Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 8: Going to My Ex-Girlfriend's House to Reminisce

At 6 a.m. the next morning, Liang Yixuan was woken up by her alarm.

Knowing that Cheng Nuo in the next bed usually slept in, she quickly silenced it before it could go off again. She stared up at the dim ceiling for a moment, listening to the sound of rain outside to gather her thoughts.

After a few minutes, she picked up her phone and saw a bunch of WeChat messages she hadn’t replied to last night.

Ever since the variety show aired, several acquaintances—people she normally didn’t talk to much—had messaged her: "Hey, was that you?" "What made you join a reality show?" and lots of compliments like "You looked great on camera! Prettier than ever!"

The show’s debut hadn’t made huge waves, but the ballet community in China was small—especially among people her age. Once one or two recognized her, word spread quickly.

She replied to each message politely, and by the time she was done, it was almost 6:30.

Hurrying out of bed, she washed up, threw on a simple shirt dress, and headed downstairs. As she turned the corner on the first floor, the smell of porridge greeted her.

These past few days, she’d always been the first to leave in the morning. She had never run into any of the other guests this early.

So she was surprised to see "Female Guest #3" Pan Yu busy in the kitchen.

Gone was her usual polished office-lady look—blazer, heels, and full makeup. Today, Pan Yu wore a soft white chiffon dress, had just light foundation on, and her neat mid-length hair was pulled back into a gentle low ponytail.

When she heard footsteps, she waved at Liang Yixuan. "Morning!"

"Morning," Liang Yixuan nodded and walked over.

"I made porridge," Pan Yu said, pointing at the pot on the stove. "But it still needs a little more time. Do you have time to wait?"

In the past few days, Pan Yu hadn’t shown any signs of being into cooking, nor had she made an effort to chat with anyone. But this morning, she was acting unusually friendly—like a totally different person.

Then Liang Yixuan suddenly remembered what Cheng Nuo had told her last night after watching the premiere: the early votes were very concentrated. Among the women, she had gotten three votes for two days straight, and among the men, Shen Ji had done the same.

"My ride’s almost here," Liang Yixuan said, waving it off. "Oatmeal’s fine." She poured herself a cup of instant oats, but just as she sat down at the dining table, her phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Miss Liang?" a man’s voice asked.

"Yes, speaking. Are you here already?" she stood up, holding her cup.

"Ah, no no—here’s the thing, Miss Liang. My car ran into some issues on the way over. I don’t think I’ll be able to get to you anytime soon. Just wanted to let you know right away so it doesn’t mess up your schedule. I’m really sorry about this!"

"It’s okay," she said, glancing at the rain still coming down outside. "You go take care of things on your end—I’ll try to book another ride."

After hanging up, she sat back down, frowning.

The filming location was in the northern suburbs, where traffic was usually light. The driver who just canceled had been pre-booked the night before. And with this kind of weather, finding a last-minute ride wouldn’t be easy.

She opened the app and gave it a try. Sure enough, by the time she’d finished her oatmeal, no one had picked up the order.

At around 7:00, Pan Yu opened the lid on the porridge and asked, "Can’t get a ride?"

"Nope."

"Why don’t you just buy a car? Public transport in Nanhuai is way too crowded."

Still fiddling with the app, Liang Yixuan replied, "...I haven’t gotten my license yet."

"Oh, I couldn’t wait to get on the road when I turned eighteen," Pan Yu said. "But my office is in the opposite direction from yours, so I can’t really give you a lift."

Right at that moment, Shen Ji came downstairs.

"Can’t get a ride?" he asked.

As soon as Liang Yixuan opened her mouth to speak, Pan Yu, over by the kitchen island, greeted them first.

"Morning."

"Morning," Shen Ji replied to Pan Yu, then turned back to Liang Yixuan.

"Come with me—I’ll give you a ride."

"I made porridge," Pan Yu said at the same time.

"You should eat breakfast first," Liang Yixuan said to Shen Ji. "I increased the ride fare; I’ll get a car soon."

Pan Yu also brought over a bowl of porridge. "Just have some—it won’t take more than a few minutes. I already served it, don’t waste it!"

"Then save mine for later," Shen Ji replied with a smile, slipping on the suit jacket he had draped over his arm. "I’ll drink it when I get back tonight." He looked at Liang Yixuan. "As for your ride fare—why not let me earn it?"

Seeing the time and realizing she'd be late if she hesitated any longer, Liang Yixuan didn’t argue.

The film crew had installed a GoPro on the dashboard of Shen Ji’s black Cayenne to capture their interaction.

The camera was close, and with the windows closed due to the rain, the space felt small and enclosed. As soon as she got in, Liang Yixuan felt a bit tense.

She had chosen to text Shen Ji over the past few days because, out of the three male guests, he was the one she felt most comfortable around. With Duan Ye, she always worried about awkward silences. With Lin Xiao Sheng, his overwhelming enthusiasm was honestly stressful.

