After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 14

When Yan Mengyi overheard this, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

Li Tang shot Jiang Banxia a helpless look.

“I told you to stop reading those web novels,” Zhou Qiutong said. “What kind of nonsense is that alphabet stuff?”

Hearing this, Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu bit their lips and covered their mouths, surprised to find that Jiang Banxia and Zhou Qiutong were so familiar with subcultures.

Pei Nalian gave a thumbs-up. “Senior is really…”

Having lived in Korea for a long time, her Chinese vocabulary had significantly diminished. She frantically searched her mind for the right words to express her thoughts.

“Really open-minded?” Jin Youshu echoed, equally flustered as she scrambled for the right words. “Really… daring?”

Pei Nalian shook her head vigorously. “She’s just really trendy—hip!”

Jiang Banxia, usually so carefree, suddenly flushed crimson and clapped her hand over Zhou Qiutong’s mouth.

“What alphabet? If you don’t understand, don’t make things up! The genre I read is called ABO!”

Zhou Qiutong struggled free and protested, “But ABO is three letters!”

“You… it’s different…” Jiang Banxia stammered, embarrassed and flustered. She tugged at Zhou Qiutong’s arm and whispered something in her ear.

Zhou Qiutong nodded apologetically, then turned to the camera. “I know this is a family-friendly show, so Director, please edit that part out!”

Seeing Yan Mengyi smile, Li Tang felt her mood had lifted considerably. She draped an arm around Yan Mengyi’s shoulders and explained. “I didn’t mean to drive so fast. I know you’re allergic to hot air, so I just wanted to get to an air-conditioned place quickly.”

Yan Mengyi’s anger subsided as she became intrigued by Jiang Banxia and the others’ conversation. “What do those letters they’re talking about mean?”

Her small, fair face, framed by clear, innocent eyes, asked a question that shouldn’t be discussed in public.

Leaning closer, Li Tang whispered, her slender fingers gently caressing Yan Mengyi’s delicate earlobe.

Yan Mengyi’s earlobe, as translucent as jade, flushed crimson, as if stained with blood. “Oh… is it fun?”

“I’ve never tried it, so I don’t know.”

An electric tension filled the air between them. They averted their gazes, unable to meet each other’s eyes, as if a spark would ignite if they did.

Yan Mengyi insisted on carrying one of the suitcases. Unable to dissuade her, Li Tang reluctantly agreed.

Pei Nalian, overheated, was the first to push open the villa’s door, eager to feel a cool breeze.

But as she spread her arms, she wilted like a sensitive plant.

Jin Youshu’s face also showed disappointment.

The others soon joined them.

Jiang Banxia entered and saw the tightly shut air conditioning vents. Feeling the temperature, even hotter than inside the car, she weakly called out, “Remote! Find the remote!”

The group pushed their suitcases inside and began searching upstairs and downstairs.

Yan Mengyi was about to get up when Li Tang pressed her shoulder, gesturing for her to sit on the sofa and wait.

“You’ve injured your knee. Don’t walk around too much.”

“That’s right. You should sit down and rest,” Jiang Banxia agreed, turning back as she headed upstairs.

Unable to persuade them, Yan Mengyi sat on the sofa, watching Li Tang’s retreating figure.

Li Tang rolled up her shirt sleeves, revealing pale purple veins that meandered across her snow-white skin, branching out around her defined knuckles.

Staring at those hands, Yan Mengyi found herself drifting into a daydream.

The words Li Tang had just explained to her echoed in her mind, but now the protagonists were them.

She imagined a cold yet slender hand caressing her trembling body, boldly gliding upward to grasp her shoulder blades. The whip cracked through the air, sending shivers down her spine and leaving crimson marks across her skin. Ruthless invasions followed one after another, each wave of new marks obscuring the old, layer upon layer of sweat clinging to her body as her pleading tremors were drowned out by increasingly intense assaults…

Li Tang checked several rooms but came up empty-handed. As she passed Yan Mengyi on her way upstairs, she noticed the sickly flush on her face and glanced at her questioningly, wondering if she was alright.

Yan Mengyi, struggling to free herself from the erotic fantasy’s mire, immediately shook her head to indicate she was fine.

Her phone, still wrapped in its case, chimed repeatedly with notification alerts. She quickly pulled it out to check.

[How’s the filming going? Still smooth?] Song Yujin asked.

[It’s been going pretty well so far. Everyone’s been really friendly.]

[How’s it going with her? How is she?]

[I can’t even remember the last time I spent this much time with her. I’m really happy.]

Concern for her wasn’t limited to her Senior Sister. Members of the Handicraft Group had also been pinging her. While she hadn’t checked her phone earlier, someone had tagged her in a group chat with 99+ unread messages. Her heart fluttered as she tapped into it.

[photo]

[Finally met the woman who’s got Li Tang utterly smitten!]

[Wonder why she was wearing a mask during the trailer shoot. She’s pretty enough!]

[To be honest, she doesn’t quite match my mental image of Li Tang. Given her personality, I imagined she’d be into wild, untamed types.]

[I thought her ideal type would be more like Hua Jingyan. After all, both women have impressive musical careers and should have plenty to talk about. Standing together, they create such intense chemistry—secretly competing yet secretly admiring each other…]

[It feels like they’d probably break the hotel bed.]

[Still, it’s a bit of a shame.]

[Has anyone else noticed that Li Tang’s wife looks a bit like Xiao Yi?]

[+1!!!]

