Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 38

[Chinese Youth Artist Esme Named Among Global Top Ten Emerging Artists for Three Consecutive Years]

In the CEO’s office of YUYOO, Zheng Ran stood before the desk, waiting for Zhou Siyu to review the documents he had sent over. Four years ago, their flagship mobile game, Otherworld: Mountains and Seas, received widespread acclaim from online users. Within less than half a year of its launch, the revenue and fame it generated helped the company go public successfully.

As a game company of the younger generation, YUYOO was a true dark horse, and its success was nearly impossible to replicate. However, with the industry’s turbulence over the past two years and the emergence of numerous new game companies, they faced mounting pressure.

Without producing another blockbuster game in recent years, relying solely on past successes was unsustainable. After high-level discussions, the executives unanimously agreed to collaborate with young artists to expand their market, create buzz, and achieve a win-win situation.

Esme was currently the most enigmatic young artist both domestically and internationally. Online searches only yielded hundreds of award records and her nationality under this pseudonym. Beyond that, any further information had to be pieced together from unreliable rumors.

YUYOO’s executives valued Esme’s mystique and undeniable design talent. Zheng Ran had compiled all available information about her from domestic and international sources and sent it to Zhou Siyu, now awaiting her decision on how to proceed.

Zhou Siyu stared at the bold black font in the center of her computer screen, her right hand unconsciously rubbing against the palm of her left hand.

Her fingertips traced the raised scars repeatedly as she fixated on Esme’s name, slipping into a brief reverie.

Xu You had once marveled at her hands while persuading her to model, calling them God’s masterpiece and the epitome of aesthetic perfection. But now, that masterpiece was marred, her left palm was crisscrossed with over a dozen pinkish-white scars of varying depths, remnants of wounds that had never been stitched. They were left on the day Xu You disappeared.

That night, she had turned off all the lights in the house, leaving only a bright moon hanging in the sky, it’s cool glow spilling at her feet.

A wine bottle had toppled over, and despite the carpet, the fragile glass shattered everywhere. The pristine velvet rug instantly absorbed the wine, staining itself a deep purple. Awakened slightly by the sound of breaking glass, the memory of Xu You entering with the rug vivid in her mind, she had frantically lunged forward, using her hands to gather the shards.

Like human hearts, broken glass could never be restored.

The sharp edges easily tore through tender skin. Within seconds, warm liquid began to seep from her palms, crimson droplets of blood merging and rolling off her fingertips.

In her numbed state, pain felt distant. Watching her blood blend with the red wine, a strange sense of relief washed over her.

If Xu You returned, she would fret over her injuries and wouldn’t scold her for ruining her favorite rug.

“Boss.” Zheng Ran noticed Zhou Siyu’s gaze growing distant and unfocused and called out to bring her back.

Scenes like this had played out hundreds of times a day right after Miss Xu left, no, vanished. Back then, Zhou Siyu would lose focus while staring at her computer, at the sofa, her mind escaping bodily control at any moment. As subordinates, they had no right to pry, only to remind her repeatedly.

Over three or four years, Zhou Siyu’s condition had eased, but as the year-end approached or Xu You’s birthday neared, it would suddenly worsen again.

Zheng Ran pulled her out of her beautiful reverie. Zhou Siyu shot him a slightly reproachful glance before moving her right hand to the mouse and scrolling. The document was lengthy, composed of Esme’s tags, public evaluations, works, and various awards.

“Try reaching out to a few professors at the Academy of Fine Arts who studied abroad in Europe. See if there’s any way to arrange a meeting with her.” Zhou Siyu had just regained her decisive demeanor, but at the mention of the Academy, she drifted off again.

The year Xu You left, she had only completed half of her senior year. Convinced that Xu You wouldn’t abandon her studies, Zhou Siyu frequently visited Professor Liu, who had intended to take Xu You on as a graduate student, to inquire about her current situation.

