Chased by My Heartless Ex - Chapter 86

The images in her mind were abruptly cut off. Xu You spat out her gum, wrapped it in a napkin, and tossed it into the trash. Ignoring Zhou Siyu’s question, she busied herself by rinsing her utensils with hot water.

She thought to herself, ex-lovers who had already torn off the mask of civility really shouldn’t sit together reminiscing about the past, it was nothing but vexing.

But while people could be at fault, good food was blameless. Grudges and grievances paled in comparison to a delicious meal. Zhou Siyu had instructed the staff not to disturb them, and the private room door was closed. Xu You’s wandering gaze swept around before finally settling on the pan-fried buns in the center of the table.

The buns, about the size of an egg, had a tempting golden-brown crust on the bottom, topped with black sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Through the thin skin, the savory aroma of the meat filling wafted out, teasing her appetite. Xu You zeroed in on them, immediately picking one up with her chopsticks, resting it on a porcelain spoon, and bringing it to her mouth.

Pan-fried buns were one of the signature dishes of Jianghu households, served fresh from the pan. These had just come out of the wok, their airtight wrappers trapping the heat inside, making the temperature within easy to imagine.

“Let it cool a bit before eating,” Zhou Siyu murmured uneasily, noticing the eager gleam in Xu You’s eyes.

Xu You paid no heed to Zhou Siyu’s warning and took a big bite, devouring half the bun in one go. Fresh out of the pan, the bun was steaming hot. As she bit through the skin, scalding meat juices flooded her mouth, instantly numbing the tip of her tongue. The heat trapped in her oral cavity left a lingering burning sensation. Her face twisted in pain, she couldn’t swallow it, nor could she spit it out, looking utterly pitiful.

Zhou Siyu had known Xu You wouldn’t listen to her and had anticipated she’d suffer for it. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

She quickly stood up and hurried to Xu You’s side, placing one hand under her chin while using the other to pour a glass of cold water. “Quick, spit it out,” she urged.

Xu You shook her head at her hand, but the next second, Zhou Siyu firmly pinched both sides of her cheeks, forcing her teeth apart. Before Xu You could react, two fingers entered her mouth, and the half-eaten bun was retrieved.

Immediately after, a server was summoned, and two round ice cubes were placed in her mouth.

By the time Zhou Siyu had finished this series of actions, Xu You was still in a daze. Her cheeks were puffed out by the ice cubes, her large eyes blinking rapidly, making her look like a little hamster hiding food.

Zhou Siyu no longer sat across from her but moved back to the seat beside her. She casually took an empty bowl, rinsed it clean, scooped a generous portion of sweet osmanthus and red bean soup with glutinous rice balls, and placed it next to Xu You. The same hand that had just retrieved the bun was now extended toward her again.

Xu You remained bewildered, eyeing her warily.

“Spit out the ice cubes,” Zhou Siyu instructed. Xu You raised her hand to cover her mouth, crunching the ice a few times before swallowing it.

Zhou Siyu withdrew her hand and asked, “Wasn’t that cold?”

Such dialogue and actions had no place between the two of them. Xu You openly shifted her chair farther away from Zhou Siyu.

Seeing Zhou Siyu’s faintly amused gaze fixed on her, Xu You put on a serious expression and said, “It wasn’t cold. Thank you, President Zhou.”

Zhou Siyu was growing accustomed to Xu You’s deliberately distant form of address. “As long as it wasn’t cold. Let’s eat.”

The person beside her remained calm and unruffled. Xu You didn’t touch the bowl of red bean soup. Instead, she hovered her chopsticks over the pan-fried buns for a few seconds before shifting the blame for her embarrassment and the mishap onto the buns themselves. With a twist of her wrist, she picked up a piece of smoked fish and buried herself in eating it.

After that scalding experience, she made sure to carefully check the temperature of any food before putting it in her mouth. The meal had started off on the wrong foot, and even its conclusion was marred by a minor incident.

