After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 11

The stylist set down her own suitcase, turned around, and rushed over to snatch the suitcase from Li Tang’s hands, shoving it back into the “intern’s” grasp.

The intern glanced sideways at Li Tang.

Surprisingly, Li Tang reached out and took the suitcase back.

The stylist bristled. “Artist Li, how could you possibly carry it yourself?”

Li Tang’s tone was calm, as if the matter held no importance. “My wife can’t manage it. I’ll take it.”

My wife? Who?

The stylist turned to scrutinize the “intern” before her, finally noticing the silver-gray wisps of hair peeking out from beneath her hat.

Beautiful, shimmering silver-gray, exactly the hair color of Li Tang’s wife in the pilot episode.

Could it be…? The stylist was mildly startled.

“Let’s go. Don’t just stand there.” Li Tang picked up the suitcase and led the way, asking as she walked, “Where do we put this stuff?”

“In the storage room.”

The stylist broke into a sweat, never imagining she’d end up ordering a top-tier celebrity to do manual labor. Yet Li Tang’s expression remained calm, far from the icy, temperamental diva of legend.

*****

Back in the dressing room, the stylist asked Li Tang which outfit she preferred.

Li Tang pointed to Yan Mengyi, who was sitting nearby, lost in thought. “Choose hers first.”

Worried that her earlier rudeness might have offended Li Tang, the stylist hurried over and extended her hand to Yan Mengyi.

“Hello, hello! Sorry about that, Professor. You’re so low-key and look so young, I mistook you for a new intern in the group.”

Yan Mengyi took off her hat and mask, and shook hands with the other person.

“My name is Yan Mengyi. You can call me Xiao Yi. I’m not really a professor.”

“Alright, alright, Artist Xiao Yi.”

Yan Mengyi had a natural elegance. The stylist had paired her with a strapless blouse and a black, college-style skirt, creating a relaxed yet sophisticated look.

While the stylist was still discussing options with Yan Mengyi, Li Tang had already gone to change.

When Li Tang emerged from the dressing room, the stylist noticed she had chosen the exact outfit Yan Mengyi had suggested.

Li Tang disliked heavy makeup, and with her flawless skin, her look was finished first. She pulled up a stool next to Yan Mengyi and watched the stylist work on her.

Li Tang watched intently, even pulling out her phone to take a photo.

The stylist trembled nervously. “Artist Li, if you think the makeup I’m doing for Artist Xiao Yi isn’t right, we can adjust it.”

“You’re making the makeup artist nervous,” Yan Mengyi said, raising a hand to block Li Tang’s camera. “What’s there to take a picture of?”

“I’m taking it! I’m taking it!”

Li Tang teased, chuckling at Yan Mengyi’s flustered reaction to the sudden attention, her social anxiety momentarily forgotten. She then turned off her phone screen.

“Happy now?”

“That’s better.”

The two women continued their back-and-forth, leaving the two makeup artists on edge.

After all, while Li Tang was renowned for her talent, rumors about her personal conduct weren’t particularly favorable.

For example, “The cold stare-down with paparazzi in the parking lot,” “The expressionless performance throughout the entire collaboration”…

The makeup artists constantly worried that Yan Mengyi’s actions would make Li Tang explode in rage. But surprisingly, the person whose camera was blocked merely chuckled and obediently put away her phone.

Moreover, what was with the faint smile that curled the corner of her lips after being “scolded” to put away her phone?

The makeup artists exchanged glances, understanding the unspoken words in each other’s eyes.

I really want an autograph.

But if they asked Li Tang directly, she’d refuse.

Better to approach her wife instead.

After finishing the makeup, one of the artists discreetly handed Yan Mengyi a small notebook.

Yan Mengyi passed it to Li Tang.

Unable to refuse, Li Tang signed it and even drew a little doodle.

The production team’s car drove the pair to the official filming location.

The stylist picked up her phone and saw several messages from her friends:

[How was it? How was it working with Li Tang?]

[Come on, girls, have some dignity! This isn’t your first day on the job. You’ve seen plenty of top-tier celebrities before.]

[What about Li Tang? Did seeing her in person shatter any illusions?]

The stylist replied, “Not really. Li Tang doesn’t look much different before and after makeup. She’s incredibly poised in person—truly a lady from a scholarly family, and a graduate of Berklee College of Music.”

[“What about her wife? Did she take off her mask?”]

[“Is she not good-looking?”]

At this, the stylist grew animated. “It’s nothing like what the internet is speculating! Her wife is petite and strikingly beautiful, with looks that could launch a modeling career. She’s a really nice person, with a soft, gentle voice and impeccable taste. I know you ship the Li Tang and Hua Jingyan pairing, but I genuinely think Li Tang’s relationship with her wife is quite strong.”

******

The car glided silently along the mountain road.

The air conditioning worked tirelessly, keeping the interior cool and comfortable.

Tall, lush trees towered along the roadside, their emerald leaves filtering the scorching sunlight into dappled beams.

Yan Mengyi glanced down at the high-temperature warning on her phone, silently groaning inwardly.

It was two o’clock in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day, with temperatures hovering around 37 degrees Celsius. She couldn’t even imagine how stifling it must be outside.

Li Tang took out her phone and snapped a couple of photos of the scenery outside the window before lowering her head to reply to a message. Clearly finding typing too slow, she switched to sending a voice message instead.

