Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 51
In the bar, Xin Yan and Xu Fei were chatting animatedly, while in the lab, Bei Lanlan and Liu Danxing spoke one halting word at a time.
Liu Danxing: “Mm?”
Just a nasal hum, yet Bei Lanlan somehow understood. She put down what was in her hands, fetched an unopened box with foreign words printed across it, and placed it beside Liu Danxing. She was about to leave when Liu clicked her tongue.
“Open it.”
Bei Lanlan: “…”
If not for the fact that Liu Danxing’s brain was utterly irreplaceable…
Suppressing her irritation, she exhaled slowly and began opening the box, swallowing her indignation.
Back when she was just Liu Danxing’s assistant, she could accept being ordered around. But now they were supposed to be partners. Liu Danxing still acted high and mighty, bossing her as if nothing had changed. Without her, Liu’s research would be gathering dust in some corner, instead of bringing in such enormous profits.
Everyone knew Liu Danxing was restrained by her family. Left to herself, not only would she fail to get the money she deserved, she’d be controlled by the clan’s powerholders—who might even fight over who got ownership of her.
If it was anyone else, they’d at least show some respect, treat her as an equal. But Liu Danxing? She treated her like a serf in her own household.
Bei Lanlan had always been the sly, passive-aggressive type. She wouldn’t confront Liu Danxing directly, but would quietly reach out to Xu Suyu, testing whether Xu had the ability to match Liu Danxing in the lab.
Had Xu Suyu not said her research didn’t overlap with hers, Bei Lanlan might really have kicked Liu Danxing aside and gone independent by now…
Liu Danxing had no idea how unreliable Bei Lanlan could be, already entertaining thoughts of betrayal. But since their collaboration had such bright prospects, Liu decided it was time to close the distance between them a little.
Of course, she’d still keep ordering her around—but on top of that, she could also… be “nicer.”
And in Liu Danxing’s mind, being nicer simply meant talking to Bei Lanlan a little more.
Once she decided, she acted. In the quiet lab, Liu suddenly spoke:
“Yesterday, I went to pick up my girlfriend.”
Bei Lanlan, busy opening the box, froze. What did unboxing equipment have to do with girlfriends? After a few seconds’ thought, she gave a safe, noncommittal reply:
“Good for you.”
Liu Danxing, oblivious to the perfunctory tone, continued with rare sentimentality:
“She was really happy. She didn’t say it outright, but I could tell. She looked at me more often than usual, stuck close to me, and when we ate, she kept giving me the dishes I liked.”
Liu touched her chin, looking genuinely surprised.
“Who knew? Just picking her up made her that happy. I used to only buy her things, but it turns out spending time is more useful than spending money.”
Bei Lanlan stared at her speechlessly. How could a person like this even have a girlfriend?
“Maybe it’s because you never spent time with her before, so now it feels special. Once she gets used to it, time won’t matter either,” Bei Lanlan muttered.
She glanced at Liu, waiting to see if that would dampen her spirits.
Liu Danxing propped her chin on her hand. “You might be right.”
Then, with unusual honesty:
“In the end, I really haven’t spent enough time with her.”
Bei Lanlan blinked, surprised. Out of habit, she offered comfort:
“Then just spend more time with her from now on.”
But Liu Danxing shook her head. Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop.
“I want to be with her every day. But my surname is Liu.”
“My father’s a nonentity in our family—nobody respects him. Naturally, nobody respects me either. Outsiders act friendly, but that’s only because they haven’t met my uncles and aunts. Once they do, they change sides immediately, even joining in to belittle us.”
“So I have to find a way out. Best would be to cut ties with my family entirely. If not, then at least I need to support our little home on my own and give her a decent life,” Liu Danxing stated.
After listening for a while, Bei Lanlan asked quietly:
“Have you considered that maybe… your girlfriend doesn’t care about having a ‘decent life’?”
After all, she was so delighted just because Liu Danxing had picked her up—it didn’t seem like she was someone obsessed with comfort.
Liu Danxing raised her eyelids, giving her a glance.
“Being with me means she has to care.”
Bei Lanlan: “…”
Fortunately, Liu Danxing explained further, or else Bei Lanlan would have thought her arrogance had reached new heights.
“As long as I’m alive—even if I change my name, even if I leave the family—people connected to the Lius will still come for me. They’ll mock me, tempt me, push me to go back for money, to do what they want. I can handle it. But once she’s with me, she’ll have to face it too. One or two years, she might not mind. But ten, twenty, thirty? Human nature doesn’t withstand that kind of test. Maybe someday, she’ll be swayed. She’d never exploit me like the others—she’s a good person—but she might resent me. Worse, she might leave me,” Liu Danxing explained.
Bei Lanlan was stunned.
