Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 40: #BianXuRosabella#

Liang Yixuan wasn’t sure if she had fully come out of character yet. Still half-dazed, she quickly grabbed her clothes and shoes from the dressing room and followed Bian Xu into the car.

Only after he started the engine did she turn back to glance at the dance center.

"We’re really just leaving like this?"

Bian Xu turned the steering wheel and asked, "Do you know what caused Ding Ling’s tragedy?"

Liang Yixuan instinctively didn’t want to respond—nothing good ever came out of his mouth.

But just because someone doesn’t answer doesn’t mean a dog won’t bark.

Bian Xu kept talking anyway. "She overthought things. That’s what started it."

Liang Yixuan frowned. "But in the end, she still made up her mind and ran away to the shore."

In the later part of the story, Ding Ling, after much hesitation and internal struggle, finally sneaked ashore the next time the boat docked. Like a bird breaking free from a cage, she wandered around. Hungry and penniless, she eventually met a kind tavern owner.

"Ran away?" Bian Xu didn’t seem to agree with her wording. "She must have gone back to the boat in the end."

Liang Yixuan was caught off guard.

Ding Ling was just a supporting character, and her story ended after saying goodbye to the tavern owner. Her final fate was left blank.

If one wants to be optimistic, maybe she had a new chance at life. But as the one who played Ding Ling, Liang Yixuan knew that Bian Xu’s version of the ending was more in line with her fate.

Ding Ling did work up the courage to run away from her father and see the world on shore. But she’d spent her whole life on the river and knew nothing about life beyond it. She didn’t have the ability to be on her own.

To her, the outside world was full of danger. Where could she really go?

Bian Xu turned his head and glanced at the silent Liang Yixuan.

After Liang Qin had shown up at the hospital that last time, he could tell the mother-daughter relationship was strained. So he’d had someone look into the Liang family’s background.

Here’s what he found: When Liang Qin was young, she was a celebrated ballet dancer in Northern City. She married Liang Yixuan’s father at the height of her career, but they divorced soon after. Her career had already been put on hold for nearly a year due to the pregnancy. After giving birth to Yixuan, she returned quickly to Northern City Ballet and focused solely on dancing—leaving her daughter with Grandma Cao Guizhen in their hometown of Nanhua.

Liang Yixuan lived with her grandmother until she was six. That year, Liang Qin retired early due to injury, never reaching the position of principal dancer, and returned to Nanhua.

It was then that Liang Yixuan began learning ballet basics from her mother.

When she turned ten, Liang Qin used her old connections to return to Northern City, becoming a ballet instructor at the affiliated middle school of the city’s top dance academy.

That same year, Liang Yixuan was accepted into the school and began seven years of intensive ballet training.

By the time she graduated at seventeen, she should’ve stayed in Northern City to pursue her career. Given her solid foundation and her mother’s connections, she would’ve had a good chance at joining the prestigious Northern Ballet Company.

Staying in Northern City, where she could rely on her mother’s resources, would have helped her ballet career a lot.

But instead, she chose to leave her mother, leave Northern City, and joined the Southern Ballet.

The reasons behind that decision weren’t something outsiders could easily find out.

But after watching today’s 《Lu Bian》 and remembering Liang Qin’s earlier comment—"I only agreed to let you return to Nanhua because I thought you’d fit Southern Ballet’s style better, and you might stand out more than staying with me" Bian Xu had his own guess——

Just like fifteen-year-old Ding Ling, seventeen-year-old Liang Yixuan had once summoned the courage to run away.

After a long silence, Liang Yixuan finally looked down and fiddled with her fingernails.

"Maybe Ding Ling found a way to survive on shore after all. Like… maybe the tavern owner took her in, gave her a job, and she didn’t have to go back to the boat."

Bian Xu shook his head coolly.

"Then what if her father came looking for her and forced her to go back?"

Liang Yixuan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Because deep down, she thought… Ding Ling would give in.

