Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 65

Qin Keyi lowered her head.

She had already anticipated the answer, but hearing it directly from Xu You still came as a shock. She had wanted to salvage the relationship for the person her sister loved most, to clear up the misunderstandings for her friend. But perhaps the right moment to reveal the truth had long passed, their story had veered off its original track long ago.

The froth of milk blended into the bitter aroma of the coffee, infusing it with a hint of sweetness. Xu You set down the small spoon and pressed her fingertips against the cup, feeling the warmth seep from her skin into her heart.

She had given too many chances and suffered too many wounds.

That was why, this time, she absolutely could not relent and allow herself to walk into danger.

“Can I ask you a question?”

In that quiet corner of the café, after a long silence, Xu You withdrew her fingers as they grew cold and looked at Qin Keyi as she spoke.

The rights and wrongs of adults no longer mattered. She knew Zhou Siyu and Qin Keyi had no entanglement, knew their interactions had always been as friends. Qin Keyi was no longer her imagined rival. The questions in her heart could now be brought out into the open and asked without reservation.

Qin Keyi nodded first, then met Xu You’s gaze. “Sure, ask anything. I’ll answer honestly.”

Xu You blinked and spoke slowly, “Your daughter, why is she also named Youyou?”

Qin Keyi froze.

Xu You’s lips twitched slightly. Judging by Qin Keyi’s reaction, she guessed that Youyou’s name likely had nothing to do with hers.

Having found her answer, she was about to end this abrupt conversation when Qin Keyi, sitting across from her, lifted her coffee cup, took a sip, and held it carefully. Before Xu You could speak, she said earnestly:

“Zhou never told you how Robert and I met, did she?” Qin Keyi offered a faint smile and, seeing Xu You’s confusion, continued, “Sorry, Robert is my husband, Youyou’s father.”

“We met at the famous Deer Island Park in Japan. At the time, I was being aggressively pursued by a stag crazed for food, and he stepped in to help me escape. We thanked each other and went our separate ways. I thought it was just a small episode during my travels, but on the flight back to the U.S., he was seated next to me. After we landed, he became my supervisor. Later, we fell in love, and by chance, I became pregnant with Youyou. At that time, he was obsessed with the Book of Songs and insisted that the deer was our matchmaker, so he gave our child this nickname.”

Xu You had never heard their love story before. Listening now, she found it romantic and beautiful.

A normal relationship, an equal partnership, a perfect ending, everything seemed to fall so naturally into place.

Qin Keyi couldn’t decipher the meaning behind Xu You’s expression. She hadn’t thought about the name issue before, but upon reflection, she understood why Xu You might feel uneasy. She spoke again, even more sincerely:

“I’m sorry. Zhou wasn’t involved in naming her. If I had known about you two…” She paused, thinking it over, but couldn’t quite say she wouldn’t have chosen a homophonic name. “I’m truly sorry.”

“No, it’s me being too sensitive.” Xu You didn’t accept the apology, feeling it wasn’t necessary. “Thank you for sharing with me. But the issues between her and me aren’t just about this, and you don’t need to take responsibility for any of it.”

With everything laid out, the two fell into silence once more.

Colleagues on their lunch break came one after another to buy coffee. Spotting Xu You and Qin Keyi in the corner, they couldn’t help but glance their way. Xu You grew irritated by the stares and placed her hand over her phone, ready to end the conversation.

“So…” Seeing that Xu You was about to leave, Qin Keyi hesitated, as if wrestling with herself, then asked uncertainly, “Can we be friends?”

She added, “I think you’re outstanding and very loyal. Youyou likes you a lot too. To be honest, I don’t have many friends in Beicheng. If you mind, just forget I said anything.”

Xu You first asked, “What about Lu Ang and Zhang Qin?”

“Them?” Qin Keyi sneered, her expression hardening. “They were accomplices in my sister’s death. They don’t deserve to be my friends.”

Xu You nodded in understanding and agreement.

