Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 38: Are a Hundred Old Friends Worth More Than One Granddaughter-in-Law?

Bei Ying stood frozen in front of Bian Xu, staring at him in disbelief.

Bian Xu glanced at her coldly and made a phone call.

"Wait at the door and keep time. Let me know if Miss Bei is out within three minutes."

Only then did Bei Ying seem to realize he wasn’t bluffing. Her voice trembled as she tried to explain, "I came to Southern Ballet to talk about a job—"

"Five seconds," Bian Xu interrupted calmly. He closed his eyes and turned his head toward the window, as if enjoying the soft afternoon sun.

He didn’t care what excuses she had prepared. The moment she appeared in front of Liang Yixuan, she had already crossed his line.

Bei Ying gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "Grandpa Bian wouldn’t—"

"Ten seconds."

Just then, Johnson burst through the door and dragged Bei Ying out.

"Mr. Bian, I’m so sorry! We’re leaving right now— I swear we’ll never set foot here again!"

Bei Ying stumbled as Johnson pulled her all the way to the elevator. She angrily shook off his hand.

Johnson hit the down button and shook his head.

"For heaven’s sake! It hasn’t even been that long since Bian Xu last blew up. You already forgot how many followers you lost, how many jobs were canceled, how hard we worked just to keep a few sponsors? The company just lifted your ban, and here you are poking the bear again!"

"She’s not even officially his girlfriend! The woman just visited the family once— and you’re already losing your mind over it?"

"Now look what you’ve done. You went out of your way to be petty and sarcastic, trying to provoke her, and she didn’t even flinch— now you’re the one who looks like a joke. Are you seriously planning to go down with her? I’m telling you, as long as Bian Xu’s in the picture, the fish will never die— it’s only our net that’s going to get ripped!"

Bei Ying was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling.

"And men like him hate feeling controlled the most. The more you bring up his grandfather, the faster he’ll freeze you out. Please, for the love of God, learn from this. Don’t dig your own grave again. Even if you pissed off his grandfather, there might still be a way out— but you messed with Bian Xu himself. That’s like offending the emperor of the Bian family!"

Johnson rattled on, frustrated. When the elevator still didn’t come, he stomped his foot and yanked Bei Ying toward the stairwell.

"Three minutes, three minutes— forget the elevator, run!"

Back in the meeting room, Bian Xu and Liang Yixuan looked at each other quietly for a moment.

He rubbed his temples, walked over, sat beside her, and lowered his voice.

"Did she bully you?"

The bullying was obvious.

What he was really asking was whether she felt bullied.

Liang Yixuan shook her head expressionlessly. "No. It’s more dignified if I handle it myself."

"Dignity?" Bian Xu scoffed lightly. "In situations like this, there’s no need for pleasantries. One sentence is enough."

Liang Yixuan glanced at him. "Like what?"

"‘Don’t ask if you can— ask if you’re worthy.’"

She choked on her own breath for a second. "Aren’t you afraid your grandfather’s going to blow up?"

"I’m being a good grandson," Bian Xu said with a smirk. "Are a hundred old family friends worth more than one future granddaughter-in-law?"

It took Liang Yixuan a moment to process what he meant. She stood up, changing the subject.

"How did you know about this and show up so fast?"

From what Bian Xu had said earlier, he already knew Bei Ying had come to Southern Ballet under the excuse of looking for a dance double.

But if he’d only heard about it after the fact, there’s no way he could’ve arrived so quickly.

Bian Xu leaned back, resting his head on his hand, and looked up at her.

"Didn’t your schedule say the date was supposed to end at 3:30?"

"……"

So as soon as it hit 3:30, he was already waiting near the dance center, planning to find the right moment to step in.

Then, just as news about Bei Ying came through, he was able to rush over right away.

…Opportunities really do favor those who are prepared.

Thinking of that, Liang Yixuan suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. "Shen Ji is still waiting downstairs. I should go."

Bian Xu spread his hands, not stopping her. "Go ahead."

Liang Yixuan said a quick goodbye to Qin He outside the meeting room, then hurried downstairs.

Once she was out of sight, Bian Xu’s face turned cold again. He made a phone call.

"How many minutes after I gave the order did she leave the building?"

"Boss, she just made it within the three-minute limit."

"Alright. Let Qi Yuan know—it’s time she learned a proper lesson."

"Huh? Wasn’t the deal that if she left within three minutes, we’d let her off the hook?"

"If it had been longer than three minutes, it wouldn’t just be a lesson."

