Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 27

Zhou Siyu, along with her Cayenne, had disappeared for several days. Unlike the last time, this was a deliberate attempt to avoid her.

On Friday morning, Xu You followed her usual routine: after breakfast, she headed to the garage to drive to work. For several days in a row, her car had been parked in the same spot, away from the sports cars worth millions or even tens of millions and close to the exit for easy access.

Between her busy work at the company and the constant overthinking at home, she was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically. Dragging her feet, she walked to her car, pressed the unlock button, and was about to open the door and get in when she glanced up and spotted the familiar Cayenne parked next to hers. In a flash, she turned and dashed back into the villa.

“Miss Xu, did you forget something?” Aunt Zhang asked, holding a cleaning cloth.

Xu You stood by the door, leaning against the frame as she caught her breath. “Is my sister home now?”

“Well…” Aunt Zhang didn’t answer directly. Her troubled expression and evasive eyes drifted toward the second floor.

“I see.”

Xu You’s hand, which had been pressed against the doorframe, dropped abruptly to her side. Zhou Siyu was intentionally keeping her distance, and Xu You needed to act more maturely, giving her the space she clearly wanted.

Pressing the accelerator, the black Mini slowly made its way out of the villa complex. After driving alone for two days, Xu You had become fairly familiar with the route to the office. However, the chaotic morning rush hour traffic only gave her a headache, even allowing her to momentarily forget the issues between her and Zhou Siyu.

At a red light, the incessant blaring of horns echoed around her. In the adjacent lanes, drivers always seemed convinced that the other lanes were moving faster and more smoothly, leading to aggressive lane changes.

As the traffic light switched from red to yellow, she shifted into gear. When the car in front began to move, she slowly released the brake pedal and switched to the accelerator. The moment the soft sole of her shoe touched the gas pedal, a car suddenly swerved into her line of sight. Instinctively, she shifted her foot and slammed on the brakes.

Three cars came to a halt simultaneously. She saw the front end of a Mercedes from the left lane wedged between her car and the one in front, which had just started moving and was now jolted to a stop.

Before she could get out to assess the situation, an impact from behind sent her car lurching forward. Sitting inside, she could clearly feel her car’s front bumper scrape against something.

A few seconds later, the driver of the car in front, a woman around her age, got out and immediately went to inspect the damage. Just then, the passenger door of the Mercedes swung open, and a burly man stepped out, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth as he approached.

Xu You reluctantly got out of her car, and the drivers of all four vehicles gathered to discuss liability and compensation.

“I’ll cover the damages for the lady in front. The Mini driver, you pay for my car, and the one behind you will cover yours,” the burly man declared, the cigarette in his mouth trembling with each word as he laid out the responsibility in a few sentences.

The driver at the very back exploded in anger. “Why should I? If you hadn’t cut in, would we have collided? And who’s going to pay for my car? Tell me that.”

“That piece of junk of yours isn’t worth much. If you hadn’t rear-ended me, would my car door have gotten scratched?” The burly man removed the cigarette and pointed aggressively at the prominent scratch on the passenger door of his Mercedes.

“I don’t care. You’re being unreasonable. There’s no way I’m agreeing to what you said.”

“Let’s just go through insurance. What, can’t afford it or something?”

“Can’t you be more civilized…”

The two men inexplicably started arguing, and within minutes, the situation escalated to swinging fists, leaving both of them bloodied.

The female driver from the front car was stunned, pressing close to her vehicle to avoid being accidentally hurt. Xu You was also flustered, fishing her phone out of her pocket while dodging the two men’s back-and-forth scuffle as she explained the cause and the situation at the scene to the police.

Soon, the sound of sirens grew from a distance, and traffic police and officers arrived one after another.

“Stop!”

Under the stern reprimand, the two men finally ceased fighting. The ground was stained with blood on collars, indistinguishable whether it dripped from the burly man’s mouth or seeped from the other’s eye area.

In any case, the scene was gruesome.

The traffic accident had escalated into an administrative offense, some were dealing with the violence, others were inspecting the cars. Xu You and the female driver were called aside by the traffic police for questioning, and the road was gradually restored to order under their direction.

“Please describe how the accident occurred,” the traffic officer said, a body-worn camera fixed to his uniform, his expression serious.

The female driver glanced at the four cars clustered together nearby and stammered, “It… it was…”

“The light turned green, and we started moving normally. The Mercedes cut in hard from the left lane, didn’t have enough space, and hit the car in front. I braked suddenly, and the car behind couldn’t react in time, hitting mine and causing a secondary collision.” Seeing her falter, Xu You took over the explanation.

The female driver nodded. The traffic officer asked a few more routine questions, requesting they show their vehicle registration and driver’s licenses, and suggested they call their insurance companies to assess the costs.

When Xu You went to her car to retrieve the documents, she remembered the car had been arranged by Lu Ang, she didn’t have the registration and couldn’t contact the insurer.

The person the female driver called soon arrived at the scene. Clutching her phone, Xu You scrolled to the friend request Lu Ang had sent. After she left that day, he had sent a few more messages, mostly apologies, restrained and without pestering.

Accepting the request, Xu You dialed his WeChat number.

The receiver against her ear blared the loud theme song of Ultraman. Xu You’s eyelid twitched, and her gaze drifted aimlessly into the distance. A black car passed in the farthest lane, and her head turned ninety degrees, following it until it faded from view.

“Who is it? Disturbing my beauty sleep this early, are you insane?” Lu Ang’s irritable voice cursed from the other end.

