Marrying My Ex-Wife's Mortal Enemy (GL) - Chapter 23.2

Meanwhile, Dou Huan was peeking at the gossip through Zhou Wei’s phone, reading the drama about herself with great interest. She found it particularly funny how these people clearly envied her looks yet still felt the need to dig up dirt, as if being pretty made her destined to become a mistress.

Zhou Wei was getting nervous. This scandal was fast becoming the hottest topic inside Jingtian, but Dou Huan didn’t seem the least bit interested in clearing her name.

“Huanhuan, what are you planning to do?” she asked.

“If it weren’t for this whole mess, I wouldn’t have come up with such a brilliant idea.” Dou Huan skimmed through the article again, her tone rising. “Some people aren’t just good at being mistresses—they’ve even nailed the righteous tone of a wife.”

She said this while looking straight at Liu Xinxing, who clearly knew she was being mocked. Their eyes met, and neither looked away—after all, they were both mistresses. One wasn’t any nobler than the other.

Liu Xinxing gave a cold snort just as Zhao Xi’s office door opened and he called out, “Dou Huan, come in.”

She let out a soft laugh.

Dou Huan didn’t answer, but she got up and headed for Zhao Xi’s office. She was dying to know what kind of disgusting trick this shameless couple was trying to pull now.

Zhao Xi was waiting at his desk. When she entered, he waved her over and patted his thigh as if offering a seat.

The gesture instantly disgusted Dou Huan. So this was what he called her in for—to humiliate her.

She stayed where she was. “If there’s nothing work-related, I’ll be heading out.”

“What’s this? Playing loyal mistress to your sugar daddy?” Zhao Xi sneered.

Ever since Liu Xinxing told him that Dou Huan was a kept woman, the illusion he had of her shattered. In his eyes, she was just like Liu Xinxing—someone you could throw money at for fun.

With enough cash, he figured there was nothing he couldn’t get.

“How much is he paying you?” he asked.

Dou Huan’s hand froze on the doorknob. Slowly, she turned to look at him. “Are you saying that the only reason I’m not interested in you is because you didn’t offer enough?”

“What else could it be?” Zhao Xi walked toward her, full of arrogance. “I’m handsome and rich, and I’m an artist. What woman doesn’t want a man like me?”

Dou Huan rolled her eyes. God knows who gave you that confidence.

“What kind of look is that?” he snapped.

“Oh, me?” Dou Huan suddenly softened, flashing a gentle, charming smile. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, Director Zhao.”

Her smile was so enchanting, it made Zhao Xi momentarily lose his mind. Without needing another word, he leaned in closer, putting his ear next to her lips.

“Go on, tell your big brother,” he said with a sleazy grin.

Dou Huan’s voice was sweet as honey. “You know what, Director Zhao? You’re just a piece of trash.”

For a split second, Zhao Xi thought she was complimenting him. Then the words sank in. His smile froze.

“You called me trash?”

With the same innocent tone, Dou Huan nodded. “Yup, I did. You’re trash.”

Then, taking advantage of his daze, she slammed her heel down on the top of his foot.

“Oh, oops,” she said innocently. “Didn’t mean to step on the garbage.”

She just so happened to be wearing stilettos today—the kind that made grown men scream. Zhao Xi howled in pain and lunged toward her, but she dodged with ease.

“Try that again and I’ll scream harassment,” Dou Huan warned, calm and steady. “You know what kind of reputation I have right now.”

To her, she had nothing left to lose. She was barefoot in a fight—he was the one wearing shoes.

Zhao Xi may have had affairs with coworkers, but even he wasn’t bold enough to assault someone in the office. Seeing her unbothered and clearly ready to drag him down with her, he clenched his jaw and spat, “Get out!”

“With pleasure,” Dou Huan said brightly. Just before leaving, she added, “If only one foot hurts, I can step on the other too—make the pain nice and symmetrical.”

Zhao Xi hurled a notebook at her. “Get out!”

Dou Huan dodged effortlessly and tsked twice. “So scary.”

And with that, she strolled out.

As soon as she stepped outside, everyone was staring at her. She smiled and said, “Don’t mind him. Director Zhao’s having one of his episodes again.”

The entire office exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what had just happened.

Only Liu Xinxing bit her lip and clutched her pen tighter. Useless. Zhao Xi couldn’t even handle Dou Huan.

“What did you do to Director Zhao?” Zhou Wei whispered.

She’d heard his furious yelling just now and was still trembling. But seeing Dou Huan walk out completely unfazed, she couldn’t help admiring her—and also really wanted to know how she’d made him so mad.

“Nothing much,” Dou Huan said, sipping her water. “Just stepped on his foot.”

“You, you, you…” Zhou Wei was speechless. “You kicked him last time, and now you stepped on him? What if he fires you?!”

“I doubt it. If he didn’t fire me after I kicked him, firing me now would be too easy on me.”

“But won’t he try to get back at you later?”

