Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 46

Xu You originally had no intention of engaging with Zhou Siyu. Seeing that she had paid such a heavy price, and it was for Yu Yao’s sake, Xu You didn’t want her car to carry Zhou Siyu’s scent. She took a deep breath to calm herself and got out of the car.

“Let’s find a café or tea house nearby,” she said coldly, closing the car door.

As if oblivious to her disdain, Zhou Siyu’s eyes crinkled with a faint smile. She pulled out her phone and began searching for a suitable place nearby to talk. Focused intently, she operated the phone with her uninjured right hand, her knuckles clearly visible, her slender, well-proportioned fingers scrolling up and down the screen with ease.

Xu You found herself inexplicably glancing at Zhou Siyu’s face.

Time, that relentless butcher’s knife, had been sharpened again and again, yet it had left no mark on Zhou Siyu. Her face was the perfect blend of bone structure and complexion, her skin taut, her mid-face smooth, with no trace of the faint lines that come with early aging. It was as if time had merely added years to her life, allowing her to cultivate a poised confidence that radiated effortlessly in her every gesture.

Xu You had never considered confidence a bad thing. On the contrary, the confidence and authority Zhou Siyu exuded at work were captivating, just as her self-assured, unstoppable demeanor had been eight years ago.

But Xu You was no longer the anonymous underling who had once looked up to her in the company, nor was she the naive eighteen-year-old girl. Now, face to face, whether they shed their labels or not, they were two equals, standing on the same footing.

Xu You’s gaze lingered on Zhou Siyu’s face for only a moment before she quickly averted her eyes. Her aimless glance fell on Zhou Siyu’s other hand, and the hardness in her heart softened ever so slightly.

“Stop looking,” she said, frowning as she halted Zhou Siyu’s actions.

Zhou Siyu looked up abruptly, her eyes unable to conceal her panic. “Wh-what do you mean?”

Her injured hand, swollen and raised, remained steady at her side, but her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Xu You pointed at the horrifying purplish-red bruise and let out a sigh. “Let’s go to the hospital.”

She knew exactly how much force she had used. For the injury to swell so severely in such a short time, it was likely the bone was affected. A fracture or break would be no small matter. What she wanted was a clean break, for both to go their separate ways in peace. Given Zhou Siyu’s nature, if she didn’t address it now, there was no guarantee Zhou Siyu wouldn’t use it as an excuse to bother her again later. Better to resolve it once and for all.

“It’s nothing, just a minor injury,” Zhou Siyu said, trying to hide her hand behind her back.

As if anticipating this move, Xu You swiftly extended the hand holding her phone, pressing its corner against Zhou Siyu’s injury. She didn’t use much force, but it was enough to make Zhou Siyu lose her composure, her face twitching in pain.

Pain was hard to endure. Xu You raised an eyebrow, watching her.

Suddenly, something in Zhou Siyu’s mind seemed to short-circuit. Abandoning her tough facade, she switched to a pitiful, delicate act, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked utterly wretched.

“Will you come with me?”

It felt like a trap was waiting for her, but before Xu You’s brain could issue a command, her mouth had already spoken: “Yes.”

“Can you drive me there? My hand hurts too much. I might cause an accident if I drive myself,” Zhou Siyu pressed on, emboldened by her small victory.

“Take your own car.”

Xu You’s first instinct was still to avoid dirtying her own car. But as the words left her mouth, she began to feel strange.

Her vision seemed to blur, and in broad daylight, it was as if she had seen a wolf wagging its tail.

Once the promise was spoken, there was no taking it back, no matter how reluctant she felt. Of course, Zhou Siyu, wagging her metaphorical wolf tail, gave her no chance to reconsider. Before the chase in the neighborhood, Xu You had already straightened her clothes and shoes. Now, holding the keys, she led Xu You to her car.

After the failed “stalking” incident, she had concluded that a more expensive, newer car was necessary. Standing in front of the top-tier black Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Xu You felt a metaphorical crow cawing ominously in her mind.

