After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 54

Jiang Banxia suddenly looked up and met the camera’s gaze. A little flustered, she covered her mouth and nudged Zhou Qiutong with her elbow.

Her eyes asked: I forgot I was on camera. You didn’t remind me. Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

Zhou Qiutong patted her wife’s bottom. Jiang Banxia blushed and playfully smacked her, remembering they were in public and everyone could see.

Zhou Qiutong wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay. Whatever you think, the viewers will think too. You just spoke for all of us.”

“Really? It’s okay?” Jiang Banxia leaned against Zhou Qiutong’s shoulder.

“You can’t pretend to be someone else forever. You might be able to act for an hour, or even a day, but there’s no need to wear a mask all the time. Just be yourself.” Zhou Qiutong bumped their foreheads together. “I’ll love you no matter what you’re like.”

“Ugh, how old are we? Still saying stuff like that?” Jiang Banxia grumbled, but she snuggled closer to Zhou Qiutong.

“Didn’t the paparazzi keep writing nonsense about Tangtang and Hua Jingyan? Just now, I barely saw them interact. Instead, Hua Jingyan kept clinging to Xiao Yi.”

Could this be Hua Jingyan’s little scheme?

Many people admired Li Tang. When she announced she had been married for seven years, the entire world was shaken.

Those who had secretly admired her saw their fantasies burst like bubbles. They began to wonder what kind of person could have won the heart of this socialite.

Curious gazes fell upon Yan Mengyi, all wanting to know what kind of person she was.

As a result, Yan Mengyi was surrounded by a crowd of malicious people, ready to pounce at any moment under the guise of friendship to pry into Li Tang’s family life, judge Yan Mengyi, and compare her to themselves. They waited for any misstep to mock and trample the woman who had monopolized Goddess Tang’s heart for seven years.

The two women entered the room and put away their luggage.

Jiang Banxia, torn between concern and the awkwardness of the topic, opted to text her wife even while facing her directly:

Should we warn Xiao Yi to be careful around Hua Jingyan?

The online world could be brutal. Even if Hua Jingyan’s intentions in approaching Yan Mengyi were pure, the stark difference in their social statuses was likely to cause Yan Mengyi trouble.

One was a young, gifted singer who had achieved fame at a tender age; the other was a full-time wife for seven years.

Numerous posts flooded the internet forums:

Don’t you think Li Tang and Hua Jingyan are a better match?

Similar posts proliferated, garnering widespread agreement. Everyone wanted to imagine themselves in the role of the talented young woman.

******

In another room, Li Tang had already arranged everyone’s suitcases.

Unobtrusively, she retrieved her own pillow from her suitcase and placed it on the bed by the window, alongside the hotel’s pillows.

The pillowcase felt familiar, like silk, its satin finish gleaming softly.

Hua Jingyan noticed it too and came over to touch the fabric.

“Senior, where did you get your pillowcase? It looks so comfortable.”

A faint, refreshing scent lingered on the pillow.

“Non-commercial,” Li Tang said meaningfully. “Exclusive custom order.”

Yan Mengyi’s ears flushed crimson, too afraid to dwell on those words.

Once, this fabric had been part of her nightgown, wrapping around her body after a bath, absorbing every droplet of water while concealing every inch of her alluring curves. Later, the straps had been pulled off her shoulders, the smooth, pale fabric sliding down her silky skin to pool at her feet before being picked up and used as a blindfold. Her delicate face flushed crimson with desire, her judgmental eyes shut tight, leaving only those soft, red lips parting and closing like a fish gasping on a chopping board, utterly vulnerable and yielding, her tongue plundered fiercely as every weak gasp and moan was swallowed between their lips.

Yan Mengyi blushed as she boldly placed Li Tang’s pillow on the sofa. “You should sleep here.”

Li Tang glared at Hua Jingyan, her sharp gaze filled with unspoken fury.

“How about this?” Hua Jingyan suggested. “Senior, you can have the bed.”

Li Tang nodded in agreement, but Hua Jingyan’s next words made her vision darken.

“Sister Xiao Yi and I can share a bed without any problems.”

“You…” Li Tang suddenly understood the true meaning of “letting the wolf into the house.”

“Is there any way I can sleep with my wife instead?”

“There are cameras in the bedroom,” Hua Jingyan pointed out. “Does it really matter who Sister Xiao Yi sleeps with?”

“Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?”

“Senior, I’m just stating the facts. The cameras mean no inappropriate behavior. Having Sister Xiao Yi and me share a bed will actually help you both become more pure and virtuous.”

“This is on purpose.”

Yan Mengyi lowered her head. Whether Hua Jingyan was here or not, she and Li Tang would never touch each other again.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa,” Yan Mengyi said, placing her pillow on it. “I’m used to it, no problem.”

“No,” Li Tang said, placing her pillow on the sofa as well, her tone leaving no room for argument. She lay down first. “I’ll sleep on the sofa. That’s final.”

“Senior, let’s add each other as friends first!” Hua Jingyan said with a smile, fiddling with the new phone provided by the production team.

