Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 26

The mark on her neck was faint, and the process of leaving it hadn’t been particularly painful. Xu You straddled Zhou Siyu, her hands interlaced to cushion the back of Zhou’s neck.

The scents of two different types of liquor intertwined as the car sped along, neon lights retreating past the windows, leaving blurred afterimages.

Xu You felt the hand at her waist tighten. Her soft waist pressed firmly against the hollow of Zhou Siyu’s palm, a grip that felt both punishing and caressing, perfectly in line with Zhou Siyu’s character. She was making a statement in her own way.

She was angry.

Xu You lowered her shoulders, aligning their gazes.

Zhou Siyu allowed her to look, allowed her to draw near, but just as her lips were about to touch Zhou Siyu’s, Zhou Siyu turned her head away, letting her feel a fleeting softness, something she wanted but couldn’t have.

“Didn’t you see my message?” Zhou released one hand, pressed it against the back of the front seat, and shifted forward, forcing Xu You to lean back against her arm.

Half of Xu You’s back was suspended mid-air, lacking sufficient support. Afraid of falling, she wrapped her legs around Zhou Siyu’s waist, her crossed fingers clutching tightly, as if trying to lock herself to Zhou.

Holding her breath, her core aching faintly, she whispered tremulously, mindful of Xiao Fu in the car, “I’m going to fall.”

Zhou Siyu didn’t respond. Instead, after staring at her in silence for a few seconds, she asked, “Why did you drink?”

Normally, Xu You would have launched into a lengthy explanation, but perhaps it was the alcohol coursing through her veins, the question left her dizzy.

Why?

Given a choice, who would willingly risk a stomach perforation by downing a whole pot of baijiu? Only a madman or a fool. She had no masochistic tendencies in this regard, it was only because she was the lowliest intern, and the other party was the department head who held power over their fates.

The gaoliang wine she had consumed earlier now seemed to surge back up due to her awkward position, burning her insides and assaulting her nostrils with its pungent odor.

She didn’t cry. Instead, she went limp as if surrendering everything, entrusting her back to Zhou Siyu, letting the full weight of her upper body rest on that slender yet strong arm. Her misty eyes gazed at Zhou Siyu with resentment.

Zhou Siyu disliked this kind of push-and-pull. In her view, a question deserved an answer. What Xu You was doing tested her patience and was, frankly, rude.

“Answer me.”

The forceful, uncompromising tone ignited Xu You’s defiance. The more Zhou Siyu pressed her to yield, the more stubborn she became.

At an impasse, as they reached an intersection, Zhou Siyu abruptly withdrew her supporting hand. Numbed by alcohol, Xu You instinctively let go the moment she felt herself losing balance, stumbling backward as if about to land on her head.

Blood rushed to her brain. Panicked, she flailed her arms wildly.

Zhou Siyu had only meant to show her that she could rely on her, that she could cling to her. But the sight of Xu You’s terrified expression sent a jolt of alarm through her. Before Xu You could fall, Zhou reached out and pulled her back into her arms.

“Why did you let go?” she blurted out, her tone accusatory without her even realizing it.

Xu You, still shaken, lay limp in her embrace like a ragdoll without a soul, silent and devoid of emotion.

Time crawled forward sluggishly, each minute and second feeling as if drenched by tidal waters, inching along slowly. The car stopped at the main gate of the villa. Late at night, Aunt Zhang had already left. Only a dim yellow light glowed at the entrance of the three-story house.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, with Xu You surprisingly not at a disadvantage for once.

Inside the stationary car, they still held each other in an embrace, appearing intimate and inseparable. Yet, Zhou Siyu’s expression was cold and detached, while Xu You stubbornly dug her nails into her own hand.

“Boss?” Xiao Fu, thinking the journey had taken too long and the two in the back had fallen asleep, spoke softly.

The rearview mirror showed only darkness.

Xu You gritted her teeth in silence, her stiff and numb arm pulling away as the embrace around her waist vanished instantly. She froze for a few seconds before mechanically disentangling herself from Zhou Siyu. Clutching her bag, she stooped and moved toward the door.