With no escape in sight, she took the keys from Zhou Siyu, settled into the driver’s seat, adjusted the seat position, and set the navigation. There were two hospitals within three kilometers, and Xu You chose the nearest one. Zhou Siyu sighed inwardly.

With an off-road vehicle and non-peak traffic, it took less than five minutes to reach the hospital’s paid parking lot.

Old habits die hard, and Xu You’s past perceptions lingered. As she drove into the hospital, Zhou Siyu scanned the area, searching for an easy parking spot.

Hospitals, especially reputable ones in big cities, are perpetually crowded, with a constant stream of people trying to squeeze in. Zhou Siyu quickly spotted only two tricky spots: one next to a lamppost and another sandwiched tightly between two cars, making it difficult for their large vehicle to maneuver.

“Park here,” she suggested, pointing to the spot by the lamppost.

Xu You ignored her, disregarding the instruction, and gently pressed the accelerator toward the other spot.

“That one’s risky, easy to scrape the cars next to it. It’s hard to get in.”

Xu You shifted into reverse and replied, “What, afraid I’ll scratch the car and someone will come after you for compensation?”

As she spoke, she skillfully released the brake pedal, her hand resting lightly on the steering wheel as she turned it with ease. The SUV traced a smooth arc on the ground under her control.

Zhou Siyu glanced at the neighboring car through her side mirror and shook her head. “As long as you’re not hurt, even if this entire row gets totaled, I can cover it.”

Xu You felt a chill at the words. The rearview mirror showed their car now parallel to the vehicles on both sides. She straightened the wheel, held it steady until the left mirror aligned almost perfectly with the small car beside them, then braked, shifted gears, and pulled the handbrake.

Even Lu Ang, with over a decade of driving experience, might not have managed such a tight spot in one go. Yet the girl who used to panic on the road had executed it swiftly and flawlessly. Zhou Siyu turned and gave Xu You a deep, thoughtful look.

She’s changed. Truly changed.

“Let’s go,” Xu You cut off any chance for praise, grabbing her phone from the holder, opening the car door, and walking away without a backward glance.

Zhou Siyu’s sigh was drowned out by the slam of the car door. She smiled wryly, opened her door with one hand, and followed Xu You to register and wait at the emergency room entrance.

Xu You had always disliked hospitals, and the emergency room even more so. As the elevator came to a stop and the doors began to open, the chaotic mix of cries and commotion from outside flooded her ears, instantly dragging her back to the day Grandma Su passed away.

Back then, they were the ones in panic, the ones feeling helpless, the ones who had to say goodbye to  Grandma Su. Without even stepping closer, her heart felt crushed under the weight of a heavy stone.

As the elevator doors opened fully, patients and family members who had ridden up with them hurried out. Xu You stood frozen, her feet rooted as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. Only after being jostled a few times did Zhou Siyu notice her unusual stillness.

“Bored? Maybe we should go out first, and I’ll come back later by myself.” Her concern was genuine; she even forgot her own pain as she anxiously watched Xu You. She wanted to reach out and pat her reassuringly, but memories held her back, leaving her standing helplessly beside Xu You, staring into her eyes.

Xu You tried to breathe, but the oxygen entering her lungs felt thin. The elevator doors began to close.

Busy, the hospital wasn’t just crowded with people; even the equipment seemed to never stop.

“No need.”

Whether she stepped forward or held back, the outcome was the same. Since they were already here, she might as well let Zhou Siyu take a good look, lest an untreated fracture give Lu Ang and Zhang Qin more reasons to criticize her later, and even disrupt her family harmony.

After an ineffective attempt to calm herself, Xu You stepped out of the elevator and followed the signs to the emergency orthopedics department. She stood at a moderate distance from the consultation room, her gaze fixed on the number display screen, waiting for Zhou Siyu’s name to scroll up.

