Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 31.2

There was too much to say, and she didn’t know where to start. In the end, she focused on the key point: “Why?”

Bei Lanlan had already thought about this beforehand. After a deep breath, she said calmly and steadily, “If we divorce, I won’t be able to live with Xin Yan anymore. Without her, my life would feel out of place—and I hate that kind of disruption.”

Li Jingshu asked, “When you say ‘out of place,’ do you mean you’re not used to living like a normal person?”

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, when Bei Lanlan denied it, Li Jingshu still felt a jolt in her heart.

Bei Lanlan shook her head. “No, it’s not about lifestyle or quality of life. I just want her by my side.”

Li Jingshu: “…You want her by your side?”

Bei Lanlan admitted it without hesitation. “Yes.”

This time, Li Jingshu couldn’t hold back anymore.

She stared at Bei Lanlan in disbelief. She thought she could accept any change her daughter underwent—but she really didn’t understand how she ended up like this.

While phones weren’t allowed in the facility, the nurses provided tablets so patients could keep up with the news. Li Jingshu often searched for news about Xin Yan. In every article, not once did she see her daughter mentioned—but that Jing Chu woman showed up in almost every single one.

“Lanlan, you know she used to like Jing Chu, right?”

Bei Lanlan defended Xin Yan, “She doesn’t like Jing Chu anymore.”

Li Jingshu asked, “How do you know?”

“She told me. And I can see it too,” Bei Lanlan answered plainly.

Li Jingshu looked at her daughter for a moment before speaking. “Jing Chu was the only connection between you two. She married you because she liked Jing Chu. Now she’s divorcing you because she doesn’t like her anymore. Whether in the past or now, Jing Chu has always been the one influencing Xin Yan’s decisions. Do you really think you can replace her?”

Her words were harsh, but true—and Bei Lanlan knew it. She hadn’t come here on a whim. She’d spent the whole night thinking it through. Everything her mother said, she’d already considered.

She smiled faintly and said, “I won’t replace her. I’ll become more important than her. More important than Jing Chu ever was to Xin Yan at her peak of affection. Xin Yan can use me to replace Jing Chu—but no one will ever be able to replace me.”

This time, Li Jingshu stayed silent even longer. “Feelings don’t work like that. Just because you give everything doesn’t mean you’ll get something back.”

Bei Lanlan replied, “I’m not asking for anything back. I just want her to stay.”

“Why?” Li Jingshu asked, watching her. “Do you love her?”

Bei Lanlan shook her head. “No.”

“Then… do you still hate her?” Li Jingshu asked again.

This time, Bei Lanlan didn’t deny it. But she didn’t confirm it either.

Li Jingshu closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh in her heart. Some things in this world simply defy logic.

Bei Lanlan stayed another half hour before leaving. When she arrived, her heart was heavy, like something was weighing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

But after saying all of that, she felt like she had just declared war on the entire world—excited, determined, blood pumping with conviction.

Even though her only audience was Li Jingshu, at least now, someone knew how she truly felt. And Bei Lanlan wasn’t someone who tolerated failure. Now that she had spoken it out loud—she had to make it happen.

Standing outside the convalescent home, Bei Lanlan silently vowed:

She would work hard. She would repay Xin Yan every single penny she spent on her mother.

And the day she no longer owed Xin Yan—would be the day Xin Yan owed her.

And with the kind of person Xin Yan was—she would never say no to anything Bei Lanlan asked.

________________________________________

Sitting in the business car, Xin Yan suddenly sneezed.

Her assistant, An Zhiyuan, immediately looked over in alarm. “What’s wrong? Did you catch a cold? Are you feeling okay? Please don’t hide it from me—we’re about to sign the contract! We can’t let everything fall apart because of an illness!”

Xin Yan: “…”

She shot An Zhiyuan a cold glare. “I’ve changed my mind. Juárez is too far. Why don’t you just stay at Daqin Heavy Industries for the rest of your life and never come back to HQ?”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

So petty. It was just a joke.

Still, Xin Yan had been unusually mellow lately. Even though she constantly picked on An Zhiyuan, he actually felt she was much more approachable now. Back then, he didn’t dare joke around at all. These days, he could even tease her a little.

Only problem—Xin Yan had zero sense of humor.

________________________________________

Rubbing her nose, Xin Yan asked, “When will it be over?”

An Zhiyuan checked the schedule. “If everything goes smoothly, we should be done by 2 PM—3 at the latest.”

Xin Yan nodded. “Book a flight for 4 PM. The sooner, the better.”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

How much sooner can it be if it’s already at 4? Driving to the airport alone takes 30 minutes!

“Isn’t that a bit tight?”

Xin Yan looked up. “You’re not in a hurry? Fine. You stay. I’ll go back alone. You can spend a few more days here, come back after the holiday.”

An Zhiyuan: “…I’ll book the ticket right now.”

Xin Yan finally felt the thrill of acting first and striking fast. By the time she finished signing the contract, Song Xizi had only just landed. They crossed paths at the airport—one brimming with pride, the other clenching her fists in frustration.

Following her “Lanlan wife’s” divine guidance, Xin Yan didn’t spare Song Xizi a single glance and walked proudly into the VIP lounge.

Song Xizi chuckled coldly. “So smug. You may have won this time—but next time, we’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Xin Yan was in an excellent mood. She pulled out her phone and called the housekeeper.

