Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 11

Xu You sat on the high stool in the café, holding a glass of milk but forgetting to drink it.

The steam warmed the lower half of her face, dispelling the chill from her hurried journey and filling her heart with a cozy warmth. The conversation behind her continued, and the water-fogged glass reflected their blurry faces.

“Did you hear? The new game’s spokespersons are Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan.”

“Of course I heard. I think it was arranged by a friend of President Zhou. They’re finalizing the contract these days, and it’s expected to be officially announced next Monday.”

“Wow, President Zhou’s connections are really something. No wonder she’s pouring so much into it, she’s even risking everything she has.”

“Exactly. Last time, Assistant Zheng mentioned this game is set to launch in multiple countries. They’re really broadening their horizons to cash in on international players.”

…

The joking tone of the conversation reached her ears without missing a word, filling the blank spaces of the past few days with vivid scenes.

She could picture Zhou Siyu flipping through documents in his office, skillfully navigating social gatherings, and staying up late into the night, frowning as she tackled work challenges.

As if sensing her struggles, the resentment she had bottled up inside suddenly melted away, leaving only a pang of sympathy.

Just like that, she forgave Zhou Siyu and changed her contact name back to the sweet, exclusive nickname she’d used before.

The sandwich on her plate was still warm. Xu You pushed the milk aside, snapped a photo, and sent it. Perhaps because Zhou Siyu wasn’t the main interviewer for this session, her reply came unusually fast.

[Zhou Zhou Jiejie: Mm, good girl.]

Li Rui’s fabrications hadn’t affected Xu You, but they had seriously influenced everyone else. Before the interview even began, they had already assumed she would fail, so they no longer cared about the outcome. After finishing their interviews, they headed straight to the café together, standing at the counter and rattling off their orders.

As a familiar face approached, Xu You hurriedly finished the sandwich on her plate. Her appetite wasn’t big, and she had to force down the remaining half-glass of milk, almost gulping it to finish.

Just as she packed her things and was about to stand up, the seat to her left was pulled out.

“You’re Xu You, right?”

Xu You’s hand, holding the tray, paused. Before she could respond, the man sat down and continued, “Your classmates have been telling everyone about you. Now everyone can match your name to your face. Don’t be too surprised.”

“Oh.” Xu You’s tone was cold, partly because she disliked such impolite advances and partly out of disdain for Li Rui’s tactics. Unable to confront her directly, Li Rui resorted to underhanded tricks, utterly pathetic.

The man lifted his coffee and took a big gulp. The transparent ice cubes clinked against the rim of the cup, and the cold air condensed into droplets on the plastic surface. Setting the cup down, he turned to scrutinize Xu You’s expression.

“I’d advise you to lay low. Everyone upstairs sees you as their imaginary rival now.” Her displeasure seemed to excite him, and he crossed his legs, clearly in high spirits. “This place is pretty good.”

“Or my car, it’s parked in the underground garage.”

The last time she’d seen something so greasy was in her kitchen at home, when Auntie Zhang was rendering lard. She’d told Xu You to stand back to avoid getting splattered. Xu You had watched the white slabs of pork fat sizzle in the pan, turning golden and crisp.

Lard was fragrant, but the man in front of her reeked.

A wave of disgust washed over Xu You. She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and, on impulse, grabbed a slice of heavy cheesecake from his plate, smashing it onto his meticulously gelled hair.

“You!” The man roared in fury, completely caught off guard by Xu You’s actions. This disaster had struck entirely unexpectedly.

Xu You brushed the crumbs of wafer biscuits off her hands, looking at the staff behind the counter with an innocent and apologetic expression.

Wasting food, she truly felt ashamed and was willing to accept condemnation from all sides.

“You’re insane.”

As chunks of solid cake fell, the man snapped back to reality, flexing his fingers a few times before clenching them into a fist the size of a sandbag, repeatedly on the verge of striking Xu You.

A pair of girlfriends who had come in arm in arm to order coffee were drawn in by the drama, pretending to casually sit at a nearby round table.

At the center of the storm, the man lashed out recklessly.

“You cheap woman, talking to you is an honor. Acting all high and mighty when you’re just selling yourself, there are plenty like you at the art academy gate. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re someone special.”

