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Became a National Couple with My Ex Chapter 46: Not Getting Back Together Is Getting Really Hard to Pull Off
When Bian Xu pulled her into his arms, whether it was intentional or not, his hand slipped right past the open front of Liang Yixuan’s coat and slid inside. His palm pressed lightly against her side through the thin cashmere sweater, making her squirm from the ticklish sensation.
"What’s wrong with being like Peach?" she gasped, curling up from the sensation. "Peach is… super cute…"
She tried to wriggle free while catching her breath, but despite her struggling for a while, he didn’t budge at all.
Instead, Bian Xu tightened his grip around her from behind, sealing off any space she might use to escape. "Mm, so you were complimenting me."
Liang Yixuan didn’t feel like arguing at a time like this and gave a tired nod. "Yes, I was complimenting you. Now can you let go?"
"Then I really can’t let go now," Bian Xu leaned his face against hers, gently pinched the soft spot on her waist, and whispered, "Don’t you think?"
Her breath hitched, and her knees almost buckled.
Old lovers who knew each other inside and out—especially every sensitive spot on the body—didn’t need much effort to flip a switch.
And of course, Liang Yixuan also knew exactly where his weaknesses were.
She just didn’t have the guts to act on it. Not yet.
Turning her head away, she muttered, "Stop messing with me…"
Bian Xu’s hand brushed slowly over her waist. "If I let go now, do you think you can still stand?"
"…"
He rubbed his chin lightly against the top of her head, eyes drifting down to the red flush behind her ear. "Well? Can you?"
Liang Yixuan turned to glance at him, catching the amused sparkle in his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses. His eyes curved into slits from his smile. "No? Then I guess I’ll hold on a little longer."
Just as she raised her elbow to jab him in the ribs, two sets of footsteps suddenly echoed from just outside the door—
"Do you not understand human language?" came Cheng Nuo’s voice.
"Wait, sis, are you speaking human language?" That was Duan Ye.
Liang Yixuan tensed up instantly, frozen stiff in Bian Xu’s arms.
"Who are you calling sis? Learn your place, will you?"
"Okay, fine—little grandpa."
"…Say it again! Grandpa!"
Their voices grew louder, right outside the door.
Liang Yixuan straightened up and turned her head.
Someone from outside pushed down on the door handle.
At the same moment, Bian Xu reached back and swiftly turned the lock, bolting the door shut.
Cheng Nuo tried to push the door open but failed. A confused "Huh?" followed.
Liang Yixuan’s heart nearly leapt into her throat.
Bian Xu just shook his head and sighed silently.
"Yixuan, is that you in there?" Cheng Nuo called from outside.
"Ah—yeah, it’s me…" Liang Yixuan tilted her head slightly and gave Bian Xu a glance. "I’m, uh, changing clothes."
There was a long pause.
Then Cheng Nuo’s voice came back, suddenly understanding, "Ohhh—I thought it was a burglar or something. All good then. Take your time getting changed. I was never here."
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away—
"Aren’t you the one who said you really had to use the bathroom?"
"Kid, go watch more idol dramas."
Liang Yixuan: "…"
Caught in the act twice in one day, Liang Yixuan began to reflect—maybe Bian Xu was really leading her down a reckless path. After Cheng Nuo and Duan Ye left, and imagining how entertained the director must be watching everything from the monitor room, she laid down three new ground rules for Bian Xu:
In the final week of filming, he was not allowed in her room anymore, couldn’t pull her into his room either, and absolutely couldn’t sneak her into any room without cameras.
Bian Xu considered just ditching the whole show, tearing down the bridge after crossing it, but he knew Liang Yixuan wouldn’t do something so irresponsible. So, he had no choice but to stick it out for a few more days.
For the weekend date, respecting Liang Yixuan’s wishes, they scrapped the out-of-town plan.
The production team worked overnight to revise the schedule and came up with a new idea. Although Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu’s "couple energy" was sweet, their image was a little too polished—too much of that idol glow. Their previous stage performance had left them looking more like a god and goddess than real people. To bring them back down to earth and make them more relatable, the team arranged a grounded, everyday date: a stroll through Xitang Old Street.
At 8 a.m. the next morning, while the street was still quiet and not crowded with tourists, the production crew finished setting up the shops and scenery.
