After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 16

Yan Mengyi still couldn’t answer. The alarm grew increasingly shrill, her expression distant as she stared at Li Tang’s image on the screen opposite.

Did Li Tang get the same question as me?

If so, what would she answer?

On the screen, Li Tang answered each question with confident ease, without hesitation.

“Countdown ended!”

Yan Mengyi felt disheartened.

I guess I’m just not cut out for this show.

It’s only five questions—why can’t I even get this right?

I’ll disappoint everyone again, including Li Tang.

Just as Yan Mengyi’s thoughts spiraled, she saw Li Tang gesture toward the camera.

Does she know I’m watching her through the camera?

“Your wife, Li Tang, has completed the task early and earned two Item Cards,” the robotic voice announced. “She has chosen to gift you a Time Extension Card, granting you an additional five minutes to answer.”

Yan Mengyi waved at the camera in her room. Li Tang waved back on the screen. It seemed they could indeed see each other.

The countdown, which had reset to zero, now resumed.

Even with five extra minutes, Yan Mengyi remained stumped.

“Can I skip this question and answer the fifth one first?”

“No, please answer in order.”

Yan Mengyi twisted her fingers, biting her lower lip until it nearly bled.

Li Tang seemed to sense Yan Mengyi’s distress and said something to the camera in the room.

A robotic voice echoed in Yan Mengyi’s room: “Your wife, Li Tang, has a second Item Card that can help you answer your fourth question. Do you wish to seek assistance?”

After a moment of hesitation, Yan Mengyi replied, “Yes.”

Though she couldn’t hear Li Tang’s voice, Yan Mengyi could see her expression on the screen.

Li Tang’s bright, snow-like eyes suddenly darkened, a fleeting shadow passing through their luminosity like a momentary shadow in the forest.

Yan Mengyi knew Li Tang well, but she had never seen such a fleeting, troubled expression on her face before.

The change was subtle, yet Yan Mengyi caught it.

But Li Tang’s expression shifted back in an instant, and without hesitation, she answered the question.

The production team judged Li Tang’s answer to be valid.

Curious about what Li Tang had said, Yan Mengyi asked, but the production team refused to reveal it, simply informing her:

“Question five: How do you imagine your life will be when you’re older?”

Yan Mengyi thought for a moment before answering:

 “A tidy room with a bookshelf and a large window, where sunlight streams in to fall on the bed in the morning.”

“Five questions answered. Thank you for participating.”

The table in front of Yan Mengyi emitted a mechanical whirring sound, and a key appeared before her.

*****

Three hours had passed since Jiang Banxia posted the group photo.

Curious netizens focused on the delicate yet unfamiliar face in the passenger seat, sparking countless wild guesses.

[Why didn’t Sister Jiang tag Goddess Tang’s wife in her caption?]

[She’s probably just an ordinary person, maybe a bit low-key.]

[I think I recognize this person.]

[Elaborate, please.]

[+10086!]

[Curiosity x100!]

[I’m from Jingyi Foreign Language School. Goddess Tang is a year older than me, so she’s technically my senior. The person in the passenger seat looks a lot like one of Goddess Tang’s classmate, but I can’t be 100% sure. I don’t want to cause trouble for my senior.]

[Me too! I think I know who you’re talking about. But back then, wasn’t it someone else who was rumored to be dating that senior, not Goddess Tang?]

*****

In the end, after all the rumors and speculation, no one could confidently stand up and say they knew Li Tang’s wife.

Since they couldn’t verify her identity, everyone began speculating about her relationship with Li Tang.

[Goddess Tang is famously aloof and arrogant. Her wife must be the type of stay-at-home mom who gets walked over.]

[Exactly. Compared to the smiles on everyone else’s faces, the woman in the passenger seat seems a bit reserved.]

[I’ve been ranting all day about wanting to see what Goddess Tang’s wife looks like, but now that they’re actually on a reality show, I’m kind of scared.]

[Same here. Goddess Tang’s musical achievements are undeniable, but people’s personalities are consistent. She might be just as domineering at home as she is in her career. If I saw her ordering her wife around, I don’t know if I could still respect her.]

******

Yan Mengyi held the key and slowly walked back the way she came.

Even though it was nearing evening, the temperature remained high.

Yan Mengyi felt slightly dizzy, but it might not have been due to the heat.

Halfway back, she saw Li Tang leaning lazily against a tree in the courtyard, waiting for her.

A gentle breeze blew through Li Tang’s hair, and the setting sun’s light illuminated her pale eyes.

“Tang…” Yan Mengyi murmured softly, bracing herself for criticism and questioning.

Li Tang didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, she took Yan Mengyi’s hand and pulled her toward the villa.

Vaguely, both women knew their marriage was in serious trouble, but neither was willing to break the fragile surface.

When they arrived at the villa, the other two couples were already waiting in the hall.

Jiang Banxia playfully pouted, feigning annoyance as she looked at Zhou Qiutong. “Ah, age is catching up to us. We don’t feel the same way we used to, and you don’t care about me anymore. You were so slow answering those questions. Look at Nalian and Youshu—they’re so quick and in sync!”

Zhou Qiutong wrapped an arm around Jiang Banxia’s waist but leaned against her shoulder. “The older we get, the more I love you. I was just too busy showering you with compliments, which is why I took so long.”

