Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 30

After being tormented all afternoon by a graduate student surnamed Liu, Bei Lanlan was no longer angry at Xin Yan. When she saw her waiting at the school gate as usual, she even smiled at her.

Seeing that she was in a good mood, Xin Yan smiled back. “Passed?”

Bei Lanlan nodded happily. “There were four rounds—and I cleared them all.”

Xin Yan: “…”

Wasn’t it just a job interview? When did it turn into a gauntlet?

Oh well, as long as she passed.

Seeing the genuine joy on Bei Lanlan’s face, Xin Yan’s gaze softened. She’s this happy just landing a lab assistant job—if she saw the divorce agreement Xin Yan was about to give her, wouldn’t she go completely ecstatic?

If the roles were reversed, and an emotionally detached ex-wife suddenly handed her a huge sum of money, Xin Yan figured… even if that person had emotionally—or even physically—abused her in the past, she would still be able to overlook it all for the sake of that money.

…She really was that shamelessly unprincipled.

Xin Yan gazed at Bei Lanlan. Lanlan looked back at her. Xin Yan’s eyes were so gentle that Lanlan felt a little awkward again—but compared to before, her discomfort was now tinged with something else… a quiet, hidden enjoyment.

She liked being looked at this way by Xin Yan. She even wanted Xin Yan to always look at her like this.

So, instead of turning away, she calmly met her gaze. She thought she was acting composed—but her eyes sparkled, her lips curled into a soft smile, and she looked vivid, almost adorable.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Xin Yan had never paid much attention to that saying—until now.

She suddenly felt like Bei Lanlan was… being affectionate with her. As if Lanlan wanted to get closer.

Xin Yan was stunned for a second—then chuckled silently to herself.

Since when did she become this narcissistic?

________________________________________

At some point, it had become routine: whenever Bei Lanlan had school, Xin Yan would always drive her there and pick her up. Afterward, they would head to a discreet little restaurant for dinner.

Even the housekeeper had gotten used to this rhythm. Every Tuesday, the chefs were automatically given the night off.

It was another Tuesday. Assistant An was also accustomed to Xin Yan leaving early on this day—but today, that plan had to change.

Because… Adubo was heading back to Riyadh.

That meant he had found a suitable investment target. And the fact that Xin Yan hadn’t received any news meant that he hadn’t chosen her.

Hearing this, Xin Yan felt a twinge of disappointment—but not too much. Her only concern was one thing: “What about Song Xizi? Did she get anything?”

Assistant An nodded knowingly. “No, they didn’t get it either.”

Only then did Xin Yan feel satisfied.

Without needing to be told, Assistant An went off to gather more intel. Ten minutes later, he rushed back into her office, looking anxious.

“President Xin, I just got word—Adubo is investing in Daqin Heavy Industries!”

Daqin Heavy Industries was a well-known state-owned enterprise. Losing out to them wasn’t too bad—Xin Yan even felt a little relieved. “That’s actually good. Better than the money going to some random little startup.”

That would’ve really made her sick.

Realizing Xin Yan hadn’t grasped the full picture, Assistant An quickly explained, “Adubo’s interested in their energy-based materials. He wants to see improved prototypes immediately, so Daqin is already assembling an R&D team. But while they’re production experts, their research isn’t top-tier. I just got in touch with an insider—they plan to open a bidding process to find external R&D partners.”

Xin Yan snapped her folder shut. Her eyes narrowed in focus. “Joint development means tech-sharing. Adubo wants fast results, so they’ll have to satisfy him. Daqin needs him as a stable investor. And we need a slice of that pie.”

An Zhiyuan added, “Even if we don’t get the $800 million, gaining access to a new technology is still a win. Besides, everyone knows Daqin’s production lines aren’t for sale.”

Xin Yan smirked. “They can guard against outsiders—but not against their guests.”

They both broke into conspiratorial grins. Xin Yan cleared her throat and gave a confident order. “Send our best negotiators. We must win that bid!”

Assistant An: “…”

Just when he thought they were finally on the same page—nope, still off.

He reminded her gently, “Even the best negotiators can’t match the sincerity of you showing up in person.”

Xin Yan: “…”

Sincerity again. She had been nothing but sincere with Adubo, and look where that got her.

Still, this opportunity with Daqin was clearly more promising. More practical, with better odds.

