Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 30

When Xu You asked this question, her eyes held a glimmer of hope as she looked at Zhou Siyu.

Zhou Siyu was also looking at her.

No matter how open-minded or liberal parents might be, no family would want to hear that their child was selling their body outside. The fact that she had managed to hide her family situation for so long meant she had been avoiding it all along.

Her phone was still vibrating incessantly. Xu You’s expression shifted from hopeful to pleading, then gradually to disappointment.

“Alright.” Zhou Siyu’s deep pupils reflected the girl’s small figure. Though she had initially intended to refuse, her eyes wavered slightly before she agreed.

Overjoyed by the response, Xu You leaped up from her chair. Only when her phone hit her bone, causing a sharp pain, did she settle down, grimacing as she answered her sister’s video call.

“Xu You!” Xu Tian had propped up her phone, and the three family members sat before the camera, scrutinizing the two of them.

Zhou Siyu pulled up a chair and sat beside Xu You so they could see her clearly.

Xu’s mother couldn’t wait: “Sweetheart, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Xu You glanced at Zhou Siyu, her fists just beginning to clench, when Zhou Siyu spoke calmly, “Uncle, Aunt, and…” She paused, unsure of the sister’s name.

“My sister, Xu Tian,” Xu You relaxed her hands and supplied.

“Xu Tian, nice to meet you all.” Zhou Siyu held Xu You’s hand, displaying it in the camera frame. “My name is Zhou Siyu. I’m Youyou’s girlfriend.”

Upon hearing Zhou Siyu’s introduction, Xu Tian let out a loud shriek. Her daily language was English, and she chattered excitedly to her parents in a rapid stream of words. Despite the speed, Zhou Siyu caught almost every word.

“Mom, Dad, Sister is so cool! Her girlfriend has such a vibe!”

“Look closely, they’re such a perfect match…”

It was exactly the kind of thing a young girl would say.

While Xu Tian’s excited chatter dominated the conversation, Xu You had lost all ability to think the moment she heard the word “girlfriend.”

She had thought she would be the one to introduce Zhou Siyu, and that Zhou Siyu was merely appearing to placate her family. But hearing “girlfriend” from Zhou Siyu’s lips set off a grand fireworks display in her heart.

“Tiantian, calm down,” Xu’s mother tried to rein in her ecstatic younger daughter.

Xu’s father had remained silent and unexpressive. Having met many people in his life, he could tell at a glance that Zhou Siyu was no ordinary person.

His gaze, spanning thousands of miles, settled on Zhou Siyu’s face, meeting her eyes. He deliberately darkened his expression to exert pressure, but she remained unfazed, composed and unruffled.

“How long have you two been together?” After a long pause, as Xu Tian finally calmed down, Xu’s father spoke up.

“Four years,” Xu You answered.

Zhou Siyu suddenly smiled, affectionately squeezing Xu You’s hand, and said to the camera, “Youyou misremembered. We met four years ago, but we officially started dating during the summer after her college entrance exams. So, it’s been three and a half years now.”

Xu’s father’s eyes darkened. The timeline was clear: four years ago, his daughter had refused to study abroad, most likely for the sake of this formidable woman. Someone so meticulous with her words was likely even more cautious in her actions. Their naive daughter probably had no idea how she was being manipulated behind the scenes.

Xu You, belatedly realizing her mistake, nodded vigorously in agreement, inadvertently exposing the real reason she hadn’t wanted to go abroad. At this critical moment, she was bound to be lectured.

Seeing Xu You’s agreement, Xu’s father closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His suspicions had just been confirmed.

“Sister Zhou, how did you and my sister meet?” Teenagers always love a bit of gossip, and Xu’s mother was curious too. Ignoring her husband’s state, she smiled affectionately, waiting to hear the story.

Zhou Siyu shifted her gaze from Xu father’s gloomy face. “Love at first sight.”

“Wow!” Xu Tian exclaimed excitedly once again.

