After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 12

The two of them got into the car one after another, sitting on either side of the back seat, while the crew diligently filmed them with their equipment.

Since it was a live broadcast, every move they made in the car was being watched by viewers online. The production team certainly wouldn’t allow them to sit in silence without interacting.

“The car will arrive at the mission location in about ten minutes. In the meantime, the two of you can chat and get to know each other better,” a staff member reminded them.

“You could talk about your expectations for the show or interact with the audience to build familiarity.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Duxi smiled lightly and said, “Ayu and I are already very familiar with each other.”

An Yu’s heart skipped a beat. She then turned to face Lin Duxi, meeting her gaze, and added in agreement, “After all, Teacher Lin and I are neighbors. We know each other a little better than most.”

[Wow! As expected of the “neighbor duo”-they’re really making sure we all know they’re neighbors!]

[She calls her by her full name, but she addresses her as “Teacher.” Why the mismatch?]

[Just a little quirk between lovers, that’s all.]

Lin Duxi’s smile deepened.

“Ah, right-just from watching the livestream you two did at the apartment, it was clear you’re friends. And with that kind of friendship, your chemistry is obviously top-notch. So how about this: maybe the two of you could share why you picked this particular photo? It might also help answer a question many viewers have been curious about,” the staff suggested.

“Teacher An, you go first.”

An Yu glanced at the camera, picked up the picture, and began, “This image shows a fan placed on a table alongside some painting tools. I suspect it might be related to drawing, and since I’m quite interested in painting, I chose this one.”

“Who would have thought our Teacher An is so multi-talented? Well, more skills never weigh you down! Now, what about Teacher Lin?”

Lin Duxi reluctantly tore her gaze away from An Yu and turned lightly toward the camera. “This fan reminded me of the first time I acted in a drama. Nostalgia led me to pick it. But, Ah Yu’s paintings are truly remarkable.”

“Are you referring to the historical drama  Unearthly  you starred in? The character Hua Jin you played still leaves a deep impression on me! But Teacher Lin, have you seen Teacher An’s artwork before?” the staff member asked in surprise.

Hearing this, Lin Duxi looked at An Yu, who was leaning against the car window, observing her through the reflection.

“Just by chance,” Lin Duxi replied softly, locking eyes with An Yu’s reflection.

An Yu lowered his eyes at her words, his dark lashes fluttering shut, shielding his gaze from the sunlight. The shadows in his eyes concealed whatever thoughts lay beneath.

The car soon arrived at the traditional fan shop. From a distance, the group could see the shop owner and staff waiting for them.

“Welcome, both teachers! Please come in,” the shop owner greeted them warmly.

“In the Jiangnan-style towns of our southern city, shops like this selling decorative fans are everywhere. Look,” he said, pointing to the fans hanging on the wall. “These were all painted by tourists who visited here.”

Although the shop was being filmed, normal business operations were still ongoing. Not far from the group, a mother was with her adorable daughter, painting on a fan.

The girl, about 5 or 6 years old, was quite lively and had managed to paint her own face into a little “flower cat.” Her mother noticed and, utterly speechless, pretended to scold her in mock anger.

A nearby shop assistant quickly stepped in, taking the little girl to the restroom.

“Be a good girl and come with me to wash your face, okay?”

An Yu turned back and asked, “So, are we supposed to paint on these too?”

“Yes, both of you,” the staff member replied, adding, “But that’s not all. There are some fans on the table-you’ll need to finish painting your own by noon and then sell them to passing tourists. If your team completes the task in the shortest time among the three groups, you’ll unlock a special reward.”

“The clock’s already ticking, so please begin.”

[Special reward! My house is right nearby-I’m heading over now!]

[Could it be a luxury suite with a king-sized bed?!]

Hearing this, An Yu immediately sat down on the long bench. On the table in front of her were two fans, two brushes, and some paint. She decided to paint a landscape with flowers and birds.

Lin Duxi sat at the other end of the bench, watching as An Yu dipped the brush in water, her expression focused and meticulous. Unable to resist, Lin Duxi began to follow her movements, though she gradually inched closer until she was almost leaning against An Yu.

An Yu was the type to immerse herself completely in things that interested her. She quickly outlined and colored her fan painting. When she finally stretched her stiff limbs and came back to her senses, she realized Lin Duxi had somehow gotten so close that she was even lightly clutching her sleeve.

Turning her head, she saw Lin Duxi also diligently sketching on her fan. Curious, An Yu leaned slightly to the side and saw a cute, smiling cartoon cat-identical to the one in Lin Duxi’s profile picture.

An Yu froze. Memories she had long buried in the passage of time suddenly resurfaced, like fragments of golden sunset light spilling into her heart.

When An Yu first became desk mates with Lin Duxi, she hadn’t interacted much with her.

Even before they exchanged a single word, their homeroom teacher had pulled An Yu aside and sternly warned her not to disturb the “academic genius.”