During their first meeting, Professor Liu, still aggrieved over the departure of his prized student, had chased her out of his home. It wasn’t until Zhou Siyu persisted, undeterred by repeated setbacks, that he finally confessed: Xu You had discussed with the department and declined her guaranteed graduate admission. She had already completed all her coursework and only needed to focus on her graduation project elsewhere. As long as she submitted her work by the deadline, the department had no further involvement. They hadn’t seen her and had no way to contact her.

This time, Zhou Siyu snapped back to reality on her own. Her cursor hovered over one of Esme’s oil paintings, a scene by a window. “I’ll send you a few numbers later. Give them a try. If that doesn’t work, we’ll look for leads domestically.”

“Understood.” Zheng Ran nodded, glanced at Zhou Siyu with concern, sighed inwardly, and pushed open the glass door to leave.

After obtaining the professors’ contact information from Zhou Siyu, the responses Zheng Ran received were, as expected, all variations of “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure.” It wasn’t just them keeping an eye on Esme, the entire art world was curious about the identity of this mysterious young artist who never made public appearances.

Days slipped by, and the Lunar New Year’s Eve drew near.

Just before the holiday, Zheng Ran brought Zhou Siyu one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Leaning back in her executive chair, Zhou Siyu told him to cut the suspense and spit it out or get lost.

“The good news is, recently, all platforms have been mandated to display users’ IP addresses. We discovered that Esme’s location is right here in Beicheng.” Despite the promising news, Zheng Ran’s expression remained somber.

Zhou Siyu knew how difficult it would be to find someone in Beicheng with zero information. Her expression unchanged, she gave a slight nod, signaling him to continue.

Zheng Ran’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched and unclenched repeatedly. His lips moved, but no words came out. After steeling himself for a long moment, he took a step back and spoke in the softest voice possible, “The other news is… well, this year we booked the banquet hall too late. Only one hotel still has an available venue for the annual dinner.”

“Get to the point.” Zhou Siyu took a deep breath, a vein throbbing at her temple.

Zheng Ran gritted his teeth. “The point is, that hotel is called Junhao.”

After speaking, he stood ramrod straight, palms pressed flat against his trouser seams, eyes tightly shut, looking as if he were ready to face execution. Inwardly, he cursed his colleagues for their lack of foresight, leaving him to deliver the bad news and clean up their mess.

Zhou Siyu’s upper body, reclining against the chair, stiffened. Suppressing the agitation rising within her, she ground out, “What can we do about it?”

Zheng Ran, resigned to his fate, replied, “Boss, there really are no other options.”

Another company had already signed the contract ahead of them. To intervene now would not only break the rules but also make enemies. At this point, their choices were either to cancel the event or hold it at Junhao, the only available venue in Beicheng.

“Thank you for informing me.”

A chill ran down Zheng Ran’s spine. Muttering a quick apology, he hurried out of Zhou Siyu’s line of fire.

The office returned to silence, making the notification of her message particularly conspicuous. Clicking on WeChat pinned to her computer, she scrolled down to find the dialog box marked with a red dot.

There was more than one sender.

[LA: Are we celebrating Xu You’s birthday again this year?]

[ZhangQ: Ayu, I have to go abroad on the 7th. Could you ask Lu Ang to deliver Xu You’s birthday gift for me? My apologies, I won’t be able to join you all.]

Zhou Siyu first replied to Lu Ang with an “Okay,” then typed in Zhang Qin’s chatbox:

[I don’t want to repeat this, stop calling me Ayu. I hope this is the last time.]

The closer it got to the holidays, the busier the company became. This year’s annual gala happened to fall two days before Xu You’s birthday. Zhou Siyu had already organized three grand birthday parties in her absence, and this year was no exception, preparations started early as usual.

She left the company gala in Zheng Ran’s hands, having personally overseen the venue to ensure nothing went wrong. On the day of the event, she appeared in a minimalist, pure black evening gown.

