Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 61

A week later, Bei Lanlan found the right investors.

The shareholding ratio among her, Liu Danxing, and another investor was 4:3:3. Liu Danxing didn’t contribute as much money—her stake was mostly in technical shares.

After investing the funds, Bei Lanlan was completely unburdened financially. Xin Yan, who hadn’t heard from her in a while, received a notification of the card transaction she had sent to Bei Lanlan. Seeing the message, Xin Yan couldn’t help but smile.

The young girl’s pride was always strong. Xin Yan realized she would need to be more mindful in the future—sometimes letting Lanlan pay the bill, sometimes asking for something from her, just enough to maintain balance.

Lanlan set the company’s official founding date after her thesis defense. At this stage, she was still a student, and she had barely slept for half a month while working on her graduation paper.

Before the official launch, she rented a venue for a small appreciation party. On the surface, it was to thank those who had helped her—but secretly, she wanted to announce that she now had her own company. It was a subtle way to make people remember her, so they would come to her when they needed something.

The party was scheduled for the evening of her defense. Xin Yan was even more nervous than Lanlan. She accompanied Lanlan to campus and, in the car, ran through the Q&A twice. Only when Lanlan answered perfectly did she watch her leave, still tapping her fingers lightly on the steering wheel.

Xin Yan knew it would take no more than an hour or two, but she couldn’t resist needing something to do. Taking out her phone, she called Xu Fei, who answered immediately.

“A-Yan, what’s up?”

Xin Yan nodded. “You’re probably not working today, right? Could you come sit with me at the bar for a while? I’m a little nervous.”

Xu Fei apologized, “I can’t. I have plans tonight—I need to accompany someone very important to a major event. I’m out buying a dress now. Why don’t you come help me pick it out? You have great taste, and it’ll distract you too.”

Xin Yan: “….”

She sighed. “I’m at the school; I can’t go too far.”

Xu Fei: “Ah, I see. Well, there’s nothing I can do. Oh, I know why you’re nervous. Your partner has her defense today, right? Hahaha, don’t worry, she’ll do fine.”

Xin Yan knew this logically. Lanlan was the top student in her year. Barring some strange decision from the teachers, she would pass. Yet Xin Yan still worried—what if there was an accident? Maybe Lanlan’s thesis went missing, or the teacher mistakenly marked her as failing.
…

It wasn’t really Xin Yan’s fault. The book said so: with Xu Suyu’s help, Lanlan had returned to campus, but she had little time to study. Between plotting for the original self and garnering support from others, she barely had time to learn.

Even when she did, standing among the youthful students on campus, she felt out of place.

During her final defense, she first realized she had brought the wrong thesis and then went to the wrong building. After finally finding the right place, faced with the teacher’s aggressive questioning, she remembered how the original self had been treated at home—with casual words that cut deeply, each remark diminishing her. The words were factual, and she couldn’t refute them.

Lanlan slammed the door and walked out. She failed the defense, but she didn’t want to return. She felt she had already “graduated” in her own way, obtaining a twisted version of a diploma in the original self’s home. Another one wouldn’t belong to her.

Xin Yan sat silently in the car. Before that morning, her anxiety had been normal—but now she realized it had been extreme. She worried Lanlan might recall old shadows from the book, or that nothing would happen now but might strike unexpectedly in the future.

This was the shadow left by the original self—haunting not just Lanlan but also Xin Yan, closely tied to her.

Lanlan came out quickly. In less than an hour, she returned and got in the car. Xin Yan immediately asked, “Did it go well?”

Lanlan smiled. “Of course it did. You should have faith in me. If I couldn’t pass a defense, I wouldn’t even bother with tonight’s party.”

Xin Yan smiled back. “That’s good to hear.”

Lanlan looked at her. The two of them were now inseparable, and Lanlan noticed Xin Yan seemed slightly different from usual. Concerned, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xin Yan was surprised. “Nothing, really. Okay, you’ve got work this afternoon. Shall we have lunch together first, then I’ll take you to the venue?”

Lanlan, distracted, nodded, then asked, “And you? Going back to the office?”

Xin Yan hummed. “No, I’ll dress up properly and help you stun everyone.”

Lanlan replied seriously, “Don’t overdo it—you might make me jealous.”

Xin Yan chuckled and started the car.

…

Although she said she’d stun everyone, Xin Yan actually kept a low profile. After all, today’s spotlight was on Lanlan, and an attention-grabbing outfit would steal it.

Upon seeing Xin Yan arrive, Lanlan immediately took her hand and led her to meet her partners.

The first partner was nearby. Lanlan introduced them: “This is Ran Yuezhui. Mr. Ran, Mr. Ran, this is my partner.”

Marriage or divorce wasn’t a suitable topic in front of outsiders. They had agreed to simply call each other “partner.”

Ran Yuezhui smiled, pretending not to know Xin Yan. “President Xin, finally we meet. I’ve been wanting to know you. I hear you’re seeking collaborators for a new project. My other company specializes in this area—perfect for you.”

Xin Yan raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then… maybe we can discuss it further later.”

An accompanying An Zhiyuan silently observed. This exchange was pre-rehearsed by Xin Yan and Ran Yuezhui. Sure enough, Lanlan didn’t suspect anything.

After parting with Ran Yuezhui, Lanlan took Xin Yan to see Prof. Liu. Xin Yan scanned everyone for someone who looked like a PhD.

The Professor wasn’t visible, but a familiar face was.

Xu Fei was enjoying dessert. Knowing she didn’t like nuts, Liu Danxing carefully removed them with a small fork. One bite, one adjustment—everything looked perfectly coordinated.

Until a sudden voice rang out.

“Xu Fei?!”

Xu Fei looked up, a little cream on her mouth. Seeing Xin Yan, she paused, then smiled with delight. “A-Yan! You’re here too? Wow, if even you were invited, this party feels even more luxurious.”

She asked Liu Danxing beside her, “I thought you said you didn’t ask your family for help?”

Out of the lab, Liu Danxing removed her glasses. Usually, removing glasses changes one’s aura—cold people seem gentle, gentle people seem cold. Not Liu Danxing. With or without glasses, she exuded the same arrogant vibe, always looking through people.

She glanced at Xin Yan, saw that she matched her online photos, and lost interest. “Right, I didn’t ask.”

“Then…”

She pointed at the confused Lanlan, then at Xin Yan. “She’s her legal partner.”

Lanlan: “…”

No need for formal terms when calling someone “wife.”

Xu Fei was stunned. She looked at the youngest Lanlan, then at Xin Yan, who was still scanning Liu Danxing.

After a moment, Xu Fei said, “I want to go chat over there.”

Xin Yan raised both hands in agreement. “You two go ahead, we’ll go first.”

Watching the two of them leave in a hurry, Bei Lanlan suddenly realized, “Ah, so your girlfriend is that host A-Yan always talks about—the one who’s a little slow and has a serious streak of self-punishment.”

Liu Danxing also glanced in the same direction. “Xu Fei did mention someone called A-Yan, but I didn’t think it was the same person. The Ayan she described despised work and was unbelievably lazy. I even told her more than once not to spend time with someone like that.”

The two were silent for a moment. Lanlan then asked, “You handle this side, I handle that?”

Liu Danxing: “Okay.”