Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 39

As soon as they got home, Xin Yan bolted upstairs. Once she shut the door behind her, she leaned against it, her heart still racing wildly.

Her emotional intelligence might be lacking, but she wasn’t stupid. Anyone with eyes could tell what Bei Lanlan was trying to do. Xin Yan felt as if a dark cloud had floated above her head, followed by a thunderclap loud enough to split her mind in two.

Could it be… Bei Lanlan likes her?

That must be it, right? People only want to kiss someone if they like them.

Wait, no way! Given their history, unless Bei Lanlan really was struck by lightning, how could she possibly like her?

Could it be… Stockholm syndrome?

And that’s the real issue—Stockholm syndrome isn’t true love. It tricks people into thinking they like someone when they actually don’t. Then again, sometimes when the condition is serious, that false affection becomes real over time. But at that point, neither the person experiencing it nor the people around them can clearly tell the difference.

Xin Yan tried to calm herself down and analyze the situation objectively. But the more she analyzed, the more tangled her thoughts became—like a chaotic ball of thread. She couldn’t make sense of Bei Lanlan’s feelings, nor her own.

After several deep breaths, Xin Yan forced herself to stop obsessing over whether Bei Lanlan liked her and started thinking about something more important:

Did she like Bei Lanlan?

Now that was the real question. The most fundamental one.

________________________________________

The night passed quietly.

The butler woke up in great spirits. He had a fantastic night’s sleep. Ever since getting older, it was rare for him to sleep through the night without waking two or three times. But last night? Not even once. Truly something to celebrate.

In high spirits, he prepared breakfast and went to call the two ladies down.

Xin Yan came down first, walking unsteadily, like all the energy had been drained from her. Bei Lanlan followed, slow and heavy in her movements, as though she wasn’t going to work, but attending a funeral.

The butler: “…”

What on earth happened?

Neither said a word. During breakfast, they focused on their food, only sneaking glances at each other when the other wasn’t looking. If their eyes met, it was only for a split second before they quickly looked away.

This awkward atmosphere persisted all the way to the office. Even after being at work for several hours, Xin Yan didn’t call Bei Lanlan’s name once, nor did she make eye contact. Bei Lanlan’s mood, already plummeting from the morning, finally hit rock bottom.

Silently picking up some documents to be delivered, she stood and walked out of the office.

Outside, An Zhiyuan had been watching closely. Seizing the opportunity, he slipped inside.

He approached Xin Yan’s desk, knowing he probably shouldn’t ask, but couldn’t help himself.

“Did Miss Bei Lanlan find out where you went yesterday?”

Startled, Xin Yan’s hand slipped, sending a perfectly placed horizontal line flying off-course. Her pen even tore part of the paper.

She took a deep breath and shot him a dangerous look. “Are you like Mai Shiranui’s little brother—hot-blooded and brainless? If so, go to Japan and find your long-lost relatives. If not—get out!”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

He had no one to blame but himself for walking straight into enemy fire.

Still, despite being scolded, he got what he wanted—first-hand intel. Feigning humility, he turned to leave, only for Xin Yan to stop him again.

“Wait.”

An Zhiyuan whispered a quick prayer before turning around, timidly. “Yes, Boss?”

Xin Yan twirled the pen in her hand, her voice slightly quieter. “Do I… smell like anything?”

An Zhiyuan: “…Huh?”

She repeated, louder this time, “I said—do I smell like something else?”

An Zhiyuan: “…”

That was an HR red flag if he’d ever heard one. If their roles were reversed, this would be a clear case of workplace harassment.

He didn’t dare get close, and Xin Yan wouldn’t let him either. So from a safe distance of several meters, he sniffed the air.

Nothing. No scent at all. Xin Yan hated weird smells, so even their air fresheners were fragrance-free.

Still standing far away, An Zhiyuan reported honestly, “President Xin, I didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary.”

But Xin Yan didn’t believe him. She sniffed her own arm suspiciously. “Are you sure? I swear there’s still something.”

She’d already showered last night. And again this morning. She was a bit of a clean freak—she changed clothes after getting home and another set before bed. Normally, she wouldn’t care if she picked up some scent in public. She’d just wash up later.

But ever since Bei Lanlan said she smelled like perfume—and that it was Lu Wanqiu’s perfume—Xin Yan had felt deeply uncomfortable.

