Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 4

When her name was called, Xu You instinctively searched for the most familiar person in the room.

Zhou Siyu’s cigarette was already lit, its white smoke curling upward, blurring half of her face. Across several meters and through the crowd, Xu You could only see her, yet couldn’t quite make her out clearly.

Within the haze, her dark, profound eyes concealed all emotion.

The others in the room, as if just noticing someone standing at the door, turned their gazes toward Xu You.

“What kind of honored guest needs a personal invitation to come in?” The girl sitting opposite Zhou Siyu sneered.

“Chengzi, watch your tone. It’s rare for Xiao Xu to come out with Lao Zhou.” The girl who had first drawn everyone’s attention to her smiled and nudged the one called Chengzi, then turned to lean closer to Zhou Siyu. “Ay, Siyu, you really are something. You hardly ever bring your little sister out, keeping her hidden at home for so long. Look, she’s even scared of us now.”

As soon as the girl finished speaking, murmurs and whispers spread throughout the room.

“What guilty conscience does she have to be scared of us?”

“It’s not like we’re man-eating monsters. Who is she trying to act all high and mighty for?”

Almost all of Zhou Siyu’s friends knew about their relationship. To them, she was a mistress, a plaything, an insignificant figure who could be discarded at any moment.

Calling her “little sister” was just a polite formality, or perhaps a deliberate way to set her apart from their own status.

Malice drilled straight into her ears. Xu You, pinned under their stares, felt trapped, unable to step forward or retreat. She bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her cheek.

She wasn’t familiar with most of the people there, but she recognized the two girls who had spoken.

Chengzi, Cheng Cheng, had been Zhou Siyu’s little follower for over a decade. A spoiled second-generation heiress who took pride in her favored status, she regarded Xu You as the sole stain on Zhou Siyu’s perfect life. From their very first meeting, she had never shown Xu You a friendly face, never concealing her disdain.

The other one, Zhang Qin, was the organizer of today’s gathering. She had arranged this birthday party and, knowing Xu You was a student at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, had insisted that Zhou Siyu have her paint a portrait for her. She had also demanded Xu You attend today’s friends’ gathering. After a few interactions, Xu You’s feminine intuition told her that Zhang Qin had feelings for Zhou Siyu. She was the only one who used the extremely intimate “Ay, Siyu” to address her, which was why Xu You had resisted coming from the bottom of her heart.

The murmurs continued, but Zhou Siyu remained silent, slanting a glance at Zhang Qin. The cigarette in her hand, its glow flickering, hadn’t been smoked at all before she crushed it straight into the ashtray already piled with cigarette butts.

After discarding the stub, she rose lazily to her feet. The focus of the entire room shifted to her, and the space grew much quieter.

Xu You, along with everyone else, waited for her next move.

Zhou Siyu reached over and pulled an empty chair next to her own seat, then strode back toward the entrance.

“Why didn’t you follow me in?” She pinched Xu You’s cheek, signaling her to relax, her tone carrying no reproach.

Xu You let out a soft “ah,” her lips parting as the pressure on her cheek eased, revealing clear teeth marks inside.

“I’m sorry.”

Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, the words slipped out instinctively.

The people behind them watched intently, but with Zhou Siyu blocking the view, no one could clearly see their expressions or hear their hushed conversation.

Zhou Siyu frowned slightly. Whether during her student days or in the corporate world, she had never liked hearing apologies. What use was saying sorry after making a mistake? Feelings of guilt wouldn’t change the outcome.

Yet, in certain specific scenarios, those words occasionally escaped her own lips.

Did I hurt you? Sorry, I’ll be gentler.

Don’t like it here? Sorry, we’ll go to a different room next time.

So, she didn’t entirely dislike it, if only Xu You could change the setting and her tone.

Under the probing gazes of the crowd, Zhou Siyu took Xu You’s empty hand and led her into the group. At the mahjong table, she sat to the side, leaving the original seat for Xu You.

“Does she even know how to play mahjong?” Cheng Cheng stared intently at Xu You but directed the question at Zhou Siyu.

