Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 2

Zhou Siyu was a pervert, an out-and-out pervert.

She adored all flawless works of art while simultaneously reveling in the process of tormenting and destroying them after acquiring them.

Just like the stack of antique porcelain plates that had briefly appeared in the kitchen and bedroom a few days ago, she had gone to great lengths to collect them, forced Xu You to lick them, and then ruthlessly smashed every single one to pieces.

Just like last night’s pajamas, and today’s Xu You.

The warm winter sun was gentle, its rays filtered through the sheer curtains and falling in faint, scattered strands across Xu You’s bare back.

Xu You was extremely fair-skinned, her complexion even purer and more flawless than the most pristine mutton-fat jade, smooth and delicate. The silk quilt draped over her rose and fell with her shallow breaths, and even the slanting sunlight seemed to dim around her.

She wasn’t sleeping deeply. Her arm, pinned beneath her for a long time, had grown numb and swollen. Instinctively, she shifted, and the quilt slipped down, revealing scattered red marks, dense, both terrifying and strikingly beautiful.

Zhou Siyu had possessed her. Zhou Siyu had marred her.

Her collarbone, chest, forearms, even between her thighs, everywhere bore her marks.

A shocking sight.

The villa was quiet. Separated by several doors and two floors, the sounds of Aunt Zhang tidying the kitchenware didn’t reach upstairs at all. Xu You’s eyes snapped open with a gasp.

Her hand instinctively reached for the empty space beside her. The cool touch of the sheets made her pull the quilt closer as she sat up against the headboard, breathing heavily as if she had narrowly escaped death.

The dream had felt too real. As she recalled the scenes from it, her thoughts drifted back to the day she first met Zhou Siyu.

It was also winter. A child from the south who had never experienced a northern winter had no real understanding of the cold. She had only worn a coat when she came to Beicheng to meet the teaching assistant from her summer training program.

The assistant, a local of Beicheng, had taken a liking to Xu You, this soft, gentle girl from the south, from their very first meeting. Hearing that Xu You was preparing a portfolio to apply to universities abroad, she recommended the best institution for her.

Xu You flew to Beicheng alone, submitted her artwork, and before returning to Hushi, accepted an invitation to visit the assistant’s university, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the top art institution in the country.

They had agreed to meet at the school gate, and Xu You intentionally arrived half an hour early.

She truly hadn’t known that the northern wind could cut so deeply. Even bundled tightly in her coat, her skin contracted uncontrollably, and she trembled violently.

It was at that moment that Zhou Siyu appeared. She was dressed even more lightly than Xu You, her thin trench coat hanging open to hint at her delicate curves, a shopping bag from the same brand in her hand.

She stopped, right in front of Xu You.

When Xu You saw Zhou Siyu’s face, her heart skipped a beat, and she even forgot the instinctive shivering of her body.

With that one glance, Xu You confirmed her sexual orientation… she liked girls, girls like Zhou Siyu.

Her stalled heartbeat revived, pounding thunderously in her ears. Xu You tried her best to conceal her nearly frantic thoughts, pretending nonchalance as she stole glances at Zhou Siyu.

Xu You wasn’t short for a girl. Wearing flat shoes just like Zhou Siyu, she had to tilt her head up slightly to look at her. Zhou Siyu’s deep brown hair was lazily clipped at the back, revealing the clean lines of her face. Her double eyelids were not wide, her brow tails slightly raised, and there was an indescribable aloofness in her expression.

A face that warned strangers to keep their distance, but in Xu You’s eyes, it became an irresistibly tempting delicacy, one she wanted to devour whole.

Zhou Siyu was a few years older than Xu You. The young girl’s eyes shimmered with a faint red glow, her intentions utterly transparent as she curved her lips into a smile.

Xu You stared, dumbstruck.

“A student from the Central Academy of Fine Arts?” Zhou Siyu spoke, shifting slightly to shield her from a sudden gust of chilly wind.

Xu You’s mind had already short-circuited, and she stared back blankly.

Zhou Siyu didn’t wait for her reply and continued, “What’s your name?”

“Xu You. The ‘Xu’ from ‘wish,’ and ‘You’ from ‘leisurely.’”

“Xu You?”

Friends, teachers… countless people had called her name. Yet when those two simple syllables were chewed over and spoken by the woman before her, they took on an entirely different flavor. The rising lilt at the end was like a tiny hook, scratching at her heart in a strangely pleasant way.

“Are you cold?”

Xu You shook her head, hiding her bloodless, frozen hands behind her back. The movement was too conspicuous, and she realized how deliberate it seemed. Steeling herself, she met Zhou Siyu’s deep, consuming gaze.

The adorable baby fat on her cheeks hadn’t completely faded, and the tip of her nose and corners of her eyes were tinged pink, making her look like a little white rabbit waiting to be devoured.

Zhou Siyu stepped forward calmly, retrieved a cashmere plaid scarf from its packaging, and in a few swift motions, wrapped it around Xu You’s slender neck. Seeing half of her face obscured, she stepped back, satisfied.

The camel-colored scarf and Zhou Siyu’s trench coat were from the same brand. Standing slightly offset, they looked like an intimately close couple from a distance.

Xu You felt a brief flush of shyness, then remembered she owned the exact same scarf. The price tag flashed in her mind, and she quickly took it off, holding it out to Zhou Siyu.

Zhou Siyu didn’t reach for it, so Xu You extended it further. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.”

