Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 80

Zhou Siyu’s foot had been resting steadily on the accelerator, but upon hearing those words, it shifted unconsciously, causing the car to wobble slightly as the speed fluctuated. However, she quickly steadied it again, ensuring Xu You wouldn’t suffer even the slightest bump in her car.

It wasn’t that she was unwilling, quite the opposite. As long as Xu You’s requests weren’t immoral or harmful, even if she asked her to eliminate someone, Zhou Siyu would find the most reasonable and safest way to fulfill it.

“If you don’t want to, I can find someone else,” Xu You said, her gaze fixed on the shifting street scenes outside the window, her tone indifferent as she didn’t receive an immediate response.

Find someone else? Then how would the two of them spend time alone? How would they nurture their relationship? Where would she even start to win her over?

The thought alone made Zhou Siyu impatient. “I can do it. No need to find someone else.”

Xu You didn’t respond. The car came to a gradual stop at a red light. The trees along the street had sprouted new buds, not yet lush and green but already exuding vitality.

She could feel a scorching gaze fixed on the back of her head. As the car started moving again, she replied indifferently, “Got it,” and silence prevailed for the rest of the journey.

Zhou Siyu had a selfish desire to spend a little more time with her, but today, the roads in Beicheng were unusually smooth. They encountered only two red lights, each lasting just over ten seconds, and soon arrived at the tech park. When they entered the underground garage, most of the parking spots were empty.

The car stopped in its usual spot. The small sports car Yu Yao had lent Xu You happened to be parked diagonally across from them.

Xu You didn’t move, and Zhou Siyu didn’t even turn off the engine, letting the faint hum of the motor linger between them.

A long while passed, with nearly ten cars driving past them, before the crisp sound of Xu You unbuckling her seatbelt broke the silence.

“You-the chicken soup.” Zhou Siyu hurriedly picked up the insulated lunch bag containing two thermoses and turned to Xu You, her movements flustered.

Xu You had only freed herself from the seatbelt and made no move to leave immediately. She didn’t even reach for the car door. Watching Zhou Siyu’s anxious, hesitant demeanor, she blinked, then randomly took one thermos from the bag and placed the rest back in its original spot.

Leaning back against the leather seat, she stared straight ahead.

“The modeling work won’t take up too much of your time. The entire design project will take about three more weeks, and since I’m busy with both ends, I won’t be able to meet you every day,” Xu You said, holding the thermos. The cold metal exterior sent a chill through her palm.

After a moment’s thought, she added, “I’ll draft a few initial versions, make some revisions, and we might need to meet four or five times. I’ll arrange the timing a day in advance through Zheng Ran.”

“No need. You can tell me directly,” Zhou Siyu frowned, unwilling to miss any opportunity to interact with Xu You. Worried that Xu You might think she was being too eager, she added, “We both work during the day, so you’ll likely schedule things after work. Zheng Ran isn’t my personal assistant, he doesn’t know my after-work schedule.”

Xu You raised an eyebrow. It was true that Zheng Ran wasn’t Zhou Siyu’s personal assistant, but his responsibilities did extend to such matters.

She didn’t point it out, simply nodding before placing her right hand on the car door handle.

“Not today?” Xu You had just stepped onto the concrete floor of the garage when a timid question came from behind.

“Capitalist, workers need rest too,” she replied, standing up and closing the car door behind her. The rush of air stirred up dust, sending a cloud straight into Zhou Siyu’s face.

Rebuffed and dusted, Zhou Siyu wasn’t angered, instead, she smiled. Gazing at Xu You’s retreating figure, she happily turned off the engine, grabbed the lunch bag that didn’t quite suit her image, and hurried into the elevator lobby.

In the elevator lobby, a colleague from the design department who had been waiting alongside them had done a complete 180 in attitude toward Xu You after the previous night’s well-received hospitality. He chatted enthusiastically with her about this and that, so engrossed that he didn’t even notice the big boss approaching as he passed by, continuing to cozy up to Xu You and crack jokes.

