Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 39

Facing Zhou Siyu before she had properly adjusted her state was something Xu You hadn’t anticipated. How much of her earlier composure and indifference was real and how much was feigned, only she herself knew.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she contemplated finishing her business quickly and leaving Beicheng, this den of trouble, far behind. She paid no attention to the road conditions at all. It was only when Yu Yao, who was driving, spoke to her that she stopped twisting the ring on her finger and glanced at the rearview mirror on the right.

The New Year was just around the corner. Migrant workers who had come to Beicheng for employment were returning home, while the usually busy locals had free time to go out. As far as the eye could see, the road ahead was jammed. Even at a red light that should have had long queues, the space was still packed with cars.

People’s driving manners varied widely. Just as Xu You shifted her gaze to the mirror, a blinding white light flashed. Yu Yao cursed fluently in Shanghainese slang, and for a moment, Xu You lost her vision.

The driver behind them was aggressive, recklessly using high beams in the congested traffic. By the time Xu You’s vision cleared, the driver had already accelerated, slipping like a loach through the gaps between cars and cutting in front of them, waiting for a chance to push forward.

“Damn it, in such a hurry to be reborn? If he pulls that again, I’ll floor it and teach him a lesson,” Yu Yao fumed, slapping the steering wheel and honking the horn in frustration. Her foot pressed down hard on the accelerator, and the sports car roared to life instantly.

Xu You, with her hands folded over her abdomen, said calmly, “You can’t just transplant your driving habits from abroad here. If you hit him, you’d be fully at fault, you’d have to pay and deal with the fallout.”

Yu Yao was still angry, but she heeded Xu You’s words and eased off the accelerator, slowing the car down.

Without looking at her, Xu You let out a sigh and refocused her attention on the rear, observing what kind of car was tailing them.

Directly behind them was a new energy electric car, a model with mixed reviews online, notorious for its questionable braking performance. Its owner seemed afraid of scraping their car and maintained a steady, cautious distance. Behind the electric car was a black sedan, slightly taller than the Tesla, revealing just its roof. Staring at that curve, Xu You felt a wave of familiarity and frowned.

The sense of familiarity was just the beginning. The driver of the black sedan, unwilling to stay in that position, smoothly slid into the right lane as the traffic rhythm broke, fully exposing themselves in Xu You’s line of sight.

When Xu You saw the black car in its entirety, it felt like a thunderbolt struck her. Just moments ago, she could have smiled and told Yu Yao she had driven the same model. But now, seeing that car following the two of them, she couldn’t muster even a hint of a smile.

The person in the driver’s seat was none other than Zhou Siyu.

She was desperately seizing every opportunity to follow them, even resorting to dangerous maneuvers like suddenly accelerating when others tried to block her. Watching her, Xu You felt a chill of fear.

“Yaoyao, speed up,” she said, her expression turning grim.

Yu Yao had been driving leisurely and, upon hearing this sudden command, instinctively asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you tell me to drive steadily?”

“Speed up,” Xu You repeated without explanation.

Xu You knew Beicheng well. Her return this time was the result of desperate pleading, and she owed her friend a favor. Without another word, Yu Yao stepped on the accelerator.

The luxury car accelerated remarkably fast. Xu You kept her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, hoping to quickly shake off the obsessive Zhou Siyu.

But she had forgotten… Zhou Siyu was a madwoman. She could propose becoming Xu You’s “mistress” without batting an eye, her moral compass practically nonexistent. Someone like her was capable of even more insane actions.

In the rearview mirror, Zhou Siyu clearly panicked for a moment. As they accelerated, her left turn signal was already blinking. The electric car driver was kind enough to actually make space for her, allowing her to quickly change lanes, speed up, and cling stubbornly to their tail.

Like a piece of sticky plaster, she couldn’t be shaken off.

Yu Yao watched the traffic light overhead turn from green to yellow and shot forward, crossing into the opposite lane just before the red light lit up.

The little black car, being an older model, couldn’t compete with their brand-new million-dollar sports car in any aspect. While they reached the other side, it helplessly came to a halt where it was.

A long blare of a horn sounded behind them. Xu You watched expressionlessly as the black car grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight.

“Damn, that beat-up little car must be insane. If it hit us, could they even afford to pay for it?”

Xu You had some attachment to the little black car and felt uncomfortable hearing Yu Yao call it a piece of junk. Gazing at the ever-changing street scenes, she said calmly, “She could afford it.”

“How do you know?” Yu Yao glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, surprised. “Darling, you haven’t been wasting these years after all, you even run into acquaintances on the road.”

As she spoke, she laughed, but the moment the word “acquaintances” left her mouth, she suddenly sensed something else in it.

“Don’t tell me that idiot chasing us was Zhou Siyu,” Yu Yao’s tone abruptly shifted.

Xu You withdrew her wandering gaze and gave a faint “Mm” in response.

“I ran into her in the smoking room earlier,” she said, as if recounting someone else’s story. “She wanted to explain, but I didn’t listen. I told her I have a new partner now, and she said she’d be my secret lover.”

Thinking back, she realized she hadn’t actually used the derogatory term “mistress.”

Yu Yao’s reaction was as intense as expected: “Calling her an idiot is giving her too much credit. She’s rotten to the core. Back then, she played you for a fool and even got someone else pregnant. Now she acts like nothing happened and comes crawling back to you? What’s the difference between that and being a psychopath?”

“You didn’t agree, did you?” Her face twisted with anger as she asked fiercely. From her tone, if Xu You said yes, she’d pull over immediately, regardless of the road, to give her a piece of her mind.

Xu You shot her an exasperated look. “Of course not. If I had agreed, I’d be the idiot.”