At 9 a.m., Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu arrived by van.
The morning air, still fresh from last night’s rain, carried a faint scent of bamboo. The stone-paved road, dark and slick from the moisture, gleamed under the light. The street, lined with old-style shops hugging the creekside, was dotted with small groups of tourists. The quaint decorations gave the place an old-world charm.
Liang Yixuan stepped out of the car, taking in the familiar but long-missed scene, and stood at the alleyway entrance a little dazed.
Bian Xu hadn’t been expecting much from what Liu Peng had called a "perfect date." After all, how perfect could anything be with cameras watching? But seeing Liang Yixuan’s expression, some of his sleepiness faded. "What is it? You’ve been here before?"
"I haven’t been here, but my grandma used to take me to places like this all the time." She turned to ask him, "You’ve never walked through an old street like this?"
In Jiangnan, there were many pedestrian streets like this—charming and historic. To someone who grew up there, they all kind of looked the same. But for tourists, they were a novelty and a popular spot.
Clearly, Bian Xu didn’t fall into the "tourist" category. He shook his head. "Nope. Is it fun?"
"It was fun when I was little, but I haven’t been in years, so I’m not sure what it’s like now."
Seeing her excitement, Bian Xu took her hand and led her into the alley. "Then let’s find out."
Liang Yixuan’s fingers twitched slightly as she looked down at their joined hands. It felt a bit unfamiliar—and strangely comforting.
It was different from the times he grabbed her wrist or pulled her somewhere. This hand-holding wasn’t about guiding or dragging—it was simple, warm, and natural. The kind of thing couples just do without thinking.
Funny, really. They’d done far more intimate things—shared a bed, held hands under the covers—but she couldn’t remember a single time they’d simply strolled hand in hand down a street.
Bian Xu seemed to sense it too. He glanced down, as if realizing something, and gently tightened his grip.
Just then, a loudspeaker’s advertising pitch pulled Liang Yixuan’s attention to the street: "Fresh milk fritters, 15 yuan per portion! Hot and crispy, right out of the fryer!"
Gone were the hand-shouted slogans of her childhood—now even street vendors used speaker loops.
Bian Xu looked toward the sound, frowning at the wok of bubbling oil. Then, noticing the hesitation in Liang Yixuan’s eyes, he asked cautiously, "Do you want some?"
"Not really," she shook her head and walked past the shop without looking back.
Bian Xu stopped in his tracks with a laugh. "If you want it, just eat it. What’s there to hesitate about?"
"I only had it when I was a kid. I haven’t been able to eat fried food since then."
"A couple bites won’t hurt. When we get back, I’ll go to the yoga room with you and help you burn it off, okay?"
"Wouldn’t that be a waste, then?"
"It’s fifteen yuan…" Bian Xu almost started calculating it out on the spot, but then changed tactics and went with a simpler approach. "You take a few bites, and I’ll finish the rest. Still a waste?"
"Then you have to finish it," Liang Yixuan said, looking at him seriously.
Shaking his head, Bian Xu pulled her over. As they got closer, a gust of hot, greasy air hit him in the face, making him instinctively step back. Standing at the shop window, he said, "One order, please."
"You got it!" The owner, wearing gloves, grabbed a stack of milk cubes coated in batter and placed them on the scale. He dropped them into a wire basket and lowered it into the fryer. "Cash or QR code?"
"Card—"
Liang Yixuan tugged on Bian Xu’s sleeve and quickly said to the owner, "QR code." Then she whispered to Bian Xu, "Nobody swipes cards at places like this… they don’t even have card machines."
Bian Xu raised an eyebrow. "There didn’t used to be a path here either—someone still had to walk it first, right?"
While he was going off on that tangent, Liang Yixuan used her phone to pay. "Alright, fine. Blame our ancestors for being too old-school. You can blaze the trail next time. For today, let me treat you. Deal?"
"Who said I’m your guest?"
"Talking to you is exhausting…" she muttered under her breath.
Just then, the fried milk was done. The golden cubes were scooped into a disposable paper bowl. The shop owner picked up two skewers but, catching a subtle signal—a cameraman behind the couple raised a single finger—he understood and set one skewer aside.
Liang Yixuan blinked in confusion. "Excuse me, could we get two skewers?"
