Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 10

The next day—Bei Lanlan’s first official day stepping into the workplace—the weather was spectacularly awful: the sky blanketed in heavy clouds, thunder rumbling nonstop, and an ongoing orange-level rainstorm warning flashing persistently.
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When Xin Yan came downstairs, Lanlan had already finished breakfast. She had changed out of last night’s dress and opted for something more formal today—at least this one had sleeves.

Well… kind of. It was still off-shoulder.

It was autumn already, and even on a good day, the temperature barely reached 25°C. With today’s oppressive, stormy sky, Xin Yan looked at her and asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

Given that Xin Yan was about to take her to the company, Lanlan replied politely, “Not really.”

Xin Yan stared at her for a moment, unsure if she was telling the truth. She wanted to tell her to go change—ideally into something with thermal leggings—but Lanlan’s wardrobe was nearly identical to Jing Chu’s.

This outfit had probably taken her over an hour to find.

Without saying anything more, Xin Yan went to eat. Ten minutes later, it started raining. Twenty minutes later, the two of them left the house together.

Someone stood outside with an umbrella. Just as Lanlan was about to step out, a pair of warm hands gently rested on her shoulders for a brief second—then quickly pulled away.

She turned around, dazed, and found a white women’s coat now draped over her shoulders.

When Xin Yan wore this coat, it accentuated her graceful figure perfectly. On Lanlan, however, it made her seem even more petite, even though she was 167 cm tall—not short by any standard.

Maybe it was because the coat was so clearly someone else’s style. It felt like a mark of ownership, a quiet declaration from Xin Yan: She’s mine. I protect her.

The coat was a little cool at first—but soon, that coolness warmed, then turned to comfort.

Xin Yan didn’t head back upstairs for another coat. She didn’t need one. After all, they were heading straight from the house to the car, and from the car directly into the office. She already had layers on: a deep red silk blouse, a lace camisole underneath, and though it looked like her legs were bare, she was wearing ultra-warm nude tights.

Start early to protect your knees from the cold, as the saying goes.

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Once inside the car, Xin Yan immediately snapped into her usual work mode—nervous, focused, and slightly anxious. To her, going to the office felt like sitting for a major exam. She couldn’t waste even a second and pulled out documents to review on the way.

Lanlan sat quietly beside her. The car glided smoothly down the road, and at that moment, it finally hit her:

Xin Yan was really taking her to the office.

From last night until this morning, she’d been half-expecting Xin Yan to back out—just like she had many times before. Warm one moment, cold the next, completely unpredictable.

As Xin Yan had once said: Everyone has something they want to do. Lanlan never talked about her dreams, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have them. Before meeting Xin Yan, she had a rather simple and typical goal:
To join a big company, gain experience, build her skills, and maybe in her thirties—or forties—launch a brand or business of her own.

After meeting Xin Yan, she’d considered leveraging that relationship to realize her dream. But soon, she realized: while there might be a one-in-ten-thousand chance that Xin Yan would let her into her home, letting her into her company?

That chance was one-in-ten-thousandth of that one-in-ten-thousand.

To Xin Yan, the company—especially her office—was the most private, off-limits space in her world. Even Jing Chu had never stepped foot in it.

Raindrops traced lines down the car window like falling stars within reach. Xin Yan was still beside her, quietly flipping through documents. As the rain poured outside and the pages rustled beside her, Lanlan suddenly felt a wave of unease.

She touched the hem of the white coat on her body—and the feeling intensified.

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The storm had engulfed the whole city. The rain near the company was even heavier than at home. Traffic was bad, and many people were running late. Xin Yan noticed this immediately—there were twice as many people entering the building with her today as there were yesterday.

Everyone on her staff made above-average salaries—even the janitorial staff made at least ¥6,000 per month. A high salary usually meant a polished appearance. But today, these polished “little screws” came in soaked to the bone, stunned into silence as Xin Yan walked through the front doors.

Or more accurately—they were all staring at Lanlan beside her.

Xin Yan ignored them, just like always. Lanlan didn’t like attention, so she ignored them too. She followed Xin Yan to the elevators. No one dared stand within three meters of Xin Yan, so it was just the two of them waiting.

Meanwhile, unseen by them, a wild flurry of internal dialogue buzzed through the crowd like telepathic static.

“Jing Chu?!”

“Nononono, Jing Chu’s still in Canberra! Who is this?! She looks so much like her!”

“Could it be Jing Chu’s sister? Maybe President Xin gave up on the older sister and is now chasing the younger one?”

“Wait—what makes you think they’re that kind of relationship? They look totally normal to me.”

“Are you blind? Didn’t you see President Xin’s coat on that little seductress? That coat matches her dress, okay?! Damn it, there’s always someone trying to steal my Xin!”

“Mind your language please. Telepathy is not a lawless place.”

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The elevator finally arrived. Xin Yan and Lanlan stepped in together. As the doors closed, Xin Yan looked back at the silent crowd and frowned.

What are they doing? Standing around, staring? Get back to work already.

At the top floor, An Zhiyuan was already waiting. As a seasoned executive assistant, he had his own “eyes” in the building. Hearing reports was one thing—but seeing it with his own eyes?

The moment he laid eyes on Lanlan, An Zhiyuan’s pupils practically quaked with shock—his metal-rimmed glasses almost flew off his face.

It was true. President Xin had really brought the little vixen—er, Lanlan—into the company.

The office air conditioning was already on. Xin Yan turned and casually removed the coat from Lanlan’s shoulders, handing it to An Zhiyuan with practiced ease.

“Hang this up,” she said.

An Zhiyuan: “…”

I’m not your lifestyle assistant, President Xin.

But she wasn’t done. Still holding onto some internal resentment, she vented by giving him more tasks: “This is Lanlan. I’ve arranged a position for her as an assistant. Go through what’s on your desk and assign some tasks to her. She hasn’t done this kind of work before, so guide her along. As for her workspace…”

She looked around. Honestly, she wasn’t comfortable placing Lanlan anywhere else. Finally, she pointed toward her own office.

“Add a desk and chair inside. Don’t use anything new—too much formaldehyde. Hmm… your set is fine. Give yours to Lanlan, and go pick something from the storage room for yourself. Anything is fine—new or old.”

An Zhiyuan: “……”