Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 56

By seven in the morning, the park had already been awakened by early-rising residents exercising. On a bench sat a girl who seemed out of place, drawing curious glances from passersby.

Clad in a thick, long black down coat with a cashmere scarf wrapped around her neck, she hid half her face beneath the scarf. The visible half, with her eyes closed, revealed no emotion. The soft glow of the rising sun fell on her face, and the fine down on her cheeks added a touch of realism, making her appear as if she had been asleep for a long time.

The passersby were merely curious, and no one disturbed her tranquility.

Before long, the light on her face was blocked. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of moist orbs filled with an indescribable weariness that tugged at the heartstrings.

As darkness fell over her, Xu You guessed that Zhou Siyu had arrived. Opening her eyes and confirming it was indeed her, she felt no surprise. Lowering her gaze from Zhou Siyu’s eyes, she tapped the screen of the phone in her palm, it wasn’t even 7:30 yet. She had arrived half an hour earlier than agreed.

“You’re here.”

Her expression remained indifferent, ignoring Zhou Siyu’s slightly parted lips and the concern and confusion in her eyes. Relaxing her tense shoulders, she sat up straight.

“I don’t really feel like standing up; I’m a bit tired.” She swallowed, suppressing the bitterness in her throat. “If you don’t mind, please bear with sitting here for a while.”

How could Zhou Siyu mind? Being able to get close to her was something she had longed for. Fearing Xu You might change her mind, she almost instantly took a seat on the empty side of the bench the moment she heard her words.

It was a standard two-person bench. With their thick winter clothing and Zhou Siyu intentionally leaning closer, Xu You could hear the rustle of fabric. She glanced sideways briefly but made no move to avoid her.

Relieved, Zhou Siyu secretly unclenched the fists she had tightened in nervousness.

“I don’t think there’s much need for pleasantries between us. I accept the proposal you made last time.” Xu You’s gaze fell on a precarious bird’s nest swaying on the bare branches of a nearby tree. She thought to herself that if the wind grew stronger, the birds returning in early spring would lose their home.

From the moment she received Xu You’s message until their meeting, Zhou Siyu had been speculating about what kind of conversation would unfold and why Xu You had sought her out. Hearing from Xu You’s own lips that she was willing to join YUYOO was incredibly good news for both the company and herself.

Yet, a sudden unease stirred within her.

Had something happened to her?

Xu You didn’t beat around the bush. Having arranged the meeting, she withdrew her gaze and laid her cards on the table.

Her stiff fingers twitched slightly. “I have conditions. Hear them out first. If you can accept them, I’ll sign the contract. If you think it’s not feasible-”

“I can accept anything.” The name “Xu You” was a pass in her eyes, let alone a request made by Xu You herself. There was no way she wouldn’t agree. Zhou Siyu hurriedly interrupted.

Xu You didn’t respond, her expression unchanged as she spoke calmly, “First, I don’t want my identity disclosed too early. A strange work atmosphere would hinder my creativity and disrupt my life. I’d prefer the official announcement to be made before the game’s release.”

She paused. “At that time, I might not be able to reveal my portrait either, but my social media platforms will fully support your promotional efforts.”

“Of course. Feel free to state any work-related demands, including compensation.” Zhou Siyu gazed at her profile, speaking with sincerity.

Work was the condition she had exchanged, money was not her pursuit. However much Zhou Siyu was willing to give her had its own reasoning, and she wasn’t worried. She skipped over this topic and continued.

“Secondly, I hope you can help me investigate who is behind a certain design company, and I need your assistance.”

The words she thought would be difficult to say were finally spoken. Her tone grew increasingly faint and ambiguous as she spoke, and Zhou Siyu sensed the vulnerability in her voice, her own heartbeat quickening with unease.

She anticipated that something bad had happened and couldn’t remain calm while watching Xu You endure distress and collapse alone.

“Tell me, what’s wrong?” Her tone grew urgent.

Xu You closed her eyes, and the image of Yu Yao’s dire state in the hospital appeared before her. It felt as though a steel needle had pierced her heart, and the corners of her eyes reddened.

Seeing this, Zhou Siyu abandoned all restraint and forgot the boundaries she had repeatedly reminded herself to maintain. She stood up, knelt in front of Xu You, and took her cold hands in her own, trying to convey warmth and strength through her touch.

Xu You took a moment to compose herself, suppressing her anger and frustration. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and slowly withdrew her hands from Zhou Siyu’s grasp.

She sold her skills, not her body.

“Just answer me: yes or no.”

“Yes,” Zhou Siyu replied quickly, adding, “You can send me the basic information about that company now. I’ll take care of it within the next couple of days.”

Xu You had long witnessed Zhou Siyu’s ability to command influence in Beicheng. She nodded, unlocked her phone, and forwarded all the information she had gathered overnight to Zhou Siyu. Still kneeling before her, Zhou Siyu finished reviewing the details and then made a call right in front of her.

Zhou Siyu’s network was complex, her connections beyond imagination. Once, these had been Xu You’s nightmares, but now they were the very foundation of her confidence.

With Zhou Siyu by her side, she truly felt a bit more at ease.

After two calls ended, Zhou Siyu put away her phone.

She hesitated to speak, afraid of crossing Xu You’s boundaries and pushing away the person she had finally drawn closer to. Everything had to be handled with extreme care.

