After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 11

The staff handed out the drawing props to everyone. An Yu casually picked one, only to see the bamboo slip marked with a bold ”  1  .” It was hard not to suspect the system had rigged it.

“Now, let’s have each member select their images in order. First up-An Yu, please make your choice.”

An Yu stood up as called. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lin Duxi’s soft, warm gaze fixed on her, and for a moment, she froze. The memory of last night’s drawing flashed through her mind. Shaking off the daze, she stepped forward as if nothing was wrong-though Lin Duxi’s puzzled stare lingered like a shadow at her back.

When she reached the program team’s setup, the staff motioned for her to begin her selection. There were six photos: two featuring fans, two of a drum tower, and two of boats. Before she could decide, the system’s voice rang in her mind.

“Host, do not pick either of the boat photos.”

An Yu already knew why, but she deliberately asked,  “Why?”

“No reason. Just do your job.”

An Yu:  “Oh.”

With that, she slowly raised her hand, reaching toward one of the pictures depicting a boat on water-only to abruptly switch direction at the last second and snatch up a fan illustration instead.

At that exact moment, a sharp, string-snapping pain exploded in the depths of her mind. Though it lasted only an instant, the agony sent a violent tremor through her, leaving her limbs icy and weak. Instinctively, she braced herself against the table, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

“An Yu, are you okay?” The staff member in front of her noticed something was off and asked quietly.

An Yu shook her head. “It’s nothing. I didn’t sleep well last night-just a bit lightheaded.” With that, she picked up the photo and turned away.

[Why only show her back? Keeping us in suspense?]

[This is actually engaging. The guests don’t know their pairs, and neither do we. Fun!]

[Hope the drawing isn’t rigged…]

An Yu returned to her seat, inadvertently meeting Lin Duxi’s eyes again. Those beautiful pupils were now filled with unmistakable worry.

“Host, remember your role. Do not defy the rules,”  the system intoned coldly, devoid of any emotion.

An Yu averted her gaze, ignoring Lin Duxi’s concern. She lowered her eyes, tapping the photo in her hand, lost in thought.

Lin Duxi received no response, and her anxiety only deepened. Watching An Yu’s earlier stumble had twisted her heart-for the first time, she resented how many people were around during filming. Gritting her teeth, she pressed a light kiss to her own fingertips, the ones that had brushed against An Yu earlier, forcing herself to calm down.

Only when Lin Duxi stood up to select her own image did An Yu finally speak to the system again, watching her retreating figure.

“System, are you sure Lin Duxi will pick the boat photo?”

“Of course.”  An Yu could practically hear the disdain in the system’s mechanical voice.

“How can you be so certain? Is there some method to predict this? Or can you actually foresee things?”  An Yu pressed, curious.

“She’s the female lead! Of course I know everything about her! Didn’t I predict her choice of slippers earlier too? Host, just focus on your own tasks. These trivial matters aren’t your concern.”

An Yu fell silent, obediently watching as the remaining members finished selecting their photos.

[The choices are in! Now show us which two are soulmates!]

[Hurry up hurry up hurry up! I’m the King of Impatience! Speed is my command!]

Qiao Qingzhou, reading the rapid-fire comments, couldn’t help but smile. Then she announced:

“All members have made their selections. Now, let’s see which two will become partners! First, those who chose the drum tower-please raise your photos.”

Xie An’an and Yu Fei lifted their hands, both visibly surprised to see each other. Still, they exchanged polite, playful banter.

“It turns out to be our little Xie and little Yu. Congratulations to both of you for forming a team to begin today’s Drum Tower tour. Next, the two members who chose fans, please raise the pictures in your hands.”

“Host, just watch me!” An Yu heard the system say.

Hearing the director’s words, An Yu was the first to raise her picture. Then she glanced around and instinctively turned her gaze to Lin Duxi, who happened to be looking at her at that moment. Unexpectedly, she didn’t see any sadness in Lin Duxi’s eyes-only a smile.

Lin Duxi’s eyes curved gently, her expression softer than before, gazing at An Yu with a seemingly amused tenderness. Then she slowly raised her hand holding the picture, on which a closed fan was particularly striking.

“Teacher An, what a coincidence-we’re partners.”

Her cool voice drifted softly into An Yu’s ears. Looking at the picture in Lin Duxi’s hand, An Yu froze for two seconds. After the surprise, a sense of schadenfreude rose in her, making her lips curl up. To Lin Duxi, however, this smile seemed like delight at being paired with her.

She couldn’t help but smile too.

[They’re looking at each other and smiling! So sweet!]

[Two beauties locking eyes? Kinda shipping it.]

“System, what do we do now?” An Yu feigned panic. “The female lead is in my group. What should I do, System? Didn’t you say she’d definitely choose the boat? How do I handle this situation? Ahhh, I’m so anxious, wuwuwu.”