She sighed. “Alright. I’ll go myself. When do we leave?”

Assistant An smiled. “In two hours. Your ticket’s already booked.”

Then he left to make arrangements.

Xin Yan stared at the closed office door in a daze. After a moment, she pulled out her phone and searched for Daqin Heavy Industries.

The screen showed: “Leading enterprise in North China.”

Xin Yan: “…”

She quietly closed the browser.

Checking the time, she figured it must be between classes. She dialed Bei Lanlan’s number.

When the call connected, she said, “I won’t be able to pick you up today.”

Bei Lanlan paused. “It’s fine. I can get home myself. Will you be home for dinner?”

Xin Yan replied, “Depends on how things go. If all goes well, I’ll be back in time for dinner in two days.”

Lanlan blinked. “What do you mean?”

Xin Yan explained the last-minute business trip. Lanlan listened silently, then nodded. “Got it. No worries—I’ll be fine on my own.”

Xin Yan didn’t doubt that one bit—but since Lanlan had brought it up, she played along. “Call me if anything comes up.”

“Okay.” Bei Lanlan replied.

After the call ended, Bei Lanlan sat dazed for a moment. A classmate who’d overheard everything teased her, twirling a pen in hand.

“Missing her already?”

Lanlan jumped. “What?”

The classmate wiggled her eyebrows. “Look at you—she hasn’t even left yet, and you’re already spacing out. It’s just a business trip. Ugh, I’m so jealous of people in relationships. I wish someone cared about me like that.”

Lanlan’s eyes went wide. “I’m not… I’m not thinking about her!”

Her classmate leaned on one hand, unimpressed. “Then why the long face?”

Lanlan didn’t manage to give an answer before class ended. Later, when she left campus, Xin Yan was already on the plane. Lanlan assumed no one would be there to pick her up—but the house driver had already arrived.

He opened the car door respectfully. “President Xin asked me to drive you home.”

Without a word, Lanlan got in. She didn’t have much of an appetite when she got home, and went straight to her room. But at 6 p.m. sharp, the butler knocked on her door. He was more relaxed than the driver.

“Miss Lanlan, dinner’s ready. President Xin had the kitchen make a walnut pie—said it’s good for the brain.”

The pie was too sweet—but Lanlan still ate every bite. If she didn’t, the butler would report it to Xin Yan, and when Xin Yan got back, who knew how she would fuss about it?

On some things, Xin Yan was incredibly stubborn.

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Xin Yan was gone—but it didn’t feel like she was.

Whether at home, at school, at work, or even just walking down the street, Lanlan felt Xin Yan’s presence everywhere. Even without anyone trailing her, she could practically hear Xin Yan’s voice in her head:
“Watch the red light, Lanlan.”

But Xin Yan was gone.

The nagging voice beside her was silent. That familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.

It had only been a day, and yet… she already felt so out of sorts.

Lanlan was surprised at herself. She hadn’t realized how deeply Xin Yan had affected her. Sitting distracted in the office, she thought about how, for the past four years, she’d depended on Xin Yan. And now, even as she returned to “normal life,” it was Xin Yan who had led her back to it.

So of course she was used to her. There was even a psychological term for this—something about attachment. Sounded a bit gross, sure—but scientifically, it made sense.

Luckily, Xin Yan would be back in a few days. Once she returned, and enough time passed, things would settle back to normal.

Having reassured herself, Lanlan returned to work. Even though Xin Yan and Assistant An were both away, the company was still running—and paperwork was still piling up.

After a while, another assistant knocked and entered, placing a stack of documents on her desk. “These are for President Xin’s review. I’ll leave them here.”

Lanlan nodded. The assistant quickly left. She buried herself in work again, and an hour passed before she stood up.

With her own tasks done, she walked to Xin Yan’s desk to see if there was anything she could help pre-process.

As she lifted a few files, a yellow envelope hidden underneath came into view.

It had been delivered earlier that morning—she hadn’t looked at it closely then. Now she noticed the sender:

Wang Changguang Law Firm.

She remembered that name. Four years ago, this firm had drawn up her and Xin Yan’s prenuptial agreement.

The envelope wasn’t sealed. Lanlan stared at it for a long time. Finally, she opened a small gap—not enough to pull anything out, just enough to tilt it slightly.

Then she saw a few characters on the cover.

—Divorce Agreement.