Xu You listened to this version that didn’t quite match reality, Zhou Siyu falling for her at first sight, pursuing her, and her agreeing to stay with her. It seemed like a reasonable and normal progression for a story, albeit carefully edited, with the roles reversed: she was the one who had taken the initiative.

“Is that so?” Xu father’s sudden remark shattered the sweet atmosphere.

Zhou Siyu nudged Xu You’s shoulder, and Xu You felt a pang of guilt but forced herself to maintain composure. “Yes, she’s very busy with work, and I have school, so we never got around to telling you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that,” Xu’s mother said, her eyes shimmering with sympathy. “We haven’t been attentive enough to you. As long as you’re happy, we’re happy too.”

Xu You simply said she was very happy.

Over the next ten minutes, Zhou Siyu fielded a barrage of questions from Xu Tian, answering each one skillfully. Just as the mood settled, Xu’s father couldn’t resist disrupting it again.

“I heard you’re six years older than our Youyou?” His emotions were written all over his face.

Zhou Siyu straightened up. “Yes.”

“Since you’ve been together for so long, have you considered marriage?”

Her father’s question struck Xu You like a thunderbolt. She knew Zhou Siyu had very clear boundaries when it came to relationships. After all this time together, today was the first time she’d heard Zhou refer to her as her girlfriend. Marriage was something she didn’t dare even think about.

But now that her father had brought it up, she couldn’t help but wonder how Zhou Siyu would respond.

Was this pushing her to her limit? Would she expose the truth or continue playing along? It was a mystery.

“I’d like to wait until Youyou is a bit older to discuss it. She hasn’t graduated from university yet, nor has she officially stepped into society. What if she meets someone better and wants to explore that? I don’t want an early commitment to restrict her choices.”

Xu father pressed further, “Are you not confident in yourself?”

“Not at all,” Zhou Siyu countered. “If I said I wanted to marry Xu You right now, would you agree?”

“Of course not,” Xu father replied without hesitation.

Zhou Siyu raised an eyebrow, leaving it at that.

Xu You’s heart had already chilled at the mention of “someone better” and “early commitment.” Zhou hadn’t outright exposed their relationship, she had placated her parents while subtly reminding Xu You of her place.

She was playing along in this act, reminding the lead actress not to get too deeply invested.

Firming up her own role, Xu You forced a sweet smile. “It’s getting late, we should have dinner. Let’s talk again when we have more time.”

Xu father nodded, seemingly eager to end the call and convene a new family meeting. Xu mother and Xu Tian bid them a warm farewell. Just before hanging up, Xu Tian picked up the phone and said to Zhou Siyu, “Sister Zhou, we’ll be visiting Beicheng soon. You and Youyou have to come pick us up, okay?” Xu Tian remained as cheerful as ever.

Xu You felt the person beside her stiffen for a moment before quickly returning to normal. “Sure, we’ll coordinate then.”

Beep. The call ended.

Setting down the phone, Xu You quietly shifted away, putting a little more distance between herself and Zhou Siyu.

Zhou Siyu noticed her subtle movement and caught her wrist. Recently, Xu You seemed to be afraid of her, speaking and acting cautiously as if trying hard to maintain distance, this was not good.

“Are you dissatisfied with my answer?” Zhou Siyu cut straight to the point.

“No, it’s just that they were too excited. You answered very well,” Xu You quickly replied. “By the way, my sister was just joking. I’ll go pick them up later, though I might have to leave home for a few days.”

Zhou Siyu felt inexplicably irritated and her tone sharpened. “You don’t want me to meet them?”

“It’s too much trouble, and besides…” Xu You hesitated.

“Besides what?” she pressed.

“Besides, they don’t know the real nature of our relationship. If they take it seriously, it’ll be hard to explain later.”

“What’s so hard to explain? Couples break up, marriages end in divorce. If they come, I’ll host them with you.” Her tone left no room for argument. Xu You wanted to say more, her chest rising and falling, but in the end, she slowly released the breath she’d been holding.

