Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 41

Zhou Siyu was caught off guard as the little girl threw herself into her arms. With practiced ease, she supported the child’s soft back to prevent her from falling and getting hurt.

The three of them standing together was already enough to leave police officer Zhao Yang dumbfounded. Now, a fourth person had appeared, bringing along a tiny child. His eyes widened, darting back and forth between them as he speculated about the tangled relationships among the group.

Once the little girl settled down, her profile came into view. She looked about three or four years old, with fair, delicate skin and plump, soft cheeks, not chubby in an unappealing way, but adorably so, as was typical for her age.

Her hair was a light golden color, and beneath her deep double eyelids were pale blue pupils, clear and bright like a tranquil lake. Her rosy lips moved as she spoke, each word filled with concern for Zhou Siyu.

“A beautiful doll,” was Xu You’s first impression of her.

Yu Yao shot Xu You a questioning glance, to which Xu You subtly raised her brows, signaling that she had no idea what was going on.

Four years ago, at the annual company gathering, Xu You had heard about Qin Keyi’s pregnancy. She never doubted its authenticity, but she had always assumed that Zhou Siyu had provided the egg, which was then artificially inseminated and implanted into Qin Keyi’s womb. Yet, the little girl before her looked distinctly foreign. Though her features bore some resemblance to Qin Keyi’s, there was no trace of Zhou Siyu in her.

Was it a genetic mutation? Or had the environment shaped her appearance?

“Youyou, come here.”

As Qin Keyi spoke, both Xu You and the little girl turned to look at her.

The photograph hidden under the bed had long been seared into Xu You’s memory. No matter how hard she tried to forget it, countless nights had been spent with the image resurfacing the moment she closed her eyes. Now, the person from that photograph was standing so close, calling her so intimately. Instinctively, Xu You took a step back, moving closer to Yu Yao, who wrapped a protective arm around her.

The little girl clung to Zhou Siyu’s neck, pouting as she looked at Qin Keyi.

Xu You followed her gaze. Qin Keyi was just as flamboyant as she remembered. Her silver-white long curls had been replaced at some point by a pinkish-purple hue. With delicate, understated makeup and a stunningly beautiful face, no one would ever believe she was a mother.

Qin Keyi looked down at the little girl, raising an eyebrow in feigned annoyance as she stretched out her hand. “Hurry up, get down from Mama Zhou and come here.”

Upon hearing “Mama,” Xu You realized Qin Keyi hadn’t been calling her earlier.

Xu You, Youyou.

Throughout over twenty years of schooling and professional life, Xu You had encountered others who shared her name, whether identical in characters or merely in pronunciation. In none of those instances had she felt discomfort or resistance. But today, hearing those two words from Qin Keyi’s lips, her churning stomach revolted once more. The suppressed stomach acid surged upward.

She crouched beside the only trash can in sight and vomited violently.

Zhou Siyu was the first to rush to Xu You’s side. Without even setting the little girl down, she carried the child over to her.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Siyu crouched down, the little girl perched comfortably on her bent legs.

“Big sister, are you not feeling well? Youyou will blow on it for you. A little blow will make it better.”

The soft, childish voice drifted into Xu You’s ears, and she felt a warm, gentle breeze against her cheek. A slight weight pressed on her shoulder. Still retching, Xu You stiffened at the girl’s sudden closeness.

She recoiled from the touch, shifting her shoulder to evade the child’s hand. The little girl didn’t understand what she had done wrong, but she could sense that this sister didn’t like her. Blinking her innocent, grape-like eyes, she glanced at Zhou Siyu, then at Qin Keyi.

Qin Keyi took her from Zhou Siyu’s arms, leaving Zhou Siyu to continue attending to Xu You.

Yu Yao happened to fetch half a cup of hot water from the water dispenser and promptly shoved Zhou Siyu aside, plopping down to hand the cup to Xu You. While patting her back, she spoke with sarcasm.

“Some people bring bad luck the moment they show up. Sweetie, rinse your mouth. Later, I’ll take you to the temple to pray.”

Zhao Yang snapped back to reality and reminded her, “Ma’am, please don’t put too much faith in feudal superstitions. Our current task is to mediate the conflict between you. Everyone except the lady who vomited, please come over and sit down.”

Yu Yao wanted to say more but was nudged by Xu You. She obediently sat at the mediation table, glaring disdainfully at Zhou Siyu across from her.

“Please each describe what happened, including your motives, who threw the first punch, and how many hits were exchanged,” Zhao Yang uncapped his pen and noted the time and other basic information on the record sheet.

Zhou Siyu’s body was already signaling exhaustion. She rubbed her temples and said, “In the hotel lobby, she suddenly rushed over and punched me. I pushed her back.”

Without looking up, Zhao Yang asked, “First time meeting? Any prior disputes?”

“I saw her the day before. We don’t know each other, and there’s no dispute,” Zhou Siyu answered succinctly.

“What about you? Do you agree with her account? What was your motive? Was it impulsive behavior due to alcohol?” Zhao Yang turned to ask Yu Yao.

Yu Yao rolled her eyes at Zhou Siyu, and Zhao Yang happened to catch it as he looked up. He cleared his throat to remind her to behave.

“It’s true that I saw her and threw the first punch. There was no drunken behavior involved,” Yu Yao glanced at Xu You, her heart aching. “My motive is simple, I just wanted to teach this scumbag a lesson for bullying my sweetie.”

“Watch your language, and no nicknames, use proper names,” Zhao Yang interrupted Yu Yao.

Yu Yao took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. She held back her temper, being at the police station.

