Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 1

December, North City.

The biting wind howled, cutting through clothing and skin to seep deep into the bones. The withered trees in the tech park clung to a few scattered yellow leaves, swaying precariously as they waited for the chance to break free and drift into the distance.

Xu You tightened her overcoat as her phone, set to silent in her pocket, vibrated twice.

She pulled out the device, and upon seeing the sender’s name on the screen, her brows relaxed, and the corners of her lips lifted into an involuntary smile. Her thumb eagerly swiped up to unlock the phone and open the WeChat chat with that person.

[Zhou Zhou Jiejie: Drinks tonight, don’t wait up.]

Reading the message, the joy Xu You had felt moments earlier evaporated. Her delicate face fell instantly, and she pouted as her thumb tapped the keyboard.

[YOYO: Okay.]

After sending the message, she stared blankly at the chat interface, hesitating over whether to add something more, when a faint, scornful chuckle sounded behind her.

Thinking she was blocking the way, Xu You shifted aside a couple of steps. But the laughter stopped, and its owner, a familiar face, spoke up.

“Well, if it isn’t the famous department belle.”

The corner of Xu You’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly. Before she could turn around, the acquaintance had already crossed her arms and stepped in front, sweeping a mocking, disdainful gaze over Xu You from head to toe.

She recognized the person before her, her classmate and roommate, Li Rui.

Li Rui’s makeup was immaculate, her eyelashes meticulously curled, and she was dressed in a Chanel suit, towering in nearly 20-centimeter heels as she looked down on Xu You. Her red lips parted like a serpent flicking its tongue.

“What’s the matter? Did your sugar daddy cut you off, or did he lose interest? Looking for a new target?” She glanced toward the building Xu You had just exited and lowered her voice. “Is the boss of YUYOO your next prey?”

A flicker of displeasure crossed Xu You’s brow.

She refused to answer Li Rui’s rude and provocative question, but the taunting continued.

“Save it. Don’t think everyone’s into your type of plain, delicate flower. Your sugar daddy might have bad taste, but the boss of YUYOO isn’t blind.” She left her words hanging, keeping her arms crossed tightly over her chest, accentuating her cleavage.

Someone more sensitive would have flushed with embarrassment at such a scene.

Xu You didn’t. Instead, she leaned in closer, as if to examine Li Rui carefully.

Startled by the sudden move, Li Rui cursed under her breath, calling her crazy, then quickly dropped her arms and strode off in her stilettos toward the tech park’s main gate.

Xu You raised an eyebrow as she watched Li Rui flee in disarray.

She started it, and I just gave her a taste of her own medicine. Can’t even handle a single glance, all bark and no bite.

Li Rui’s figure soon vanished from sight. Xu You turned back to look at the building with the metallic “YUYOO” logo, her gaze fixing on the top-floor office, its exterior glass gleaming in the light.

Her sugar daddy sister probably wouldn’t go for someone like Li Rui, all flash and no substance.

But as she thought it, a flicker of uncertainty stirred within her.

Zheng Ran had just stepped out of the company when he spotted a girl in a khaki wool coat from a distance. Her long, dark hair was neatly tied back, and though her profile was somewhat blurred, she bore a striking resemblance to the boss’s little canary.

Curious, he approached to confirm her identity. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes shifted subtly. “Miss Xu, are you here to see President Zhou?”

Xu You stuffed her phone into her pocket and waved her hand. “No, no, I was just passing by.”

The Central Academy of Fine Arts and the tech park where the company was located were separated by half the northern city. Logically speaking, no matter which route she took, she wouldn’t just “pass by.”

Zheng Ran didn’t call her out on it.

“Do you need a ride now? I can go get the car from the garage and drive you.”

“No need, you’re busy.”

Xu You turned to leave, but just as she took a step, she paused as if remembering something.

“Please don’t tell Sister Zhou you saw me here.”

“Oh, sure.”