Outside the dance center, Liang Yixuan jogged over to Shen Ji and the filming crew. "Sorry for keeping everyone waiting."

Shen Ji shook his head. "No problem. Mr. Bian explained the situation to us before he went upstairs."

So Bian Xu actually did some damage control for me, Liang Yixuan thought with some surprise.

"Are we heading back to North Suburbs now?" she asked.

Shen Ji glanced behind her. "Something urgent came up at the company. I’ll need to head over. You might have to ride with Mr. Bian."

Following Shen Ji’s gaze, Liang Yixuan turned to see Bian Xu walking out of the elevator.

Suddenly, she remembered the first time she met Shen Ji.

That day, in the villa where she had felt so awkward, both Shen Ji and Lin Xiao Sheng had offered her a glass of water.

But before she could react, Shen Ji had pulled his glass back, saying, "It might be a bit too hot— just boiled."

She had a feeling the water wasn’t hot at all. And today’s "urgent matter" probably wasn’t real either.

He was just offering her a graceful exit — making sure neither of them had to feel awkward or conflicted in the face of a choice.

As she stood silently, Bian Xu had already walked up to them.

Liang Yixuan turned and gave Shen Ji a small nod.

Shen Ji took a bouquet of lilies from one of the staff and handed it to her. "Go enjoy yourself. I’ve already received the gift you owed me. Today was a perfect day for me."

Even though the show wasn’t over yet, Liang Yixuan could sense the tone of a goodbye in his words.

It felt like his invitation to see《Lu Bian》today, and accepting the bouquet, had brought a tidy end to something that had started between them.

The words of gratitude caught in her throat. She took the flowers, nodded silently, then nodded again, and finally blurted out awkwardly, "Thank you. You too… take care."

Shen Ji smiled and said, "Of course." Then he looked at Bian Xu, who had been waiting patiently without interrupting — a rare gesture of restraint.

Bian Xu gave him a nod, then walked up and patted Liang Yixuan on the shoulder. "Let’s go."

She followed him into the back seat of his Bentley. As the car started moving, she looked out the open window and waved back at Shen Ji, who stood watching them leave.

Just as she was about to turn away, the bouquet in her arms was suddenly pulled away.

At the same time, a voice full of irritation rang out: "Liang Yixuan, you’re in my car and still looking at another man? That’s enough."

God knows if he had waited one second longer, she would’ve already sat up straight.

Liang Yixuan turned her head. "So what, in your car I can only look at you?"

"Of course."

She lifted her chin, straightened her back, and stared straight ahead—at the driver.

Bian Xu: "…"

Driver: "…………"

When they got back to the North Suburbs villa, the living room was empty.

As far as Liang Yixuan knew, Cheng Nuo and Duan Ye had gone out on a date.

While she was away, the production team had put a lot of effort into marketing their "YeCheng CP."

Duan Ye had always been money-driven, and Cheng Nuo, being a screenwriter, didn’t mind cooperating to build her network in the entertainment industry. So the two kept up mutual interactions.

Just last night, Cheng Nuo had been grumbling about the whole contract-couple thing, complaining that she was always the one writing the date invitation cards.

Still, complaints aside, Cheng Nuo had sent out her card.

Liang Yixuan placed the lilies in a vase in the living room and wandered around, but didn’t see anyone else. It wasn’t until Liu Peng came in that she learned Zhao Meng’en had a school performance today, and Lin Xiao Sheng and Pan Yu had gone to the supermarket to buy dinner ingredients.

In other words, only she and Bian Xu were home.

The two of them sat on the couch, each holding a glass of water.

Bian Xu didn’t seem pleased about Liu Peng’s interruption. After Liu finished updating them and still didn’t leave, Bian Xu gave him a side glance.

"Director Liu, anything else you want to say?"

Liu Peng smiled awkwardly, walked over, and sat in a single chair across from them.

"Mr. Bian, it’s just that your invitation card didn’t specify any plans. We’d like to confirm the filming schedule for tomorrow."

"Just get to the point, Director Liu. It'll save us all time."

Liu Peng coughed into his fist, then turned to Liang Yixuan.

"Right, well, here’s the thing— Southern Ballet signed an extra agreement with the production team before. They’d like one episode to highlight your professional dance background. We spoke with your instructors today. They said your condition is good enough to perform onstage. The only reason you didn’t dance today was because we weren’t sure about your recovery, so we scheduled other performers. Isn’t that right?"

Liang Yixuan nodded. "I’m available any time during the next two weeks."

