After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 13
The program team prepared a total of 100 fans for the two of them to sell before noon. An Yu asked the shop owner about the store’s daily revenue and found that this number wasn’t far off.
However, selling so many fans before noon seemed like an impossible mission. An Yu grew anxious-there were only two hours left until midday.
She stood up, moved a small table from the shop outside, and when she turned back to fetch a stool, she met Lin Duxi’s puzzled gaze as the latter watched her busy movements. She explained, “I’ll paint outside first and see if it can attract some customers.”
Lin Duxi nodded and then helped An Yu carry the necessary items outside.
Under the scorching sun, a beautiful, elegant woman sat on a small stool beneath a tree in front of the shop, holding a brush as she lightly sketched something onto a fan. Beside her, another stunning woman sat gracefully on a chair, her every movement exuding charm. She tilted her head slightly, watching An Yu with tender affection in her eyes.
The entire scene was so picturesque that even the filming crew seemed captivated, lingering on the shot without shifting the camera away.
[They look so perfect together!]
[Even though they’re wearing modern clothes, I feel like I’m looking at a scene from Jiangnan.]
Before long, shadows suddenly fell across An Yu’s table, disrupting her concentration. She looked up and saw several women gazing at her with curiosity and admiration. Pausing her brush, she smiled softly.
“Is there anything you’re interested in?”
One of them, a stylishly dressed woman, glanced at the fans on the table before raising her eyes to An Yu. Then, slowly, she pointed at Anyu herself.
“You. I’m interested in you.”
Her companions froze, staring at her in shock, but the woman remained composed, her gaze clear and bold.
[Wow, this girl has guts!]
[I suspect this is the program team testing YuXi’s relationship.]
An Yu nearly failed to maintain her polite expression. Forcing a smile, she pretended not to understand. “Would you like me to show you around inside?”
The woman thought for a moment, then nodded. She extended her hand, gesturing for An Yu to take it.
“Alright, I’ll take you into the shop.” Anyu stood up, avoiding her hand and instead grasping the woman’s sleeve to guide the group inside. The woman frowned slightly but obediently followed.
As they passed Lin Duxi, who was sitting nearby, An Yu instinctively glanced at her from the corner of her eye. Lin Duxi’s smile remained faint, as if nothing could disturb her calm demeanor. She watched them with polite detachment. An Yu dismissed her wandering thoughts and led the group into the shop.
However, in places she couldn’t see-behind her back, where the camera wasn’t focused-Lin Duxi’s fingers gripped the stool so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her eyes, fixed on Anyu’s hand holding the woman’s sleeve, burned with suppressed resentment and jealousy. There was no trace left of her usual gentle restraint.
“How about these? Is there anything you like?” An Yu showed the group around the shop. The others quickly picked out items they wanted, but the stylish woman still hadn’t found anything she fancied.
After another glance around, the woman frowned and shook her head. Then she turned to An Yu. “Do you have anything you painted here?”
An Yu was taken aback. “No, these aren’t mine. But they’re much better than what I can do.”
The woman insisted, “I want to buy something you painted.”
An Yu hesitated, about to refuse, but then remembered the program team’s task. She looked at the half-finished fan outside and said, “My skills aren’t good enough to sell. How about I paint one for you as a free gift?”
The woman agreed readily and even bought over a dozen fans in one go, saying she’d give them to friends and family.
An Yu returned to her stool, determined to paint something carefully as thanks for the generous purchase. As she worked, her gaze flickered to where Lin Duxi had been sitting earlier-only to find an empty chair.
When An Yu painted, she became completely absorbed, her senses dulled. By the time she finished the requested artwork and relaxed her stiff limbs, the group of women had already disappeared.
“Are you looking for those ladies from earlier?” A familiar, pleasant voice suddenly sounded beside her. An Yu turned her head and met the gaze of Lin Duxi, who was standing close by. They were so near to each other that An Yu could even feel the faint warmth of Lin Duxi’s breath against her cheek.
This time, however, before An Yu could react, Lin Duxi was the first to straighten up and create a safe distance between them. She glanced into the distance and said,
“That lady was just called away by the production team.”
“The production team?” An Yu was puzzled.
Lin Duxi nodded. “I ran into them on my way back. Maybe she bought so much that they thought she was a plant.”
An Yu was surprised but then closed the freshly painted fan in her hands, placing it into a box to give to the woman later when she returned. Lin Duxi glanced at the painting and said, “Give it to Xiao Hu instead. It’s break time now-we’re heading back.”
“Back?”
“Yeah, the fans are all sold out.” Lin Duxi said calmly.
“So soon? I thought we only sold about twenty?” An Yu was shocked.
Lin Duxi slowly leaned closer. The weather was so hot that she had taken off her outer layer, revealing slender, fair arms. She reached out and, catching An Yu off guard, gently stroked her hair, her eyes filled with affection.
“Because… I don’t know how to do anything else,” she murmured softly, carefully smoothing An Yu’s tousled strands. “So I went with the staff to promote them on the street. It worked pretty well-they sold out quickly. But you were so focused on painting, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
An Yu grabbed Lin Duxi’s wrist and pushed her hand away. “Then I really have to thank you, Teacher Lin. Seems like I’m the one dragging the team down.”
Lin Duxi didn’t resist, letting her hold her wrist, even secretly wishing An Yu would grip harder-leaving a mark as proof. That way, she could reassure herself that An Yu cared, that An Yu was willing to give her something special, something just for her.
As long as she could prove that An Yu cared, that An Yu saw her as someone unique, anything would do.
But things didn’t go as she hoped. An Yu simply lowered her hand and let go. Then, looking down at her own hands, she noticed they were both stained with paint. Frowning slightly, she said, “I’m going to the restroom.”
She handed the fan to a nearby staff member and instructed, “Please give this to Xiao Hu and ask her to pass it along to that lady from earlier. Tell her I said thank you.”
After An Yu left, the staff member stared at the beautifully packaged fan in confusion. “Xiao Hu? Which Xiao Hu? The one from props or the one from filming?”
Lin Duxi walked over and said, “I’ll take it. I just saw that lady heading toward the supermarket.”
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?” the staff asked.
Lin Duxi smiled. “Not at all. I need to buy something there anyway. I’ll pass it to her.”
“Thank you so much! I wasn’t sure which Xiao Hu to look for,” the staff said gratefully, handing the fan over.
Lin Duxi strolled away, cradling the fan’s box like a treasure, her fingers lightly tracing its edges. Under the sunlight, the faint obsession in her eyes became even more apparent.
“Xiao Hu? Why can’t it be Xiao Lin?”
In the restroom, An Yu scrubbed her paint-stained hands over and over. The paint used in the shop was water-resistant, and no matter how much she washed, it wouldn’t come off.
She turned off the faucet and sighed heavily, staring at her colorful hands with a helpless smile. Looks like this would have to do for now. She’d have to stop by a store later to buy specialized paint remover.
Just then, the door beside her opened, and light, rhythmic footsteps approached. A moment later, a bottle of paint remover appeared in her line of sight.
An Yu turned her head and saw Lin Duxi smiling softly at her, holding the brand-new bottle.
“I went to the supermarket and got this especially for you,” Lin Duxi said sweetly, her tone practically begging for praise.
An Yu didn’t react much. She took the remover, squeezed out a pump, and said, “Thanks.”
But Lin Duxi’s smile didn’t fade. She also squeezed out a pump and began washing the paint off her own hands at the sink next to An Yu’s. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched An Yu scrubbing diligently, and the curve of her lips deepened.
Ah, An Yu really was… unbearably cute.
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Zei_An
Lmao Lin Duxi’s inner monologues are kinda cute