As the company had grown, the planned programs and prize draws had become far more entertaining and varied compared to four years ago. She no longer gave speeches, blending into the crowd instead, watching the lively atmosphere with detached coolness.

Deep down, she felt she didn’t deserve to be happy here. So, when others laughed, she remained expressionless; when the festivities grew rowdy, she simply walked out of the banquet hall.

Zheng Ran’s earlier bad news had only been half-delivered: Junhao Hotel was the last one with availability, and the vacant banquet hall happened to be the exact same one from back then, even the decor remained unchanged. Standing inside, she immediately felt suffocated and disoriented.

Memories refused to die. She still remembered the smoking room on this floor.

It was too stifling. She needed a change of air.

Everyone else was busy celebrating and reveling. The hallway was empty, with only the occasional echo of a scream. In the distance, she caught sight of an all-too-familiar figure slipping into the smoking room. Her eyes widened in shock, but when she looked again, the person had vanished. She relaxed.

How could it be Xu You? She always wore pristine white dresses just like her, her waterfall-like hair cascading to her waist, glossy and smooth. There was no way she could be that woman just now.

Zhou Siyu laughed mockingly to herself, pushed open the smoking room door, and intended to find a corner.

The woman inside instinctively looked up at the sound of the door opening. In an instant, her eyes reflected Zhou Siyu’s flustered face. Then, feigning composure, Zhou Siyu swiftly locked the smoking room door and rushed toward her.

“Xu… Xu You,” Zhou Siyu’s voice was slightly hoarse, trembling uncontrollably.

As she spoke, she took small, uncertain steps, inching closer to the woman holding a slim cigarette between her fingers.

Xu You neither avoided nor flinched at Zhou Siyu’s approach, showing none of the panic Zhou Siyu displayed.

Her long hair was now styled in voluminous curls. She wore a fiery red spaghetti-strap mini dress that barely reached her thighs, paired with crystal stilettos several inches high. Her long, slender legs were crossed elegantly as she leaned against the wall. Beneath her heavy makeup, her dark, gleaming pupils sparkled with amusement.

It was utterly shocking. Zhou Siyu had never seen such a bold, fiery version of Xu You.

In the past, her beauty had been reserved for Zhou Siyu alone, she was demure, gentle, and quiet. For a moment, Zhou Siyu couldn’t reconcile the person before her with the Xu You from her memories.

But it was her. They shared the same curves, the same upward tilt of the lips, the same delicate, rounded earlobes, and the straight collarbones.

“You’ve lost weight,” Zhou Siyu murmured.

Her fractured gaze lingered on Xu You’s face: her jawline sharp, her eyes piercing.

She wasn’t the same, yet she was still her.

Zhou Siyu had already approached Xu You, instinctively hiding her scarred hand. Her right hand lifted and fell, wanting to touch Xu You, yet fearing it was just an illusion, that if she reached out, Xu You would vanish into thin air.

“Is it really you, Youyou?”

Xu You smiled without a word.

Zhou Siyu clenched her hands tightly, forcing herself to stay calm. The heels of her shoes weren’t high, and at this moment, Xu You, leaning against the wall, could look down slightly, gazing at her from above.

She finally understood firsthand what Xu You had once felt, how agonizing and unsettling it was to be scrutinized by someone.

“Can you… can you let me explain? What happened back then wasn’t what you thought. We-”

Zhou Siyu’s words were cut short. The lit cigarette between Xu You’s fingers released a wisp of smoke. Parting her red lips, she slowly exhaled a thick, white cloud of smoke into Zhou Siyu’s face. Through the haze, Zhou Siyu couldn’t quite make out her expression, but every word of her voice reached her ears clearly.

Xu You flashed a radiant smile, her tone playful and coquettish. “President Zhou, you jest. A transactional relationship like ours doesn’t require any explanation. What’s forgotten afterward should stay forgotten.”