There’s a saying: “a woman’s scent tells her story.” Perfume is like a calling card. What Lu Wanqiu did was the equivalent of spraying her claim all over Xin Yan—like marking territory. Xin Yan wouldn’t have cared if she didn’t know, but now that she did, her opinion of Lu Wanqiu had plummeted.

And then there was Bei Lanlan’s reaction to it…

Was that… a claim of ownership?

Was she, Xin Yan, now Bei Lanlan’s legally wedded wife, in a sacred and exclusive marital relationship?

The thought made Xin Yan’s head ache. She blamed it all on Lu Wanqiu. If not for her, none of this would’ve happened.

As she jabbed her pen into the paper unconsciously, Xin Yan turned serious. “How much would it cost to acquire the Yunshan Convalescent Home?”

An Zhiyuan was stunned. After a pause, he cautiously answered, “Conservatively, at least 450 million.”

Xin Yan frowned. “Is it really worth that much?”

“At the very least,” he confirmed. “It has a stellar reputation, and its property is much larger than most hospitals.”

Xin Yan hesitated. She had the money, sure. But was investing in a field she’d never touched before, just to deal with Lu Wanqiu, really worth it?

Since she didn’t respond, An Zhiyuan took the initiative to ask, “Why do you suddenly want to acquire a rehab center?”

Xin Yan sighed. “There are some things you can only do once you’re the boss.”

“What kind of things?” An Zhiyuan asked.

She sighed again, more deeply this time.

Like kicking out unwanted patients, of course~ Xin Yan replied bluntly.

________________________________________

After An Zhiyuan left, Xin Yan put down her pen and looked at Bei Lanlan’s empty seat, pressing her lips together tightly.

She could shift her feelings from a fictional character to a real person. But she couldn’t turn that pure, uncomplicated affection into the kind Bei Lanlan seemed to want.

Then again… who was to say that was what Bei Lanlan wanted?

________________________________________

It was past noon when Bei Lanlan finally returned.

Xin Yan had a meeting that afternoon. She waited a while, and when Bei Lanlan didn’t show up, she assumed she no longer wanted to have lunch together. So she started to unwrap her lunch box, ready to eat quickly and get it over with.

Just then, the office door opened.

Startled, Xin Yan nearly spilled the soup. Her mind went blank for a second before she quickly covered the bowl and straightened up her food, making it look untouched.

By the time Bei Lanlan walked into the break room, Xin Yan was sitting properly, her lunch neatly placed on the table as if it hadn’t been touched.

She turned with a timely smile. “Why did you come back so late?”

Bei Lanlan looked at that forced smile and said nothing. Instead, she responded coolly, “I thought you’d decided never to speak to me again.”

Xin Yan: “…”

Xin Yan felt a bit guilty.

She knew ignoring Bei Lanlan was wrong. It looked like emotional cold-shouldering—but that wasn’t her intention. It was just her nature. When she ran into something she didn’t know how to deal with—especially when it involved someone else—her default was to avoid it.

Thankfully, her avoidance never lasted long. At most, 24 hours. No one had ever noticed this about her before. But then again… she’d never lived with someone like Bei Lanlan.

Being so close meant every emotion and action was magnified. Even small things could trigger major fallout—let alone what they were dealing with now.

In that moment, Xin Yan suddenly understood how Bei Lanlan must’ve felt when she’d been forced to talk about her feelings earlier.

Xin Yan liked taking the slow, indirect path. But Bei Lanlan was straightforward—no detours, no evasions. Honestly? That might be better. A lightning strike was preferable to a drawn-out war.

With her wrists resting on the table edge, Xin Yan fidgeted with her fingers, clearly uneasy. “I… I just…”

After all that effort, she only got out three words. Back when she was learning a foreign language, she wasn’t this tongue-tied.

Talking used to be her strength.

She could comfort long-suffering housewives, out-argue neighborhood gossip queens, calmly reject a colleague’s confession, and gently turn down girls she’d once helped who developed feelings for her.

But in front of Bei Lanlan, her most prized skill completely failed her.

Talking had never been so hard.

If Bei Lanlan had been holding onto a shred of hope just moments ago, watching Xin Yan stumble now ground it to dust.

Was she disappointed? Of course.

Was she giving up? Absolutely not.

With a soft breath, Bei Lanlan sat down across from her and picked up where Xin Yan couldn’t continue, offering her an escape. “I don’t even know why I acted that way yesterday.”

