Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 33

From a young age, Xin Yan had been taught that one must always appear attentive when others are speaking, and to avoid interrupting whenever possible. So she patiently endured the nurse’s long-winded pitch about the advantages of the mountain-view suite. Only when the nurse finally stopped talking did she bring up the question that had been on her mind.

“Are patients here allowed access to open flames?”

The nurse was briefly stunned, thinking she was joking.

“Of course not! There are no ignition devices in the rooms. While patients are provided with kitchens, all the equipment is electric—no open flames involved.”

Then how did Lu Wanqiu manage to set an empty room on fire?

Xin Yan suspected someone had smuggled something in for her. She was contemplating how best to bring it up when the nurse hesitated and said, “Well… if a patient asks for a lighter, we don’t exactly forbid it…”

Xin Yan slowly turned her head toward her.

“You actually allow patients to carry lighters?!”

She sounded incredulous.

“Don’t tell me you also let them bring their own cigarettes!”

The nurse quickly shook her head.

“No, no, absolutely not! This is a smoke-free facility. We definitely don’t allow smoking! It’s just that… well, occasionally a patient needs a lighter for non-smoking purposes. For example, Ms. Li has recently gotten into crafting and uses a lighter to burn thread ends…”

Xin Yan was exasperated.

“You couldn’t just give her a pair of scissors instead?”

The nurse looked wronged.

“Scissors are considered dangerous objects.”

“And lighters aren’t?!”

Frustrated, Xin Yan snapped, “Forget it. Talking to you won’t help. I’ll bring this up with your director. If he doesn’t make changes—”

She paused for a second, then declared,

“I’ll open a competing care facility next door and charge half the price!”

The nurse: “…”

She had been working here for eight years and knew just how difficult some family members could be. Compared to them, Xin Yan was fairly reasonable—at least she wasn’t taking her frustrations out on the nurse

directly, just threatening to give the director a headache instead.

They continued walking. After a while, the nurse cautiously asked,
“Besides the lighter, would you like me to confiscate the rest of the crafting supplies as well?”

Xin Yan gave her a strange look.

“Why? Isn’t having a hobby a good thing?”

The nurse replied carefully,
“Well… we’ve already taken away Ms. Li’s epoxy resin, metal clamps, sharp hairpins, and even the live pearl oysters she brought to open at home…”

Xin Yan: “…”

Her mother-in-law’s hobbies were… truly eclectic.

The nurse hesitated again before adding,
“If we also take away the lighter, those crafts won’t really be doable anymore.”

That was a problem. Xin Yan wanted to eliminate safety hazards but didn’t want to strip Li Jingshu of her only joy. After a couple seconds of thought, she came up with a solution.

“There’s a kind of sharpening stone, isn’t there? Like a whetstone? If it can sharpen a knife, it should be able to cut thread too. Get her one. Let her grind it for fun. Good for physical exercise, too.”

The nurse stared blankly at Xin Yan, unsure if she was being serious or sarcastic.
________________________________________

Xin Yan had left early and exited the care facility before 10:30 a.m. Not wanting to go home just yet, she remembered the lie she had told to Bei Lanlan.

Lowering the privacy screen, Xin Yan asked the driver,
“What time do bars usually open?”

The driver thought for a moment.
“After noon, usually.”

That lined up. Xin Yan nodded.
“Don’t go home. Take me to No Loud Talking.”

________________________________________

While Xin Yan was en route, Bei Lanlan had already changed clothes, put on protective gear, and stepped into the lab.

The graduate student was already there—but unlike Lanlan, she wasn’t fully suited up.

Her explanation was blunt: these devices could only be contaminated by her. Anyone else, even a single stray hair, was unacceptable.

Lanlan had heard of possessiveness before, but this was a whole new level.

She had worked with this grad student for two days now. Only after seeing the experiment records for herself did she realize how impressive this woman really was.