“I said I just wanted to hit this Ms. Zhou Siyu. I know her, and we have a dispute. She previously hurt my sweetie, that is, Ms. Xu You, who was vomiting on the ground. Out of anger and sympathy for what she went through, I punched her in the jaw. She pushed my left shoulder, and then you all arrived.”

Just as Zhao Yang finished recording, the hotel’s surveillance footage was sent over. Everyone gathered to watch it, confirming that there was no dispute about the fight sequence.

“You’re bad!” The little girl, seeing Zhou Siyu staggering from the heavy punch, pointed at Yu Yao with reddened eyes.

Yu Yao paid no mind to the child’s age; in her heart, this child’s mother had ruined her best friend’s relationship. She glared back fiercely, frightening the girl into bursting into tears.

“Yaoyao, why are you picking on a child?” Xu You, feeling a bit better, pulled out a chair next to Yu Yao and sat down.

Yu Yao said angrily, “She pointed at me rudely first, and doesn’t she deserve to be scolded?”

“Ms. Yu, I remind you again, mind the setting and your position. If you have no intention to mediate, we can sign a notice of refusal here, and we will proceed to investigate and file a lawsuit with the court,” Zhao Yang tapped his pen cap heavily on the table, warning Yu Yao.

“Sorry, she’s just a bit hot-tempered. We do intend to mediate. Please continue with your questions,” Xu You nudged Yu Yao’s hand on the table, stepping in to smooth things over.

Her attitude was proper, yet she exuded a sickly aura after having just vomited. Zhou Siyu’s gaze remained fixed on her, and Zhao Yang, noticing this, formed a rough judgment in his mind.

It was likely an emotional entanglement.

In the back-and-forth questioning, after Xu You’s reassurance, Yu Yao cooperated fully, while Zhou Siyu seemed frozen, responding with the briefest of sentences.

“Do both parties accept mediation?” Zhao Yang set down his pen, having recorded enough.

Yu Yao leaned back in her chair and nodded.

All three pairs of eyes turned to Zhou Siyu.

“Do you want me to reconcile?” Zhou Siyu asked Xu You.

The little girl was still crying outside the door, her sobs sometimes loud, sometimes soft, seeping through the crack. She already had a family, a child, a new life, yet she still thought to provoke her, making unreasonable and immoral demands, placing her in an untenable position.

Xu You’s heart was harder and clearer than the icicles hanging from the eaves.

Meeting Zhou Siyu’s eager gaze, her tone was icy.

“President Zhou, we are already in the past. There’s no old affection to drag out. If you ask me, from my standpoint, of course I hope you agree to reconcile. After all, Yaoyao was the one who threw the first punch, and I don’t want her to spend the New Year in detention.”

“If I must shift perspectives and consider your position, all I can say is that YUYOO has been listed for less than four years. In those four years, it hasn’t produced a single game that could be called a hit. I don’t need to tell you how fast the domestic gaming industry evolves. As the CEO, if you end up in detention for brawling at this critical moment, you know exactly who would benefit.”

Zhao Yang frowned. He detected a slight threat in Xu You’s words and was about to tell Zhou Siyu not to be swayed by such suggestive remarks when Zhou Siyu, who had been silent for a long time, lowered her eyes.

“Fine, I’ll listen to you. I’ll reconcile.” She lifted her gaze again and nodded.

“You’re a smart person.” Xu You’s praise was devoid of emotion.

Zhou Siyu’s hands clenched repeatedly, and she finally whispered a soft “thank you.”

After this ordeal, Zhao Yang felt nothing but exasperation. Messy emotions, messy relationships, and the poor worker caught in the middle, he could only pity himself as he went to print the mediation agreement for the two to sign.

“We live in a society governed by law. Don’t act impulsively; think about the consequences before you do anything. Violence doesn’t solve problems. If there’s an issue, sit down and talk it out properly…”

As he watched them sign, Zhao Yang earnestly advised them. Yu Yao remained silent, Zhou Siyu looked despondent, and Xu You stared out the window. He knew his words were falling on deaf ears, but he still conscientiously finished his spiel.

“Can we go now? We have some matters to attend to,” Yu Yao asked Zhao Yang, taking Xu You’s hand after signing.

Zhao Yang looked at them and sighed. “Yes, but make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Thank you, it won’t,” Xu You replied obediently, a habit from her long-standing role as the good student.

Having been pricked by Xu You’s defensive attitude for days, Zhou Siyu was suddenly reminded of the past by her compliant response.

Whenever she used to lecture Xu You, the latter would obediently apologize as if trying to please her. Often, before Zhou Siyu even spoke, Xu You would already lower her stance to be the first to seek reconciliation.

Xu You was the younger one among them, the one who should have been cared for more.

And so, in those years, she had been arrogant and utterly terrible.

She wanted to say sorry, but by the time she snapped out of her emotions, she realized Xu You had already been helped out of the mediation room by Yu Yao. Without even having a chance to say goodbye to Qin Keyi, she coughed lightly and jogged out to catch up with the two.

“Sorry,” she blocked Xu You at the police station entrance.

Curious gazes once again fell upon them.

Yu Yao had been holding back all along, her fists itching for action. If not for the inappropriate location, she would have given her a symmetrical punch to teach her that a mouth that can’t speak properly should stay shut.

Blocked from moving forward, Xu You ignored Zhou Siyu’s presence and pulled Yu Yao to walk around her from the side.

No response was her response.

Yu Yao had arrived in a police car, so the two had to walk to the entrance to book a ride. The stares clung to their backs, and as they turned the corner past the police station gate, Xu You’s peripheral vision still caught sight of the entrance.

Zhou Siyu’s trench coat billowed wildly in the strong wind, the little girl clinging to her leg, Qin Keyi standing beside her.

A warm, sweet family of three.