I Married My Ex and Ended Up on a Dating Show

When they were dating, Bai Xu made a scene over everything, even the air he breathed. During their last fight, he opened his mouth and said, "Fine, let's break up. Whoever doesn't is a dog."

Mo Xuan really left, without looking back. Bai Xu only realized too late how much he regretted it, but by then, Mo Xuan was already out of reach.

Three years later, Bai Xu was a huge star in the entertainment industry, while Mo Xuan was making waves in the business world. Their parents suddenly announced an arranged marriage. In front of their elders, the former couple pretended not to know each other and put on the performance of a lifetime. They didn't say a word to each other while getting their marriage certificate. For the next year, they slept in separate rooms, and you could count their encounters on one hand.

Neither of them was willing to back down first. Their motto was, "Whoever speaks first loses."

Then the trending topics exploded: #BaiXuAndMoXuanMarriedByContract# #AnArrangedMarriageBetweenRichFamiliesHasNoLove# #BaiXuHasAnExHeCantForget# #MoXuanHasAWhiteMoonlightHeCantHave#

Their parents' blood pressure shot through the roof, and they bundled the two off to a marriage reality show that very night.

When the show was announced, the whole internet gathered to watch the drama: These fake husbands are putting on a show. Which one is the better actor?

But from the very first episode, things started going off script.

Bai Xu kept saying, "Whatever," and "I don't care," but whenever Mo Xuan said a few extra words to someone else, Bai Xu's ears perked up like a rabbit's. Mo Xuan acted like he didn't care, but the moment Bai Xu gave a little cough, he handed him water faster than a professional assistant.

The comments began to waver: [You call that having no feelings? Is that how people with no feelings act?]

What truly set the internet ablaze was the episode where they returned to their hometown.

The two stood before the lovers' lock they'd left behind years ago. The rusty lock was unmistakably engraved with two names: Bai Xu × Mo Xuan. It had clearly been there for a long time. At the same time, an old video resurfaced and spread across the internet: In a quiet corner of their school at dusk, Bai Xu was pinned against a wall as Mo Xuan leaned down to kiss him. Shadows of parasol leaves fell across them, their own shadows melding together.

The comments went completely wild: [Are you two acting out a second-chance romance or what???] [So Mo Xuan is the ex Bai Xu can't forget, and Bai Xu is the white moonlight Mo Xuan can never have????]

On confession night, the production team asked them to share something the other person didn't know.

The whole room fell silent as the cameras zoomed in.

Bai Xu lowered his eyes and spoke quietly. "Actually... I was the one who posted online from a secret account that we were 'having marital problems.' I wanted to get on this show. I wanted to talk things through with him."

Everyone gasped.

Mo Xuan looked at him, then spoke unhurriedly. "What a coincidence."

He paused. "I'm the investor behind this marriage reality show."

After two seconds of silence, Bai Xu laughed first. He tugged at Mo Xuan's sleeve, just like he used to when they were dating. "Are you insane?"

This time, Mo Xuan held Bai Xu's hand tight and nodded. "Yeah. Completely."

The comments: ?????? So we're all just NPCs you hired!

Bonus scene: One night after they got back together, the two nearly got into another fight. Bai Xu had discovered that Mo Xuan was meeting a man in secret, and that man was He Jinxing, Bai Xu's rival in love back in college.

Back then, He Jinxing had sowed discord between them, causing their three-year breakup. Bai Xu had a short fuse, so that night he bought a durian, carried it home, and thumped it down on the coffee table. "Kneel."

But when Mo Xuan came through the door, one eye was bruised and the corner of his mouth was split.

Bai Xu: "Who hit you? Whoever it was, Bai Xu is now his sworn enemy!"

Mo Xuan replied expressionlessly, "Who else? He Jinxing."

Bai Xu froze for two seconds. "Wait, you fought my rival in love?"

Mo Xuan froze too. "But he's my rival in love!"

The couple spent the whole night comparing notes before discovering a universal truth: If you don't speak up while dating, your rival in love will shut you up.

Reader's guide:

1. Sweet story with a shou protagonist. A top-tier star with a bratty streak × a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted CEO.

2. Neither the gong nor the shou speaks up, and their breakup really was caused by a misunderstanding. The protagonists are imperfect. Please don't read if that's not for you.

Theme: Have the courage to face your choices