Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 35

No one can say no to Bei Lanlan. No one.

Even King You of Zhou once lit beacons just to amuse his beloved concubine Baosi—so if someone like Xin Yan gets blinded once in a while for Lanlan’s sake, it’s really no big deal.

…

As soon as Xin Yan gave the green light, An Zhiyuan immediately began preparing everything needed for the Winter Gala.

Despite its name, the Winter Gala doesn’t necessarily happen in deep winter. It used to be held every year on November 7th, but people soon realized that date was too inconsistent. Especially as the most enthusiastic attendees aged, they became less inclined to go out on weeknights.

So, the organizers adjusted the rules. Instead of fixing the gala on the day of the start of winter, they moved it to the closest weekend.

This year, that date was the 6th—and now, the 6th was only a few days away.

One major reason Xin Yan had never wanted to attend the gala was because she couldn’t be bothered to dress up.

The theme wasn’t just for show—everyone was expected to dress accordingly. But Xin Yan always thought those kinds of rules existed just to torment women. After all, no one says a word if a man shows up in a plain black suit. But if a woman’s outfit misses the mark even slightly, she’ll be mocked—and if, by some awful luck, she ends up wearing the same dress as someone else, it becomes a black mark on her reputation for life.

Because of this, women—regardless of their background—have to turn to professional designers. A single haute couture gown can cost hundreds of thousands. Xin Yan couldn’t care less about that kind of expense, but others? Not so lucky. Especially those actresses who got dragged into the event under false pretenses. No one buys dresses for them—they either bleed their wallets dry buying one, or risk public humiliation renting one.

An Zhiyuan hoped that Xin Yan would rise in status and eventually take control of the Winter Gala herself, but all Xin Yan could think was: how many more years would it take for all these old geezers to finally fade out so she could shut this stupid event down for good?

Despite all her inner complaints, she said nothing in front of Bei Lanlan. In fact, she was more invested than Lanlan herself.

It was Bei Lanlan who got the ball rolling this time.

She ordered two dresses from her personal designer—one in lake blue, the other in pale pink.

After changing, she hesitantly stepped out. “Does this really match the theme?”

The dress was flawless: a structured silhouette with hand embroidery, sheer mesh above the chest, and glimmering sequins cut from real crystal below the knees. The design was classic, the details fresh—anyone would call it beautiful.

There was just one problem—

It had nothing to do with “a snowstorm is coming.”

Xin Yan walked over with a box in hand. “Of course it matches. See those sequins on your skirt? That’s the snowstorm.”

Lanlan: “……”

She wanted to object, but then Xin Yan opened the box—revealing an entire set of jewelry.

Compared to these, the dress instantly lost its shine.

Bei Lanlan had seen plenty of beautiful things, but she was still momentarily speechless.

The set featured delicate rose designs studded with pink and white diamonds. A tiny rose adorned the ring; several clustered together formed the choker. Every petal, every stem was encrusted with diamonds—down to the very chain links of the necklace.

Technically, it wasn’t even a necklace. It was more like a collar, designed to sit close to the skin. Xin Yan gently unlatched the clasp and said, “Lower your head.”

Lanlan hesitated, then obediently bowed her head.

Ever since she got a perm, she’d stopped wearing her hair down. Instead, she tucked her long hair behind her ears, leaving only a few soft strands to frame her face.

Her face was already small to begin with. With this hairstyle, it looked even smaller. Normally, in uniform, the look gave her a touch of youthful sophistication. But now, in this dress, that shifted to a tender softness—especially when she stood there so docilely, letting Xin Yan do whatever she pleased. It felt as if no matter what Xin Yan asked, she wouldn’t say no.

Lifting Lanlan’s hair, Xin Yan clasped the necklace around her neck. As her fingers brushed that delicate collarbone, Xin Yan held her breath for a moment. Then—click—the clasp fastened.

The temperature in the house was always maintained at 26°C, bumped up to 28°C in winter. Hot and cold weren’t supposed to be sensations anyone felt here. And yet, when Xin Yan leaned in, her breath brushing

Lanlan’s ear, Lanlan felt warm. And once Xin Yan stepped back, she suddenly felt cold.

The heat was unfamiliar, but the cold—it made her feel inexplicably empty.

She looked up, her gaze unwaveringly fixed on Xin Yan.

Xin Yan: “……”

Holding a pair of earrings, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something about the atmosphere was… off.

