Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 23: Love Defense War

Xiao Jie really regretted standing up for Liang Yixuan that day in the coffee shop—especially for blurting out the truth that Yixuan hadn’t meant to share.

Now Zhou Zirui wouldn’t stop pressing her: "I don’t believe it. Aren’t you two best friends? What could she possibly want to hide from you? You think she’s worried about saving face in front of you?"

Xiao Jie had no idea how to explain a girl’s inner world to a guy like him.

When she first found out the truth, she also wondered whether Liang Yixuan’s little lie was even necessary. But after learning everything about how things started between her and Bian Xu, it wasn’t hard to understand.

From the very beginning, Liang Yixuan had put herself in too low a position.

She had admired Bian Xu from afar since four years ago—built up a mountain of admiration for him over time. So even when Bian Xu finally reached out for "creative inspiration," it still felt to her like a fan getting unexpected attention from their idol. She felt lucky. Blessed, even.

And since it was her who took the initiative to move the relationship forward, she couldn’t afford anyone close to her speaking up against it. That kind of resistance could’ve shattered the courage she’d barely managed to gather—like a moth flying straight into a flame.

That’s why she hid the truth from people whose opinions actually mattered to her.

It wasn’t about pride. She just hadn’t gotten any genuine signals of affection from Bian Xu—and she was afraid that if she said it out loud, the illusion would break and she’d be too hurt to keep going.

She had lowered herself too much in the beginning, and later, when she still didn’t get anything in return, her self-esteem started biting back. That was what drove her every decision.

But Xiao Jie couldn’t go airing her friend’s emotional journey to an outsider. She just waved him off.

"Believe it or not, whatever. My girl didn’t do anything wrong. Bad luck, that’s all—it was just this one lie, and your mutt of a buddy happened to overhear it."

"Hey now," Zhou Zirui said, "don’t go calling my bro a mutt. Even if Yixuan didn’t do anything wrong, what exactly did Bian Xu do that was so terrible?"

"You clueless men…" Xiao Jie was starting to get annoyed. "Let me ask you: that misunderstanding—when did it happen? Half a month after they got together, right? If, during those two weeks before it happened, your mutt of a friend had acted like an actual boyfriend, and only changed after the misunderstanding, don’t you think Yixuan would’ve noticed something was off? Come on. Clearly, he was already being cold from the start—he just got worse after that."

Zhou Zirui scratched his head, at a loss.

"What can I say? That’s just how he is. He’s used to being admired, you know? Like a high-maintenance flower on a mountain peak—he needs to act aloof for a while. If it weren’t for that misunderstanding, maybe he would’ve come around eventually. The whole thing blew up because of it."

"Stop saying it was just a misunderstanding," Xiao Jie snapped.

"Misunderstandings like that only happen when someone doesn’t love enough. It means he cared more about protecting himself than protecting her. That’s not just ‘his personality’—that’s selfish."

"You women are really impossible to reason with…" Zhou Zirui shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Everyone loves themselves the most. And they hadn’t even been together that long—you expect him to be head-over-heels already? And if we’re talking personalities, Yixuan might seem gentle, but she’s not exactly easygoing either."

"That’s because you don’t know what kind of family she grew up in." Xiao Jie cut him off.

"If you’d seen her mom, you’d understand..." She paused, then gave up.

"Forget it. Talking to you is pointless. It’s your buddy who needs to wake up."

"Alright, alright, no more arguing. I’ll just start a group chat with the two of them and clear things up." Zhou Zirui reached for his phone.

"What the hell are you doing?" Xiao Jie snatched his hand away.

"Aren’t we trying to clear up the misunderstanding?"

"The damage is already done. What good is it for you to explain anything now? Yixuan’s been emotionally shut out for so long—you think she needs to be guilt-tripped on top of that? She doesn’t even know what went wrong. But Bian Xu does. He has to figure this out on his own—either talk to her honestly, or accept the misunderstanding and fight to win her back."

She frowned.

"Otherwise, if you interfere now, next time something comes up, they’ll just break up all over again. If Bian Xu still cares, he needs to do something about it. And if he doesn’t—then let it end. Don’t let Yixuan get hurt all over again."

