Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 48

Xu You and Xu Tian only had dinner at Yu Yao’s place. In the evening, the two returned to their own home, a garden villa located just a few hundred meters away from Yu Yao’s house.

After the old man passed away, Xu You had reluctantly agreed to go abroad to reunite with her family in Australia. At the time, the plan was to sell the house and use the money to facilitate the entire family’s permanent immigration. But as they say, plans can’t keep up with changes. Within two years, Xu You changed her mind and insisted on attending university in China. Since she was already in the country, her elders couldn’t intervene from afar and had no choice but to let her have her way, abandoning the plan.

The house wasn’t sold because Xu You suddenly declared that this home held all her childhood memories. Her parents, realizing the sentimental value, hired a housekeeper to maintain the villa’s cleanliness and upkeep.

Late at night, Xu You returned home with her younger sister, dragging their suitcases. The year she left Shanghai, she had been utterly infatuated with Zhou Siyu, so much so that she even set the electronic door lock password to Zhou’s birthday.

But times had changed. As her fingertip pressed against the electronic touchscreen, she couldn’t help rolling her eyes so hard they nearly reached the back of her head.

She inwardly cursed the bad luck and resolved to change the password first thing the next morning.

Xu Tian had never lived in this house before. The last time she’d seen it was through a video call, where she caught a glimpse of a small area in the background behind her sister. Standing outside the gate, she craned her neck, waiting for Xu You to unlock the door while taking in the flowers and plants in the garden.

Property prices in downtown Shanghai were staggering. Owning a house in such a prime location was a testament to both wealth and status. Their yard was about the same size as Yu Yao’s, and though someone tended to the plants, even meticulous care couldn’t shield them from harsh winter weather or the laws of nature. The branches stood bare, exposing the brownish-yellow soil beneath.

The password was entered correctly, and the electronic lock beeped as it sprang open.

Xu You didn’t rush inside. Instead, she stood at the doorway, took a deep breath, and shouted, “I’m back!” just like she used to do long ago.

During the New Year, when families gathered for reunions, it only made sense that the old man would come back to visit. He had loved her so dearly; surely, his spirit was lingering somewhere, waiting for her return, waiting to hear those words, a homecoming delayed by several years.

Xu Tian, still naive and not fully understanding the meaning behind her sister’s actions, mimicked her by looking around and shouting, “I’m back too!”

The multidirectional wheels of the suitcases rattled over the uneven cobblestone path leading from the gate to the main entrance. Xu You stood silently at the door, her hand pausing briefly after entering the password. She pushed the suitcases against the wall and led Xu Tian on a late-night stroll around the front yard.

“This is the osmanthus tree. In late autumn, its tiny blossoms fill the entire garden with fragrance. Sometimes, neighbors we know would come by to collect the flowers and make sweet osmanthus dumpling soup. These are gardenias, Grandma loved them, so Grandpa planted a whole circle of them around the yard. And this is the persimmon tree. It was planted the year you were born and bore fruit the very next year, so much that it broke a few branches…”

Xu You wanted to help her sister become more familiar with this home and with the kind, gentle old man who had been her companion for so many years, the one who never got angry and loved every younger generation member equally.

Xu Tian’s first meeting with her grandfather had been at his funeral. They had seen each other countless times through video calls, but it wasn’t until she stood in Shanghai, with him lying before her, that the young girl truly understood death. Terrified, she hid behind her parents after just one glance.

Xu You didn’t blame her, and neither would the old man. But tomorrow, they would see him again, and Xu You hoped her sister could approach the moment with more emotion and less fear. That was all.

After strolling around the courtyard, Xu You was pulled along by Xu Tian as they opened the door and entered the house.

Though cleaning staff came regularly, the house had been uninhabited for so long that it lacked any trace of human warmth. Fine dust particles hung in the chilly air, and as they stepped inside, they stirred up a cloud carrying a faint, astringent, and slightly fishy smell.

It didn’t feel like home. Xu Tian sneezed three times in a row.

