Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 13: Trending Topic

Liang Yixuan’s smile dropped instantly, and the impatience in her furrowed brows was impossible to hide.

Lin Xiao Sheng and Duan Ye had been hanging out in the living room since returning from their date, and neither of them noticed someone new had come downstairs. For a moment, they didn’t react.

Shen Ji was the first to recover and introduced him, "This is a new friend—Mr. Bian Xu. He had lunch with Yixuan and me today."

Something about the wording clearly didn’t sit right with Bian Xu. His eyebrow arched as he glanced coolly at Shen Ji.

"Ah," Duan Ye suddenly seemed to understand something and nodded.

Lin Xiao Sheng looked a little guarded but still smiled and asked, "Welcome, welcome! So, Mr. Bian, what kind of teacher are you exactly?"

Bian Xu, wearing slippers, strolled lazily into the kitchen and replied without turning his head, "If you're curious, just look me up online."

Lin Xiao Sheng: "…"

Yixuan turned her head toward the kitchen, trying to hold herself together. She saw Bian Xu open a cupboard and take out a glass. He reached for the water kettle, but then frowned like he’d spotted something dirty. He swapped the glass for another, held it up to the light, frowned again, and switched it out for a third one.

After checking every glass, he rubbed his temples and asked, "Who washed these cups?"

The kitchen was sort of Lin Xiao Sheng’s domain, so odds were good he’d washed them.

His face turned a little green with embarrassment. Before he could say anything, Yixuan stepped forward and said, stiffly, "I washed them. Got something to say about that, Mr. Bian?"

"……" Bian Xu looked at her, opened his mouth, then closed it again.

It was hard to tell what kind of inner struggle he was having.

Just as Shen Ji tried to smooth things over, Bian Xu clenched his jaw and gripped the glass tightly. "No," he said finally.

Then he poured the glass full and drank the water like it was poison. When he was done, he slammed the cup down and locked eyes with Yixuan.

"……"

What, does he want a medal for drinking water?

Yixuan slowly looked away and said to the others, "Excuse me, I’m going upstairs to change."

Of course, "changing" was just an excuse.

The day had been a rollercoaster, and just when she thought she’d finally shaken off the clingy ex, he came crawling back like a ghost that wouldn’t go away. Yixuan didn’t have the energy to keep playing nice.

Back in her room, she heard water running from the bathroom—it must be Cheng Nuo taking a shower. Yixuan sat down on the edge of the bed and opened WeChat on her phone.

Xiao Jie had already messaged her that afternoon, saying she’d asked the blogger who leaked the behind-the-scenes photo to delete it and promised to keep an eye on online chatter for her.

Yixuan sent back a quick thank-you, then set the phone down and stared blankly at the two gifts on her nightstand.

Suddenly, the bathroom door clicked open and Cheng Nuo rushed out in her nightgown, excited.

"I just remembered!" she blurted.

Yixuan jumped. "What?"

"That new guy—the fourth male guest—I bumped into him on the second floor earlier. Have you met him yet?"

"…Yeah," Yixuan murmured after a short pause.

"Doesn’t he look super familiar? I’ve been trying to place him, and I just remembered—he’s the guy in those paparazzi photos with Bei Ying! Remember? They were caught going into a hotel together not long ago. It went viral!"

Yixuan felt a lump in her throat. "I don’t really follow celebrity gossip…"

"That one was so juicy though! You didn’t see it? Never mind, I’ll find it for you." Cheng Nuo began tapping on her phone while muttering, "The producers are insane—how did they manage to get Bian Xu on the show? His appearance fee must be as high as an A-list celebrity!"

"But if he’s on a dating show, does that mean he and Bei Ying broke up? She just dropped a new single this week called《Francis》. It totally feels like a response to Bian Xu’s song《Rosabella》…"

Yixuan’s hands clenched unconsciously at her sides. "I’m going to take a shower."

"Oh," Cheng Nuo’s enthusiasm dimmed a bit at her flat tone. "Okay, sure. Tell me about your date later, okay?"

Maybe it was subconscious, but Yixuan ended up taking a long, hot shower—just to clear her head. She stayed in the bathroom as long as she could.

When she finally came out, she was mentally preparing herself to talk about the date—but Cheng Nuo had already forgotten about it. She was completely glued to her phone, so focused she didn’t even notice Yixuan walk out.

It wasn’t until Yixuan sat down on the bed, towel in hand, that Cheng Nuo suddenly looked up. "You’re done? Come quick, something crazy’s happening—Bian Xu’s behind-the-scenes photos just went viral!"

