Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 30: Bastard

The last trace of a smile disappeared from Liang Qin’s face, and her expression turned dark.

Ever since Liang Yixuan could remember, she had almost never seen her mother lose her composure in front of others.

No matter what happened, her mother always kept her back straight, carrying an elegant, composed smile.

She never showed anger or frustration outwardly. Her mother had taught her that this was the demeanor and discipline a dancer should maintain.

Although Bian Xu’s earlier words were indeed brash and hard to swallow, Liang Yixuan hadn’t expected her mother to react like this.

Instinctively, she tugged lightly at Bian Xu’s sleeve. She had meant to tell him to stop talking, but to Liang Qin, it seemed to mean something else entirely. Or maybe, that unconscious action really did reveal where Liang Yixuan's loyalties lay.

Liang Qin took a deep breath, nodded at Bian Xu, then turned to face Liang Yixuan.

"Xiao Xuan, I'm very disappointed in you."

It was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. A deep, chilling sense of suffocation wrapped tightly around Liang Yixuan’s heart. For a few seconds, she even forgot how to breathe.

"Back when I agreed to let you return to Nanhua, it was because I believed you would better adapt to Nanba’s style and system, and that you would rise faster than if you stayed with me. I never expected to see you spend four whole years stuck doing ensemble and minor solo roles, getting nowhere, and now wasting your time on ridiculous distractions," Liang Qin shook her head. "Xiao Xuan, I won’t force you to make a decision, but you should know for yourself what the right thing is. Don't wait until you’ve destroyed your future and it’s too late to regret it."

Liang Yixuan's lips trembled, but she said nothing.

"I’ll leave it at that. Think about it carefully," Liang Qin said, regaining her calm, composed smile as if nothing had happened.

She pointed toward the hospital room, "I'm going in to see your grandmother."

The door was pushed open gently, and then softly closed.

The hallway returned to silence.

But to Liang Yixuan, it felt like something was still pounding against her eardrums.

She stood frozen outside the door, her blank eyes staring at the tiles on the floor, her mother’s words echoing endlessly in her mind.

At first, Bian Xu found Liang Qin’s speech almost funny, but soon, his expression hardened.

"Liang Yixuan," he said, staring at her dazed and lost look, "don’t tell me you’re actually taking that crap seriously."

Liang Yixuan turned her head to look at him, her eyes still confused.

Bian Xu let out a deep breath, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her toward the elevator.

"Come with me."

Liang Yixuan couldn’t even remember how she got into the elevator or down the stairs. When she came back to her senses, she was already standing in the hospital's south garden.

It was a sunny day.

The pine trees in the hospital’s garden were bathed in golden sunlight, lush and vibrant. The air carried an unusual winter warmth.

Liang Yixuan stared blankly at the greenery ahead.

"Why are we here?"

"To air out your head."

Still in a trance— maybe because of the earlier clash with her mother, or maybe just too tired to argue.

Liang Yixuan muttered, "What’s wrong with my head?"

Bian Xu didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh.

"I should be asking you that. Weren’t you sharp and quick with me just recently? Now you hear that kind of sweetly delivered poison and not only don’t argue, you even start blaming yourself?"

Liang Yixuan looked at him, hesitantly repeating, "That was... sweetly delivered poison?"

"What else could it be?"

Liang Yixuan turned her eyes away, staring into the distance.

Yes, her mother had never once raised her voice at her. From childhood to now, every correction and reprimand had always been delivered in a soft tone.

Because her mother always seemed so calm and never like other parents— who might yell or lash out — Liang Yixuan had always thought the pressure and pain she felt were just because she was too weak.

But now she realized: It was a knife hidden in a velvet glove. It was the sharpest cut, delivered with the softest smile and the most elegant words.

In a daze, Liang Yixuan nodded.

Bian Xu suddenly froze.

Because he realized— maybe this was the first time Liang Yixuan truly understood it.

If he hadn't been there today, after Liang Qin had thrown those words at her and left, Liang Yixuan would have been stuck alone in that dark hallway, endlessly blaming herself.

And this—

This was probably what her entire twenty-one years had been like.

For someone like Bian Xu, who had lived an easy, smooth life for over twenty years, there had never been a moment that left him feeling so cold inside.

That strange, unfamiliar emotion robbed him of the ability to even speak.

After a long silence——

"Liang Yixuan." Bian Xu called her name. But when he saw the lifeless expression on her face, he choked up again.

"Has your mom always talked to you like that?" he asked quietly.

Liang Yixuan hesitated for a moment, then walked over to a bench by the side of the road and sat down, softly answering, "Yeah."

Bian Xu followed her, sat down next to her, and turned her shoulders slightly toward him. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright then, let me translate for you: your mom isn’t disappointed in you. She’s just using nice-sounding words to pressure you into accepting her decisions."

"When she says she’s not forcing you, that doesn’t mean she isn’t," Bian Xu sneered a little. "If she really wanted you to decide for yourself, she wouldn’t have followed up with a ‘but.’ You get it?"

