Salted Fish Rectifies the Remarriage Variety Show

Male Supporting Lead No. 2: “Oh, I went to LA last year for my EMBA. The sea breeze there was just divine. What about you?”

Shen Li: “Me? I got nine years of compulsory education back in China.”

Female Lead No. 1: “Haha, you’re hilarious. This little cake is amazing—the subtle milk flavor hits your mouth, your nose, even your pelvis and the roof of your mouth… Want to try a piece?”

Shen Li: “Nah, doesn’t fill you up. You done with that potato?”

Male Supporting Lead No. 3: “What do you do for work?”

Shen Li: “Just your average office drone on a fixed salary.”

Female Supporting Lead No. 4: “You’re so gorgeous—ever done escort work?”

Shen Li: “Yeah, full-face stuff, like 99% of it.”

Male Supporting Lead No. 2: “Mind if I ask something I probably shouldn’t—where’s your most sensitive spot?”

Shen Li shot him a cold side-eye, his pretty eyes flat with disdain. “Backdoor, I guess. You got nothing else to ask?”

The remarriage reality show *Broke Defense? Ex-Husband Bro* brings a bold new format like nothing before.

【Swap-and-Remarry Cabin】

Eight civilian guests:

From afar, they seem like shining stars from every elite profession—radiant, charismatic.

Up close, they’re scheming mushrooms, chasing fame and fortune while playing dumb.

Remarry if you can remarry. Swap partners if you can swap.

Games wrap up, and it’s a chaotic stew—who’s really falling for whom?

The unique twist? Two of the civilians in the cabin are exes of guests in the live commentary booth—

Later in the show, viewers vote. Guess who Ex-Husband Bro is, and he gets a shot to enter the cabin and win back his ex!

Shen Li hadn’t wanted to come at first.

No point.

Qian Xingzhi had pulled strings to get him in, insisting he join.

But wasn’t this show just like hindsight being 20/20? You crash the car into the wall before remembering to swerve, buy the stock after it moons, flick the snot only when it hits your lips?

Divorced already—now they panic?

He was the first to check into the Swap-and-Remarry Cabin, a.k.a. Male Lead No. 1.

His profile was the weakest among all the guests. Unlike the rich kids tossing around fluent English and waxing poetic about cake flavors resonating in their noses and pelvises, he was just one of the masses—stuck on a dead-end salary, with a limp to boot. Bluntly put, a cripple.

He figured showing up would get him nowhere—no one would pick him, and there was zero chance of reconciling with Qian Xingzhi.

Shen Li used to be a cop.

He’d served in SWAT, in homicide, earned a second-class merit award. One leg got busted, until he couldn’t run anymore. They sidelined him to a desk job. Unable to let go of the remote mountain village that had once saved his life, he retired to help build it up.

Shen Li wasn’t here to remarry or even date.

He just wanted to plug the village elementary school, attract some top teachers, and maybe drum up his anti-scam social media account.

So why not ride Ex-Husband Bro’s coattails? Free publicity.

Besides, their breakup…

No sordid drama. Just incompatibility.

Different worlds, both swamped with work, barely seeing each other twice a year.

Even the hottest high school romance cools off eventually, leaving two people from separate universes.

He couldn’t give Qian Xingzhi what he needed.

Better to let go early.

These past years, Shen Li didn’t know if Qian Xingzhi had found someone new.

He only saw Qian Xingzhi on screens, climbing higher podiums, smiling as he thanked the crew and his family—like he’d embraced the world. But Qian Xingzhi’s world no longer needed him.

Whatever.

Shen Li treated the show like just another workday, slacking off without a care.

Influencers really had it easy making bank. Better to milk some cash for village projects—that was practical.

Qian Xingzhi was panicking for real.

What happened to Shen Li’s leg? How’d he get hurt? Could it heal?

Why did everyone want to date Shen Li?!

What kind of freaks were these—cracked dates, goblins, and ghouls? You think you deserve him?

That was *his* wife! *His*!

If he’d known it’d come to this, he never would’ve clung to Shen Li like a pathetic crybaby every day. Shen Li hated lovesick idiots and interruptions at work. All his fault for being immature and clingy.

Now, after seven years divorced, Qian Xingzhi had evolved from lovesick, clingy sex addict top to aloof ice-queen celibate top. Shen Li should like this version, right? QAQ…

Few words.

Stomach-friendly.

Cool and distant.

Shen Li’s type.

No, couldn’t keep up the act much longer. Vote for him already!

Were the viewers blind? Why not vote?!

Let me in—my wife is Shen Li!

Fine, let him into the cabin first, then he could keep playing aloof ice-queen top. Deal?

Qian Xingzhi paced the commentary booth like a hot dog on a sizzling grill.

Fans: …So this divorced dude’s been faking the aloof ice prince vibe all these years?

Qian Xingzhi (teary-eyed, fragile, shattered, deathly pale): I’m fishing for my wife here, got it?