3 – Chapter 3
Nominal Wife
Xie Zhi, being perceptive, noticed something unusual about the behavior of his nominal wife.
She had always been so eager to chase after Bai Yanlin, and now that Bai Yanlin happened to be one of the guests, she was sitting right beside him, even leaning in so closely.
Did he dislike her? Xie Zhi dismissed the thought.
After all, this woman was just another pitiful pawn manipulated by Bai Yanlin, much like himself.
Although he couldn’t figure out whether Si Nian’s actions were meant to use him as a tool to make Bai Yanlin jealous, Xie Zhi patiently picked her up.
Her body was soft, and after sitting in the sun for so long, her skin was slightly warm. Holding her felt like cradling a heater, which was quite uncomfortable in this weather.
Fortunately, her faint, pleasant fragrance soothed the slight irritation in Xie Zhi’s heart.
Carrying Si Nian steadily, Xie Zhi headed toward the guests’ accommodation. Along the way, she lay in his arms, unhesitatingly wrapping her arms around his neck.
Most men would smell of sweat, but Xie Zhi was different—he carried only a faint, clean scent of soap.
When Xie Zhi arrived at the door of the female guests’ shared room, it was open. The other three female guests, witnessing the princess-carry scene, gasped in surprise, covering their mouths.
“You two are moving so fast? The show just started an hour ago!” The speaker was the tanned older sister, Qin Zishuang, the oldest among the guests. At 31, she ran a food company.
Lin Yulan also spoke timidly, “You’re Xie Zhi, right? You look even better than on TV.”
Xie Zhi paused briefly but quickly regained his smile, explaining to everyone, “She had a leg cramp and accidentally bumped into something. I’ll call the medical staff to check on her in a bit.”
“Is that so?” Qin Zishuang shrugged, then helped Si Nian inside. “Rest up and take a nap.”
The medical staff arrived and concluded that Si Nian was deficient in calcium, giving her a bottle of calcium tablets along with a specialized ointment for bruises and swelling.
As Si Nian applied the ointment, she listened to the girls chatting.
“Who left the deepest impression on you?” Qin Zishuang asked. “Yulan, you go first.”
Lin Yulan lay on the bed, her cheeks flushed, her voice soft. “I think all the male guests are quite impressive and capable. As a student, I feel a bit unworthy of them…”
“Come on, since we’re all here for this dating show, we must be looking for love! With so many high-quality male guests, this chance won’t come again!”
Qin Zishuang laughed. “I’ll go first then. I think both Bai Yanlin and Gao Li are great—very mature.”
Gao Li, 28, wore gold-rimmed glasses and was a partner at a renowned law firm in Rongcheng—a true elite. Not many knew Bai Yanlin’s background; he only publicly mentioned running several companies.
Both men, like Qin Zishuang, had their own careers and companies, so her interest in them was understandable.
Another girl, Zhou Yuan, 26, was a food blogger with her own studio.
Though somewhat shy, she also shared her crushes: actor Xie Zhi and Liu Yu, the handsome owner of a chain of gyms.Finally, it was Si Nian’s turn. She propped herself up from the bed, leaning against the headboard, her smiling eyes curved like glowing crescents. “Of course, it’s Xie Zhi.”
It had to be said, Si Nian really knew how to set the live chat on fire.
【OMG, is she in heat? Xie Zhi only carried her out of gentlemanly manners, and she’s already getting ahead of herself!!】
【If she was injured, why not just carry her on his back? What’s with the princess carry? I bet Xie Zhi is going to fall for this Enchantress!】
【Are you brainless? If he carried her on his back, wouldn’t her… assets press against my precious Xie Zhi’s back? Gross!】
As for the male guests, without any entertainment devices, they could only chat. Just as the netizens predicted, most of them preferred the pure, school belle type.
Bai Yanlin glanced at Xie Zhi, who was smiling and saying Lin Yulan was quite cute, and let out a soft scoff.
After an afternoon of chatting and resting, as evening approached, everyone gathered in an open-plan cabin to discuss what to eat for dinner.
Yes, they even had to cook their own meals.
Most of them were young masters and ladies who had never lifted a finger for housework, and worry was written all over their faces.
Zhou Yuan spoke up: “I eat a lot and have some basic cooking skills. Leave it to me.”
Lin Yulan also raised her hand: “I often cook at home too, I can help.”
Xie Zhi looked at Lin Yulan with a hint of appreciation in his expression: “Then we’ll trouble you two. The rest of us can assist with prep work.”
Lin Yulan, blushing, hurried off to prepare the rice.
Si Nian stayed close to Xie Zhi, ready to seize any opportunity.
Suddenly, a soft scoff sounded by her ear, followed by a low male voice only she could hear: “I advise you not to play petty tricks. I have zero interest in a married woman like you. Also, the way you’re dressed only disgusts me.”
“Are you insane?” Si Nian looked up at Bai Yanlin, who had suddenly appeared, and edged closer to Xie Zhi.
Just then, Xie Zhi picked up a basin of potatoes and headed outside. Si Nian, like a tail glued to his back, followed him out.
“Tch…” Bai Yanlin, caught off guard by the retort, stared at Si Nian’s retreating figure with a dark expression.
The two fetched a bucket of water and began washing and cutting the potatoes. Just as Si Nian was about to dip her hands into the water, Xie Zhi reminded her gently: “With so many rings on, you might hurt your hands.”
“Huh? Oh…” Si Nian immediately slid off all six rings from her fingers, casually placing them on the grass nearby, and started washing the potatoes.
Xie Zhi watched her hands submerged in the muddy water, a flicker of doubt rising in his mind. From what little he knew of her, this young lady would never willingly do such dirty, tedious work. Had she changed?
Sensing his gaze, Si Nian looked up immediately. “What’s wrong? Still worried about my condition?”
The simple words, spoken from her full, glossy lips, carried a subtle hint of flirtation.
Xie Zhi instinctively glanced at her legs and followed up with her question: “Have you recovered?”
“It still feels a bit swollen, and it seems to have bruised.”
One was asking about her legs, the other was referring to her chest. Xie Zhi didn’t respond further, picking up a few potatoes and placing them on the cutting board.
He appeared calm and unruffled, but the faint redness behind his ears betrayed him—whether from irritation or something else, it was hard to tell.