No expectations, no need for arguments.

That weekend, Zhou Siyu was unusually home all day. For dinner, she gave Aunt Zhang the day off.

On Sunday, she left traces of herself in every corner of the room with Xu You, incidentally breaking another blue-and-white porcelain vase a friend had gifted them. They skipped all three meals, and Xu You eventually passed out, unsure whether from exhaustion or hunger.

Life seemed to be getting back on track.

Over the two-week project period, which included two weekends, Xu You met with the grandmothers four times. She completed the ten design drafts assigned to her and also painted personalized oil portraits for each of the grandmothers.

After the near-death incident, Zhou Siyu had been gentle for a long time, causing Xu You’s busy heart, which had no room for overthinking, to plunge back into the honey jar of love.

…

On December 18th, another cold wave hit Beicheng.

Before heading out, Zhou Siyu made sure to wrap Xu You in the new scarf sent from the boutique. Satisfied to see her bundled up tightly in a long down coat, she got into the car and took on the role of navigator.

Xu You kept a moderate distance from the car ahead. Just after setting off, as they approached the second traffic light, snowflakes began to drift from the sky.

With the car stopped, Xu You took out her phone, snapped a photo, and posted it on her social media to share the first snow with her friends. By the time the light turned green, she had already received several comments.

[Zhou Zhou Jiejie: Focus on driving.]

[Qian Doudou: So beautiful!]

[Tian Tian: Wow, I finally get to see snow in December!]

She skimmed through them, and as the yellow light started flashing, she quickly put down her phone, ready to release the brake and go.

Her phone, tossed into the passenger seat, buzzed angrily. There was no time to see who was calling before the light turned green. She quickly reached out and tapped the answer button on the touchscreen.

“Hello.”

Zhou Siyu’s cool voice emanated from over a dozen speakers in the car, instantly enveloping her.

“What’s up?” Xu You sounded cheerful, her tone drawn out and clearly flirtatious.

Zhou Siyu chuckled softly. “Didn’t you say you wanted to watch the first snow together?”

Xu You followed the Cayenne ahead as it signaled a right turn, her response automatic. “Watch the first snow together? What do you mean?”

Zhou Siyu didn’t explain. Once the road conditions allowed, she gently turned the steering wheel to the right, smoothly merging into the adjacent lane before straightening it out again.

The car in the right lane behind her was following closely. Xu You had tried several times but couldn’t successfully change lanes. She was too preoccupied with the urgency of the situation to give much thought to the first snow. Carefully checking the right rearview mirror, she noticed Zhou Siyu’s car window had been rolled down partway.

In the cold of winter, she still kept her short hair neatly tied back, revealing a clear profile that seemed to radiate an icy, unapproachable aura.

At the sight, Xu You’s hands trembled slightly, causing the car to sway and startling the vehicle behind into braking. The warning lights flashed in the rearview mirror.

“Don’t move; there’s no need to change lanes.” Watching Xu You drive made her nervous, and she didn’t want her overthinking things, so she directly gave the correct answer: “Your social media caption.”

“I want to watch the first snow with you.” She repeated it word by word, deliberately.

Xu You let out a soft gasp. Hearing such cheesy words from her own lips made her want to take off into the sky right then and there.

Zhou Siyu, however, seemed unfazed. “I’m ahead of you. Whatever you see, I’ll see too. If we’re side by side, that still counts as watching the same snowflakes and enjoying the snow together.”

The right-side window was already down, and snowflakes drifted into the car, melting into droplets within seconds. The fierce wind carried away some of the warmth, while the liquefaction absorbed more. Logically, the car’s interior, now at the same temperature as outside, should have felt freezing, but Xu You felt a warmth spread through her body because of Zhou Siyu’s words.

