Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 15: Heart Relief Pills

Ever since they reunited yesterday, Bian Xu had this nagging feeling that something was different about Liang Yixuan. It was like her whole personality had been swapped out—where had she even picked up all this sarcastic, sharp-edged wit?

Cheng Nuo and Lin Xiao Sheng were staring blankly at her too, as if doubting their own ears.

Shen Ji, eyes resting thoughtfully on Liang Yixuan’s face, explained gently to Bian Xu, "No one’s perfect. You gain some, you lose some. With how young and accomplished you are, you’ve probably put most of your energy into your career. It’s only natural that you might’ve neglected the emotional side of things. Yixuan may sound a bit blunt, but she’s not wrong. Don’t take it personally."

Same message, but way more diplomatic.

But ironically, Shen Ji trying to smooth things over only made Bian Xu seem like some outsider who needed to be handled with kid gloves. Even the punctuation in that sentence felt grating.

"How could I? You're being too serious," Bian Xu replied with a smile, glancing at Liang Yixuan. "She’s just joking with me."

Liang Yixuan shook her head seriously. "No, I’m not."

"…"

Not even God could save the moment now.

When a woman refuses to offer even the smallest exit for a man to save face, that man is definitely not innocent.

Cheng Nuo was mentally clawing at walls trying to figure out their relationship, while physically curling her toes from secondhand embarrassment. Thankfully, her phone buzzed at just the right time to break the tension.

It was a message from the production team.

Being the only one with her phone on her, Cheng Nuo relayed the message: "The show wants us to host a welcome dinner tonight. For now, they need one man and one woman to go to the supermarket and get groceries."

Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu were still eating, so they should’ve been off the hook. Besides, this dinner was to welcome Bian Xu—it didn’t make sense to have him run errands.

Lin Xiao Sheng’s eyes lit up with an idea. "We should drive—it’s more convenient. So it’s gotta be Brother Ji."

Then, two voices spoke up almost at the same time—

Liang Yixuan: "I’ll go too."

Bian Xu: "What, Brother Ji’s the only one with a car?"

But there was a subtle difference in timing—Bian Xu had clearly cut in after hearing her say "I’ll go too."

Liang Yixuan had only volunteered because she wanted to get away from him. She raised a brow. "You want to go to the supermarket, Mr. Bian?"

"Why not, Ms. Liang?"

"I’m just worried you’ll get lost."

Bian Xu let out a dry laugh. "Ms. Liang might not be aware, but there’s this thing called GPS."

Yeah, there it was—his snarky self couldn’t stay buried for even a minute.

"Then I’ll stay behind and do the dishes," Liang Yixuan said calmly, going back to her food. "I wouldn’t want to steal the spotlight from GPS."

Bian Xu was momentarily stunned into silence.

"Is Gaode Maps one of our sponsors?" Cheng Nuo whispered to Shen Ji.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, I don’t mind stealing the spotlight," Cheng Nuo raised her hand. "How about I go with Mr. Bian?"

"Oops," Bian Xu said slowly, picking up the ladle, "Just remembered—I’m out of gas."

"…"

The show probably didn’t expect such a simple message to stir up this much drama. But hey, peak reality TV content, right?

In the end, Shen Ji stepped up and volunteered to go with Cheng Nuo. On his way out, he quietly pulled Lin Xiao Sheng aside and told him to keep an eye on the house.

Even if Lin Xiao Sheng didn’t fully get the situation, he understood the hint: Don’t let Bian Xu and Liang Yixuan end up "throwing hands."

Now only three people were left in the living room.

Liang Yixuan finished her rice, looked up—and saw Bian Xu frowning at the bowl of borscht he had just served himself. He clearly didn’t enjoy it and even glanced at her empty bowl, like he was questioning how she managed to drink two whole bowls.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Liang Yixuan already knew what kind of nonsense was about to come out.

"Mr. Bian," she cut in before he could start throwing shade and make things awkward for Lin Xiao Sheng again, "Please only serve what you can finish. Don’t waste food."

Bian Xu laughed in disbelief and pointed to his bowl. "This soup—"

"Did you make it?"

His face darkened. He got the message loud and clear: If not, then shut up.

And finally, he realized who she had picked up all this sarcasm from.

Lin Xiao Sheng coughed lightly. "Um, we were short on time today, so yeah, the soup’s a little watery. But Mr. Bian, don’t force yourself to drink it."

Bian Xu held out his hands toward Liang Yixuan like See?

But she just shot him a glance and turned to Lin Xiao Sheng with a warm tone, "I think it’s really good. Thank you for getting up early to cook—it must’ve been a lot of work."

"I’m glad you liked it," Lin Xiao Sheng smiled. "It wasn’t too hard. I’ll make an even better one tonight."

Bian Xu had just picked up the bowl again when he heard that and put it right back down. He was full—of frustration, probably.

Liang Yixuan didn’t waste any more energy arguing. She stood up and started clearing the dishes.

Bian Xu frowned, spotted the nearest camera, and asked the lens, "With all these sponsors, the show couldn’t spring for a dishwasher?"

The black lens stayed still for three seconds, then tilted up and down—nodding.

While wiping the table, Lin Xiao Sheng laughed. "Mr. Bian, doing the dishes is fun! Even with a busy life, you’ve got to enjoy the little rituals."

This was the most absurd thing Bian Xu had ever heard.

What was even more absurd? The camera nodded again.

Bian Xu leaned back in his chair, watching the two of them bustling in the open kitchen for a moment, then let out a snort and walked away.

As soon as he left, all the tension drained from Liang Yixuan’s shoulders. She quietly washed the dishes, not saying much anymore.

