Sugookie

Became a National Couple with My Ex Side Story · Main Couple (Part 7): Mrs. Bian

In the dead silence, Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu slowly exchanged a glance.

Just as Bian Xu was about to open his mouth—clearly ready to say something unpleasant to the staff—Liang Yixuan quickly tugged his sleeve. She cleared her throat and explained to the staff member, "No, we’re here to get married, but we forgot to bring one of our ID cards…"

The staff member paused from flipping through papers and looked at them again. Surprised at first, but clearly used to all kinds of situations, he chuckled and said, "Then how are you two supposed to eat with just one chopstick?"

"The other one’s on the way…" Liang Yixuan said awkwardly. "We’re just not sure if our appointment number will get called. Is there any chance we could start the other steps first?"

"I’m afraid that’s not possible," the staff member, a strict middle-aged man, replied firmly. He clearly didn’t spend time online and didn’t recognize them. Completely by the book, he said, "If it were a regular day, maybe I could bend the rules. But on a day like this? Everyone wants special treatment. If we made exceptions, we’d never get through all these couples even if we worked three days in one. And there are plenty of walk-ins waiting for their chance. They’re counting on people like you to mess up."

"…That stings more than it hurts," was all Liang Yixuan could think.

Before Bian Xu could say anything else, Liang Yixuan gave a slight bow to the staff. "Sorry for the trouble, we’ll follow the rules." Then she pulled Bian Xu outside. As they walked toward the stone pillar near the entrance, she said, "Behave yourself. Today is not the day to get into arguments."

Bian Xu knew he was in the wrong. He leaned against the pillar, arms crossed, and swallowed his words.

They stood at the entrance of the civil affairs bureau, staring longingly at the main road nearby.

After a short debate about who was to blame, Liang Yixuan realized she wasn’t entirely innocent either. She’d been careless, too trusting of this pampered young master who was all talk and no action.

Also—her control-freak tendencies really needed fixing.

But at this point, complaining wouldn’t help. All she could do was hope Lu Yuan would hurry up and bring Bian Xu’s ID.

Just as they settled into silence, Liang Yixuan suddenly heard soft whispers behind her.

A guy said, "You’ve gone star-crazy. You think everyone with a similar back view is them? What are the odds?"

A girl replied, "Sure, one person could be a coincidence. But both of them? And they’re from Nanhua. Today’s the first good day after the New Year. It’s not impossible."

Another girl chimed in, "You think it’s them too, right? ReXu and LiangYuan!"

Liang Yixuan stiffened. She instinctively turned around.

A few young women near the entrance were watching them excitedly. When they saw her face clearly, they squealed and started stomping in excitement.

Bian Xu hadn’t been paying attention to the chatter behind them, he usually tuned out everything in public. He only turned around after noticing Liang Yixuan did.

The girls caught a good look at Bian Xu and turned bright red. One of them opened her mouth, ready to scream.

Recalling the chaos they caused last time at Xitang Old Street, Liang Yixuan quickly raised a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet.

They clamped their mouths shut and nodded rapidly like pecking chickens.

One girl whispered, "Oh my gosh. Getting our marriage license at the same place, on the same day, as ReXu and LiangYuan? My life is complete. My husband and I will never get divorced now!"

People were coming and going in the lobby, each busy with their own wedding registration, so thankfully no one else had noticed the commotion.

Bian Xu pulled Liang Yixuan around to the other side of the pillar, out of sight.

Liang Yixuan gave the girls a small apologetic nod.

Not long after, a young woman nervously tugged her fiancé over and carefully asked, "Mr. Bian, Ms. Liang… could we take a picture with you?"

Bian Xu lifted his eyelids slightly and said flatly, "No—"

Liang Yixuan discreetly tugged the bottom of his suit jacket and answered politely, "Sorry, he doesn’t really like taking photos."

The young woman looked disappointed, then turned to Liang Yixuan with hopeful eyes. "Then… could we take a photo with just you?"

Liang Yixuan hesitated, then said, "Okay but only if you promise not to tell anyone we’re here. Same for the others. We’re worried if the news gets out, we won’t be able to register."

"No problem! I’ll talk to everyone. We promise not to post the photo or mention this to anyone. I hope you get your marriage certificate smoothly!"