Maybe it was because Bian Xu spoke with his usual confidence, or maybe it was because the phrase "cutting flesh with a soft knife" had finally made her see the truth, but this time, Liang Yixuan didn’t argue. She just nodded quietly.

"But I do have problems of my own," she said.

"Go ahead," Bian Xu nodded, gesturing with two fingers. "I’d like to hear what you think your problem is."

Liang Yixuan lowered her eyes. "I have been stuck in the same place in the dance troupe for a long time. I always score first in basic skills tests, but my expressive performance has never been good enough. My mom wasn’t wrong about that."

Bian Xu was momentarily speechless.

Hearing the word "expressiveness" reminded him of that absurd rumor he had overheard backstage at Nanba—the one about using sex to improve physical expression.

Ridiculous.

But even more ridiculous was the fact that, at some point, he had somehow started to accept this crazy idea.

What really pissed him off now was—

"It really is your own fault for not making the most of what you have," Bian Xu said through gritted teeth, lowering his voice and muttering under his breath, "Wasting a gift that's been handed to you."

"What?" Liang Yixuan didn’t hear clearly and blinked at him.

Bian Xu sighed, crossed his long legs, and leaned lazily back against the bench. "I said you’ve wasted all your hard work."

Liang Yixuan pouted and looked down.

"What now?" Bian Xu looked down at her, studying her expression. "You say it's your fault, but when I agree, you’re upset?"

Liang Yixuan frowned at him. "Why are you criticizing me? You don’t even know ballet."

"Ah—" Bian Xu dragged out the sound dramatically. "See? If you could show this kind of attitude to everyone else, no one would ever dare to push you around."

Liang Yixuan stayed quiet.

Propping his elbow on the back of the bench, Bian Xu laughed to himself and said, "Liang Yixuan, you know what? Some of you people are so stubborn. Always talking about doing the ‘right’ thing, the ‘proper’ thing, thinking about everyone else's feelings. Forget about whether there's even a truly ‘right’ thing in this world—if you're so careful and law-abiding, why not just go be a judge?"

Liang Yixuan hesitated. "So you're saying... if we don’t do the right thing, what should we do?"

"Do what you want to do, of course," Bian Xu said, flicking her forehead lightly with his finger. "Silly."

Liang Yixuan wasn’t sure why, but she found herself calmly sitting with Bian Xu on the hospital bench, facing a few pine trees, chatting idly for nearly two hours.

Even when they had been dating, they had never really talked so openly and honestly like this.

And after their breakup, they had met again in that variety show, like enemies locked in constant battle—good moments like this were unheard of.

Today felt rare. And a little surreal.

When it was time for dinner, they headed back to the inpatient building, just in time to see Liang Qin getting ready to leave.

Probably because Grandma Cao Guizhen was there, Liang Qin acted as if nothing had happened. She explained casually that she had a dance competition with her students in Su City these days. She had taken a high-speed train here this morning after getting the news and needed to hurry back this afternoon.

Liang Yixuan didn’t want her grandma to worry either, so she pretended like everything was fine and told her mom to travel safely.

After Liang Qin left, Bian Xu’s driver arrived, bringing all sorts of fancy equipment into the room—setting up a full dining table, complete with elegant chairs and tableware, and a gourmet lunch.

Anyone walking by would think they were moving in for a long stay.

Since the meal included special light dishes and plain congee for patients, Liang Yixuan didn’t bother criticizing Bian Xu’s extravagance. Seeing her grandma a little stunned, she explained, "Mr. Bian just likes to keep things formal. He’s like this everywhere."

After lunch, they rested for a bit. At 1:30 p.m., when the doctors returned, Liang Yixuan accompanied her grandma for various medical tests.

They had to run all over the hospital for different checkups and then consult different specialists for the results. The whole afternoon passed in a blink. By the time they were done, it was nearly evening.

Luckily, there were no major issues—just some common age-related problems. Relieved, Liang Yixuan took her grandma back to the room and immediately started writing down all the doctor's instructions on sticky notes.

Seeing her so busy all afternoon, Bian Xu poured her a cup of hot water.

Without even looking up, Liang Yixuan waved him off. "Give it to my grandma."

"I will. This one’s for you. Drink it," Bian Xu frowned and shoved the cup into her hand, then poured another for Grandma Cao.

Grandma Cao leaned against the headboard, sipping her water, and looked at Bian Xu. "Young man, did you take the day off from work today?"

Bian Xu raised an eyebrow. "I don’t have to work."

Liang Yixuan added from the side, "Grandma, don’t worry about him. He’s his own boss."

"Oh, I see."

Grandma Cao glanced between them thoughtfully, then said to Liang Yixuan, "Xuan, my feet are a little cold. Do you think the hospital’s little store sells foot warmers?"

Liang Yixuan put down her pen and stood up. "They probably do. I’ll go check."