Lin Xiao Sheng, on the other hand, perked up and started chatting about their trip to the amusement park yesterday.

Liang Yixuan replied politely, smiling when appropriate, even asking a few follow-up questions like, "And then what happened?"

But Lin Xiao Sheng still sensed something was off. He hesitated, then asked, "Sister Yixuan, what do you think of Mr. Bian?"

She froze. "Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

"Well, as soon as he left, you got all quiet and kind of... down."

Liang Yixuan paused, then shook her head. "No, I probably just didn’t sleep well last night."

"But just now, when you were talking to him, you seemed really energetic. Like... the moment he’s around, you get more talkative."

"I…"

Liang Yixuan didn’t know how to explain to Lin Xiao Sheng that hating someone could also give you a strange boost of energy.

It was actually the first time she realized that herself.

As she was thinking about how to say it, that ever-present figure reappeared in her peripheral vision.

Bian Xu strolled over to the kitchen island with a fancy glass—no one knew where he even got it from.

Liang Yixuan didn’t want Lin Xiao Sheng—or more importantly, the audience—to think her odd behavior was because she liked Bian Xu. So this time, she didn’t even glance in his direction, keeping her head down and silently wiping plates.

Then—"smack!"—a loud and clear sound made her jump.

She turned her head quickly and saw that Lin Xiao Sheng had accidentally dropped a porcelain bowl. Right beside him stood Bian Xu, who had come over to pour some water.

"Ah…" Lin Xiao Sheng scratched his head, looking regretful. "I think that was one of Brother Ji’s favorite bowls."

Holding the kettle, Bian Xu raised an eyebrow at Liang Yixuan’s glare. "I didn’t touch him."

"No, no, it wasn’t Teacher Bian fault," Lin Xiao Sheng waved his hands. "I just wasn’t careful and didn’t move aside fast enough."

Bian Xu: "?"

Liang Yixuan took a deep breath. "The walkway is that wide, and you still had to brush right past him?"

Bian Xu set down the kettle and was just about to argue when Lin Xiao Sheng tugged gently on Liang Yixuan’s sleeve.

"It’s fine, Sister Yixuan. Let’s just call it good luck in disguise. I’ll buy Brother Ji a new one later."

"I’ll clean it up," Liang Yixuan said, turning to grab the cleaning tools.

"No, no, I got it," Lin Xiao Sheng crouched to pick up the pieces.

Liang Yixuan came back with a broom and dustpan. Just as she saw him reaching with his hands, she opened her mouth to stop him—but it was too late.

"Ah—" Lin Xiao Sheng winced.

"You cut yourself?" Liang Yixuan dropped the tools and rushed over.

Clutching his index finger, Lin Xiao Sheng grimaced. "It’s nothing, just a little scratch."

Bian Xu crossed his arms, watching the scene unfold with a crooked smirk.

Liang Yixuan ignored whatever sarcastic expression he was making and grabbed Lin Xiao Sheng’s hand. One look, and she saw a two-centimeter-long cut, fresh blood slowly seeping out.

"This is a little scratch to you?" she muttered, pressing down on the wound to stop the bleeding. She looked around for a clean towel, didn’t see one, and turned to Bian Xu. "Go get the first aid kit."

Bian Xu pointed at himself, amused. "You mean me?"

"Who else?" She was clearly getting anxious, her hands tied up and the bleeding not stopping. "It’s in the living room cabinet. Hurry up!"

Bian Xu, not sure if he was annoyed or amused, headed toward the cabinet. But as soon as he opened the top drawer—

"Do you seriously not know the difference between a drawer and a cabinet?" Liang Yixuan barked impatiently.

Lin Xiao Sheng jumped in to ease the tension. "Teacher Bian just not used to this place yet. Don’t worry, Sister Yixuan, I’m fine—just a little blood."

Bian Xu shut the drawer without saying a word, opened the cabinet, pulled out the first aid kit, and brought it over.

Liang Yixuan opened the box, pulled out some hemostatic powder, and warned, "This might sting a little. Bear with it."

"Go for it. I’m not afraid of pain."

She leaned down and sprinkled the powder on the wound.

Lin Xiao Sheng looked down at her gentle and focused expression, and a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"Does it hurt?" she suddenly looked up and asked.

And Bian Xu watched as that smile vanished in real time. Lin Xiao Sheng frowned slightly, "A little… Sister Yixuan, can you blow on it? Blowing makes it better."

Bian Xu: "???"

Liang Yixuan hesitated, then lowered her head again. "Okay…"

Bian Xu pointed at Lin Xiao Sheng, "Wait, didn’t he just—"

Liang Yixuan didn’t react at all. She just ignored him and gently blew on Lin Xiao Sheng’s finger.

Bian Xu closed his eyes, took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned and went upstairs. He went straight into the bedroom, grabbed the box of cigarettes from the nightstand, and walked out to the balcony.

Two cigarettes later, Bian Xu leaned against the railing and pulled out his phone to call Lu Yuan.

"Where are you?"

"Uh—boss, I’m on the way to the airport. I told you yesterday, remember? Since you’re filming now and don’t need me around to take care of meals and errands, I thought I’d visit my parents in Beicheng for a bit."

Bian Xu pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come back."

"Huh?"

"Now. Bring me a bottle of vitamins."

Lu Yuan was quiet for a few seconds. He seemed to realize that Bian Xu’s situation wasn’t great. After a pause, he offered cautiously:

"Okay, boss. But while I’m at it… want me to pick up some extra stuff? Painkillers? Blood pressure meds? Maybe even some heart relief pills?"

"…."