Sugookie

Became a National Couple with My Ex Side Story · Main Couple (Part 5): What’s Mine Is Yours

When Bian Xu picked her up, Liang Yixuan finally noticed his hair was still wet.

At least the punks on the street had the decency to dress properly—this guy had just taken a shower in his room, hadn’t even dried his hair, and came strutting in with just a bathrobe on.

His slippers hit the floor one after the other with a soft slap, slap as he carried her to the bed. She pinched his damp hair and poked his forehead with her finger. "Coming to act like a perv with wet hair in this cold? Aren’t you afraid of getting a headache?"

Bian Xu chuckled as he lay on his side. "Isn’t there a saying—‘If I die under a peony, I’ll still die a romantic’?"

Liang Yixuan sat up and tugged hard on his arm. "Go dry your hair. If you catch a cold, you’re going to pass it on to me."

Bian Xu propped himself up on one elbow and calmly shook his head. "My hairdryer’s broken."

"Mhm," Liang Yixuan went to the bathroom and brought hers back, saying seriously, "Then mine must be the only working hairdryer left in this whole house, huh?"

Bian Xu turned his head and grinned. "Exactly."

Liang Yixuan gave him a look, then plugged in the hairdryer.

She turned it on—whoosh—warm air blowing strong. Standing by the bed, she held it up with one hand and gently combed through his hair with the other.

Bian Xu sat on the edge of the bed, legs apart, eyes half-closed in contentment.

Lately, neither of them had been drying their own hair.

It was funny how something felt like a chore when done for yourself, but turned into a sweet little ritual when done for the other person.

If it weren’t so sappy, Liang Yixuan figured they could probably go as far as brushing each other’s teeth and feeding each other every day.

Watching him sit there like a sleepy cat with his eyes closed, she found this so-called "perv" kind of cute. She sat down beside him and patted her thigh.

Without missing a beat, Bian Xu lay down and rested his head on her lap.

Liang Yixuan lowered her gaze, gently massaging his scalp with her fingertips. Once one side of his hair was dry, she touched his face and said, "Turn your head. Time for the other side."

Bian Xu adjusted his position, and the hand resting near her thigh started casually rubbing back and forth.

Liang Yixuan flinched from the ticklish feeling and stomped her foot like she was swatting a mosquito. "Stop fidgeting, or I won’t finish drying your hair."

Bian Xu squinted at her. "Then where do you expect me to put this idle hand?"

"Ask your hand, not me."

He sighed and tapped his fingers on his own leg in boredom.

Once his hair was completely dry, Liang Yixuan patted his shoulder. "Get up."

"Let me lie here a little longer."

"Go lie under the covers then."

Bian Xu glanced at her. "Not kicking me out?"

Liang Yixuan rolled her eyes and imitated something he once said. "You know what this behavior of yours is called?"

"What?"

"Acting like a spoiled brat after getting your way. Look at you, do I look like I could actually kick you out?"

The two of them tidied up a bit and climbed into bed.

Liang Yixuan had agreed to spend the night at Bian Xu’s place, but as soon as the lights went out, a wave of worry hit her. Lying in his arms, she asked, "Did anyone see you when you came in?"

"So what if they did?"

"Your parents specifically arranged a room for me… won’t they get the wrong idea?"

"They will." Bian Xu nodded.

"Then why did you still—"

"They’ll probably think," Bian Xu clicked his tongue, "their son is really something else."

"…"

Liang Yixuan gave him a little shove. "Be serious."

"Don’t worry, no one saw me," Bian Xu sighed. "It’s late, everyone went back to their rooms long ago."

That made sense. Other than him sneaking around in the middle of the night, no one decent would still be wandering outside.

Liang Yixuan relaxed and reached for the nightstand. "I’ll set an alarm. You’d better sneak back to your room early tomorrow before anyone’s up. Don’t get caught."

Bian Xu watched her fussing and planning, amused. Once she was done setting the alarm, he pulled her back into his arms. "Why are you so afraid of my parents? You seemed pretty at ease today."

"It’s not that I’m scared. It’s just… your parents are so well-mannered and cultured, I should at least behave properly. Otherwise, what if they get a bad impression of me?"

"Well-mannered and cultured?" Bian Xu chuckled. "No need for that. You think they’re really that proper? They’re just older now and have to act the part."