Liang Yixuan nodded and stepped in front of the girl’s camera, putting on a gentle smile.

Just as the girl’s fiancé raised the phone to take the photo, another face casually leaned into the frame.

Liang Yixuan turned her head in surprise and looked at Bian Xu.

He gently turned her head back forward and said, "Can’t let you be the only one showing your face."

The girl watched this through her camera screen, nearly exploding with excitement, barely holding in a scream. She clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

The shutter clicked again and again—what was supposed to be one photo became a whole burst. Satisfied, the girl turned to leave but asked, "Ms. Liang, why are you two standing out here? Didn’t you have an appointment?"

Liang Yixuan coughed lightly. "We forgot something and are waiting for someone to bring it."

"Oh no, if you miss your number, it’ll be a pain."

You don’t say.

Liang Yixuan glanced at the time on her phone, growing more anxious by the second.

"What number are you? I’ll keep an eye out. If there’s a chance, I’ll try to buy you a little more time!"

Liang Yixuan showed her the appointment slip.

The girl flashed an "OK" sign, patted her shoulder like she’d just accepted a secret mission, then pulled her fiancé along and headed inside.

Liang Yixuan and Bian Xu had been waiting outside for a full forty minutes, but there was still no sign of Lu Yuan. Instead, several more couples had come over asking for photos with them. It was as if people thought they were lucky charms—some kind of love gods or civil affairs mascots. Everyone seemed to believe that just taking a picture with them would guarantee a lifetime of happiness and everlasting love.

Bian Xu did a quick mental calculation. Based on the distance, Lu Yuan should’ve arrived in just over thirty minutes. By the 45-minute mark, he called again.

This time, Lu Yuan didn’t even pick up.

The second call also went unanswered.

Liang Yixuan started to panic. "You don’t think something happened to Assistant Lu on the way, do you?"

Bian Xu glanced darkly in the direction of the main road. "Whether something happened to him on the road or not, after today, something will happen to him."

"…"

Bian Xu switched numbers and called the driver instead.

This time, the call connected immediately.

"What’s going on?" Bian Xu asked, frowning.

"Boss, here’s the situation," the driver said nervously. "We ran into a minor accident between two trucks on the way. The whole road’s jammed, and there’s really no way to move forward or back…"

Bian Xu rubbed his forehead and said flatly, "You think I called just to hear you say ‘no way in or out’?"

"No, no, Boss," the driver rushed to explain. "What I mean is, the car can’t move but Xiao Lu can! He already went ahead on his own!"

Bian Xu: "?"

"If nothing goes wrong, he should be with you in about five minutes—"

Before the driver could finish, Liang Yixuan poked Bian Xu’s arm.

He looked up and followed the direction she was pointing at the bike lane.

There, a bright yellow rental bike was speeding toward them. On it was Lu Yuan, hunched over the handlebars, gripping them tightly, pedaling like mad. In just seconds, he crossed the road and zoomed right up to them.

"…." Bian Xu silently hung up the phone.

From the slight change in Bian Xu’s expression, Liang Yixuan could tell Lu Yuan was off the hook.

Lu Yuan gave one final hard push on the pedals, pulled the brake with a twist of his hand, and planted his left foot on the ground to stop in front of the entrance. His hair was a windblown mess. "Boss! I’m here!"

The couple finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Yuan parked the bike and jogged up the steps, panting and digging into the outer pocket of his suit jacket as he ran.

Bian Xu held out his hand, ready to take the ID.

But Lu Yuan suddenly paused, a confused look on his face as he felt around his empty pocket.

The calm that had just returned to Liang Yixuan instantly vanished. She stared at Lu Yuan, wide-eyed.

Bian Xu’s face darkened again.

Lu Yuan stood awkwardly on the steps, one foot up, one foot down, frozen in place while a mental alarm screamed I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed.

Then like a light bulb switching on, he suddenly smacked his chest, flipped open the inner flap of his suit, reached into the inside pocket, and triumphantly pulled out the ID card between his index and middle finger.

The moment Liang Yixuan saw the red emblem of the national seal, she thought it had never looked more beautiful.

With a flourish, Lu Yuan handed the card over like a proud courier. "Lu Yuan Express—mission accomplished!"