"You stay here. I’ll go," Bian Xu waved her back.

"You even know where the store is? Or what a foot warmer looks like?" Liang Yixuan asked skeptically.

Although her worries weren’t unfounded, how hard could it be for someone who could ask questions?

Just as Bian Xu was about to argue, he caught Grandma Cao winking at him.

He hesitated, then said, "Alright, you go."

Turning back to Grandma Cao, he saw her nodding in approval.

Once Liang Yixuan had left the room, Bian Xu blinked slowly and asked, "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," Grandma Cao waved him closer. "I’m worried Yixuan will come back quickly, so I’ll get straight to the point, young man. Please don’t take offense."

Bian Xu moved his chair closer to her bed. "Go ahead."

"I could tell from the way Yixuan and her mother acted today that something wasn’t right between them. I wanted to ask—did something happen between them this morning?"

Bian Xu froze slightly.

After all, Cao Guizhen had lived most of her life— she could easily tell from the reaction of a young man in his twenties what was going on. She sighed and said, "I figured as much... Is it because of Xiao Xuan dating you?"

Bian Xu slowly clasped his hands together. Before denying anything, he asked casually, "How could you tell?"

"I'm Xiao Xuan’s grandmother. How could I not notice something like that? Xiao Xuan has always been polite and gentle with everyone. She never loses her temper or gets angry. But when she talks to you, it’s like... like a little hedgehog— prickly and defensive. That’s definitely different."

For some reason, her words seemed to hit a happy nerve. The corners of Bian Xu’s mouth lifted slightly, and he nodded with a soft "Mm."

Cao Guizhen patted the back of his hand and said, "Let me be direct with you. Xiao Xuan’s already in her early twenties.

I have no problem with her dating. But getting her mother’s approval— that’s the real challenge.

If she had a falling out with her mom today, she's probably feeling really upset.

But the thing about this child is, she hates letting people see her when she's hurt. Even with me, her own grandmother, she pretends nothing’s wrong— just like her mom.

So don’t think just because she acts normal, she doesn’t care, alright?"

Bian Xu’s smile slowly faded. He looked a bit surprised and asked, "She doesn’t even talk to you about it?"

"That's right," Cao Guizhen sighed. "She's been like that ever since she was little— bottling everything up inside.

I remember when she was a kid back in our hometown, she used to play every day with another little girl she was very close to.

One day, she overheard that little girl making fun of her for not having a father. She was heartbroken for a long time.

But even after that, when she saw that girl again, she didn’t show she was upset. She kept playing with her, just maybe a little colder than before.

Think about it— how many little kids that age could hide their feelings like that?"

Bian Xu’s face stiffened slightly, as if he thought of something unpleasant.

"And then what happened?" he asked.

"Later, that little girl kept gossiping about her behind her back. It happened several more times.

In the end, Xiao Xuan couldn’t take it anymore and told her directly that she didn’t want to be friends anymore.

After that, no matter how many times the girl apologized and tried to make up, Xiao Xuan never paid her any more attention," Cao Guizhen said, smiling a little.

"This child— when she decides to endure, she really endures it. Even I, her own grandmother, couldn't tell she was hurting. But once she makes up her mind that she’s done, she never turns back."

……

By the time Liang Yixuan came back from the hospital shop, it was already dark.

As she walked up to the inpatient building, she caught sight of a familiar figure standing under a tree by the road. She stopped in her tracks.

"What are you doing here?"

Bian Xu looked up and stared straight at her. After a moment of silence, he stubbed out the cigarette between his fingers and tossed it into the nearby cigarette disposal bin.

So, his craving for a smoke had gotten the better of him.

"I was only gone for a little while. Couldn’t you have just held it in?"

Liang Yixuan frowned and walked over. As she passed by him, Bian Xu suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

The next second, the smell of tobacco hit her nose as she stumbled and crashed into Bian Xu’s chest, getting wrapped up in his embrace from the front.

Liang Yixuan froze, even forgetting to push him away.

Maybe it was because a hug from the front belonged to couples, while hugs from behind belonged to lovers— but Bian Xu had never hugged her like this before.

She could barely breathe as her heart leapt violently into her throat.

Snapping out of it, she quickly shoved him away.

"What are you doing…" she said.

Bian Xu didn’t resist and was pushed a step back, his back hitting the tree trunk behind him. He didn’t make a sound, nor did he look angry.

He just stared at her without blinking, as if looking at something precious that was about to break.

Liang Yixuan couldn’t understand the flicker of guilt she saw in his eyes.

A sudden panic rose in her chest.

"You didn’t say something awful and upset my grandma, did you?"

Bian Xu shook his head.

"I’m the one who got upset."

Liang Yixuan let out a breath of relief but blinked in confusion.

"...Who could actually make you upset?"

Bian Xu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He stared at the reflection of her in his eyes and said slowly, "A…"

"Completely tactless…"

"Self-righteous…"

"Idiot."