Not one to curse often, Xu You even stumbled over the word. Yu Yao, satisfied with the answer, beamed brightly. Just then, her sweetheart called, and the two began flirting openly, treating Xu You as if she were invisible.

“Drop me off at the intersection up ahead,” Xu You said to Yu Yao, pointing at a building not far away after their long-distance kiss ended and the call was over.

“A hotel? You’re not staying at my place?” Yu Yao asked, surprised.

After graduating with her master’s degree, Yu Yao had been starting a business abroad. With the market becoming tougher in recent years and hearing that there were both technology and opportunities back home, she decisively moved her company back, settling in Beicheng after multiple discussions. Her father, upon hearing his daughter was returning, specifically bought her an apartment in Beicheng.

Xu You shook her head. “Your new place hasn’t been lived in yet. It wouldn’t be right for me to stay there first.”

“What’s not right about it?” Yu Yao asked. “We’ve been friends for so many years, she wouldn’t be jealous of you.”

“I’m only staying a few days, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. A hotel is more convenient,” Xu You replied.

Unable to argue further, Yu Yao turned into the hotel entrance. Watching Xu You retrieve her luggage, she rolled down the window and said, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

Xu You waved without turning around, indicating she’d heard.

After living in Australia for several years, Xu You had been basking in the warm summer sun just the day before, but today she was shivering like a sieve in the biting cold wind back home. She tightened her coat and quickly handed her suitcase to the hotel bellhop before heading to the front desk to book the presidential suite.

After a hot bath, she collapsed into the plush bed. The high-quality mattress cradled her waist as she stared at the warm yellow light on the ceiling. The events of the day replayed in her mind like a film, scenes rolling by rapidly.

Zhou Siyu’s expression had been so genuine that for a moment, Xu You had wavered. But whenever her hardened heart cracked even slightly, the suffering she had endured rushed in to fill the gap, leaving no room for hesitation.

She couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted. The facts were clear, her hesitation would only become a weapon for others to harm her. Firm in this conviction, Xu You shifted positions, wrapped herself in the soft velvet quilt, and drifted into a comfortable sleep.

Before she could adjust to the time difference, her phone on the bedside table vibrated violently from an onslaught of calls early in the morning, eventually clattering to the floor. The loud noise merged with the scenes in her dream, where Grandma Su suddenly appeared. At first, she was smiling at Xu You, but then her expression abruptly changed, and she fell backward with a loud thud.

In the dream, Xu You tried to change the outcome, she lunged forward to grab her, shouting for help, but the reality remained cruel. Her brain, registering the pain, promptly interrupted the dream. Xu You opened her eyes, her cheeks damp with tears.

After taking a moment to collect herself, she leaned over to pick up the noisy phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered with a sigh. “Sis, are you okay?” Xu Tian asked, propping her chin in her hand as she studied her sister from her art studio. Behind her, the bright sun had already climbed high in the sky.

Xu You threw off the covers, got up, and walked to the window to draw the curtains. “I was sleeping just fine,” she grumbled.

Peering through the screen, Xu Tian noticed that the sky on her sister’s side was only beginning to lighten. She stuck out her tongue playfully. “Sorry, I got anxious and forgot.” Sitting up straight, she continued, “Sis, I just logged into my email and realized you didn’t log out after your last use. I didn’t mean to snoop, but I accidentally noticed that someone with the username Y-U-Y-O-O has been sending you a lot of emails lately.”

Xu You’s hand, still holding the curtain, froze. Her overseas email couldn’t be accessed domestically, and since that account was created for work, she hadn’t bothered to check it during this trip back, not wanting any distractions.

The news that YUYOO had sent her numerous messages left her astonished, yet it also made sense. After all, she was now the highly sought-after Esme, it was only natural for YUYOO to extend an olive branch.

“Open one at random, take a screenshot, and send it to me,” she said, releasing the curtain and turning on her computer to receive the image.

Xu Tian, aware of her sister’s professional status, had called precisely because she didn’t want to delay any important matters. She didn’t dawdle, replying, screenshotting, and sending in one smooth motion. Then she watched as her sister’s face was illuminated by the computer screen’s glow. Xu You bit her lip, scanning the content for a while before finally shaking her head.

“Is it important?” Xu Tian asked once her sister paused.

Xu You pressed her lips together. “No, it’s just spam.”

Xu Tian’s spoken Chinese was quite good, but her reading skills were average. YUYOO’s invitation email was written in a formal tone, filled with words she didn’t commonly use. Even if she had tried to read it, she wouldn’t have understood it fully.

Nodding somewhat confusedly, she said, “Sorry for disturbing your rest.”

“It’s fine, I was about to get up anyway. Enjoy your holiday, I’ll be back in a few days.”

Xu Tian breathed a sigh of relief knowing everything was okay. The two sisters chatted for a while before Xu You went to freshen up, then opened a ride-hailing app and headed downstairs. As she walked through the hotel lobby with her head down, she couldn’t shake the feeling of a burning gaze following her.

Pretending not to notice, she took a few more steps before abruptly stopping and turning around.

The moment her eyes met Zhou Siyu’s, she let out a cold snort.

Zhou Siyu looked as if he hadn’t slept all night, and as she drew closer, the bloodshot veins in her eyes were starkly visible.

“Youyou.”

Xu You took a step back, crossing her arms. “President Zhou, don’t you think you’re going a bit too far?”

Seeing Xu You dressed in simple black clothes, Zhou Siyu felt as if she had been transported back to the past, but her icy tone jolted her back to reality.

“I’m sorry, I… I just couldn’t control myself…”