But even so—this was only Day 4. There wasn’t that much to say yet.

She thought of the flood of enthusiastic live comments during last night’s premiere and suddenly wasn’t sure where to draw the line with him.

Maybe Shen Ji noticed her discomfort. After driving for a while, he casually started a new topic with a smile: "Let’s talk about something that wouldn’t make it to air."

"Huh?" Liang Yixuan turned her head.

"Last night, just before bed, I got a call from a senior in the business world."

"Yeah? What about?"

"He asked what I was doing on a reality show. Said if I wanted to meet someone, he could introduce us. If he’d known I was going to go through all this, he would’ve just sent me your WeChat directly."

Liang Yixuan looked surprised. "He knows me?"

"His wife does—Madam Qiao Jing from the Nanhuai Ballet Association."

"Oh, Ms. Qiao! Yes, I know her." Then remembering the show’s rule against privately exchanging contact info, Liang Yixuan hesitated. "...So, do you have my WeChat now?"

"Do I look like someone who breaks the rules?" he asked.

Liang Yixuan shook her head. "No, you don’t."

She figured Shen Ji was like her—someone who followed the rules.

He was meticulous and organized, always aware of others’ emotions, great at managing situations and maintaining balance in relationships. People who live by impulse and ignore the rules rarely had those qualities.

"Relax, I didn’t ask for it," Shen Ji said. "I’m in business—gotta honor contracts. And I wouldn’t drag you into a breach-of-contract mess either."

Liang Yixuan laughed.

The mood lightened, and the ride didn’t feel so long after all.

A little after 8:30, Shen Ji pulled into the temporary drop-off spot in front of the dance center.

Liang Yixuan unbuckled her seatbelt, but just as she was about to get out, she heard, "Wait a sec."

Shen Ji had already gotten out. He opened a long-handled umbrella, then walked around to open the door for her. There was a deep puddle right next to the car, so he reached out his hand to help.

Grasping his wrist through the sleeve of her coat, she used the momentum to hop over the puddle. "Thanks—I made you miss breakfast."

"No need to be polite. Just eat more tonight to make up for it."

"I’m cooking tonight. Is there anything you’d like?"

"How about sweet and sour ribs?" Shen Ji smiled and pointed behind her. "It’s pouring—go on in."

"Okay." Liang Yixuan opened her small folding umbrella, waved to him, and walked into the dance center.

The black Cayenne lingered at the curb for a moment before making a U-turn and slowly driving away through the rain.

Moments later, a silver Bugatti Veyron roared past, speeding by the entrance of the dance center.

The center wasn’t just home to the South Ballet Company—there was also the Nanhuai Song and Dance Troupe and the Nanhuai Dance School. All day long, people kept asking Liang Yixuan about the reality show. By the end of training, she felt like she’d used up a whole month’s worth of words, mentally and physically drained.

At 5 p.m., she clocked out and took a shower before leaving. Remembering Lin Xiao Sheng had invited her to cook together at 7 p.m., she skipped putting on makeup, rushed downtown to buy some fresh meat and vegetables, and arrived back at the villa in the northern suburbs around 6:45.

As soon as she stepped inside, the smell of food hit her.

In the open kitchen, Lin Xiao Sheng and Pan Yu were laughing and chatting. Lin Xiao Sheng was cooking, while Pan Yu stood beside him, holding a crucian carp by the tail and dropping it into the pan.

Oil splattered, and Pan Yu let out a little scream, ducking behind Lin Xiao Sheng.

Lin Xiao Sheng quickly lifted the lid to block the splashing oil and turned back with a grin. "Come on, sis, you’re way too jumpy."

"I was just trying to help, and this is the thanks I get? Fine, I’m not helping you anymore!" Pan Yu pretended to storm off.

Lin Xiao Sheng tugged on her sleeve. "No, no, my bad—I said the wrong thing."

Pan Yu laughed. "Relax, I was teasing." She turned to grab the tofu, then noticed Liang Yixuan at the entrance changing her shoes. "Hey, Yixuan, you’re back! It was getting late, so I figured I’d help Xiao Sheng get started—otherwise we’d all be starving."

"Yeah, I went to the supermarket, so it took longer."

Carrying her grocery bags, Liang Yixuan walked over to the kitchen island.

Lin Xiao Sheng glanced back and noticed the red marks on her hand from the plastic bag handles. His eyes flickered, and he frowned slightly, as if wanting to say something—then decided against it.

Pan Yu gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"Focus on the fish, will you?"

"Oh." Lin Xiao Sheng pouted, then turned back to frying the fish.

Meanwhile, Liang Yixuan stood by the fridge, putting the ingredients away one by one, organizing them neatly. She left out a pack of pork ribs and placed it on the cutting board.