Bian Xu took the ID card in one swift motion, grabbed Liang Yixuan’s hand, and headed straight into the building.

Watching them walk away, Lu Yuan broke into a satisfied smile. He could already imagine his paycheck getting fatter in the new year.

Inside the civil affairs office, just as Liang Yixuan was checking their appointment number, the girl who had first asked for a photo earlier came running over and grabbed her excitedly: "Ms. Liang! Mr. Bian! Hurry, this way!"

Getting the marriage certificate felt like fighting a battle.

After that unexpected hiccup, the two of them were extra careful during the rest of the process. To avoid making any mistakes on the forms and having to start over, Liang Yixuan tuned out all the background noise and didn’t even say much to Bian Xu.

Because the registry office was packed that day, the staff were overloaded. After completing all the steps, they still had to wait quite a while before finally receiving their red marriage booklets just before the office closed for lunch.

Liang Yixuan, feeling dizzy and drained, took the two red booklets from the staff. She and Bian Xu flipped them open to check. Holding the certificates in their hands, it all felt a bit unreal.

It was as if just yesterday, she and Bian Xu were still bickering on a reality show and today, she was his wife.

It wasn’t until they walked out of the civil affairs bureau and breathed in the fresh air that Liang Yixuan started to feel the reality sink in: she and Bian Xu were now officially married.

As they walked to the parking lot, she carefully placed the marriage certificates into her bag. "You’re way too forgetful. I’ll keep both of them with me."

"Keep them? Might as well toss them, so we can’t use them again."

Liang Yixuan paused then realized he meant you need the marriage certificate to get divorced. No certificate, no divorce.

This guy seriously… He’d been stuck on that one word "divorce" that the staff mentioned all morning.

She recalled something she’d read earlier while killing time at the bureau: "You clearly don’t know the full story. You can get divorced without a marriage certificate. All you need is a marriage record, or you can just file a case with the court."

Bian Xu turned to look at her. "Liang Yixuan, what kind of things have you been reading?"

"…I was just bored and happened to see it," she said, touching her nose. "It stuck in my head, that’s all."

"Forget it," he said, giving her a sideways glance.

Liang Yixuan stifled a laugh and nodded. "Forgotten. Totally forgotten."

"What else?"

She smiled and looped her arm through his. "Husband."

The two of them got into the same car they’d arrived in.

They had planned out the day in advance: get the marriage certificate in the morning, then head home and cook a special meal together to celebrate this new beginning.

Before going home, though, they had to stop by Xiao Jie’s shop to pick up their wedding cake.

Leaving the registry office, they passed through Xijiang Huacheng and arrived at the café.

Both of them got out of the car.

It wasn’t very busy, only a few customers were inside. As they opened the door, a reluctant male voice called out, "Welcome."

They turned toward the voice and saw Zhou Zirui behind the register.

Liang Yixuan blinked in surprise.

Bian Xu shot him a glance. "Changed careers?"

Zhou Zirui saw them and shook his head with a sigh. "You two really are my kryptonite. I just came here for a cup of coffee, took a quick walk around the kitchen, and accidentally knocked over the wedding cake Xiao Jie made for you. Now look, I’ve been sentenced to a whole day on cashier duty."

Bian Xu’s expression turned cold. "And the cake?"

"She’s remaking it in the back. Should be done soon. You two can sit and wait." Then, realizing something was off, he added, "Hey—seriously, Bian Xu? I just told you a whole sob story, and all you care about is your cake?"

"What else should I care about?"

"It's Valentine’s Day! Thanks to you, I’m stuck here wasting my day!"

"If you weren’t stuck here, who would you even be spending it with?"

"…"

Zhou Zirui clutched his chest. "Yixuan, your husband is so savage. Are you sure your future’s going to be happy with this guy?"

Liang Yixuan had been quietly enjoying their banter. Suddenly being addressed, she glanced at Bian Xu.

His gaze was cool and sharp.

Of course, in front of his buddy, she had to give him some face. She smiled slightly and said to Zhou Zirui, "Don’t worry. He only acts like that with other people."

Bian Xu’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.

"…Forget my heart, now my stomach hurts from all this PDA," Zhou Zirui groaned. "You two better go sit down."