With that, she stubbed out the remaining half of her cigarette in the ashtray.

As the smoke cleared, Zhou Siyu stood frozen in place. She couldn’t believe that the woman who had once called her “sister” countless times now defined their relationship as purely transactional. Everything felt so unfamiliar.

She couldn’t understand Xu You through the smoke, and even after it dissipated, she remained just as clueless.

Clueless as she was, she caught the glaring sparkle on Xu You’s ring finger as she brushed aside the stray strands of hair from her forehead.

A diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg shimmered with dazzling brilliance, complementing Xu You’s slender, pale fingers. As she raised her hand, the light scattered, piercing sharply into Zhou Siyu’s pained eyes.

“Sorry, President Zhou,” Xu You said, seemingly unintentionally lowering her hand to cover her lips as she chuckled softly. “Let’s just keep those trivial matters from the past buried in your heart.”

She lowered her hand, using her thumb to twist the diamond ring around her finger. “Please don’t mention it to anyone. My partner is quite jealous and wouldn’t take it well.”

Zhou Siyu didn’t know whether this so-called “partner” would actually mind, but her heart felt as if it had been struck by cold arrows shot from the diamond. The final, fatal blow came from two simple, lightly spoken words, “my partner.”

“Who is she?” Zhou Siyu could no longer control herself. She grabbed Xu You’s wrist with her left hand, pulling it between them.

Seeing the redness at the corners of Zhou Siyu’s eyes, Xu You sneered inwardly. Unlike before, she didn’t allow herself to be manipulated. Though slender, she was strong. With her free hand, she pried Zhou Siyu’s grip open, finger by finger.

Noticing the red marks left by her own grip, Zhou Siyu felt the urge to slap herself. No wonder Xu You didn’t love her, didn’t choose her. Lu Ang was right, from beginning to end, she was the one who had truly hurt her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she could only apologize, over and over again.

Xu You had only returned to the country two days ago and hadn’t fully adjusted to the time difference. She had come to the smoking room to relieve her fatigue, but after this encounter, she felt even more exhausted.

She straightened up, and as Zhou Siyu saw her about to leave, she quickly spoke again.

“Do you have a place to stay now? Do you need me to arrange something for you? Also, YUYOO has gone public. I used the money you transferred to me to buy shares.”

This was the first time Zhou Siyu had been interrupted twice in one day. Strangely, she wasn’t angry at all; instead, she looked at Xu You with anticipation in her eyes.

“President Zhou, you’re not that old, are you? Has your comprehension declined so quickly?” Xu You knew exactly how to hit Zhou Siyu where it hurt. She frowned slightly, her red lips parting as she wore an expression of disbelief.

As expected, seeing Zhou Siyu’s pale face lifted her spirits. “I’ve said it before, our relationship ends in bed. The money has been settled, and there’s no need for further contact. Even if I have nowhere to live, I don’t need you to arrange it for me.”

Zhou Siyu’s face was deathly pale, as if she had withered like a dried flower the moment she stepped into the smoking room.

“Then I’ll give you more money, 200,000 a month, no, 500,000, or even a million. Can we go back to how things were?” For the first time in her life, Zhou Siyu lowered her pride to such an extent. It wasn’t just desire; it was desperation, as if a single rejection from Xu You would make her faint on the spot.

Xu You massaged her wrist and stared calmly at Zhou Siyu.

To be honest, if Zhou Siyu had approached her like this eight years ago with the proposal of being kept, there would have been no story afterward. She would never have agreed, nor would she have entangled with her for years, leaving her physically and emotionally exhausted.

People tend to reminisce about the good times.

She shook her head, dispelling all illusions, and spoke seriously, “President Zhou, I don’t think you heard me clearly. I’ve found the right person. She treats me well… very well, exceptionally well. She can fulfill all my needs. I don’t need to turn to you, who’s utterly useless, just to get angry for no reason.”

