Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 38.1

The moment Xin Yan saw Lu Wanqiu’s face, her momentum stalled.

Only she herself knew — she had a soft spot for delicate-looking women. It wasn’t romantic, but rather a mix of protectiveness and sympathy.

This had a lot to do with her past profession and her personality.

She felt this way about Bei Lanlan — she seemed so fragile, so Xin Yan always had the urge to shield her. But Lu Wanqiu looked even more delicate and harmless than Bei Lanlan. If she hadn’t spoken, Xin Yan might’ve actually been fooled by her appearance.

But she had spoken.

And no matter how pleasant her voice was, it couldn’t hide the self-righteousness and subtle malice lurking beneath her gentle tone.

Xin Yan didn’t answer her. Instead, she glanced at the staff member still lingering by the door. The woman was watching them with a kindly smile, but when Xin Yan shot her a cold look, she froze for a moment, then quickly left, leaving the room to the two of them.

Turning back, Xin Yan said bluntly, “I’m not here for a visit. I’m here for a confrontation.”

Lu Wanqiu blinked and softened her tone. “Don’t make it sound so serious. Would you like some tea?”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned her wheelchair toward the table. It was covered with an assortment of items: an electric kettle, several glass jars filled with tea leaves, delicate tea pets, and even a mushroom-shaped humidifier.

Lu Wanqiu turned on the humidifier, letting a gentle mist rise into the air. Then she opened one of the jars, used tongs to pick out a few pieces of dried yellow fruit, and steeped them in hot water. She swirled the cup gently and held it out with both hands — one supporting the base, the other steadying the rim.

“I figured you might not like traditional tea,” she said with a smile. “So I brewed you a fruit tea. It’s bergamot — smells a little sweet, doesn’t it?”

It was obvious she was straining to hold the cup like that, but Xin Yan made no move to take it. She just looked at her, unmoving.

After a few seconds, Lu Wanqiu seemed to get the message. She lowered her eyes and withdrew the cup, a hint of disappointment on her face. “I guess you don’t like it.”

Xin Yan finally spoke. “Are you sure it’s the tea I don’t like?”

The scent in the air was growing stronger, and Xin Yan didn’t want to stay any longer. “Secretly filming me. Investigating me without permission. Brazenly sending things to my company. Miss Lu — don’t you think you’ve crossed a line?”

Lu Wanqiu set the teacup down, looked up at Xin Yan, and calmly said, “Didn’t you do the same?”

Xin Yan frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Lu Wanqiu replied gently, “You never even asked who I was.”

In other words: You investigated me, too.

Xin Yan hesitated, then tried to justify herself. “I didn’t ask because I didn’t need to know.”

Lu Wanqiu nodded, her tone perfunctory. “Oh, I see.”

Xin Yan: “……”

After a brief silence, Xin Yan got to the point. “I don’t like people interfering in my life, or in my wife’s. Maybe you’ve been in here too long and forgotten what the outside world is like. Let me educate you: what you’re doing out there? It’s called stalking. And stalkers don’t qualify for any psychiatric immunity.”

Her words were sharp and unforgiving — practically calling Lu Wanqiu insane to her face. Lu Wanqiu looked genuinely surprised for a moment, then suddenly laughed aloud.

Xin Yan: “……”

Is she having a breakdown?

Xin Yan eyed her warily. But after a moment, Lu Wanqiu stopped laughing on her own. She looked at Xin Yan and said sincerely, “You’re right. I was being presumptuous.”

Too blunt, too direct. No wonder Xin Yan now disliked her even more. Clearly, she needed to be more patient next time.

Lu Wanqiu sighed inwardly. She actually thought she’d been pretty polite — considering Xin Yan’s status and personality, she had even taken the initiative to send an invitation instead of forcing her to come. And she’d waited patiently.

Of course, Xin Yan didn’t know any of that. She just felt like the world had gone mad. Lu Wanqiu… apologizing? That didn’t make sense. Since when did she have such a good temper?

But the more agreeable Lu Wanqiu acted, the more suspicious Xin Yan became. Her expression darkened. “I’m not joking. Stay away from Lanlan.”

Or else—

She was still thinking of a properly threatening line when Lu Wanqiu nodded obediently. “Alright. I’ll stay far, far away.”

Xin Yan choked on her words. “…You agreed?”

Lu Wanqiu nodded again. “Yes. I’ll make sure she’s completely out of my life.”

At first glance, that sounded exactly like what Xin Yan wanted — a clean break.

But seeing Lu Wanqiu’s serene expression, Xin Yan had a nagging sense that something was off.