Jiang Banxia was always outspoken, while Zhou Qiutong remained calm and reserved.

But Zhou Qiutong’s sweet words always left Jiang Banxia defenseless.

Jiang Banxia pretended to be angry, pouting fiercely, but as soon as she heard Zhou Qiutong’s words, she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips. Her pout trembled into a wavering smile, and when she met Zhou Qiutong’s gaze, she finally burst out laughing.

Li Tang and Yan Mengyi pushed open the door and entered, handing over the two keys in their palms to the production team. They finally rescued the remote control from its heavily locked case.

As a cool breeze filled the space, everyone settled comfortably onto the mats in the living room, exhausted yet content.

Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu discussed their answers to the questions they’d just answered.

Yan Mengyi suddenly realized that each of them had received different questions.

So, Li Tang had actually come up with three similarities between them in such a short time?

Yan Mengyi couldn’t believe it. Perhaps she was the real traitor in this marriage.

“Tangtang, what were your five questions?” Jiang Banxia asked curiously.

“Nothing special.”

“I’m curious too,” Jin Youshu said, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at Li Tang.

“There were so many questions, I’ve forgotten most of them. Besides,” Li Tang said, sitting and clasping Yan Mengyi’s hand in hers, “the show airs next Friday night. Won’t we find out everything then?”

“Artist Jiang isn’t one to wait patiently,” Zhou Qiutong said. “If I’m five minutes late for a date, she’ll sulk at me for a week. Make her wait a whole week? She’d be tossing and turning every night for seven days straight.”

Zhou Qiutong wasn’t exaggerating. During their twelve-year relationship, their most iconic photo was taken on a snowy Christmas day. The store windows glowed with vibrant lights, and cheerful pedestrians bustled along the streets. Yet Jiang Banxia stood with a frosty expression, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and thin jeans, clutching a small backpack as if she were running away from home. Zhou Qiutong, fresh from work in a professional suit, knelt before her, tugging at the backpack strap to beg for forgiveness. The black stiletto heels and thin ribbons wrapped around her pale ankles stood out strikingly, like some kind of game-inspired handcuffs—forbidden yet strangely alluring. Jiang Banxia tilted her head slightly, her eyes brimming with pride and anger, the corners of her eyes slightly reddened.

Looking back at that photo now, at age thirty-two, both women felt a twinge of embarrassment.

As Jiang Zhou described the situation, Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu suddenly remembered the photograph. Their mouths dropped open in surprise, their eyes widening as they seemed about to ask more questions.

“I only remember one question,” Li Tang said, interrupting Pei Nalian’s urge to press Jiang Zhou. “It asked me to explain my favorite animal.”

“So what is it?” Zhou Qiutong asked.

“Let me guess first,” Jiang Banxia said, raising her hand. “Tangtang definitely likes parrots.”

For some reason, Yan Mengyi’s delicate beauty always reminded Jiang Banxia of a little parrot she’d once owned. The bird was tiny and soft, its chirping not as loud as its clinginess—more devoted than a kitten or puppy. It would tilt its head by the water bowl, preening its feathers, the pale green ones on its back fluffy like the mist above a forest after the rain, serene and content.

“I do like parrots, but that’s not my favorite animal.”

“Then… I bet it’s a panda,” Pei Nalian said, raising her hand with a confident tone. “It has to be a panda! I remember you were a panda conservation ambassador once. I did something similar too, though I was just a spokesperson, not an ambassador.”

“Not exactly.”

“So what is it then?” Yan Mengyi tilted her head, looking curiously at Li Tang.

Yan Mengyi suddenly realized that over the years they had spent together, Li Tang, though seemingly aloof, had always kept her gaze focused on her.

Li Tang always asked Yan Mengyi, “What do you want?” but rarely spoke about herself.

“I like penguins.”

“Because they waddle so cutely?” Jin Youshu asked.

“No, it’s because some penguins exhibit behaviors that are utterly captivating.”

“What kind of behaviors?”

“Some penguins suddenly break away from their group and head resolutely toward the mountain ranges at the end of the world. Scientists have studied this phenomenon. They’ve taken the departing penguins back to their habitat, but the penguins still choose to head toward the mountains. The end of that path is only death, yet they still throw themselves into it,” Li Tang said. “The motivation behind this behavior remains a mystery, but that fatalistic tragedy makes me think that, for a moment, they cease to be penguins. On the path to self-discovery, humans aren’t the only ones who make the choice to live facing death.”

After Li Tang finished speaking, the room fell silent. The only sounds were their breathing and the labored hum of the old air conditioner.

“Wow, you suddenly elevated the conversation to a philosophical level.”

Jiang Banxia was stunned, and after a long pause, she managed to ask, “Why would you want to be with such a melancholic creature?”

“But life itself is inherently sad. Most of what we experience is pain,” Li Tang said. As she spoke, she noticed the astonishment on the others’ faces, which surprised her. Don’t they feel the same way?

Before Li Tang could finish, Yan Mengyi tightened her grip on Li Tang’s hand.

Perhaps there are many times when I can’t understand your world, but I’ll always be by your side. Whenever you look up, you will find I have never left. You’re never alone.

Pei Nalian glanced at Yan Mengyi and cautiously asked Li Tang, “So, being with Xiao Yi doesn’t make you happy either?”

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