In this regard, they shared common enemies. Since they weren’t planning to marry and spend the rest of their lives together, there was no harm in being friends.

As if afraid Xu You might change her mind, Qin Keyi quickly pulled up her WeChat QR code, slid her phone over, and watched as Xu You scanned it. Only when the friend request popped up on her own screen did she retrieve her phone.

After finishing the process, Xu You noticed several unread messages in her inbox. While Qin Keyi was adding her as a friend, she opened them.

[Zhou Siyu: Zheng Ran said he went to deliver documents to you, but you weren’t in your office. Let me know when you’re available, and I’ll have Zheng Ran come find you, or you can come up to get them when you have time.]

[Zhou Siyu: The documents are company confidential, so they must be handed to you personally. I’m not forcing you to come upstairs.]

Xu You lowered her gaze, her expression indifferent. Zhou Siyu’s intentions were practically written all over her face. The two messages were sent just two minutes apart. Since when did Zheng Ran need her personal attention to deliver documents? The hurried attempt to cover up was truly laughable.

She didn’t reply and exited the chat. Qin Keyi had accepted her friend request, so she casually updated the contact name.

“Are you going upstairs later?” Xu You asked while typing.

“Yeah.” Qin Keyi took a moment to respond.

The conversation abruptly ended, and neither of them pursued the topic further. It wasn’t until they stood in the same elevator that Qin Keyi, having pressed the button for the top floor, noticed Xu You hadn’t moved and shot her a curious look.

Xu You shrugged. “I need to pick up some documents.”

“Ah, don’t blame Zhou for being childish. Her parents have always had high expectations of her. Academically, she’s the best in our circle, and she’s the only one among us who’s succeeded in starting a business. But when it comes to relationships, I can guarantee she’s a complete novice, her experience might even be less than… Sorry, I’ve said too much.” Qin Keyi caught Xu You’s distracted reflection in the polished elevator wall and promptly shut her mouth.

Xu You had actually heard most of it, but when the words “complete novice” reached her ears, she suddenly recalled their first meeting. That so-called “novice” had acted as smoothly as an expert. Both of them had been hiding things, unwilling to reveal even a hint more than necessary. Now, regret was pointless.

She let out a soft chuckle. The elevator arrived at the designated floor, its doors sliding open. The two walked side by side toward the CEO’s office.

Zheng Ran stood by the printer, waiting for blank pages to be filled with ink, creating value for the company and himself. Dozens of pages dropped one by one onto the tray. Bored, he lifted his head, his gaze drifting until it landed on the doorway not far away. Before his mind fully registered the visitors, he was already standing upright.

“Miss Qin, Miss Xu.” As they approached, he greeted them with utmost respect.

The two women responded differently. Qin Keyi, unfamiliar with him, merely nodded and kept walking, only stopping when she noticed Xu You had paused.

“Assistant Zheng.” Xu You stood beside his desk, turning her head to explain to Qin Keyi, “The documents I need are with Assistant Zheng.”

Qin Keyi looked slightly surprised. Zheng Ran interjected at just the right moment, “Miss Xu, are you referring to the documents I just brought for you? I’ve already delivered them to CEO Zhou.”

Xu You clenched her fingers, feeling awkward. Zhou Siyu was all talk and no action.

“Shall we go in together?” Qin Keyi suppressed a smile as she extended the invitation.

Xu You’s little leather shoes tapped loudly against the floor as she stomped angrily toward Zhou Siyu’s office without acknowledging anyone.

Before Qin Keyi could turn around, she locked eyes with Zheng Ran. Out of the corner of his eye, Zheng Ran saw Xu You pulling open the glass door and raised his voice from over ten meters away, “Oh, by the way, Miss Xu, the CEO just went to the conference room. She might have taken the documents with her. Would you like to wait in her office for a while?”

Xu You’s arm, still holding the door handle, stiffened. The poised facade she had maintained shattered instantly. She deeply regretted not contacting Zhou Siyu in advance before coming upstairs, leaving her stuck in a dilemma.

