After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 104

The group had agreed to climb the snow-capped mountain the next day, so several guests went to buy necessities while Lin Duxi and An Yu, unfamiliar with the area, stayed behind at the homestay.

The homestay owner mentioned that the rooftop garden was quite beautiful. Coincidentally, a light snow had begun to fall outside, so the two bundled up in down jackets and went out to enjoy the snow.

A thin layer of snow had settled on the long benches on the rooftop. An Yu brushed it away, then opened a beige sun umbrella to shield them from the snow, pulling Lin Duxi down to sit beside her.

The night was pitch black, and glistening white snowflakes swirled down around them. Holding hands, Lin Duxi and An Yu listened quietly to the faint sound of snow accumulating, their hearts feeling as though they had been cleansed.

Especially An Yu. She had been swamped with work recently, and now, suddenly immersed in such tranquility, she felt almost unaccustomed to it. For a moment, her thoughts drifted away from the snowscape.

A gentle breeze carried the snowflakes, and a few landed inside the umbrella. An Yu felt a cool touch at the corner of her eye and instinctively shook her head to dislodge the snowflake. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Lin Duxi’s profile.

Half of Lin Duxi’s face was buried in her scarf, yet it did nothing to diminish her striking beauty. She was slightly tilted upward, gazing into the distance, already a breathtaking picture. Even when her expression was neutral, the corners of her lips curled faintly, giving off an air of politeness and aloofness. Strands of her hair fell haphazardly, some resting against the soft, beige scarf, unexpectedly softening her cool demeanor. Like a bonfire blazing in the boundless cold and darkness, she was dazzling, radiant-compelling others to draw near.

Unconsciously, An Yu’s gaze shifted from the snowscape to Lin Duxi. She made no effort to restrain her stare, and Lin Duxi, naturally, could sense the intensity of her attention. Though she maintained her posture, the faint blush creeping up from beneath her hair to the tips of her ears betrayed her emotions.

Finally unable to bear it any longer, Lin Duxi turned her head. Her eyes glimmered like the snowflakes dancing in the sky.

“Stop looking,” she chided, her ears turning even redder.

An Yu couldn’t help but laugh. Lin Duxi like this was unbearably cute, like a bristling kitten. She wanted to soothe her but was met with a tiny, indignant glare.

“If you keep looking, we’re going back,” Lin Duxi threatened.

An Yu nodded and obediently turned her gaze back to the snow, though she kept Lin Duxi’s hand clasped in hers. Noticing how cold Lin Duxi’s fingers still were, she tucked their joined hands into her own down jacket pocket to warm them.

Nearby, the camerawoman, captivated by the serene atmosphere between the two, hardly dared to breathe too loudly, afraid of disrupting such a beautiful moment. Unable to resist, she adjusted her camera to several different angles, capturing their beauty from every perspective.

The next day, the group suited up in full gear to climb the snow-capped mountain. Due to the snowy conditions and the amount of equipment they had to carry, the six of them decided to hike only halfway before taking a cable car the rest of the way to the summit.

An Yu and Lin Duxi put on their climbing gear, checked each other’s equipment to ensure nothing was missing, and set off with the others.

The light snow from the night before had persisted into the morning. Though not heavy, it still obscured visibility.

Since this climb wasn’t a competition like their ascent of Mount Bomi-merely a scenic excursion-the group took their time, admiring the snowy landscape as they hiked.

The light snow from the night before weighed down the branches, and occasionally, a few flakes landed on their heads. Their footsteps crunched softly against the snow.

An Yu and Lin Duxi had plenty of stamina, leading the group at the front. Halfway up, some of the others were too exhausted to continue, so they stopped to rest and switch to the cable cars. Unsurprisingly, An Yu and Lin Duxi shared one.

Riding the cable car again, An Yu and Lin Duxi’s feelings were entirely different from before. Summer had turned to winter, cicada songs to snowfall-and now, they were each other’s lovers.

“Last time we were on a cable car, we were still testing each other’s feelings,” An Yu mused, thinking back to their ride at Mount Bomi. After disembarking, she had looked at Lin Duxi beneath the streetlamp, her emotions nearly overflowing. Back then, because of the past and the system, they hadn’t been able to express their feelings freely.

But now, everything was different.

Hearing this, Lin Duxi also recalled that day. So much had happened-the climb, the pain, the scent of An Yu’s embrace. Memories flooded over her, pulling her under. She also remembered the solitary prayer she had offered at the temple, and her gaze softened as she turned to look at the person beside her. Her heart burned.

The wish she had made back then-one that had seemed nearly impossible-had come true.

The temperature at the summit was even colder, and the wind and snow had intensified. But looking down, they saw an endless expanse of pure white snow, so pristine it seemed to cleanse the mind of all distractions, as though it had washed away everything impure in the world. In that vast, white wilderness, nothing else existed.

After taking in the scenery, An Yu and Lin Duxi offered to take photos for the others. The two of them were pulled into countless group shots.

Chen Qi had been watching them for a while. As soon as they finished taking photos for a crew member, she hurried over with her camera.

“An Yu, Lin Duxi, can I take a photo of you two?” Her eyes sparkled with the fervent light unique to a devoted shipper.

An Yu glanced at the heavy DSLR in Chen Qi’s hands and remarked, “You even brought this all the way up here.”

Chen Qi grinned. “You need professional equipment to capture the scenery properly. Besides, I like taking photos wherever I go.”

