Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 10: The Date

It wasn’t until Liang Yixuan stepped back into the villa that she realized something felt… off. The recording site seemed unusually quiet tonight.

Normally, unless something unexpected happened, there wouldn't be any crew inside the villa. But the outdoor areas would usually have staff following the guests around to film them.

There were cameras installed at all the villa entrances, and whenever the crew saw guests heading outside, they'd send someone to follow and capture footage.

But tonight—whether it was her walk with Cheng Nuo or when everyone was hanging out in the courtyard—not a single cameraman showed up.

Oddly enough, the small building next to the main villa was brightly lit, and a whole crowd of crew members had gathered inside.

Cheng Nuo guessed that it was because the second episode had flopped so badly that the production team was now holding an emergency meeting to figure out how to save the show.

"They told the guys to isolate you, stirred up drama while the show is still airing… now they’ve really messed things up," Cheng Nuo whispered in their room, clearly annoyed. "These days, every viewer is basically Sherlock Holmes. And with plot twists this clumsy, editing this sloppy… if I’d known the producers were going to interfere with the love lines, I wouldn’t have signed up in the first place."

Liang Yixuan had still been caught up thinking about Shen Ji not voting for her, but that comment pulled her out of it. "Then why did you sign up for the show?"

"Do I look like someone who came here to fall in love?"

Liang Yixuan shook her head.

Over the past week, Cheng Nuo had always acted like an outsider watching the drama unfold. Wherever there was tension, she was there to enjoy the show. And even though she hadn’t received a single text, she didn’t seem to care. She got along with the male guests like buddies, and when she did text, she made sure to spread the love evenly.

"Exactly," Cheng Nuo said. "I came here mainly to look for inspiration. I write romance dramas, right? But I don’t have much dating experience myself, so I thought I’d study how people actually fall in love."

She pulled a notebook out from under her pillow and started flipping through it for Liang Yixuan to see.

"Round 1," "Round 2," "Shen Ji vs. Lin Xiao Sheng," "Liang Yixuan vs. Pan Yu"... —pages full of densely packed notes flashed by.

"…So you really came here just to watch."

"Now that the producers have messed with the relationships, I haven’t had any proper love story to take notes on for days," Cheng Nuo sighed. Just as she finished, her phone buzzed with a message.

The production team had sent a group text:「Ladies, please head to the second-floor lounge to choose your Saturday date location. Each location corresponds to one of the male guests. Friendly reminder: Guest #4 may randomly drop in during the date, so be prepared to welcome a surprise guest! ^^」

According to reality dating show tradition, once the initial three-guys-three-girls setup reached a certain level of balance, they’d bring in a fourth male and female guest to shake things up.

It was casually known as "crashing the party."

"Finally, some good material!" Cheng Nuo nudged Liang Yixuan with her elbow. "So—who do you want to go on a date with? I’m good with anyone. Want me to help you rule out a bad choice?"

Cheng Nuo had been serious about her offer, but she knew Liang Yixuan’s easygoing personality well—she was probably going to say "whatever," and Cheng Nuo was already prepared to be turned down.

But to her surprise, after a brief moment of hesitation, Liang Yixuan glanced at the door, leaned over, and whispered, "I want to—"

Cheng Nuo grinned, waggled her eyebrows, and flashed an "OK" hand sign.

On the second floor in the lounge, the three female guests sat around the coffee table.

There were three cards laid out on the table, each with a few clue words hinting at a possible date location. The women had to pick a card without knowing which male guest it matched with.

But…

Cheng Nuo scanned the cards——

1. Fountain, cinema, Ferris wheel
2. Candlesticks, wine glasses, organist
3. Wrench, motor oil, engine

Might as well have just written the guys’ names on them.

Remembering her plan with Liang Yixuan, Cheng Nuo gritted her teeth, picked up card number three, and forced a laugh. "Wow, this one’s really unique. I love it. So my vibe. Hope nobody’s gonna fight me for it?"

Liang Yixuan gave her an apologetic glance.

Pan Yu reached out with a smile. "In that case, I’ll pick…"

"I’d like to pick this one," Liang Yixuan said at the same time, placing her fingers on the second card.

