Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 43: Tough at Home

As soon as Pan Yu finished speaking, the atmosphere in the living room turned awkward.

Shen Ji paused slightly as he ladled the porridge.

Lin Xiaosheng's in-game character made a mistake due to a slip-up and was unexpectedly defeated—Game Over.

Zhao Meng'en and Cheng Nuo both turned to look at Pan Yu. One frowned slightly, the other rolled her eyes dramatically.

Only Duan Ye remained unfazed, still gripping his game controller and furiously mashing the buttons in his battle.

The intense game sound effects were now the only noise in the room.

Cheng Nuo’s attention was drawn to the "dead" player. Annoyed, she gave Duan Ye a smack on the back.

That left Zhao Meng'en to respond first: "Our teacher Bian isn’t that petty. He’s going abroad for work."

Pan Yu shook her head with a smile. "Then why didn’t he go earlier? Why now, at such a sensitive time? With his level of seniority, it’s unlikely he has such urgent work. You girls should be more cautious."

The Rosabella situation had caused quite a stir on Monday. Everyone could tell that Liang Yixuan had softened her stance a little. This was exactly the "sensitive time" Pan Yu was talking about.

Zhao Meng'en was briefly at a loss for words, unable to form a comeback.

"We’re not like you, Pan Jie," Cheng Nuo said coldly. "We don’t have the energy to keep tabs on everyone like that."

Duan Ye’s fingers, which had been operating like a beast, froze. He turned to glance at Cheng Nuo.

His game character died again. He tossed the controller aside, ruffled his hair, sighed, and looked over at Pan Yu. "You’re doing all this talking like it’s going to put more food in your own bowl. All it does is ruin someone else’s."

Cheng Nuo looked at Duan Ye with newfound respect and slowly gave him a big thumbs-up.

In the kitchen, Shen Ji looked around at everyone and tried to ease the tension with a smile. "Creative work is unique. Teacher Bian acting on inspiration quickly is actually a sign of professionalism. Xiao Nuo works in a similar field, so she understands. Those of us with nine-to-five office workers might not get it right away—it’s easy to misinterpret."

His words were perfectly measured—he pointed out that Pan Yu had misunderstood without being harsh, while also giving her a graceful way to back down.

Pan Yu took the out, went quiet, and walked over with a dark expression to get some porridge.

Cheng Nuo also gave Shen Ji face and turned back around.

But the moment she did, she caught a glimpse of a light beige coat disappearing around the stairwell corner.

It looked like…the same coat Liang Yixuan had been wearing earlier.

Liang Yixuan had already showered at the dance center. After getting home, she changed straight into her pajamas. She’d just finished brushing her teeth in the bathroom when she heard the door close. She peeked out and saw Cheng Nuo had come back to the room.

"Why are you back so early?" Liang Yixuan walked out of the bathroom, removing her headband.

Cheng Nuo watched her closely. "Did you overhear what Pan Yu said earlier?"

Liang Yixuan paused and realized what she meant. "Is that why you came up?"

"Of course! I was practically fuming from what that shady woman said. Who wants her porridge now? And Duan Ye, that weakling, claps back at her then eats it anyway—cool as a cucumber. I’m speechless!" Cheng Nuo ranted, but quickly remembered that the person who should be most upset was Liang Yixuan. She refocused, saying, "Don’t take Pan Yu’s nonsense to heart. I don’t think Bian Xu’s that dumb. Playing hard to get at a time like this? That’s a one-way ticket to disaster."

Liang Yixuan smiled faintly. "I know. He explained his reason and schedule before he left."

She hadn’t thought Bian Xu went back to the island on purpose—not because he wasn’t "dumb," as Cheng Nuo said, but because scheming simply wasn’t in his nature.

If he really wanted to play mind games, he wouldn’t have been so uncharacteristically clingy the day he left.

She’d seen his usual cold exits before.

Cheng Nuo narrowed her eyes. "Then why were you standing like a statue at the stairwell just now?"

Liang Yixuan sat down on the edge of her bed and lowered her lashes.

Why had she stood there for so long?

Because what Pan Yu said wasn’t entirely wrong.

Not about Bian Xu—but about her. She was distracted.

That moment she saw Lu Yuan carrying Bian Xu’s suitcase downstairs, her first instinct was that he was leaving again for good.