Yixuan’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at the screen and saw a Weibo trending topic: #BianXuDatingShow#.

Under a reposted behind-the-scenes photo shared by an entertainment blogger, the top comments were buzzing——

「So did he and Bei Ying break up right after getting exposed?」

「They were never dating. It was clarified ages ago that they were just coworkers. Bian Xu can go on whatever variety show he wants. Stop using my idol for clout, thanks :)」

「Taking my career-focused queen Bei Ying away now! BTW, check out ROF Bei Ying’s latest solo single《Fransic》~」

「What a joke. Bian Xu using Bei Ying for attention?」

「Does Bian Xu even need clout? The one chasing attention is the one who just dropped a new song. Also, real question: is that awful song really produced by Bian Xu? She thanked him for his guidance, but funny how his name isn’t in the credits.」

「Funny how her fans used to gush over《Rosabella》, and now she releases a new song with an English title too… You sure that song didn’t sell thanks to Bian Xu? Why act all high and mighty now?」

「She was the one trying to cozy up and play ambiguous, and now her fans want to act classy and say ‘don’t mention her’? Classic case of playing victim after getting what you wanted.」

「Weren’t you all calling him ‘Mr. Bian’ not long ago and saying she was lucky to be with him? Now Bian Xu goes on a dating show and hurts Bei Ying’s feelings, and her fans are losing it?」

Bian Xu may not be a public-facing celebrity, but as a music producer with both talent and looks—not to mention a powerful family background—he’s helped launch top-tier singers and idol stars. The general public liked him a lot. Just like Liang Yixuan used to, many saw him through a dreamy, "perfect guy" filter. Even his casual fans, though disorganized, had serious fighting power online.

Still, no matter how much the fans argued, people love a good-looking rumored couple. So alongside the fighting, there was another kind of hot take floating around——

「Didn’t Bian Xu used to avoid being on camera? Why would he agree to such a low-level reality show? Maybe Bei Ying dumped him for her career, and now he’s going on a dating show to get back at her?」

That wild, love-drunk theory instantly drew attention from the couple shippers.

Comments flooded in——I believe in love again!

Cheng Nuo burst out laughing. "Netizens are wild—some of them are better at writing drama than I am! Their fan group threads must be popping right now. I’m gonna check."

Liang Yixuan knew exactly what Cheng Nuo meant by "fan group threads."

Back when the paparazzi first caught Bian Xu and Bei Ying together, fans created a thread called "Promised CP" (short for "couple pairing").

Liang Yixuan, however, had never once clicked into it.

At first, it was because she didn’t want to torture herself. Then time passed, and she stopped caring.

Seeing that all the trending attention was still focused on Bian Xu and Bei Ying—and no one had dug up her, the random nobody—Yixuan felt a bit of relief. She’d just picked up the hairdryer at her vanity when Cheng Nuo suddenly raised her voice:

"Whoa! Just now, Bei Ying retweeted a post from that couple thread. Seriously? Last time it was a ‘slip of the finger’ like on that like button—now a mistaken retweet? Once is a coincidence. Twice? Who’s buying that?"

"……"

Liang Yixuan had heard Xiao Jie complain about Weibo’s repost feature before—it really was easy to make a mistake with it. But just like Cheng Nuo said, messing up twice in a row on the trending page? That was just a bit too convenient.

"My gossip-loving soul is burning!" Cheng Nuo jumped to her feet. "Bian Xu’s just a few floors up. This is the closest I’ve ever been to a trending topic—I have to get the truth out of him!"

"Wait." Liang Yixuan stopped her.

"You want to wait until you finish drying your hair so we can go together? Then hurry up!"

"…"

Liang Yixuan didn’t even know why she stopped Cheng Nuo. And now that she had, she couldn’t think of a good reason.

At a loss, she changed the subject and asked, "What exactly did Bei Ying repost?"

Cheng Nuo flipped her phone screen toward her.

It was a still image from one of Bei Ying’s music videos. In the picture, she was wearing a long white wedding dress, standing on a grand stage and looking back at the camera with a soft smile.

A fan had edited the photo and added a line of text in the corner——

「I don’t want to be a pop queen anymore. I just want to be your bride.」

"If that repost wasn’t a mistake, then she must be deeply in love to share something this sappy," Cheng Nuo said, shaking her head. "But hey, if she’s planning to marry Bian Xu, then why bother staying in the idol business?"

