Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 66

Zhou Siyu never expected Xu You to be willing to come to her office, let alone imagine such a harmonious scene unfolding between her, Qin Keyi, and Youyou.

Cheng Cheng’s exclamation snapped her out of her shock, and she instinctively glanced at Xu You’s expression.

Seated beside Qin Keyi, Xu You had just looked up toward the doorway. Noticing the flicker of disdain in Cheng Cheng’s eyes, she pressed her lips together and smiled faintly. “Long time no see.”

“What are you doing here?” Instead of pleasantries, Cheng Cheng’s tone was sharp and confrontational.

The tension between the two was palpable, even Robert, a foreigner, and his three-year-old daughter could sense it. Youyou stopped what she was doing and toddled over, squeezing herself between Xu You and Qin Keyi. Pouting, she stared warily at the woman standing between her mother and father by the door.

Robert, unsure of the situation, fixed his light-colored eyes on his wife. Receiving no cues from her, he quietly positioned himself behind them, trying to remain inconspicuous.

“I’m an employee of YUYOO. It’s work hours, and I’m here to retrieve a document from President Zhou. Where else would I be?” Xu You shrugged as she stood up, answering politely before turning to Zhou Siyu. “President Zhou, the document, please.”

The title “President Zhou” mildly pleased Cheng Cheng. Their plan was still in motion, bringing Xu You and Zhou Siyu together was merely a facade. The trap was still being set, and all that awaited Xu You was an abyss. The one destined to stay by Zhou Siyu’s side forever could only be Zhang Qin, even though Cheng Cheng knew Zhou Siyu didn’t love Zhang Qin and didn’t care whether it was Zhang, Qian, Sun, or Li. Since her father’s friend’s surname was Zhang, it had to be Zhang Qin.

She quietly resolved to contact Zhang Qin later. Their relationship hadn’t yet been mended, and she needed to speed things up to drive Xu You completely out of their lives before old feelings could rekindle.

This time, they were just as determined to succeed.

With that thought, she allowed a smile to spread openly across her face.

Zhou Siyu remained completely unaware of Cheng Cheng’s inner thoughts or the schemes at play. Xu You stood before her, palm upturned, while the title “President Zhou” wounded her silently. Her hand, hanging at her side, clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

Xu You knew her all too well. Catching a glimpse of her inner turmoil from the corner of her eye, she repeated her request directly.

“President Zhou, the document.”

With others present, Zhou Siyu finally unclenched her fist and walked silently to her desk. From a thick stack of folders, she unerringly pulled out one specific file.

As an observer, Qin Keyi saw it clearly: several folders with identical plastic covers were stacked together, yet Zhou Siyu hadn’t needed to search, she had pulled out the right one in seconds. She must have planned this, deliberately hiding it, hoping to create an excuse to spend more time with Xu You.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as she’d hoped.

Qin Keyi took her daughter’s soft little hand in hers and sighed silently.

Zhou Siyu and Xu You stood on opposite sides of the desk, facing each other across its length. As Zhou Siyu handed over the folder, Xu You reached out to take it. Their fingers brushed, Xu You’s warm against Zhou Siyu’s cool skin. The moment the folder was in her grasp, Xu You withdrew her hand swiftly, avoiding further contact.

“President Zhou, I’ll leave you to your work. I’m heading back downstairs.”

“Let me walk you down.”

Two voices, one calm and one urgent, spoke almost simultaneously. But Xu You had already taken a step back, widening the distance between them. She offered a professional smile.

“No need.”

With that, under the weight of several complicated gazes, she walked step by step toward the door, passed Cheng Cheng and Robert, and disappeared around the corner.

The first day on the job didn’t get off to a great start. Xu You stepped into the elevator alone, pressed the button for the second floor, and leaned against the innermost metal wall as she flipped through the confidential document.