The moment Zhou Siyu stepped into the elevator lobby, her first action was to lock eyes on Xu You. She saw the two standing close together in the center, and the smile on her face froze.

Sensing Xu You’s stiff, tense lips and tightly clenched hands, and noticing the man on her right gesticulating wildly with his back turned to her, Zhou Siyu’s expression instantly darkened. She deliberately stomped her feet as she passed behind them, trying to divert the strange man’s attention with her presence.

Unexpectedly, the man was too absorbed in his conversation. The loud noise didn’t make him rein in his behavior in the slightest instead, his gestures grew even more exaggerated.

As Zhou Siyu glanced over in displeasure, the man was practically leaning into Xu You, his sticky gaze lingering either on her cheeks or the neckline of the square-collared dress she had chosen to wear that day.

How dare he be so bold? Zhou Siyu slammed her hand onto the elevator button, then turned sharply, the soles of her shoes scraping against the tile floor with a sharp, grating sound.

Not stopping there, she coughed twice with clear irritation: “Keep it down.”

The man, caught up in the excitement of his own chatter, found it hard to hit the brakes. Being called out so pointedly only made him feel as though he’d lost face in front of Xu You. He glared angrily at the meddler.

Just as he was about to retort, he met Zhou Siyu’s cold, unyielding gaze and instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, all his bluster gone. “G-good morning, President Zhou,” he stammered, trembling as if the entire YUYOO building were shaking.

Having achieved her goal, Zhou Siyu didn’t spare him another glance. She swept her eyes over Xu You and noticed the slight upward curve of her lips, her fingers lightly tapping the lid of her thermos. The chill in Zhou Siyu’s expression softened slightly, and her entire demeanor grew more relaxed.

With a ding, the elevator arrived. Still ignoring the opportunistic employee, Zhou Siyu strode into her private elevator and disappeared from their sight.

“Wow, did you see that, Xiao Xu?” The man relaxed the moment Zhou Siyu’s private elevator closed and the floor numbers began to shift on the display. He patted his chest with one hand. “That’s our big boss, President Zhou. She’s got skills, but her temper is something else.”

His “skills” clearly didn’t extend beyond gossiping about the boss behind her back. Xu You didn’t refute his comment about Zhou Siyu’s temper, she had witnessed even stranger behavior from her.

Not wanting to align herself with the man, Xu You silently increased the distance between them and smiled lightly. “What the boss says or does isn’t for us to casually comment on, Xiao Liu. You should be more careful in the future. Not everyone is as easygoing as I am. If you run into someone less forgiving and they report you, there’ll be no chance for advancement left for you here.”

Xu You disliked boundary-crossing proximity. Being called “Xiao Xu” hadn’t bothered her, what irritated her was his instinctive closeness and the obsequious, desire-laden look in his eyes.

She had learned the ways of the workplace years ago. Her well-intentioned reminder, delivered with just the right tone and form of address, effectively shut him up without leaving him any room to argue.

After all, she was the team leader, competent and financially secure. Her words were beyond reproach. As a low-level employee, he had no choice but to swallow his frustration.

The staff elevator came to a stop, its metal doors sliding open to both sides.

Xu You walked with light steps to the innermost area, their positions shifting from walking side by side to facing each other. The man’s gloomy expression was now fully visible.

“Hey, don’t overthink it. I’m just giving you a heads-up. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what you just said. We’re colleagues in the same department, I wouldn’t do anything to harm you.” Xu You secretly rejoiced, flashing him a smile that was hard to decipher as genuine or fake. “Hurry up, there’s a ton of work to do.”

Her emotions were hidden behind her curved eyes, and from her expression alone, the man couldn’t gauge how sincere she was. The last remark about having work to do snapped him back to reality. His two initial drafts had received scathing reviews, two piles of garbage tossed into the trash bin. If he didn’t produce some new “garbage” soon, he’d be the next one thrown out.