Seeing Zheng Ran agree, Xu You flagged down an empty taxi that happened to be passing by and slipped inside.

She glanced out the window. “To Jingsheng Imperial Club.”

Hearing the destination, the driver glanced at the girl in the back seat through the rearview mirror. Jingsheng Imperial Club was located in a well-known villa district in the northern city, where the lowest-priced properties started at half a billion.

The girl in the back was wearing unbranded clothes, and the bag beside her was just a simple canvas tote. However, her delicate and refined features stood out, her facial structure was well-defined, with prominent brow bones and naturally arched eyebrows. Beneath them, her dark, luminous eyes sparkled with an innate elegance, giving off an air of someone who had been sheltered and well-cared for since childhood.

Of course, she could also be the mistress of some eccentric tycoon. But he preferred to believe she was a young lady raised in privilege.

As the taxi slowly pulled away, Xu You relaxed her stiff posture and leaned back against the seat. Her slender, pale fingers swiped across the screen to unlock her phone.

The conversation with her sister had ended with her own reply of “Okay.” Scrolling up, a sea of green text bubbles was occasionally interrupted by a few white ones. She let out a soft sigh, and just then, her phone vibrated.

[YAOYAO: Sweetie, are you coming back to Shanghai for winter break?]

The message from her best friend Yu Yao, all the way in France, lifted her melancholy mood. Xu You clutched her phone and began typing rapidly.

[YOYO: Aw, I can’t go back for now. I’ve taken an internship, so I have to stay in the northern city.]

[YAOYAO: ……]

[YAOYAO: Don’t tell me it’s at Zhou Siyu’s company.]

Even from thousands of miles away, Xu You could picture Yu Yao’s expression. The next second, Yu Yao’s video call came through.

Xu Yu connected her Bluetooth earpiece and answered the call, her face instantly appearing on the screen with an ingratiating, playful smile.

“You traitor, ditching your friends for a crush,” Yu Yao said, pretending to be angry, her eyes wide and round.

Xu You’s invisible bunny tail wagged furiously. “Oh, come on, the internship is a graduation requirement, and it’ll give me some work experience too.”

“Cut the crap. What work experience do you need? You held a solo exhibition in Australia at thirteen, got into the Central Academy of Fine Arts as the top scorer nationwide, and have maintained nearly a perfect GPA since enrollment. Your family can’t wait for you to go enjoy life in Australia. What do you need work experience for?” Yu Yao suddenly thought of something and gasped. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to stay in the country for grad school and work?”

Xu You met Yu Yao’s fiery gaze, pursed her lips, and blinked. Yu Yao understood instantly.

You’re insane! Absolutely insane!

Yu Yao screamed internally, shaking her fists at the screen in frustration. If she had been there in person, there was no doubt her fists would have landed on Xu You.

“Are you out of your mind? Zhou Siyu is just playing with you. The moment she finds her next target, you’ll be the first one she dumps.”

“She’s not like that,” Xu You denied, though her despondent expression made her rebuttal seem weak. “She hasn’t been with anyone else since we got together. She treats me well.”

“Enough!” Yu Yao was tired of Xu You’s mindless praise, her tone sharp with frustration. “If she really wanted a serious relationship with you, would she let her friends mock you? Would she propose being a sugar daddy sister on your first meeting? What promises has she even made to you? It’s just a monthly allowance to keep things going.”

At the sight of Xu You’s eyes glistening with unshed tears, looking utterly pitiful, Yu Yao’s anger deflated. Softening her voice, she advised, “Sweetheart, I’m just afraid you’ll get hurt. You need to think more about yourself.”

After a long pause, Xu You finally looked up.

“I’m not afraid of getting hurt. Whether I’m just a plaything or a pastime, I was the one who chose this relationship. I’ll accept whatever she does.”