Snapping back to reality, Xu You lowered her eyes. “It’s me, Xu You. The car’s been in an accident. I need to contact the insurance company, can you give me the number?”

Hearing it was Xu You, Lu Ang’s drowsiness vanished instantly. He bolted upright in bed, throwing off the covers as he reassured her, “Are you okay? Which road are you on? I’ll come find you right now.”

“I’m fine. Just give me the number,” Xu You replied with a helpless twist of her lips. “Don’t come. There are traffic police everywhere here.”

A low, magnetic chuckle sounded in her ear. “Don’t worry, I didn’t drink last night. Send me your location, I’m heading out now.” As he spoke, he grabbed a jacket from the hanger, changing out of his luxurious silk pajamas.

Imagining Lu Ang’s smirk sent a shiver down Xu You’s spine. Unable to argue with him, and since she had no experience dealing with insurance agents, she sent him the address.

The two men involved in the fight were giving their statements. The female driver and her insurance agent were discussing around the cars. Permitted to sit in her car to keep warm, Xu You rested her arms on the steering wheel, leaning forward with her eyes closed in contemplation.

Suddenly, a sharp honk sounded outside, and her phone rang in her pocket.

Thinking it was Lu Ang, Xu You slowly straightened up, her hand just dipping into her pocket when she noticed someone standing in front of her car.

An acquaintance, Zhou Siyu.

Holding his phone, Zhou Siyu stared at her through the windshield, his expression like that of a concerned parent, full of worry and reproach.

Xu You sat frozen in the car, forgetting to move. It wasn’t until Zhou Siyu opened the car door and pulled her out of the driver’s seat that she snapped back to reality. Zhou Siyu checked her over carefully, front and back, making sure she was unharmed.

Finally, Xu You had a chance to really look at Zhou Siyu’s face. Just as she had guessed, to avoid her, Zhou Siyu had been leaving early and returning late every day, severely lacking in rest. She looked utterly exhausted.

Zhou Siyu frowned, her voice icy. “Why didn’t you call me when this happened?”

Xu You wanted to reach out and comfort her, as she had before, but the words stuck in her throat, suffocated by Zhou Siyu’s accusatory tone.

“I could handle it,” Xu You replied.

And she had handled it well, calling the police immediately, cooperating with the traffic officers, contacting Lu Ang to sort out the insurance. She had handled it better than most adults would have.

“So, you weren’t going to tell me?” Zhou Siyu reached out to adjust Xu You’s scarf, but Xu You subtly avoided her touch. Zhou Siyu’s expression darkened.

Just then, a traffic officer who had noticed Xu You getting out of the car approached them and asked Zhou Siyu, “Are you her family or the insurance agent?”

Xu You stayed silent. At this point, she didn’t even know what Zhou Siyu was to her.

“Her boss,” Zhou Siyu answered, her face still grim.

The officer nodded and told them to wait for the insurance agent to arrive before discussing things further, then left. The two of them were left standing there, Xu You looking utterly bewildered.

“What’s this attitude you’re giving me? I don’t have time for these childish games. I told you that a long time ago,” Zhou Siyu said, restraining herself from saying anything harsher as she watched Xu You hold back her words.

Xu You froze, as if she had heard something unbelievable, shaking her head repeatedly as she stared at her sister.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Siyu held her head still, forcing her to calm down.

The morning wind suddenly felt bitingly cold, whipping against her face and stinging her eyes. It felt like shards of glass had been rubbed into her eyes, cutting deep with pain.

Under the warmth of Zhou Siyu’s palm, their body heat slowly mingled. After a long silence, Xu You finally spoke.

“I’m not giving you attitude, and I’m not playing childish games. You blamed me for drinking at the celebration banquet, but if I hadn’t, they would’ve found a way to force me. You said I wasn’t behaving, but I was just hurt. You didn’t want to see me, so I didn’t bother you and waited for you to come to me. I’m not throwing a tantrum. I didn’t tell you because this was just a small matter. You’re busy, and I didn’t want to worry you or cause you trouble.”

She paused, then added softly, “Besides, even if I called you, you might not have answered. I didn’t want to get my hopes up for nothing.”

Zhou Siyu’s heart sank at the mention of her not answering the phone. “When did you call me?”

“Do you really want to know?” Xu You asked.

Zhou Siyu didn’t respond. Xu You forced a cold smile. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

How ordinary was it for a boss not to answer an employee’s call? Her call couldn’t possibly compare to work or Zhou Siyu’s friends.

Zhou Siyu’s jaw tightened. If they weren’t on the street dealing with the car situation, she would’ve shoved Xu You into her car, driven home, and made her understand just how hurtful her words had been.

In the midst of their standoff, Xu You suddenly waved at someone behind Zhou Siyu. Suspicious, Zhou Siyu turned and saw Lu Ang. Her eyes instantly frosted over, and a chill emanated from her.

He had come in his pajamas.

“Why did you call him?” Zhou Siyu asked Xu You in a low voice, feeling a surge of resistance toward Lu Ang for the first time.

As the closest person, Xu You’s decision to contact Lu Ang, with whom she had previous conflicts, instead of reaching out to her, doubled Zhou Siyu’s irritation.

Xu You lowered her hand. “You were the one who said to contact him about the car.”

Zhou Siyu had forgotten she ever said that. Chagrined, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs before exhaling slowly.

“Old Zhou, you’re here?” Young Master Lu walked over, greeting her cheerfully before turning to Xu You. “Kid, the insurance agent will be here in a bit.”