Later that night, Liang Yixuan and Shen Ji came back to the villa after dinner. The other couples had also just finished their dates.

Thanks to Cheng Nuo’s fake-out earlier, today’s pairings ended up exactly the same as last week. No fresh drama, no new TV-worthy twists.

But the show had seen so many emotional highs lately that the producers didn’t feel the need to stir the pot anymore. If anything, they were afraid of adding fuel to the fire—so they just sat back and let the cast do what they wanted.

As soon as Yixuan walked through the door, Cheng Nuo called out, "I bought some new clothes—come upstairs and help me pick out what goes with what!"

Yixuan believed her and followed her up. But once they were back in the room, Cheng Nuo shut the door and pulled her aside.

"Girl, you won’t believe the twists I went through today…"

"What happened?"

Turns out, Cheng Nuo had purposely written ballet-themed keywords on her date card to help Shen Ji avoid scrutiny. But Bian Xu misread the clues and thought the date was meant for Liang Yixuan—so he made a deal with Duan Ye to switch places.

Cheng Nuo told her the whole ridiculous mix-up. "When he got out of the car and saw me there, you should’ve seen his face—storm cloud level dark."

Yixuan blinked.

"So what happened? Did he just leave you standing there?"

"Not quite. Before he left, he had someone call Duan Ye over to take his place. I just had to wait a bit longer. Honestly though, I think the worst part was the producers. They knew he misunderstood but didn’t say anything—just sat back to watch the drama. I bet he was fuming the whole day."

Yixuan frowned. Based on the timeline, Bian Xu must’ve gone to the dance center after running into Cheng Nuo.

No wonder he showed up so irritated—and said all those weird things.

From what he said, it was almost like he was blaming her for not clearing up the rumors—as if he never needed to explain in the first place because she didn’t care.

Was he just talking nonsense out of anger… or did he actually mean it?

But Bian Xu, with all his cool-headed detachment—Was he even capable of those kinds of twisted thoughts?

Yixuan couldn’t picture it.

She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked Cheng Nuo: "Have you ever seen a couple that never argued while they were together, but fought a lot after they broke up?"

"Of course," Cheng Nuo said.

"That usually happens when it’s both people’s first real relationship. They don’t know that love takes communication. One person bottles everything up, the other thinks it’s fine to do whatever they want—and then once they break up, it all explodes. Like they were charging up a super attack."

"……"

"Haven’t you seen those relationship talk shows? Like Love Defense War? The couple goes on air and takes turns ranting about everything they’ve been through. Then the hosts help them decide whether to break up for good or get back together. Happens all the time."

"……"

"Why are you suddenly asking about that?" Cheng Nuo glanced at her sideways. "Don't tell me—your friend just got hit in the knee with Cupid’s arrow?"

Liang Yixuan touched her nose and looked at her without saying anything.

Cheng Nuo winked. "Look, every relationship is unique. Tell your friend not to romanticize someone else just because of what she sees in others—but also, don’t overthink things and see everything in a negative light either."

As they chatted, they removed their makeup and changed into loungewear.

Just then, they got a group message from the production team: "After a long day of dates, are your bodies feeling a little tired? Tonight, we’ve arranged a professional foot massage session for you all to enjoy in your rooms. Treat yourselves! ^_^"

Liang Yixuan and Cheng Nuo were both a little stunned. The cameras weren’t rolling in the rooms—was the production team really generous enough to arrange this just out of kindness?

Before they could figure it out, two female massage therapists knocked and entered with their gear—one was younger, the other a bit older.

Well, it was a good thing either way. Cheng Nuo was happy to take advantage. As the therapists prepared, she plopped down at the edge of the bed and joked, "Duanye totally wore me out today. After I complained about him giving me the cold shoulder last time, this ‘walking disaster’ dragged me through 30,000 steps today! That’s like my whole month’s worth of exercise. I feel like the production team designed this segment just for me…"

Liang Yixuan, however, hesitated. She said to the therapist assigned to her, "Sorry, I’m a ballet dancer. I had Achilles tendinitis not long ago…"

The older therapist smiled warmly and reassured her. "Don’t worry, I know all the pressure points—I won’t do anything that’ll make it worse. You said Achilles tendinitis? I’ve got a special herbal wrap just for that."