Bian Xu and Liang Yixuan chose a quiet corner table.

A few minutes later, Xiao Jie’s voice came from the kitchen: "Zhou Zirui! Get in here right now!"

Zhou Zirui had just taken a sip from his thermos. He nearly spit it out, wiped his hands on his apron, and scurried off to the back.

Soon after, he pulled back the kitchen curtain and Xiao Jie emerged, pushing a dessert cart. "You two sure took your time. I thought I wouldn’t finish remaking it in time."

Liang Yixuan gave a quick summary of the morning’s misadventures.

Xiao Jie waved it off with a smile. "Think of it as all the bad luck coming out before the wedding. From here on out, only good luck."

She pushed the cake in front of them and set it on the table.

It was a pure white cake, decorated with vivid red buttercream roses along the sides. On the front were two little figures—a girl in a ballet tutu dancing, and a man in a tuxedo playing the piano.

At the base was a line of words: To Liang and Xu – Happy Wedding Day.

"Fresh out of the kitchen. How is it?" Xiao Jie asked proudly.

Liang Yixuan was mesmerized. Just as she was about to praise it, Zhou Zirui beat her to it with applause: "Even better than the first one! See? Everything worked out for the best even me knocking over the first cake."

"Is this your wedding? Did anyone ask for your opinion?" Xiao Jie shot him a look.

Liang Yixuan laughed. "When did your skills get this good? I’m definitely taking a photo for my Moments post before we take it home."

"Go ahead," Xiao Jie waved. "Take as many as you want."

Just as Liang Yixuan picked up her phone to take a photo, Bian Xu raised an eyebrow. "Just the cake?"

"Oh, right." She pulled out their marriage certificates from her bag, placed them in front of the cake, and snapped a picture.

Bian Xu gestured at her. "Send me the photo."

"You’re going to post it too?" She sent him the original photo.

"Why not?"

"Then I want to be the first like on your very first Moments post!" Zhou Zirui pulled out his phone, ready to go. He refreshed over and over, but nothing showed up. When he glanced down, Bian Xu was still fiddling with how to post the photo.

"Yixuan, your husband is seriously hopeless with technology."

Liang Yixuan was busy writing her own post. She looked up and smiled. "Then you teach him."

Zhou Zirui gave him a crash course right then and there.

Xiao Jie chimed in, "Wait a sec—you two should coordinate your captions. Once you post, it might blow up online again."

Liang Yixuan agreed. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, after all. You want a bit of ceremony to mark it but not anything too cheesy. In the end, she went with Bian Xu’s minimalist idea and typed a simple caption over the photo——

Bian Xu:「Mrs. Bian.」

Liang Yixuan:「Here.」

They both posted on social media at the same time. Likes from friends and family started pouring in immediately. On Liang Yixuan’s side, friends from the variety show crew and guests also sent comments—

Director Liu:「Congratulations to both of you for finally making it official! Can I screenshot this and have the official account post it online?」

Liang Yixuan replied to Director Liu:「Yes, Director Liu.」

Lin | Xiyin:「I knew you two would get your marriage certificate today! So happy for you!」

Shen Ji:「Two people in love finally becoming a family—congratulations.」

Duan Ye:「This announcement caption is great. I’m getting new inspiration for my script!」

Liang Yixuan was a bit surprised when she saw Duan Ye’s comment. Just as she was wondering about it, she suddenly noticed the comment was deleted within seconds.

The sharp-eyed Zhao Meng’en was the first to raise a question.

Lin | Xiyin:「Did I just see things? Teacher Liang, did you notice anything strange?」

Liang Yixuan replied to Lin | Xiyin:「Hmm…」

Xiao Cheng:「Hahaha, congratulations!」

Lin | Xiyin replied to Xiao Cheng: 「Don’t hide your embarrassment behind laughter. What’s going on? Are you and Duan Ye still faking a fake couple act to make money? I’m speaking up for the fans who were kept in the dark!」

Xiao Cheng replied to Lin | Xiyin:「…No.」

Lin | Xiyin replied again:「So that comment just now wasn’t you using the wrong phone, but you suddenly got possessed by Duan Ye?」

Duan Ye replied to Lin | Xiyin:「What she means is, it’s not fake anymore.」