Despite the lingering ache in her mouth, Xu You gradually let loose and sampled every dish on the table. It wasn’t until her stomach could no longer hold even a drop of soup that she reluctantly set down her chopsticks.

Lost in the joy of eating, she only shifted her attention away from the food when she noticed Zhou Siyu’s plate was nearly empty and spotless, as if she had barely touched her meal.

Regional culinary differences were an undeniable reality. Zhou Siyu wasn’t accustomed to sweet dishes, while Xu You’s subconscious registered those sweet flavors as savory. In the past, whenever they visited Jiangnan-style restaurants together, Zhou Siyu would symbolically lift her chopsticks to take a bite or two before setting them down, and Xu You would always coax her into eating more.

Back then, Xu You worried she’d go hungry, cared deeply about her feelings, and desperately hoped for harmony in every aspect of their relationship. But now, Xu You no longer bothered. If Zhou Siyu didn’t enjoy the food, she wouldn’t say a word. As long as she herself was full and satisfied, that was all that mattered.

“I’m done eating,” she said, moving her utensils aside. She then took a wet wipe from her bag, cleaned the table, and pulled out paper and a drawing pen.

After all, she hadn’t forgotten the purpose of this outing.

Zhou Siyu didn’t urge her to eat more, simply refilled her half-empty glass with water before briskly moving to sit opposite her. She straightened her posture, ready to pose as a model.

Such a conscientious and cooperative model was truly beyond reproach. Xu You sent her location and meeting time to the driver, set an alarm, and then picked up her pen, shifting into work mode.

Everything she was doing now laid the foundation for character design. Today, her goal was simply to capture Zhou Siyu’s facial features with precision. Without the urgency of rushing through high school sketching assignments, she took her time, carefully observing the structure of her skull beneath the skin before letting her pen glide across the paper.

One sheet, then another…

Facial features were broken down one by one, fragments of Zhou Siyu in various emotions and forms coming vividly to life.

“Have you really never considered making game design your main career?” Zhou Siyu asked after holding her pose for over an hour, stretching her stiff back as she poured herself a glass of water.

Xu You’s hand never paused, the pen still scratching against the paper. “What, President Zhou, are you offering me a job?”

Zhou Siyu raised an eyebrow, glancing from a distance at the drawing in progress.

“I’d be willing, but I’m not sure how you feel about it,” she said seriously.

Had she grown tired of living the good life? Why would she give up an easygoing existence to join her company and dive into the rat race?

The pencil twirled in Xu You’s fingers. She shook her head. “Forget it. I don’t like the idea, and I’m not willing.”

Zhou Siyu recounted how the design department head had specifically sought her out before the afternoon executive meeting to praise Xu You. At that, Xu You’s expression brightened with pride.

Outside the window, all was quiet, while inside the private room, the two shared a moment of harmony.

As time slipped away, Zhou Siyu’s lower back began to ache. She shifted her posture, leaning loosely against the wooden chair back, her gaze drifting as she watched Xu You’s head bent over her work.

Xu You’s profile overlapped with memories of their sweetest moments, as if time had rewound to the past, to their once inseparable intimacy.

But upon closer reflection, she realized she had never shown interest in Xu You’s work, rarely posed as her model, or made an effort to step into her life beyond their relationship.

“Youyou,” Zhou Siyu called out unconsciously.

Xu You responded instinctively, “Hmm?”

The moment she replied, Xu You suddenly realized she shouldn’t have spoken and pretended nothing had happened, setting the finished drawing aside.

A familiar feeling washed over Zhou Siyu, and suddenly, countless moments like this flashed before her eyes.

After personally destroying her own happiness, she alone had to bear the consequences. She had made promises to Yu Yao, time was short, and opportunities were rare.

Zhou Siyu steadied her emotions and said, “Um, in a couple of days, accompany me to a banquet.”

Xu You remained silent for several minutes.

She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. It took her a long time to lift her head, her eyes still filled with confusion.

