Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 36: Stop Crying

Liang Yixuan didn’t know why, but the moment she heard those words, a wave of emotion suddenly surged up to her nose, sharp and overwhelming.

For just a moment, it felt like she was right back in that summer night— the one where she had crossed the sea in the middle of the night, traveled thousands of miles, just to hear an answer. But in the end, all she got was disappointment, and she had to return empty-handed.

That night’s unacknowledged pain was finally being recognized— just a little too late— on this cold winter evening.

It had clearly been so long ago. She hadn’t even taken Pan Yu’s words too seriously last night. And yet now, she felt like a child who manages not to cry when no one helps her up after a fall— but the moment someone reaches out and tries to comfort her, the tears come pouring out. The more she thought about it, the more it hurt.

She wasn’t upset about how Bei Ying had manipulated public opinion back then, or about Pan Yu’s lies the night before.

What hurt was this thought: Why didn’t Bian Xu say these words a little sooner?

Her vision blurred. Liang Yixuan turned her head away and stared at the marble tiles on the floor, trying hard to hold back the heat behind her eyes.

Bian Xu stepped forward and moved directly in front of her again. "Are you mad?"

Liang Yixuan shook her head and turned away from him.

Bian Xu followed closely behind. "I just found out. I changed clothes and came straight here— I couldn’t have come any faster."

"It’s not that, Liang Yixuan. When something like this happens, you’ve got to tell me. Otherwise, how could I—"

He cut himself off with a half-frustrated, half-amused laugh. But then he caught sight of the tears welling in her eyes and suddenly choked on the rest of his words.

He gave in, nodding to himself like he was surrendering.

"Alright, my fault."

Then he bent down slightly, using his finger to gently wipe away the tear streaks from the corner of her eye.

His voice softened. "Stop crying."

Liang Yixuan brushed his hand away. "I’m not—"

She meant to say she wasn’t crying because of that.

But Bian Xu jumped in before she could finish.

With a lazy sigh, he said, "Right, you’re not crying. There was just sand in your eye. Or maybe a strong draft blew through. Or the stage lights were too bright. Or the fog machine was too smoky."

Liang Yixuan was momentarily speechless. Her train of thought completely derailed, and she glared up at him.

Bian Xu shook his head with a slight smile and said, "Liang Yixuan, I’m just saying— if you keep staring at people like that, all teary-eyed, who could stand it? Don’t come blaming me later for doing something just because you looked too irresistible."

Liang Yixuan hurriedly wiped her tears dry, glanced toward the door, and walked off quickly.

Bian Xu smiled and followed her.

When she stepped out of the dance center, Liang Yixuan was still thinking she needed to hurry to the road and catch a cab — to shake off this shameless man once and for all.

But maybe it was the long day of exhausting rehearsals, or maybe the winter night had just gotten too cold. Because the moment Bian Xu opened the front passenger door and warm air from the heater brushed against her face, she suddenly didn’t have the energy to fight with herself anymore— and gave in. She got in the car.

By the time they returned to the northern suburb, it was almost midnight.

As soon as they got out of the car, Liu Peng came running out of the security office, wrapped in a thick jacket and rubbing his hands together from the cold.

"Thanks for your hard work, you two! Did you happen to miss the text we sent earlier?"

Bian Xu had been driving, and Liang Yixuan had been dozing off in the passenger seat the whole ride back. Neither of them had checked their phones.

Liang Yixuan was about to pull out her phone from her bag when Liu Peng stopped her: "Oh, no need — I can just tell you both directly. For this weekend’s date session, we’re going with an open invitation format. Each guest can use a special card to invite the person they’re interested in. Whether or not to accept the invitation is up to the person receiving it. As long as your schedules don’t conflict, you can go on more than one date. The invitation cards have already been placed in your rooms."

Bian Xu let out a short, sarcastic laugh— it wasn’t clear which part he was reacting to.

Liang Yixuan glanced sideways at him, then smiled politely at Liu Peng.

"Got it, Director Liu. Thanks for staying up so late to deliver the notice."

"It’s nothing, really," Liu Peng replied, waving a rolled-up schedule in his hand, while sneaking a cautious glance at Bian Xu’s expression. "Alright then, I won’t keep you both up any longer."

Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu entered the house and headed upstairs, one after the other.

Just as they reached the second-floor landing, they both spotted a card hanging from the doorknob of Liang Yixuan and Cheng Nuo’s shared room.

Bian Xu had every reason to believe that Liu Peng had deliberately waited until this exact moment to show him the footage— just to lure him away, so the other male guests could swoop in and deliver their invite cards first.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bian Xu strode forward and snatched the card.

Liang Yixuan froze for a second, then reached out to grab it back.