Xu You crouched by the door to find slippers. Back when online shopping first became popular, their grandfather had jumped on the trend, and for a while, most items in the house were bought by him online. Unfortunately, unscrupulous sellers didn’t care whether he was a wealthy old man or a poor one, they swindled him all the same. Many of the delivered items had flaws of varying degrees.

The slippers themselves were fine, but the problem was that their grandfather, with his shaky hands, had bought over a dozen pairs. Considering only the two of them lived in the house, even changing slippers twice a year would last them several years. And the seller refused to accept returns or refunds.

Finding the slippers, Xu You gently brushed off the fuzz on them, placed a pair by Xu Tian’s feet, and after changing into her own, she walked familiarly to the control panel to turn on the floor heating and activate the air circulation system.

The house had many rooms. Xu Tian clung to Xu You and shamelessly sprawled on half of her enormous princess bed. Xu You guessed she was a little scared and let her be. After washing up, she lay down on the other side.

“Did Grandpa ever scold you when you did something wrong?” Xu Tian asked, resting her hands under her head and staring at the colorful refracted light from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

Xu You closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “No.”

“He had a very typical traditional Shanghainese man’s temperament, caring toward the younger generation, gentle and refined. One year, your sister Yaoyao and I skipped class to chase after celebrities. When the homeroom teacher contacted our parents, she got beaten several times after returning home. But Grandpa just asked us if we had fun and told us to contact the driver in advance next time we went out, saying it was dangerous for two young girls to go alone.”

Recalling the time when Xu You had just returned from abroad and reunited with their family, Xu Tian couldn’t quite picture her sister during her teenage years. From the snippets shared by Yu Yao and the stories about Zhou Siyu, it seemed her sister had been a free-spirited and unrestrained girl.

So, who was it that had shattered her and made her so timid…?

Xu Tian fell silent. Xu You, not looking at her, assumed she was listening attentively. Lying in her familiar bed, Xu You talked for nearly half an hour, sharing amusing stories about their grandfather, neighbors, and friends. But exhaustion from her weak health and the long flight gradually slowed her speech, and her breathing evened out as she drifted to sleep.

Shifting her gaze from the ceiling to her sister’s profile, Xu Tian watched her for a long while. Once Xu You was sound asleep, she slipped out of bed and quietly explored the three-story villa sleeping in the darkness.

She knocked and entered their grandfather’s room, found Xu You’s art studio, and flipped through the neatly bound collection of her sister’s drawings from childhood through college. Finally, she sat on the ultra-soft sofa in the living room, gazing out the window at the plants Xu You had pointed out to her one by one.

A photo album containing pictures of their entire family lay open on her lap. The page she had turned to showed a family portrait that Xu You had carefully cut out and pasted together.

Shanghai in the deep night was like a sleeping princess, serene and beautiful.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there when she faintly heard movement upstairs. Quickly closing the album and placing it on the coffee table, she grabbed a bottle of plain water from the fridge. Clad in cute but mismatched fluffy slippers, she bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Pushing the door open, she saw the figure on the bed stir slightly. “Where did you go?”

“I was thirsty.”

Xu You’s voice was lazy and slightly groggy. “Don’t drink too much cold water. You’re not young anymore, your stomach won’t be able to handle it.”

A witty retort was on the tip of her tongue, but the movement under the covers stilled, and Xu You drifted back to sleep.

Xu Tian tiptoed to the window, sat down, used her mobile data to reinstall the app, and sent a message to the mysterious contact.

[X: Add 10k. I want you to shorten the timeline to one week.]

The app had a read receipt feature. Almost as soon as she sent the message, a green checkmark appeared below her text box, indicating the other party had seen it.

[ : 10k isn’t enough.]

Xu Tian’s expression remained blank as she lowered her gaze, typed a number, and sent it. This time, the other side relented and agreed to her new demand.

The next morning, Xu Tian was jolted awake by the loud conversation downstairs. Reaching out beside her, she found the spot empty. With her hair a disheveled mess, she stomped down the wooden stairs, her face dark with irritation, making the staircase thunder under her feet.