"Great, then no time like the present—how about tomorrow?" Liu Peng finally got to the point. "You two have a solo date scheduled anyway. We’ll borrow the theater at the dance center—Ms. Liang can perform, and Mr. Bian can accompany her on piano. A proper, formal performance!"

After all that talking, the real goal was still trying to squeeze more screen time out of Bian Xu.

But things had changed since last time. Bian Xu didn’t pull out his old line, "Does Director Liu know how much one of my pieces costs?" Instead, after thinking a moment, he just nodded. "If she’s okay with it, I’m fine."

Liang Yixuan glanced at Bian Xu.

Aside from the mess on their first date during the show, Bian Xu had never seriously accompanied her dancing before—he might have helped her find a key or a rhythm on piano once or twice, but that was it.

Setting personal feelings aside, just from an artistic standpoint, she knew that having Bian Xu accompany her was a huge favor—beneath someone of his stature, even.

Since the agreement between Nanba Ballet and the show’s producers had already been signed, this performance segment was inevitable.

Now that Bian Xu had agreed, she didn’t hesitate either—though she did have one concern. "If we film tomorrow, will we have enough time to rehearse?"

Bian Xu tilted his chin slightly. "Pick a piece you already know. I’ll follow your lead."

This—this was the confidence of a top-tier artist. Liu Peng clapped his hands, moved nearly to tears. "Actually, you two don’t even need to worry about picking a piece—I already chose one."

"…"

"It’s Lu Bian! The same one they performed at the dance center today!"

Both Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu froze at the name.

Liu Peng, of course, had no idea that《Lu Bian》marked the beginning of their relationship—or what kind of memories the two were suddenly lost in. He just kept going cheerfully, "Ms. Liang has been rehearsing for that show lately, so it should be an easy one to perform. I also checked with her teacher from Nanba—they said the solo she danced can definitely be adapted with piano accompaniment. Plus, we reviewed today’s date footage—Mr. Shen and Ms. Liang had a very complete and emotional conversation during Lu Bian, so now it’s perfect for Mr. Bian to step in and carry the emotion forward—connect the dots…"

Liu Peng went on and on, laying out the production team’s perfect vision. Finally, he looked at them both. "What do you think?"

Bian Xu turned slightly and looked at Liang Yixuan.

Liang Yixuan hadn’t really heard anything Liu Peng just said. She only came back to her senses when he asked the question. After a brief pause, she nodded softly. "Okay."

The next morning at ten, in the dressing room at Nanba Ballet, Liang Yixuan sat alone in front of the mirror, lightly brushing blush onto her cheeks.

Because there wasn’t enough space at the villa for the two of them to rehearse together, after Liu Peng left last night, Bian Xu recorded a piano accompaniment using the living room piano, and she had taken that recording to practice in the yoga room.

Maybe it was some unspoken understanding between old lovers, but Bian Xu never came to the yoga room to check on her practice—and she didn’t ask him how his piano rehearsals were going either.

Even when she left earlier this morning for the dance center to do her makeup and hair, they didn’t run into each other.

Not that he needed her to worry about him.

Once she finished the last touch of makeup and turned her head slightly to check her bun, she suddenly heard a knock on the dressing room door—three light taps.

An unexpected wave of nervousness washed over her.

She took a deep breath before saying, "Come in."

The door opened, and a familiar figure walked into her line of sight like a memory stepping out of time.

The man outside wore a black tailcoat tuxedo, paired with a white hand-tied bow tie. Tall and poised, just like the first time she had met him four years ago.

The only difference now was that, unlike his cool and distant gaze back then, this time—he was looking directly at her.

Liang Yixuan knew that right now, dressed in a sky-blue modified qipao, she probably looked exactly the same as she had back when Bian Xu first saw her.

He seemed to need a moment to process the déjà vu, standing still for a long time before finally stepping in with a faint smile.

Liang Yixuan immediately turned back to the mirror, pretending to continue checking her hair.

Bian Xu walked up behind her and stopped, leaning down with both hands on the back of her chair. In the mirror, his face was so close, it almost touched hers.

Her hand paused mid-motion as she adjusted her hairpin, breath catching. Her cheeks began to flush uncontrollably.

He didn’t move.

After a long silence, she turned her head slightly to get some space and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Bian Xu rested one hand lightly on the chair, eyes lowered as he looked at her. After a moment, he raised his thumb and gently brushed her cheek.

Liang Yixuan froze completely.

"I’m looking at Ms. Liang," he said, rubbing his thumb where a bit of color had transferred.

He smiled.

"Looks like you overdid the blush a little."