Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 73

Hearing her name spoken by a stranger, Xu You froze for a moment before cautiously peeking out to locate the source.

Most eyes in the office were fixed in her direction. High-end luxury goods paired with flowers, anyone who’d weathered the corporate world understood the implications. The glances directed at Xu You fell into three distinct categories:

Amusement, envy, and jealousy.

There weren’t many in the last group, but Li Rui stood out as the most obvious. Her gaze was locked on the plain packaging bag in the delivery person’s hand, the minimalist English logo seeming to sear her eyes. She’d clawed her way into this job through questionable means, yet remained stuck in a mediocre position. The gifts she’d received were, at best, entry-level luxury items worth no more than ten thousand yuan. Now, watching Xu You about to accept something worth hundreds of thousands, jealousy burned through her like poison.

Xu You felt no joy, only profound embarrassment.

She wished she could vanish into the floor, unnoticed by anyone.

“Is Xu You not here?” the delivery person called out again, louder this time.

Trapped under the weight of everyone’s stares and unwilling to delay the courier, Xu You forced a stiff smile and walked toward the office entrance.

With each step, she silently fumed: If I find out who put me in this position, they’ll regret it.

“I’m Xu You,” she said, stopping directly in front of the courier and lowering her voice, trying to use her own frame to block the prying eyes behind her.

“Ah, good. These are from a Ms. Zhou. Please sign here and check if anything is damaged.” The delivery person quickly shifted the flowers and gift bag to one hand, pulling a printed slip from his pocket and laying it flat on his palm.

Xu You took the slip, signed it, and handed it back, indicating that an inspection wasn’t necessary. The exchange, flowers and brown paper bag, was completed swiftly. Before she could even step away, a chorus of teasing erupted behind her.

“Xu’s admirer must be incredibly generous!”

“Lovely flowers, but an even lovelier recipient.”

“Who says it’s an admirer? Could be her partner.”

The playful remarks swirled around her. Admirer, partner, either label would have been fine, but it had to be Zhou.

There was only one Zhou she knew: Zhou Siyu.

A mix of helplessness and discomfort rooted her in place. She mechanically offered a joyless smile to the crowd. Offering explanations felt pointless, it would only invite more speculation. The situation was unbearable.

She wanted to ask Zhou Siyu outright: Was your goal to make me a spectacle?

Qian Doudou, on her way back from delivering materials upstairs, nearly recoiled from the noise as she approached the office. Her expression darkened as she entered and saw Xu You cornered near the door, subjected to relentless teasing without a word in her own defense. She rapped sharply on the glass.

“Is all your work done? Designs finalized? If you’re this free, maybe I should ask the department head to move the draft deadline up to five days.”

Qian Doudou’s voice was icy, yet it carried clearly from the doorway to the farthest corner of the office.

The price of amusement wasn’t worth half their sanity. Weighing the stakes, everyone fell silent at once, wide-eyed and shifting into spectator mode.

Rescued from the spotlight, Xu You breathed an inward sigh of relief. She shot Qian Doudou a grateful look, met with a subtle, calming shake of the head. Once order was restored, Qian Doudou’s figure soon disappeared into her private office.

Xu You set the flowers down on the nearest female colleague’s desk.

“Are you allergic to pollen?” she asked quietly.

“Not allergic, not allergic at all.” The girl’s eyes widened at the sight of such a large bouquet, quickly catching Xu You’s intention and replying promptly.

Xu You nodded. “Alright, the flowers are yours.” She then looked up, meeting the gazes of the others in the room, and felt a shiver run down her spine. “After the first draft is submitted, I’ll treat everyone to a meal. You can pick the place to celebrate my joining the team and the start of our project.”

The words “pick the place” struck the office like a thunderclap. Cheers had just begun to erupt when Xu You pointed in a certain direction, and the room instantly fell silent.

Amid the joyful and harmonious atmosphere, one person stood out like a rat lurking in a dark sewer, their eyes gleaming with a sinister light, teeth gritted and brows frosted over.

Xu You had no mind to observe everyone’s expressions. Dealing with the gossipy colleague was enough to make her break out in a cold sweat. Carrying the awkward gift bag, she returned to her desk. As she carelessly tossed the bag onto the table and reached for her water cup with her free hand, a brocade box slipped out from the bag’s opening, brushing against the back of her hand like a lick of flame. She jerked her hand back, her delicate brows furrowing together.