He had forgotten the positions they had come to apply for, forgotten they shared the same major. Firing off thoughtless insults, Xu You let out a cold laugh.

“Thank you for the honor.”

She mimicked the look one gives to trash as she eyed him. “I can’t speak for other types, but your kind is indeed rare at the art academy. Have you been in the trade so long you think everyone is like you?”

“Talking to me is an honor? Well, thank you. Do you dare repeat that in front of everyone?”

“Lastly, since my rude behavior has offended you, please go ahead and call the police.” Xu You raised her eyes, signaling him to look at the red-lit surveillance camera above them. “Words alone mean nothing, let it serve as evidence.”

The camera was mounted on the ceiling, and Xu You wasn’t even sure if it had recorded their voices.

She was gambling, betting that this man couldn’t swallow his pride, that he still had a shred of shame, and that if something happened at Zhou Siyu’s company, someone would have her back.

The man shot to his feet. “I won’t stoop to your level.” With that, he turned to leave.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared at the ordering counter, gradually approaching the two of them.

“What’s going on?” Zheng Ran had come to buy coffee to keep Zhou Siyu going and, seeing Xu You in a dispute, hurried over. Mindful of her future employment and the need to maintain appearances, he deliberately acted as if he didn’t know her and asked sternly.

Recognizing Zheng Ran, the man lowered his posture, the cake chunks on his head trembling slightly. “It’s nothing.”

“That’s not true! This scumbag sexually harassed Xu You,” one of the onlookers who had been watching the scene stepped forward, exposing his pretense.

“I didn’t! She threw cake at me for no reason.” When people are highly tense, they tend to exaggerate their body movements to relieve or divert pressure.

Zheng Ran served only Zhou Siyu; he could disregard anyone else’s words, but with Xu You present, he unconditionally took her side.

“Fine. Security!” He beckoned a burly security guard in full uniform. “Take him aside and check the surveillance footage.”

With others watching, Xu You couldn’t speak openly, so she made exaggerated facial expressions to signal him not to escalate things. Zheng Ran picked up on the message. “You come with me to sort this out.”

“Okay.” Xu You obediently followed behind him.

As she passed the round table, someone called out to her.

“You’re so brave!”

“Someone with such prejudice and a dirty mind doesn’t deserve to study art, let alone work alongside us.”

Their words of comfort warmed Xu You’s heart. She nodded firmly before quickly catching up to Zheng Ran.

She didn’t dare say more; she felt guilty. After all, she was exactly the kind of person he had accused her of being.

“Miss Xu, you should have directly informed President Zhou to handle this,” Zheng Ran said, his tone shifting as they moved farther away.

Xu You didn’t respond to that. “Buying coffee for her?”

“Ah?” Zheng Ran paused for a second. “Yes, President Zhou has been pulling all-nighters for days. Oh no, I forgot to grab the coffee. Could you take the elevator at the far end up to the fifth floor and wait in President Zhou’s lounge? I need to bring her coffee now.”

“Make it something else, hot milk. And tell her I’ll stick with her for two more years.”

Zheng Ran bit her lip hard to suppress a laugh and nodded firmly. “I’ll make sure she gets the message!”

With a legitimate excuse to avoid everyone Li Rui had dragged her to meet, Xu You slipped into Zhou Siyu’s lounge. The room resembled her home bedroom: a bed, a desk, an open wardrobe, and a bathroom.

The only difference was the lack of her presence. Dominated by white, it felt lifeless and sterile.

Xu You trusted Zheng Ran to handle the man. All morning, she sat peacefully at the desk, folding little paper animals and hiding them around the room.

At exactly noon, a new message popped up on her phone.

[Interview candidate #10, please proceed to the conference room for your interview.]

The previously relaxed Xu You bolted out the door upon reading the message. With all elevators packed during lunch hour, she dashed into the stairwell and raced down to the second floor.

The vermilion wooden door was shut, with no one waiting outside.

Catching her breath, Xu You mustered a confident smile and pressed down on the metal handle.

As the door swung open, she wasn’t met by five stern, sharp-tongued interviewers.

Only one person was there.

Her lover.

“Sis!”

Zhou Siyu propped her chin on her hand, weariness lingering between her brows, but her expression instantly brightened into a smile.

“Come here and eat.”