Seeing Liang Yixuan frozen, eyes locked on that tiny caption, Cheng Nuo waved a hand in front of her face.

Yixuan blinked and came back to herself. "Don’t ask him. With his personality, he won’t tell you anything."

"Huh?" Cheng Nuo looked confused. "How do you know that?"

"I was downstairs earlier. Xiao Sheng asked him what he does for a living, and he told him to Google it."

"…Yikes, seriously?"

That took the wind right out of Cheng Nuo’s sails, and she sank back into her seat.

Just then, Liang Yixuan’s phone started ringing. It was Xiao Jie calling.

Guessing why she was calling, Yixuan stepped out of the room to answer it.

"Have you seen Weibo?" Xiao Jie asked right away. "I’m so mad! That behind-the-scenes photo still got reposted. Do you think the show’s producers bought the trending spot to hype up the next episode?"

"Probably," Yixuan replied.

Since Bian Xu hadn’t been kicked out of the show, it was only a matter of time before the news got out. She wasn’t too bothered by the timing anymore.

Xiao Jie scoffed. "Capitalism is heartless, but honestly, Bei Ying’s moves are even grosser. Her CP (couple pairing) fans are going wild, and even her own fans can’t control the comment section anymore. What is she trying to prove? Is she really madly in love with Bian Xu? Or does she know about you and just wants to get under your skin, even if it means losing fans?"

Yixuan didn’t understand much about fan culture. All the terms made her head spin.

"Whatever…" she let out a long breath, stepping away from any nearby cameras and heading down the hallway.

"Didn’t the show ask every guest to open a verified Weibo account? You’ve got a public profile now too. You should just clap back at Bei Ying head-on!"

Yixuan gave a tired smile.

She didn’t like Bei Ying, of course. But she also knew Bei Ying wasn’t the root of the problem.

If Bian Xu hadn’t silently approved her so-called "accidental like" the first time by not saying a word, letting the public imagination run wild, would there have even been a second time?

But anyway, whatever the public wanted to think this time—none of it had anything to do with her.

She just hoped this whole mess wouldn’t end up revealing her relationship with Bian Xu.

She really didn’t want this private matter to blow up. Especially since she’d kept everything hidden from her mom and grandma.

"What’s the point of going head-to-head with Bei Ying…" Yixuan said, shaking her head with a faint smile.

But just as she turned the corner, she came face-to-face with Bian Xu.

Yixuan paused, lifting her eyes.

This hallway only led to her and Cheng Nuo’s room, so if Bian Xu was walking this way, he was probably coming to find her.

He stopped as well, clearly having overheard her last sentence.

The hallway was quiet as ever this late at night. Their eyes met, and Bian Xu seemed to be searching her expression for some sign—any emotion connected to him.

As he looked at her, another, older memory began to rise in his mind.

In that memory, she was wearing a white chiffon nightdress just like now, with her damp black hair hanging loose.

He’d been sitting on the couch, holding a blow-dryer in one hand and patting his knee with the other.

She came over, laid her head on his knee, her thick dark hair fanned out, shimmering under the warm yellow light like fine silk.

He’d never had much patience for anything outside of music—always had been that way.

Back then, they had only just started seeing each other. He had no idea what possessed him, but somehow, he was drying her hair for her.

He remembered how her silky strands twirled around his fingers, how his hands brushed her sensitive scalp, how her face stayed still but her toes curled just slightly.

It was strangely fascinating.

But that moment had only happened once.

After that, he never did it again.

……

After a long silence, the motion-sensor lights in the hallway suddenly went out.

In the pitch darkness, only two restrained breaths could be heard.

Liang Yixuan tightened her grip on the phone in her hand and finished what she hadn’t said earlier: "…Whatever Bei Ying wants—I don’t want it anymore."

The motion-sensor picked up movement again, and the light flicked back on.

The sudden brightness made Bian Xu’s pupils contract sharply.

On the other end of the call, Xiao Jie was still talking, but Liang Yixuan walked forward with her phone in hand, brushing past Bian Xu.

He stood frozen in place, listening as her footsteps slowly faded into the distance. His hand, hanging at his side, slowly clenched into a fist.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

He lifted it to his ear.

"Boss," came Lu Yuan’s voice, "the studio’s asking—are we still going to stay quiet about Miss Bei this time?"

Bian Xu’s expression darkened, and he replied coldly, one word at a time: "Have someone give the old man a blood pressure pill—and tell him this time, I won’t be doing him any favors."