Resentment, so palpable it felt almost tangible.

Soon, a new line of text appeared in the dialogue box centered on her screen.

[Zhou Siyu, I’ll find a time to return the item to Assistant Zheng. The flowers are beautiful, and I really like the jewelry, but because they’re from you, I find them utterly repulsive. Please stop doing things that make me despise you even more. Don’t force me to quit the project and leave this place. I’m begging you.]

The message sent successfully. The jewelry box seemed to force itself into her line of sight. Clenching her jaw, she pinched a corner of the box between her thumb and forefinger, shoved it back into the bag, and then tossed it disdainfully to the floor, out of sight and out of mind.

Zhou Siyu, the recipient of the message, checked its contents almost the instant the notification sounded.

Cold, cruel words, the expected rejection. Over the past few days, she had been repeatedly “sentenced” by Xu You, and her battered heart, far from growing numb, ached even more intensely.

She had thought that once things were out in the open, they could leave the past behind and start anew. But it turned out that was just her wishful thinking.

Her gaze fixed on the last line, the words “force me.” The mere thought of a future without Xu You sent waves of collapse and anxiety spreading from her chest, consuming her entire mind.

Her thoughts went blank.

“Old Zhou, want some congee for lunch? I’ll show off my skills.” A voice broke the silence in the quiet car after the electronic chime faded.

Lu Ang’s flashy red sports car was parked in front of Zhou Siyu’s home. The night before, he had spent considerable effort persuading her to stay one more night in the hospital and return home at daybreak. True to her word, she hadn’t stayed a second longer. As the car came to a stop, he glanced at the time on his phone and turned to look at Zhou Siyu in the passenger seat, waiting for an answer as she clutched her phone.

Zhou Siyu remained silent, staring at her phone. Hearing her friend’s voice, her thick, curled lashes fluttered briefly, as if she were a robot following a pre-set program. She pressed the screen off with her index finger, pulled the car door open with her right hand, and stepped out of the car without a backward glance.

“Hey, what’s with the silent treatment?” Lu Ang was left alone in the car. A cold draft swirled and hit his face. Anxious, he leaned to the right and called out louder, the seatbelt cutting diagonally across his torso, his handsome face a mix of conflicting emotions.

Zhou Siyu ignored him completely, slamming the car door shut, refusing to listen or respond.

She walked slowly along the front yard path, opened the door, closed it, and left wearing only a thin nightgown that clung to her pale, cold skin. When she returned, she was still in the same garment, her protruding spine pressing against the metal security door, her fingers resting on the lower half of the screen.

[I’m sorry.]

Apart from those two weak and meaningless words, Zhou Siyu didn’t know what else to send.

After sending the message, she felt as if all her energy had been drained. She slumped down beside the door.

The slippers Xu You had worn the night before were quietly placed beside her. She glanced at them, her trembling fingers hovering over the fluffy slippers, wanting to touch them but feeling as if she would taint them with her touch.

She, who always appeared sharp, composed, and elite in front of others, had been reduced to such a pitiful state. She closed her eyes, her throat tightening, and the roots of her eyelashes grew damp.

It was her fault, and she deserved to suffer for it.

She leaned against the door for a long while until her phone vibrated with a new message. Only then did Zhou Siyu slowly half-open her eyes.

Zheng Ran said that Xu You had delivered some things to him and asked her how to handle them. Zhou Siyu struggled to sit up and wanted to tell him to throw them away. But then she thought of the careful selection process before placing the order and the excitement she had felt when paying and sending them off. For no apparent reason, she couldn’t bring herself to discard them outright.

She typed, “You can have them.” With her free hand pressing against the hallway rug, she staggered to her feet. Her eyes, empty like a marionette with its strings cut, ignored everything around her as she swayed unsteadily toward the second floor.

A loud slam of a door echoed through the house. On the other side of another door, Lu Ang finally let out a heavy breath, his brow furrowed.

Zhou Siyu’s terrible condition was evident, and with her previous history of collapsing and being hospitalized, as a friend, he couldn’t leave her alone at home. After half a day of seeing no lights on and hearing no movement, he suddenly remembered there was a hidden door in her house. He rushed over, only to be confronted with a scene that impacted him even more deeply.

