Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 12

The murmurs of employees in the background seemed to drift in and out, and Xu You was terrified that someone might suddenly dart over and catch them in the act, expose this secret rendezvous. She hurried into the meeting room and shut the door firmly.

Zhou Siyu sat in her spot, leisurely watching as Xu You pulled a chair closer and placed it directly across from her, then sat down happily, beaming a sweet smile in her direction.

In their hurried morning glance, Xu You had averted her gaze too quickly to notice the fatigue on Zhou Siyu’s face.

Her smiling eyes first lingered on the dark circles beneath Zhou Siyu’s eyes, where faint, fine blood vessels were visible amidst the shadows, accentuating her sharp, distant gaze. Her gaze drifted downward, past the elegant bridge of her nose, her creamy skin, until it settled on her slightly chapped lips.

Xu You froze for a moment, and anxiety swiftly replaced her joy.

Flustered, she shoved her hand into her pocket, found nothing, and then began rummaging through her bag.

Zhou Siyu, somewhat puzzled, asked, “What are you looking for?”

Without pausing her frantic search, Xu You replied, “Lip balm. I know you, when you’re busy, you forget to drink water. Your lips are so dry they’re about to peel.”

Zhou Siyu listened to her muttering without protest, silently rising only when Xu You finally retrieved the lip balm from an inner pocket of her bag, removed the cap, and carefully twisted up the balm.

Completely absorbed in her task, Xu You didn’t notice the shadow enveloping her. She extended the exposed balm toward Zhou Siyu, but as she looked up, she was instantly captured by those deep, intense eyes.

The long table did nothing to hinder their movements. Xu You watched as her own reflection in Zhou Siyu’s eyes grew larger and larger, and soon, the cool softness of lips pressed against the corner of her mouth.

The coolness lasted only a moment. After a series of gentle bites and lingering kisses, a scorching heat surged between them, threatening to consume them both.

Zhou Siyu held her chin firmly, nipping at her lips as if they were soft candy, her teeth careful yet insistent, her tongue coaxing and teasing, intent on drawing out every last trace of sweetness.

Their breaths mingled, their scents intertwining until they were indistinguishable. When Zhou Siyu finally released her, a silvery thread still connected their lips.

“Still dry now?” Zhou Siyu’s fingers tightened slightly, tilting Xu You’s face upward to better capture every flicker of bashful irritation.

Forced to look up, Xu You obediently gazed at those glistening, slightly swollen lips and shook her head.

“Hungry?” Zhou Siyu’s fingers shifted upward, magnifying every sensation. A jolt of electricity shot from Xu You’s tailbone straight to the crown of her head, nearly causing her to collapse into the chair.

“Hungry,” Xu You murmured, her voice barely louder than a mosquito’s hum. Zhou Siyu released her chin, gave her cheek a gentle pinch, and sat back down.

The young woman was still dazed from the kiss, but the takeout containers on the table had already been opened, revealing their contents.

Zhou Siyu stuffed the trash into a paper bag, unwrapped the disposable utensils, and placed them beside Xu You. Noticing that her mind was still adrift, she lightly tapped Xu You’s smooth forehead.

“Not enough kissing? Shall we continue?”

“No!”

Xu You hastily covered her mouth, her flustered gaze darting around until it landed on the dishes on the table, and she let out a soft gasp of surprise.

“You ordered from Shanghai Homestyle?” Excitement lit up her eyes.

Zhou Siyu blinked and nudged the braised pork belly closer, urging her to try it.

Overwhelmed by the longing for her hometown flavors, all shyness and romance were instantly forgotten. Xu You picked up her bamboo chopsticks with practiced ease, deftly lifting a perfectly square piece of meat glistening with rich, reddish-brown sauce under the light.

As she placed it in her mouth, the marbled meat yielded effortlessly to her teeth, its structure dissolving instantly and releasing a burst of deep, savory richness.

Zhou Siyu took a tissue and wiped the small black speck from the corner of her mouth. Her chopsticks and rice remained untouched as she watched Xu You eat three pieces in a row, then swapped the braised fish over to her side.

“Have you been unhappy lately?” she suddenly asked.

Xu You froze mid-bite, the piece of fish hovering in the air.

Without looking at Zhou Siyu, she stiffly brought the fish to her mouth, chewing it until it turned to paste, unable to taste anything at all.

Putting on a facade and pretending not to care was something she excelled at. No matter how unbearable the wound, if she steeled herself, she could ignore it, ignore the blood that had flowed, ignore the pain she had endured.

But Zhou Siyu had asked her, asked if she was hurting.

That festering, blood-soaked wound was now held right before her eyes. The glaring crimson, the unavoidable metallic scent, and the heart-wrenching pain that only she could feel, all magnified.

