Marrying My Ex-Wife's Mortal Enemy (GL) - Chapter 24

“Let her wait then. What else can Liu Xinxing do besides running her mouth these days?”

Dou Huan wasn’t the least bit afraid of her.

The one she did find outrageous was Zhao Xi. It had already been a week since his cheating scandal broke, and he still had the audacity to keep showing up for work like nothing happened.

According to Jing Yu, Zhao Xi was trying to smooth things over and stay at Jingtian.

To be fair, the whole cheating fiasco didn’t really cause him any actual damage. He held a high position and had looks and money—people would just brush it off as a “mistake any man might make.”

Just look at celebrities. When a female star cheats, she gets blacklisted immediately. But when it’s a male star, he just lays low for a while, then makes a comeback like nothing happened.

Cheating is wrong no matter who does it, but let’s face it—the world is much more forgiving toward men.

What Dou Huan didn’t expect was for Jing Yu to actually keep Zhao Xi in the company.

Even Jiang Shan had asked Jing Yu why she hadn’t fired him yet.

Zhao Xi was definitely going to be fired—but not now, and certainly not over this scandal.

If they fired him for cheating, he’d blame it all on Dou Huan and a man who’s fallen from grace like that? Who knows what kind of desperate or reckless things he might do?

Jing Yu didn’t explain all this to anyone. She simply said, “Let the one who’s anxious come to me.”

Jiang Shan more or less got the message.

Sure enough, a couple of days later, Dou Huan stormed into the office.

“Miss Dou,”

Jiang Shan saw how furious she looked and quickly approached her. “Is there something you need from President Jing?”

“This doesn’t concern you, Assistant Jiang,” Dou Huan said as she pushed the door open. She saw Jing Yu at her desk, deep in work, but she didn’t care. She walked straight up and slammed her palm on the table. “Why the hell are you still keeping trash like Zhao Xi around?”

Jing Yu glanced over at Jiang Shan, who quickly got the hint and slipped out of the room.

Only then did Jing Yu look down at Dou Huan’s hand. “Did that hurt?”

Dou Huan frowned. “What?”

“I mean, you slapped the desk pretty hard. Doesn’t your hand hurt?”

Jing Yu looked up at her, expression unreadable.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Dou Huan said coldly, straightening up and staring down at her. “Just answer me this—are you planning to fire Zhao Xi or not?”

“That depends on you, Miss Dou.”

Jing Yu leaned back in her chair, looking relaxed and completely at ease.

Dou Huan had dealt with her long enough to know what that look meant—she wanted to make a deal. She raised a brow. “What do you want?”

“You really are a smart one,” Jing Yu stood up, meeting her gaze directly. “I promised my mom I’d bring home a woman I could marry by the end of the year.”

What does that have to do with me? Dou Huan thought, utterly confused. She frowned. “And?”

Jing Yu looked straight into her eyes, stepping in closer as she cut to the chase. “I think you’d be perfect for the role, Miss Dou.”

Out of all the possible scenarios Dou Huan had imagined, this was not one of them. Her lashes fluttered. “Wait… what?”

She took a step back, out of Jing Yu’s space, and finally grasped what she was getting at. Her voice shot up in disbelief. “You want to bring me home to your parents—as your girlfriend?! ”

Jing Yu sat back down in her chair, unbothered. She corrected casually, “More accurately, as my fiancée.”

Dou Huan could tell this was just some stunt to appease Jing Yu’s parents. But why her of all people?

Sure, she was young, attractive, and came from a decent family—a good match on paper. But she had been married before!

With someone like Jing Yu, she could have her pick of any woman. Why her?

No matter how Dou Huan thought about it, it didn’t make sense. Something felt off—like Jing Yu was just playing a game at her expense.

“Why me?” she asked directly. “I’ve been divorced. Your parents know that. Even if they don’t say anything out of respect for my family, you think they won’t care deep down? And you—you’re the president of Jingtian. You really want a divorced woman as your fiancée? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?”

“You sure think a lot on my behalf,” Jing Yu said with a chuckle. She stood and motioned for them to move to the sofa. As they walked over, she added, “The reason I picked you, of course, is because…”

She deliberately paused to pique Dou Huan’s curiosity. Seeing the look on her face, Jing Yu smiled, leaned in closer, and said playfully, “Because I like you.”

“Pfft. Do I look like I’d buy that?”

Dou Huan rolled her eyes.

Jing Yu wasn’t offended at all. She shrugged lazily. “Well, let’s say it’s because you need something from me, and I’m taking advantage of that. I’m offering to fire Zhao Xi in exchange for you playing along.”

She made it sound so serious that Dou Huan couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, you really think this through, huh? But tell me, President Jing—what makes you think I’d agree? It’s not like I can’t find another job. Worst case, I’ll just quit.”

“I never said you’d agree,” Jing Yu replied calmly. “But it doesn’t hurt to try. If it works, great. If not, no loss.”

“Didn’t know you studied from Jiang Taigong himself,” Dou Huan quipped. “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not biting.”

“So you’re planning to quit?”

“What else?” Dou Huan said, sarcasm in her voice. “You know, faking a fiancée is a convenient fix, but I’m not allowed to find myself a better place to breathe?”

Jing Yu nodded. “Fair enough.”

As Dou Huan turned to leave, Jing Yu added, “Still, I’ve had it with Zhao Xi for a while now. Even if it weren’t for you, I’d make sure he’s out. So, no need to switch jobs just to get some air—just give it a little more time.”