Xu You understood her as well as she understood herself. Thinking they were already tied together on the same boat, she slowly recounted Yu Yao’s experience to her.

“Bastard,” Zhou Siyu gritted out through clenched teeth after hearing the story, her gaze turning fierce and murderous. “Don’t worry, I know how to handle this. If you need anything else, contact me anytime.”

Her jealousy toward Yu Yao and resentment over the emotional wavering hadn’t faded, but she genuinely couldn’t bear to see Xu You suffer.

She had already lowered herself enough to consider joining their four-person family. Having made that decision, helping Xu You confront this evil force was also a way to demonstrate her sincerity.

Most importantly, it had hurt Xu You.

No one was allowed to hurt Xu You.

“Thank you,” Xu You said after a moment’s thought, realizing there was nothing else she needed.

Zhou Siyu was at a loss for words. She didn’t deserve this gratitude and disliked the cold, distant formality.

Xu You was no longer like she had been years ago, constantly concerned about Zhou Siyu’s feelings, struggling to interpret her thoughts. She reached out and pressed her fingers to her temples. “I can’t leave until Yu Yao is transferred out of the ICU. Once she’s better, I’ll let you know my exact start date. Before that, you can have Zheng Ran send me the game proposal.”

“No rush.”

Since the boss said there was no hurry, she wouldn’t divert her attention to company matters. Her silent phone suddenly rang, and seeing it was a call from the hospital, she answered quickly. After hanging up, she bid Zhou Siyu farewell and hurried off.

To the hospital.

The doctor in the intensive care unit said Yu Yao had regained consciousness, but she would need to remain under observation for a few more hours until her vital signs stabilized before she could be transferred to a general ward. They were asked to go sign some forms for additional tests and settle the payments.

After running up and down the stairs a few times to handle everything, Xu You sat in the waiting area outside the ward, breathing in fresh air deeply, as if trying to replenish her lungs.

Just as her body felt weak and oxygen-deprived, the police station called at the perfect moment. She rubbed her face, walked to the end of the corridor, and let the cold wind seeping through the window cracks hit her face, jolting her awake.

“Miss Xu, I’m the officer in charge of the case. We’ve reviewed the surveillance footage, but since the incident occurred in a blind spot, we can only conduct more interviews with nearby businesses…”

Xu You gazed at the pedestrians below, as small as ants from the high-rise, her heart as calm as still water, unable to stir even a ripple.

It wasn’t even regular business hours yet, but the officer’s words were enough to make her clearly aware that the other party had already made their move.

Strangely, she wasn’t afraid or worried at all.

Unlike yesterday, she no longer felt helpless or lost.

“Then I’ll trouble you to continue the investigation. You mentioned that Yu Yao’s social connections are simple, and her only enemies in Beicheng are them. I believe you will uncover the truth.”

Her words effectively cut off anything else the officer might have said. They were testing each other, the officer probing her stance, using his authority to pressure her, trying to make her understand that pushing further would be futile. Faced with Xu You’s firmness, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The harsh realities of society had worn away Xu You’s naivety. Without wasting more time, she hung up, bought breakfast, and brought it back to Yu Yao’s home. After watching Mai finish eating, she sat on the living room sofa, closing her eyes to rest while waiting for news from Zhou Siyu.

She was too anxious to sleep, checking her phone every few minutes to make sure she hadn’t missed any messages that could affect the progress of the matter.

Around 10:30, her email notified her of a new message.

In less than three hours, Zhou Siyu had dug up nearly everything about the opposing design company and sent it to her.

Tax evasion, exploiting lower-level employees, repeated disrespect toward clients…

Xu You carefully read through the dozen or so pages of the document, feeling as if the sky over Beicheng had darkened.

These people were truly shameless, unscrupulous, and lawless!

Zhou Siyu called her right on time. She was still seething with anger, not just for Yu Yao but for all the other powerless people who had been harmed, her chest heaving with emotion.

“How far do you want to take this?” Zhou Siyu asked softly.

She was seated in her executive chair, with Zheng Ran standing properly by her side and Lu Ang waiting beside Zheng Ran for a response.

Young Master Lu had received Zhou Siyu’s task and, in no time, had people dig up plenty of illegal information. It was an open secret in their circles, once the tip of the iceberg was exposed, they leveraged even stronger connections to unearth the entire iceberg and expose it to the light.

He had seen such underhanded tactics many times and wasn’t surprised, but since Xu You was involved, he took it more seriously and came in person to discuss countermeasures.

Xu You asked, “How far can we go?”

“Bankruptcy, sending them to prison for life, or we can have people rough them up. Whatever you want, I can make it happen,” Zhou Siyu replied.

I want them to pay in blood!

Xu You’s first instinct was to fight evil with evil.

But her humanity and years of moral and legal education told her she couldn’t.

“What’s the maximum we can do through legal means?” she asked again.

Zhou Siyu didn’t answer further, only saying, “I understand. Don’t get involved. Take care of Yu Yao, and leave the rest to me.”

Xu You wanted to say more, but the receiver only emitted a series of busy tones.

Zhou Siyu had hung up the phone. She felt both relieved and uneasy, so she drafted a long message reminding her not to exploit legal loopholes. After receiving her confirmation, she turned to comfort Mai, whose eyes were swollen from crying in the room.

“Zhou Siyu, go get them!”