Avoiding Lanlan’s eyes, she continued fastening the earrings with a chuckle. “I remembered this set the moment I saw Alexandra’s sketch for this gown. It’s like it was made for it. I only just took it out of the bank yesterday. Smell it—it still carries that vault scent.”

With her voice, the strange tension from moments ago dissipated. Lanlan instinctively sat up straighter, turning her head to make it easier for Xin Yan to put on the earrings.

“This really isn’t necessary.” Lanlan said.

Xin Yan smirked. “What’s the trouble? I didn’t go get it myself.”

Lanlan: “……”

She glanced back at the box. The necklace and earrings were already on her, but the ring and bracelet still sat inside. Looking at the way the ring sparkled, she couldn’t help but gasp, “It’s so beautiful.”

Xin Yan sighed in agreement. “I think so too. It’s the most gorgeous set our family owns—the ‘Eternal Rose’ series. It’s been out for thirty years. My mom insisted on getting it from my grandma as part of her dowry. She saw Monaco’s princess wear it in the news and just had to have it. Paid over two million for it, nearly made my grandma cancel the wedding out of spite.”

Lanlan didn’t know how much two million in the 90s would be worth now, but she did know this was the first time Xin Yan had ever mentioned her family.

She subconsciously touched the necklace around her neck and asked, “Was this your mom’s?”

Xin Yan smiled faintly. “It’s mine now.”

She seemed to recall something amusing. “I was tall and developed early. At fourteen, I already looked seventeen or eighteen. On my fourteenth birthday, my mom gave me this set as a gift. I was thrilled. I still remember exactly what she said.”

Clearing her throat, she mimicked her mother’s voice: “A-Yan, don’t you dare lose this. If you do, pay for your own college.”

Lanlan burst out laughing.

Xin Yan laughed too. “Of course I never wore it after that—not once, except on my birthday. I was too scared. I would just sneak into her jewelry drawer, touch it a little, then put it back. But guess what? After my parents passed away, the lawyer took me to the bank to claim their assets, and there—was another identical set. That’s when I realized, the one she gave me was fake. She kept the real one hidden all along.”

As she chuckled, she shook her head. Having a mother like that… left her both helpless and nostalgic.

Xin Yan was laughing, but Lanlan wasn’t. She watched her gaze drift toward the half-empty box, a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

Lanlan pressed her lips together, then reached into the box, picked up the ring, and—without warning—slid it onto Xin Yan’s finger.

Xin Yan blinked. “Why are you giving it to me? It’s a set.”

“It still is,” Lanlan said as she slipped the bracelet onto Xin Yan’s wrist. “You wear half, I wear half. Anyone who sees us will know it’s a matching set.”

Xin Yan laughed. “But it doesn’t even go with my outfit.”

Lake blue and pastel pink? Not exactly a match.

Still, she removed the ring and bracelet, took Lanlan’s hand, and looked down as she slid the ring onto her finger.

“Okay, I get what you mean. It’s fine. That was years ago. I only liked this jewelry when I was a kid. Now that I’m grown, I don’t care as much. Honestly, I like seeing you wear it more than I like wearing it myself.”

She looked up and smiled. “After all, compared to me, you really do look like a princess.”

“As for me,” Xin Yan said, full of pride, “I’ve evolved—I’m a queen now.”

She laughed at her own joke, and her mood noticeably improved. She hadn’t expected memories of her parents to hit her so hard, but clearly, their loss had left a deeper impact on the original owner than she thought.

Picking up her gown, Xin Yan returned to her room to change.

Lanlan watched her leave, then touched the now-empty jewelry box.

The room was quiet. No one was around to hear what she said next.

“I’m not a princess either,” she murmured.

“I’m the queen’s consort.”

She chuckled at her own childishness, stopped overthinking, and carefully packed the jewelry box before heading out to wait.

The driver picked up Assistant An first, then came to get Xin Yan and Lanlan. Once they got in the car, Assistant An greeted them and immediately offered to take their coats.

Lanlan took hers off first. When An saw the pale pink gown, he hesitated but said nothing. Then Xin Yan took hers off, revealing the lake green dress—and he couldn’t stay silent any longer.

“…You’re going in that?”

Xin Yan blinked. “What’s wrong? It’s not pretty?”

The draped halter-neck gown in a rich lake green was elegant and refined—she had loved it at first glance.

“It’s not that it’s not pretty… It just doesn’t match the theme!”

Xin Yan shrugged. “So?”

“I’m wearing it anyway. Who’s going to stop me?”

An: “……”

Well, no one would dare.