At first, Liang Yixuan thought it was just a sales pitch, but when she saw the wrap was the same kind she used at home—proper method and all—and the woman wasn’t spouting those exaggerated claims like, ‘One wrap cures all, two wraps and you’ll live to ninety-nine!’—she relaxed.

Cheng Nuo watched enviously. "Do you have anything for people who’ve walked way too much and have feet like bricks?"

"Sorry," the therapist said, "we didn’t prepare that."

"Oh." Cheng Nuo pouted.

The room quieted down. Liang Yixuan placed her feet in the wooden tub filled with herbal water and let out a relaxed sigh.

The therapist massaged her feet and asked about her recovery process, gently pressing on key areas to check her condition and offered advice on how to take care of it.

Her technique and knowledge clearly showed she was a true expert in the field.

Even Cheng Nuo couldn’t help noticing. After the massage, she curiously asked, "Sis, you’re so good—have you been doing this for a long time?"

The woman gave a small, awkward cough. "Well… I used to be a doctor."

"...?"

Outside the villa, in the backseat of a Bentley, Bian Xu was leaning back with his eyes closed.

In the front passenger seat was Lu Yuan, who had flown in from Beicheng that afternoon.

Lu Yuan checked the time for what felt like the hundredth time, then cautiously asked, "Boss… aren’t you going to grab your luggage? If we don’t leave soon, we’ll miss the flight."

Bian Xu didn’t say a word, but his furrowed brow said he heard it.

Then the silence was broken by the sound of doors opening. Several of the foot massage therapists walked out of the villa in pairs.

The older woman in a long coat walked up to the Bentley and knocked on the backseat window.

The driver rolled it down.

Bian Xu opened his eyes and looked at her. "Well?"

The "massage therapist" leaned in slightly. "From the exam, her recovery looks good. But Achilles tendinitis can easily come back. If it does, she might need surgery—which would be devastating for her career. Once someone’s had surgery on their tendon, it's almost impossible to get back to peak performance. Right now, her training is still too intense. She needs to slow down. If you can help manage it, then—"

"If I could manage it, would I have called you?"

Fei Lan sighed. "I’ve seen massage therapists pretending to be doctors, but I’ve never seen a doctor pretending to be a massage therapist. I came out here in the middle of the night to serve, and you can’t even say thanks?"

Bian Xu was about to say something sarcastic—probably "I wired the money to your account"—but Fei Lan shook her head before he could.

"Forget it. I’m leaving. Let me know if anything changes."

She turned and got into another car.

Back in the Bentley, Lu Yuan tried again, more urgently, "Boss? Want me to grab your suitcase?"

"I’ll get it myself." After a pause, Bian Xu got out and headed into the villa.

The living room was empty.

He stood there for a while before slowly going up the stairs. At the second floor landing, he stopped again. He didn’t know why he was just standing there, alone, in the corner of a quiet hallway.

It felt like some invisible voice was telling him to wait.

Maybe… if he just waited a little longer, something might happen. Something that would change his mind.

One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.

The motion sensor lights had long gone out. The hallway was cloaked in dim, heavy silence—dead silent.

In the eleventh minute, Bian Xu’s hand tightened on the stair rail.

Suddenly, a soft click broke the stillness.

A door opened. Light spilled into the hallway, illuminating the space.

Bian Xu turned his head and saw Liang Yixuan standing in the doorway, looking toward him.

That long corridor—she was standing at the very end, the only source of light.

She furrowed her brows, her gaze complex. "Weren’t you the one who said coming here was a total waste of time and…"

A complete idiot.

Bian Xu finished the sentence in his head.

And finally understood why he had waited those eleven minutes.

He turned, stood firm, and gave a short laugh. Lifting one eyebrow, he said: "Yeah. I’m the idiot."