She didn’t even know why she had the patience to discuss a fictional character’s fate with Bian Xu—especially when everything he said was so unpleasant to hear.

After a moment, she frowned.

"Why are you so annoying? Can’t you just let me give her a happy ending?"

"I never said you couldn’t," Bian Xu raised an eyebrow.

"But her happy ending shouldn't depend on some kind person taking her in, or just on luck—like not getting found by her father."

Liang Yixuan turned to look at him.

"Then what should it depend on?"

"On herself," Bian Xu said calmly, eyes on the road. "A truly independent person has a hundred ways to break free from their cage. But the key is, she has to make a firm decision: no matter who comes, no matter what happens, she must never go back to that boat. Not if it means compromising again."

Liang Yixuan stared at his profile and blinked slowly.

"Eyes front," Bian Xu glanced sideways. "How am I supposed to drive with you staring like that?"

"…."

Whatever flicker of emotion had stirred in her heart just now quietly faded away again.

She straightened up and looked ahead.

"Where are we going?"

"The Southern suburbs. Your grandma’s place."

"You weren’t going to take me to…" a date, right?

That had been Bian Xu’s original plan. But after their conversation just now, he suddenly remembered—Liang Yixuan was luckier than Ding Ling in one way: she still had her grandmother.

"Don’t want to see your grandma?" Bian Xu asked.

Liang Yixuan shook her head.

"I do."

She usually went to the southern suburbs on weekends when she didn’t have performances. And her grandmother had only recently recovered from an injury. If she hadn’t felt bad about asking for another day off from the show, she would’ve gone sooner.

But what surprised her was that someone like Bian Xu, who always managed to squeeze himself into her life lately, was willing to give up his only "date card" just to make her wish come true.

So she asked him, "...Does that mean your card’s expired now?"

Bian Xu smirked.

"I’m not in a rush. Why are you?"

"…"

Yeah, that was her bad for asking.

Bian Xu dropped Liang Yixuan off at the southern suburbs. Originally, he’d thought about staying a while, but when he arrived and saw Grandma Cao Guizhen chatting with a group of neighbor ladies in the yard, snacking on sunflower seeds in the sun, he reconsidered. He said hello and left.

Later, Liang Yixuan heard that Bian Xu had smoothed things over with the production team and they weren’t rushing her to come back that night, so she stayed over at her grandma’s and headed to the dance center straight from there the next morning.

On Monday morning, the crew sent two video versions of yesterday’s 《Lu Bian》 performance to the ballet company for review.

One was a full solo close-up of Liang Yixuan, and the other was the edited version meant for the evening broadcast.

Qin He watched both versions and called Liang Yixuan into her office. When she came in, Qin He waved her over.

"How do you think yesterday’s performance went?"

Liang Yixuan stood by the desk, choosing her words carefully.

"There weren’t any mistakes. I think… I was in better shape than usual."

"Only a little better?" Qin He pulled up a chair for her. "Come, take a look at the footage. I think this was your best performance since we started working on 《Lu Bian》 last year."

Liang Yixuan sat down at the computer and saw the unedited solo version.

It hadn’t been polished or filtered—just a raw take of the performance, clearly showing every move and facial expression.

"I won’t even talk about the accuracy of your movements," Qin He said, dragging the playback bar to replay a few parts—her small jumps leading into bigger ones, and the string of twenty-four fouetté turns. "See this? This is what I’ve been trying to get across about expressiveness. Same technique, same moves, but if your emotions are held back, it feels shallow—like scratching an itch through a shoe. But here, you let go emotionally. The tension, the energy—that’s what hits the audience. I heard half the crew was crying yesterday?"

Liang Yixuan nodded sheepishly.

"Teacher Bian deserves some credit too."

Qin He paused the video.

"Speaking of which, I didn’t expect you two to have such good chemistry. How many times did you rehearse together?"

Liang Yixuan blinked.

"We didn’t rehearse at all…"

Qin He was surprised.

"Then how did you match the timing?"

"He recorded a version of the accompaniment ahead of time for me. I just practiced to that."

