After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 36

“Let’s go!” Zhou Qiutong grabbed Jiang Banxia by the back of her clothes and pulled her onto the stage.

The audience’s enthusiasm was ignited, and time flew by. Before long, it was time for the final performance.

Lights and smoke created a dreamy, mythic atmosphere.

Amidst a shower of petals, the voiceover announced dramatically, “The mysterious princess from ancient Eastern lands descends from the heavens…”

Yan Mengyi, floating on her flying carpet, became the focus of everyone’s attention.

Meanwhile, outside the spotlight, the four guardian deities kept their eyes fixed intently on the princess.

As the performance ended, all the performers linked hands for their curtain call.

Just as the audience began packing up their bags to leave, the host’s voice cut through the chatter: “Today is a very special day for our Entertainment Village.”

The audience, who had already risen to depart, quickly settled back into their seats.

Whispers rippled through the hall.

“The online guides didn’t mention this part.”

“Did we stumble upon a special edition?”

The host, holding the microphone with palpable excitement, declared, “We are deeply grateful to the ‘Pillowside Lovers’ production team and their six guests for participating in our performance and ensuring its successful completion.”

The Resort and Entertainment Village was very famous, and audiences of all ages came to watch the shows.

Some of the older viewers didn’t even know what Pillowside Lovers was.

But the younger crowd was going crazy.

“No way! No way!”

“Are they really here in person?”

“A few years ago, I couldn’t even get tickets to my idol’s concert, no matter how much I paid scalpers. And now you’re telling me I spent 300 yuan to have my idol sing and dance for me live?”

“Goddess Tang! Goddess Tang, I love you!” one excited fan shouted, immediately getting a huge response from the crowd.

“Thank you to Artist Li Tang and her wife for bringing us this wonderful performance,” the host said, turning to applaud in their direction.

“What role is Goddess Tang playing?”

“I don’t know. I scanned every face on stage, and if she was there, I would have recognized her immediately.”

“Ever since news broke that Pillowside Lovers was negotiating with Goddess Tang, I’ve been following the show closely. I thought I’d have to wait until next week for the trailer, but I never imagined I’d become part of the show itself.”

“I’m really curious about her wife.”

“Ahhh! Who isn’t wondering that?! What kind of woman can make Goddess Tang want to marry her right after high school graduation?”

“I just hope she’s not too disappointing. Otherwise, I might actually start shipping Hua Jingyan and Goddess Tang as an alternative couple.”

The arena erupted in applause as the stage lights shifted, finally settling on the guard and the princess.

The audience held their breath, watching the tall, strikingly proportioned divine envoy slowly remove her veil and hat, revealing pale eyes and thin lips.

Li Tang turned sideways, took Yan Mengyi’s hand, and the pair walked to the front of the stage, bowing deeply to the audience.

Yan Mengyi’s hair veil slipped off, momentarily revealing her hair and face.

But it lasted only a few seconds before she repositioned the veil.

Yet that glimpse was enough.

Li Tang’s fans confirmed from that fleeting look that it wasn’t that her wife’s appearance was unsuitable for public display.

Rather, it was Li Tang’s overwhelming possessiveness that wouldn’t allow her wife to be out of her sight.

Her non-celebrity wife seemed deeply uncomfortable being exposed to the public eye.

Li Tang gripped her wife’s hand tightly, offering her support and encouragement.

After the brief introduction, the couple stepped aside, allowing the host to introduce the other guests.

“Teacher Jiang! Teacher Zhou! We love you too!”

Zhou Qiutong smiled at her wife and gestured for her to walk ahead. Even though Jiang Banxia’s outfit didn’t have a trailing skirt, Zhou Qiutong crouched down and pretended to hold the Queen’s train as she followed behind.

If the earlier applause had been the fans cheering for Li Tang, Zhou Qiutong used this moment to showcase her decade of theater acting skills, truly earning the audience’s applause.

“Finally, I’d like to introduce our last two guests: Teachers Pei Nalian and Jin Youshu of IGP!” the host announced.

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

“Did everyone enjoy today’s performance?” the host asked, raising the microphone toward the audience.

“Yes!”

The host wanted louder feedback and cupped her ear like a megaphone. “What was that? I can’t hear you! Louder!”

The audience, mischievous, played along. In unison, they shouted, “No, we didn’t enjoy it!”

“Boring!”

“Boring!”

The host, a novice, was visibly nervous and hadn’t anticipated this mishap. She took a deep breath, raised the microphone to her lips, and forced a smile, her ears already flushed red.

“Not exciting enough? Not fun? What should we do now?”

“Goddess Tang!”

“Make Goddess Tang sing!”

The crowd’s clamor nearly shook the roof off the building.

Unable to refuse such overwhelming enthusiasm, Li Tang reluctantly stepped from the stage’s edge to the center and took the microphone from the host.

Some audience members called out for her signature hit.

The host shook her head subtly. Unapproved songs couldn’t be performed; they’d face a fine.

Li Tang covered the microphone and assured the host not to worry; she’d cover the penalty herself.