First, she conducted every experiment herself—no help whatsoever. Though she had two assistants, they were only assigned the most tedious, trivial tasks. She alone held the keys to all core work. Second, unlike many doctoral students, her experiments weren’t speculative or theoretical—they had immediate, practical applications. In truth, she wasn’t just experimenting—she was innovating.

What’s more, some of the technical details were obscure even to industry insiders, let alone outsiders. The raw materials were exorbitantly expensive. Take the chip they were working on, for example: Lanlan looked it up at home and found that it was foreign-made, produced by a single company, priced at four million per unit.

Most grad students couldn’t dream of such a budget. Even with university or foundation support, affording just one would be nearly impossible.

Yet the inventory list showed that she had purchased three.

Lanlan flipped through the material list for a while, then raised her head and asked the woman at the computer,
“Are you trying to crack this chip?”

The grad student froze mid-keystroke and turned her head slowly.
“Do you want to get kicked out?”

Rule #1 in the lab: Never leave your DNA behind.

Rule #2: Never ask about her research objectives.

Lanlan had agreed to this upfront. She didn’t seem like someone who would go back on her word. Had she misjudged her?

But Lanlan spoke calmly, without a hint of guilt.
“I just thought, if you told me, maybe I could help.”

The student chuckled.
“Give me another ten years and I’ll design a chip that replaces people like you. Then I’ll be free and won’t have to listen to nonsense like this ever again.”

Lanlan: “…”

God, she’s infuriating.

Still, Lanlan needed her. So she said nothing, smiled faintly, and swallowed her irritation. Then she began reciting data she had memorized:
“Liu Danxing, 26 years old. Granddaughter of the founder of Baishun Foundation. Sixth in the family line. Father: Liu Pingtao—oversees the family’s hotels and school businesses, which are considered peripheral operations. Inheriting them means exclusion from the succession race. He tried starting a homestay business a few years ago, but it shut down completely last year.”

Liu Danxing’s expression darkened as soon as Lanlan began speaking.
“What’s your point?”

Lanlan smiled.
“There’s barely any news coverage about you online. But your father? Plenty. I did notice that Baishun has recently branched into smartphones and home appliances, but they’ve lagged behind—probably because of weak R&D. It seems they don’t know you’re so talented in this field. If they did, they wouldn’t let you waste your time doing all this in a university lab.”

Big companies usually have their own in-house R&D labs with top-tier security. Take Xin Yan, for example: she’d spent a fortune building a private research park in an inconspicuous location. It looked ordinary on the outside, but anyone trying to break in wouldn’t make it two steps before “saying goodbye” to the world.

Compared to that, a university lab was child’s play.

Liu Danxing stayed silent for a while. Eventually, she took off her glasses and wiped them with a white cloth.
“Looks like Xu Suyu wasn’t lying. You really did manage to access Baishun’s internal network.”

Lanlan blinked.
“Oh, no. I didn’t hack into anything. These files are all sitting at my house. I can access them anytime.”

Liu Danxing frowned.
“Your house?”

Lanlan nodded, then changed the subject.
“Professor Liu, I’m guessing they don’t know because you never told them. But those technologies you’ve developed… you want to bring them into the real world, don’t you? So—are you secretly selling them, or using them yourself behind your family’s back?”

Liu Danxing put her glasses back on.
“And what’s it to you?”

“Like I said,” Lanlan looked her in the eye,

“I can help you. Whether you want to sell the tech for a big payday or launch your own company, you’ll need reliable partners. If you want to go public, your family can help. But if you want to keep things quiet… maybe I can do it even better than they can.”

Liu Danxing finally studied Lanlan’s face more carefully.
“You’re related to that pianist, aren’t you?”

She found it amusing. Even the most famous pianist wouldn’t be much use in business. If someone like that intersected with her world, it could only mean one thing—she had married into money.
Lanlan hadn’t thought about Jing Chu for a while. She pressed her lips together and said,
“I don’t know Jing Chu. But Xin Yan is my wife.”

Liu Danxing paused to recall. Then she stood up.
“Xin Yan? That Xin Yan?”

Lanlan: “Is there another one?”

