After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 10

Night fell, and the moonlight cast a soft white glow over the dark sky, streaming through the undrawn curtains and onto the figure lying on the bed.

An Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, Lin Duxi’s misty eyes and those unspoken words resurfaced in her mind. An inexplicable emotion clogged her chest, filling her with unbearable irritation.

She sat up and turned on the bedside lamp, its soft light filling the room. Glancing at the time-already past midnight-An Yu got up and poured herself a glass of water.

Idly picking up her phone, she absentmindedly opened Weibo, but her attention was immediately seized.

Because she had previously browsed the “YuXi CP” fan community, her homepage was now flooded with recommended posts from the fandom. An Yu had assumed that after their recent livestream, their CP’s popularity had surged and the community had grown livelier. But the posts she saw were nothing like what she expected.

[Seriously, do people actually ship this trashy CP? There are so many good pairings out there, how are people this blind?]

[Can’t people see that these two no-names are just trying to ride the coattails of a certain A-list actress? How are they even getting any attention?]

[I can’t even. Where did this CP even come from? Don’t you think the actual people involved would be disgusted knowing you’re shipping them like this?]

[Lol, have y’all just never shipped a decent CP before?]

An Yu’s expression darkened. The “two no-names trying to ride coattails” clearly referred to her. But why was the fan community suddenly filled with posts like this? She kept scrolling, only to find more of the same.

Baffled, she hesitated for a moment before clicking into the fan community to investigate. Just like her homepage, the space was overrun with mocking posts-organized and systematic, plastered across the top of the page, stinging every fan who came looking for sweet interactions.

An Yu scrolled further down and found a few CP fans trying to argue back.

[Everyone has the right to ship whoever they want. Isn’t it rude to invade someone else’s fan space like this?]

But the community was still new, lacking proper moderation. Soon, these defenses were drowned out by the flood of sarcastic comments.

As she read through the arrogant, biting remarks, An Yu’s frown deepened, and understanding slowly dawned on her.

Just as the system had warned her-the fated male and female leads would never allow anything that stood in the way of their destined relationship. The system itself wouldn’t permit any deviations. And her and Lin Duxi’s CP fan community was exactly that kind of deviation.

But  why  ? Why did they have to be controlled by the system, denied the freedom to like what they wanted?

A nameless fury ignited inside An Yu, burning hotter by the second. She wanted to do  something  . Then, her gaze inadvertently landed on the drawing tablet lying on the floor-the one she had brought from her old apartment, covered in dust from years of neglect.

An Yu picked it up, wiped off the grime, and plugged it into her computer. To her surprise, it still worked.

She smiled faintly. She had bought the tablet right after high school but never had the time to use it, leaving it forgotten for years. Yet after all this time, it still functioned.

The light in her room stayed on for a long time. Staring at the blank canvas, An Yu wasn’t sure what to draw. She reached for the biscuit tin on her desk, untied the ribbon, and took a bite. The rich, buttery flavor filled her mouth, sweet but not overpowering.

She checked the time again-nearly 1 AM. Remembering she had an early flight to catch, she was about to go back to bed when her eyes fell on the red ribbon lying on the table.

A spark of inspiration flashed through her mind. She picked up the ribbon and tied it over her eyes. Through the red fabric, the world took on a different hue-everything bathed in a crimson glow, like the prelude to a grand wedding or the tantalizing ambiguity before an intimate moment. Hazy, yet all the more provocative.

An Yu removed the ribbon, her mind suddenly overflowing with ideas. She grabbed the stylus and began to draw.

—

The next day, a historic town in Jiangnan.

Not far from the airport, a car had been parked for a while, its occupants waiting for some time. Before long, a fully masked and hatted figure emerged from the airport.

The people in the car quickly turned on the live stream and pointed the camera at the newcomer.

“Teacher An,” a staff member waved at her. An Yu walked over, simultaneously greeting the viewers in the livestream with a wave.

“Hello, everyone. Good morning.”

[Good morning, An Yu! The recording has finally started.]

[According to the livestream order, An Yu seems to be the fourth one to go live. I’m so curious about how they’ll interact when they meet.]

[Livestreaming? So exciting!]

[Lin Duxi just started her livestream too-so many fans are there to greet her at the airport. It’s so lively!]

An Yu handed her suitcase to the staff and got into the car. Once she removed her mask, the staff began their usual Q&A.

“Teacher An, are you looking forward to the destination? Would you like to guess where we’re headed?”

An Yu smiled politely. “Of course, I’m very excited. I’m guessing it’ll be somewhere very fitting for Jiangnan-perhaps an inn or a classical garden?”