“So what?” Dou Huan said nonchalantly. “Worst case, I’ll quit. What’s he going to do, chain me to my desk? I’m not planning to leave yet anyway. These two scumbags keep messing with me—I’m not letting it slide anymore. Time to hit back properly, or they’ll keep thinking I’m an easy target.”

“What are you going to do?” Zhou Wei asked nervously, afraid she’d do something rash. “Forget revenge for now—shouldn’t we focus on clearing your name first?”

Just then, Dou Huan received a message from Dou Changqing: he’d already gathered evidence of Zhao Xi’s affair and asked what she wanted him to do with it.

“So fast?” she murmured, surprised.

Dou Huan found it strange. She had only just mentioned the matter to Dou Changqing yesterday. No matter how resourceful he was, there was no way he could’ve found solid evidence this quickly.

Then came a long voice message from Dou Changqing. She put in her earphones and listened.

“I was surprised too,” he said. “I had just sent someone to gather the evidence, but apparently someone else who also had a grudge against Zhao Xi got there first. They sent everything they had collected straight to us. We’ve had the photos verified—they’re real. The proof of asset transfers has been confirmed too. It’s legit.”

So it all fell into their laps without lifting a finger?

Dou Huan already had a plan in mind. She asked Dou Changqing to help her with two things.
Then she went to Jing Yu’s office for assistance. After laying out her idea, Jing Yu thought it over and found it feasible.

“But why should I help you?” Jing Yu asked casually, lounging in her chair as she watched Dou Huan.

She had to admit—Dou Huan was different from before. More mature, more composed. She was curious to see how she’d respond.

“You’re telling me you’re not tempted by the chef team from He Ding Hotel cooking lunch for your entire staff?”

“The staff will love it, sure. But what’s in it for me?”

Dou Huan leaned in, resting a delicate hand on her shoulder, and asked with a sly, mocking smile, “What if I offered myself to you as thanks?”

Jing Yu looked up, a lazy smile curling at her lips. “Deal.”

They were standing close, their eyes locked in a moment of ambiguous tension.

Dou Huan hadn’t expected Jing Yu to go along with the joke. She blinked, then gave her shoulder a light slap. “Okay, okay, I’m serious now. What do you want in return?”

Jing Yu dropped the flirtation and casually tossed out a condition. “My mom’s favorite jade bracelet broke. You’re a designer, right? See if you can come up with a new design that incorporates the broken pieces.”

Dou Huan had redesigned broken jade before—it wasn’t hard for her. “Done!”

“After work, come home with me to pick it up.”

“Sure,” Dou Huan nodded.

******

Three days later, once the buzz around the email incident had started to fade, Dou Changqing arrived at the company cafeteria with the chef team from He Ding Hotel and a truckload of fresh ingredients.

An internal notice had gone out the day before: chefs from He Ding would be cooking lunch for everyone. All staff were required to eat in the cafeteria to welcome them.

The moment the news dropped, the office went wild with excitement. Everyone was counting down to noon, eager for a taste of gourmet cuisine.

Some couldn’t help sneaking into the cafeteria to get a peek at the menu and came back with pictures of spicy prawns and rainbow-glazed ribs. Mouths started watering instantly.

Zhou Wei was among the excited ones, showing Dou Huan the pictures while practically drooling.
“Looks amazing, right?”

Dou Huan played along with wide eyes. “Wow, that looks so good.”

Of course the food from He Ding Hotel (the hotel was owned by Dou Huan’s parents) was top-notch.

Just before noon, Dou Changqing messaged her—he had brought Zhao Xi’s wife to the building.

Dou Huan tapped her fingers lightly on the table, a hint of anticipation stirring in her chest.

At exactly twelve, the company emptied out like it was high school lunch break, everyone rushing to the cafeteria. The energy was electric.

Because of the crowd, each department had assigned tables. Once seated, everyone waited for the food to be served.

When the dishes arrived, phones came out. People snapped away at the picture-perfect spreads.

Just then, Jing Yu entered the cafeteria with Dou Changqing and a few senior executives. The room fell silent at once.

“We’re honored to have He Ding Hotel’s chefs here today to prepare this incredible meal,” Jing Yu announced. “Let’s first thank the man beside me—Chairman of He Ding Hotel, Mr. Dou Changqing!”

The applause was thunderous.

Dou Changqing took the mic with a warm smile. “My wife has always loved Jingtian’s jewelry, and now my daughter works here too. It’s fate. Since our hotel wanted to do a demonstration with a corporate cafeteria, Jingtian was the natural choice. If you enjoy He Ding’s food, you’re always welcome to visit—Jingtian employees get 10% off.”

Then he turned to Jing Yu and asked, “President Jing, which table is the design department at?”

Even though she already knew, Jing Yu still made a show of asking Jiang Shan. At that moment, Dou Huan stood up and waved, calling out cheerfully, “Dad! I’m over here!”

The cafeteria erupted.