Liu Danxing looked surprised, though she didn’t show it much. She composed herself and stared at Lanlan warily.
“Did Xin Yan send you to talk to me?”

Lanlan: “…”

“She doesn’t even know who you are. She still thinks you’re just a cranky doctoral student.”

Only then did Liu Danxing relax a little. She disliked her family, but she wasn’t about to help outsiders take them down. Still, something else began to nag at her.
“Wait a second… she doesn’t know who I am—but you do? And you didn’t tell her?”

Lanlan nodded.

Liu Danxing’s gaze changed. In that moment, her brain conjured up several conspiracy theories—though all of them targeted Xin Yan, so she wasn’t especially worried.
“…So what exactly are you after?”

Bei Lanlan paused for a moment. Liu Danxing wasn’t someone with much patience—when speaking with her, subtlety didn’t work. She’d already said so much without getting to the point, and if she didn’t now, the whole thing might fall apart. So, she decided to be direct:

“I want to work with you. You don’t need to give me anything. I’ll bring the buyer directly to you. If you don’t want to show your face, I can act as the middleman and handle the entire process for you. If at any point you feel I’m not up to the task, you can walk away. I only have one condition.”

She took a breath and continued,
“No matter what your minimum price is, I will secure a higher offer—and I want half of the extra.”

Liu Danxing fell silent.

She understood what Bei Lanlan was saying, but not why she was saying it.

Put simply, Bei Lanlan wanted to act as her salesperson—except the goods she’d be selling had a base price of at least eight figures. What’s more, she wasn’t even asking for a cut of the total sale like a normal commission—she only wanted a share of the markup. Liu Danxing almost felt sorry for her intelligence. Wasn’t she worried Liu might name some outrageous price just to make the deal impossible?

That one sentence shattered all the guardedness Liu Danxing had built up earlier. She slipped back into her usual air of disdain, returned to her seat, and said with a smirk,
“You already have Xin Yan. And you’re still thinking about making money? Just go home and behave yourself. If she finds out you’re up to something behind her back and gets annoyed, she might dump you.”

Bei Lanlan replied calmly,
“That’s exactly why I want to make money—so I won’t be discarded so easily.”

Liu Danxing raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What do you mean?”

Sensing her interest, Bei Lanlan quickly played the “self-improvement” card:
“I can’t rely on her to protect me forever. I want to become strong—someone people admire. I want to have my own career. That way, Xin Yan will respect me more… maybe even love me more.”

As she spoke, she carefully watched Liu Danxing’s expression—but the reaction she expected didn’t come. Liu didn’t even blink, as if she couldn’t care less.

But she had seemed interested before. What changed?

Bei Lanlan retraced her earlier words, and then she realized—it might’ve been that line. So she added, testing the waters:
“Only with money can I stand on equal footing with Xin Yan. I want her to look at me eye to eye. I want her to understand—I’m not someone she can toss aside whenever she wants.”

Liu Danxing replied bluntly,
“But the gap between you two is massive.”

Bei Lanlan: “……”

Clearly, Xin Yan’s people hadn’t done enough background research on the Liu family. This Miss Liu’s personal life wasn’t as “wholesome” as her file made it out to be.

Bei Lanlan gave her a small smile.
“I’ll close that gap.”
________________________________________
Meanwhile…

Xin Yan had no idea Bei Lanlan was already laying the groundwork for her own business.

She had just arrived at No Loud Talking, a bar that had recently opened. Despite being early, it was a Saturday, and the crowd was bigger than on a weekday afternoon.

The driver tried to follow her in, but Xin Yan waved him off.

“Go cool off somewhere.”

Ugh. No situational awareness at all. This was clearly a women-only bar—obviously, men weren’t allowed.

Feeling a little smug, Xin Yan stepped inside. The moment she passed the second doorway, she spotted a young couple by the window, kissing passionately and completely oblivious to their surroundings.

Xin Yan’s eyes widened.

So open?

