Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 51

Xu Tian dropped everything and rushed to the hospital with Yu Yao and Mai after receiving the call that her sister had fainted and been admitted. She had never seen Xu You so fragile, growing up active and healthy, her sister had barely been sick a day in her eighteen years. The sight of Xu You lying pale and weak with an IV in her arm sent a surge of panic through her.

Zhou Siyu and Lu Ang stood leaning against the wall, looking perfectly composed. The moment Xu Tian burst into the private room Zhou Siyu had arranged in the inpatient department, she kicked each of them squarely.

Thanks to some supernatural assistance, the investigator had worked remarkably fast, Lu Ang’s profile was the first to arrive from Zhou Siyu’s network. Having seen his photo, Xu Tian treated him with the same contempt.

Lu Ang stared down at the fresh shoe print marring the limited-edition pure black leather of his sneakers, a throbbing pain already spreading across his temple. Like sisters, like temper, these two clearly shared the same fiery spirit. Only, this younger one packed even more force. He wouldn’t be surprised if the top of his foot was already swelling beneath the leather.

New shoes ruined, pain radiating, the young master Lu’s face darkened. He was about to voice his outrage when a sharp, crisp slap echoed through the room.

His eyes widened as he watched Zhou Siyu’s head snap toward the door. All words died in his throat.

This was Old Zhou they were talking about, the untouchable, legendary Old Zhou, whom anyone in the business world would treat with deference. If even Old Zhou could get hit without a word, he’d better keep his head down and stay out of it.

“My sister misjudged you back then,” Xu Tian snarled, glaring at Zhou Siyu like a fierce young beast, fearless and full of rage. “How could you do this to her? Do you even have a conscience?”

Zhou Siyu pressed her tongue against the corner of her mouth, tasting blood. Her expression remained unreadable, betraying no anger. “This wasn’t my intention.”

She wasn’t one to apologize indiscriminately. From start to finish, the only person she acknowledged hurting was Xu You. She endured that slap solely because this girl was Xu You’s sister. She allowed her to throw a fit under that identity, without it, she would have had her thrown out immediately.

Xu Tian clenched her fists, trembling with fury.

Before Zhou Siyu could turn her head back, the door to the ward opened again.

Yu Yao entered, pulling Mai along by the hand. Zhou Siyu’s gaze instantly darkened, a venomous glare shooting their way. Yu Yao met it with an equally fierce stare.

The air grew thick with tension, a silent battle had begun.

Zhou Siyu’s eyes fell on their clasped hands, and she immediately moved to block their path to Xu You’s bed.

“Get out,” she growled, her voice low and dangerous. She hadn’t lost her temper when Xu Tian struck her, but the sight of these two ignited a blazing fury within her.

Mai looked uncertain, her blue eyes darting between Yu Yao and Xu Tian.

Standing farther away, Xu Tian couldn’t make out their exchange. Ignoring Zhou Siyu’s hostility, Yu Yao kept hold of Mai’s hand, giving her palm a reassuring squeeze with her thumb. She then shoved past Zhou Siyu’s shoulder and strode directly toward Xu You.

Zhou Siyu gritted her teeth, a clear sign she was on the verge of exploding.

She refused to let these two despicable people appear before Xu You in such a vulnerable state, tormenting her. She would protect Xu You from their vile behavior. Since they clearly had no shame and wouldn’t listen to reason, she decided to take matters into her own hands, she would grab them and throw them out.

With the thought in mind, her hand reached out, getting closer and closer to Yu Yao’s arm. Just as she was about to grab her, her own wrist was suddenly seized by a large hand.

Following the arm upward, the one stopping her was her friend Lu Ang.

Zhou Siyu was puzzled, frowning and glaring at him coldly. Lu Ang first shook his head, then slightly lifted his chin toward Xu You’s hospital bed. The two of them whispered with Xu Tian, and anyone could tell at a glance that their relationship wasn’t bad.

