The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 14

Guān Jǐnnián blushed to the tips of his ears, pushed off Xie Zhixin’s arm, and struggled out of his embrace.

The commotion fully woke Xie Zhixin. Half-asleep, he sat up and looked around, his gaze eventually locking onto the camera beside them.

His face remained expressionless. With his eyes still half-closed, he gave the lens a disinterested glance — detached and cold.

Even freshly out of bed with messy hair, his looks were still top-tier.

[Comment: Forget everything else, I need to lick the screen first.]
[That face really tricked me… A total alpha vibe, but why is he always crying?!]
[Ugh, he’s too handsome. If I were in a fight with him, I’d slap myself instead. How did Guan Jin’nian bear to break up with him?!]

“Get up, the livestream’s already started,” Guan Jin’nian reminded him with a hint of warning in his tone — a subtle cue for Xie Zhixin to behave.

He turned to the cameraman. “He’s awake now, does that count as mission accomplished?”

The cameraman nodded, and the camera lens followed with an up-and-down shake.

Xie Zhixin was fully awake now. Remembering the feeling of holding Guan Jin’nian in his arms earlier, he stared at him intently.

[Forget your task for a second and look back — the guy behind you is burning a hole through your skull with his eyes.]
[Not enough hugging, huh? /dog emoji]
[That gaze looks like he’s about to grab our wifey and… do unspeakable things.]
[Chill. Put your pants back on.]

“Go wash up,” Guan Jin’nian said, standing up now that the mission was over. He looked back at Xie Zhixin.

“Okay.” Xie Zhixin obediently got out of bed, and as he passed Guan Jin’nian, he lightly touched his shoulder and said, “Good morning, Jin’nian.”

Guan Jin’nian froze momentarily and pursed his lips. “…Good morning. Hurry up.”

Xie Zhixin had too many little gestures lately — they were making Guan Jin’nian increasingly jumpy.

Once Xie Zhixin was done getting ready, the two headed downstairs together.

They were surprised to find they were the last pair to arrive in the hotel lobby.

Most of the other cast members were Guan Jin’nian’s seniors, and being late made him a little embarrassed. He tugged Xie Zhixin along quickly.

Once everyone had gathered, the livestream was merged into one feed. Host Wang Yue approached and greeted the group.

After some light banter, he cued the show’s format and asked everyone to introduce themselves to the viewers.

The first to speak was the most seasoned actress, Lu Yue.

“Hi everyone, I’m Lu Yue. I’m sure most of you know me already?” she joked. “If not, then I guess my last few years in this industry were a waste.”

[Hahaha, our queen still got that charm!]
[Just watched her new movie last week. Her acting’s insanely good, omg…]
[Don’t even try it — Lu Yue is NOT a second-tier actress, okay!]

Standing beside her was a man in a sharp suit, serious expression, and minimal words.

“Qin Jin.” He nodded slightly at the camera.

[Mr. Ex-husband still looks dead inside, huh.]
[Why is Qin always so stiff? Didn’t he say his career is top priority? What’s he doing on a variety show now?]
[Trying to promote his company maybe?]
[Please. The Qin Corporation is loaded. They don’t need this clout.]

Next up was the elegant and graceful principal dancer Wu Yi.

“Hello, I’m Wu Yi.”

Then came Qi Ming, another dancer whose career was primarily based overseas — a major reason their relationship fell apart due to long-distance.

[Ahh, my ultimate unresolved ship…]
[They were so sweet together. Love between equals is the most shippable kind.]
[Long-distance is brutal. Hope they make up on the show!]

The next couple were two men — one visibly younger, clearly upset, and standing far from the older male celebrity.

“Good morning everyone, I’m actor Lin Qi.”

He turned to glance at the younger man but got no response and had to turn back awkwardly.

Facing the camera, he smiled wryly, “Sorry, I pissed him off.”

[Aahhh Lin Qi is so handsome!]
[His latest drama is fire. Everyone I know is watching it.]
[I don’t get it — why is He Chengcheng mad again? Always acting out. Classic spoiled celeb behavior.]

He Chengcheng, the sulky young man, was a talented singer-songwriter with several awards under his belt.

Finally, it was Guan Jin’nian and Xie Zhixin’s turn.

As the camera focused on them, the comment section exploded — too many messages to read.

“Hello, I’m Guan Jin’nian,” he said with a wave before stepping aside to give Xie Zhixin the spotlight.

The two stood the closest out of all the couples. As Guan Jin’nian moved, he nearly bumped into Xie Zhixin who had been subtly inching closer.

“I’m Xie Zhixin,” he said, placing a hand on Guan Jin’nian’s arm and leaving it there.

