Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 37

Holding her phone, Xin Yan scrolled through all the photos from start to finish.

Over three hundred photos, all taken that evening. But Xin Yan felt there should have been more. She remembered something flashing in her eyes on the street that day. Later, Xiao Zhang checked and found no one around, so she assumed it was just her imagination. But now it was clear—someone had been following them from back then.

Most of the photos featured her and Bei Lanlan together, but there were quite a few of just her—taken during the time Lanlan went to the restroom. Xin Yan didn’t think too much of it at first; after all, the person taking these pictures was a man. It made sense he wouldn’t follow a woman into the bathroom.

After looking through the photos again, she casually tossed the phone aside and sank into deep thought.

Logically speaking, she had an advantage—she had read the novel and knew all the plotlines. That should’ve given her a natural edge, since she knew everyone’s backstories and weaknesses.

But… Lu Wanqiu was a yandere. And her weakness? No one dared to touch it.

Lu Wanqiu came from a powerful family, with three generations working in high-level government positions. If nothing had gone wrong, she would’ve followed the same path.

But life rarely goes smoothly. When she was just three months old, Lu Wanqiu was diagnosed with a congenital illness that left her physically fragile and unable to tolerate sunlight. While other children played in parks, she lived in the ICU, surrounded by medications.

Her family spared no effort in trying to save her. And they succeeded, to a point—at least, she survived. But she never left the hospital. Having spent her entire childhood in a hospital bed, she lost the ability to walk altogether. As she grew older, she could only get around in a wheelchair.

By around age ten, her condition had mostly stabilized. She could now tolerate some sunlight. But by then, she had grown used to sealed-off rooms and refused to go outside, no matter what others said.

That’s when people began to notice something else—she was pathologically obsessive.

She lived in her own world, creating her own rules. If she believed she shouldn’t go outside, she simply wouldn’t. If she believed she couldn’t stand up, she would stay in the wheelchair. Her family tried to help her change when she was younger, but over time, they realized she was extremely stubborn and eventually gave up.

Not only did they give up trying to correct her—they gave up on fully including her in the family.

Now, to the Lu family, Lu Wanqiu was more like a distant relative. They visited her regularly, but no longer treated her as part of their everyday life. Her brother married and had children, her sister moved abroad, and her parents celebrated anniversaries—all without her. And they seemed just fine.

But people can’t live in a vacuum forever. Lu Wanqiu got bored. She started to crave things. So, when she saw Bei Lanlan standing silently under a tree, she felt a spark of curiosity.

She wondered: someone this beautiful—why did she look so sad? Why did she wear such a heavy expression? Unlike other grieving family members who mourned their loved ones, this woman seemed to mourn… herself.

It started with curiosity. Then came interest. And once Lu Wanqiu developed an interest, she wouldn’t let it go.

Even after reading the entire novel, Xin Yan still believed that Lu Wanqiu never truly liked Bei Lanlan.

Lu Wanqiu only liked herself. In her eyes, everyone existed to serve her. The moment someone acted against her wishes, she would resort to extreme measures. And by extreme, Xin Yan didn’t mean self-harm—Lu Wanqiu valued herself far too much for that. The extremity was always directed outward, toward others.

Think about it—if she genuinely liked Bei Lanlan, how could she tolerate all the people constantly coming and going around her? But in the novel, not only did she tolerate it, she even asked Lanlan about them, like she was listening to bedtime stories.

Xin Yan looked up at the ceiling.

How do you deal with someone so cold, selfish, and driven purely by her whims? She didn’t care about her family, had no friends, and didn’t value romantic partners. She only had one weakness—she couldn’t stand people disobeying her.

If Xin Yan tried to exploit that, the only result would be a more obsessive, more deranged Lu Wanqiu.

…What a mess.

Lu Wanqiu wasn’t someone who could be threatened. Business and politics didn’t mix—Xin Yan couldn’t simply throw money at her family to make her back off. Forcing her to retreat was impossible.

As the saying goes: a barefoot person isn’t afraid of someone in shoes. If cornered, Lu Wanqiu could do anything. But Xin Yan couldn’t afford to go up against someone with nothing to lose.

No matter how she thought about it, there seemed to be no way forward. With a groan, Xin Yan buried her face in her pillow.

Was she just supposed to give up?

She pictured Lu Wanqiu trapping Bei Lanlan in a sanatorium, threatening her with her mother’s life to make her stay. She pictured Lanlan’s tear-filled eyes, her humiliation as she agreed.

Xin Yan bolted upright.

As long as she was here, no chance in hell!!

________________________________________

The next morning, everyone was up getting ready for work. Xin Yan and Bei Lanlan sat in the dining room, both with dark circles under their eyes.