Pan Yu’s hand paused. "What a coincidence. This must be a Western-style restaurant. I was actually thinking that with how busy work’s been, it’s been ages since I had a proper sit-down meal…"

Liang Yixuan frowned slightly, hesitated for a second, then picked up the card and looked at Pan Yu. "I can cook Western food. I’ll make you some another time."

"..." Pan Yu’s smile froze as she was about to take the card, staring straight at Liang Yixuan.

They locked eyes, each holding onto the same card, neither backing down.

Cheng Nuo had assumed Liang Yixuan would be soft and easy to persuade. She didn’t expect that once Yixuan made up her mind, she could be this stubborn.

Looking around, Cheng Nuo pointed to the rule card on the table. "If more than one female guest chooses the same card, the male guest it corresponds to gets to pick who he wants to go with. So why not let him decide between you two? Keep it fair."

Pan Yu’s expression suddenly turned cold. The scene of the text message results from earlier flashed through her mind.

Just as Liang Yixuan was about to say "okay," Pan Yu let go and pushed the card toward her with a smile. "Why stir up tension? I hate seeing girls get upset. You can have it."

Cheng Nuo nearly thought something was wrong with her ears. She reached up to clear them, ready to speak, but Liang Yixuan tugged gently on her sleeve.

Liang Yixuan gave Pan Yu a polite smile. "Thank you, Sister Pan."

The next morning at ten, Liang Yixuan changed into a simple yet elegant white knit dress, did her makeup lightly, and got into the pre-arranged car heading downtown.

The date location given by the production team was a French restaurant in a historic residential district.

The address looked vaguely familiar to her. And when the car turned onto a street lined with vintage garden-style villas, she was certain—she had been here before.

Bian Xu had once taken her to this exact restaurant.

It must’ve been sometime around the Lunar New Year. He’d gotten bored spending the holidays in Beicheng and flew down to Nanhua without even telling her in advance.

She’d been having lunch with her mom at her grandmother’s house when he called.

She couldn’t let her mom find out she was in a relationship, but she also couldn’t resist the urge to see Bian Xu. So she used Xiao Jie as an excuse and rushed out.

But when she met up with him, he didn’t seem particularly excited—more like he just wanted someone to kill time with. She started to wonder if always dropping everything for him made her seem cheap.

She didn’t even mention that she’d left in the middle of a meal. She just told him she happened to be hungry.

At that French restaurant, Bian Xu’s picky palate finally found something he liked, but Yixuan was full after just the appetizer. The whole meal felt tasteless to her—but she still forced herself to eat.

……

Liang Yixuan got out of the car in front of the villa and stared at the small red-brick house for a moment, lost in thought. Then she smiled to herself, lowered her eyes, and walked inside.

Two cameramen followed her upstairs, one in front and one behind.

There were no other diners in the restaurant—most likely the production team had booked the whole place. A waiter led Liang Yixuan to a table by the window in the main dining room. As she sat down, she noticed a semicircular stage not far away.

On stage were five men in black tailcoats: a pianist, a cellist, two violinists, and an organist.

The whole scene looked oddly familiar. Liang Yixuan tried to place it, but nothing came to mind—until the violinist started playing and the familiar melody filled the air. That’s when it hit her: this was a scene from the movie 《Scent of a Woman》.

The Spanish tango playing was《PorUnaCabeza》, which translates to "By a Head"—known in Chinese as "一步之遥" or "A Step Away." It was the music used in the film’s iconic tango scene.

There’s a theory that music creates implicit memories that are emotionally powerful—more lasting than memories tied to images or words.

Even someone with Alzheimer’s who can’t recognize loved ones might still hum a tune they heard long ago.

So even though Liang Yixuan was doing her best to avoid certain memories, this melody still brought them back, vivid and unavoidable.

She remembered it clearly—that day she first thought about breaking up with Bian Xu was also the day she watched this film.

Her dance troupe’s new performance was about to premiere, and the heavy rehearsal schedule left her exhausted and sleepless every night. Bian Xu, meanwhile, had been off on some remote island for over a month. At first, he’d respond to her texts the next day or so. Then, he just stopped replying altogether.

That day, after messing up a rehearsal, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted from him—but she called anyway.

Lu Yuan picked up and said Bian Xu was busy, asking if there was anything important he should pass along.

Important?

Was wanting to talk to a boyfriend who’d disappeared for a month considered important?

In that moment, she realized the answer—and it made her want to end things.