But Bian Xu, using his height to his advantage, held the card high up in the air.

"Are you a thief?" Liang Yixuan hissed, keeping her voice low.

Bian Xu raised an eyebrow. "Why? Were you thinking of accepting someone’s invitation?"

"I… Whether I accept or not is my choice. But you can’t just steal someone else’s card!" Liang Yixuan frowned. "Be reasonable— give it back."

"We’re talking about dating, not a court case. What’s reason got to do with it?"

Liang Yixuan didn’t want to humiliate herself by jumping for it, so she stood on tiptoe to try to reach. But Bian Xu easily leaned his arm back out of reach, holding the card up like bait.

Frustrated, Liang Yixuan scowled.

"Fine. Then I’ll just work overtime at the dance center all weekend and skip everyone’s date."

"……"

Bian Xu paused, frowned, and handed the card back to her.

"Fine, fine, take it."

Liang Yixuan took the card and turned to head back to her room, when she suddenly heard a low hiss: "Ah…"

She turned around and saw Bian Xu pressing gently against his upper abdomen, his brows tightly knit in pain.

Liang Yixuan looked at him suspiciously.

"Didn’t you already take medicine last night? Still hurting?"

Bian Xu's expression darkened.

"When that guy Lin was making that face, you sure didn’t react like this."

Well, maybe if he hadn’t just been all puffed-up and full of himself snatching her invitation card like some warrior five minutes ago, she might’ve believed it.

Remembering how Bian Xu had also looked unwell outside the elevator at the dance center earlier, Liang Yixuan sighed and started up the stairs.

"Let me check what medicine you took."

Bian Xu’s lips curved slightly, and he followed her up the stairs. Once they reached the suite, he pushed the door open and nodded toward the room.

"Go ahead, you may enter."

Like he was bestowing some grand honor.

Liang Yixuan was at a loss for words as she walked in. Seeing the chaotic mess of furniture and decorations in the living room, she winced and shook her head.

Still the same chaotic free-spirit who loved asymmetry.

Trying her best to ignore the mess that hurt her eyes, she picked up the medicine box opened on the coffee table and inspected it.

The medicine wasn’t wrong— it just probably hadn’t kicked in yet.

Bian Xu had long had irregular sleeping and eating habits thanks to his intense focus on music. Skipping meals was normal for him, and his stomach was already in poor shape.

If not for his high quality of life and regular checkups with a private doctor, things would’ve gone seriously wrong by now.

She checked the other meds in the bag, picked out a box of granules, and said: "You’ve probably triggered your gastritis again. This herbal powder is milder — drink a cup first. If it’s still not better tomorrow, go to the hospital. Or have your doctor come over."

Bian Xu responded with a casual "Oh," and reached for the glass pot to pour water.

"Cold water can’t dissolve that," Liang Yixuan stopped him, then turned to find the thermos. She made a cup with hot water, stirred it evenly, and handed it to him.

Bian Xu took the cup and slowly sipped it, eyes drifting toward the invitation card she had left on the table.

Liang Yixuan immediately picked it up and tucked it away, wary.

"Open it," Bian Xu said, setting down his empty cup and tipping his chin. "Let’s see who it’s from."

Keeping her distance, Liang Yixuan opened the card. Her eyes flickered slightly—

Time: Saturday, 1:00–3:30 PM
Place: Nanhuai Dance Center
Date Activity: Watching the ballet 《Lu Bian》
Inviter: Shen Ji

Seeing her expression, Bian Xu pretty much guessed it.

"Shen Ji?" he asked with a cold laugh.

Liang Yixuan glanced at him, taking it as silent confirmation.

"You going?"

Liang Yixuan frowned slightly.

"It’s a promise I owe him."

She had long agreed to invite Shen Ji to watch a performance of 《Lu Bian》, but never managed to get him a ticket to her own show. Now he was settling for this alternative — she couldn't, in good conscience, refuse.

Bian Xu looked at her quietly for a moment, then nodded as if giving in. He grabbed his own invitation card and a pen from the nightstand. After scribbling something in bold, messy handwriting, he handed it to Liang Yixuan.

She hesitated, then looked down—

Time: Anytime Sunday
Place: Come with me
Date Activity: We’ll figure it out
Inviter: Bian Xu

Liang Yixuan: "…"

The next day, at 1 PM sharp, Liang Yixuan arrived at the entrance of the dance center. From afar, she could already see a cluster of cameramen focusing on Shen Ji, who was dressed sharply in a gray suit and holding a bouquet of white lilies.

She quickly walked up to him, slightly embarrassed.

"Traffic was bad. Did you wait long?"