Even though Bian Xu had quickly explained, that single moment hit her too hard. The emptiness was too familiar. It reminded her: without realizing it, she was falling into the same trap all over again.

If Bian Xu had walked away cleanly this time, without telling her when—or if—he’d return, she probably wouldn’t have thought, "Finally, he’s gone for good." Instead, it would’ve hurt her all over again, just like before.

Lately, she’d been filling her days with classes and training, and at night she’d bury herself in books to escape into another world, trying her best not to revisit that emotional spiral—not to imagine those what-ifs that hadn’t even happened.

But in the end, even someone like Pan Yu—who saw her for less than an hour a day—could see right through her.

"You know that saying, ‘once bitten by a snake, you’ll fear the rope for ten years’?" Liang Yixuan suddenly asked.

Cheng Nuo blinked. "What are you getting at?"

Liang Yixuan lowered her head. "I was with him for eight months, and for most of that time…he didn’t treat me well. Now I don’t know whether I should believe in the last month or stay guarded because of the previous eight."

Cheng Nuo let out a soft "ah," starting to understand what she meant.

Liang Yixuan had never shared something so personal before, so it was hard for her to put into words.

"I don’t really know how to handle… the boundaries with him. It’s not that I don’t see that he’s treating me better now. But what if one day, he goes back to the way he used to be…"

Her words came out haltingly, but Cheng Nuo understood.

It was like turbulent undercurrents beneath a calm sea. Liang Yixuan might look composed on the outside, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t feeling deeply inside.

She was trying to say that when she liked someone, she didn’t know how to hold back—there was no in-between. If she responded to Bian Xu’s feelings, she might once again give everything without realizing it.

That would mean dropping her guard, standing completely exposed in front of him. And if he didn’t cherish her, it would be all too easy for him to hurt her.

Eight months of pain versus one month of change—anyone could see the difference. Cheng Nuo hadn’t lived through that kind of heartbreak herself, so it didn’t feel right to ask someone else to "let it go" or "forgive and forget."

Still, from Cheng Nuo’s point of view, even if Liang Yixuan had the choice to accept Bian Xu again, she probably didn’t have a choice when it came to her feelings for him.

Because the moment she started worrying this much, her heart had already given the answer.

Cheng Nuo, who made her living with words, found herself at a loss. Just as she was thinking of what to say, her phone started vibrating—it was a call from her film project’s editor. They were starting a group meeting.

She looked at the screen with dismay. "Looks like I can’t stay and chat. I have to jump on a call."

"No worries. Do what you need to do," Liang Yixuan waved her off. "I’ll just read for a bit."

"At this rate, I’m going to lose all my hair and totally mess up my hormones…" Cheng Nuo mumbled as she picked up her laptop. "Who knows how long this call will drag on. I’ll go to the guest lounge. Don’t wait up—just leave the door unlocked."

"Okay."

At 2:30 a.m., Cheng Nuo finally finished her meeting.

She stretched, rubbed her stiff neck, and packed up her laptop. Just as she was about to turn off the lights in the guest lounge, she heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

It was the middle of the night, and a chill crept up her spine. Grabbing the doorframe for support, she peered cautiously down the corridor.

A figure rounded the corner.

The person raised an eyebrow at her—Bian Xu, just back from his trip abroad.

Cheng Nuo relaxed a little, then waved him over before he could head upstairs.

Bian Xu stopped at the top of the stairs, eyes questioning. "What is it?"

Who waves someone down at 2 a.m. for no reason?

Cheng Nuo rolled her eyes at his attitude and stepped closer, keeping her voice low. "I’m here to give you some intel. Yixuan’s in a bad mood tonight."

A flicker crossed Bian Xu’s face, and his tone turned serious. "What happened?"

"Well, it started with that Pan woman running her mouth, saying you’re playing some kind of hot-and-cold game with Yixuan…"

Before she could finish, Bian Xu let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Wait—don’t get mad yet. Yixuan probably doesn’t believe that nonsense. But… did you used to disappear a lot? She kind of seems like she’s got some trauma from that."

His brow, which had relaxed for a moment, knit back together as he glanced toward Liang Yixuan’s room. "Is she asleep?"

