Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 34

The faint, drifting whisper from the back seat sent Xu You’s soul scattering in terror, her spine stiffening so much she could hardly breathe.

Modern criminals were alarmingly skilled, they could easily dig up a stranger’s entire personal information from miles away, right through the internet. But this person not only called her by name, they had also managed to silently break into her car. It was utterly terrifying.

Xu You held her breath, waiting for the next word or movement from the back seat. Pressed rigidly against the driver’s seat, she gripped her phone with one hand while slowly reaching for the door handle with the other. Her eyes darted furtively toward the rearview mirror, ready to either fight back or fling the door open and flee.

“Xu You,” the voice called again, interrupting her stealthy glance.

The muffled tone sounded vaguely familiar, but her highly-strung nerves couldn’t muster the clarity to place it. Driven by instinct, she yanked the door open with all her strength and scrambled out.

She wanted to scream, but her throat was blocked, not a sound came out.

She wanted to run, but her legs felt as heavy as lead, refusing to move an inch.

Straining forward, she managed two stumbling steps before hearing the car door behind her swing open. Glancing back as she fled, she abruptly changed direction and threw herself hard into Zhou Siyu’s embrace beside the car, inhaling deeply the scent that belonged only to her.

“Sis,” the young woman whimpered, clinging to her with a pitiful tone.

Zhou Siyu cleared her throat softly before speaking, her hand stroking Xu You’s back. “Did I scare you?”

Xu You buried herself deeper. Zhou Siyu always dressed lightly, even in the dead of winter over the past four years, she’d never seen her wear a heavy coat. Resting her head against Zhou Siyu’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, she nodded.

After the day she’d had, her fragile spirit couldn’t take any more torment. Even the slightest stir could shatter her completely.

She needed her sister’s closeness, her sister’s embrace, it was the only thing keeping her going.

Zhou Siyu turned her face aside, careful not to let her breath brush Xu You’s nose. Faint shadows flickered at the elevator entrance as footsteps and voices overlapped. Reaching out, she pulled the car door open, wrapped an arm around Xu You’s waist, and guided them both into the back seat.

The sudden shift in balance sent them tumbling down together. As Xu You lifted her head, she bumped hard against Zhou Siyu’s chin, and both let out pained groans.

Xu You’s cry was brief, but after a sharp intake of breath, Zhou Siyu pressed a fist to her lips, muffling a fit of coughing.

Zhou Siyu was trembling, and Xu You, lying atop her, trembled along.

Worried about Zhou Siyu’s condition, Xu You struggled to sit up, but the arm around her waist tightened its grip. She squirmed uselessly until the coughing finally subsided.

“Don’t move,” Zhou Siyu murmured, her voice rough and gravelly.

“I’ll get you water from the front,” Xu You insisted anxiously.

“Don’t move,” Zhou Siyu repeated. “Just let me hold you quietly for a while.”

Hearing that, Xu You stilled, obediently nestling into her arms as they squeezed together in the cramped back seat of her small car.

In the quiet, dimly lit parking garage, people occasionally passed by to retrieve their cars, some colleagues from her department, some unfamiliar faces. As they walked past, the light from the exit magnified their shadows on the wall, casting an aura of forbidden thrill.

“Why were you in such a hurry this morning? You didn’t even lock the car,” Zhou Siyu said after a long silence.

Suddenly, it dawned on Xu You, there was no master car thief here, only her own scatterbrained carelessness.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to tell Zhou Siyu that her parents and younger sister weren’t coming. She wasn’t sure if Zhou Siyu had set aside time for them, but she felt it was better to let her know.

“My sister had a bit of an accident. Dad called and told me they won’t be coming.”

Zhou Siyu looked at her face and asked, “Is it serious?”

Xu Yao shook her head. She didn’t know for sure, but it probably wasn’t too serious. In the afternoon, Xu Tian had sent her a message saying it was just a bone fracture and asked if she should insist on having their parents come or if she should go back herself. Xu You had refused, there was no need.

Zhou Siyu understood and gently rubbed her side for a while.

More and more colleagues were coming down from upstairs, and cars kept passing by their vehicle as they left the parking garage. The sound of tires scraping against the ground and rumbling over metal plates echoed loudly inside the car.

Not being asked why she had been complaining earlier, Xu You felt a knot in her chest and turned to face Zhou Siyu on her own. “Our department had a meeting early this morning.”

Department meetings didn’t require reporting to upper management. Unless Zheng Ran specifically mentioned it, Zhou Siyu, as the big boss, wouldn’t have known. She stayed silent, waiting to see what the young woman had to say.

“It was about a game design. The department head divided us into groups. We submitted design drafts, and then they selected the ones that met the requirements to be modified and animated. Two of my drafts were chosen this time.” It should have been a happy occasion, and she had been eager to share the joy, but because of that dirty rumor, a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.

Zhou Siyu noticed but didn’t ask. “That’s amazing. You’re already making money for the company. As the boss, thank you.”

Being praised and acknowledged by Zhou Siyu made Xu You happy for a moment. “By the way, did YUYOO’s Lu Ang also invest?”

Zhou Siyu narrowed her eyes. That guy loved to stir up trouble as usual.

“You believed him?” Xu You’s throat tightened, and she suppressed the irritation rising in her chest. “When it comes to him, you should only believe half of what he says, and even then, be selective about which half.”

Recalling how Lu Ang had bothered her at noon, mocking her for being old and weak, and now, as a decisive and capable woman, being slandered twice in one day, Zhou Siyu was seething with anger.

She then tapped Xu You’s nose playfully and said, “Why didn’t you come up to see me at noon?”

Xu You’s heart raced, and she blinked rapidly.

