Chapter 21: Becoming a Corporate Spy

Are all of them this shameless?
"You caught me," Zhang Xiluo simply gave up pretending. "Too bad, it didn't work."
Ouyang Chen chuckled softly, stepped aside, and instructed her in earnest, "Next time, be more careful, or you won't succeed."
"No wonder you and Li Mingye have been friends since childhood—you're all the same kind of jerk!" Zhang Xiluo rolled her eyes at him, honked the horn, and motioned for him to get out of the way.
Instead, Ouyang Chen moved closer to her window. "I'm not like him."
Perhaps she was mistaken, but for a fleeting moment, Zhang Xiluo saw a trace of ruthlessness in Ouyang Chen's eyes, as if he deeply rejected her comparison.
He did not want to be lumped together with Li Mingye.
"Fine, you're different," Zhang Xiluo replied, glancing at him—only to find his gaze fixed intently on her chest.
She had left the house in a hurry and hadn't changed—still in her V-neck nightdress, bruises visible on her exposed skin...
Zhang Xiluo’s cheeks flared crimson. She yanked at her collar, mortified and angry. "Have you seen enough?"
"You're not getting divorced anymore?" Ouyang Chen asked, his tone returning to normal as he looked away.
"I am," Zhang Xiluo answered decisively, rolling up her window to drive him back.
Suddenly, she thought of Zhou Yao. She rolled the window down again and offered, half out of mischief, "Ouyang Chen, you should spend more time with Li Mingye. Maybe you'll find a love for life."
She had no intention of sowing discord between them—she simply wanted to annoy him.
Without waiting for a reply, she drove off. Ouyang Chen stood there for a long time, staring after her.
Taking her advice to heart, he found Li Mingye and Zhao Chengyi that very night.
Zhang Xiluo stayed at Qin Garden for three days. No one disturbed her, and she hardly left the house.
Lin Yiming messaged her to say Zhou Yao had visited him; they had reconciled.
So Li Mingye still hadn't won Zhou Yao's heart.
When her parents returned from their business trip and found her at home, they were first delighted, then worried—clearly, she and Li Mingye had quarreled again.
"We ran into your father-in-law during our trip. He hopes to have a grandchild this year," her father probed. "You and Li Mingye have been married for a while now. It's time to think about starting a family."
"Let nature take its course. I want to focus on my career first," Zhang Xiluo replied. She had always dreamed of opening her own art studio.

All her energy had been poured into Li Mingye, leaving no time to pursue her dreams. After careful consideration over the past few days, she decided to seize her own destiny and reinvent herself as an independent woman.
"My career?" Her father's eyes widened in shock. He studied her face, making sure she really was his daughter.
"Yes," Zhang Xiluo answered, utterly serious. "I'm a bit hungry. I'll see what Mom is doing in the kitchen."
She planned to prepare for her studio while working on her divorce from Li Mingye.
She couldn't stay at her parents' house forever. That very day, she asked Xiao Zhao to drive her back to the villa. Li Mingye hadn't been home while she was away.
But as soon as she returned, Li Mingye showed up.
"You're going to work at the company? Do you think one night with me qualifies you to meddle in company affairs?" He confronted her the moment he stepped inside, irritation evident in his voice.
Zhang Xiluo was baffled. "When did I ever say that?"
"Your father contacted my father to arrange a position for you. Zhang Xiluo, have you been taking acting lessons lately? Your performances are getting more and more convincing," Li Mingye scoffed, recalling the many times she had nearly fooled him.
What a beautiful misunderstanding.
"I plan to be a corporate spy and bring down your company," she said, since he would never believe the truth anyway.
Li Mingye's expression darkened, a chill emanating from him. "Is it so hard to speak plainly?"
"You only understand a handful of plain words," she retorted. No matter what she said, he never believed her—so why bother explaining?
Frustrated, Li Mingye loosened his tie. He realized he was finding it increasingly difficult to communicate with her. It was as if she had become a different person.
What unsettled him most was how much he cared about her words and actions.
"Zhang Xiluo, don't test my limits."
"Don't worry, I won't touch Zhou Yao," she replied, completely understanding. She wouldn't make the same mistake again. "Focus on your relationship—so we can finalize the divorce soon."
Li Mingye's eyes blazed with fury. Since when had Zhou Yao become his bottom line? Damn woman! Divorce was all she ever talked about!
"I'll do my best," he replied coldly, turning to leave.
At the doorway, he paused. "If you want to join the company, contact my secretary. If not, forget it."
After he left, Zhang Xiluo took a deep breath. He saw things just as she did: one night together meant nothing.
She spoke directly to Li Mingye's father, explaining that she simply wanted to do something for herself.
Perhaps it was the effect of her rebirth, but Li Mingye's parents treated her much better, doing everything they could to prevent their divorce.

Xu Xinyi called Zhang Xiluo, urgently summoning her. "Luoluo, come quickly. Xueting's gotten into a fight..."
"Where? With whom?"
"At Qing Tea House. You'll know who when you get here," Xu Xinyi replied, intentionally withholding details.
Zhang Xiluo hurried to change and had Xiao Zhao drive her to Qing Tea House.
A crowd had gathered at the foot of the stairs, and heated arguments echoed from the second floor. She rushed up to find Xu Xinyi holding Jiang Xueting back, while Zhou Yao restrained Zhuo Tongtong.
The two women were hurling insults, and it was clear Jiang Xueting was winning.
"Luoluo, you're here," Xu Xinyi called, tugging at Jiang Xueting. "Come help!"
"What happened?" Zhang Xiluo looked from Jiang Xueting to Zhou Yao in confusion.
Zhou Yao was in tears, clutching Zhuo Tongtong tightly and avoiding Zhang Xiluo's gaze.
"That little vixen tried to seduce a married man. I’m just teaching her a lesson," Jiang Xueting fumed. She and Xu Xinyi had come for tea and overheard Zhuo Tongtong chatting with Zhou Yao.
Zhuo Tongtong had praised Zhou Yao’s abilities, claiming she had bewitched Li Mingye and even offered tips on how to climb the social ladder.
"That's all?" Zhang Xiluo asked, unbothered.
"She was talking about that dog Li," Jiang Xueting snarled through gritted teeth. "When you mentioned him before, I didn't think much, but she's truly shameless."
Before Zhang Xiluo could comfort Jiang Xueting, Zhuo Tongtong cut in, "It's you, you old woman! No wonder you make things hard for Yaoyao. If you can't keep your own man, who’s to blame but yourself?"
"If you're unloved, that's not Yaoyao's fault! If you’re not cherished, you’re the other woman here!"
"You again," Zhang Xiluo said to Zhuo Tongtong. She had hoped to smooth things over, but the chance was gone. "By your logic, Zhou Yao’s boyfriend is the other woman?"
"Damn! The younger generation really knows how to play—already has a boyfriend and still rushes to be the mistress! Impressive, little sister," Jiang Xueting mocked, her sarcasm biting. Zhou Yao bowed her head, as if carrying an unbearable grievance.
"Watch your mouth!" Zhuo Tongtong snapped, "I meant you!"
"Enough, let's go," Zhou Yao tried to pull Zhuo Tongtong away. As they passed Zhang Xiluo, Zhou Yao suddenly collapsed at her feet.
"Yaoyao…"