Qin He looked even more surprised.

"Did he have a personality change or something? He used to improvise on a whim—super hard to work with. If you didn’t spend time syncing up with him in advance, you’d be on edge the entire performance. Only people with strong technical and mental strength could keep up with him. Otherwise, you'd crash and burn on stage."

Liang Yixuan had only seen Bian Xu perform solo before, so she didn’t know these details. Now that she thought about it—it did sound like something he’d do.

So this time, when he handed her a pre-recorded accompaniment, letting her practice on her own… had he suppressed his usual nature for her sake?

She drifted off in thought for a moment, but when Qin He restarted the video, she focused again.

Qin He reviewed the footage with her carefully.

"Remember how you performed here. It’s a breakthrough—but it’s not enough. I know 《Lu Bian》 means a lot to you personally, so you’re especially in the zone. But you’ll need to bring that same energy to any piece. That’s when you’ll know you’ve really leveled up. Got it?"

"I got it." Liang Yixuan nodded.

Qin He closed the solo version and opened the edited cut.

"There’s another version here for the general audience. I haven’t watched it yet. Let’s just skim through it."

Liang Yixuan relaxed, thinking it would be a casual watch.

The video opened with cinematic lighting. The stage was dark. After a few seconds of silence, a spotlight fell on Bian Xu sitting at the piano. Then a long tracking shot moved from the orchestra pit where he sat to the main stage where she stood, her back to the camera. The camera slowly pulled back again, showing both of them in the same frame. Just then, Bian Xu pressed the first note, and she spun around.

Liang Yixuan’s eyes darted around, watching carefully. A few seconds later, she realized: after that first note, Bian Xu never once looked at the piano keys. His eyes stayed locked on the main stage. Every time she moved, his gaze followed—step for step.

Even through a screen, she could feel how direct and intense that look was.

He could’ve shown off his blind playing skills in a hundred flashy ways. But instead, he chose the one that made her feel the most exposed and embarrassed.

Flustered, Liang Yixuan quickly waved her hand.

"Teacher Qin, this version’s clearly edited for entertainment value. The shots are so pretty—it’s too easy to get carried away watching it. We probably shouldn’t…"

Qin He paused the video and looked at her with approval.

"It’s good you’re aware of that. Then we’ll stop here."

"Mm…"

At 9 p.m., an hour after Episode 9 aired, Liang Yixuan was on her way back to the northern suburbs when—unsurprisingly—she saw her and Bian Xu trending on social media.

#ReunitedOnStage: A Divine Performance from Liang & Bian

When she clicked into the trending topic, the most popular post was a clip from the dance center earlier that day. The comment section had already exploded—

「East meets West, a match made in heaven. I’ve only watched it like... twenty times!」

「She’s like ‘By the wine stand, her beauty glows like the moon, her pale wrist glimmers like frost’; and he’s ‘Toasting with defiant eyes at the sky, like a jade tree swaying in the wind.’」

「Kswl kswl (can't stop smiling), I’ve already said this a hundred times: ‘Reuniting Liang and Bian’ is the most legendary CP ever!」

「I have a feeling this performance is going to go viral overseas tomorrow. The whole world is about to discover my OTP!」

「Did anyone else see that trending tag #MostRespectableBreakupOfMemoryCP? Yep, it already got drowned out by all you newbies who only care about fresh pairings and forget the old ones crying in the corner.」

「The real reason Memory CP lost to ‘Reuniting Liang and Bian’ is simple: Shen Ji looked at my goddess like she was beautiful. But Bian Xu looks at her like she’s his.」

「Not to stir the pot, but am I the only one who thinks Liang Yixuan looks a lot like Rosabella from Bian Xu’s song? Even Shen Ji mentioned she reminded him of a rose this episode...」

「I’ve wanted to say it for a while, but last time someone tried to name a real-life Rosabella, it blew up in their face when the story got debunked. Not trying to get burned twice. Liang Yixuan once said she had a falling-out with Bian Xu in July 2015, but ‘Rosabella’ was copyrighted in February that year. The timeline doesn’t match up.」

Liang Yixuan read through the comments, and when she got to the Rosabella theory, she locked her screen.

