Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 28

Lanlan wasn’t wrong.

An Zhiyuan was never going to remain Xin Yan’s assistant forever. His full title was “Special Executive Assistant,” a position that often serves as a stepping stone to becoming a Vice President or even a full-fledged CEO of a subsidiary.

No matter how much Xin Yan usually complains about An Zhiyuan, the truth is, she still heavily relies on him. After all the burdens he’s taken on for her—many of which he never should’ve had to bear—she wouldn’t just send him off to a branch office under the guise of “gaining experience.” Out of guilt alone, she would likely promote him directly to VP or at least to a director role at the VP level.

Xin Yan had considered hiring a new assistant after An Zhiyuan left, but she never imagined that Lanlan would volunteer to take his place.

She was baffled.

What exactly was Lanlan trying to do?

Was she targeting the company, trying to infiltrate it from the inside?

Or was she planning to use the assistant role as a stepping stone to climb into upper management, lying in wait for the right moment to replace her?

Xin Yan’s mind was full of conspiracies. She just couldn’t come up with any positive or straightforward reason why Lanlan would willingly choose to stay at the company.

Lanlan had only requested a two-hour leave, but the next day, after lunch, Xin Yan ended up going out with her.

The meeting was with a PhD student at her university lab. Xin Yan dropped her off and frowned as she looked at the campus gates.

“She’s not going to make you do experiments, is she?”

Lanlan unbuckled her seatbelt. “Definitely not at the beginning. I don’t know anything yet. If I messed up her research, she would probably kill me.”

Xin Yan blinked. “That aggressive?”

Lanlan looked slightly uneasy. “People say she’s even stricter than our professors and has a worse temper.”

But then her tone shifted. “Still, everyone wants to get into her lab. Professor Xu even recommended her. No matter what, I’ve got to give it a try.”

Xin Yan asked, “Xu Suyu recommended her? Then she must really be something. A little temper’s fine—working under a capable person is how you grow. But if she starts bullying you on purpose, don’t just put up with it. If you want to do experiments, our company has no shortage of labs. I could pull together a whole research team just for you.”

After she said that, Xin Yan unexpectedly felt rather heroic—her mood soared. Still, she sat back calmly, waiting for Lanlan to praise her.

But Lanlan didn’t even catch the comment. Instead, she asked, puzzled, “Since when do you take Professor Xu’s words seriously?”

Xin Yan blinked. “I’ve always respected her! She’s incredibly talented. Remember? She’s the one who told me you were a genius in your field and shouldn’t be buried by circumstance. I brought you into the company the very next day after hearing that.”

Originally, Xin Yan hadn’t liked any of the suitors in the plot—she was ready to drive them all away. But after truly getting to know Xu Suyu, she started thinking: compared to the others, Xu wasn’t bad.

Her life was simple—no messy social entanglements or exes.

Her career was stellar—more than enough to support Lanlan and even help her professionally.

Her personality was straightforward—you could say rigid, or more kindly, a loyal puppy. No real threat.

From this perspective, Xu Suyu might just be the “healthy and considerate girlfriend candidate” Xin Yan had been looking for.

The only thing Xin Yan struggled to get past was that they had once been in a teacher-student relationship. But, well, “once” was the key word—there was no rule that said you couldn’t date after that relationship had ended.

Still, despite her thorough analysis, Xin Yan couldn’t shake an odd feeling of discomfort.

She didn’t want to think about it anymore. Just as she turned to speak again, Lanlan opened the car door and got out.

Xin Yan froze and quickly stuck her head out the window.

“I’ll pick you up later?”

Lanlan didn’t even look back. “Whatever.”

Xin Yan: “…”

Was she… angry? But she hadn’t even said anything!

—

While Lanlan was at her interview, Xin Yan took the chance to give herself a mini break. She drove to a familiar place and walked across the street to a bar.

The last time she came here, she’d been drawn in by the giant cocktail glass sign outside. She hadn’t even noticed the name of the place. Today, she looked carefully and saw its name: No Loud Talking.

…

Sounded more like a library slogan than a bar name.

Just like last time, the place was quiet. Everyone was minding their own business. The bartender was new. This time, Xin Yan didn’t order that boring lemon water—she went for a Blueberry Fizz instead.

She double-checked with the bartender, “There’s no alcohol in this, right? I can’t drink. Please, make sure there’s zero alcohol.”

Bartender: “…”

Then why come to a bar?

He silently walked away and returned a few minutes later with a non-alcoholic Blueberry Fizz.

Xin Yan took a sip—tasted decent. She had hoped to chat with the bartender from last time, but he wasn’t here today, so she quietly drank her soda.

Her bracelet was digging into her wrist, so she took it off and, without thinking, tossed it onto the bar like trash.

It landed with a surprisingly loud clang against the countertop, startling her. She quickly picked it back up and looked around, embarrassed.