The confrontation was over. Xin Yan had no reason to stay. Still suspicious, she slowly turned to leave. Lu Wanqiu didn’t try to stop her — she simply smiled and watched her go.

But just as Xin Yan was about to step out the door, Lu Wanqiu called out softly, “Take care. See you next week.”

Xin Yan froze, then spun around.

Lu Wanqiu’s smile deepened as she lifted one hand and waved.

Xin Yan: “……”

Oh… shit.

So shocked she swore internally, Xin Yan suddenly understood everything.

If Lu Wanqiu hadn’t said “See you next week,” Xin Yan — with her EQ — probably would’ve needed several more confrontations before piecing it all together.

In the original story, Lu Wanqiu had a rule for herself and Bei Lanlan: they must meet once every week. Out of the seven days, Lanlan could spend time with anyone she liked. But on that seventh day, she belonged exclusively to Lu Wanqiu. Even if knives rained from the sky, Lanlan couldn’t break that rule — or else Lu Wanqiu would be furious.

And every time she sent Lanlan off, Lu Wanqiu would say the same three words: “See you next week.”

That was her rule. If Lanlan heard it, she had to obey.

Now, Lanlan hadn’t heard it — but Xin Yan had.

No wonder Lu Wanqiu had bypassed Lanlan and come straight for her. No wonder she had so readily agreed to stay away. No wonder…

Xin Yan’s face looked like she’d been struck by lightning.

She didn’t know when Lu Wanqiu had set her sights on her, but she now understood — she’d walked right into the tiger’s den.

This woman… was not picky at all. Was she just interested in every woman she laid eyes on? Or did it have nothing to do with people — and Lu Wanqiu had just gotten bored, so whoever happened to cross her path was the next unlucky target?

…How was her life this miserable?

Wandering out in a daze, Xin Yan couldn’t tell whether she should be relieved or on the verge of tears.

On the bright side, she no longer had to worry about Lanlan’s safety. Compared to Lanlan, Xin Yan considered herself more mature, more mentally resilient. She wouldn’t fall for Lu Wanqiu’s tricks, nor would she be intimidated.

Maybe Lu Wanqiu could offer Lanlan resources and power — but to Xin Yan, she was less useful than her driver, Xiao Zhang.

All she had to do now was worry about whether Lu Wanqiu would lash out after being rejected. But then again, she was stuck in this facility. How much damage could she really do?

Worst case scenario, she would just hire more bodyguards. It’s not like Lu Wanqiu could stretch her reach into Xin Yan’s personal security team.

Having comforted herself, Xin Yan arrived at the elevator, ready to go home. But as soon as she stepped onto the first floor, before she could take more than two steps, a nurse rushed over.

“Wait! Are you Xin Yan?”

Xin Yan was starting to develop a fear response to strangers calling her by name. She turned sharply, face full of suspicion. “Who are you now?”

The nurse froze at her hostile tone. Whatever enthusiasm she had instantly cooled. She stood still, voice cautious. “Um… I’m Li Jingshu’s nurse. She heard you were here today and asked me to see if… you would be willing to visit her.”

The nurse became less and less confident as she spoke. She genuinely liked Li Jingshu — saw her as a respected elder. When the nurses had been chatting earlier, someone had mentioned Xin Yan’s name. Though she didn’t know who Xin Yan was at the time, she remembered Li Jingshu mentioning her before. So she’d gone to tell her. And Li Jingshu, after a moment’s pause, had asked her for this favor.

The nurse couldn’t understand it. If they were really family, why was it someone else coming to visit Li Jingshu? And the way Li Jingshu spoke—it was far too formal.

She was a simple person and hadn’t thought much of it at first. But when she saw Xin Yan, she began to sense something was off. She nervously shifted her feet together and thought silently to herself: Li Jingshu might be disappointed.

Just as she was sulking about it, a pair of legs suddenly appeared in front of her.

The nurse looked up. Xin Yan was gazing down at her.

“Do I need to register again?” she asked.

……

An hour passed, but Xin Yan still hadn’t come out. An Zhiyuan and the driver, Xiao Zhang, were still waiting in the car.

Time kept ticking by. An Zhiyuan tried to keep his thoughts from spiraling into chaos, but he couldn’t help it.

He turned his head in silence and looked at Xiao Zhang, who he saw often but had never really spoken to.

“Did President Xin ask you to keep this a secret?”

Xiao Zhang glanced back at him. “No.”

An Zhiyuan sighed. “Well, it’s probably best to keep it that way anyway.”

Xiao Zhang nodded in agreement.

Silence returned. Bored, An Zhiyuan spoke again.

“If the two of them do get divorced… have you ever thought about who you would be working for?”