“Maybe you can use time reversal to send us back five minutes to choose again. You’re so powerful-such a simple reversal should be easy for you.”

An Yu chattered on, her tone full of urgency. The system was already shocked by Lin Duxi’s choice, and An Yu’s incessant noise only made it angrier.

“Shut up!”

An Yu obediently closed her mouth, though the corners of her lips still curled up slightly.

“Given the current situation, we’ll just have to proceed like this. During any part of the mission, if there’s a chance for the male and female leads to interact, you must spare no effort to complete the task! Understood?”

An Yu suppressed a laugh. “Okay, got it.”

The next second, An Yu felt a sudden lightness-the system had probably left her mind, perhaps to fix a bug.

“Well, well, looks like An Yu and Lin Duxi are quite fated. Congratulations to both of you for forming a team,” Qiao Qingzhou said excitedly.

[Roommate pair/neighbor pair.]

[Can they really pair up with the same gender? This show is kinda interesting.]

[Scripted, huh? I thought this was another high-freedom variety show. Didn’t expect it to be scripted again. Bye.]

“That leaves Pei Lu and Feng Zhinian. Let’s congratulate these two members.”

“Wait.” Pei Lu suddenly spoke up, his gaze sharp as he looked at everyone.

“What’s wrong?” Qiao Qingzhou asked, puzzled.

“I think we need to redraw.”

“Why?” the group asked in unison.

Pei Lu coldly scanned everyone before settling on Lin Duxi.

“This show is a dating-themed variety. Members shouldn’t be paired with the same gender, so I request a redraw.”

His words immediately drew everyone’s attention. An Yu watched his unyielding expression and frowned slightly.

“However, our show never specified that partners must be of the opposite sex. The selection was completely fair,” the director explained, his smile fading.

Pei Lu stiffened. “I don’t want to be paired with someone of the same gender. I’m sure others feel the same way.” As he spoke, he looked at Lin Duxi, hoping to see agreement in her eyes. But Lin Duxi was gazing tenderly at An Yu, completely indifferent to his words.

“The script never stated partners had to be opposite genders. Teaming up doesn’t only create romance-it can also build friendships,” An Yu retorted, unable to stand his arrogance.

After speaking, she waited a few seconds. When no physical pain came, she relaxed, confirming her guess: as long as the system was gone, she could do anything.

Pei Lu was left speechless. No one else supported him, and Lin Duxi’s eyes remained fixed on An Yu, her affectionate gaze brimming with love.

“Ah Yu is absolutely right. Partners can also be friends,” Lin Duxi said softly, her eyes warm as she looked at An Yu. Privately, though, she had no desire to be just friends with An Yu-she didn’t even want the word associated with them.

An Yu glanced at her, meeting her eyes briefly before looking away.

“I agree. Besides, the teams are already decided, and we’ve spent so much time. Redrawing isn’t practical,” Xie Anan chimed in.

Pei Lu had nothing left to say. He glared at An Yu, clenched his teeth, and turned away.

[Wow, Pei Lu is so cool!]

[Commenter above, please raise your standards. Is this guy so used to playing domineering CEOs that he’s bringing that energy here?]

[What are you even saying? What’s wrong with questioning the selection? Are you a fan of that two-syllable sister? How does such a niche celeb even have fans?]

[Not a fan of anyone, but the way this guy looked at Lin Duxi felt like emotional blackmail. Seems sketchy…]

Seeing the barrage of heated comments, Qiao Qingzhou quickly moved things along.

“Alright, since all members have been paired up, please board the vehicles and head to the location.”

An Yu stood up, about to walk toward the car, when a warm hand grasped her arm. Startled, she turned to see Lin Duxi.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, subtly pulling her arm free.

The fleeting warmth vanished too quickly, leaving Lin Duxi momentarily dazed and hurt. But she soon smiled.

“Of course, I’m riding with my partner. And…” She glanced around, then leaned close to An Yu’s ear while the crew was busy moving equipment and not filming.

“Thank you for standing up for me earlier. I don’t know how to repay you,” she murmured, her voice soft and laced with intimacy, her warm breath brushing An Yu’s earlobe. Then she quickly pulled back, admiring the havoc she’d wrought on An Yu’s now-red ears.

An Yu remained composed. “I just thought he was being pushy. You’re overthinking it.” She gave Lin Duxi a cool glance and walked ahead.

Hearing her sarcastic tone, Lin Duxi didn’t feel the usual sting. Ah Yu’s weakness hadn’t changed all these years-her words might sound righteous, but her ears still flushed red and warm.

Lin Duxi smiled faintly and followed, her steps light.

This was a secret only she knew. On every dark, suffocating night, the thought of that sunny girl and her blushing ears was enough to pull her from the abyss and offer a sliver of solace.