Everyone turned to look. Some stared at Dou Changqing, a few pulling out old photos from the group chat.

“Isn’t this the guy from that picture?”

“Dou Huan is his daughter?!”

“So the whole mistress rumor was fake?!”

“Holy crap, who the hell made that story up?!”

Liu Xinxing—yes, that Liu Xinxing—sat there in shock, watching Dou Huan walk over to Dou Changqing, smiling and chatting like family. She swallowed hard.

Then she looked at Zhao Xi. His face had gone completely pale.

The person Dou Changqing had tasked with bringing Zhao Xi’s wife in pointed Liu Xinxing out quietly. “The one in the red dress at table 9. That’s Liu Xinxing.”

Yang Qingqing checked the photo, nodded, and marched straight over to table 9—just in time to see Liu Xinxing exchanging glances with Zhao Xi.

Afraid she’d run, Yang Qingqing sped up, stormed over, grabbed her by the dress, and without hesitation slapped her hard—once on each cheek.

“You filthy homewrecker!”

The cafeteria had barely recovered from the father-daughter bombshell when another drama unfolded. Everyone turned.

“Come take a good look!” Yang Qingqing shouted, dragging Liu Xinxing forward. “This woman seduced my husband, then had the audacity to call and humiliate me. I’m here today to expose you for what you are!”

She then dumped a stack of photos from her bag—intimate shots of Zhao Xi and Liu Xinxing.

Seeing the photos, Liu Xinxing lost it. She dropped to the floor to grab them, but Yang Qingqing yanked her up by the hair and wouldn’t let her.

“You’re insane! I don’t even know you!”

Liu Xinxing looked a mess, clinging to Zhao Xi with a desperate, pleading expression.

But Zhao Xi was done. Embarrassed beyond measure, he didn’t even want to acknowledge either woman. He stood up and went straight  to the door.

“Zhao Xi, where the hell are you going?!”

That shout from Yang Qingqing made everything click for the onlookers: she was Zhao Xi’s wife. Liu Xinxing, the mistress.

Zhao Xi stopped, covering his face before turning around to pull Yang Qingqing aside. “Let’s talk outside.”

“Outside?”

She slapped his hand away. “Still trying to lie your way out? You’ve been planning this for ages—transferring assets behind my back while playing the good husband. You think I’m some gullible fool? Think again!”

“You like this b1tch so much?” She pointed at Liu Xinxing. “Wasn’t she worth divorcing me for? What, too ashamed to defend her now?”

“Come with me!”

Zhao Xi grabbed her again, and despite her resistance, he dragged her outside as they bickered the whole way.

That left Liu Xinxing standing alone, disheveled and humiliated. She clutched her face, eyes brimming with tears, and fled the cafeteria.

It had all happened so fast; people were still stunned silent. Only when things calmed down did they remember lunch.

With gossip as seasoning, the meal somehow tasted even better.

Jing Yu asked Dou Huan, “So? Happy with how it all played out?”

Dou Huan raised an eyebrow. “Not bad.”

“Then don’t forget your end of the deal,” Jing Yu reminded her. “Bring me the design once it’s done.”

“I’ve already finished the sketch. I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.”

While Jing Yu stayed to eat with Dou Changqing, Dou Huan returned to the design room. The colleagues who had been whispering about the drama now looked sheepish.

Noticing their glances, Dou Huan smiled. “What, the food’s not good?”

“It’s delicious.”

“Then let’s forget all the past misunderstandings and just enjoy the meal.”

The chatter picked back up, and soon they were gossiping again. Zhou Wei leaned over and whispered, “Was all this your doing?”

Dou Huan just smiled. “Tell me, did those two slaps feel satisfying? ”

“Hell yes!”

Zhou Wei didn’t expect Dou Huan to remember her grievance and felt unexpectedly touched.

“But,” she added, “I heard Yang Qingqing already knew about the affair a while ago. Why wait till now?”

“She did know,” Dou Huan nodded. “But she had no proof. I just helped her get it—and found her a lawyer too.”

Zhou Wei gave her a big thumbs-up. “Nice.”

After that scandalous cafeteria showdown, Liu Xinxing quit the very next day. Before she left, she cornered Dou Huan.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

“If you think the security guards let Yang Qingqing in too easily,” Dou Huan said calmly, “maybe ask them.”

“You’ve ruined my life,” Liu Xinxing spat. “Are you happy now?”

Dou Huan looked at her coldly. “You seemed pretty happy spreading rumors that I was some homewrecking mistress, didn’t you?”

“You—!”

Liu Xinxing raised her hand to slap her, but Dou Huan caught her wrist and shoved her back.

“You were the one who started all this. You chose to be the mistress. Yang Qingqing was the one who hit you. And now you’re blaming me? Come on, Liu Xinxing. You did this to yourself.”

“I’m not done with you!” Liu Xinxing shrieked, throwing her stuff at Dou Huan’s feet. “Just wait!”