Nobody seemed to care. Relieved, she tucked the bracelet away.

Just then, she heard a soft voice nearby.

“What a coincidence.”

Xin Yan looked up, thinking the woman was speaking to her. But the woman was pointing to her own wrist—wearing the exact same bracelet.

She smiled a little shyly, and Xin Yan smiled back.

“It really is! Did you get yours from the shop at Fortune Center too?”

“No, it was a gift.” Xin Yan replied.

The woman looked about the same age as Xin Yan, though her outfit was unusual—a pink suit. The conversation didn’t go much further, but Xin Yan found herself stealing glances at her.

Eventually, she couldn’t help asking, “You look familiar. Have we met before?”

The woman paused, then said a little awkwardly, “I’m a host on the entertainment channel. You might’ve seen me on TV.”

Xin Yan suddenly remembered.

“Oh! You’re the one who interviewed Jing Chu and Kong Zhiluo!”

The woman smiled sheepishly. “I’m Xu Fei. I usually just report the news. I only did that interview because a colleague was sick.”

Xin Yan chuckled. “You were great.”

She noticed Xu Fei was drinking the same lemon water she’d had last time.

“Let me guess—you’ve got work later, so you can’t drink?”

Xu Fei nodded. “Yeah, I have to record a program tonight.”

Xin Yan sighed. “I just can’t hold my liquor. Even a little makes me sick, so it’s drinks only for me.”

Xu Fei blinked. “Then why not go to a milk tea shop?”

Xin Yan shrugged. “I like it here. No one knows me, I can say whatever I want. And the women here are always so kind. It feels safe.”

Xu Fei’s eyes lit up. “I feel the same way!”

Xin Yan beamed. “Right? This place is a hidden gem!”

The bartender across the bar: “…”

Then maybe support the hidden gem a little more. You’re both wearing bracelets worth 750,000 yuan, and your drinks together don’t even add up to 75 yuan. If every customer was like this, we might as well shut down now.

The bartender walked off, fuming with quiet class rage. Meanwhile, Xin Yan and Xu Fei were hitting it off, chatting about their lives.

Xin Yan stuck to the same story as last time—she’d dropped her “younger sister” off at school and stopped by here afterward. She’d hoped to talk to the bartender about her sister’s issues, but the guy wasn’t here today.

Xu Fei was quiet for a moment, then gave her a knowing look. “Ah… ‘sister,’ huh.”

She sighed. “Funny enough, I’ve got a ‘sister’ too.”

“I actually came here today because of her.”

Xin Yan asked, “What happened?”

Xu Fei shook her head. “It’s complicated. You go first.”

Xin Yan paused. “Honestly, there’s not much to say. Things between us have improved a lot lately. But recently, I feel like I don’t understand her anymore. She says she wants to work with me in the future, but I remember she never used to be like that. And realistically, what kind of future is there in being my assistant? No matter how good she is, she’s still just working for me. I want her to grow on her own, but I don’t know how to bring it up.”

Most people would try to smooth things over—but Xu Fei wasn’t most people. She slapped her thigh in excitement.

“You’re absolutely right! You’re thinking rationally—she isn’t. So you must stand firm. Listen to me—don’t hesitate. You already know what’s best. Don’t overthink it. Just tell her straight. She’s an adult. She’ll handle it.”

Xin Yan didn’t expect such a passionate reaction. She hesitated. “But… wouldn’t that really hurt her?”

Xu Fei gave her a pained, sympathetic look, like someone speaking to a younger version of herself. She patted Xin Yan’s arm.

“A moment of pain is better than a lifetime of regret. Which one would you rather live with?”

Xin Yan thought to herself—maybe Lanlan would regret it.

Xu Fei thought to herself—listen to your wise elder, or you’ll be the one full of regret.

After a quiet moment, Xu Fei offered another suggestion.

“I’m guessing your girl’s still young, right? Maybe she just hasn’t met enough people or seen what else is out there. That kind of limited exposure naturally makes her lean toward you. Try helping her broaden her horizons. Show her better options. Maybe she won’t cling to you so much after that.”

The more Xu Fei spoke, the more wistful she sounded. Whether it helped Xin Yan or not, it clearly hadn’t helped her own situation.

Xin Yan mulled it over, deep in thought.

Better options…

Suddenly, she clapped her hands. “I know what to do!”

She looked at Xu Fei, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you! You really opened my eyes. I told you—this place is a hidden gem. I always gain something when I come here.”

Xu Fei smiled modestly, thinking Xin Yan was about to look for matchmaking events or book a solo travel group for Lanlan.

Instead, Xin Yan whipped out her phone—

And called her lawyer.

Xu Fei: “…”

Wait… hold on.

I meant speed dating.

Not a cease-and-desist letter!