Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 10

Zhou Siyu founded her gaming company YUYOO eight years ago, during her sophomore year of college. After dealing with the messy aftermath of her parents’ unexpected passing and offloading their unstable company, she entrusted most of the funds to professional financial advisors and poured the remainder into YUYOO.

The domestic gaming industry was fiercely competitive, with local companies sprouting up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain, while established foreign games still dominated a significant share of the market.

Admittedly, it was a challenging path, but Zhou Siyu fought her way through step by step, eventually becoming a recognized name in the industry.

The day Xu You first met Zhou Siyu, she rushed to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to meet an old friend who had recommended an artist to design character concepts for their new game.

Four years flew by in the blink of an eye. That game was still receiving updates and attracting new players, while their relationship had undergone a qualitative change. Xu You had submitted her resume and was about to undergo the final interview, poised to briefly become a member of Zhou Siyu’s team.

On Thursday night, Xu You slept restlessly. A sudden torrential rain raged outside the window, with fierce winds whipping up dried leaves and sending them spinning aimlessly, slapping against the glass, clinging to car bodies, amid the howling gusts and relentless downpour.

In the early hours of the morning, a flash of lightning split the sky, illuminating the empty room. She slowly opened her eyes, got up, and checked every window in the house.

A few minutes later, a warm yellow light glowed in one of the rooms on the first floor.

She stood in the center of the studio. The oil painting on the easel was complete, the pigments dried, and the elderly man on the canvas looked lifelike, with even the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes clearly visible.

After standing for a while, her calf muscles began to ache. She sat cross-legged in the corner facing the floor-to-ceiling window, her back pressed against the wall, watching raindrops pelt the glass and listening to the roaring rain as she softly updated her grandfather on her recent life.

“Grandpa, I’ve lost a little weight recently. You know how it is, I don’t move much in winter and eat less. Maybe I’ll gain it back when spring comes.”

“Are you doing well over there? I miss you so much.”

“Grandpa, do you think I made the right decision? Heh, you’ve always spoiled me, I’m sure you’d support me…”

Another white flash of lightning lit up the dim room, abruptly brightening Xu You’s face under the yellowish light. Her pale complexion looked bloodless and fragile.

The rain lasted all night, and she sat in the studio through it all.

When the first alarm she had set for the interview went off early in the morning, she reached out to silence it, then canceled over a dozen subsequent alarms in one go. Staggering to her feet with the support of the wall, she made her way back to her room, washed up, and sat at the vanity to conceal the dark circles and weariness under her eyes.

Aunt Zhang, coming in from the rain, ran into Xu You at the bottom of the stairs, who was carrying a canvas bag. Xu You usually dressed casually, but today she wore a semi-professional suit under her long down coat. Puzzled, Aunt Zhang asked,

“Miss Xu, are you going out?”

“Mm, I was planning to tell you after I officially started,” Xu You replied without breaking stride. She descended the stairs and went straight to the entrance, where she took a pair of leather flats from the shoe cabinet. “I found a part-time job. If everything goes well, I won’t be home for lunch from now on.”

Aunt Zhang blinked, processing the news, and instinctively stepped aside to make way. “You’re leaving now?”

Xu You slipped her feet into the shoes, adjusted them, and answered, “Yes.”

“It’s still raining outside. Did you contact Ms. Zhou to send a driver?” Aunt Zhang’s long-handled umbrella had been shaken thoroughly before she entered, but water droplets still clung to it, merging and expanding as they rolled down, forming small puddles on the marble floor.

Mentioning Zhou Siyu, Xu You was momentarily dazed. Coming back to her senses, she shook her head gently and said in a soft voice, “No need. The ride I booked will be here soon. If there’s anything at home, please contact her. If anything comes up on my end, I’ll reach out to you directly.”

She… Miss Xu didn’t call her “sister.”

Aunt Zhang was so surprised she forgot to blink. Xu You, on her own, took a black umbrella from the umbrella stand, opened the door, and stepped out into the wind and rain.

According to the notification email from YUYOO HR, the interview was scheduled for 9 a.m. At 8:30, the ride-hailing car stopped right in front of the company’s main entrance.

After registering at the front desk, Xu You followed the signs and took the elevator to the fourth floor, arriving at the small conference room of the design department. She wasn’t the earliest to arrive, two men were already seated in the first row of chairs. Hearing the noise, they both turned to look at her. She smiled and sat down, leaving one chair between them.

The hands of the clock kept moving, and as the interview time approached, nearly all ten chairs outside the conference room were filled. Only the one next to her remained empty, waiting for its owner.

At 9:52, a loud clacking sound cut through the noise. Following the others, Xu You turned her head and saw someone she really didn’t want to run into, Li Rui.

She maintained her usual style: bold, provocative attire, showing off cleavage above and long legs below. Red stilettos accentuated her proportions to the extreme, complementing the crimson lips at the center of her face and drawing everyone’s attention.

In the dead of winter, even if others weren’t as cold-sensitive as Xu You in her thick down jacket, all the other interviewees were dressed in long sleeves and pants, prioritizing warmth.

She reveled in everyone’s gazes, some lustful, some curious.

Someone muttered under their breath. She confidently curved her red lips, revealing her gleaming white porcelain teeth, raised her arm, wiggled her fingers in greeting, and finally fixed her gaze on Xu You’s expressionless face. Raising an eyebrow, she walked over in her high heels and sat beside her.