What Dou Huan didn’t expect was for Jing Yu to suddenly soften her stance. But Dou Huan wasn’t someone who didn’t know how to read the room—since Jing Yu had given her a way out, she took it and even offered a bit of goodwill in return.

“Fooling your parents together might not be the best idea,” she said. “But if you tell me what kind of woman you like, I know plenty of beautiful ones. I could keep an eye out for you—you never know, you might meet someone who’s a good match.”

“Thanks for the concern, Miss Dou.” Jing Yu’s gaze swept over her from head to toe, the implication in her tone crystal clear. “Just look for someone with your exact specs.”

“You sure have a… unique taste, President Jing. Young, beautiful, and divorced? Not the easiest combo to find.”

“Which is why you might as well stop resisting and just say yes.”

Something about Jing Yu today felt off to Dou Huan. She wasn’t acting like her usual self—maybe it was because she needed something from her. Her tone was softer, her attitude less cold, and even her eyes held an unfamiliar gentleness.

Dou Huan found herself momentarily lost in those smiling, warm eyes. It took her a second to snap out of it. She gave a vague reply, “I’ll think about it.”

Jing Yu smiled, amused. “Alright. I’ll be waiting for your answer then, Miss Dou.”

After she left the office, Dou Huan felt like her brain had been wrung dry. Talking to Jing Yu always took so much mental effort. She had to stay alert the whole time, couldn’t let herself get distracted—especially not by her looks—or she’d end up being dragged into whatever trap she’d set.

She shook her head hard and let out a breath. Beauty really was a dangerous thing.

“Where did you go?”

Zhou Wei saw her return and handed her a box. “That bracelet you had someone custom-make—it’s arrived.”

“I just came from President Jing’s office,” Dou Huan said.

She opened the box and looked at the bracelet. It matched her design draft perfectly—flawless.

“What did you go see her about?” Zhou Wei lowered her voice. “Was it about Zhao Xi?”

“Yeah.”

Dou Huan closed the box. “President Jing isn’t fond of Zhao Xi either, but he’s so thick-skinned, he’s still hanging around for now.”

“Oh…” Zhou Wei looked a little worried. “Honestly, I’m afraid if we push him too hard, he might snap and come after you.”

That actually gave Dou Huan pause.

She thought it through carefully. Aside from his sleazy comments, Zhao Xi hadn’t actually done anything too outrageous to her.

But she had slapped him, kicked him, even stomped on him—and publicly humiliated him.

Liu Xinxing had done way worse to her and still held a grudge after being exposed. How could Zhao Xi not?

The fact that he hadn’t resigned nor forced her out—maybe he was biding his time to get back at her.

And if Jing Yu did fire him now, he’d have nothing to lose. Who knew what he might do if pushed that far?

Then Dou Huan suddenly remembered what Jing Yu had said: “I’ve been sick of Zhao Xi for a while. Even if it weren’t for you, I’d still get rid of him.”

So Jing Yu had already considered this. She wasn’t keeping Zhao Xi—she was protecting Dou Huan.

She slapped her forehead lightly, suddenly feeling a little dazed.

If Jing Yu was serious about asking her to pose as her fiancée—while simultaneously protecting her and using the opportunity to strike a deal—that was a masterstroke.

She’d calculated that Dou Huan would initially refuse but eventually come to see her good intentions and end up feeling indebted to her. That way, the whole fake fiancée thing would stick in her mind after all.

The more she thought about it, the more Dou Huan couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re laughing?”

Zhou Wei was practically anxious for her.

“It’s fine,” Dou Huan said, pointing upward. “I’ve got someone powerful watching my back. I’ll be fine. Zhao Xi’s going to leave eventually—but not because of me.”

******

During the lunch break, Dou Huan ran into Zhao Xi in the break room and froze for a moment. But just as quickly, she regained her composure and greeted him with a bright, casual smile.

“Hello, Director Zhao.”

He had just poured himself a cup of hot water. Worried he might throw it in her face out of spite, she instinctively turned to leave.

“Didn’t think I’d still be here, did you?”

Zhao Xi’s voice came from behind her.

Dou Huan turned around, still smiling. “What you choose to do doesn’t concern me, Director Zhao. I’m not interested in your business.”

“No, you’re just not interested in me.” He walked toward her. “If you had been, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Dou Huan took a few steps back. Zhao Xi chuckled. “What’s the matter? You were all high and mighty before. Scared of me now?”

“I am scared,” Dou Huan said, eyeing him cautiously. “Especially since you’re holding a cup of boiling water.”

Zhao Xi glanced down at his cup, stunned. His face darkened instantly. She thought he was going to use this as a weapon?

He felt insulted. He slammed the cup down and snapped, “You ruined my marriage, trashed my reputation, and you don’t even feel a shred of guilt?”

“Director Zhao,” Dou Huan’s voice turned cold, “I didn’t force you to cheat. I didn’t make Liu Xinxing seduce you either. Your wife, Yang Qingqing, already knew about your affair long before this blew up—it wasn’t me who exposed it. So tell me—exactly what am I supposed to feel guilty about?”

She gave a cold laugh. “You reap what you sow. Blaming others won’t absolve you of your own mistakes.”

“Dou Huan!”

Zhao Xi was fuming, pointing at her as he yelled, “This isn’t over. Just wait—you’ll see.”

“Sure,” Dou Huan said with a grin, completely unfazed. “I’ve got good eyesight. I’ll be watching real closely.”