Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself

Xie Qingci felt a bit depressed.

What he really wanted to say was, "This activity is a scam; don’t write letters to others when I’m not here."

But the program team hurried him away, and in the end, he said nothing, just sighed at Yu Xia and staggered out the courtyard gate.

Yu Xia was a bit puzzled.

After tidying up the dishes, she found herself bored staying alone, so she went out for a stroll and happened to run into Lan Hui who came looking for her.

A round face with a bun hairstyle, looking at her on the road with a face full of grievances, while a group of ducks ran by, quacking.

"...Something up?" After the ducks passed, she approached and asked.

Lan Hui sighed, "Can you believe it, all six of us can’t cook on a wood-fired stove."

"So what did you eat?"

Lan Hui sighed again, "We tried to cook porridge, but added too little water and ended up with a pot of sticky rice mush. What did you eat?"

Yu Xia pretended to recall, using her literary skills to describe it with extravagant praise.

"It was a magical bowl of noodles, with juicy red tomatoes, golden and fluffy eggs, chewy and smooth noodles. When the diced tomatoes hit the pan, there was a burst of sizzling sound, and the aroma lingered. Eating that bowl of noodles made me not miss home for three days, and drinking that soup made me want to lie down for three days."

Lan Hui: "..."

She swallowed, "Do you have any tomatoes left? I can eat one raw as part of my diet."

"No more," Yu Xia spread her hands, "We only had one, and it was given to us by someone else. Didn’t you guys go buy some vegetables? You can at least stir-fry some side dishes."

Lan Hui showed a complex expression again.

"Starting a fire is really hard, I can’t handle it."

"And no one else can manage either? Then how did you cook the porridge?"

Finally, it came to the point. Lan Hui took a deep breath and said, "Only me. Qian Ling and Ling Yan seemed to have a fight and were sulking in their rooms. Ling Yan was crying, so Zheng Jinjin went to comfort her. Liu Ji is even worse at it than I am, and Wang Xuchun went to chop wood and didn’t participate in cooking."

Yu Xia blinked. It turned out it wasn’t the program that was boring, it was because being far from Xie Qingci made things less fun. Places with more people seemed lively enough, didn’t they?

"You’ve had a hard time; all I can say is—persevere through hardship to rise above. Try your best to pass the trial in three days."

After saying that, she asked, "Are you strolling alone then? Isn’t Ling Yan distressed right now?"

Lan Hui shrugged, "I went in and said a few words, but I’m a single person with no experience in resolving couple quarrels, so I couldn’t persuade them. Anyway, Zheng Jinjin is there; she’s very patient."

The two talked as they walked, passing by the pretty garden villa and happened to see Zhou Yu coming out.

After failing to swap rooms in the afternoon, Zhou Yu looked a bit awkward and didn’t have much to say while walking with them.

As they reached the big house, they could hear Zheng Jinjin’s lively and comforting voice from the yard.

Lin Shuangyin was there too, both softly comforting the sobbing Ling Yan.

According to Lan Hui, she started crying during cooking and hadn’t stopped yet?

Yu Xia walked in, curiously glanced, Ling Yan’s eyes were red, with Lin Shuangyin and Zheng Jinjin each holding one of her hands, speaking soothingly and patiently without a hint of annoyance.

They also offered a few words of comfort symbolically. As soon as it seemed Ling Yan was calming down, the next second, tears flowed again like a continuous spring.

She could definitely get cast in a crying scene, Yu Xia thought.

At this point, Zhou Yu seemed to lose patience and said, with a frown and a blunt tone, "Stop crying, it’s not a big deal. You made a wrong choice, and so did he. At worst, just argue. What’s the use of crying all the time?"

Ling Yan was stunned.

It seemed she didn’t expect her to say that.

If there’s someone known for a bad temper here, it’s Yu Xia. Previously, her unpleasant demeanor and curse-out with Ling Luo and Luo Sheng on the show left a deep impression online.

But now Yu Xia wasn’t losing her patience yet, and Zhou Yu ran out first.

Zheng Jinjin and Lin Shuangyin looked a bit awkward, soothing Ling Yan while trying to explain Zhou Yu’s good intentions.

Like the women’s federation cadre mediating an in-law conflict.

Yu Xia leaned against the wardrobe door without saying a word.

Ling Yan held back her tears, rubbing hard at the corners of her eyes until the skin reddened, then forced a smile and said, "It’s okay, I know Zhou Yu means well. I’m kind of prone to crying; I burst like a dam whenever I’m upset."

Such a metaphor aroused affection, so Zheng Jinjin followed with a funny comment, successfully breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Then they moved on to the truth-telling session.

Zheng Jinjin asked Ling Yan why she chose wrong and what caused the conflict, and Ling Yan asked Zhou Yu why she was on the verge of breaking up with Liu Yicheng.

In the end, they didn’t leave her out.

"Yu Xia, what do you think? How did you and Xie Qingci get together in the first place?"

Yu Xia snapped back, smiled.

"It’s simple, really. If you feel like you like someone, just confess. If it works out, be together; if not, better to stay away early."

Ling Yan seemed incredulous, "Just like that?"

"What else? Or how about you tell us why you’re not with Qian Ling?"

"Just..." Ling Yan glanced around shyly, "I think we’re comfortable with each other, messaging and calling daily, often hanging out, and we always turn to each other first when something comes up. Together or not, it doesn’t seem to make much difference."

Yu Xia was noncommittal, asking again, "In your relationship, does the other side maintain boundaries and naturally avoid developing more-than-friend relationships with others of the opposite sex?"

Ling Yan frowned, "Of course."

"And if he doesn’t, do you feel justified in calling them a cheater and the other a homewrecker?"

Without confirmation, where’s the mistress? Just because you believe it doesn’t mean others will agree.

Ling Yan said nothing, but Zheng Jinjin asked, "Is being together really just for that? If emotions are strong, wouldn’t you not mind this?"

Not sure if it’s plain silly or a potential playboy; these relationships tend to have someone stringing the other along.

Yu Xia smiled, "I mean, if you really like him, claim him. Otherwise, are you waiting for him to fly away with someone else?"

Just as she finished speaking, the staff outside knocked on the window to announce that they could start writing their notes.

The Truth Squad dispersed, each receiving a stack of notes and envelopes, writing them and placing them in a special delivery room to be distributed to the recipients the next day.

Yu Xia finished quickly, with just a phrase, and after completing it, she returned to the small building to wash up.

With no neon lights throughout the night, the village’s schedule followed the brightness of the sky.

As the twilight faded, the chickens, ducks, and geese all returned to their pens. Yu Xia was in her room drying her hair when she heard someone calling her outside.

She looked down from the balcony, and it was Xie Qingci in just a vest.

He held his t-shirt in his hand, sweating with his hair damp, for reasons unknown.

Leaning back on a wooden chair, he looked up and smiled at her, like a ruffian youth who came especially to talk to a female classmate, playfully saying, "Sister, you’re so beautiful."

Yu Xia couldn’t help but laugh.