Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 46

Bai Lanlan was outside preparing medicine for Xin Yan. The doctor had prescribed three kinds: one traditional Chinese remedy and two Western medicines. Bai Lanlan planned to have Xin Yan drink the herbal decoction first, then take the Western pills half an hour later.

She didn’t really know the medical principle behind it. All she knew was that whenever she fell sick, her mother had always done it this way.

The herbal medicine dissolved as soon as it touched water, turning into a dark liquid in a transparent little cup—it looked almost like cola. Setting the tray down, Bai Lanlan tilted her head in thought, then headed to the kitchen again.

There was no candy at home, no dried plums or snacks of the sort, so she sliced up half a watermelon instead.

Looking at the watermelon juice—several times more in volume than the bitter medicine—Bai Lanlan smiled with satisfaction, then carried the tray upstairs.

The moment she pushed the door open, she saw Xin Yan already sitting up in bed. Her face looked pale and unfocused, like someone caught in the act of mischief.

Bai Lanlan paused, then silently stepped forward and set the tray on the table. “What did you do?”

Xin Yan, only now noticing her, blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

She didn’t look like she was pretending. After a moment’s silence, Bai Lanlan corrected herself, “Not what you did—what you were about to do.”

Having reached her conclusion, Bai Lanlan laid down her command. “Whatever you’re thinking, forget it. You’re not going out today. Haven’t you always said you wanted to rest? Well, now’s your chance. Stay put. Behave, and maybe you’ll get away with fewer days in bed.”

Xin Yan: “……”

It’s not that I’m overthinking… but does she have to sound like a Nazi?

Xin Yan sighed. She really had been planning to sneak out just now. After all, she still didn’t know what was going on at the sanatorium.

Back when she’d first signed the paperwork, there had been a clause: if anything happened to the patient, the sanatorium would immediately notify the emergency contact. In Li Jingshu’s first year there, her condition had been unstable and constantly changing. The original Xin Yan, annoyed by the endless calls, told the staff outright—unless it was a matter of life and death, don’t bother contacting her.

The sanatorium had abided by this instruction ever since. It wasn’t until Xin Yan herself later moved Li Jingshu to another ward that she stumbled across this “historical legacy.” She couldn’t help sighing at the cold-bloodedness of her predecessor—and promptly revoked the instruction.

For years, Li Jingshu had been left in a state of near-total neglect. From the beginning, no one came. Over time, she must have gotten used to it. But recently, things had shifted—Bai Lanlan had visited her, even promised to return regularly, and Xin Yan herself had seen her once.

It was a breakthrough, however small. Even if Li Jingshu said nothing, Xin Yan could imagine how happy she must have been to see Lanlan. Their relationship was slowly mending. Yet just as her ward had a mishap, her daughter and her daughter’s nominal wife hadn’t shown up once. If she put herself in Li Jingshu’s shoes, Xin Yan knew—her heart would have gone completely cold.

So yes, Xin Yan was anxious. No matter what, she had to go. As for why she wouldn’t let Bai Lanlan handle it…

That was because the sanatorium also housed Lu Wanqiu—an unpredictable live bomb.

Her instincts told her this incident had Lu Wanqiu written all over it. The problem was, Lu Wanqiu lived nearly a kilometer away from Li Jingshu’s ward. How on earth had she managed to reach so far?

Regardless of whether Lu Wanqiu’s true target was herself or not, Xin Yan would never let Bai Lanlan confront her. First, she feared for her safety. Second… she felt guilty.

________________________________________

If she couldn’t leave, she had to find another way.

That night, Bai Lanlan stayed awake, though Xin Yan had no idea. Lanlan looked radiant the next morning, complexion even better than before, as if she hadn’t lost a wink of sleep.

While Xin Yan napped upstairs, Bai Lanlan was in the downstairs kitchen consulting with the chef.

“Make a few light dishes, and… maybe something a little sweet? The medicine’s bitter, and after all that IV fluid yesterday, she kept complaining she had no taste in her mouth.”

The chef nodded. “No problem. How about pumpkin porridge?”

Bai Lanlan smiled lightly. “Something else. She doesn’t like pumpkin.”

The chef blinked in surprise. Xin always eats pumpkin when I make it… She hadn’t realized Xin Yan was simply tolerating it—eating slowly, without joy.

Before joining the Xin household, the chef had already worked as a private cook for three different families, never staying long due to various circumstances. She had thought this job would be the same—Xin Yan barely ever came home, barely even spoke to her. She thought she’d fade into obscurity again. But then things changed: Xin Yan started living here, and now, with Bai Lanlan’s presence, spring had come—for Xin Yan and, by extension, for her. If she performed well, promotion and bonuses were within reach!

Eager to learn more of Xin Yan’s preferences, she listened carefully—when the doorbell rang.