But no matter what their relationship was, she had no reason to be angry.

Lu Ang pulled her out of the ward and stopped in the stairwell.

“Why did you stop me? Do you still have improper thoughts about her?” In her anger, Zhou Siyu’s tone was fierce.

Lu Ang tilted his head, releasing her with a helpless expression as he raised both hands. “I’ve never had any improper thoughts about her. I just thought she was fun to be around before and acted like a jerk.”

He couldn’t say more; the burden of being a double agent weighed heavily on him.

If he were exposed, there would be no peace at home, and he’d lose his good friends. He was truly in a difficult position.

Zhou Siyu closed her eyes to regulate her breathing. In the quiet, she gradually calmed down and confessed, “I can’t accept it. I can’t accept her willingly degrading herself, not taking care of her health, and still worrying herself sick over them.”

Outside the window, it was pitch black. The bright moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the streetlights at the bottom of the hospital emitted a dim, yellowish glow.

Under the bright overhead light in the stairwell, the slap marks on both of Zhou Siyu’s cheeks were clearly visible, and the dark circles under her eyes were equally prominent.

Lu Ang took a cigarette from the pack and held it between his lips. As the metal lighter flickered to life and neared the tip of his nose, he remembered that smoking wasn’t allowed in the hospital and released his thumb, letting the hand holding the lighter drop to his side.

The cigarette still dangled from his mouth, the slender cylinder bouncing up and down as he spoke.

“Right now, it’s not about whether you can accept it or not. Think carefully, is it possible that her tendency to worry and neglect her health, among other things, were habits formed during the years you were together? That they were forced upon her by us?”

Hearing this, Zhou Siyu froze.

Lu Ang narrowed his eyes and continued, “Just talking about now, what right do you have to intervene in their affairs? You were kicked out of the game long ago. Trying to force your way in to gain favor now will only yield half the result for twice the effort. Besides, whether she’s degraded or not is just your opinion. You once said that as long as she was happy, you were willing to leave her and bless her. Ask yourself, did you actually do that?”

“I couldn’t do it.” The sore spots in Zhou Siyu’s soul were repeatedly rubbed raw by Lu Ang’s words. Her backbone seemed to dissolve, and as her spirit returned to normal, she leaned against the stair railing, her face full of exhaustion.

“It’s fine, you can keep going. She’ll leave again eventually.” Lu Ang took the cigarette from his lips and held it between his fingers, glancing in the direction of the hospital room. “But we both know she can’t be contained.”

With that, without waiting for Zhou Siyu to respond, Lu Ang headed downstairs, his shoes scuffed and dirty.

Exiting the inpatient building, he took a deep breath of the chilly air. The cold filled his lungs, and once his mind cleared, he exhaled completely.

Even if they were brothers, he couldn’t stand to see an innocent girl hurt, especially when his name was clearly listed among the perpetrators.

He was one of those who needed to atone.

Zhou Siyu selectively took in a few of Lu Ang’s words. After standing in the stairwell for over ten minutes and smoking a cigarette in the smoking room, she returned to the door of the single-patient room, gazing inside through the small window.

After a long while, Xu You woke up. The four of them were chatting and laughing, enjoying a harmonious atmosphere, with no one sparing a glance toward the door. A young nurse passing by asked her why she didn’t go in. She averted her gaze and informed the nurse that Xu You’s IV drip was almost finished, then walked away alone, looking dejected.

The hospital room door was knocked, and all four of them turned their attention to the entrance.

Xu Tian and Yu Yao looked up warily, afraid that Zhou Siyu might return to cause trouble. Xu You simply glanced over curiously. When the nurse entered, she clearly heard the sound of everyone letting out a sigh of relief.

She thought that the only one who could provoke her sister and Yu Yao’s collective anger was Zhou Siyu.