Unwilling to turn back, she missed Qin Keyi secretly giving Zheng Ran a thumbs-up and Zheng Ran’s silly expression. As she hesitated whether to enter or retreat, a warm presence pressed against her back.

“Go on, go on.” Qin Keyi stood less than half a meter away from her, her hand brushing against Xu You’s fingers as she pressed down on the handle. With a slight push, the door opened a crack.

The scene inside was revealed. Hearing her mother’s voice, the little girl in the office shouted “Mommy!” and leaped off her chair, rushing toward the door.

Just as Qin Keyi opened the glass door, Youyou mistakenly threw herself into Xu You’s abdomen. Looking up, she was about to act cute but quickly dropped her little hands upon seeing Xu You’s face. Her big, innocent eyes turned to her mother.

For such a young child, her ability to read the situation was truly astonishing. Xu You had just become friends with her mother, and she couldn’t bring herself to coldly reject such an adorable child. She forced a sweet, friendly smile and gently patted the space between the girl’s two little buns with her soft palm.

“Hello there, little Youyou.” Xu You’s voice was naturally low, but she deliberately softened it to sound less cold.

Youyou glanced at her mother and, encouraged, softly hugged Xu You’s arm. “Sister~”

“Fawning” wasn’t the right word to describe Youyou’s expression. Xu You thought about it and preferred to label it as “charming.” Innocent, lively, and natural, the purity that a child should possess was fully reflected on that little face.

Her dad and Auntie Zhou had gone to a meeting, leaving her alone in the office watching cartoons, which was terribly boring. Now, a pretty sister and her mom had come to play with her, and Youyou was overjoyed.

Once the door closed, she chattered nonstop in front of Xu You and Qin Keyi, spouting childish nonsense.

Children around three or four years old are at an age where they love to show off, talk, and make noise. However, due to their youth, their logic is often disjointed, jumping from one topic to another. Xu You had no children of her own and had never interacted with kids this age. Even though she listened attentively, she could only half-understand and had to guess at the rest.

After Qin Keyi struggled to translate for a while, Xu You was the first to give up. She asked Youyou to fetch a few sheets of white paper from Zhou Siyu’s desk and taught her some simple children’s drawings.

Talent in the arts often reveals itself early. Xu You’s path into oil painting began with an imitation she did at the age of three. She took her grandfather’s practice calligraphy paper, picked up a brush, and sat for an entire afternoon. What she drew could already be considered a work of art.

Compared to her own early display of talent, Youyou was indeed not particularly outstanding. Xu You blinked rapidly as she looked at the chaotic lines and unrecognizable monsters scrawled across the A4 paper on the desk.

It wasn’t that she was boasting about herself or belittling Youyou, but in terms of art, her unprofessional advice was simply: don’t pursue it, or find a more specialized teacher to explore it further.

“She can’t sit still, so we’ve decided against continuing her art lessons. We’ve observed that sports seem to suit her better.” After handing the child over to Xu You, Qin Keyi went to the breakroom to pour two glasses of water. When she pushed the door open and saw her daughter running wildly around the room, she gave Xu You a helpless smile.

Xu You stared at the papers on the desk without confirming or denying anything: “Thank you.”

Taking the water glasses, they both settled into the leather sofa in Zhou Siyu’s office.

“These pieces hanging on the wall are all your work, right?” Qin Keyi bent to place her water glass on the table, tilting her head to look around the room, deliberately avoiding glancing at her daughter’s masterpiece. It wasn’t that she wanted to discourage her daughter’s enthusiasm, but there wasn’t a single clean wall left in their home back in the States.

Xu You gave a noncommittal hum. Suddenly, voices could be heard from the doorway.

Immediately after, the office door was pushed open from the outside. The people inside and outside locked eyes, and the conversation abruptly ceased, an undercurrent of tension filling the air.

Cheng Cheng gritted her teeth: “Xu You?”