Don’t Chase Me, It Won’t Work Out - Chapter 3

The weather was clear, the sky a pristine blue.

After crying her heart out yesterday, Tao Youqing had completely let go. She had been blinded by love before, acting foolishly, but now she was wide awake.

She wanted to cut ties with Zhou Yirou and stop being a fool who threw herself at someone, mindlessly becoming the second Jiang Yaling. Being someone’s lapdog would only leave her with nothing in the end, so she would be Tao Youqing—her own biggest fan!

Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at herself and, as usual, showered herself with compliments.

“Damn it, even my wayward self looks so enchanting now that I’ve found my way back!” Tao Youqing sighed narcissistically, hyping herself up with fervor.

If Zhou Yirou couldn’t see her worth, that was Zhou Yirou’s problem—it had nothing to do with her. She was still the outstanding and beautiful Tao Fairy!

Today, she was going out for barbecue with Guan Meilin. They chose a barbecue place in the commercial district and booked a private booth to eat to their hearts’ content.

She candidly recounted yesterday’s events to Guan Meilin, who grew furious upon hearing it, slamming the table and cursing, “What a scumbag!”

Guan Meilin fumed, “If she doesn’t like you, fine, but did she have to say it like that?! Does she think everyone treasures Jiang Yaling the way she does?!”

“Youqing, don’t listen to her nonsense. You’re so valuable—in my heart, you’re a hundred times, no, a hundred million times better than Jiang Yaling!”

To this day, Guan Meilin still believed that if Tao Youqing had successfully debuted back then, she would have been a superstar by now, leaving Jiang Yaling in the dust.

Guan Meilin said, “You’re a hundred times prettier than her, and you dance and sing better too! If Zhou Yirou can’t see that, she’s blind—it’s definitely not your fault!”

Tao Youqing put down her skewer, touched, and clasped her hands in gratitude. “Thank you, sis, for speaking up for me. Since you’re praising me so earnestly, I won’t hold back—I’ll gladly accept it!”

For a narcissist, how could she not wholeheartedly embrace such compliments?

Guan Meilin said, “It’s the truth. You can afford to be a little more arrogant.” Then she huffed, “Ugh, talking about her kills my appetite.”

Hearing this, Tao Youqing picked up a few more meat skewers and placed them on Guan Meilin’s plate, saying breezily, “Hey, no appetite? Easy fix.”

Guan Meilin looked at her, only to see her flipping her long hair with pride. “Here, just look at me. You know, ‘feast for the eyes’? Staring at me is guaranteed to make you hungry!”

Tao Youqing replied, “Damn it, with looks like mine, I could plant rice straight in your stomachs!”

Tao · Narcissism Queen · Youqing — The burden of being too beautiful.jpg

Guan Meilin silently covered her stomach. Still, she sometimes wondered—how did Tao Youqing manage to be so creatively narcissistic? Her self-praise vocabulary never seemed to repeat.

Though she really was exceptionally beautiful, so her narcissism wasn’t unfounded… but it was still impressive!

Then Guan Meilin suddenly remembered something and asked with concern, “How’s Auntie Tao’s health been lately?”

Tao’s mother was saved back then, but she never fully recovered, and her health has been deteriorating year by year. Yet, as long as there’s breath in a person, they can’t give up. All the necessary medications and surgeries were done—none were skipped—all paid for by Zhou Yirou, and this has continued to this day. This was also one of the reasons why Tao Youqing agreed to become her secret lover back then and has remained compliant with her wishes until now.

Mentioning her mother, Tao Youqing’s mood visibly soured, her tone turning flat, “Still the same.” She added, “And she still doesn’t want to see me.”

She was raised by her uncle and never grew close to her mother—no, it was more accurate to say her mother refused to be close to her. It was as if giving birth to her fulfilled her duty, and whether she lived or died was none of her concern. Their relationship was as distant as strangers.

Because of this lifelong estrangement, Tao Youqing harbored little affection for her mother. If her mother didn’t want to see her, then she wouldn’t seek her out either. The two simply coexisted in peaceful indifference.