The two of them foolishly let the cold wind blow in for a while longer until the lane ahead narrowed, forcing Zhou Siyu to merge back into her original lane. Only then did they reluctantly roll up their windows.

Before heading out, Xu You had bundled up well, with her mouth and nose wrapped in a scarf. Zhou Siyu, however, had been exposed to the wind the whole time, and now her nose and throat were filled with cold air, making her cough lightly a few times.

“Did you bring the ginger soup Aunt Zhang prepared?” Xu You asked anxiously.

Zhou Siyu started to speak but coughed twice first. “Yes, I brought it.”

Xu You sighed in relief and began to mutter, “We can watch the snow together at the office too. We’re not young anymore, there’s no need… really, no need.”

Though she said it wasn’t necessary, her smile was sweeter than anyone’s.

Zhou Siyu suddenly felt better, as if her lungs weren’t dry and her throat didn’t hurt anymore. “Are you looking down on me for being old?””

Xu You bit her lip, holding back laughter and refusing to answer.

“Say something.”

“Xu You.”

Zhou Siyu called her name twice in a dark, teasing tone, but Xu You remained silent each time. The frustrated woman conveyed her displeasure with a pout.

While driving straight, she wanted to call back but couldn’t manage it. After a few kilometers, her Bluetooth-connected touchscreen finally lit up with an incoming call notification.

Without a second thought, Xu You answered, putting on her sweetest, most coquettish voice with ten times the usual effort: “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t think you’re old. You’re the youngest, the strongest, the most-”

“Ahem.” A middle-aged male voice cut her off before she could continue.

At that moment, Xu You felt the air around her freeze solid. Earlier, she had wanted to take off into the sky, but that plan was premature. Now was the real moment for liftoff.

Xu You’s began to doubt his earlier judgment. Maybe he had been wrong; perhaps these two really were in a relationship.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Xu You smoothed out her strained voice. “Dad.”

A few seconds of silence passed before father and daughter simultaneously let out equally awkward sounds.

“Your younger sister fractured her leg when she was knocked over by an opponent during soccer. It’s not convenient for us to travel now, so we’ve decided to cancel this trip.”

After their last video call, their relationship had grown much closer. She had accepted that they were coming and had even started to look forward to it. Hearing this news now left her stunned, especially since her sister had commented on her social media post just over ten minutes ago.

“Won’t you and Mom come either?” Xu You pressed further.

Dad replied briefly in English before hurriedly saying, “Yes, we need to take care of your sister. The hospital is quite busy, so I’ll hang up now.”

Without even giving her a chance to say goodbye, Xu You was forced to end the call.

If she were injured, would her parents come back to take care of her?

The thought flashed through Xu You’s mind as she stared blankly at the Cayenne ahead. Soon, she reconciled with herself and calmed down.

She was already an adult capable of taking responsibility for herself.

Zhou Siyu was driven mad by the comment about her age, forgetting even the sweet elevator waiting time she had maintained for over ten days. After parking the car, she rushed straight into her private elevator.

Just as Xu You entered the elevator lobby, the doors were closing. They briefly caught sight of each other.

With just one glance, Zhou Siyu could tell something was off about Xu You’s state. By the time she thought to step out, the elevator was already ascending. She quickly sent a message.

[Zhou Zhou Jiejie: Something wrong?]

A few seconds later.

[YOYO-chan: No]

Not even a punctuation mark. Zhou Siyu could already picture her wilted appearance.

Having agreed not to disturb each other during work hours, she entered her office, grabbed Zheng Ran, and assigned him to personally arrange a cold-weather care package for every employee in the company, ensuring Xu You would feel the warmth.

Zheng Ran was speechless but didn’t dare disobey. Huffing and puffing, he distributed the packages from the top floor down to the second-floor design department. Seeing the empty office, he followed the sound to the conference room.

As he approached, the angry voice grew louder.

He didn’t need to open the door to hear it clearly.

“Xu You, do you know the consequences of plagiarism?”