"Ah, sorry—these days the government’s pushing for eco-friendly habits. So, we only give one skewer per order now. Hope that’s okay."
"No worries at all."
Bian Xu gave the owner an approving nod and took the paper bowl. He looked around. "Where should we sit?"
"There’s usually no seating at places like this," Liang Yixuan explained, pulling him away. "People just eat as they walk."
"Eat as you walk…" Bian Xu sighed, accepting his fate. He picked up a piece of fried milk with the skewer and held it out to her.
Just as Liang Yixuan reached for it, he pulled his hand back and moved it toward her mouth instead.
She glanced up at him, then lowered her eyes and took a bite. But as soon as the hot snack touched her lips, she flinched and hissed, "Ouch, it’s hot…"
Bian Xu leaned in and blew gently on the skewer to cool it, then offered it to her again.
This time, she leaned forward and took a bite.
The milky aroma filled her mouth, melting softly on her tongue. She licked her lips and nodded. "Tastes just like I remember from when I was little."
"Good?"
"Yeah."
Bian Xu poked a piece with the skewer, put it in his mouth, chewed twice, swallowed—and frowned.
Liang Yixuan quickly raised her hand to cover his mouth. "Don’t ruin the mood."
Bian Xu looked down, moved her hand away, and sighed as he nodded. "Delicious."
Liang Yixuan burst out laughing and pointed at the paper bowl in his hand. "Let’s get another one."
Half the shops on the old street sold food, while the other half were souvenir stores with a strong Jiangnan (southern Chinese) flair.
Liang Yixuan strolled along, looking around. Whenever she couldn’t decide, Bian Xu made the call. By the time they’d made it halfway down the street, her indecisiveness had been half-cured—and she looked down to find that she and Bian Xu were now carrying several shopping bags, mostly snacks she planned to give to her grandma and some of the elderly neighbors.
They ended up waiting nearly an hour for a fresh batch of fried pastries, and by the time they got them, it was getting late. The crew had also shot enough date footage. So Liang Yixuan requested personal time to deliver the snacks to her grandma in the southern suburbs.
Liang Yixuan’s requests were basically the same as Bian Xu’s, and at this point the production team was more than happy to oblige.
After the cameramen left, the two of them carried their bags and started walking out of the old street.
By midday, the number of tourists had doubled. The street was packed, and people eating skewers kept brushing past Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu’s shoulders.
Bian Xu frowned, shifted all the bags to his right hand, and gently wrapped his left arm around Liang Yixuan’s shoulders, steering her forward.
But just as they neared the exit, a shrill scream pierced the crowd: "Ahhh! Isn’t that Zai Xu Liang Yuan!?"
Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu both froze and looked toward the noise.
A group of girls near the street entrance were jumping up and down, visibly thrilled.
"They looked over! I didn’t just ship them—I saw them!"
"I’m dead. I’m gone. My son! My daughter! Mommy’s coming!"
Two girls holding shaking phones started running toward them.
The commotion caught the attention of nearby tourists. One look at Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu—standing out with their striking looks—and people started assuming they were a celebrity duo, like some modern version of Phoenix Legend. Phones came out. The crowd surged closer.
Some who followed the reality show recognized them right away.
Screams erupted all around.
And all of this happened in just a few seconds—just enough time for Liang Yixuan to exchange a stunned glance with Bian Xu.
Luckily, a few security guards who’d been briefed in advance by the production team sprang into action. They rushed over, created a barrier between the couple and the crowd, and started shouting to maintain order.
Bian Xu grabbed the still-stunned Liang Yixuan and led her quickly through the narrow path the guards had opened.
They rushed through the crowd. Just as they reached the street’s exit, a black Bentley screeched to a stop at the curb.
Bian Xu yanked open the back door.
Liang Yixuan jumped in without a second thought.
Bian Xu followed right behind her and slammed the door shut.
The Bentley sped away.
Liang Yixuan, still shaken, looked back nervously. She was out of breath and couldn’t calm down. After a long pause, she turned to Bian Xu, dazed:
"How did it turn out like this…"
Bian Xu was silent for a moment, then looked over at her and said, "Liang Yixuan, if you don’t get back together with me now, it’s really going to be hard to wrap this up cleanly."