Lanlan turned, puzzled. Who could be visiting us?

At the door stood An Zhiyuan, waiting quietly for the servant to let him in. Xin Yan had just phoned him, insisting he come over immediately. That part wasn’t strange. What puzzled him was her final instruction: Don’t let Bai Lanlan know I called you.

As he pondered this, the door opened. And there was Bai Lanlan, arching a brow at him. “Assistant An, what brings you here at this hour?”

An Zhiyuan: “Uh…”

Good question.

He forced a smile and quickly came up with an excuse. “The company’s quiet today, so I thought I’d come by early to check on President Xin.”

Lanlan leaned against the doorframe, eyes calm. “But just this morning, you told me you had a cross-division meeting, a branch office conference, and the monthly summary meeting. It’s only ten-thirty. You finished them all already?”

An Zhiyuan: “……Yes. Surprising, isn’t it? Everyone was unusually efficient today.”

He lied through his teeth, and Bai Lanlan’s expression remained unreadable. Whether she believed him or not, he couldn’t tell. What he did know was that standing here freezing in the winter chill was intolerable.

In the end, she let him in.

When Xin Yan saw him in her room, her eyes lit up instantly. But remembering Lanlan was still nearby, she coughed twice. “Lanlan, I want some freshly squeezed peach juice.”

In the dead of winter? Where on earth was she supposed to get peaches? Even in this household that could afford greenhouse produce, they didn’t stock every fruit year-round. Peaches happened to be one they rarely bought.

Lanlan glanced between her and An Zhiyuan, said nothing, and went downstairs to order peaches.

The moment she left, Xin Yan beckoned him over urgently. “Come here. I need you to handle something for me.”

Suspicious, An Zhiyuan stepped closer. This didn’t look like a good idea.

Still recovering, Xin Yan coughed a bit before forcing out, “I need you to go to the sanatorium.”

An Zhiyuan: “……”

His expression grew complicated.

Xin Yan didn’t notice. She lowered her voice. “Yesterday the sanatorium called saying there’d been some incident. I don’t think it’s right. When you get there, find the staff and ask about a woman named Lu Wanqiu—”

Her throat itched; she broke off to cough hard, then finally steadied herself and looked up—only to see his conflicted expression.

“What’s with that face?” she asked.

He didn’t want to say it. But Xin Yan had asked directly, and he was, at the end of the day, a man with a conscience. Painfully, he said, “President Xin… you can’t—at least, you shouldn’t. From yesterday until now, it’s been Bai Lanlan looking after you nonstop. How could you, at a time like this, still be thinking about—”

He trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to finish. Yes, he’d seen plenty of affairs and scandals in his line of work, but President Xin was different. She’d always kept herself above reproach. Even when she kept “stand-ins” around, they were more like decorative furniture than anything else. She’d never laid a hand on them. How could she… sink to this?

Xin Yan listened, baffled at first. Two beats later, realization dawned.

And then, she exploded.

“What do you take me for?!”

“The person I mentioned—she’s a villain! She means harm to both me and Lanlan! I asked you to check whether she’s involved in what happened last night!”

“In your eyes, am I really that depraved? If that’s the kind of boss you think I am, then go ahead—when the branch team comes later for the meeting, just leave with them!”

An Zhiyuan: “……”

Realizing his mistake, he flushed with embarrassment, not knowing how to respond—when Lanlan walked in, holding her phone.

“What’s going on? Why were you shouting just now?”

Xin Yan, still fuming, paused when she saw Lanlan, her tone softening. “Nothing. Assistant An was just suggesting we buy that abandoned chemical plant in the east of the city and turn it into a company kindergarten.”

She slapped the bed sharply. “And I told him, I could never do something so heartless! Only someone truly ruthless would pull that off! Isn’t that right, Assistant An?”

An Zhiyuan: “……”

Cold sweat broke down his back.

Lanlan studied the two of them briefly, then left without pressing further.

This time, An Zhiyuan listened to every one of Xin Yan’s instructions without a peep.

If Lanlan hadn’t confiscated her phone, Xin Yan wouldn’t have needed to summon him here at all. Watching him leave, she lay back under the blankets. She couldn’t sleep, but with no electronics to distract her, she idly counted the patterns on the sheets until drowsiness took her. To her own surprise, she actually fell asleep.

She thought An Zhiyuan had left. In truth, he had only made it to the ground floor, not yet past the short hallway, when Lanlan’s voice stopped him.

“Wait.”

He turned.

Lanlan sat at the kitchen island, a juicer beside her. On one side lay a pile of peach pits; on the other, a glass of freshly squeezed peach juice, tiny bubbles still fizzing at the surface.

For a moment, An Zhiyuan froze.

Then Lanlan smiled at him. “Don’t rush off. I’d like to have a word with you.”