Guan Meilin sighed and gently patted her hand in comfort. “Maybe Aunt Tao just doesn’t want you to see her sick. Don’t take it to heart…”

As a close friend who understood her family situation, Guan Meilin naturally wanted to console her, lest she spiral into despair.

A mother’s emotional distance is a devastating blow to any child.

Tao Youqing smiled dismissively. “Don’t worry. With Uncle around, I stopped caring about these things long ago.”

Without her mother’s love, she still had her uncle. Tao Qing was the kindest, most wonderful person in the world. His presence was enough for her.

But life is full of unforeseen twists.

Afraid she might dwell on the loss of her uncle; Guan Meilin quickly changed the subject. “So, when are you planning to leave Zhou Yirou?”

Guan Meilin wished she could move out of the apartment Zhou Yirou bought immediately—she didn’t want her spending another second by that woman’s side. The longer she stayed, the higher the risk she might regret it and fall for Zhou Yirou again!

Tao Youqing gave her a reassuring look. “Tonight, I’ll make it clear and move out.”

Guan Meilin reminded her, “And don’t forget your contract is expiring. No renewing, got it?”

Back when Guan Meilin was a trainee, she knew Tao Youqing dreamed of stardom. Her dedication surpassed all the other trainees combined. Yet Xinglan Culture clearly had no intention of promoting her, and Zhou Yirou seemed unwilling to let her step into the public eye. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to hide her personal social media account from Zhou Yirou just for fun.

As someone who witnessed her efforts firsthand and now as her closest friend, Guan Meilin couldn’t understand the decisions of Xinglan’s executives or Zhou Yirou. But she refused to watch Tao Youqing walks into a trap—if she wanted to re-enter the entertainment industry, she had to switch companies!

Tao Youqing didn’t respond. It was hard to believe her eight-year contract was about to expire. She had signed it at just seventeen… Time truly flew by too fast to grasp.

Guan Meilin continued chattering away, “Don’t worry about Aunt Tao’s medical and surgery fees, I can cover them for you. No more talk about debts, okay?”

“After moving out of the apartment, don’t go back home—it’s so far away! It’s inconvenient for me to visit you there. Just stay at one of my places—I have several properties, take your pick!”

Patting her chest with childlike chubby cheeks, Guan Meilin declared confidently, “With me around, you don’t need to worry about anything. Just focus on cutting ties with her! You’ve finally decided to let go—don’t fall back into that trap again!”

Tao Youqing felt her heart soften, warmth spreading through her body. In her life, apart from her uncle Tao Qing, Guan Meilin had been her greatest supporter.

Curving her lips, she reached out to hold Guan Meilin’s hands, moved, “You’re too good to me, Meilin. Since I can’t repay you by marrying you, how about I find another way?”

Guan Meilin tilted her head, “Then… hurry up and become a big star, then endorse my dad’s company for free?”

Tao Youqing agreed readily, “Easy enough. I’ll pack my things and prepare to blow up. Just wait.” She extended her pinky finger. “Come on, pinky promise.”

Guan Meilin hooked her pinky, responding eagerly, “Yeah! I’ll be waiting!”

She could do it—their Tao Fairy was simply the best!

……

Tao Youqing and Guan Meilin stayed out until past 7 PM. By the time Tao Youqing returned to the apartment, it was already 8 o’clock. She planned to take a shower, then text Zhou Yirou to break things off before packing up and leaving tomorrow.

As she sank into the warm water, her phone beside her suddenly buzzed. Out of habit—a lingering reflex from never wanting to miss Zhou Yirou’s messages—she glanced down.

Picking it up, she saw it was indeed a message from Zhou Yirou, saying she’d be coming over today.

Tao Youqing stared at the text in silence before setting the phone back down—not bothering to reply with even a single punctuation mark.

She didn’t like her anymore, so there was no reason to eagerly respond. If she was going to end things, it had to be clean—no dragging it out, no lingering attachments!