“You actually think this far ahead?”
Liu Danxing: “…”
A dark line appeared on Liu Danxing’s forehead.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Do I look that shortsighted to you?!”
Bei Lanlan tactfully skipped over it.
“But… aren’t you afraid she’ll grow tired of you being so busy all the time?”
Liu Danxing smirked proudly.
“Of course I thought of that. Luckily, when I’m busy, she’s usually not. There’s always time to squeeze in. If I can’t go to her, I have her come to me—late-night snacks, a short walk, even five minutes together is better than not seeing each other all day. Sometimes she gets annoyed, gives me a cold face. But I’d rather see her annoyed than have her sit at home alone, overthinking.”
Bei Lanlan was genuinely shocked.
First, that Liu Danxing had this much foresight. Second, that even with her girlfriend, she was still this domineering. Oddly enough, it brought Bei Lanlan a subtle sense of balance.
Seeing her dazed, Liu Danxing frowned.
“Are you even listening?”
Bei Lanlan returned to herself.
“I heard. Your relationship… seems solid.”
If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t survive all this torment.
Liu Danxing kept the latter thought to herself. Liu Danxing, oblivious, wasn’t offended. She even returned the favor with a backhanded compliment:
“You and Xin Yan don’t have these problems. You’re married, work at the same company, spend twenty-four hours together, and you still haven’t divorced. That proves your bond is really strong.”
Even her compliments could make a vein throb on someone’s forehead…
Bei Lanlan shot her a look, then lowered her head.
“Sometimes being together too much can also be a problem.”
Liu Danxing tilted her head. “What kind of problem?”
But Bei Lanlan didn’t answer.
Because she didn’t know herself.
Everyone thought she and Xin Yan were inseparable. They never quarreled, always appeared close. Maybe even they believed it themselves. But even with such closeness, something essential was still missing.
Bei Lanlan wondered if it was because they saw each other too often. Both had grown too accustomed to the routine. Even someone as impatient as she was could wait endlessly for the fragile barrier between them to finally break. And Xin Yan—she simply curled deeper into her comfort zone, numbing herself with calm repetition, wearing down Bei Lanlan’s patience.
Until one day, when that patience finally ran out, Bei Lanlan would lose control, and Xin Yan would have no choice but to face it.
This wasn’t just paranoia—Xin Yan had a history of this. And thinking about it left Bei Lanlan feeling weary and hopeless.
A relationship couldn’t always rely on one person making all the moves. Even Liu Danxing’s girlfriend, despite Liu’s overbearing nature, would still throw a tantrum now and then, still express dissatisfaction—because she cared. She cared how Liu treated her.
But Xin Yan…
Xin Yan…
Even in her own mind, Lanlan found it hard to admit.
When it came to closing the distance between them, Xin Yan had never taken the initiative. The only thing she’d ever done—was push her away.
________________________________________
Usually, Xin Yan waited in the car while Lanlan came out. Today, it was Lanlan standing by the roadside, waiting for Xin Yan.
Xin Yan was late. She offered no explanation. Lanlan, in low spirits, asked nothing either.
She silently opened the car door, got in, and fastened her own seatbelt without waiting for Xin Yan. The hand Xin had half-extended withdrew awkwardly. She studied Lanlan’s face for a while, sensing her gloom, and finally asked nervously:
“What’s wrong? Something at school?”
Lanlan lifted her head, looked at her.
“No.”
Hearing how stiff it sounded, she instinctively added,
“I’m just a little tired.”
Xin Yan accepted it without doubt. But Lanlan turned her head to the window, quietly disgusted with herself.
At first, she only wanted to trick Xin Yan, to keep her dependent. But now, the lies had turned sincere, and she was the one who couldn’t let go.
Leaning against the seat, eyes fixed on the window, she stayed silent. Xin Yan, driving, kept sneaking glances at her. She wanted to say something, but seeing Lanlan’s dispirited expression, she didn’t know how to begin.
Her hands shifted uneasily on the steering wheel.
Xu Fei’s words replayed in her head:
“Fine, fine—then give me one example, just one, in all of history, of someone spoiling an unrelated, full-grown woman this much. Don’t tell me it’s out of humanitarian concern—she’s an adult, she can do whatever she wants. What’s it to you?”
“Think about it. Would you treat anyone else this way? Forget others, take me for example—I’m pretty fragile too. Would you extend this ‘humanitarian concern’ to me?”
“So seriously, wake up. Keep this up, and one day you’ll really turn into a fool taken advantage of.”
The more she replayed the words, the more uneasy Xin Yan became. She stole another glance at Lanlan—only to find Lanlan had turned her head, gazing at her with a faint look, her voice colder than usual.
“You keep staring at me. Is there something you want to say?”
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