Oops, I’m the Scumbag Ex in Her Storyline - Chapter 8

She stood still, her voice devoid of emotion. “You wouldn’t let me play.”

The original story never mentioned whether Bei Lanlan could play the piano, nor did the former self’s memories include anything about it. But after hearing her response, Xin Yan vaguely remembered something.

It might’ve been during the first year of their marriage—or maybe the second. Bei Lanlan had sat at the piano bench so long her legs went numb. Staring at the black and white keys, she wasn’t sure what possessed her. On impulse, she lifted her hand and pressed a single note.

Even though she had only touched it lightly, the sound it produced was thunderous. It shattered the former self’s self-deception in an instant. Enraged, she had ordered Bei Lanlan never to touch the piano again.

The room fell into silence. The butler hid behind a tall potted plant, pretending not to exist. Bei Lanlan said nothing, and Xin Yan, her hand still resting on the piano, tapped the glossy black lid with rhythmic fingers.

“So that means… you can play.”

Her bright, casual tone cut through the stiff atmosphere. She bent down and adjusted the piano bench. “Come on, give it a try.”

The butler covered his face.

Empathy? That’s not a skill Xin Yan has ever possessed.

He could easily imagine how Bei Lanlan felt right now. This is what she meant when she said she’d never hurt her again? At least pretend you care, Xin!

Xin Yan’s lips curved slightly. After prompting her twice, Bei Lanlan finally moved, her expression growing increasingly cold. The moment she sat on the soft piano bench, a dangerous urge flared in her.

She wanted to lift the entire piano and smash it into Xin Yan’s face—until it was bloodied and unrecognizable, until she never smiled again.

The violence of the thought didn’t show on her face. Even her fingers didn’t miss a note.

She chose something simple—Für Elise. It had been years since she played, but this piece was one of the first she learned as a child. Like many mothers, hers had hoped to give her daughter a special skill, even though they weren’t well-off. Bei Lanlan had studied piano for six or seven years, passed all the necessary exams, then never touched an instrument again.

Back then, she simply found the piano dull. Now, she found it hateful.

If she could, she’d erase every piano in the world.

To a trained ear, it was clear her tempo was off—far too fast. Her playing brimmed with rage. But Xin Yan wasn’t a professional. She stood to the side, quietly listening. When the piece ended, she drew out a thoughtful “Hmm…”

Bei Lanlan kept her eyes lowered, waiting for her verdict.

Xin Yan said, “It’s… kind of nice.”

Bei Lanlan looked up, surprised.

Xin Yan smiled. “Just my personal opinion. I don’t know anything about music, couldn’t break it down for you—but it sounded pleasant.”

Bei Lanlan asked, “Compared to Jing Chu?”

Xin Yan hadn’t expected her to bring up Jing Chu. She paused before replying, “Uh… I’m not sure. Honestly, all piano pieces sound the same to me. But Jing Chu is a world-class pianist, so I’d guess she’s a little better…?”

A little? The difference was astronomical. They weren’t even in the same league.

Oddly, Bei Lanlan’s expression softened a bit.

It wasn’t about what Xin Yan said—it was that she said it. She didn’t dodge Jing Chu’s name. And maybe it was just her imagination, but to Bei Lanlan, the way Xin Yan spoke of Jing Chu was no different than how she might talk about a random traffic cop at an intersection.

Detached. Indifferent. As if she were talking about someone utterly unimportant.

Just as she lowered her hands and prepared to stand, Xin Yan suddenly dragged a chair over and sat beside her.

With a curious look, she asked, “I never really got to know you. Do you have any hobbies?”

Bei Lanlan gave her a strange look, then shook her head. “No.”

“Things you’re interested in?”

“Also no.”

Xin Yan frowned. “Then what do you do in your room all day?”

After her emotional shift, Bei Lanlan had spent most of her time secretly connecting with others. But before that? Xin Yan genuinely had no clue.

Faced with Xin Yan’s eager curiosity, Bei Lanlan shifted slightly away, lowered her gaze, and thought for a moment. Then she answered seriously, “Nothing.”

Xin Yan was stunned.

Everyone has something they want to do. Even without dreams or a job, a person should still live, somehow.

She stared at Bei Lanlan, feeling more troubled than ever.

Bei Lanlan was unlike any girl she’d helped before. For one, she was already 23—an adult. And their relationship was far too complicated for Xin Yan to treat her like just another stranger.

But most frustrating of all was Bei Lanlan’s glaring psychological flaw.

She had molded herself into an extension of the former self—obeying every command, avoiding anything forbidden. Even as her resentment grew, she had only ever internalized it, swallowing the bitterness in silence.

Xin Yan had asked her to play the piano partly to dredge up the old wounds between them—to turn a taboo topic into casual conversation—and partly to see if she would resist.

She had resisted the night before, even threatened her. Xin Yan had hoped maybe she’d discovered the power of saying no.

But clearly, she was hoping for too much.

Fine. If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.

With a sigh, Xin Yan looked up at her and said gently, “As it happens, I’m short one assistant. If I remember right, seniors don’t have many classes. When you’re free, come work at my company. Professor Xu says you’re a real talent—I want to see for myself.”

They’d known each other for nearly twenty-four hours, and for the first time, Xin Yan saw an expression on Bei Lanlan’s face that wasn’t cold or angry.

Bei Lanlan’s eyes widened. She pointed to herself. “You want me to work at your company?”

Xin Yan nodded. “Yeah.”

“You want me to work there?”

“Exactly.”

“For real work?”

Xin Yan: “…”

She gave an exasperated smile. “Yes, for real work. What, you think I’d drag you in as a company mascot? Our work environment’s intense—we need to maintain pressure. If I bring someone as pretty as you in just to stand around, no one will get anything done. I don’t run loss-making businesses.”

Bei Lanlan looked a little dazed. Xin Yan’s tone was so offhand, so casual—it felt like she really meant it. People had complimented her looks before, but coming from Xin Yan, it left her unexpectedly flustered.

She was, after all, still a girl who had never truly stepped into the real world. Seeing her slightly self-conscious reaction, Xin Yan smiled faintly and walked away.

Bei Lanlan remained lost in thought, still processing the idea of “work,” and the butler had long since vanished—so no one heard Xin Yan’s quiet mutter as she turned the corner:
“Someone’s gotta help me sort through all those damn files…”