“Oh, you’re here for the interview too?” Li Rui’s tone carried two parts delight, three parts surprise, and five parts sarcasm.

As the center of attention and the subject of everyone’s discussion, her approach naturally brought intense scrutiny onto Xu You. They were all curious about the untold story between the passionate rose and the cool, plain little white flower.

Feeling uncomfortable under the stares, Xu You frowned slightly and looked up to meet Li Rui’s condescending, arrogant gaze.

“What, didn’t your ‘special someone’ just arrange for you to get into the company directly?” she feigned surprise. “Tsk, what bad luck for us. There aren’t many spots to begin with, and now one has to be taken by you.”

With that, she pouted and shook her head, casting a pitying glance over every interviewee present except Xu You.

Hearing Li Rui’s words, the tense atmosphere in the conference room was replaced by anger and disdain. Words like “mistress,” “backdoor,” and “acting innocent” flooded Xu You’s ears. She clenched her fists and glared fiercely at Li Rui.

“Do you dare to refute it?” Li Rui, never one to shy away from stirring trouble, continued to fan the flames.

Xu You shot to her feet. Her small leather shoes had decently high heels, allowing her to meet Li Rui’s gaze almost evenly. “Do you have any proof? Anyone can spout nonsense. I could just as easily say you’re the one who got in through connections and was pre-selected. Let me guess, no one would stuff their final-round portfolio into such a tiny clutch, would they, Miss Li?”

Only a fool would try to prove their innocence through self-justification. With just a few light remarks, Xu You redirected everyone’s attention back to Li Rui.

Indeed, compared to the plainly dressed Xu You with her canvas tote bag, the hot and sexy Li Rui seemed more like the type she had described.

The tone shifted abruptly. The stigmatizing labels were now transferred to Li Rui, who was so angry she was panting heavily. Suddenly feeling dizzy, Xu You hugged her arms and sat back down.

“You…” Li Rui’s anger burned fiercely inside. Having been blocked by Xu You twice, she was itching to pin her to the ground, tear off her facade, and make her suffer the same humiliation.

A dark figure loomed over them, and the chattering discussions came to an abrupt halt.

“The interview is about to begin. Please take your seat, intern.”

The speaker was the HR director, who was also the interviewer for everyone’s initial round. Her presence instantly silenced the room, and everyone sat up straight, awaiting her instructions.

Li Rui exchanged a glance with one of the others and reluctantly sat down.

Xu You merely cast a faint glance, catching sight of the woman in the center of the group before lowering her head.

Seeing her only made the longing worse. Gazing at Zhou Siyu’s elegant yet aloof face, she wanted to rush over and ask where she had been all these days, why she hadn’t come home or looked for her.

She lowered her head and held it all in.

And she missed the flicker of confusion in Zhou Siyu’s eyes.

Outside the conference room, only the HR director remained, announcing the interview order and key points. It was a one-on-one interview, with rankings assigned randomly. Unfortunately, Xu You was last on the list of ten candidates.

After the announcement, the director immediately led the first interviewee into the conference room.

The vermilion wooden door closed and didn’t open again until over twenty minutes later.

Xu You counted on her fingers. Even if each person took only twenty minutes, it would be past noon by the time everyone before her finished. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and now lunch would be delayed. She regretted not eating her fill at home before coming out.

“Number two, Zheng Ke.” The first interviewee came out and was replaced. He grabbed his bag but didn’t rush to leave. “The boss said to consider whether anyone missed breakfast or is feeling tired or unwell. The café downstairs is free for us during the interview period.”

Xu You’s eyes lit up. She had long grown tired of Li Rui’s hostile stares. Grabbing her bag, she hurried downstairs and happily ordered a sandwich with hot milk, settling by the window to enjoy the morning.

Steam curled up from the white porcelain cup, and scattered milk froth drifted on the surface, pushed by the air from her lips.

Her phone, set to silent mode, vibrated several times in her pocket. Thinking it might be urgent, she set down her cup.

[Zhou Siyu: Why didn’t you eat breakfast?]
[Zhou Siyu: Why didn’t you contact Xiao Fu to pick you up?]
[Zhou Siyu: Should I move you up a few spots so you can finish early and go rest?]

Xu You pursed her lips, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden concern. The last message made her want to faint.

Rumors about her getting special treatment had just started circulating. Changing her order would be an admission of guilt, making her the target of everyone’s attacks.

No way!

[YOYO: No need.]

Ignoring the first two questions, she rejected Zhou Siyu’s underhanded offer. After waiting a few seconds with no reply, she picked up her cup. Just then, a group of people sat down at the next table with their trays.

“Damn, I’m exhausted. If I work overtime any longer, I might just ascend to heaven.”

“Calm down, take it easy.”

“How can I calm down? It’s been over a week, eating, sleeping, and everything at the office. Every time a new game launches, it feels like I’m losing a part of my life. I just texted my girlfriend, and she thought I’d come back from the dead.”

“Hey, that’s just how it is in our industry. Look on the bright side, the boss is pulling overtime too. The light in her office is on 24/7. If anyone’s going to die from this, it’ll be her first.”

The men’s conversation was too loud, and Xu You overheard everything despite not intending to.

She keenly grasped the key point of their discussion: Zhou Siyu had been at the company all this time, even leaving the lights on constantly.

Her phone screen lit up again.

[Zhou Siyu: Okay.]

Staring at the note she had changed in a fit of pique a few days ago, Xu You blinked in confusion.

Had she misunderstood her?