Xin Yan was well aware of the concept of personal space. She only called Bei Lanlan once a day. But in reality, she called the housekeeper—and even her office—multiple times daily.

A perfect smokescreen for her constant surveillance.

This morning, she knew Bei Lanlan had gone out and hadn’t gone to the office. But she didn’t think much of it. Unless Bei Lanlan was contacting Xu Suyu or Song Xizi, there was no real threat. Currently, she was only discussing school matters with Xu Suyu—and Song Xizi had just arrived, so she couldn’t possibly be with her.

Xin Yan figured she was just out with friends or shopping. In any case, she would be home soon—and Xin Yan could ask then.

She made the call just to check if Bei Lanlan had returned. But unexpectedly, the housekeeper said not only had she returned—she had visited Li Jingshu at Yunshan Convalescent Home.

When Li Jingshu was first admitted, Xin Yan was listed as the admitting party, so the facility considered her the guardian. That’s why they called when someone came to visit. At first, Xin Yan didn’t even recall who

Li Jingshu was. But once she remembered, she shot to her feet.

“She went to the convalescent home?!”

The housekeeper jumped. “Y-yes.”

“What was her reaction when she got back? Did she say who she saw? Wait—send someone outside to check. Are there any suspicious people around?”

The housekeeper was confused. “Huh?”

Xin Yan snapped, “Don’t ‘huh’ me—just do it!”

The VIP lounge was a public space, and Xin Yan’s voice had drawn attention. Song Xizi, who had bought a later flight after her plan fell apart, walked in just in time to hear Xin Yan losing her composure on the phone.

She paused, tilted her head, and stared at Xin Yan. But Xin Yan didn’t notice. She was too busy pacing, anxiously waiting for the housekeeper’s response.

When the housekeeper finally replied, Xin Yan quickly asked, “Well?”

The housekeeper answered, “No one suspicious. President Xin, is something wrong?”

Xin Yan opened her mouth, but then closed it in defeat.

“No, I saw in the news that there’ve been more thefts lately. Lanlan went out alone today—what if someone tried to rob her, or worse? I’m just being cautious. I’ll be home in a few hours. In the meantime, make sure everyone stays alert and monitors the outside 24/7.”

“…Understood.”

Even though the housekeeper said nothing, Xin Yan knew they probably thought she was being paranoid. And maybe she was—but better safe than sorry.

Why did Bei Lanlan go to the convalescent home? In the novel, she only visited after she’d tied up all her outside affairs and was about to initiate her plan.

That visit led to an encounter—with someone seemingly gentle and harmless, but actually terrifying.

In the book, that person caught a glimpse of Bei Lanlan and was so captivated that, though confined to a critical care ward, she mobilized a team to track and investigate her. Once everything was in place, she burned the facility down—just to lure Bei Lanlan back.

Xin Yan didn’t know if today’s visit would lead to the same fate.

She was deep in thought when Song Xizi suddenly appeared in front of her—and let out a loud, mocking snort.

Xin Yan looked up. “Yo, heading back too?”

Song Xizi: “…”

She shook her head. “I should hand you a mirror so you can see how pathetic you look right now.”

She sneered. “The real deal doesn’t see your flattery, but you’re panicking over a counterfeit. Looks like the Xin family ends with you.”

Xin Yan stared at her for a moment, then turned away and sat down.

Song Xizi: “…”

Amused, she asked, “Really? What are you, twelve? Pretending you didn’t hear?”

Xin Yan glanced at An Zhiyuan.

He understood the assignment and immediately stood up. “President Xin asked me to tell you—sorry, her wife won’t let her speak to you.”

Xin Yan looked up and clicked her tongue at him.

An Zhiyuan blinked and added, “The ‘sorry’ part was my own addition.”

That finally made Xin Yan smile.

Song Xizi: “…”

Thank God they weren’t on the same flight. If they were, this plane might not even make it to the destination.

________________________________________

After getting off the plane, Xin Yan strode forward quickly. She wanted to go home first—make sure everything was fine—before heading to the office.

As she walked and gave An Zhiyuan instructions, she suddenly stopped in her tracks outside the VIP channel.

Because at the arrival gate stood Bei Lanlan, smiling and waving at her.

Xin Yan blinked, then nudged An Zhiyuan. “Hey, look—over there. Do you see a… Lanlan over there?”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

That’s the kind of sentence you use when you think you’ve seen a ghost.

Xin Yan hadn’t expected her to come. As she exited the checkpoint, Bei Lanlan jogged over.

Xin Yan looked at her in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Clutching her coat tighter, Bei Lanlan smiled. “The housekeeper said you were coming back. I didn’t have anything to do at home, so I came to pick you up.”

Not far behind, An Zhiyuan also exited. Bei Lanlan gave him a smile, took Xin Yan’s bag from him, and handed Xin Yan her coat.

Then she turned to An Zhiyuan and said, “I’ve got it from here. You can go.”

Xin Yan nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go home with Lanlan. You don’t need to worry about the rest.”

With that, the two of them walked away together.

An Zhiyuan looked at their backs, then at the colleague beside him who also had no idea what just happened.

…Wait, did he just get fired?

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Assistant An: This world… only I get hurt in it.

I tried my best. I’ve got nothing left to give.