“Are you sure?” Zhou Siyu raised a single eyebrow, as if saying she had already seen right through her.

Xu You’s face reddened slightly, stubbornly refusing to withdraw her hand. But the moment she uttered the word “sure,” a sudden rush of cold air shot up her nose, triggering a loud sneeze.

This little white rabbit was quite the tough talker.

“Alright.”

Zhou Siyu took the scarf from her hands, and just as Xu You was about to exhale her tension, she wrapped it snugly around her once more.

“I’m the one insisting on giving it to you,” Zhou Siyu said, leaning in to close the distance between them, her sharp gaze locking onto Xu You’s. “Remember, my name is Zhou Siyu.”

Xu You repeated her name softly.

Zhou Siyu suddenly laughed.

Was she that funny?

Reading the unease and hurt in Xu You’s expression, Zhou Siyu straightened up, her expression softening as she patted Xu You’s head gently. “Sorry.”

The gentle touch on her head, coupled with Zhou Siyu’s magnetic voice, made Xu You wave her hand dismissively. Before she could accept the apology, Zhou Siyu’s next words froze her in place.

“You’re too adorable.”

“Would you consider being with me?”

“I can pay whatever amount you want.”

Xu You’s face flushed, then paled, then flushed again. At eighteen years old, this was the first time someone had openly proposed keeping her as a mistress.

She couldn’t understand it.

Her appearance wasn’t the type traditionally associated with that kind of arrangement.

Beyond that, what stung more was the humiliation of being looked down upon, her self-respect trampled.

Xu You clearly remembered refusing Zhou Siyu’s offer that day, unwinding the scarf from her neck and tossing it back as quickly as she could. A call from her senior had saved her from the awkward situation. It wasn’t until she returned to Shanghai from Beijing that she discovered a business card tucked unknowingly into her pocket, bearing Zhou Siyu’s information.

[Zhou Siyu – Executive Director, YUYOO Games]

That day she hadn’t agreed to Zhou Siyu’s proposal, but she hadn’t refused either. When Yu Yao shook her shoulders in frustration, lamenting her indecisiveness, Zhou Siyu’s face surfaced in her mind, her heart still pounding.

In the dream she just had, the first half mirrored that day exactly, with the only difference being that she had outright said no.

Now, she couldn’t imagine life without Zhou Siyu, to the point that even a refusal in her dream left her with lingering fear.

Xu You slowly regained her composure, pressing a hand to her chest as a wave of relief washed over her, like having narrowly escaped disaster.

Aunt Zhang, unaware of the commotion upstairs, was still tidying up the items Zhou Siyu had brought back. She occasionally wondered why things that had been there just days before would vanish from their spots without a trace, leaving the display cabinets in the villa perpetually with empty spaces.

Had she bothered to check the trash in the upstairs rooms, she might have discovered their whereabouts.

Yawning lazily, Xu You felt every cell in her body awaken. She threw off the covers, her jade-like toes searching for her slippers before slipping her feet into them.

Rising from the bed, she braced herself mentally but still nearly stumbled from the soreness between her legs, steadying herself just in time.

The pajamas delivered yesterday morning had been reduced to shreds of fabric in less than twenty-four hours, scattered across the carpet.

After tidying up the room, Xu You took a quick shower. Kiss marks, more chaotic than the shredded fabric, covered her body. She picked out a long-sleeved nightgown from the wardrobe, changed into it, and took the soiled bedsheets and duvet covers downstairs to the laundry room.

“Miss Xu, you’re awake,” Aunt Zhang greeted her, taking the laundry from her hands as she happened to be there to hang clothes.

Xu You’s smooth, long hair shifted with her movements, and Aunt Zhang gasped softly at the sight of the reddish-purple marks on her neck.

Recovering quickly, Aunt Zhang said, “Before leaving, Ms. Zhou asked me to prepare bird’s nest soup for you. She said you should have some after waking up. I’ll fetch it for you now.”

Zhou Siyu truly treated her impeccably. Aside from the monthly deposit of 100,000 yuan, she never failed to provide the latest luxury brand items, handbags, and nourishing supplements.

Xu You nodded, happiness bubbling inside her.

After Aunt Zhang started the washing machine and headed to the kitchen, Xu You took out her phone and sent messages to Zhou Siyu.

[YOYO: Did you have breakfast before leaving? Will you be back for dinner tonight?]
[YOYO: Next time, can you avoid leaving marks on my neck? Aunt Zhang saw them.]
[YOYO: I want to go sketching in the suburbs this weekend. Do you have time to join me?]

One was busy, the other idle, it was always Xu You sending messages nonstop, with Zhou Siyu replying sporadically.

Sitting at the dining table, Xu You’s long-silent phone buzzed twice. The spoon in her hand clattered back into the bowl. Unlocking her phone, she found an email from YUYOO.

[Dear Ms. Xu You,
Thank you for your trust in YUYOO. We are pleased to inform you that you have passed the initial interview for the Game Character Designer position. The details for the final interview: time, location, and required materials are attached to this email. Please prepare accordingly and attend punctually.]

Just as Xu You was about to share the news of passing the initial interview with Yu Yao, her phone vibrated again.

Surprisingly, Zhou Siyu didn’t selectively reply to one of her messages as usual. Instead, she sent two in a row.

[Zhou Zhou Jiejie: Dinner tonight with Zhao Ziru and Lu Ang. The driver will pick you up around 5 p.m.]
[Zhou Zhou Jiejie: Are you interning at the company?]