The next day, which was a weekend, she went to the apartment in Lanchen Tianfu, intending to pack up her things and leave.

But when she stepped into the place where they’d shared so many intimate moments, she started to hesitate.

She spent the whole day pacing back and forth inside that spacious apartment, constantly trying to convince herself to wait a little longer before deciding.

Eventually, she went into the home theater and turned on an old movie that was long enough to buy her some time—Scent of a Woman, which ran two hours and thirty-six minutes.

She wanted to see if, by the end of the movie, she’d feel differently.

Sitting in the flickering shadows of the screening room, she stared at the screen, but couldn’t really follow the plot.

Not until halfway through, when that tango started to play.

The music pulled her in. Finally, she focused. She watched the blind male lead invite a young stranger to dance. From tentative first steps to elegant rhythm, the two moved beautifully together—and she found herself drawn in, moment by moment.

At the climax of the dance, the male lead spun the woman away with one hand, then pulled her back with the other—

And just then, the double doors of the screening room suddenly swung open.

Light poured into the darkened room in an instant.

Startled, she turned her head and slowly stood up from the couch.

The man at the door walked toward her like it was nothing more than coming home. Glancing at the screen, he asked, "What’s got you so absorbed?"

Still dazed, she watched as Bian Xu recognized the movie. "So... lifetime in a minute?" he said.

He was quoting a famous line from the film: "Some people live a lifetime in a minute."

Standing there, seeing him appear out of nowhere, she wasn’t even fully following the movie—but somehow, that line made perfect sense.

Most of life passes quietly, uneventfully. But once in a while, in a fleeting moment, you can feel joy, sorrow, pain, or love—so intense, it’s enough to remember for a lifetime.

For her, that moment was the second Bian Xu pushed open the door and walked in.

……

The musicians in the restaurant gradually became fully immersed in their performance.

A heavy chord from the piano snapped Liang Yixuan out of her misplaced memories. Her blank expression sharpened back into focus.

At the same moment, two waiters pulled open the large double doors of the main dining hall.

Liang Yixuan instinctively turned toward the sound—and the moment she saw the man standing outside, she froze in place like she'd been struck by lightning.

The music surged into its dramatic climax, every beat and rise and fall stirring something deep inside.

Liang Yixuan locked her gaze on the doorway, as if she’d been transported back to that dark screening room on that long-ago day.

It was just like back then: this man, showing up at an impossible time, in an impossible place—walking toward her step by step.

And every step he took landed like a hammer on her frayed nerves.

But this time, she was glued to her seat, powerless to move, forced to watch him draw closer—watch the smile in his eyes grow brighter with every second.

A shadow fell across the table.

His black leather shoes stopped right in front of her.

Bian Xu leaned down, just a step away, and asked softly, "What were you so lost in thought about?"

Liang Yixuan’s eyelashes trembled.

"The person you’re waiting for—do they know," Bian Xu said, resting a hand casually on the table as he looked her over with a smile, "who you were really thinking about while you waited?"

Realizing what Bian Xu’s sudden appearance here meant, Liang Yixuan’s expression slowly cooled. She steadied herself and lifted her head.

"Who I think about," she said calmly, "is none of your business, Mr. Bian."

Bian Xu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I suppose you’ve conveniently forgotten," she continued, her voice firm, "but I already officially told you over a month ago—we’re no longer involved."

Bian Xu stared at her with that steady gaze, then chuckled. "Is that so?"

He picked up his phone, scrolled a few times with a furrowed brow, then placed it on the table in front of her and slid it over.

"Which message are you talking about?" he asked. "This one?"

Liang Yixuan glanced down.

The screen showed an old text thread, from who-knows-when—

「Are you coming back tonight?」
「Why?」
「If not, I’ll go to bed.」
「Coming.」
「When?」
「When do you want me?」
「I’m really sleepy…」
「Then go wait in bed.」

A rush of humiliation made Liang Yixuan clutch the hem of her dress tightly.

Bian Xu watched the changing expression on her face, then slowly scrolled the screen upward with his finger.

Even at the top of the chat—there was no sign of any "breakup" message.

He raised his eyes slightly, gave a quick glance toward the camera off to the side, then leaned down and whispered in her ear with a faint smirk:

"So you’re cheating on me in front of a national audience now, sweetheart? That’s pretty bold of you."