“Open the door.”

Her hoarse voice reached the driver’s seat. Xiao Fu responded with an “Okay” and quickly pressed the unlock button.

The wind, finding an opening, rushed recklessly into the car, sweeping away the accumulated warmth in an instant. Xu You was jolted awake by the sudden chill. Stepping down from the car, her legs felt numb from the prolonged twisted posture. As blood rushed back to her limbs, her first step felt as if she were stepping on cotton, unsteady and wavering before she barely managed to stand firm.

She guessed Zhou Siyu wouldn’t embarrass her in front of Xiao Fu. Standing in the cold wind for a while, she heard no movement from behind. Swallowing hard, she pushed open the metal gate and walked into the front yard.

“Boss, Miss Xu has gone inside,” Xiao Fu reported, watching through the glass as the villa door opened in the distance and Xu You disappeared inside.

The door remained ajar, the warm light from inside spilling onto the doorstep, painting a cozy scene. It wasn’t until a light flickered on in one of the rooms on the second floor that Zhou Siyu wordlessly rose and left.

With her coat draped over her arm, Xu You leaned against the corner of the walk-in closet, closing her eyes in anguish. She wondered if she had been too stubborn, if she had just drunk that glass of wine, would Zhou Siyu not have been angry? If she had acted a little coquettishly in the car, would they not have ended up in such a tense standoff?

A door closed downstairs. Her eyes snapped open, and without bothering to hang up her coat, she tossed it onto the counter and hurried toward the door.

But what she waited for was not the arrival of her lover, it was the sound of another door closing.

Close by, likely from the guest room next door.

Did Zhou Siyu not even want to see her?

Xu You braced herself against the wall, the raised patterns of the wallpaper imprinting on her palm as she struggled to steady herself. The villa’s soundproofing was excellent; even through a single wall, she couldn’t hear a single sound from the other side.

Her phone, weighing down the fabric of her coat pocket, fell to the carpet with a dull thud. Only then did she turn and walk back to the closet, hang up her clothes, retrieve her pajamas, and take a shower before lying down in bed.

Her mind was restless, and even in her dreams, she was haunted by scenes of arguments.

As the first light of dawn brushed the horizon, Xu You broke free from her nightmares and opened her eyes. Her throat felt scratchy and sore with each breath. She threw off the covers and went downstairs to pour herself a glass of warm water.

It wasn’t yet Aunt Zhang’s working hours, and the villa felt so empty and quiet, as if she were the only one there. Gulping down half the glass of water, she trudged heavily back to the second floor.

Standing in front of Zhou Siyu’s door, her heart raced to its peak before gradually calming down after a long while.

That closed door was neither knocked on nor opened by her. Xu You simply imagined Zhou Siyu fast asleep and ultimately decided to act like a mature adult, to give each other space. She left early for the company, ready to face her manageable colleagues.

A little past nine, the electronic beep of a card swipe echoed from the office entrance. Xu You turned and met the gaze of the person who had just arrived. The person naturally walked over to greet her.

“Xiao Xu, good morning.”

Xu You remembered her surname was Zhu and stood up awkwardly. “Good morning, Sister Zhu.”

“Don’t be so formal. Is your husband a businessman?” She winked suggestively.

It must have been the car that picked her up yesterday that gave everyone this impression. Xu You nodded but didn’t offer any additional details.

“Lucky you. Not like us, working ourselves to the bone for years and still unable to afford a house or car payments.” She sighed dramatically, clicked her tongue twice, then returned to her workstation to begin working.

By the time Team Leader Qian arrived, a small crowd had just dispersed from Xu You’s desk. Not wanting to join the commotion, she sent a message advising Xu You to keep a low profile and share less about her personal circumstances.

After Xu You left yesterday, the department’s gossip had spiraled into wild speculation. Though the department head earned a high salary, he had family to support and only drove a performance car worth just over 300,000 yuan. Seeing Xu You being chauffeur-driven had visibly upset him. Li Rui fanned the flames, and soon Xu You’s status as a “mistress” or “homewrecker” was treated as confirmed.