“I’ll teach her.” Zhou Siyu picked up a glass of wine from the bar counter, pressing the raised edge of the glass against her fingertip as she rubbed it firmly. “If you think bullying a newcomer is fun, then go easy on her.”

Cheng Cheng, feeling provoked, knew Zhou Siyu was calling her out. Fuming, she angrily shoved the mahjong tiles in front of her into the machine.

Xu You was bewildered. She had just sat down, the gift still in her hand, when Zhou Siyu took it from her. With her hands now free, she mimicked the others and pushed the mahjong tiles. The other two exchanged a glance, pursed their lips, and joined in.

The mahjong machine whirred to life. Xu You had watched her grandfather and other elderly folks play mahjong before and roughly knew the basic winning conditions. As Cheng Cheng gathered the newly risen tiles and pushed them forward, Xu You followed suit.

It was her first time, she had no technique and couldn’t control her strength properly. A few tiles were squeezed out of their original positions and fell onto the felt-covered table with a muffled thud, barely audible amid the clattering sounds. Still, she heard a few sharp, disapproving clicks of the tongue.

With Zhou Siyu present, the others stood or sat in a circle around them. Xu You didn’t dare look at their expressions. Flustered, she hurriedly restacked the tiles and pushed them out, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Following the clockwise order of drawing and arranging tiles, Xu You was always a step behind everyone else. Zhang Qin had already discarded her first tile, and Xu You blankly shifted her gaze from her own hand.

She silently recited the sequence of playing mahjong in her mind: draw a tile, discard a tile.

Just as her hand approached the face-down tiles, Zhou Siyu’s intoxicating, liquor-tinged voice whispered in her ear, “Chow.”

Her hand, hovering over the table, was guided by Zhou Siyu to pick up the only face-up tile. As she drew it back, the two leftmost tiles in her hand were also overturned, One, Two, and Three of Characters, three consecutive tiles.

Zhang Qin chuckled. “Xiao Xu has a pretty good hand, huh?”

Xu You had no idea whether it was good or bad. Zhou Siyu tapped one of the tiles and replied to Zhang Qin without looking up, “It’s not bad.”

In mahjong, without resorting to underhanded tricks, what remains is luck and strategy.

Though it was said that Xu You was playing, she only handled the drawing, Zhou Siyu directed everything throughout. In less than two rounds, she had won several hands in a row.

Cheng Cheng and the other player, out of consideration for Zhang Qin’s birthday, intentionally fed her tiles. But unexpectedly, whenever they discarded a tile Zhang Qin needed to chow, Xu You would pong; when Zhang Qin wanted to pong, Xu You would win. Half the onlookers thought Zhou Siyu’s skills were exceptional, that even the worst hand could be salvaged in her hands. The other half, however, cast sidelong glances at Xu You, thinking she was both clumsy and socially inept, unaware that she should be feeding tiles to the birthday girl.

By then, a large portion of the tiles on the table had been revealed. After all the chowing and ponging, only a single Two of Circles remained in Xu You’s hand.

Cheng Cheng’s fingers swept over the row of tiles in front of her before she pushed one out with force. “Two of Circles.”

“I win,” Xu You said softly. It was the simplest winning hand she knew, but as soon as she spoke, she felt as if she had plunged into an ice cellar, a chilling cold enveloping her.

Cheng Cheng was practically glaring at her. A quick glance around revealed varied expressions, most of them displeased.

Had she done something wrong?

But there was no other way to play this hand.

The atmosphere in the room plummeted. Feeling unnerved under their stares, Xu You turned to look at Zhou Siyu.

Zhou Siyu brought the glass to her lips, taking a casual sip before setting it down. The clink of glass against the marble countertop was crisp, and the amber liquor slid slowly down the inner wall of the glass.

She glanced sideways at the mahjong table, paying no mind to anyone else, and reached out to stroke Xu You’s loose, flowing hair, praising, “Well done.”