Zhou Siyu had called it a company secret, and indeed, this document was crucial for YUYOO. Since its listing, YUYOO hadn’t exactly been on a downward spiral, but it hadn’t achieved any major breakthroughs either. Its performance had been mediocre across the board, with a few new games that could only be considered minor hits, nothing comparable to the explosive online sensation Otherworld: Mountains and Seas upon its release.

The document in her hands was the proposal for the new game she had been invited to participate in. After skimming through it, Xu You couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Zhou Siyu had high expectations for this game and had likely invested even more effort into it than she had for Otherworld: Mountains and Seas. In addition to Xu You’s involvement, they had also decided to invite the celebrity couple Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan as spokespersons once again. It was worth noting that Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan had made history the previous year at the Golden Branch Awards, becoming the first pair of Best Actress winners in the award’s history. Their endorsement fees would undoubtedly run into the tens of millions…

Setting aside the fame and reputation, the game itself was a continuation of Otherworld: Mountains and Seas’s art style, aiming to create a series titled Otherworld: Investiture of the Gods. Leveraging the success of the old game to promote the new one, with more meticulous production, its launch was bound to make waves in the mobile gaming world.

As the elevator doors slid open, Xu You closed the black plastic folder and walked back to her workstation as if nothing had happened, immediately diving into research.

Her enthusiasm for this job wasn’t what it used to be, but her diligence had never wavered. Now that she had the freedom to choose, and with the game’s success tied to her reputation, she wasn’t foolish enough to sabotage her own standing.

For over two hours before the end of the workday, she sat intently in front of her computer, searching for materials related to the Feng Shen mythology across various films and texts.

When the time in the lower right corner of her screen jumped from 5:29 to 5:30, the official end of her workday as stipulated in her contract, a slight stir rippled through the office. Glancing at the clock, she quietly packed her belongings, said a brief goodbye, and headed downstairs to leave.

She made her way to the parking garage without any issues and raised an eyebrow upon spotting her car. Yu Yao’s luxury vehicle was undeniably flashy, its high price tag so conspicuous that the parking spaces on either side were left empty. She got in, started the car with ease, and drove out of the complex.

The evening rush hour was in full swing. Wedged between vehicles on all sides, Xu You drove slowly to the hospital to meet Yu Yao for dinner. The road was congested, and she remained unaware that a pair of eyes had been fixed on her the entire time, only vanishing after she entered the hospital.

The design company responsible for assaulting Yu Yao had too many issues, both major and minor. Before the first court hearing, a dozen people involved in the incident had been arrested. After discussing the matter with Zhou Siyu repeatedly, her stance was now clear.

Those who needed to be held accountable had been dealt with, and all pending issues had been resolved. The days that followed flowed by like a calm stream, steadily moving forward.

Less than a week after Yu Yao was discharged from the hospital, they found new design and renovation companies. The small building they had taken over from Lu Ang began to transform, looking more and more presentable.

Xu You was still in the process of finalizing the character designs for Otherworld: Investiture of the Gods. Thanks to her seniority, Li Rui couldn’t cause her any trouble, and Zhou Siyu was too busy with meetings and business trips to pester her. For over ten days, Xu You enjoyed a rare period of leisure in Beicheng.

Then, on a tranquil early spring afternoon, an email from the Central Academy of Fine Arts arrived in her inbox.

The date for the graduate art exhibition was set for mid-March, around Arbor Day, with the venue clearly stated in the email. After replying as required, Xu You first sought out Professor Liu. The pieces she had prepared for the exhibition had already been packed and shipped by workers from Shanghai. After several late nights of hard work, everything was complete, and she sent out the scanned images from her album.

A few minutes passed, but instead of a reply from Professor Liu, she received a message from a certain CEO who was away on a business trip.

Xu You didn’t deliberately keep tabs on Zhou Siyu’s every move, but no matter when she opened her social media feed, she would inevitably come across her latest updates. On particularly excessive days, she’d see over ten posts, and she only found out about Zhou’s business trip because she’d unintentionally glimpsed it while trying to mute her feed.