Zhou Siyu was already by her side. If the Xu You of four or five years ago was her purest little white flower, the cleanest sheet of paper, the Xu You beside her now was a blazing red rose, an abstract piece of art created by a brushstroke without any order.

The mystery enveloped her tightly, making it impossible to approach or understand.

The emergency department moved with both speed and quality. After two names passed, an electronic female voice soon called out Zhou Siyu’s name over the loudspeaker.

She glanced at Xu You, no longer feeling a strong desire for her company. Xu You smoothed her hair with her fingers and walked in her sneakers toward one of the consultation rooms.

“Zhou Siyu, right? What’s the situation, what are your symptoms?” The doctor sat in front of the computer, typing electronic prescriptions. Hearing the door open, he continued tapping on the keyboard without looking up, asking about her injury and some details of the accident.

A few seconds passed with no response. He pushed up his slightly slipping glasses and saw the long-haired woman partially obscured.

“I’m Zhou Siyu. I got my hand caught in a car door. It’s noticeably painful and swollen.” Zhou Siyu stepped closer and explained one by one.

Following the standard medical procedure, after asking questions, he wrote them a slip to get an X-ray to check the bones. They ran up and down the hospital, got the results, and the final diagnosis was a fractured middle finger requiring a splint, with soft tissue contusions in the other fingers needing daily care.

After Zhou Siyu was treated and received her medication, the two left the hospital. Only then did Xu You seem less tense.

“Your injury happened for reasons involving both of us. I’ll transfer you some money later as compensation. Take care of yourself from now on.”

“No need.” The mention of money made Zhou Siyu uncomfortable, but then she remembered, hadn’t she once dismissed Xu You in the same way?

Buy you a bag, buy you diamonds, if you’re unhappy, go spend some money to cheer up…

“Alright, if you don’t want it, that’s fine.” Xu You didn’t press the issue. Without her parents’ support, she was solely responsible for all her and Xu Tian’s expenses. If Zhou Siyu didn’t want the money, so much the better.

“You said you wanted to talk about Yu Yao. Let’s do it here, the hospital café seems fine.” In her mental checklist, she ticked off the medical visit, leaving only the conversation, which she now brought to the forefront.

Mentioning Yu Yao ignited Zhou Siyu’s anger. By the time they sat at a small corner table, each with an iced Americano, her face was still dark.

“She cheated.”

Xu You had been sweating since entering the emergency room. The cold coffee had just entered her mouth, the icy chill not yet sliding down her esophagus to her stomach, when Zhou Siyu’s words made her choke and cough violently.

Water vapor entered her respiratory tract, bringing discomfort. Ignoring the stares around her, she pressed her abdomen and coughed repeatedly. Zhou Siyu wanted to pat her back but withdrew her hand after being met with a sharp glare she managed to shoot his way. She simply handed her a tissue instead.

Once her lungs felt better and her breathing steadied, she still couldn’t bring herself to believe that Yu Yao, who had seemed so deeply in love with Mai, could do something so utterly heartless.

Reason was overwhelmed by shock. She had forgotten, she was the one being loved, and she was the one being betrayed.

Seeing Xu You hurt, Zhou Siyu felt deeply pained. Filled with righteous indignation, she continued recounting what she had witnessed that day and handed Xu You her phone to show the photos and videos she had taken.

“Look, she not only wears matching rings with you but also kisses someone else in public.”

Xu You swiped through the screen, her heart growing calmer with each scroll. By the time she reached the video, she even broke into an amused, almost doting smile, leaving Zhou Siyu stunned and rooted to the spot.

“Aren’t you angry?” Zhou Siyu ventured to ask.

Finally remembering her “role,” Xu You pushed the phone back to Zhou Siyu and showed her the ring. “President Zhou, you might be a bit conservative. We’re in an open relationship. I know about them, the three of us have been living together all along.”

Zhou Siyu froze. How could this be? Back when they first got together, their number one rule was no overlapping relationships. Had studying abroad really made Xu You so open-minded that she could share her lover?

She couldn’t believe it.