Xiao Zhang: “……”

—

Meanwhile, Xin Yan arrived at the entrance of the tranquil Mountain View Building, brought there by the nursing home’s shuttle. Ever since the nurse had gone to inquire on her behalf, Li Jingshu had been standing on the terrace with the best view. The moment she saw Xin Yan getting out of the car, she hurried back inside, quickly smoothing her hair. One glance around the living room—it still looked a bit messy—so she rushed to tidy it up.

She was nervous. But actually, Xin Yan was even more so.

She had no idea why Li Jingshu had asked to see her. Was it to scold her?

If so, she would just endure it. She only hoped Li Jingshu’s health was strong enough—please, not another episode mid-lecture. If something happened, she wouldn’t be able to keep this visit under wraps.

…Wait. Now that she knew Lu Wanqiu had her sights set on someone other than Bei Lanlan, what was she so worried about?

With her mind in a tangled mess, Xin Yan arrived at Li Jingshu’s new room. She had only just moved in, so the space felt emptier than usual—some of the furniture and decorations were still missing.

Li Jingshu greeted her at the door. It was her first time meeting Xin Yan in person. She looked up and tried her best to smile naturally.

“Hello, come in. Would you like something to drink?”

Not wanting to trouble her, Xin Yan quickly shook her head. “I’m fine, really… You don’t need to do anything, Auntie.”

She hesitated before saying “Auntie,” and Li Jingshu paused for a second but said nothing. She turned around and lifted the fruit plate off the coffee table, offering it eagerly to Xin Yan.

“Would you like an orange?”

This time, Xin Yan didn’t refuse. She took one and held it in her palm but didn’t eat it—just kept it there.

The atmosphere grew increasingly awkward. Neither of them knew how to break the silence. Xin Yan avoided Li Jingshu’s eyes and focused intently on the throw blanket on the sofa, as though the pattern was some kind of artistic masterpiece.

Li Jingshu studied Xin Yan’s profile. She thought to herself, She’s even more beautiful in person than in the photos. Calm, composed—not arrogant at all, unlike how the media makes her out to be. Clearly, she’s very different off-camera.

Composed, quiet, polite, and patient. Even without speaking, she was willing to sit there, keeping an old woman company.

There’s a saying: Seeing is believing. No matter how many rumors she’d heard, no matter what others said about Xin Yan, Li Jingshu trusted her own eyes.

And in that moment, her impression of Xin Yan shifted completely.

She sighed inwardly. Before this meeting, she would still harbored a glimmer of hope—maybe Lanlan was just being impulsive, maybe she was lying to herself, maybe she didn’t really want the divorce. Maybe there was some other reason.

But after seeing Xin Yan, Li Jingshu gave up that hope.

She knew her daughter better than anyone. A woman like Xin Yan was exactly Lanlan’s type.

Since she was little, Lanlan had always gravitated toward older, calmer girls. If someone cared for her and made concessions for her, Lanlan would treasure them deeply.

Normally, people fall for someone who doesn’t match their ideal type. But if the person does match—if looks, personality, voice, everything lines up—that’s when it becomes a disaster.

If Lanlan already liked her, and Xin Yan happened to be this perfect match… how could she possibly let go? Walking away from someone like that would be like cutting out your own heart.

Li Jingshu worried for Lanlan. From an outsider’s perspective, she couldn’t see a future for the two of them. Her thoughts kept drifting, but Xin Yan stayed grounded. She racked her brain—she couldn’t let the silence drag on any longer.

So, summoning her courage, she finally spoke.

“This throw blanket is really pretty.”

……

Li Jingshu blinked. She looked at the sofa.

“Oh, that? I crocheted it.”

Finally—a topic! Xin Yan breathed a quiet sigh of relief, her smile relaxing.

“You’re really skilled.”

Li Jingshu blushed a little at the compliment.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Everyone here can do it. I used to make sweaters for Lanlan. She has such a great figure—she looks good in anything.”

Xin Yan completely agreed.

“She just needs a bit of dressing up, and she looks like a fairy from a painting. We went to a banquet a few days ago—some people nearly had heart attacks when they saw her.”

Li Jingshu laughed.

“Lanlan went to a banquet?”

Xin Yan nodded and pulled out her phone.

“I have photos. Want to see?”

She didn’t show the ones Lu Wanqiu had taken in secret—only the ones An Zhiyuan had snapped. In the photos, she and Lanlan were walking together. Li Jingshu’s gaze softened as she looked at them.

“Beautiful,” she said quietly.

She looked up at Xin Yan.

“You both are.”

Xin Yan smiled. “Lanlan’s prettier than me.”