Yu Yao’s breath hitched, well aware of Xu You’s stubbornness, the kind that wouldn’t yield until hitting a wall. She had canceled her plans to study abroad the moment she fell for Zhou Siyu at first sight and left Shanghai, the city she’d lived in for over a decade, without a second thought.

There was no talking her out of it. Absolutely none.

“Alright, alright. I’ll be back before Christmas and visit you in Beicheng on a weekend.”

“Wow, you’re finally coming back…”

They chatted for a while longer until someone called for Yu Yao, abruptly ending the call.

Xu You put away her phone and looked out the window at the now-familiar scenery. The taxi entered the villa complex and stopped at the address she had given when she got in.

“Eighty-nine yuan. How will you pay?” The driver’s voice was cold as he turned with a QR code placard, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

Xu You keenly captured his expression and unlocked the phone to scan: “Alipay.””

The driver flipped the placard to the blue side, and an electronic prompt soon sounded in the car.

[Alipay received 88.5 yuan.]

“Thank you, driver.”

Though polite, Xu You caught the driver’s surprised look as she grabbed her bag and got out. She crossed the front yard, opened the door, and entered.

On the taxi’s meter, the number 88.5 was clearly displayed.

Aunt Zhang, who handled the cleaning and cooking, paused the floor cleaner upon seeing Xu You return. “Miss Xu, what would you like for dinner? Will Miss Zhou be back?”

“She won’t. Just make something simple for me.”

“Alright.”

Xu You headed to the studio Zhou Siyu had set up for her. The room was warm, and she stood barefoot by the floor-to-ceiling window, a paintbrush between her fingers.

Despite the request for simplicity, Aunt Zhang prepared an elaborate meal of three dishes and a soup. She wasn’t a live-in helper, so after Xu You finished eating and the dishes were cleared, she sought out Xu You before leaving.

“Miss Xu, this morning, Miss Zhou sent over an outfit. I’ve washed it and placed it in the sleepwear section of the walk-in closet.”

“Oh, I see.” Xu You’s tongue suddenly felt tied, a wave of heat rushing through her veins to her limbs.

Zhou Siyu had her own criteria for selecting sleepwear.

Light, thin, minimal fabric, and…

After Aunt Zhang left, Xu You went to the closet to retrieve the outfit. After her shower, she put it on and looked at herself in the mirror, her cheeks burning.

The sheer fabric barely covered her thighs, with a creamy silk bow tied at her chest. She looked like an exquisitely wrapped gift, waiting for Zhou Siyu to unwrap her at any moment.

One more glance and Xu You felt her ears would drip blood. She slipped under the covers and began waiting for nightfall.

Wrapped in the warm air, her eyelids grew heavy, and she soon drifted into sleep.

In her dreams, she felt a flame press against her bare back, the heat rising from her tailbone to her nape, enveloping her completely. Her breath was stolen away, leaving her breathless.

Her chest heaved as she instinctively opened her mouth to breathe, and a wandering serpent seized the opportunity to slip in, sweeping across the roof of her mouth and tangling with her tongue in a dance.

All the oxygen in her body seemed to be drained away. Xu You opened her drowsy eyes, her hazy gaze shimmering with moisture under the warm yellow light, her cheeks flushed with an alluring rosy hue.

“Sister.”

She whimpered, and a sharp pain shot through her shoulder.

A crimson plum blossom fell upon a field of pristine white snow.

A fierce wind swept through, rustling the shadows of the trees, and more crimson blossoms drifted down in a flurry.

The temperature in the room continued to rise, the snow melting into a pool of water that swayed softly before finally settling into calm.

In their intimate embrace, Zhou Siyu’s delicate kisses trailed along Xu You’s collarbone.

“Sister.” Xu You found her own hoarse voice amidst fragmented gasps.

Zhou Siyu, who was leaning over her, paused for a moment. With a damp fingertip, she gently rubbed Xu You’s swollen, red lips, a playful smile curling at the corners of her eyes as she coaxed, “Say it again.”