The butler silently poured their milk, wondering what on earth they did last night to look like they hadn’t slept at all.

Bei Lanlan took a few sips and glanced over at Xin Yan.

“I’ve put the jewelry set back in the box. Should I return it to the bank?”

Xin Yan slowly looked up. After a two-second pause, she responded, “Yeah, send it back. Not safe to keep it at home.”

Even the best houses couldn’t stop determined thieves. Just like houses, thieves also came in tiers.

Last night’s incident seemed to have quietly passed. Bei Lanlan wanted to bring it up again but couldn’t find the right moment. That’s when she realized—this wasn’t the first time. Whenever Xin Yan didn’t want to talk about something, she would act like nothing had happened, burying it all in silence.

Bei Lanlan pursed her lips but said nothing more.
________________________________________

During lunch break, Xin Yan ate while reviewing content for her afternoon meeting.

The company had been busy lately, and meetings were piling up. If she didn’t want to work overtime, she had to make use of her breaks.

Bei Lanlan returned from outside, washed her hands, and sat next to her. “I’ll be home late tomorrow. No need to pick me up.”

Xin Yan thought for a moment. “Is it lab-related?”

Lanlan nodded. “Should finish around ten.”

Xin Yan asked, “That late? Professor Liu stays that long too?”

Another nod. “She’s in the lab basically from morning to night. I leave at ten—she usually stays until eleven or twelve.”

Xin Yan couldn’t even complain. The professor clearly led by example.

“…Is it safe on campus? Any chance strangers might sneak in?”

Bei Lanlan smiled. “The research building has 24-hour patrols. Don’t worry.”

After the photo incident, of course Xin Yan couldn’t relax. To her, the world outside now felt like a monster that devoured people. With an obsessive yandere lurking, even the most harmless-looking passerby might be a wanted criminal.

One good thing about Xin Yan, though—no matter how worried she was, she never stopped Lanlan from going out. She just silently stressed out and secretly sent a bunch of bodyguards to follow her.
________________________________________

After lunch, it was time for the meeting. Lanlan stayed in the office while An Zhiyuan accompanied Xin Yan to the conference room.

It was a huge space—around 200 square meters. By the time Xin Yan arrived, everyone else was already seated. She walked straight to the front, nodded at the deputy GM chairing the meeting, and the lights dimmed.

There were several deputy GMs in the company, but this was the one Xin Yan liked the least. He had a habit of speaking in a rousing, motivational tone. No matter the topic, everything from his mouth sounded like a grand nation-building speech. Add background music and the whole team could march off to war.

Sitting in her seat, Xin Yan felt her eyelids growing heavier by the minute.

An Zhiyuan stood beside her, occasionally glancing her way—ready to wake her up the moment she actually dozed off.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen, then quietly stepped out of the room. But before leaving, he subtly kicked the leg of Xin Yan’s chair—jolting her awake.

Xin Yan: “……”

“So, you don’t want this job anymore?”

An Zhiyuan stepped out of the conference room. Outside, the receptionist was already waiting.

“Assistant An, someone’s here to see you.”

“Me?” An Zhiyuan raised a brow. “What’s his name?”

“He didn’t say. He’s waiting downstairs. Said he has something to hand to you personally.”

An Zhiyuan glanced at his watch. The meeting had only been going for fifteen minutes, and knowing that particular VP’s style, he would probably ramble on for at least another twenty.

Taking the opportunity, An Zhiyuan headed downstairs—and spotted a man in a black suit.

The man walked up to him and handed over a small box.

“Please give this to Miss Xin Yan.”

An Zhiyuan took the box and asked, “Who sent this?”

It clearly wasn’t the man in front of him. One look, and An Zhiyuan could tell—this was just a lackey.

The man replied calmly, “Miss Xin Yan will know once she sees it.”

And with that, he turned and left.

An Zhiyuan frowned in confusion. He held the box up to his ear and gave it a good shake—no sound.

Back upstairs, he was about to place the box on Xin Yan’s desk out of habit, but through the glass wall, he saw Bei Lanlan writing intently. Something in his gut told him that was a bad idea. He turned around and quietly slipped back into the conference room, box in hand.

He didn’t say a word until the meeting was over. Then, he handed the box to Xin Yan.

She opened it, visibly puzzled—clearly, she had no clue who sent it either. An Zhiyuan breathed a small sigh of relief… though he couldn’t help but feel a bit let down.

On one hand, he didn’t want Xin Yan getting into something messy. On the other, part of him was curious to see how the drama would play out.

—

Since they didn’t know the sender, Xin Yan opened the box right in front of him. Inside was a single photo—one taken recently of her and Bei Lanlan out for a buffet, walking together afterward.