[Ahhh finally on screen together — my cyber CP lives!]
[Honestly, Guan’s visuals totally hold up next to Xie. He didn’t get overshadowed at all.]
[He’s got that slow-burn beauty. The more you look, the better it gets. Ugh, they look so good together — one’s warm, the other icy. Perfect combo.]
[LOL look at Xie Zhixin clinging to Guan’s arm like glue.]
[Dude, you got glue on your fingers or what?]
[Poor Jin’nian’s so awkward now. Kept glancing at the camera like ‘help me.’]

The camera zoomed out to a wide shot. Based on the couples’ body language and distance, it was clear where each relationship currently stood.

“Thank you all for joining us. Today, we’re heading to a scenic nearby village for our main shoot,” said the host.

He held up a task card and smiled. “But before we go, let’s play a quick game! The team with the highest score gets first pick of lodging.”

“The game’s called — How Much Do You Still Remember About Me?”

“Each couple gets five random questions. You both write down answers at the same time. Correct match gets a point.”

Ah, so that’s what those long questionnaires were for before filming — they’d been prepping for this segment.

Host Wang demonstrated a few sample questions — stuff about daily habits, likes and dislikes — pretty basic.

[Whew, that’s tough. Super awkward if you mess up.]
[They’ve been apart for so long, it’s easy to forget details.]
[Can’t wait to see who’s been paying attention, haha!]

Guan Jin’nian and Xie Zhixin were called up first. They sat at a table with whiteboards in hand.

Wang Yue tapped his iPad. “First question: Does your partner usually eat first or drink soup first?”

This one was easy. Guan Jin’nian barely needed to think — he quickly wrote “eat first.”

They revealed their boards at the same time — both matched. One point!

Second question: “What food does your partner dislike?”

[This is too easy. Even casual friends would know this.]
[Come on producers, raise the stakes! Give us something juicy.]

Then — surprise. They got this one wrong.

Guan Jin’nian listed a bunch of foods Xie Zhixin was picky about.

But Xie Zhixin simply wrote: None.

Meaning — Guan Jin’nian doesn’t dislike anything.

“Sorry, Mr. Xie, that’s incorrect,” said the host.

Guan Jin’nian’s expression stayed calm — like he’d expected it.

“Mr. Guan dislikes lamb,” Wang Yue announced.

Xie Zhixin looked genuinely shocked. “But last time you had hot pot with lamb with me…”

“Because you like it,” Guan Jin’nian replied softly, eyes down on his board.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Xie Zhixin’s voice was tinged with urgency.

“There was no need. I just didn’t eat it,” Guan Jin’nian said casually.

Maybe he’d just gotten used to giving in. He didn’t want to argue over something so small.

“Next question,” he said, brushing it off.

But that wasn’t the only slip-up. The next three questions?

Guan Jin’nian got all of them right. Xie Zhixin didn’t.

[…Huh?]
[Something feels off. Like, really off…]
[YES! That’s it — in Xie’s version of their relationship, Guan doesn’t seem to have any personal preferences at all.]

Seeing the narrative shift, some of Xie’s more aggressive fans jumped in to control the comments.

[You all heard Guan say he never mentioned it. That’s not our boy’s fault!]
[Let’s be real. Guan chose to accommodate him. Now he’s acting all wounded? What’s the point?]
[Exactly. He’s not a mind-reader. If you don’t speak up, no one will know!]

After missing those easy questions, Xie Zhixin looked lost — heart sinking. He stared at Guan Jin’nian blankly.

“…Jin’nian,” he called instinctively.

Guan stood up, gave up his seat, and walked back. Seeing Xie following him step for step, he sighed and said:

“This isn’t your fault. I didn’t tell you. Don’t overthink it.”

“I…” Xie opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

He thought back to all the hot pot dinners with lamb — Guan barely touched his food.

And he’d never noticed.

Maybe Guan truly didn’t think it was worth mentioning. But after all that time, how had Xie never picked up on it?

He stared at Guan Jin’nian — so close, yet somehow it felt like there was a thousand miles between them.

It hit him: This might’ve been one of the reasons Guan Jin’nian broke up with him.

He’d thought their relationship was steady and harmonious — but it was actually Guan constantly suppressing his own wants to make things work.

“…I’m sorry.”

It was all Xie could say.

Guan Jin’nian sensed that he might break down completely. His own emotions were mixed.

Truth be told, he’d seen this coming the moment he agreed to join the show.

He knew he had flaws too — but something inside him resisted exposing them like this.

“Let’s just focus on filming,” he said quietly.

Once again, he chose to avoid confrontation.