"What do you mean?" Liang Yixuan blinked curiously.

"You see them all lovey-dovey now, but back in the day, they’d spend about 300 days a year in a cold war, and the remaining 65 in a hot one."

"So your sharp tongue… don’t tell me…"

"Yep, I got it from them."

"…"

Liang Yixuan had always wondered how someone like Bian Xu could come from such a sweet and loving family. Now she finally had her answer.

She thought back in disbelief. "Your parents really changed a lot."

"They’re just putting on a show in front of you. When my sister-in-law first joined the family, they acted the same way."

"Who talks about their own parents like that…" Liang Yixuan muttered with a laugh. "Anyway, I still think your family’s really sweet."

"Then why say ‘your family’?"

"Huh?"

"It’s ‘our family,’" Bian Xu corrected her gently. He could tell she’d been feeling sentimental, maybe because she’d never experienced such a lively New Year celebration before. He stroked her hair and said, "Liang Yixuan, what’s mine is yours. If you like this kind of big, noisy family, we’ll come back often."

Liang Yixuan hugged him tighter around the waist and smiled contentedly. "Okay."

Early in the morning, Liang Yixuan was woken by a soft knock at the door—knock knock knock.

She was a light sleeper, so even though the sound was gentle, she opened her eyes right away.

After a few seconds to gather her thoughts, she glanced at the time on the nightstand and suddenly remembered her situation. She looked at Bian Xu, still fast asleep beside her. She was about to wake him, but then paused—there was only one door in the room. If he got up now, it might make noise and alert the person outside.

So she quietly got out of bed and tiptoed to the door, opening it just a crack.

Outside, Bian’s mom peeked her head in. "Xuan, sorry to wake you so early."

Liang Yixuan shook her head. "It’s fine, Auntie. I usually wake up around this time anyway. Did you need something?"

"It’s like this," Bian’s mom gestured downstairs. "Every year, we have a family tradition of taking a group photo for the New Year. Your older brother-in-law got a last-minute work call and has to go abroad. He’s leaving for the airport soon. I thought it’d be nice if you and Xu freshen up and come downstairs quickly, so we can take the picture while everyone’s still here."

"Okay, we’ll…" Liang Yixuan paused halfway through her sentence. "I’ll be right down."

Bian’s mom nodded, her eyes flicking—maybe intentionally, maybe not—into the room. "Do you happen to know where Xu is? I knocked on his door just now, but no one answered and the room was empty."

Liang Yixuan blinked, her gaze shifting slightly. "He might be out exercising… Lately he’s been waking up early with me to work out…"

Bian’s mom’s eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, I’ll go check the courtyard then. You go ahead and freshen up."

Liang Yixuan nodded and gently closed the door. She pressed her ear against it to listen and check if Bian’s mom had walked away, when suddenly she heard Bian Xu chuckle from inside the room.

"No need to listen anymore," he said.

"Shhh—" Liang Yixuan turned around and gave him a "quiet" gesture.

Bian Xu got out of bed and walked over. "My mom doesn’t have your number, sure but you think she doesn’t have mine? The fact that she came straight here means she already knows I’m in this room."

"…" Liang Yixuan frowned. "Then why didn’t you just answer the door yourself earlier?"

Bian Xu pinched her nose with a grin. "I just wanted to see if my baby’s nose would grow longer when she tells a lie."

Fifteen minutes later, Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu came downstairs, dressed and ready.

The rest of the family was already waiting in the courtyard.

Three rattan chairs had been arranged. In the center sat Grandpa Bian, with Bian’s mom and dad on either side.

About two meters in front of them stood a camera on a tripod. Bian Chen and his wife were in front of it, adjusting the angle and focus. Once everything was set, he handed the camera to his assistant and stepped behind the elders on the left side.

Bian Xu held Liang Yixuan’s hand as they walked over and stood behind the elders on the right.

The assistant placed a finger on the shutter button and flashed everyone an "OK" sign. "Alright, everyone look at the camera. Three, two, one—cheeeeese!"

Click—the camera captured the moment.

In the early morning light, the winter sun bathed the courtyard in warm golden rays. Everyone in the photo smiled toward the lens, brighter than the morning sunshine, as if it were a promise that every day ahead would be just as warm and full of joy.