Xin Yan blinked. “Huh?”

“I didn’t like that smell,” Bei Lanlan said, her eyes downcast. “I don’t know what it means. All I know is—when I smelled it, I got really angry.”

Then she looked up and asked Xin Yan directly:

“Why did it make me angry?”

Xin Yan: “…”

Bai Lanlan’s eyes showed a hint of confusion, as if she genuinely didn’t understand. Xin Yan froze. She felt she should explain, but it was like a lump of candy had gotten stuck in her throat—she couldn’t get the words out.

Damn. How was she supposed to explain this?

After a moment of silence, she carefully said, “Maybe… it’s just that your body naturally doesn’t react well to that perfume. Or maybe…”

Xin Yan hesitated again. She didn’t want to lie—not about this. So she chose honesty.

“You don’t like that kind of perfume being near me.”

Bai Lanlan paused, then nodded. “Now that you’ve said it, I’m even more upset.”

Xin Yan: “……”

Bai Lanlan let out a faint laugh. “But I’ll manage. I know what we are—just a name, no real commitment. You’ve already been good to me. I won’t ask for more. Don’t worry about me… I’ll slowly, slowly get used to it.”

She emphasized the word slowly, as if she needed to accept it herself before she could say it aloud. Xin Yan stared at her for a moment, then turned to face her completely.

“You don’t have to get used to it. Because it’s not going to happen again.” Xin Yan said.

Bai Lanlan blinked, surprised. “Really?”

Xin Yan nodded firmly, gaze unwavering. “She’s not getting another chance.”

Bai Lanlan leaned in slightly, unsure she heard right. “What?”

Xin Yan turned and smiled at her. “Nothing. I’ll take care of it. Let’s eat.”

Bai Lanlan looked at her for a moment, then said nothing more—just returned a soft smile of her own.

________________________________________

And just like that, it seemed the matter had passed. Neither Xin Yan nor Bai Lanlan brought up the kiss that had almost happened. As if neither of them thought it was worth mentioning.

That was how it looked on the surface. What they were really thinking—only they knew.

Even a paper stained with the tiniest drop of ink can never be pure white again.

________________________________________

That afternoon, Xin Yan had another meeting—again led by the same Vice President. She joked about bringing a neck pillow just to survive it in comfort. Bai Lanlan smiled as she saw her off, advising her to hold on—there would be plenty of eyes watching her in a big public meeting. If she fell asleep, it would be her reputation on the line.

Xin Yan took the advice. After she left with Assistant An, Bai Lanlan returned to the office.

She casually strolled over to Xin Yan’s desk, pulled out a USB drive, and walked back to her seat without raising any eyebrows.

Her movements were so natural that even if someone saw her, they wouldn’t have guessed the USB stored Xin Yan’s full schedule—attendance records, transport logs, and more.

She scrolled to yesterday’s logs.

Xin Yan hadn’t gone out alone. She brought Assistant An and a driver. But the destination was left blank.

Bai Lanlan frowned.

She kept looking but found no other suspicious entries. Quietly, she replaced the USB and headed to the break room. After making herself a cup of coffee and waiting a few minutes, two secretaries walked in.

They greeted her politely; she returned the gesture.

“I had classes at the university yesterday—it’s been so busy here lately, I feel bad not being able to help out.”

Secretary 1: “It’s okay! School’s more important.”

Secretary 2: “Yeah, yeah. We’ve got it covered.”

Bai Lanlan stirred her coffee gently. “If only Assistant An thought the same. He’s always so strict—never late, never leaves early.”

Secretary 1: “Who says? He only worked a half day yesterday.”

Secretary 2 corrected her: “Actually, he came back in the afternoon. Stayed late, too—until 10 p.m. Poor guy, works harder than President Xin.”

Bai Lanlan asked, “In the afternoon?”

Secretary 2 nodded. “Just before 6 p.m. We were packing up when he came back to work overtime.”

Bai Lanlan smiled but said nothing.

From noon to six—that was six full hours. Long enough for Xin Yan to do anything. Or see anyone.

________________________________________

Unaware that Bai Lanlan was dissecting her every move, Xin Yan was still focused on how to deal with Lu Wanqiu. She’d beefed up both her home and office security. All personnel had been strictly warned: no deliveries unless they were on the schedule—if anyone showed up unannounced, both the person and the item were to be thrown out.

Everyone nodded seriously. But days passed, and no deliveries came. Not even a single person.