Pan Yu glanced over. "That’s a lot of food. What are you planning to make?"

"Shen Ji said he was craving sweet and sour ribs, so I’m making a portion for him."

"No need," Pan Yu said with a smile. "He’s not coming back for dinner."

Liang Yixuan froze mid-movement. "He’s working overtime?"

Pan Yu shrugged. "Not sure. Probably something came up and delayed him."

The implication was clear: maybe Shen Ji was running late because he’d given Liang Yixuan a ride that morning.

After a brief pause, Liang Yixuan put the ribs back in the fridge and took out some chicken breast for herself.

Just as she turned around, she saw Duan Ye coming downstairs, his hair a mess from sleep, eyes still half-closed as he shuffled over.

"You planning to nap through dinner too?" Pan Yu teased. "Would’ve saved us the trouble of cooking for you."

"Mm-hmm." Duan Ye responded lazily, then turned his head toward Liang Yixuan.

Not sure what to say, she gave him a slight nod in greeting—only to watch him yawn at her… right in her face.

Then he brushed past her and went to pour himself some water.

"……"

"That’s just how he is," Pan Yu said with a smile to Liang Yixuan, then pointed to the chicken breast in her hand. "Oh, and he said he’s sick of chicken breast. I’ll make him some shrimp—just cook for yourself."

"Okay," Liang Yixuan nodded.

When Cheng Nuo came downstairs, she instantly felt something was… off.

At dinner, the seating around Liang Yixuan—the most sought-after spots—were suddenly all empty. Confused, Cheng Nuo sat beside her and quietly asked what happened.

Liang Yixuan simply shook her head, signaling it was nothing.

But Cheng Nuo watched, baffled, as the dining table practically had an invisible dividing line.

On one side, Pan Yu chatted and laughed freely. Lin Xiao Sheng was calling her "sis" like they’d known each other forever, and even Duan Ye—who rarely joined conversations—was chiming in now and then.

On the other side, Liang Yixuan sat silently, facing an empty seat, head down, saying nothing.

Cheng Nuo finally realized: Pan Yu wasn’t the aloof "cool beauty" type she’d assumed. She must’ve seen the premiere last night, realized her cool attitude made her invisible on screen, and today decided to put on a more outgoing front.

The whole meal felt like a clash of fire and ice.

After all the dishes were wiped clean, Liang Yixuan noticed no one was eating anymore, so she stood up to clear the plates.

Lin Xiao Sheng had just picked up his own dishes and was halfway to standing when he saw her already moving. He paused, frozen by his seat.

Usually, post-dinner clean-up paired one guy and one girl to wash the dishes together.

Liang Yixuan hadn’t expected anyone to help tonight, but over the past few days, whenever she did the dishes, Lin Xiao Sheng would jump in to help without being asked.

She looked at him and said, "It’s okay, leave it. I can handle it."

"…Alright."

He set his plate down and sat back down.

Carrying a tall stack of bowls, Liang Yixuan walked to the kitchen.

Cheng Nuo watched in disbelief, jaw nearly dropping. She kept signaling wildly at Duan Ye across the table, urging him to help out.

Whether he didn’t see or just didn’t get it, Duan Ye simply elbowed Lin Xiao Sheng and asked, "Wanna play a few rounds?"

"Sure," Lin Xiao Sheng answered quickly, as if relieved to have an excuse to escape.

"Can I come watch?" Pan Yu raised her hand.

"Of course, sis."

"Yeah, come on."

The three of them answered in unison, then left side by side.

Cheng Nuo could only roll her eyes so hard they almost flipped back into her head. She covered her forehead with a hand and followed Liang Yixuan to the sink to help with the dishes.

From the living room, the sounds of gaming and Pan Yu’s enthusiastic cheering occasionally drifted over.

Cheng Nuo was practically shaking with rage, but with the cameras still rolling, she couldn’t vent. She scrubbed the dishes like she was taking out a personal grudge on them.

Liang Yixuan smiled and subtly gestured at her to ease up, worried the camera might catch her expression.

Cheng Nuo pulled her into the blind spot of the camera and whispered furiously, "What is wrong with everyone today?! I’m going nuts over here—can you at least react a little?!"

Of course Liang Yixuan had noticed something was off today.

But was she angry? Not exactly. After all, everyone chosen for the show was impressive in their own way—no one deserved to be the center of attention more than anyone else.

Pan Yu was a graduate of a prestigious overseas university and now worked as an asset valuation consultant. She was clearly smart and beautiful, so it wasn’t surprising the guys were interested in her.

What puzzled Liang Yixuan was that Lin Xiao Sheng and Duan Ye seemed to be going out of their way to avoid her now—as if they were intentionally keeping their distance.

Especially when just last night... she had received three text messages from them.

That night, Liang Yixuan just couldn’t figure it out—what had she done that was so wrong or inappropriate, that made them treat her like poison?