[@Xiao Yi, come look! Li Tang’s wife looks super like you!]

[Where is she? Why hasn’t she been replying?]

[Xiao Yi’s wife has been home for a few days now. Probably dealing with family issues.]

[With such a beautiful wife like Xiao Yi, I can’t imagine what kind of heartless person would stay away from home for ten days straight.]

[This is truly a story of a flower and cow dung.]

*****

Inside the villa, the group had turned the place upside down looking for the remote control, exhausted and now sitting on the sofa.

Jiang Banxia jokingly threw her sun hat onto the table. “Director? Director! If it gets any hotter, I’m going to throw a fit!”

At that moment, Mo Zhenyi made her grand entrance.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Mo Zhenyi, director of Pillowside Lovers. Welcome to our seaside villa for the filming of our first episode!”

Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu gave appropriate waves, enthusiastically welcoming the director’s arrival.

But the other four were so overheated they seemed about to melt, barely able to lift a finger.

“I can give you the remote control, but each of you must answer a question set by the production team first.”

“Fine,” Jiang Banxia said weakly.

Li Tang raised her hand.

Mo Zhenyi felt a sudden nervousness.

The entire crew tensed up.

They’d heard Li Tang had a bad temper, was arrogant, and difficult to work with. Was this confrontation happening so soon?

If Li Tang announced her withdrawal now, it would be a ratings boost, but a devastating blow to the production team.

“I don’t know how long answering your question will take, Director Mo, so I’d like to help my wife with her wound first.”

“Of course, no problem.”

The production team had invited so many big names that they’d made thorough preparations for security and medical care.

Li Tang grabbed some bottles and jars and headed toward the restroom with Yan Mengyi.

Jiang Banxia seemed to sense something extraordinary.

“You two are inseparable. You can’t even be apart for a moment.”

The teasing was obvious. Why would they need to hide just to put on a bandage?

“She’s allergic to heat. She must have a rash. There are some places she can’t reach herself.”

“Go ahead, go ahead. Do you need my help?”

Li Tang glanced back at Jiang Banxia.

Jiang Banxia immediately raised her hands in surrender.

Once Li Tang and Yan Mengyi had completely disappeared from sight, Jiang Banxia savored the moment in disbelief.

“Did you notice Li Tang’s tone just now? The way she said ‘my wife’—did anyone catch her expression?”

Jiang Banxia turned and met Jin Youshu’s gaze. Jin Youshu nodded vigorously, as if they’d found kindred spirits.

Li Tang, a woman nearly divine in the music world, always presented herself as aloof and untouchable in private. Yet when she inadvertently revealed her tender human emotions, the stark contrast was enough to make anyone scream.

Moreover, the term “wife” carried a touch of classical romance.

Pei Nalian simply smiled. “Allergic to heat? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

*****

There was no camera by the sink.

Li Tang helped Yan Mengyi apply a bandage, then pulled her tight shirt out from under her skirt and smoothed it down.

A sliver of pale, slender waist was revealed.

“I can do it myself.”

“Let me help you.”

Li Tang’s insistence was unyielding, leaving no room for argument.

Yan Mengyi braced her hands against the sink’s edge, her protests sounding weak against Li Tang’s forceful demeanor.

Those explanations of letters from earlier seemed to echo in her mind again, though she knew Li Tang’s assertiveness wasn’t the same kind of control described in those definitions.

But the icy sensation of fingers against her skin snapped Yan Mengyi out of her thoughts.

Li Tang’s cold, slender fingers climbed inch by inch up her waist, their purposeless caress stirring a deep-seated longing within her while sending shivers across her skin.

It wasn’t until the hand grew bolder and more daring that Yan Mengyi’s heart sank. She reached through her clothes and pressed down the hand that was disrupting her composure.

Surprised, she lowered her voice, her bright eyes widening despite herself.

Li Tang wasn’t someone driven by carnal desires, nor was she one to disregard propriety.

“Today, when you were sitting on the sofa watching me,” Li Tang leaned down, her warm, damp breath brushing against Yan Mengyi’s ear, “what were you thinking?”

“After we got married, we spent so little time together. I feel like I don’t even know what you really like. I want to know what you need and give it to you.”

As they spoke, Li Tang’s phone, resting on the sink, rang.

“I’ll keep applying the ointment,” Li Tang said, unbuttoning Yan Mengyi’s blouse and carefully wiping on the cream. “Check who sent the message for me.”

Yan Mengyi unlocked the phone. “Hua… it’s a message from your friend.”

Yan Mengyi didn’t open the message, simply handing the phone back to Li Tang, as if she felt she had no right to read it.

“What does it say?”

Yan Mengyi had no choice but to glance at it.

“She says she’s very grateful for your guidance and… she’s looking forward to seeing you again.”

Li Tang didn’t even look up. “Reply that there will be a chance for collaboration. I’m looking forward to it too.”

“Mm.”

After finishing applying the ointment, the two didn’t linger in the bathroom. The others were still waiting for them.

Besides, they couldn’t underestimate Jiang Banxia’s imagination, especially since she liked reading ABO novels. If they took a few more minutes, who knew how she would scream, wink, or fantasize?

Li Tang straightened Yan Mengyi’s clothes and took her hand, leading her out.

Yan Mengyi gripped Li Tang’s hand tightly, her mind involuntarily replaying Li Tang’s words.

If I wanted that kind of thing, Li Tang would go along with it, right?

So… does Li Tang also want to save our marriage?

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