his mouth. “Keep it down! The most popular CP on the show is supposed to be Xiao x Rong, but they didn’t even trend. Meanwhile, the unlikeliest duo—Shen x Xie—have exploded online. If the teachers find out, it’ll be a disaster.”
Xiao Jingxi and Xu Shuangrong: “…”
Too late. They already knew.
Xiao Jingxi’s face darkened further, his fists quietly clenching.
Then he turned to Xu Shuangrong, gaze soft but burning with suppressed intensity.
“Shuangshuang, may I hold your hand?”
Xu Shuangrong caught on instantly. After her initial surprise, she lowered her head shyly, cheeks blushing pink.
“Don’t ask such embarrassing questions.”
Xiao Jingxi’s smile deepened. He enveloped her small hand with his large one, rubbing it gently yet restrained.
“Then I’ll take that as a yes.”