"It’s this late—of course she is. I just saw you and figured I’d let you know. Talk to her tomorrow." Cheng Nuo yawned as she turned to go. Then she noticed Bian Xu had left his suitcase by the stairs and was quietly following her.

"I’ll go," he said quietly. "Just want to check on her."

Cheng Nuo gently pushed open the door Yixuan had left ajar for her.

Light from the hallway spilled into the dim room. Bian Xu stood at the threshold and saw the covers on the bed move slightly.

Cheng Nuo noticed too. Surprised, she walked in. "You’re still awake?"

A sleepy, slightly stuffy voice came from under the covers. "I was asleep… earlier."

Cheng Nuo immediately sensed something was off. "Wait… have you been crying?"

"No…"

Before she could go over, Bian Xu knocked on the doorframe. "Liang Yixuan, I’m coming in."

Startled, Yixuan popped her head out from under the blanket.

Cheng Nuo reached around to turn on the light.

Yixuan blinked at the brightness and rubbed her eyes.

Bian Xu strode in, sat down by her bed, gently pulled her hand away, and immediately saw the red rims of her eyes, still wet with tears.

"What were you crying about?" he asked, frowning, as he brushed the tears from her face with his thumb. "Didn’t I say I’d be back by Friday?"

Yixuan shivered slightly at his cool touch and sat up. "I wasn’t crying. I just… had a dream."

"What kind of dream?"

She went quiet.

In the dream, she had followed Bian Xu back to that towering skyscraper. He promised her he’d never leave without saying a word again. They hugged, kissed, and shared every kind of intimacy.

But the next morning, she woke up alone. The bed was cold. She ran through the whole apartment, barefoot, calling for him. He was nowhere to be found. Every time she tried to call him, she got the number wrong. The calls never went through.

That’s when she woke up—and her eyes were wet.

She hadn’t meant to cry. Her subconscious had acted on its own.

"…Just a nightmare," she mumbled, looking away.

"Did you dream about me?"

"No." She frowned, then glanced at Cheng Nuo, who was still standing there. She nudged Bian Xu. "I’m fine. Go back. People need to sleep at this hour."

Cheng Nuo waved a hand. "Don’t mind me. Watching you two has totally woken me up."

Liang Yixuan: "…"

Bian Xu glanced at his uninvited audience, then looked back. "Want to go talk in my room?"

"Let’s talk tomorrow. I want to sleep now." She shook her head and lay back down.

But Bian Xu stood up, bent one knee on the bed, and with one hand grabbed her blanket—then bundled her up and lifted her off the bed.

Yixuan yelped. "What are you doing?!"

Without answering, he turned and walked out the door with her in his arms. "You think you’ll sleep like this? I can’t sleep either."

She was too stunned to react at first. By the time she thought to struggle, his voice came down coolly from above: "Don’t move around—you’ll hurt yourself."

She was both annoyed and amused. "Then put me down! You’re the one asking what to do, and you’re the one kidnapping me—how does that even make sense?"

As he climbed the stairs, Bian Xu looked down at the awkward lump of blankets in his arms and shook his head. "Liang Yixuan, if I were really a kidnapper, I wouldn’t have bothered to cover you up."

She looked down at her ridiculous bundled-up state—and by the time she realized what was happening, they were already inside his room.

He put her down on the bed.

Liang Yixuan flopped onto the bed like a caterpillar and, flustered with heat, kicked out a foot. "So what, should I be thanking you now?"

Bian Xu had just turned on the bedside lamp when her foot caught him right in the upper thigh. He let out a quiet hiss of pain.

Liang Yixuan frowned and quickly pulled her foot back, covering it with her hands.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Bian Xu’s expression turned serious. "If you’re going to move, use your hands. Aren’t ballerinas supposed to take care of their feet?"

He lifted the blanket and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching for her ankle.

A shiver ran up her skin from the light touch. Liang Yixuan instantly pulled her foot back.

"Well, that’s what I get for being mad at you!" she grumbled, rubbing her toes regretfully.

She looked down, wiggled them a bit, and, seeing they weren’t injured, finally relaxed.

Bian Xu let out a breath of relief too. Then he remembered himself and pressed his sore thigh, frowning. "Liang Yixuan, you really only show your temper at home, huh."

"Who says this is your home…" she started.

Bian Xu lifted his chin and motioned around. "My room, my bed—how is this not my home turf?"