It wasn’t like Zhou Yirou ever cared what she replied anyway. Besides, this was Zhou Yirou’s place—she could come and go as she pleased without Tao Youqing’s permission. Maybe it was for the best she was coming today; she could settle things face-to-face.

With that thought, she pushed aside the messy swirl of emotions and focused on enjoying her bath.

……

This was the first time Tao Youqing hadn’t replied to her message. Zhou Yirou stared at the chat box for a few seconds before slipping her phone back into her pocket and ringing the doorbell.

Whatever. She’d never cared about Tao Youqing’s replies before—why start now? The apartment was hers anyway; she didn’t need permission to visit. The text was just a courtesy notice.

She stood quietly at the door. The past few days had been exhausting, and she was mentally drained. Times like these, she always came here—to unwind through Tao Youqing.

Tao Youqing played Jiang Yaling’s role too well. Just sitting beside her, listening to her mimic Jiang Yaling’s speech, was enough to ease her fatigue. So much so that whenever work wore her down, she’d instinctively seek Tao Youqing out…

Zhou Yirou silently opened the door and looked inside—empty.

The Tao Youqing who used to happily come out to greet her at the sound of the doorbell didn’t appear this time.

She stood still, her brows unconsciously furrowing slightly.

She actually… felt strangely unaccustomed to this?

For a fleeting moment, she was bewildered—how could she feel unsettled just because Tao Youqing wasn’t there to welcome her?

Then she forcefully brushed aside this odd sensation. It was just unfamiliarity, nothing more. After all, Tao Youqing had been showering her with attention for years.

She walked in on her own and saw Tao Youqing stepping out of the bathroom, drying her hair.

When Tao Youqing noticed her, her eyes were utterly calm, a stark contrast to the passionate, adoring woman from yesterday. This made Zhou Yirou pause briefly before casually asking, “Did you go out today?”

Tao Youqing nodded, her tone indifferent. “Yes, I had barbecue with a friend.”

Zhou Yirou’s expression darkened instantly.

“Yaling doesn’t like barbecue.”

Eight words, spoken in unison.

Tao Youqing smiled faintly. “After acting as her for so many years, how could I not know what she likes?”

Zhou Yirou stared at her in surprise, taken aback by their simultaneous response. If she knew, why did she still do it? Since when had she become so rebellious?

Tao Youqing assured her, “Don’t worry, President Zhou. There won’t be a next time. I promise.”

Zhou Yirou was momentarily stunned by the formal address—but then again, maybe she was just throwing another tantrum. She had done so once before, only to return obediently in the end.

Zhou Yirou didn’t bother probing further into her change and cut straight to the point. “Have you made up your mind?”

Tao Youqing hesitated. “About what?”

Sorry, but she genuinely couldn’t follow President Zhou’s train of thought. What was there to decide?

Zhou Yirou lifted her cold gaze. “Yesterday’s incident,” she said. “I don’t want to see it happen a third time.”

Her intentions with Tao Youqing had always been clear—she was merely a stand-in. Zhou Yirou would never give her even a fraction of her heart. She only loved Jiang Yaling, and that would never change.

So, she disliked Tao Youqing expressing her own thoughts and emotions, and she especially hated Tao Youqing’s delusions of winning her affection. It irritated her—she felt Tao Youqing had overstepped.

When Tao Youqing was by her side, she was supposed to be Yaling. Her only duty was to play the role well. Nothing more.

Hearing this, Tao Youqing felt no ripple of emotion. She smiled breezily. “Don’t worry, President Zhou. I already promised you there won’t be a next time. I mean what I say.”

Zhou Yirou gave a faint nod—but then she sensed something amiss. Before she could react, Tao Youqing’s voice rang out clearly,

“So, let’s break up.”

Zhou Yirou froze, disbelief creeping into her expression. “What did you say?”

Tao Youqing met her gaze, her tone as firm as a stern law enforcer—

“We’re over.”