An Yu found the warning baffling. If the teacher didn’t want her bothering Lin Duxi, why pair them together in the first place?

Still, she quietly took the advice to heart, assuming she and Lin Duxi would have little to say to each other and that their time as desk mates would be brief.

Maintaining distance didn’t seem difficult-An Yu figured if she paid Lin Duxi no mind, her desk mate would treat her the same way.

But not paying attention was, in itself, a form of attention.

Lin Duxi’s academic excellence was well-known, yet perhaps due to the intimidating aura surrounding top students, no one had ever dared to ask her for help or strike up a conversation.

Every time An Yu returned to her seat, she saw Lin Duxi quietly working on problems alone.  She seems to have no friends  , An Yu thought.

The difficulty of sophomore-year math had skyrocketed compared to freshman year. An Yu’s foundation had never been solid to begin with, and the sudden leap left her struggling even more.

As the clock neared the end of class, An Yu stared at her nearly blank math homework, only a few “solutions” scribbled on the page. The summer heat made her back sticky with sweat, amplifying her frustration.

After scribbling uselessly on her scratch paper, she gave up and decided to move on to another assignment. Just as she was about to put the math homework away, she heard a soft voice beside her.

“Simplify first, then take the derivative.”

An Yu paused, glancing at Lin Duxi, who was still absorbed in her own work. She wondered if she’d imagined it.

But the next moment, Lin Duxi reached over and took An Yu’s homework, placing it between them.

Leaning slightly toward An Yu, Lin Duxi repeated the advice, her loose school uniform sleeve brushing against An Yu’s fingers, sending a faint tickle through her skin.

As Lin Duxi tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, revealing a small, delicate earlobe tinged pink, An Yu’s gaze lingered for a second before she quickly looked away.

A subtle, refreshing fragrance-unlike the stifling air of the classroom-drifted into An Yu’s senses, momentarily dispelling her irritation.

“Simplify here, take the derivative, then take it once more,” Lin Duxi said, raising her eyes to meet An Yu’s dazed stare. With a gentle smile, she added,

“An Yu?”

Snapping out of it, An Yu turned away, feigning nonchalance. “Thanks. But…”

“There are only five minutes left. Finish the problem first, then we can talk, okay?” Lin Duxi’s eyes sparkled, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible pleading that inexplicably soothed An Yu’s nerves.

Outside, cicadas buzzed faintly through the closed windows. In any other circumstance, the noise would have been annoying, but An Yu had a strange premonition-that no summer in the future would ever compare to this sweltering one.

After they grew closer, An Yu once asked Lin Duxi why she had initiated conversation that day.

Lin Duxi hooked an arm around hers, leaning against her like a languid cat, before whispering near her ear:

“Because I was waiting for you to talk to me first.”

“But I couldn’t wait any longer.”

That tender, lingering tone echoed in An Yu’s heart, becoming the brightest, most resonant whisper of her youth.

And now, that same voice sounded in her ears again.

“An Yu?” Lin Duxi called softly, watching as An Yu stared blankly at the fan. There was a hopeful lilt in her voice, her heart burning fiercely-as if An Yu’s every word and expression held power over her.

“What are you thinking about?”

An Yu snapped back to reality, meeting Lin Duxi’s gaze. The distance between them was barely the width of a hand-close enough for An Yu to count Lin Duxi’s long, delicate eyelashes.

Startled, she jerked back, putting space between them.

“Nothing. Just tired from staying up late last night. Sitting down made me a bit drowsy.”

Lin Duxi’s brows furrowed slightly, her fingers tightening imperceptibly around An Yu’s sleeve, as if venting her frustration.

Unnoticed, An Yu glanced at Lin Duxi’s painting and asked, “Are you done? Time’s almost up.”

Lin Duxi set the fan aside to dry. “It’s finished. I called you earlier, but you didn’t hear me, so I added a few more touches.” Standing, she said to the shopkeeper, “Could you please wrap this one up?”

The shopkeeper nodded and took the fan to the counter.

Turning back to An Yu, Lin Duxi smiled. “I asked earlier-the shopkeeper said we can keep the ones we paint. So this one’s mine.” She was referring to the fan with the cartoon cat.

[That cat is so cute!]

[I’ll trade ten An Yus for that painting!]

[Does that cat mean something special to Lin Duxi? She looked so happy while painting it.]

Lin Duxi’s tone was light, her dark, bright eyes free of any probing, as if she were merely stating a simple fact.

Suppressing the turmoil in her chest, An Yu apologized, “Sorry, I was too focused and didn’t hear you.”

With that, she picked up her own fan and walked past Lin Duxi, lowering her gaze to hide the storm of emotions in her eyes.

Watching her go, Lin Duxi tapped her fingers lightly against the table, her smile fading into her usual cool composure. Yet her gaze remained fixed on An Yu-intense, possessive-as she slowly curved her lips.