Xu You swallowed what was in her mouth, her lips moving without a word, only shaking her head.

Zhou Siyu pressed further, “Why?”

Did she want her to be unhappy?

Zhou Siyu stared into her eyes and completed her sentence, “Why aren’t you telling the truth?”

“Ah,” Xu You sighed in relief. “It’s not exactly a lie. I was unhappy at first, but once I knew you were busy with work, I got over it quickly. Besides, I’ve made a friend recently, and she’s really nice…”

Some things, once past the right moment, were better left unspoken. Complaining or pouring out her grievances now wouldn’t make her past self any happier. There was no point in doing something so meaningless.

Xu You deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere, telling Zhou Siyu about her elderly friend, sharing the praise she’d received from her professor for her submitted work, and recounting interesting things she’d encountered over the past few days.

“It’s good to go out more, have fun, and make friends,” Zhou Siyu commented after Xu You finished speaking animatedly.

She picked up her phone from the table and tapped a few times. Xu You’s phone screen lit up.

A bank notification: 200,000 yuan had been deposited into her account.

Xu You’s smile stiffened slightly as she chuckled awkwardly, “You transferred it before the usual date. You don’t have to give me anything for the next two months.”

Zhou Siyu frowned without realizing it, finding the words inexplicably grating.

“No,” she said sternly. “Use this money to go shopping and buy things. I’ll transfer the usual amount when it’s due.”

Everything was calculated so clearly.

Xu You couldn’t force a smile, a wave of bitterness washing over her heart.

She hadn’t made a single close friend since coming to Beijing.

Her status as the top student in her major had attracted too much attention. After being praised by professors in several public lectures, curiosity about her reached its peak. Unaccustomed to communal living and bound by Zhou Siyu’s requirements, she had enrolled as a day student from the start.

The unknown only fueled speculation.

Some had seen a driver picking her up, a luxury car, a man, and not just once.

Others had dug up her personal information, a native of Shanghai with no connections in Beijing.

People began weaving stories about her. The more these stories were told, the more they were accepted as truth. The admiration in others’ eyes was tinged with envy, and no one was willing to break from the group to approach her.

At first, Xu You had struggled to adapt and wanted to escape it all. But as she grew stronger, she stopped caring.

Zhou Siyu was her reason for coming to Beijing. She had come for her, and everyone else wasn’t even worth considering as passersby. Besides, from the perspective of someone being “kept,” Zhou Siyu had given her more than enough, whether in money or companionship, so there was no need to waste energy on things that didn’t matter.

“Okay,” she replied without argument, her voice crisp and compliant.

A meal went from sweet to tasteless in just a few minutes. After hastily filling her stomach, Xu You excused herself from the conference room, using the pretext that other interviewers might form a bad impression of her if they saw her.

Zheng Ran came in to clear away the takeout containers and sprayed air freshener. Soon, people began passing through the hallway and entering the room one after another.

Counting the door opening and closing four times, Xu You picked up her bag and pushed the door open to enter.

“Hello, interviewers. I am candidate number 10, Xu You.”

Following tutorials she had seen on TV and online, she greeted them with a bow, executing the series of movements smoothly. After finishing, she placed her copied portfolio on the long table in front of them, the same table where Zhou Siyu had pressed close to kiss her and where they had eaten.

The office chair had been pulled to a moderate distance. She sat upright, waiting for questions.

Each interviewer had a copy of her materials, with the design department director examining them most carefully.

“Xu You, right?” The HR director adjusted her glasses and looked up from the resume. “Tell us why you chose our company.”

Her mind raced through tips from Q&A platforms about interviews: answer sincerely, praise the company to show enthusiasm, connect her own experience to the position, and express determination.

After organizing her thoughts and phrasing, she straightened her posture, swept her gaze evenly across the room, and looked directly ahead.

Just as she was about to speak her prepared words, she noticed Zhou Siyu, seated directly across from her in the center, toying with a cylindrical object the length of a finger.

Her lipstick!

Xu You’s pupils contracted sharply.

Zhou Siyu didn’t stop. Realizing her little gesture had been noticed, she leisurely removed the cap, twisted the base, and traced a circle over her lips.

Half an hour ago, Xu You had been that lipstick. The explicit memory flashed before her eyes, and her face flushed hotly.

“Don’t be nervous. Just say whatever comes to mind,” the HR director said, trying to comfort the seemingly anxious and helpless young woman.

Under the gaze of five pairs of eyes, Xu You blurted out, “I like-”

“Because I like your company’s boss.”

The other four interviewers gasped in shock, while Zhou Siyu remained unfazed.

Taking a deep breath, Xu You added the second half of her sentence: “…management philosophy.”