Meanwhile, Bai Lanlan continued her visits to the lab to see Liu Danxing.

After some consideration, Liu Danxing had agreed to the partnership. As far as she was concerned, she had nothing to lose—and Bai Lanlan had proven she wasn’t just talk. She had potential.

From a basic assistant, Bai Lanlan was now half a partner. While she still had to obey Liu Danxing, she didn’t have to walk on eggshells anymore.

At 2 p.m., Liu Danxing was at her computer, fingers flying across the keyboard so fast they blurred.

Bai Lanlan waited patiently behind her.

Finally, Liu Danxing pushed the keyboard away. “Done.”

She stood; Bai Lanlan sat. “Thanks.”

Liu Danxing scoffed, “Don’t thank me. I’m only doing this because you found a buyer so fast. You’re somewhat useful. Barely worthy of working for me.”

Bai Lanlan didn’t even react. She’d long since learned to tune her out.

Liu Danxing frowned slightly at her focus. “What exactly are you looking for? These cameras suck—blurry as hell.”

Bai Lanlan adjusted the time stamp, checking every figure that passed the lens. Suddenly, she hit pause.

“Him.”

Liu Danxing widened her eyes, looking at the shadow Bai Lanlan pointed to—a blurry back view, no face.

“…Seriously?”

Recognizing someone just from their back? That was a gift.

Liu thought she’d now look for the person’s face, but Bai Lanlan didn’t. She followed the shadow until he got into a car, then zoomed in to catch the license plate and jotted it down.

While Liu Danxing could hack cheap store surveillance, tracking a license plate was beyond her scope.

Bai Lanlan put the note away. Liu stared at her, curiosity getting the better of her.

“You’re not trying to get yourself into trouble, are you? Just so you know, if you die doing this, I’m not giving your cut to Xin Yan.”

Bai Lanlan: “……”

She stayed quiet for a moment, then said, “It’s nothing that serious. I just want to find someone.”

“Man?”

“Woman.”

“…A lover?”

Bai Lanlan paused two seconds. “A bitch.”

Liu Danxing: “……”

She probably meant ‘rival in love’, but the thought of that woman deliberately spraying perfume on Xin Yan made her blood boil.

Women know women best. Whether it was intentional or not, she didn’t even need to ask.

It was intentional. The woman had doused Xin Yan in perfume just so she would carry the scent back to her.

Very few people even knew about her relationship with Xin Yan. Bai Lanlan’s top suspect was Song Xizi—but something didn’t feel right. If it was her, Xin Yan wouldn’t have kept it a secret.

Watching her sink deep into thought, Liu Danxing dragged over a chair and plopped down, intrigued. “Come on, tell me.”

Bai Lanlan: “……”

She looked so ready to enjoy a good drama. Bai Lanlan hesitated, but with no one else to talk to, she gave a short explanation:

“Someone sprayed perfume on Xin Yan.”

No backstory, no details, but Liu Danxing got the message.

“Definitely a bitch.”

________________________________________

Liu’s curiosity ended there. Now that she had the key point, she lost interest and shooed Bai Lanlan away to continue her experiments.

Bai Lanlan went to the supply cabinet to restock materials.

Just then, the lab’s security guard knocked. “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. There’s a delivery for Bai Lanlan.”

Liu Danxing bristled. “No deliveries! Toss it! Toss it out!”

Guard: “……”

Being a veteran, he already knew Liu’s infamous rules—no deliveries, no delivery people inside, and even opened packages had to be sanitized or left outside for three years.

He sighed, “Can Bai Lanlan come out? The sender insists I hand it to her directly.”

Bai Lanlan blinked. She stepped out and took the beautifully wrapped box from the guard.

It didn’t look like a regular delivery—but her name and address were printed on it.

After the guard left, Bai Lanlan tore the box open right there.

Inside was a single item:

—A bottle of unbranded, nameless perfume.

“Oho—”

She turned and saw Liu Danxing leaning against the doorframe, raising a brow.

“She’s good. I don’t want to call her a bitch anymore.”

Bai Lanlan: “……”

Expression flat, she turned back to the perfume, staring at the liquid inside.

Bai Lanlan replied softly, “Call her whatever you like.”

Because no matter what people called her now—

In the future, she’d have only one name.

Dead.

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Lu Wanqiu is scheming,

But no one schemes better than Lanlan.