“Miss Xu, this is the last bottle of IV fluid. You can have some light, easily digestible porridge later. After observation overnight, you can be discharged tomorrow,” the nurse said as she lifted the white infusion tape, swiftly removed the needle, and pressed a cotton ball under the tape, handing Xu You’s hand to the nearest Xu Tian to hold.

“Press down, don’t rub,” she instructed Xu Tian, inserting the needle into the rubber stopper of the glass bottle. “How are you feeling? Does your stomach still hurt?”

Xu You shook her head, unable to feel any pain. Only after the nurse closed the door did she suddenly realize something. Using her free hand, she lifted the blanket and looked down at her lower body.

Her winter pants had been removed, and even her underwear was gone. Her legs were now bare, with her private area covered by a pair of sanitary shorts, preventing her heavy period from staining the snow-white bedsheet.

None of her sisters seemed like the type to change such an item for her. The only person she could think of was Zhou Siyu, and her face visibly paled by several shades.

Letting go of the blanket, she was drawn by some force to glance at the bedside table. A luxury shopping bag, the kind Zhou Siyu often wore, stood there, serving as undeniable proof that she was the one who had done all this.

Time had passed, and the sweet ambiguity between them was gone. The thought of that indescribable scene made her head ache and her heart restless.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Tian released her fingers, noticing the expanding red stain on the cotton ball, and quickly pressed her thumb back down.

Yu Yao leaned in. “We haven’t even asked what happened. The car broke down, and that idiot brought you here? Did she spout nonsense and make you angry again?”

Mai understood the meaning of “idiot.” Normally, she didn’t like it when Yu Yao swore, but this time, since the target was Zhou Siyu, she found it oddly fitting.

“I ran into her at school. The car broke down for some reason, and while waiting for the tow truck, I couldn’t hold on and fainted. She happened to be at the school looking for someone and saw me, so she gave me a ride to the hospital,” Xu You explained as briefly as possible, omitting some of Zhou Siyu’s bizarre behavior to avoid upsetting her sisters further.

“Really? She didn’t harass you?” Yu Yao asked, half-believing.

Xu You smiled. “No, with so many people around, how would she dare? If she had, wouldn’t I have called the police to have her arrested?”

“Hard to say,” Yu Yao shook her head.

Xu You’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes darted around nervously. “Nonsense, I’m not stupid. If I don’t like her, why would I let her take advantage of me or act crazy in front of me?”

She put on a stern face, pretending to be serious. Yu Yao scrutinized her expression carefully, found her resolve firm, and nodded in satisfaction.

As long as she learned from her mistakes, recognized the pain after hitting a wall, and knew to run, she was still a salvageable comrade.

Xu Tian, still holding Xu You’s hand, asked hesitantly, “So, do we owe her thanks? Do I need to apologize to them?”

The memory of two heavy slaps and a loud smack was still vivid. If what her sister said was true, her actions would amount to repaying kindness with enmity. Troubled by her conscience, she quietly confessed to her sisters and sincerely asked whether she should apologize.

After learning what had happened before she entered the ward, Yu Yao’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and she clapped enthusiastically.

“Well done, Tiantian! No need to apologize, they deserved it.”

Mai tugged at her sleeve, personally advising against resorting to violence. Based on her understanding, those two were ruthless and could easily target Xu Tian. She worried Xu Tian might become their scapegoat for venting their anger.

Xu You raised an eyebrow and reassured her that it was fine. Only after the others had left to buy her dinner did she slowly sit up, retrieve her phone from her bag, and find Lu Ang’s contact.

Leaning back against the pillow, the needle mark beneath the cotton had already scabbed over and was no longer bleeding.

[Xu You: Please pass on my thanks to Zhou Siyu for today’s matter.]

Lu Ang, a man of leisure, replied quickly.

[LA: You’re awake? Are you okay?]

Not familiar enough to share the details, Xu You typed “I’m fine” and sent it, just as Lu Ang’s next message came through.

[LA: I won’t pass it on. Thank her yourself.]