Even if they had opinions, no one would say them to her face.

Seeing him fall silent, Xin Yan was satisfied. “Besides, everyone’s probably wearing white today. One person in white is chic. A whole room in white? That’s a funeral procession. My parents have been dead for years—I’m not joining that parade.”

An looked helpless. Technically, she wasn’t wrong. But still…

He turned to the little enchantress beside her, silently begging her to help.

Lanlan was fixing her hair. Noticing his pleading gaze, she paused and said, “A-Yan’s right. I’m with her.”

An: “……”

Xin Yan: “……”

Hearing the word “A-Yan,” Xin Yan practically jolted.

She looked at Lanlan in shock, but Lanlan had already bowed her head again, focused on the mirror in her hand, not looking up once.

Xin Yan didn’t know how to respond. No one had ever called her that—except her parents. She wanted to ask Lanlan not to, but the girl wasn’t giving her a chance. After a moment’s silence, she turned away, deciding to save it for later.

…

Just as Xin Yan had predicted, whoever came up with this clearly themed event must’ve lacked imagination. The entire room was white and blue—light blue, icy blue, sky blue… all equally uninspired.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a Frozen premiere.

Few dared to be different. Xin Yan was one of the exceptions.

She entered with Lanlan at her side. Almost immediately, a couple came over to greet her—and, of course, also greeted Lanlan.

“This is…?”

Xin Yan had already briefed Lanlan, so she answered smoothly, “My assistant, Bei Lanlan.”

The couple was visibly surprised. They turned to An Zhiyuan. “So… have you been promoted, or…?”

They didn’t say it outright—but their eyes kept darting between Xin Yan and An, and even a fool could guess what they meant.

Well, Xin Yan was that fool. She didn’t catch on at all.

But An did—and Lanlan’s expression was already darkening.

He rushed to clarify, desperate to salvage both his reputation and his life.

“Nothing’s changed—I’m still the same. Miss Bei is new. President Xin is very fond of her. She brought her tonight to meet everyone. I just came along for the ride.”

His survival instincts were so strong that even this semi-familiar couple picked up on the subtext. They immediately caught on to the real relationship between Xin Yan and Lanlan.

“Ohhh—”

“Hahaha, we thought Assistant An finally got promoted. No worries! With your abilities, I’m sure President Xin will elevate you soon. Well, we’ll leave you to it. Someone’s calling us.”

And with that, they fled faster than rabbits. Good thing they weren’t high-ranking guests—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been nearly so subtle.

An wasn’t eager to be misinterpreted again. “President Xin, I’ll go mingle a bit.”

Even assistants have their own social circles. Xin Yan nodded and let him go.

Watching him scurry off like he was escaping death, she frowned. “Why’s he in such a hurry?”

Lanlan, standing beside her, replied flatly, “Who knows.”

…

Truthfully, that couple just had no tact. No real assistant would ever be allowed to wear such an expensive jewelry set—not even Xin Yan wore things like that.

So anyone who saw Lanlan’s necklace knew exactly what was going on—especially the older, more powerful guests. They all gave Xin Yan the same “Ah, I see” kind of look.

They used to think Xin Yan was too aloof—refusing to join in, judging others for doing so. But now? Look who joined the game.

Assistant, huh? Who’s fooling whom?

Back when she wasn’t attending, Xin Yan could mock this circus all she wanted. Now that she was here, she had to play along—but she didn’t want to.

Another May-December couple approached. If Xin Yan remembered correctly, this was the man’s sixth wife.

…Was the girl even twenty-two?

And the husband? He could’ve been seventy.

Xin Yan let out a sigh, then pasted on a smile. Just as the couple arrived, Lanlan stepped in to handle it.

She hooked her arm through Xin Yan’s and greeted them sweetly. “Good evening.”

They were briefly caught off guard, but had no choice but to respond politely. One thing led to another, and the couple eventually moved on—without Xin Yan having to say a single word.

A passing waiter appeared. Lanlan stopped him. “A glass of plain water, please.”

He nodded and left.

Then Lanlan turned to Xin Yan. “There’s nothing non-alcoholic here. Start with water, okay? Are you hungry? I can grab something for you.”

Xin Yan stared at her, stunned.

Lanlan: “…What?”

Xin Yan opened her mouth. “Lanlan… from now on, whenever I come to one of these, will you come with me?”

Lanlan paused—then smiled brightly. “Okay.”

Author’s Note:

Lanlan: Divorce? Heh. As if you could ever leave me.