After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 108

Lin Duxi had always believed she was devoid of emotions. Having witnessed her mother perish in a fire as a child, she thought her feelings had vanished along with the flames.

Later, in the orphanage, she remained the most withdrawn child there. At first, the director thought her silence was due to shock and even considered taking her to the hospital. But eventually, it became clear-she simply didn’t want to speak to anyone.

Her mother had once told her she wasn’t a monster. She used to believe that. Now, she wished she  were  a monster, one without emotions.

So she deliberately severed her ties with the outside world, focusing solely on herself. The only person she had ever cared about in this world was gone, and with that, her emotions rapidly withered away.

At least, that’s what she told herself-and how she lived.

After enrolling at Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, her academic workload grew heavier. To maintain her top grades, she poured every waking moment into studying. Even after a year in the same class, she didn’t know her classmates’ names-but they all knew hers.

A beautiful, aloof girl who excelled in her studies? In high school, she was practically the epitome of an unattainable crush.

Lin Duxi remained oblivious to all of this. Day after day, she buried herself in her studies, endless studying. The hardships of her youth had forced her to understand the harsh realities of life far earlier than her peers.

Jiangcheng No. 2 High was a long way from the orphanage. For the 7 a.m. morning reading session, she had to wake up at 5, trek through the dark to the bus stop, and endure a two-hour ride just to arrive on time. The orphanage had vehicles, but with so many children, they couldn’t make an exception just for her. Lin Duxi understood this, so whenever the director offered to drive her, she always politely declined.

School ended at 9:30 p.m., and by the time she returned, it was already late at night. Lin Duxi would simply focus on finishing her urgent assignments.

But tonight, she felt unusually feverish. Setting down her pen, she touched her forehead-burning hot. She was definitely running a fever.

Staring blankly at the exercises in front of her, she stood up after a moment and rummaged through her drawer, pulling out two expired cold pills. She swallowed them with a sip of cold water.

By midnight, her fever spiked again. Tossing and turning in a daze, she barely slept. The next morning, she failed to wake up on time. When she finally did, her head throbbed with dizziness. Realizing her cold had worsened, she decided to visit the infirmary after class.

By the time she arrived at school, morning reading had already begun. Anxious, Lin Duxi hurried up the stairs, but her head still ached. Pausing at the landing, she shook her head and rubbed her temples before gathering her homework and continuing forward.

Suddenly, a figure dashed out in front of her-perhaps equally unaware-and the two collided in the empty hallway.

Weak from her fever, Lin Duxi was knocked to the ground, her books scattering across the floor. Stunned, she stared at the mess for a second before a pair of slender, porcelain-white hands came into view, deftly picking up her papers.

“Hey, are you okay? I’m so sorry-I didn’t see you! Are you hurt anywhere?” A clear, worried voice, like a babbling brook, flowed into her ears, bringing a fleeting moment of clarity to her muddled mind.

And then-she froze.

That voice… it sounded familiar.

Lin Duxi looked up and was immediately met with the girl’s concerned gaze. Her chest tightened at the sight of those clear, chestnut-brown eyes, pure and bright. A shattering sound echoed in her ears, followed by a flood of memories-flashes of a little girl in a frilly dress, her cheeks smudged with dirt, stretching out a hand under the glow of sunset, smiling sweetly.

“Then we’re friends now, okay?”

Lin Duxi stared at the girl in front of her, her long-dead heart suddenly roaring back to life, burning fiercely in the ashes. She could hear it-the frantic, pounding rhythm of her own heartbeat.

The intensity of Lin Duxi’s gaze made the girl’s cheeks flush. Hastily swallowing a bite of her fried dough stick, she gathered the rest of the books and handed them over. By then, Lin Duxi had already stood up, her expression cool and detached once more.

“Sorry about that, I really didn’t see you. Are you sure you’re not hurt?” the girl apologized, carefully passing the stack back.

Lin Duxi took them. “I’m fine,” she said, surprised by how hoarse her own voice sounded.

“Good.” The girl exhaled in relief, checking her watch. “Class is about to start-I’d better run!”

Before Lin Duxi could respond, the girl dashed past her like a gust of wind. The breeze carried a faint trace of laundry detergent, lingering in the air.

Lin Duxi turned, watching as the figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared around the corner. Yet the memories in her mind grew sharper, clearer.

It was her.

Returning to the classroom, Lin Duxi took her seat. Her deskmate, who had witnessed the collision, asked worriedly,

“Are you okay? Looked like you and An Yu hit each other pretty hard.”

Lin Duxi stiffened, her head snapping up. ”  An Yu  ? Her name is An Yu?”

