After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 17
By the time An Yu finished plating the last of the barbecue and returned, the conversation around the bonfire was winding down. She sat in a spot slightly apart from the others, leisurely nibbling on the skewers in her hand.
The chatter had died out, leaving only the crackling of the flames. Everyone basked in the evening breeze, seemingly relaxed, yet each lost in their own thoughts.
Lin Duxi rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head to gaze at An Yu. The wind tousled her hair lightly-lightly, yet stirring something deeper within her.
Slightly tipsy from the alcohol, her eyes were hazy with affection, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. Watching An Yu squirm under her intense stare, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, every smile and glance exuding charm.
An Yu brushed her hair aside, covering half her face to block some of Lin Duxi’s scorching gaze, finally feeling a little more at ease.
The silent exchange between the two did not go unnoticed. The others cast curious glances their way, none more obvious than Xie An’an, who struggled to suppress a grin, and Pei Lu, whose expression was as cold as if he’d been frozen in ice.
Surprisingly, the live stream’s viewer count hadn’t dropped during this lull-instead, discussions about Lin Duxi and An Yu were still trending. Behind the monitors, Qiao Qingzhou grinned from ear to ear.
She had initially thought An Yu was just an insignificant addition, but who knew she’d turn out to be such a perfect match for Lin Duxi? This was a goldmine!
The earlier revelations-whether it was the contestants sharing their ideal types or Lin Duxi’s unusual behavior toward An Yu-had already sent the show’s popularity skyrocketing. Several related hashtags were still trending.
As much as she hated to cut things short, the show’s schedule had to proceed. They needed rest-after all, tomorrow would bring a fresh wave of drama. With that in mind, she smoothed her expression and stepped out from behind the monitors.
“I’m sure everyone’s exhausted after such a busy day, so I’ll announce the hidden reward now so you can all rest up soon.”
Her words immediately snapped everyone out of their thoughts-and reignited the barrage of comments from viewers.
[Hurry, I’ve been waiting all day!]
[I can’t wait to see what mission my favorite CP gets tomorrow!]
[It should be something good, right? But why does the director’s smile look so… scheming?]
[Suddenly, I have a bad feeling about this.]
Qiao Qingzhou flipped through her script, lips curling, before slowly announcing under everyone’s expectant gazes:
“The two who won the hidden reward will prepare dinner for all six tomorrow night-without any outside help.”
An Yu’s hand, holding a skewer, froze mid-air. She looked up and saw the director’s mischievous grin directed at them, finally realizing they’d been tricked.
“Is this even a reward? Hahaha, you guys are so unlucky!” Xie An’an burst out laughing, equal parts shocked and delighted. “What kind of ‘reward’ is this? Well, we’ll be counting on you two tomorrow!”
Qiao Qingzhou knew her so-called reward was a bit of a scam, so she quickly announced the end of filming, shutting down the stream before netizens could erupt in outrage.
An Yu averted her gaze, only to catch Lin Duxi’s faint smile. Her eyes lingered for a few seconds.
Lin Duxi always wore this expression-calm, unreadable. Even after such an absurd task was announced, she simply smiled gently and accepted it without protest.
Perhaps because she stared too long, Lin Duxi turned her head. Their eyes met, and An Yu saw something shift in Lin Duxi’s gaze-like a whirlpool stirring in the depths of the ocean, turbulent and unpredictable.
This look… she had seen it many times before. Whether in the past or now, Lin Duxi never hesitated to show it to her.
“Good luck tomorrow, you two!” The director’s voice snapped An Yu out of her thoughts. She subtly withdrew her gaze and gave a slight nod.
Lin Duxi, however, remained unchanged, her eyes still tender yet weary.
Qiao Qingzhou watched their expressions, regretting ending the stream too soon. If this moment had been broadcasted, it would’ve sparked another wave of trending topics.
“Alright, everyone, time to rest! Today’s live stream is over. Get some sleep-we have another shoot tomorrow.”
An Yu stood and helped clean up before preparing to leave, only for someone to grab her wrist.
She turned and saw Lin Duxi.
“An Yu, let’s go together,” Lin Duxi said with a smile before promptly releasing her hand, maintaining a respectful distance.
An Yu glanced at her but didn’t refuse. The two walked back to the villa under the night sky.
The villa had four bedrooms-two for the men and two for the women. That meant one of the three women would have to sleep alone.
Xie An’an was quick. “I’m not used to sharing a room!” she declared before dragging her suitcase into one room and locking the door, leaving no room for argument.
An Yu: “…”
Lin Duxi opened the other bedroom door with a smile. “Then I suppose An Yu will have to share with me-”
Mid-sentence, she froze. An Yu stepped closer and looked inside.
There was only one bed.
An Yu’s pupils shook. Awkwardly rubbing her nose, she thought, Couldn’t the production team afford more beds? But then she noticed-two separate quilts.
Relieved, she muttered, “So what? It’s not like we haven’t slept together before.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She hurriedly shut up, but the way Lin Duxi stiffened beside her was unmistakable.
An Yu sighed inwardly and dragged her suitcase past Lin Duxi, pretending nothing happened as she rummaged through her things.
Unexpectedly, Lin Duxi spoke.
“You’re right. We have slept together before.” Her tone was neutral, and An Yu couldn’t decipher her meaning.
Before An Yu could think further, Lin Duxi was already behind her. She crouched down, leaning in close, her voice low and sultry-half-teasing, half-seductive.
“But… An Yu, do you want to try again? I promise I’ll satisfy you-”
Before she could finish, An Yu pressed a finger against Lin Duxi’s forehead, pushing her away.
Her gaze swept over Lin Duxi’s face before she spoke coolly:
“Ms. Lin.”
Her voice was detached-no anger at the bold advance, no fluster at the provocation. She sounded like an indifferent bystander, coldly watching Lin Duxi’s desperate performance.
Lin Duxi’s eyes widened, trembling as they met An Yu’s clear, unshaken ones. That look seemed to say: Everything you just did was nothing but a pathetic act in my eyes.
The light in her eyes shattered. Her heart felt like it was being crushed, the pain so intense she could barely maintain her smile. Forcing a laugh, she stood abruptly.
“I’ll go shower first,” she said before fleeing the scene, leaving behind the wreckage of her own making.
An Yu watched her retreating figure, then touched her own ear-hidden under her hair, burning red-and patted her stiff cheeks.
“Happy now?” she murmured.
“Excellent. You’ve done well,” the system praised enthusiastically. “I didn’t expect you to grasp the mission’s demands so quickly. Host, I’m impressed.”
An Yu chuckled, but her eyes remained lifeless, like stagnant water.
“Thanks.”
“Keep it up. Success isn’t far.” The system seemed unusually lively today, chatting more than usual.
“But, Host, reviewing today’s events, I noticed Lin Duxi’s emotions fluctuated significantly after interacting with you tonight. What did you say to her?” It reverted to its usual stern tone.
An Yu thought for a moment before smiling self-deprecatingly.
“Nothing much. Just remembered something and couldn’t help saying it.”
She recalled the moment-the memories flooding back, the past she didn’t dare dwell on. What she had whispered then was:
Lin Duxi, I stopped getting angry at you six years ago.
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SPILL THE TEA DARN IT