The two took the elevator to the second floor and entered the design department one after the other. The previous night’s revelry hadn’t affected the team’s work ethic in the slightest; if anything, it had amplified their enthusiasm for both work and Xu You.

Amidst the chorus of greetings, Xu You made her way to her workstation. She didn’t have the time to pay attention to the few who remained distant. As she sat down, she noticed her desk and computer screen had been wiped spotlessly clean, making her so happy her toes tapped rhythmically inside her shoes.

But enthusiasm is often dampened by the drudgery of work. As the office quieted down, she habitually opened the desktop version of WeChat.

She had no idea what awaited her, and the sight made her jump.

From the moment she passed out the night before until she opened the app, she hadn’t touched her phone once. A flood of messages popped up, and her hand, resting on the mouse, struggled to move the cursor. She couldn’t decide which one to click on first.

[Qian Doudou: ??? You’re wearing that outfit, did you sleep at CEO Zhou’s place?]

Qian Doudou’s WeChat name jumped from the second spot on the left to the very top. When Xu You saw the name and the bright red number “8” next to it, her scalp tingled. Her hand trembled as she clicked on it, holding her breath, her eyes wide and round.

A white chat window contrasted with her pale complexion, her dark pupils reflecting a sharp glint.

[You, you, you… your ex was CEO Zhou!?]

[Oh my god, how did you keep that a secret back then?]

[I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to hand you over to CEO Zhou. It’s just that without an address, I didn’t know where to send you.]

[Are you home? Reply when you see this.]

[Are you awake?]

[You drank way too much. How about I sign a leave slip for you when we get to the office so you can rest at home?]

[Young people really do have amazing stamina. I can’t believe you made it to work right on time. I’m seriously impressed.]

Qian Doudou’s messages struck Xu You’s eyes, shaking her heart and her very core. Her long-dormant brain nerves suddenly sprang to life, with the one at her temple feeling particularly mischievous. Xu You felt dizzy, her head throbbing with pain.

She was a little afraid that Qian Doudou would blame her for keeping it a secret all those years. She genuinely considered Qian Doudou a friend, in this vast city of Beijing, after so many years, she had only managed to make this one true friend.

The joy from her warm welcome earlier vanished without a trace. She remained seated, slumping against her chair in despair.

The complicated and dark truth couldn’t be laid out directly. Her relationship with Zhou Siyu was unspeakable, and the difficult tug-of-war between them even more so. A sense of powerlessness filled every tiny cell in Xu You’s body.

In despair, she lifted her gaze, her eyes drifting intentionally or unintentionally toward Qian Doudou’s office.

Soon, someone emerged from the office. Qian Doudou caught Xu You’s gaze and sent a signal.

In less than a minute, two people crowded into the design department’s break room.

Xu You set down her cup and said ingratiatingly, “Sister Qian.”

The rich brown coffee streamed into Qian Doudou’s cup as she leaned against the edge of the long table, her tailbone pressed against it, arms crossed. “Good grief, are you some kind of spy? You’re so good at holding back.” She sighed, dropping her arms. “You’ve had it rough.”

It wasn’t just a superficial concern. Xu You’s body stiffened. Even though she had hidden her wounds and tried hard to stay strong, her facade crumbled in that moment.

Her nose tingled with emotion, and she pursed her lips.

“I know your breakup was really bad, otherwise you wouldn’t have suddenly resigned and left without a word. At the annual party, I only knew you were upset, but I didn’t realize it was because of her. Did she do anything to you last night?” Qian Doudou asked seriously.

Xu You shook her head. Zhou Siyu had just been her helper, taking care of her all night without taking advantage of her while she was out of it.

“That’s good.” Qian Doudou hesitated, then added, “Be careful.”

“I feel like… she, she might be trying to pursue you.”