After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 107

Because they were going to the welfare center to visit Xiaoxiao, An Yu and Lin Duxi specially bought a lot of supplies, filling the trunk to the brim before they were satisfied.

When the car stopped at a red light, An Yu rested her hand on the steering wheel. Sunlight streamed through the window, gently bathing the two of them. Out of the corner of her eye, An Yu saw Lin Duxi leaning back in her seat, quietly asleep. The sunlight fell on her, as if casting a faint golden glow over her. Everything was so peaceful and beautiful.

An Yu couldn’t help but smile, then turned her attention back to driving as the light turned green.

The previously under-repair road she had taken last time with Shi Yu was now fully restored and smooth. An Yu drove all the way to the entrance of the welfare center, passing by that abandoned little park along the way.

Lin Duxi had already woken up and was staring fixedly at the long-deserted playground equipment. Noticing this, An Yu slowed the car.

The last time they came, Lin Duxi had been too preoccupied with whether An Yu liked her or not to pay much attention to the surroundings. Now, as the car moved along, she finally took in the full view of the park.

It turned out this park was so small-small enough that she could measure its entirety with just her gaze. Yet it was also so large-large enough to have trapped the first half of her life within its bounds.

A mist clouded Lin Duxi’s eyes. She quickly blinked, forcing back the sting in her nose, then turned away and averted her gaze.

By the time they arrived at the welfare center, they could see the director standing at the entrance from afar, looking around anxiously. When she saw the two of them step out of the car, she hurried over. But the moment she caught sight of Lin Duxi, a sudden surge of emotion overwhelmed her, making her voice tremble.

“Xiao An, Xiao Lin, you’re here,” she said, unable to stop herself from lowering her head to wipe away tears.

“Ah, look at me-crying at my age,” she chided herself.

Lin Duxi simply gazed at her, her own eyes brimming with moisture.

“Director, we’ve brought some things for the children in the trunk. Could you ask a few staff members to help unload them?” An Yu, sensing the heavy mood, carefully spoke up.

“Of course. Your kindness to the welfare center warms my heart so much it feels like honey is overflowing. Xiao Lin, it’s been so long since you’ve been home. Come, let me show you around properly. The facilities here are much better now.” The director composed herself, took Lin Duxi’s hand, and led the two of them inside.

The welfare center looked the same as when An Yu had last visited, but Lin Duxi observed everything with wide-eyed wonder, her eyes occasionally sparkling as she listened intently to the director’s explanations.

This was the first time An Yu had seen Lin Duxi display so many emotions in public-all of them stemming from her longing for this place. The thought that this had been her home for over a decade made An Yu’s heart tremble.

Though it wasn’t a weekend, the welfare center was livelier than during An Yu’s last visit. Staff members moved about with cheerful expressions, and the sounds of children playing games could be heard in the distance. Curious, An Yu asked the director about it.

A kind smile spread across the director’s face as she gazed toward the source of the laughter.

“Xiaoxiao has found a family.”

When An Yu and Lin Duxi reached the backyard, they immediately spotted the little girl sitting glumly on a wooden rocking horse.

Xiaoxiao had one hand propped on the horse’s head and the other supporting her cheek, her face scrunched into a pitiful pout. Despite wearing a brand-new, pretty dress, her melancholy was unmistakable.

From a distance, the director called out to her, “Xiaoxiao, look who’s here!”

Xiaoxiao turned toward the voice, her previously dull eyes suddenly widening before shining with brilliant delight.

Children don’t know how to hide their feelings. The raw, genuine joy in her eyes was unmistakable, and it made An Yu and Lin Duxi infinitely glad they had come today.

While Xiaoxiao was still frozen in shock, the two of them walked over to her. Lin Duxi crouched down first to meet her at eye level and gently ruffled her hair.

“I saw the note you gave Ah Yu. Thank you for blessing us,” she said, unable to resist pinching the little girl’s soft cheeks.

Xiaoxiao stared at her in a daze. Being gazed at so tenderly by someone so beautiful, even a child couldn’t help but blush. After a long pause, she finally spoke shyly.

“Sister Lin, I told you you were pretty.”

Lin Duxi was taken aback for a moment before laughing and rubbing Xiaoxiao’s cheeks again.  How could she be this adorable?

An Yu pretended to be displeased and teased her, “Am I not pretty?”

Xiaoxiao hurriedly replied, “Sister An is pretty too.”

The two of them exchanged a smile. At such a young age, she was already a master of diplomacy.

Xiaoxiao grabbed Lin Duxi’s hand and climbed down from the rocking horse, then reached out with her other hand to take An Yu’s.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you guys again!” Xiaoxiao said excitedly.

“I promised you I’d come visit you with Sister Lin Duxi, and I never break my promises,” An Yu replied, lowering her head to speak to her earnestly.

“Yay!” The little girl was overjoyed, beaming brightly. She grabbed both their hands, and An Yu and Lin Duxi thought she was about to pull them along. But the next moment, Xiaoxiao clasped their hands together and let go, making them hold each other instead.

An Yu and Lin Duxi: “?”

“Then you have to promise Xiaoxiao that you’ll stay together forever!” The little girl looked up at them, her eyes shining with pure sincerity.

Both of them froze for a moment, then exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh. Lin Duxi crouched down and took Xiaoxiao’s small hand with her free one, speaking gently.

“Okay, we promise Xiaoxiao we’ll stay together forever. We won’t lie to a child.”