Lu Ang had seen her at her most confident and commanding, holding a high position. He never expected that for Xu You, she could repeatedly fall into such disarray. For a moment, he found it hard to accept, his fists unconsciously clenching tightly at his sides.

After all, Zhou Siyu was his friend. As for the threats Xu You had once made against him, for Zhou Siyu’s sake, he could disregard them entirely.

Not wanting to disturb Zhou Siyu’s rest, he gently closed the door and walked expressionlessly into the kitchen. He found some rice, washed it, added what he thought was the right amount of water, and pressed the start button. His tall frame settled onto the sofa, his legs perpendicular to the floor at a ninety-degree angle, his forearms resting on his thighs, and his face buried in the crook of his arms.

The empty villa was well soundproofed. The double-paned glass blocked all noise from outside. On one side of the living room, the floor-to-ceiling windows had only the sheer curtains drawn, and a lonely swing swayed gently.

The changes in Zhou Siyu since Xu You had entered her life were vivid in his memory. He had witnessed his friend transform from a stagnant pool of water to one full of life, then into something deep and unfathomable, and now into turbulent waves that crashed without warning.

A faint coughing sound seemed to come from upstairs. Lu Ang tightened his jaw, cleared his mind, and focused all his attention on that direction.

It was indeed coughing, starting slow and growing rapid. Even through several walls, he could almost visualize Zhou Siyu’s pale face from the compression of air in her lungs and the vibrations of the sound.

This was bad. Remembering that Zhou Siyu had only taken her phone when she got out of the car, Lu Ang set aside his melancholy and dark speculations. He quickly lifted his head, strode to the entrance, changed his shoes, and hurried to the car.

Zhou Siyu had carelessly stashed her medication in some corner of the car. Unlocking the vehicle, he searched every nook and cranny. Besides the medication packaged in a hospital-labeled plastic bag, he also found a folder that might bring her some comfort.

The guest busied himself in the host’s home, and Lu Ang, like a servant, stood at the door of Zhou Siyu’s bedroom holding a tray.

He finally managed to free a hand and knocked on the door in an awkward posture, but there was no response from inside.

“Can I come in?” He pressed his ear against the door, waited for a moment, and then continued to make his presence known.

Zhou Siyu might have been asleep or simply didn’t feel like dealing with him. Relying on his thick skin, Lu Ang awkwardly pushed the door open.

The room was pitch dark.

The heavy curtains blocked out all natural light, and Zhou Siyu hadn’t even turned on a nightlight. Lu Ang, whose night vision was fairly good, nearly tripped over his own feet. Afraid of spilling what he was carrying, he turned on all the lights in the room before approaching Zhou Siyu.

“Get out.” Zhou Siyu’s voice emerged from the bed. She had wrapped herself in the blankets, facing away from the door, and spoke in a muffled tone.

“Take your medicine.” Lu Ang pursed his lips, took a few steps forward, and continued, “And the porridge. If you finish it all, I’ll show you something interesting. I guarantee you’ll be intrigued.”

No matter how mysterious Lu Ang tried to make his tone or how enticing his words, Zhou Siyu remained unmoved.

Setting the tray down, Lu Ang stood by her large bed, looking down at her from above.

“It’s about Xu You. Are you sure you don’t want to see?” He sounded like a witch coaxing Little Red Riding Hood to eat a poisoned apple, nothing about him seemed trustworthy.

Zhou Siyu shifted her head slightly. “Get out.”

“Really not interested? This time, it’s a shocking secret, information about whether you can become the third wheel and join their trio…”

He wasn’t wrong. Only Xu You could pique Zhou Siyu’s interest. Halfway through his sentence, the person who had been punishing herself under the blankets slowly sat up.

Though Lu Ang was standing above her, looking down at Zhou Siyu, he felt an inexplicable pressure. He rubbed the tip of his nose with his thumb. “Take your medicine and eat first.”

“Where did you get this? Is it legal?” Zhou Siyu continued to stare at his face, asking seriously.

Lu Ang was both annoyed and amused. “If it’s not legal, you can call the police and have me arrested.”

Zhou Siyu was skeptical but had no retort. Her gaze drifted down to the bedside table.

“Is my dental health so poor that I need to eat soft food?”