She didn’t want her colleagues at the company to know about their relationship and cause trouble. She had examined herself and felt the gap between them was too wide, secretly hurting over it. Lu Ang’s comment about her being a “kid” had left her disoriented.

What could she say?

Zhou Siyu hated it when people complained without reason and disliked those who belittled themselves.

And it seemed Xu You was guilty of both.

“Well…” Her words trailed off, unclear and hesitant.

Zhou Siyu wrapped an arm around her back, supporting her bottom to keep her from leaning back. “I heard you went to the employee break area with someone from your department for lunch.”

Zheng Ran had told her. She didn’t know what was up with him today, he kept muttering about what Xu You had been doing, but when she asked, he only gave half the story, which was frustrating.

It was because of Zheng Ran’s nagging that she had changed her plan to go home early and rest. Almost as if possessed, she had pulled open her car door and waited inside until Xu You showed up.

“It was the team leader assigned to mentor me, Qian Doudou. She’s really nice and takes good care of me.”

She’s the kind of person who helps me when others gossip about me or bully me.

The first step to becoming an adult is learning to endure, this thought was buried deep in Xu You’s heart.

“How nice is she?” Zhou Siyu mischievously pinched the plump flesh of the young woman’s buttocks, a rare moment of playfulness despite her usual stern demeanor. “Nicer than I am to you?”

As a girl who was naturally sensitive and reactive, her slouching back instantly straightened.

An electric current shot from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes, and as she threw her head back, it slammed hard against the car roof.

The violent impact made the car shudder, and anyone passing by would likely have gotten the wrong idea.

“No, no, she’s not as good as you.” Zhou Siyu, having grabbed her, didn’t let go, her mischievous fingers still wreaking havoc.

Xu You was utterly defenseless, enduring the tingling sensation while whimpering and begging for mercy.

Her intermittent, soft gasps lingered in the ears of both.

It seemed as though the one suffering from a cold and fever wasn’t Zhou Siyu, but rather Xu You, who was burning with desire, her entire body aflame.

“You… you’re still sick. Let’s go home and… and then…” Xu You pleaded, unable to handle the stimulation in such an enclosed space.

Zhou Siyu’s fiery fingertips grew even bolder.

Flames leaped from the base of the mountain to its peak, gathering at the summit.

“I don’t have to take it off,” she teased, setting another fire at the peak.

“No.” It felt as though a massive firework had exploded in her mind, bursting into a field of blinding white light. Unconsciously, she cheered and writhed, her legs clamping tightly around Zhou Siyu’s thighs.

Zhou Siyu wasn’t so heartless as to force Xu You against her will here, nor would she generously share the world’s most enchanting melody with anyone else.

She withdrew her hand in time, letting Xu You slump weakly against her shoulder, trembling steadily.

The car’s air conditioning wasn’t on, so she opened her coat and wrapped Xu You tightly in her embrace.

“You’re too wicked,” Xu You accused, her legs regaining a bit of sensation as she began to condemn the culprit.

“Am I?” Zhou Siyu refused to admit guilt. With a flex of her arm, she lifted the person in her embrace slightly. As Xu You hung in the air, her arms tightened around Zhou Siyu, nearly knocking her back into place. Reaching out to the control panel, Zhou Siyu activated the screen and said with feigned seriousness, “I asked Aunt Zhang to prepare some desserts. You always say it’s a waste, but this time I had them delivered on a silver platter.”

The touchscreen lit up, the car brand’s logo flashing by. Zhou Siyu sat back as if nothing had happened. “Hello, Xiao Yo.”

Xu You was so embarrassed she felt like lifting the car and walking away. Hearing Zhou Siyu call her that, she let out a faint hum, like a mosquito’s buzz. At the same time, a mechanical, childlike voice echoed in the car.

“I’m here. How can I help you?”

Zhou Siyu couldn’t hold back a laugh. Xu You glared at her angrily and protested, “Why did you name this robot after me without telling me?”

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Please repeat your question or ask me in the following format: ‘Xiao Yo, navigate home,’ or ‘Xiao Yo, what’s the weather like today?'” The innocent mechanical voice responded first.

Zhou Siyu addressed the mindless machine first. “Xiao Yo, turn on the air conditioning and set it to twenty-six degrees.”

“Okay, now for you…”

Xu You’s round eyes stared unblinkingly. Zhou Siyu surrendered. “It was probably Zheng Ran who had it designed. Next time you see him, ask him why he did it.”

Look at her, how bold! Was this something she could ask Zheng Ran?

Xu You remained puffed up with anger, turning over and climbing off Zhou Siyu. She opened the door and headed for the driver’s seat.

“You take the passenger seat.”

Before she could even leave the back seat, her butt was slapped again. The hollow smack landed on the down-filled hem of her winter coat. Both of them knew it didn’t hurt, it was just loud.

“I’ll drive,” Zhou Siyu added.

Xu You turned away, refusing to show her face. “You’re sick… can you even drive?”

“You called me old this morning, but who was the one whose legs went weak just now? Who was begging for mercy?” Zhou Siyu raised an eyebrow, her hand stealthily creeping to the small of Xu You’s back, pretending to slip through the gap in her clothes. “How about we finish what we started before heading back?”

Xu You stumbled, scrambling around the car in a panic before buckling herself into the passenger seat.

“Then I’ll have to trouble President Zhou to take me home!”

Zhou Siyu remained in the back seat, the door half-open as chilly wind swept into the car. The dry, cold air seeped into her nostrils, and she felt the faint urge to cough again.

Xu You managed to sit upright for all of thirty seconds before she couldn’t resist turning around to urge, “Hurry up and get in the front, or close the door!”

“Just wait. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed.” Zhou Siyu swung her legs out.