The anticipation and nervousness in Xiaoxiao’s eyes melted into even greater joy. She couldn’t resist stepping forward to hug Lin Duxi, her tiny arms wrapping around her. Though it looked more like Lin Duxi was cradling her in her embrace.

When the two of them walked Xiaoxiao back, they ran into her adoptive parents. The couple paused in surprise upon seeing them, but when they noticed Xiaoxiao holding their hands, their eyes overflowed with unmistakable love and adoration.

Xiaoxiao wanted to take photos, and seeing her so happy made An Yu and Lin Duxi’s hearts swell with warmth.

“Come take a picture together,” the orphanage director invited them.

After exchanging a glance, the two stood up together.

With the click of the camera, a photo of everyone at the orphanage smiling brightly was captured. This photo was later hung in the director’s room, replacing the original family portrait.

An Yu and Lin Duxi weren’t in a hurry to drive back. Instead, they went to Jiangcheng No. 2 High School.

After getting out of the car, they spoke with the security guards at the gate, explaining that they were alumni. One guard eyed them suspiciously, scrutinizing them as if they were troublemakers.

The older guard took a sip of tea and glanced at Lin Duxi standing beside An Yu.

“Let them in. I kinda remember them-they really were students here.”

The retractable gate opened, and the two entered smoothly.

An Yu was puzzled. “How does that guard still recognize you after all this time?”

Lin Duxi casually took her hand, a faint smile curling her lips. “Maybe because I was the top student in the school back then.”

An Yu: “Makes sense. That’s pretty convincing.” But is that proud tone really necessary?

It was class time, so the school grounds were empty except for the occasional sound of students reciting lessons in the distance.

Hand in hand, An Yu and Lin Duxi wandered aimlessly around the campus, somehow ending up beneath the same big tree.

The tree was still there, lush and vibrant as ever, blending into the sky and earth. But the wall that once allowed people to climb down from it was now fenced off-no one could jump down from there anymore.

“This is where we first met. You scared me so badly-I thought I was going to get demerits on the first day of school,” An Yu said, nostalgia coloring her voice.

Lin Duxi smiled without a word, her gaze lingering on the wall and the tree’s leaves above. Following An Yu’s words, memories surfaced in her mind, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

They strolled around the school a bit more, then went up to the classroom building and followed their memories to their old classroom-Class 3.

Seasons had come and gone, but the sign above the door still read “Class 3.” The only difference was that the people inside were no longer them.

Not wanting to disturb the students, An Yu and Lin Duxi only glanced through the window before leaving.

As they walked down the hallway, An Yu noticed the wall of honor in the first-floor lobby, displaying photos of outstanding students and model classes. Lin Duxi’s picture was among them.

During an interview years ago, An Yu had seen a youthful photo of Lin Duxi and had been instantly smitten. Now, she couldn’t resist taking a picture of it with her phone.

Lin Duxi gave a helpless laugh. She was right here, yet An Yu still wanted a photo.

But then, out of the corner of her eye, Lin Duxi spotted something that made her freeze. Among the photos of model classes, there was actually a group photo of their old class.

Perhaps because there were too many group photos for anyone to notice, or because students passed by in a hurry, no one had ever spotted it. But Lin Duxi recognized it immediately-the two girls in that photo.

When graduation photos were taken, photographers usually snapped multiple shots to pick the best one. The graduation photo they’d received wasn’t the same as the one on the wall-this was Lin Duxi’s first time seeing it.

The image was blurry, but their faces were still distinguishable. Maybe the timing had been off when it was taken, but the two girls weren’t looking at the camera. Instead, they were turned toward each other, their cheeks glowing with warmth.

Even through the fuzziness, Lin Duxi could still feel the intensity in their gazes-tender yet fervent. She couldn’t help but reach out, gently brushing her fingers over An Yu’s image in the photo.

A familiar voice called out to her from nearby-the same person in the photo, her beloved. Lin Duxi withdrew her hand and turned away.

After wandering a bit longer, they ended up sitting on the sports equipment in the playground to rest. Some track-and-field students were training on the跑道, but the two of them sat in a secluded corner, unnoticed.

Staring at the playground, An Yu suddenly remembered something.

“Do you remember that one lunch break when I couldn’t sleep and dragged you out to play?”

When it came to memories, Lin Duxi could always instantly recall every second she’d spent with An Yu. She nodded.

An Yu continued, eyes still on the field, “I remember how quiet the school was back then-like we were the only two people in the world. We ran around like crazy, and when we got tired, we just lay on the ground and looked up at the sky.”

“Back then, we could do whatever we wanted in our school uniforms. Now? No way-the ground’s too dirty,” An Yu sighed, a little regretful.

Lin Duxi smiled softly, her gaze resting on An Yu like gentle water, the emotions in her eyes quietly enveloping her.

Of course she remembered it clearly.

That day, the two of them had lain on the sun-warmed playground, the heat from the ground seeping into their backs, making it incredibly comfortable.

An Yu had turned to her excitedly, her smile spilling from her eyes like sunlight, bright and dazzling. That radiance had pierced straight into Lin Duxi’s heart, sending ripples across the surface of her calm lake. She’d heard her own heartbeat-loud, frantic, threatening to burst from her chest.

And then An Yu had said, “I love this moment so much!”

Lin Duxi had thought,  Me too.

I love you, An Yu.