In Korean.

Curious, Yan Mengyi leaned over to look at Li Tang’s screen.

“It’s from a music friend of mine. She just recorded a demo.”

Li Tang handed one of the earbuds to Yan Mengyi.

Yan Mengyi wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about music, nor did she understand Korean.

Whenever Li Tang heard something she particularly liked, she paused the track to explain it to Yan Mengyi.

“…The backing is just a single guitar, and her voice is truly ethereal—flawless. Especially when that line came in, it sent shivers down my spine, like an electric shock…”

Yan Mengyi nodded, committing every word Li Tang said to memory.

The driver glanced at the GoPro camera inside the car, wondering whether to remind the pair that filming had started the moment they got in.

The car continued for about twenty minutes, the scenery gradually opening up. Beyond the tree line, the endless sea stretched out, shimmering with light. A villa stood alone at the summit of the mountain.

The car stopped halfway up the mountain.

A staff member told them, “You two need to take your suitcases and head out now. There’s a bus stop ahead where you’ll wait for the other two pairs of guests to arrive. Once everyone’s here, we’ll announce the next task.”

“Now?” Li Tang glanced at the distorted, heat-hazed scenery outside.

“Yes,” the staff member replied. “So, you two need to get out now.”

Before setting out, the pair hadn’t anticipated this twist from the director, and they only had an umbrella with them.

The moment they pushed open the car door, the full heat of Sanya hit them.

It was like stepping into a steamer—hot and humid, the air so thick that breathing alone made them break into a sweat.

Heat waves rolled over them as Yan Mengyi stepped out, feeling her skin bake in the sun.

The “bus stop” the staff member had mentioned was several dozen meters up a steep slope.

From where the car stopped to the bus stop, there was no tree shade along the way.

The two women got out of the car, dragging their suitcases. Even though they were wearing sunglasses, they couldn’t resist shading their foreheads as they looked into the distance, estimating how long it would take to reach the bus stop.

“Let’s go,” Li Tang said, pulling one suitcase in each hand, with no intention of letting Yan Mengyi help.

“Wait, let me take one,” Yan Mengyi suggested, concerned.

The slope was too steep, and the heat was too oppressive.

“No need,” Li Tang replied. Afraid Yan Mengyi would chase after her and try to take the suitcases, she started walking ahead.

Both women had high standards for their quality of life.

They had brought a full set of purple clay tea ware, coffee bean grinders, and other miscellaneous items.

Even though they had tried to pack light, the two suitcases were still large and heavy.

The suitcases had wheels, but dragging them up such a steep slope in this weather was still a grueling task.

Yan Mengyi noticed Li Tang’s hands were bright red from the effort. Her heart ached, but Li Tang had already walked a distance ahead. Taking the suitcases from her now would be dangerous.

“Then I’ll hold the umbrella for you,” Yan Mengyi offered.

Yan Mengyi opened her black umbrella and jogged to catch up with Li Tang.

But the staff had given her a pair of thin, high-heeled sandals, making it difficult to walk.

“You don’t need to give it to me,” Li Tang said. “Just cover yourself. Don’t get sunburned.”

The umbrella wasn’t big enough to cover both of them.

But Yan Mengyi was worried about Li Tang and insisted on helping her.

The high heels, however, were holding her back.

Yan Mengyi twisted her ankle, fell to the ground, and sent the umbrella flying.

Hearing the sound, Li Tang turned around and saw Yan Mengyi sprawled on the steep slope.

Yan Mengyi struggled to get up.

Li Tang, still dragging the heavy luggage, couldn’t immediately go back to help her. She had to first drag the suitcases to a flat spot under the bus stop sign, ensuring they wouldn’t roll down.

Just then, the production team’s car drove up again, delivering the second pair of contestants: Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu from IGP.

Pei Nalian had long pink wavy hair, wore a pink crop top that showed her belly button, matching cargo pants, and a baseball cap, looking sweet and stylish.

Jin Youshu had short, golden hair cut in a princess style, wore a white tank top and a dark denim high-waisted skirt.

The two women posed for the camera, striking a few poses before leisurely dragging their light suitcases toward the bus stop.

“Someone over there fell.”

“Are you okay?” Pei Nalian hurried to Yan Mengyi’s side, with Jin Youshu following closely behind.

They helped Yan Mengyi up, one on each arm.

“Thank you, I’m fine,” Yan Mengyi said, thanking them.

“Hello, I’m Naree from IGP, and this is my fiancée, Yau-shuk. It’s nice to meet you!”

Pei Nalian, outgoing and warm, gave Yan Mengyi a big hug.

Jin Youshu, more reserved, shook Yan Mengyi’s hand.

“Sister, you’re so beautiful! Are you an actress too? How come I’ve never seen you before? What should I call you?”

“Hello, Naree. I’m Yan Mengyi. I’m not an actress.”

“How come you’re alone…”

Pei Nalian glanced around and spotted Li Tang rushing over from the bus stop.

“She tripped earlier, so I took her luggage and got on the bus first.”

“So you’re Senior Li’s legendary wife!”

Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu exchanged a glance.

They had previously posted about Li Tang on Weibo, only to be inadvertently “one-upped” by her. They never imagined they’d run into Li Tang on the show, let alone that she’d hand them such a juicy piece of ammunition right off the bat.

“How could she just leave you behind and run off like that?”

Support After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn’t Want a Divorce