To be fair, the photo was quite well taken. Crystal clear. In it, Xin Yan faced the camera directly, unaware she was being photographed. Bei Lanlan was by her side but partially blocked.

On the back of the photo, a handwritten address and room number: a private convalescent facility.

Xin Yan stared at the writing, silent for a long time.

An Zhiyuan held his breath, watching her expression, mind racing with possibilities.

Suddenly—smack! Xin Yan slapped the photo down on the table.

“Unbelievable!”

“She’s provoking me?!”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

He was honestly stunned. How did she arrive at that conclusion? If it was a provocation, would they really bother using such an expensive gift box? These three-fold boxes were typically reserved for luxury items.

Yet this one contained nothing but a photograph.

Nope—better not keep thinking about it. Any more, and he might actually figure out the truth.

—

To have survived under the notoriously volatile Xin Yan for so many years, An Zhiyuan had a golden rule: never get involved in her personal life. Stay professional. Keep boundaries. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t observe from the sidelines.

So he kept his mouth shut and quietly watched Xin Yan pace the room, fuming.

After a couple of rounds, she stopped in front of him and jabbed a finger at the photo.

“I know what she’s trying to do. I threatened her yesterday—now she’s threatening me back. She’s obviously done her homework. What else would she know to send something through you? And even write an address? Hah. Does she really think I’m dumb enough to go just because she tells me to?”

An Zhiyuan: “So… are you going?”

Xin Yan: “Of course I am!”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

Xin Yan added, “But it’s not because she told me to. I’m going of my own accord. I won’t be able to sleep until I deal with this properly.”

Conveniently, tomorrow was Tuesday—and she didn’t have to work in the afternoon. Perfect.

She grabbed the box and photo, shoved them into An Zhiyuan’s arms.

“Throw this away. And don’t tell Lanlan about any of this. Got it?”

An Zhiyuan nodded quickly. Of course he wouldn’t. After all, it’s always more entertaining when the person finds out on her own.

—

Xin Yan was truly angry.

She didn’t mind if things played out according to the plot—but being openly challenged was a different story.

In the original narrative, her character was mere background noise. Even if Lu Wanqiu knew of her existence, she never gave her a second glance. But things had changed. Now Xin Yan and Bei Lanlan were seen together often, and looked quite close. It made sense—if Lu Wanqiu wanted to approach Bei Lanlan, she would first want to eliminate any obstacles.

Sitting in the car en route to the facility, Xin Yan let out a cold laugh.

Let’s see who eliminates whom.

In the front seats, the driver Xiao Zhang and An Zhiyuan exchanged a look.

…President Xin’s laugh was honestly terrifying.

Lu Wanqiu might not be violent, but just in case, Xin Yan had brought An Zhiyuan along. If anything happened, at least she would have someone smart on the outside to help her.

As they entered the facility, a staff member approached almost immediately.

“You must be Miss Xin Yan. Miss Lu said you would be coming today. Here’s the visitor form. Please fill it out and I’ll take you upstairs.”

Xin Yan hesitated. “You… know who I am?”

The staffer smiled. “Miss Lu showed me your photo.”

Handing her the form, the woman added with a soft smile, “You’re the first friend to come visit her. She was so happy. Asked us to take extra good care of you.”

Xin Yan: “…”

She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. Her gut told her that even if she explained, the staffer wouldn’t believe her.

After a moment of silence, she turned back to her two companions—Xiao Zhang stared off into the distance, and An Zhiyuan was staring at the floor.

An Zhiyuan sighed inwardly.

Six more months. Couldn’t you just wait six more months? At least wait until the divorce before finding someone new…” Thankfully, Xin Yan couldn’t read minds. Otherwise, he would probably cough blood right then and there.

Even so, Xin Yan felt like she was suffering internal injuries.

She filled out the form without another word, left the two downstairs, and followed the staffer up.

They sprayed her with disinfectant and listed off several rules. By the time they finished, most of Xin Yan’s anger had already been ground down to nothing.

Standing outside the reading room, Xin Yan began questioning everything.

Why had she gone through all this?

The staffer opened the door for her. The curtains were drawn; soft light from the overhead fluorescents bathed the room. Lu Wanqiu turned at the sound, her dark hair brushing against her pale skin. Her eyes were bright and clear as she looked at Xin Yan—almost glowing.

She was dressed in soft, loose pajamas, a blanket over her lap. She maneuvered her wheelchair over, her delicate hands resting on either side.

Tilting her head to look up at Xin Yan, she smiled—just like the staffer had said—genuinely happy.

Her voice, though soft, carried a playful lilt.

“I knew you would come see me.”