Xu You glanced at Li Rui’s workstation and shook her head helplessly.

[YOYO-chan: Team Leader Qian, what if what she’s saying is true?]

She sent the message half-jokingly just as the rumor-mongerer entered the department arm-in-arm with her friend, clocking in.

Her phone vibrated on the desk. Just as Xu You read Team Leader Qian’s reply, a shadow fell over her.

“Weren’t you tired from last night? Why are you here so early?” The friend’s tone, pretending concern for each other, attracted several colleagues’ attention. Only Xu You, standing less than two steps away, could see the undisguised mockery in Li Rui and Ouyang’s eyes.

Ouyang feigned surprise. “Oh my, Xiao Xu, look at those dark circles under your eyes. You didn’t sleep well last night, did you? Really now, our department isn’t some cutthroat environment where you have to work yourself to death to survive. You should take better care of your health.”

A true artist of words, with one sentence, she not only prompted everyone to speculate about Xu You’s identity but also implied that Xu You’s presence posed a threat to them all.

Xu You looked up. She had deliberately chosen oversized black-framed glasses before leaving home; even up close, it was hard to notice anything amiss without careful inspection. As colleagues focused on the upper half of her face following Ouyang’s exclamation, she frowned in irritation.

“Thank you for your concern.” There was nothing else she wanted to say.

Both women were momentarily speechless at her attitude. Ouyang returned to her workstation first, leaving Li Rui as the main force to engage in one-on-one close combat.

“Don’t get cocky. I made sure you had no friends in school, and I can make you the subject of office gossip here too, entertainment for everyone during their breaks.”

Li Rui placed her hand on the back of the chair, the same spot Zhou Siyu had touched yesterday. Xu You coldly watched her spin the chair and used the momentum to move her own hand away.

“In school, I didn’t care. Here, it’s the same. If you have the means to use money and connections to pass various exams and competitions, I have the means to always stay beyond your reach and watch you spiral.” After saying this, Xu You picked up her phone and water cup to fetch water from the pantry.

Left standing alone, Li Rui couldn’t make a scene and quickly returned to her workstation. The wind from her swinging clothes rustled papers on the desk. She picked one up, glanced at its contents, and then revealed a strangely sinister smirk.

Xu You pressed the hot water button, planning to reply to Team Leader Qian’s message.

[Qian Doudou: If you break the law, the legal system will punish you. If you violate ethics, morality will restrain you. Until then, I believe you’re a good kid.]

That was the earlier message. The one below was sent more recently.

[Qian Doudou: Are you okay?]

Xu You tapped rapidly on her keyboard.

[YOYO-chan: I’m fine.]

The water level rose, nearing the rim of her cup. She quickly pressed pause and continued typing.

[YOYO-chan: I want to go out for lunch today, sorry, can’t join you.]

One second later.

[Qian Doudou: Okay.]

One worried the other couldn’t handle the malice, the other worried the first would face criticism because of her, it was rare in the department to find such genuine care reciprocated.

That afternoon, the department head brought a new task: the company had taken on a small traditional-style dress-up game. The programming was simple, but the character designs were complex, leaving most of the workload piled on their design department.

Xu You’s team was responsible for designing Republic of China-era costumes. After a meeting to assign tasks, they had a two-week deadline, with each person required to submit over ten complete drafts. On the very first day, Xu You stayed at the office until 11 p.m.

Lost in her work, no one except Team Leader Qian greeted her. Unaware that everyone else had left and all lights outside her area had been turned off, she hurriedly took the elevator down to the parking garage.

The parking lot was empty, her footsteps echoing. Her Mini, nestled beside Zhou Siyu’s Ferrari in his reserved spot, looked petite and endearing. Slipping into her car and locking the doors, Xu You suddenly felt an urge to message Zhou Siyu and show vulnerability.

No sooner thought than done.

She dialed his number, but a cold female voice informed her: the phone was powered off.