“And who is this?”

Xu You, still in her pajamas, sat on the sofa opposite an elderly woman. The woman was dressed neatly, while Xu You looked dazed, as if she might doze off at any moment.

Spotting Xu Tian at the stairway, she mustered a bit of energy. “My sister, Xu Tian.”

“Oh, a foreigner. I haven’t seen you all these years. Can you even speak Chinese?” The old woman’s thick Shanghai accent was unmistakable.

Just as Xu You was about to say she could, the irritable child, still wrapped in her morning grumpiness, hurried down the stairs and sat between them.

“Of course, Granny. Are you here so early to give New Year’s greetings? I haven’t lived in the country, but my nationality is Chinese.” She forced a smile. “Happy New Year, Granny.”

Hearing Xu Tian speak flawless dialect, the old woman looked slightly embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly. “Happy New Year.”

Xu Tian’s eyes suddenly widened. “I heard from Mom and Dad that when elders visit during the New Year, they give red envelopes. Is that true?”

It was rare for someone to ask for money outright, and the old woman hadn’t budgeted for it. She could only chuckle again.

Seeing the awkwardness, Xu You stepped in to smooth things over and escorted the old woman out. The two sisters collapsed on the sofa, and Xu You introduced the eccentric visitor to her sister, summing her up in two words: distant relative, looking to take advantage.

Xu Tian clicked her tongue twice, her head unmoving as she shot a sidelong glance toward the door and curled her lips in resignation.

With the house empty, Xu You retrieved the sports car her grandfather had gifted her for her 18th birthday from the garage, drove to the nearest gas station to fill up, and took her sister to their usual breakfast spot.

Business owners worked year-round without holidays. Even close to 10 a.m., the breakfast shop was bustling. The owner recognized Xu You and gave them an extra order of soup dumplings and wontons, leaving the two so full they had to lean against the wall to leave.

Winter in the south was a magical assault, the damp chill pierced through cotton clothes, seeping straight into the bones. Despite the weather, Xu You drove with the window half-open, breathing in the air filled with a sense of happiness, as she took her little sister to the outskirts in her sports car.

Xu Tian could sense her sister’s excitement, as if a long-awaited reunion was finally about to happen.

Many people had been visiting the cemetery over the past two days. The two finally found a parking spot. In keeping with civilized practices, burning paper money or ingots wasn’t allowed. Xu You brought a bottle of fine liquor from the trunk, carried the dishes her grandfather loved, and stuffed Xu Tian’s arms full of fresh flowers. They climbed the stone steps, turned expertly at a certain row, and stopped before one of the seemingly identical gravestones.

“Grandpa, I’ve brought Tiantian to see you.”

Xu Tian set aside her usual impulsive demeanor, bowed respectfully, and placed the flowers down.

“Sit.” Xu You motioned for her to sit on the ground, settling down first and beginning to chatter away. “We can’t get gardenias in winter, but I’ll talk to Grandma, we’ll bring her some next time. Everyone’s been controlling your drinking, but today I brought you a fine bottle. Drink your fill…”

Xu Tian had always been, and still was, an atheist. Sitting beside her grandfather’s tombstone, watching her sister, she suddenly found herself willing to imagine the existence of hell and heaven, that souls drift after death.

She lifted her eyes as the clouds that had been blocking the sun drifted away. The warm sunlight fell on her, and for the first time, she felt her grandfather’s touch.

Xu Tian couldn’t interject while Xu You spoke to their grandfather. She just watched as her sister tilted the wine flask, pouring the liquid, precious as gold, onto the grass. It instantly seeped into the soil, almost as if the offering had been accepted.

Facing their grandfather’s photo, Xu You kept talking and talking, eventually not minding Xu Tian’s presence and venting a lot of the grievances Zhou Siyu and the others had caused her.

Who knows how Grandfather would have reacted? Xu Tian clenched her fists tightly.