The host, surprised that a superstar like Li Tang would consider such details—especially for someone as inconsequential as herself—gazed at her with starry-eyed admiration.

Li Tang sang the first half of the song, then gestured toward Jin Youshu and Pei Nalian, offering them the microphone.

Understanding immediately, the two women stepped forward, took the microphone from Li Tang, and finished the song.

Li Tang returned to Yan Mengyi’s side and took her hand again.

She noticed that Yan Mengyi’s hand was ice-cold.

“What’s wrong?”

Yan Mengyi forced a smile. “I’m fine. It’s just… with so many people here, I’m a little nervous.”

The performance ended successfully.

The group returned backstage.

The Village Chief and the Entertainment Department Manager thanked them again for their performance.

Jiang Banxia and Zhou Qiutong were still stunned by the widespread familiarity with Li Tang’s hit song.

“It’s a song from seven years ago! I never imagined so many people would still know it.”

Since Li Tang had considered letting them perform during the show earlier, Pei Nalian, surprisingly, spoke a word of fairness. “Every song by Artist Li should be known by many people.”

Pei Nalian didn’t want to admit it, but she knew deep down that she had heard Li Tang’s voice before she even knew her name.

I don’t need your original singing style. Just imitate her like this. The President’s words from years ago still echoed in Pei Nalian’s mind.

Pei Nalian resented this. She didn’t want her unique style to be erased, though she also had to admit that the a cappella performance demonstrated the singer’s remarkable vocal prowess.

Perhaps this was also one of the roots of Pei Nalian’s hostility toward Li Tang, a hostility she hadn’t even realized herself.

“They say two-thirds of Goddess Tang’s songs are written for her lover,” Zhou Qiutong remarked, bringing up the topic. “I’m curious about the remaining third.”

Yan Mengyi looked surprised, as if she was hearing this “two-thirds” trope for the first time.

“The remaining third,” Li Tang answered concisely, “is written for my classmate.”

“Oh? What kind of classmate?” Jiang Banxia asked, feigning ignorance.

Li Tang rested her hand on Yan Mengyi’s shoulder. “The classmate I like.”

“So all your songs are about one person?”

“Artist Jiang, don’t be so surprised,” Jin Youshu interjected. “All my songs are about one person too.”

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Jiang Banxia clicked her tongue. “You two are far too narrow-minded. Unlike me—I get a new love interest with every drama! I once dated ten men in a single series!”

In her last drama, Jiang Banxia had played a vengeful fox spirit in a fantasy series, demanding the villagers sacrifice a beautiful girl to her every month.

“Enough! Am I going to leave?” Zhou Qiutong covered her ears helplessly.

“Stay! You’re quite pretty, and I haven’t had enough fun with you yet,” Jiang Banxia said.

“Stay?” Zhou Qiutong was both angry and amused, pretending to grab Jiang Banxia by the neck. “You want to play with me until you’re bored? Just try me!”

“Alright, alright, everyone, please face this way for a moment.”

Mo Zhenyi had appeared backstage at some point, and judging by her exasperated expression, she’d been there for a while.

“Director Mo!” Jiang Banxia flinched, already on edge. “Another mission? But the show is almost over!”

“No, no, rest assured, there are no more missions,” Mo Zhenyi raised her hands defensively. “There’s a park nearby, and since it’s dark and not too hot, I thought we could all go for a barbecue to celebrate the end of filming.”

“A barbecue? We have to cook it ourselves?” Jiang Banxia asked.

“You’ll have to do some work, but all the ingredients are prepared.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Swear to the camera, to the whole nation!”

“Fine, I swear!”

******

The group divided the tasks. Yan Mengyi, Jiang Banxia, and Pei Nalian skewered the meat, while the other three handled the grilling.

Jiang Banxia loaded a steel skewer with marbled pork belly and instructed Zhou Qiutong, “This one’s mine. When it starts sizzling, sprinkle it generously with cumin and hand it over to me, okay?”

“Got it,” Zhou Qiutong replied, skillfully taking the skewer and brushing it with oil.

Pei Nalian looked up. “Artist Jiang, I remember you mentioned today…”

“No, you don’t remember anything. Promise me?”

The group chuckled.

Soon, all the ingredients were skewered, and the grillers nearly snapped their fans trying to keep the flames under control.

Jiang Banxia leaned over, her eyes fixed on her tender, juicy pork belly skewer.

Yan Mengyi sat nearby in a chair, listening to Pei Nalian sing while strumming her guitar.

They agreed on a rhythm, improvised lyrics, and took turns singing.

Yan Mengyi swayed with the beat, watching Li Tang sparkle as always.

“Xiao Yi, your skewer’s ready. Come get it.”

Yan Mengyi approached and took the skewer, but she accidentally touched the exposed metal part of the skewer.

The moment she burned her hand, she instinctively threw the skewer away and curled up on the ground.

“Xiao Yi!”

Li Tang dropped what she was holding and rushed over.

But someone beat her to it.

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