The shift in atmosphere was obvious. Liang Yixuan didn’t join the evening group activities and went back to her room alone.

Cheng Nuo had thought about going back with her, but changed her mind. She was determined to figure out what had gotten into those two guys, so she bit her tongue and stayed behind in the living room to play UNO with them.

By 10:30 p.m., Liang Yixuan was lying in bed, reading. She was starting to feel drowsy. It wasn’t time for the nightly messages yet, but she was just about to get up and move around a bit when Cheng Nuo walked in.

"Did Shen Ji come to see you?" Cheng Nuo asked the moment she entered.

Liang Yixuan shook her head. "He’s back?"

"Don’t tell me he’s gone weird too… He came back at ten! I even made a point of telling him you were upstairs alone—wasn’t that a big enough hint? I saw him heading upstairs and thought, finally, at least one guy’s acting normal."

Cheng Nuo still couldn’t believe it. "You’ve been in your room the whole time since ten?"

Liang Yixuan nodded. "Didn’t hear anyone knock."

Cheng Nuo let out a sigh and dropped down onto the bed.

Suddenly, both their phones buzzed at the same time.

It was a message from the production team, reminding them to send in their nightly texts.

Holding her phone, Liang Yixuan found herself unsure of what to say after a day like today. After thinking for a while, she finally sent a simple thank-you message to Shen Ji for driving her to work that morning. She submitted it to the staff, then left the room with Cheng Nuo.

Each night, the cast split into two groups—men and women—for the message segment. The messages sent by the cast were forwarded to the recipients anonymously through a dedicated number.

When Liang Yixuan and Cheng Nuo arrived in the second-floor lounge, Pan Yu was already sitting on a single-seat sofa, sipping from a thermal cup. She looked up and smiled. "After tonight, my voice is practically gone."

Cheng Nuo smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Well, you didn’t talk much the past few days. Suddenly chatting so much today—no wonder your voice is tired."

"Yeah, I guess I’m just a slow starter," Pan Yu replied.

Liang Yixuan was still caught up thinking about everything that felt off today, so she absentmindedly sat across from Pan Yu and picked up her phone—only to see a WeChat message from Xiao Jie:

「OMG, guess who I just saw in our neighborhood!」

Liang Yixuan hadn’t planned on replying until the segment was over, but Xiao Jie didn’t wait for her to ask:「Your! Ex! Boyfriend!」

Her hand froze around her phone.

Xiao Jie sent another:「Why would he show up in our neighborhood in the middle of the night if you’re not there?」

「Feeling nostalgic or something?」

The messages kept coming, leaving Liang Yixuan staring at her screen in disbelief.

It had been over a month since she’d sent that breakup text—one that had completely vanished into the void. No reply, no explanation.

She had no idea where Bian Xu had been these past weeks—Antarctica, Siberia, the moon, for all she knew—so how could she possibly guess what he was thinking now?

Liang Yixuan:「Did you run into him directly?」

Xiao Jie:「Nope, it happened so fast. His car sped past me out of nowhere—I didn’t even have time to take a photo!」

"…"

Liang Yixuan:「So you saw the car, not the person?」

Xiao Jie:「Duh, it was dark—I couldn’t see the guy.」

"…"

A strange unease stirred in Liang Yixuan’s chest. She pursed her lips, then typed:「You probably saw wrong. Don’t freak out like that…」

But after thinking for a second, she deleted the second sentence and just sent:「You probably saw wrong.」

"Yixuan?" Cheng Nuo suddenly called her name.

"Hmm?" Liang Yixuan looked up with a start. "What is it?"

Cheng Nuo immediately guessed from her reaction—Yixuan hadn’t received any messages tonight.

"All the texts are out," Pan Yu said cheerfully. "We’re free to go now."

"Oh, okay." Liang Yixuan stood up.

Cheng Nuo slipped her arm through Yixuan’s and pulled her along. "Don’t take it personally. I didn’t get one either."

"I’m not upset," Liang Yixuan said, shaking her head.

"Yeah right." Cheng Nuo narrowed her eyes. "Who are you trying to fool? I’m a screenwriter—I study micro-expressions for a living. That one minute you spent on the sofa just now showed more facial emotion than your past four days combined."

"…"

"I wasn’t upset because of that…" Liang Yixuan started, then trailed off and picked up her phone again.

Another message had come in from Xiao Jie, just a few seconds ago:「It was a silver Bugatti Veyron! That flashy car—you really think I’d mistake it for something else?! Unless there’s a second one in the whole city of Nanhua?」

Liang Yixuan’s expression hardened as she typed:「There is.」

She would rather believe that Nanhua had a second silver Bugatti Veyron than believe a man who couldn’t even bother replying to a breakup message had suddenly decided to go reminisce outside his ex-girlfriend’s house.