Startled by her reaction, the deskmate nodded. “Yeah, An Yu from Class 9. She’s not on our floor, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know her. But wow, the homeroom teacher actually came early today to check for tardiness. You’re seriously unlucky.”

Lin Duxi didn’t reply. Instead, her lips moved soundlessly, repeating the name as if etching it into her soul. The violent thumping in her chest refused to quiet, its echoes deafening in her ears.

Out of all days to be late-  this  was the one she got caught.

How unfortunate.

No, she isn’t miserable-she has found the person she once “deceived,” even though that person no longer remembers her at all.

Lin Duxi finally understood what that shattering sound was, the one she heard after encountering An Yu that day. Since then, the name “An Yu” had kept appearing around her-whether in class discussions, casual conversations, or even distant murmurs. No matter how far away, she could always catch that name, each time etching it deeper into her heart.

Lin Duxi felt like she wasn’t herself anymore.

On the first day of sophomore year, Lin Duxi arrived early and was called into the teacher’s office. She listened as her homeroom teacher gave her the usual earnest lecture about studying hard.

She had heard this hundreds of times before. She was sick of it.

“Teacher Xu, no need for the lecture. She’s my student now,” a woman’s voice interrupted. Both turned to see a female teacher standing nearby.

Lin Duxi recognized her-she was An Yu’s homeroom teacher.

“Teacher Du, I just couldn’t help calling her over to say a few more words,” Teacher Xu said with a smile.

Teacher Du flipped through a booklet in her hands. “Lin Duxi, ranked first in the school at the end of last term.” She didn’t finish her sentence, the rest hidden in her smug smile.

“Well, since it’s the first day, we’ll be rearranging seats as usual. Our policy is to let students choose in order of ranking. Since you’re first, go ahead and pick now.” She handed the booklet to Lin Duxi.

“Thank you, teacher.”

Lin Duxi gave a simple thanks and took the booklet to look at the seating chart. She had no real interest in this-she could study well anywhere. But as she absentmindedly flipped to the next page, her hand suddenly froze.

Seeing her hesitation, Teacher Du offered, “If you can’t decide, I can choose for you.”

Lin Duxi snapped out of her daze and closed the booklet. “Actually, I have a request.”

Teacher Du: “Go ahead.”

“I want to sit next to An Yu.”

Teacher Du raised an eyebrow, amused. “That’s a bit unexpected. Mind telling me why?”

Lin Duxi didn’t bat an eye. “I just looked through the class list, and I don’t know most of the students. An Yu and I have met before, so sitting with her will help me adjust faster.”

Teacher Du chewed on her answer. It made sense, yet something felt off. Then she met Lin Duxi’s unwavering gaze.

“Alright, if that’s what you want.” Teacher Du agreed. Top students always had their quirks, after all.

Lin Duxi thanked her, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and left. By the time she returned to the classroom, several students had already arrived. She walked to the seat assigned by Teacher Du, placed her bag in the desk, and pulled out a workbook to start solving problems.

Half an hour passed. She hadn’t solved a single question-instead, she had glanced at the empty seat beside her countless times.

Finally, she set down her pen and checked the time. Class was about to start. Frowning slightly, she grabbed a notebook and pen and stood up.

“Where are you going? Class is starting soon,” a classmate asked.

“To ask a question.”

Lin Duxi hurried down the stairs, then broke into a run. She knew she’d see An Yu today, but she wanted to see her sooner-so badly.

She had heard there was a wall in the school connected to a tree outside, where latecomers often climbed over. Lin Duxi searched the empty campus, checking every wall near trees, but none seemed to be the right one.

Most students rushing past barely noticed her odd behavior.

Finally, she reached the last possible wall. After scanning the surroundings, she confirmed this was the spot everyone talked about. She sat on a wooden plank beneath the wall, staring at the lush tree outside, waiting. Her grip on the notebook tightened unconsciously, her whole body tense as a statue.

She knew she wasn’t acting right-this wasn’t like her at all. She shouldn’t be here. This was reckless.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

After what felt like forever, she heard rustling from beyond the wall, then the shaking of branches.

Lin Duxi shot to her feet, hastily smoothing her clothes before fixing her gaze on the source. Her palms were slightly sweaty, the notebook crumpled beyond recognition in her grip.

A slender hand grasped the edge of the wall, and then a nimble figure vaulted onto the top. The girl perched there, lips curled in triumph. Lin Duxi’s heart softened at the sight, her own lips lifting in response.

Their eyes met-and the girl froze.

Lin Duxi stepped forward, tucking the ruined notebook behind her back. Unbeknownst to her, her gaze was filled with a tenderness she had never noticed before, melting seamlessly into the cicada-filled September air.

“Hey, are you practicing wall-climbing?”