"I just got here too," Shen Ji said with a smile, handing her the lilies. "I know I didn’t get to see your performance, but this is just a small token."

Liang Yixuan accepted the flowers with both hands and nodded.

"Thank you."

Shen Ji checked his watch.

"The performance starts at 1:45. Still plenty of time — want to walk around a bit?"

The ballet officially began at 2 PM. When she saw the time on his card earlier, Liang Yixuan had suspected Shen Ji probably had other plans in mind for the date.

Someone as meticulous as him wouldn’t leave a random hour gap for no reason.

She nodded.

"Okay."

Near the dance center, there was a riverside walkway on top of a levee — a great place for a stroll and some conversation.

Holding the lilies, Liang Yixuan walked beside Shen Ji through a landscaped avenue and up onto the levee.

"It’s funny," she remarked, "this place is so close to the dance center, and yet I’ve barely ever come here."

Shen Ji smiled and nodded.

"Life in Nanhuai moves fast. Everyone’s hustling, trying to get ahead. It’s rare to slow down and take a walk. Honestly, joining this show has been my only break in a long time."

"So you came on the show to relax?" Liang Yixuan followed up.

Shen Ji shook his head.

"My family’s been pressuring me to get married. I told my grandpa I really am making an effort to meet people, but he didn’t believe me. Said I’m always working and just making excuses— so I came on the show to prove it to him."

Liang Yixuan was surprised and found it kind of amusing.

"Your grandpa?"

Shen Ji thought for a second before answering carefully.

"He’s the one who raised me— not my biological grandfather."

Liang Yixuan paused slightly.

Even though Shen Ji didn’t spell it out, just that one sentence was enough for her to understand. He probably didn’t come from a complete family either.

And maybe, compared to her single-parent background, his situation had been even harder.

Sensing the conversation was getting a little too personal, she didn’t ask any more and quickly shifted the topic.

"The sun’s out today, the wind’s calm— the weather’s actually pretty nice."

Shen Ji clearly understood what she was doing and looked at her with a smile.

"Yixuan, don’t you think we’re kind of alike?"

Liang Yixuan thought for a moment, then nodded.

From their shared love of order, their ability to read the room, to their thoughtful, rule-abiding personalities — they really were quite similar.

"So, do you think people who are alike make good partners?"

Caught off guard, Liang Yixuan blinked. After a moment’s pause, she answered honestly: "I don’t know. I don’t… have much experience with that."

Shen Ji nodded.

"I don’t think simply having similar or opposite personalities determines whether two people can be together. Either one could work. What really matters is whether the reasons behind those personalities are similar or different — because that’s what shapes the kind of energy you carry."

"Energy?" Liang Yixuan had never heard it put that way before.

"Yes. All the different experiences we go through growing up give us a unique kind of energy. When two people have similar energy, they’re more likely to truly understand each other’s emotions and circumstances. They can empathize deeply with each other. But that also means being together might feel very calm, like still water— peaceful, but without much spark.

On the other hand, when two people have very different energy, they may clash, argue, even push each other away — but it’s in those clashes that sparks might fly."

Liang Yixuan could tell Shen Ji was speaking with a deeper meaning.

He was saying that two quiet, reserved people could still become a couple. For example, one person might be reserved because they grew up surrounded by serious, traditional art, while the other became that way from constantly moving around and never making close friends. Even though their personalities look similar, their inner energy might be very different— and sparks could still fly.

But her and Shen Ji’s similar personalities probably came from the same source: the fact that neither of them had a complete family. And even now, they were still living within that same energy.

Which was why, between them, everything remained calm and uneventful.

But there was someone else— someone whose energy was the complete opposite of theirs.

Liang Yixuan frowned, swallowing with difficulty.

"But isn’t the process of creating sparks also a process of hurting each other? Isn’t that painful?"

"If there's no need to adjust or compromise, that person is a friend, maybe even a soulmate. But a partner — that’s someone you do have to grow and adjust with. That’s part of the journey."

Liang Yixuan tilted her head, curious.

"Then along that journey of compromise, isn’t there a chance that the pain of the process might wear down the feelings you have for each other?"

"There’s always that chance. But I believe love, at its core, is a kind of longing. You long to become more like that person, to draw from the energy they have that you don’t. That’s why you fall in love with them. As long as that longing for their energy doesn’t fade, your feelings for them won’t fade either."

It was like a corner of her heart suddenly collapsed — and in that dizzying moment of emotional imbalance, Liang Yixuan finally understood why, four years ago, she had been so easily drawn to a man she barely knew.

It wasn’t because of his good looks.

It wasn’t because of his charm or aura.

It was because she longed to have a soul like his — burning hot, full of life, and completely free.

And even now, that had never changed.