Zhou Siyu hadn’t even phrased it as a question but had delivered the invitation in an extremely casual tone, if it could even be called an invitation. It felt more like a notification.

Were they so close that a simple notification would make Xu You eagerly tag along to a banquet?

Not really. Xu You finally spoke up, “What did you say?”

Zhou Siyu’s heart raced. Guilt made her avoid Xu You’s gaze as she lowered her eyes and took a large gulp of water from her glass. She felt as though her disguise had been seen through by Xu You, her desires laid bare.

But pursuing what she wanted was nothing to be ashamed of.

“Accompany me to a dinner banquet,” Zhou Siyu set down her glass and met Xu You’s gaze directly. “Yu Yao’s company probably hasn’t filled all its positions yet, right? In a couple of days, I’ll be having a meal with the directors of the Beicheng Research Institute. It wouldn’t hurt for you to meet them.”

The thinly veiled coercion and temptation in Zhou Siyu’s words made Xu You’s mind reel. She knew her own weaknesses all too well, when it came to Yu Yao, it was hard for her to refuse.

Sacrificing herself for Yu Yao’s sake, she kept trying to convince herself, only to change her mind again and again.

Zhou Siyu’s fingers, interlaced on the table, tightened imperceptibly. Time seemed to slow as she waited for the answer.

“I’m not going,” Xu You finally gave her reply.

She said it resolutely. One more second of hesitation, and she might have wavered and agreed.

But she didn’t give herself that chance. She had compromised too many times before, sacrificing herself repeatedly, and it had taken a heavy toll on her body and spirit. This time, she didn’t want to choose for others, she wanted to choose for herself.

Zhou Siyu’s hands suddenly relaxed. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath.

“Alright, I’ll let you know when the date is set. You can schedule around it to avoid that day.”

“Fine.”

Not having been pressured further, Xu You picked up her brush and focused on her drawing again. She felt lighthearted because of her own bravery, and her mood grew even more cheerful.

Soon, the alarm rang, abruptly cutting off both her joy and any lingering disappointment.

Xu You reached out to turn off the alarm, quickly packed her bag, and stood up fully equipped. Zhou Siyu, who had only brought her phone, rose slowly as well.

Xu You was visibly happy. “Let’s go. The driver should be here to pick me up.”

It was almost ten o’clock. Any later would interfere with Xu You’s rest and wouldn’t be very safe either. Thinking this, Zhou Siyu nodded.

Just as when they arrived, a staff member escorted them out, guiding them past the rock garden path. Zhou Siyu paid the bill, but the driver picking up Xu You hadn’t arrived yet. She insisted on seeing Xu You get into the car before leaving, so the two walked from the main hall of Jianghu Renjia to the entrance.

The night wind tangled their hair together. Xu You silently took two steps aside, closed her eyes, and faced the breeze.

The city was still noisy at night, but at that moment, she felt an immense sense of peace.

She still couldn’t forgive some things, but at least she wouldn’t continue to hold onto resentment.

A faint metallic clicking sound reached her ears. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned to look.

Zhou Siyu had, at some point, taken out a cigarette and placed it between her lips, but the lighter in her hand refused to ignite.

Strands of hair clung to her face, a few nearly poking into her eyes. Xu You brushed them all behind her ear with her hand and asked, “Can I smoke here?”

Zhou Siyu flicked her thumb, and the metal cap snapped shut with a crisp sound. Without a word, she tilted her chin toward a certain direction. Xu You followed her gaze and spotted a smoking area sign not far away.

Once she saw the sign, she didn’t look away.

She wondered why Zhou Siyu had started smoking again after quitting. She wondered if Zhou Siyu was upset about her earlier rejection.

But whether she was or not, it was Zhou Siyu’s own business, nothing to do with her. All she could do was fish her own lighter out of her bag and hand it over, watching as Zhou Siyu lit the cigarette and held it between her fingers.

Then, her ride arrived.

She left without looking back.