Then she remembered—this was a bar, after all. What did she expect? She scolded herself for overreacting and kept walking. Soon, she realized that the “spiritual guide” bartender #1 was still missing. But bartender #2, the one who had become her impromptu life coach last time, was sitting at her usual spot, playing on her phone.

Xin Yan ran over, excited.
“Fancy seeing you again!”

Last time, Xu Fei had worn a pink suit. Today, she was in a much more toned-down outfit—a dress with an oil painting print. Visually soothing.

Seeing Xin Yan, Xu Fei was equally surprised.
“What a coincidence! Are you here on business?”

Xin Yan sat down.
“Something like that. I just came from the Yunshan Convalescent Home.”

Xu Fei recognized the name.
“The one on the outskirts of the city? A colleague from the TV station once did a segment there. They say it’s super fancy. Someone in your family staying there?”

Xin Yan smiled and nodded.
“Yeah.”

She didn’t elaborate, and Xu Fei didn’t pry. After some small talk, Xu Fei brought up their last conversation.
“So, did you clear things up at work?”

Xin Yan looked a little sheepish.
“Nope. If anything, she’s been even more proactive lately. But it’s just temporary. Give it some time. Once I stop saying anything, she’ll take the hint and leave.”

Xu Fei suddenly leaned closer, eyes wide, speaking in a hushed but shocked voice.
“Wait—you’re really going to break it off completely?”

Xin Yan froze, then stared at her, equally shocked.
“How did you know?!”

Only her, Lawyer Wang, and Assistant An knew she was planning a divorce!

Xu Fei grinned,
“Just listen to what you said—it’s obvious! Wow, you’re amazing. If it was me, I would never have the guts.”

Xin Yan was a little confused.
“What’s up with you?”

Xu Fei sighed.
“I told you, didn’t I? I have a ‘little sister.’ We’ve known each other since we were kids. Back then, we were really close. But then I moved away, and we didn’t see each other for a long time. When we reconnected, she was already an adult. But I kept seeing her as that sweet little girl from before, someone I needed to protect. I still can’t shake that mindset.”

Xin Yan blinked.
“Isn’t that kind of… nice?”

Xu Fei slammed the table, frustrated.
“No! She’s totally different now! Sometimes it feels like she’s not even the same person. She used to be so adorable. Now—now she’s just…”

She paused, then rattled off a list of negative traits:
“Mean, controlling, headstrong, completely blunt, a total thug!”

Xin Yan: “…”

Hold on—how did that last one sneak in?

Xu Fei buried her face in her hands, defeated.
“I want to come clean too, but I can’t. I’m too scared…”

Xin Yan’s expression turned serious.
“Scared of what? You think she would hurt you?”

Violence was illegal. If that was the case, she would call the cops right now.

Xu Fei, still covering her face, mumbled,
“I’m afraid of seeing her sad. I just… can’t handle that. Ugh, I’m so useless…”

Xin Yan: “…”

Sitting there stone-faced, Xin Yan thought to herself: Why am I even here?

Eventually, with no one comforting her, Xu Fei slowly calmed down. She tidied her hair, about to continue chatting when her phone buzzed.

She glanced at it, then looked surprised.
“That early?”

Then she tucked it away and turned to Xin Yan.
“I’ve got to go. But hey—let’s add each other on social media. We can come hang out here again sometime.”

Xin Yan gladly handed her phone over. After exchanging contacts, Xu Fei rushed off. Xin Yan had no idea what she was up to, but it seemed urgent.

As she sat there wondering, her phone lit up again.

It was a call from Bei Lanlan.

Xin Yan quickly answered,
“Lanlan?”

There was some background noise on the other end, as if Bei Lanlan were walking outside.
“Did you head out already?”

Xin Yan: “Yeah, just got to the bar. What’s up?”
“Ms. Liu had something to take care of—she left early. Since she’s gone, I can’t stay in the lab either. And I haven’t even had lunch, so…”

Xin Yan grabbed her purse and jumped out of her seat. While hurrying out, she said,
“I’m coming right now.”