The brief line, “Going to Hangzhou for a two-day business trip,” was accompanied by a completely unrelated image, as if reporting to someone or indulging in the over-the-top self-display of adolescence. Xu You’s subsequent actions were accompanied by an eye-roll.

Now, receiving another message from Zhou Siyu, she rolled her eyes again before tapping into the chat to read the content.

Nearly ten days had passed since their last exchange. As Xu You read the words, her relaxed brow furrowed, her expression clouded with deep confusion.

[Zhou Siyu: Are you free tonight? I’d like to introduce you to someone.]

Has she lost her mind?

What gave her the right to demand that Xu You accompany her to meet someone?

Annoyed, Xu You typed furiously, the keyboard clattering under her fingers. She was a legitimate employee who had signed a formal contract with the company, she wasn’t about to agree to accompany her boss to some banquet. Zhou Siyu’s request felt disrespectful.

Angry words filled the text box, one after another, stretching into a third line. Just then, Zhou Siyu’s second message arrived, and Xu You instantly deflated, her fingers shifting to the delete key to erase everything.

[Zhou Siyu: I’ve arranged to meet with deans from Tech University and several other universities and research institutes. Didn’t Yu Yao want to start a company? This could be helpful for both of you. If you’re not free tonight, we can reschedule.]

It wasn’t about entertaining clients, it was about the academic connections she had promised to facilitate. No matter how much pride she had, thinking of Yu Yao’s company, Xu You gritted her teeth and swallowed her frustration.

Heavens, she was a shareholder after all. Even if not for Yu Yao, she had to consider her own financial interests.

[Xu You: Fine. Send me the time and location.]

She typed out the words with a sigh and sent them, then slumped back into the new office chair she had recently treated herself to. Yu Yao, the nominal boss, could barely walk steadily, so she definitely couldn’t attend the evening event. Mai’s Chinese was limited, leaving Xu You as the only person in the entire company who could step up.

Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair, the dark, glossy curls becoming even more voluminous. The coiled ends framed her face, adding a touch of charm and making her appear even more alluring.

Meanwhile, Zhou Siyu sat in the passenger seat of Lu Ang’s sports car. As soon as they met and got into the vehicle, she busied herself with her phone.

As the traffic light ahead flashed yellow twice, Lu Ang gradually slowed to a stop and glanced to his right. “Posting on social media again?”

Zhou Siyu’s fingers paused mid-tap. Catching his gaze in the rearview mirror, she shot him a sidelong glance before continuing to edit her content.

“My friend, with dozens of posts a day just on the off chance that Xu You might see them, have you considered that she might find you annoying and has already blocked you?” Lu Ang teased half-jokingly.

The speaker may have meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart.

Zhou Siyu tapped on Xu You’s profile but couldn’t find the Moments entry at all. Remembering that Xu You had disabled her Moments feature, she quickly improvised and drafted a message inviting her to dinner.

The idea to meet had been spontaneous, she hadn’t even organized the gathering yet. The potential attendees were all in her contacts list, waiting only for Xu You’s agreement before she would start reaching out.

The message sent successfully, without the dreaded red exclamation mark. Realizing how abrupt her previous text had been, she swiftly typed out an explanation.

“Heh, looks like you haven’t been blocked yet,” Lu Ang remarked with a chuckle, hearing the faint sound of typing in the car.

After sending the message, Zhou Siyu shot him a glare. “Please keep your useless suggestions to yourself from now on.”

The idea of making her presence known to Xu You had been Lu Ang’s suggestion. Her dozens of daily Moments posts were visible only to herself, Xu You, and Lu Ang. After Lu Ang openly mocked her, she had been so annoyed that she restricted his visibility too.

She had scrolled through her feed disheartened, finding no likes or comments from Xu You, when suddenly Xu You’s reply appeared at the top of her screen. Her eyes lit up instantly.