But just because she stopped looking didn’t mean the conversation stopped.

Fifteen minutes later, she received a WeChat message from Xiao Jie: 「Protect your breast health. Stop reading the trending page.」

Liang Yixuan: 「What happened?」

Xiao Jie: 「Remember how Bei Ying's career tanked after Bian Xu publicly slapped her down? She had a big endorsement renewal scheduled for announcement yesterday, but it got delayed. Today, they announced a new face entirely. Her fans have been losing it all day. Now that you're trending with Bian Xu, they're probably foaming with jealousy and throwing shade. But Bei Ying herself hasn’t even dared log into Weibo today. She’s keeping quiet, so her fans will probably simmer down soon. Don’t pay them any mind.」

At a café, Xiao Jie gave this quick summary before diving right back into the Weibo war.

A new hashtag, #BianXuRosabella, had just hit the trending list. At first, it was all CP fans drawing parallels between Liang Yixuan and Rosabella. But soon, hostile comments flooded in—

「I don’t get the delusion here. The guy already had a ballerina goddess four years ago. Now he finds someone who just happens to look similar? In any novel, that’s called a stand-in. Aren’t you embarrassed pushing this narrative?」

Xiao Jie clenched her phone, furiously typing on her Weibo alt, unleashing her entire arsenal of snark.

Meanwhile, Liang Yixuan, having read Xiao Jie’s explanation, had a good idea what was fueling the fire.

It was that song—Rosabella.

And after spending enough time observing online chatter, paired with what Bei Ying had said at the dance center that day, she could guess exactly where the attacks were headed.

Taking Xiao Jie’s advice, Liang Yixuan didn’t check Weibo again.

When the car pulled up to the villa, she thanked the driver, opened the door, and stepped out.

The living room on the first floor was brightly lit. As soon as she walked in, she saw Zhao Meng’en and Cheng Nuo sitting on the couch, clutching pillows and arguing passionately about something. At the other end of the room, Bian Xu was just picking up a suit jacket, getting ready to leave.

When she stepped inside, all three of them froze—pausing their steps, silencing their talk.

Her instincts told her this weird atmosphere had everything to do with what Xiao Jie mentioned about the online uproar.

She looked down, changed into slippers, and cleared her throat: "I’m back."

Bian Xu, clearly annoyed about the song situation, let out a long breath. "You saw the trending stuff?"

Liang Yixuan touched her nose. Before she could answer, Bian Xu had already read her body language.

He nodded and pointed to a camera setup nearby. "I’ll say this one last time, on record: I don’t know the real-life Rosabella. In February 2015, I came back to Beicheng for New Year and passed by a dance school. I saw someone dancing ballet and wrote a song when I got home. That’s all there is. I have no feelings toward this ‘real Rosabella’ beyond artistic inspiration."

From the side, Cheng Nuo couldn’t help but stir the pot: "That info doesn’t add up, Teacher Bian. What kind of school doesn’t close for the New Year?"

Bian Xu closed his eyes for a second.

If he could go back in time four years, he’d definitely think twice before writing that damn song.

Opening his eyes again, he shot Cheng Nuo a cold look and said word by word, "Then you should go ask what kind of girl wastes her New Year’s Eve dancing alone on the school field."

Their back-and-forth suddenly fell quiet when they noticed Liang Yixuan standing to the side, unusually silent for too long.

Bian Xu rubbed his temples, walked over to her, and asked, "Are you mad?"

Liang Yixuan looked at him, her eyes flickering, and after a long pause, she hesitated and asked, "...That New Year’s Eve—what dance school did you pass by?"

"I don’t remember a school from four years ago. Why—" Bian Xu stopped mid-sentence, noticing the odd look in her eyes. He blinked slowly, almost cautiously. "Wait… don’t tell me you were that girl?"