Zhang Qin’s chest burned with rage, but after suppressing it repeatedly, she pushed her tiles forward and said, “What a shame. Little Xu snatched the win right from under me. Seems my luck just wasn’t good enough.”

She was the sweet, delicate type of girl, and as she smiled pitifully, her friends immediately chimed in to defend her.

“Whether her luck is bad or not, some people clearly lack perception.”

“What’s there to be so happy about winning a hand? Anyone would think it’s her birthday.”

“What a buzzkill.”

Xu You’s heart began to race. The sound of her own heartbeat and the murmurs of discontent around her grew louder and louder in her ears.

She felt so flustered that her eyes grew slightly moist. She wanted to cry but was afraid that if she did, she’d only face more criticism and harsher words.

Zhang Qin had invited Xu You with the intention of embarrassing her in front of her friends. Having heard it was Xu You’s first time playing mahjong, she had planned to take her down a peg. But unexpectedly, not only did Xu You have beginner’s luck, she also had Zhou Siyu backing her up. Zhang Qin’s plan had backfired, leaving her frustrated. At least her friends were on her side, and seeing Xu You so uneasy inexplicably lifted her mood.

“Don’t say that about Little Xu,” Zhang Qin said, patting the back of Xu You’s hand with a sisterly demeanor. “We’re just playing for fun. Why fuss over winning or losing?”

A delicate, pitiful white lotus from someone else’s garden, and a resilient rose from her own, which would anyone choose? Only a fool would pick the white lotus.

The bickering continued back and forth, the noise grating on Zhou Siyu’s nerves. She raised a hand to silence them. “Are we eating or not? If not, let’s just go straight to drinks.”

With that, she leaned lazily back in her chair, pulled Xu You’s hand onto her lap, and began to play with the slender, pale fingers that had held paintbrushes for years. Her touch was alternately light and firm, and her slightly rougher skin brushed against Xu You’s, sending shivers through her. Soon, Xu You was no longer paying attention to the comments around her; her sense of loss was replaced by a tingling sensation.

“We’ll eat,” Zhang Qin said, taking a deep breath. She glanced at her friends and deliberately put on a stubborn smile. “Everyone, take your seats. I’ll go ask them to serve the dishes.”

Lu Ang had been holding his wineglass, watching the drama unfold. Unlike the others, he neither criticized nor mocked. Instead, his gaze toward Xu You was filled with amusement.

Seizing the moment, he spoke up, his words fitting his sociable nature: “It’s not right for the birthday girl to handle this herself. I’ll go.”

His intrigued gaze lingered on their intertwined hands for a moment before he headed to the door to summon a server. As he looked away, his eyes caught Xu You’s reddened earlobes. He raised his glass to his lips, tilted his head back, and let half the red wine slide down his throat.

These days, bars offered far more than just drinks and dancing. The star-rated chef was one of this bar’s main attractions.

As Lu Ang had instructed, within minutes of the dozen or so people taking their seats, exquisite and delicious dishes began to arrive one after another.

“A toast,” Cheng Cheng said, raising her glass. “The first drink is to our birthday girl. May Sister Qin always be beautiful and forever eighteen.”

Everyone except Zhou Siyu and Xu You raised their glasses.

“Siyu.” Zhou Siyu had merely shifted her position, her attention still focused on playing with Xu You’s hand. Seeing her lack of response, Zhang Qin called her name softly.

Xu You, noticing everyone’s eyes on them, instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Zhou Siyu tightened her grip, holding it firmly in her palm.

Zhou Siyu didn’t respond. With one hand, she picked up the yogurt from the turntable, poured a glass, and placed it in front of Xu You. Then she lifted her own glass, the one she had been sipping from since she arrived, still not finished.

“Happy birthday,” she said.

Lu Ang raised an eyebrow and asked with a playful grin, “Isn’t the little one having a drink?”

A flicker of sharpness passed through Zhou Siyu’s eyes.

His frivolous tone, the intimate way he referred to Xu You, and his covetous gaze toward what belonged to her, all of it irritated her.

Zhou Siyu locked eyes with him. “She doesn’t drink.”