Yan Mengyi watched Hua Jingyan bounce over to add Li Tang as a friend, her heart stirring. Hua Jingyan was nothing like she’d imagined, and nothing like the media had portrayed her. Who wouldn’t like such a lively and vibrant person?

Hua Jingyan then went to add other guests as friends.

For a moment, only Li Tang and Yan Mengyi remained in the room.

“Let’s add each other as friends too,” Li Tang said, displaying the QR code on her phone to Yan Mengyi.

But at that moment, a message from Hua Jingyan popped up on Li Tang’s screen:

Senior, I’m so happy to be on the show with you!

Yan Mengyi didn’t move, clutching her phone tightly.

“There’s no need to add each other,” she said. “We’ll be together all the time anyway.”

“Xiao Yi…” Li Tang sat up helplessly and grabbed Yan Mengyi’s wrist, trapping her between her legs.

The temperature in the room suddenly soared.

“You really won’t add me?”

“No.”

Li Tang released her grip. “Well, I didn’t really want to add you either.”

Yan Mengyi had never seen Li Tang act so defiant before and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hua Jingyan is such a wonderful person, so polite. You must be thrilled she’s here, right?”

“To be honest, I’d be thrilled if she could just stay in her own room.”

“Slick-talker.” Yan Mengyi yanked her hand free and fled to the bathroom, pretending to wash up.

“Do you need help?” Li Tang followed her hurried footsteps to the bathroom and asked softly through the door.

“No.”

“I’ll wait for you.” Sensing something was off, Li Tang didn’t leave. She sat down, leaning against the bathroom door, and waited.

Separated by the door, Li Tang remained unaware that Yan Mengyi was also sitting, her back against it.

The wrist Li Tang had grabbed earlier felt warmer than the rest of her body.

A tingling current seemed to surge through her body from that point.

******

“Tangtang, hurry down! Everyone’s waiting for you,” Jiang Banxia urged Li Tang over the phone.

Jiang Zhou, IGP, and Hua Jingyan were waiting downstairs for Li Tang and the others.

Pei Nalian had already changed into a new outfit, fully prepared for Changsha’s scorching heat. She wore ice sleeves on her arms, a sun hat on her head, and was spraying sunscreen liberally on her face.

In contrast, Jin Youshu looked weary, carrying only a sun umbrella like the others.

Hua Jingyan excitedly chatted with Jiang Zhou and her wife about her love for Chinese wuxia dramas, especially praising Jiang Banxia’s portrayal in one.

Li Tang and Yan Mengyi arrived late.

Jiang Banxia waved enthusiastically from afar. “Why are you two so slow?”

Yan Mengyi offered an embarrassed smile and jogged over to join them.

Li Tang, however, strolled over unhurriedly.

“You two, being so secretive… did you sneak off for a kiss? Spill!” Jiang Banxia blurted out bluntly, teasing them.

Before Li Tang and Yan Mengyi could respond, Hua Jingyan gasped and denied it emphatically, “Absolutely not!”

“You’re not them, so how would you know they don’t?” Pei Nalian stirred up the conversation, enjoying the drama. “Besides, they’re married. Even if they kiss, it’s not a stolen kiss.”

“Enough about kissing. Let’s figure out what to eat.” Zhou Qiutong turned to Pei Nalian. “Nalian, any restaurant recommendations?”

“Nope. I’ve lived abroad for so long, I really don’t know.”

“I saw online guides suggesting we start at Wuyi Square, then go to Huangxing Square. If we have time at night, we could check out Taiping Street and the Du Fu River Pavilion.”

Zhou Qiutong’s earlier question to Pei Nalian was clearly just a formality; she’d already planned the trip.

Though Jiang Zhou usually joked around like everyone else, in crucial moments, Zhou Qiutong always stepped up like a responsible leader, radiating trustworthiness and dependability.

“No way! It’s so hot out there—Changsha’s sun is brutal right now. Are we really going to Wuyi Square in this weather?” Pei Nalian protested, clearly reluctant. “There’s nothing there.”

Worried her lone objection wouldn’t carry weight, Pei Nalian turned to Jin Youshu for support, then quickly shifted her gaze to Hua Jingyan.

“It’s really hot out there. Are you sure you want to go?”

“I don’t mind!” Hua Jingyan shrugged, bouncing excitedly beside them.

Seeing that Hua Jingyan wouldn’t help, Pei Nalian turned to Yan Mengyi. “Xiao Yi, where do you want to go?”

“I think Artist Zhou’s suggestion is good,” Yan Mengyi said. “I just checked online guides, and everyone recommends these places. Do you have any better ideas?”

Pei Nalian couldn’t come up with anything better and wasn’t willing to take on the responsibility of being the tour guide, so she reluctantly joined the group.

The destination was close, so everyone decided to walk.

Pei Nalian couldn’t hide her grumbling, but she couldn’t make a scene, so she expressed her displeasure through small gestures.

“Do you need sunscreen spray?” Pei Nalian asked, clearly looking at Yan Mengyi.

Yan Mengyi thanked her and reached out to take it.

But Pei Nalian held onto the sunscreen spray and instead offered it to Hua Jingyan first.

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