“Ah, Teacher An is so sharp! You guessed it right away,” the staff member continued. “Then, among the five other participants in the show, who are you most looking forward to partnering with?”

An Yu glanced at them before answering, “All five are esteemed seniors whom I deeply respect. I’d be honored to work with any of them.”

This question wasn’t in the script. Naming any one of them could easily be seen as clout-chasing, and she couldn’t help but suspect the staff was setting her up for drama to boost engagement. Fortunately, her answer was flawless-even the staff couldn’t find fault with it.

[Ugh, such a diplomatic answer. I wanted something juicier, like Lin XX.]

[Damn, you’re bold.]

[Can the annoying trolls just leave? Stop trying to leech off our fave’s popularity!]

Soon, An Yu’s car arrived at the inn. After getting out at the front gate, she followed the staff’s directions inside. At the entrance, there were three pairs of slippers in different colors. Instinctively, An Yu reached for the light green pair-only to be stopped by her system at the last second.

“Host, don’t wear the green ones.”

“Why not?”

“No reason. Just don’t. It’s not like the others aren’t an option.”

An Yu sighed and switched to the pink pair instead, finally satisfying the system.

She pushed the door open and immediately spotted Lin Duxi sitting on the sofa, chatting with the others. Dressed in a knit cardigan and a linen skirt, she seemed bathed in a soft, glowing light-even her hair shimmered gently.

Noticing An Yu, Lin Duxi and the other two stood up to greet her.

“Hello, Teacher An. I’m Xie An’an,” said a bright, cheerful young woman, reaching out to take the suitcase-only for another pair of hands to intercept it at the last moment.

“Teacher An must be exhausted, you should go rest.” Lin Duxi smiled as she approached An Yu, swiftly snatching the suitcase from her hands-but An Yu didn’t let go, foiling her attempt.

“No need, everyone. I can manage it myself,” she said, placing the suitcase in the designated spot before walking over to the living room sofa and casually taking a seat.

[Four legs standing like a tripod.]

[These four are sitting in cardinal directions, just like me at social gatherings.]

“Hello, I’m Yu Fei,” one of the male guests introduced himself.

An Yu responded politely, “An Yu,” and then fell silent.

[Notice, Lin Duxi didn’t introduce herself to An Yu, and An Yu didn’t ask either. I’m shipping it!]

[Damn, you’re good at picking up crumbs!]

The other three continued their earlier conversation while An Yu took the chance to glance around. The two-story villa had an open-concept kitchen, and every corner of the Jiangnan-style house was equipped with cameras for filming.

After surveying her surroundings, An Yu’s gaze inadvertently landed on the slippers Lin Duxi was wearing across from her.

They were pale green.

For a moment, An Yu froze, then seemed to realize something.

Xie An’an also noticed her stare and followed it to the slippers. “Our slippers seem to be different colors. Teacher An, yours are the same as mine!” she exclaimed cheerfully. “Are partners assigned by slipper color? Haha, that’s so unserious.”

Lin Duxi glanced at the remaining two, the curve of her smile unchanged, yet inexplicably lacking its usual warmth. She lowered her eyes to her own slippers, lost in thought.

An Yu speculated, “Maybe. The production team never said partners had to be male-female pairs.”

Based on the system’s earlier intervention, An Yu guessed partner selection might hinge on these subtle details.

Just then, Lin Duxi suddenly stood up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to An Yu.

“Thank you,” An Yu said politely, reaching for the cup. Their fingers brushed lightly-but Lin Duxi’s hooked slightly against An Yu’s knuckles, teasing like a kitten’s paw.

Startled, An Yu looked up, but Lin Duxi had already withdrawn her hand, offering nothing but a gentle, polite smile, as if it had all been an accident. An Yu took a sip of water, steadying her racing heart.

Soon, the last two guests arrived. An Yu made sure to check Pei Lu’s slippers-sure enough, they were green.

[Wow! I hope partners really are chosen by slipper color!]

Once everyone had gathered, director Qiao Qingzhou stepped in to explain the next steps.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve probably all noticed the previous round of selecting slippers. That segment tested your tacit understanding, and I wonder if you can continue to be on the same wavelength in the upcoming group selection segment.”

Following her instructions, the staff brought out six pictures and laid them out one by one on a nearby platform.

“Among these six images, two are photos of the same location. To ensure fairness, we’ll now ask our guests to draw lots first before choosing their destinations.”

[Ah, so they’re not picking teammates based on the slippers? How disappointing.]