She flashed her diamond ring again, paused, and continued, “You should also think it through. I was the one who gave you the money. You have no right to make such unreasonable demands of me. Even if we were to entertain the idea that someone should bring it up, that person would only be me.”

Zhou Siyu understood that the choice had always been in Xu You’s hands. She was just perversely stubborn, desperate to seize control.

The sound of the door handle being pressed came from the entrance. The person outside, failing to open it on the first try, knocked urgently, “Is anyone in there? If so, could you please open the door quickly? I’m dying for a smoke.”

How impatient. Seeing Zhou Siyu standing motionless, Xu You walked toward the door on her own and replied, “Just a moment. The lock seems to be a bit stuck. Let me try to open it.”

“Alright, thanks!”

Xu You moved step by step toward the door. She thought she had been clear enough and that, given Zhou Siyu’s temperament, she wouldn’t cling and pester.

But time had treated them all equally. She had changed, and so had Zhou Siyu.

When Xu You was just three steps from the door, Zhou Siyu suddenly called out to her.

“Youyou,” she said.

“If it has to be someone saying it, and that someone has to be you, then I want to ask, would you like to keep me? I don’t need anything. Just call me whenever you need me, no matter the time, and I’ll come immediately. My number hasn’t changed. If you don’t want your partner to know, I’ll hide everything. I promise I won’t interfere or ruin your relationship.”

It felt like a thunderbolt striking her!

It was Xu You’s turn to be stunned, unable to move. She doubted her ears, wondering if she was hallucinating.

Zhou Siyu slowly approached, her voice hoarse, “I’m not joking. Think it over carefully. Give me a chance, and I won’t let you down.”

Xu You understood Zhou Siyu’s words to mean that during her absence, Zhou Siyu had learned a lot and practiced with many different women.

Disgust. A nausea rising from the pit of her stomach.

Amid the revulsion, she remembered the woman carrying her child, who had stepped on her instep with a sharp heel, fumbled to open the door, and run out without looking back.

The door swung open, and a man rushed in anxiously, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag. The smoke rolled through his lungs before he exhaled it through his nostrils. He spoke leisurely, “Hey, beauty, what’s wrong? Did you upset that girl just now?”

Zhou Siyu didn’t respond.

He placed the cigarette between his lips and lectured, “Sisters and couples are essentially no different. If you make a mistake, apologize. If they don’t accept it, keep apologizing. If you’ve upset someone, coax them. If coaxing doesn’t work, can’t you try other methods? There are so many paths, don’t narrow your own options, my dear wife.”

Zhou Siyu felt as if she’d been struck by a sudden realization. Leaving the man to ramble on with narrowed eyes, she rushed out to find Xu You.

She was a step too late, catching only a glimpse of Xu You walking arm-in-arm with another woman. At first, she could only see their backs, but as they turned the corner, she clearly saw the same diamond sparkle on that woman’s finger.

Looking more closely, she noticed the woman wore two rings on her hands. Frowning, Zhou Siyu hesitated between confronting them and making a hasty retreat, ultimately choosing the latter.

The banquet hadn’t even started yet. She sat in her small German-made car, completely sober.

In the depths of winter, the underground garage was bitterly cold. She remained in the unstarted car for a long time.

What had just happened felt like an indescribable dream. She had finally found Xu You, only to hear cruel words directly from her lips.

Defeated… she couldn’t find any other word for it. As she pulled out her phone to contact Zheng Ran, she suddenly saw Xu You and her partner appear in front of her car.

Their Ferrari happened to be parked opposite hers. As Xu You passed by, she paused to say something to the other woman, who reacted strongly, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly at Xu You.

Zhou Siyu knew the dim lighting concealed her presence.

As Xu You and her partner drove their Ferrari onto the main road, the woman in the driver’s seat suddenly spoke.

“Youyou, have you noticed? Someone’s following us.”