She didn’t mention that the real reason she had lugged the camera-which weighed as much as a brick-all the way up was solely to photograph her favorite couple. The long climb had nearly killed her.

“Let’s take a photo together, teachers. The scenery here is so beautiful-it’d be a shame not to capture it,” Chen Qi suggested.

An Yu and Lin Duxi exchanged a glance before responding, “Thank you.”

The two stood by the railing at the mountain’s summit, their hands clasped in the simplest of poses, yet it harmonized perfectly with the snowflakes swirling around them. As they gazed at each other, the tenderness in their eyes was unmistakable, the falling snow only enhancing the purity of the moment. Everything felt so perfect.

When the photo was posted on Weibo, it caused a sensation. It was the first time the two had shared a picture together on social media, and the composition was flawless-their expressions and the way they looked at each other perfectly captured the depth of their emotions. Many fans exclaimed, “I ship it!” and the image became one of the “Ten Legendary Photos” of the An-Lin CP. The photographer, Chen Qi, was even dubbed one of the two biggest shippers of the pair.

Countless fans set the photo as their phone wallpaper-Lin Duxi included.

After returning, the group lit a bonfire in the backyard of the guesthouse and chatted for a while. An Yu and Lin Duxi stayed briefly, gathering enough material for the variety show before excusing themselves.

With the snow still falling, the two decided to make the most of the time and start on their paintings. As An Yu opened her drawing tablet, she couldn’t help but recall the time she saw Lin Duxi liking posts from her secret account. Despite the overwhelming embarrassment, she hadn’t deleted the account-though she had no plans to post anything new.

Mostly, she worried that since she and Lin Duxi spent so much time together, Lin Duxi would inevitably recognize her artwork, and if her identity was accidentally exposed, it would be disastrous.

Lost in thought, she barely noticed when Lin Duxi stepped out after changing. She wore a white maxi dress, barefoot against the floor. The room was warm, heated by both the central system and underfloor heating, so the cold wasn’t an issue.

Lin Duxi walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly admiring the snow outside. An Yu pushed aside her wandering thoughts, plugged in her tablet, and began to draw.

When fully absorbed in a task, one often loses awareness of their surroundings. An Yu worked quickly, the rough sketch already taking shape as she lost herself in the process.

Lin Duxi’s gaze gradually shifted from the snow outside. No matter how beautiful the scenery, it could grow dull-but the person in the room never would.

Her eyes settled on An Yu, focused on her painting, and suddenly, the memory of a certain artwork from their past life surfaced.

Those paintings… she hadn’t seen them in An Yu’s room, nor had An Yu mentioned them.

Lin Duxi’s high spirits plummeted, like a deflated balloon.

In their previous life, An Yu hadn’t moved, which was why she had received those dust-covered paintings. But this time, An Yu had relocated next to her, becoming her neighbor before Lin Duxi had fallen for her again. Those paintings likely hadn’t been preserved.

Logically, she knew they didn’t matter now, but Lin Duxi couldn’t help feeling a pang of sorrow. Back then, those paintings had been like flames of hope and solace in her otherwise desolate existence. Even now, the memory made her tremble, her instincts recoiling from that dark period.

An Yu paused mid-stroke, lifting her head to check details, only to find Lin Duxi lost in thought. The eyes that always softened with affection for her were now clouded with sorrow.

Her heart clenched.

Lin Duxi looked up, and in an instant, the melancholy vanished, replaced by her usual warmth.

“Finished?” she asked.

An Yu shook her head, forcing a smile before returning to her work as if nothing had happened-though her mood had shifted entirely.

By the time the painting was done, An Yu stretched her stiff back with a sigh. Lin Duxi walked over, offering her water, but her attention was fixed on the artwork.

Through the transparent glass, snow fell heavily outside, weighing down the branches. Inside, a woman in a white dress stood barefoot, her gaze soft as she watched the winter scene. The usual coolness in her demeanor was gone, replaced by a rare tenderness, as if she were a winter spirit.

This was a painting infused with emotion-a creator’s raw, fervent love bursting forth from the canvas.

Lin Duxi was captivated the moment she saw it, stunned by the intensity of An Yu’s feelings. She adored this piece.

Settling onto An Yu’s lap, Lin Duxi studied the painting intently, her focus absolute.

An Yu watched her, conflicted. Words tangled in her throat before she finally spoke.

“This afternoon, while I was painting, I looked up and saw you looking… sad.”

Lin Duxi’s concentration faltered for a split second before she replied calmly, “Did I?”

An Yu caught that fleeting hesitation, her own heart sinking.

“Were you thinking about the past?”

With their current struggles resolved, the only thing An Yu remained unaware of was what had happened after her death in their past life. She had asked before, but Lin Duxi always brushed it off with vague reassurances. Yet, from the fragments Lin Duxi had let slip, An Yu knew it hadn’t been easy for her.

So she had stopped asking.

But today, seeing that momentary lapse in Lin Duxi’s expression, An Yu was certain she had been reminiscing. Lin Duxi’s sorrow became her own.

Lin Duxi’s eyes darkened. She shifted, straddling An Yu to face her directly, their bodies pressed close. Meeting An Yu’s concerned gaze, she felt the stark contrast between now and then-how fortunate she was now.

“I just remembered… after you left, Uncle Wen came to see me.”

An Yu blinked. “Uncle Wen?”

Lin Duxi nodded. “He gave me a box. Inside were your draft sketches.”

Sketches of me.