After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 18

The sound of running water came from the bedroom bathroom as An Yu sat on the soft sofa and opened her phone.

She tapped into Weibo and saw that her notifications were flooded with 99+ messages. Puzzled, she clicked in and realized it was the comment section under the fanart she had posted yesterday in the CP supertopic.

[Wuwu, the food (content) from this artist is so delicious!]

[At a time like this, such an amazing artist appears-I feel motivated again!]

[High-quality content is perfect for someone like me who’s on a low-fat diet (starving for content).]

An Yu carefully read through the comments and gradually understood.

Yesterday, the supertopic had been overrun by fans of Pei and Lu’s CP, leaving their own fandom in disarray. But the fanart she posted at that time was like a shot of adrenaline for the fans, rallying their spirits.

And after today’s livestream, the number of followers in her and Lin Duxi’s CP supertopic had surged again. Wave after wave of comments later, her fanart had become the hottest post in the forum.

Watching the number of followers on her homepage continue to rise, An Yu nervously swallowed. She hurriedly checked her profile to confirm that this was a newly created account with no evidence linking it to her real identity. Only then did she relax.

So she patiently scrolled through the comments, reading the overwhelmingly sweet praises, and couldn’t help but smile.

Then, she noticed a fan whose profile picture was a photo of the two of them. Raising an eyebrow, she tapped to enlarge it. The picture was a screenshot from their time at the fan shop-An Yu sat at a table drawing, while Lin Duxi sat beside her, gazing softly at her. The scene was harmonious, though the livestream’s low resolution made it hard to discern the exact emotion in Lin Duxi’s eyes. Still, it was undoubtedly tender.

An Yu’s heartstrings were lightly plucked.

She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice when the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

“A-Yu.” A tentative, pleading voice called out.

An Yu looked up toward the bathroom and stood.

“What’s wrong?” She walked to the shower stall and asked.

“A-Yu.” Lin Duxi’s voice, damp with moisture, drifted out faintly through the frosted glass door, sounding somewhat unreal to An Yu’s ears.

“I left my clothes outside. Can you hand them to me?”

An Yu paused, took two steps back, and scanned the room.

“Where?” she asked.

“On my suitcase. I forgot to bring them in earlier,” Lin Duxi replied.

Following her words, An Yu spotted the neatly folded intimate apparel on the suitcase. The sight of the skimpy fabric made her ears burn. She hesitated for a moment but then felt she was overreacting, so she picked up the clothes and walked back to the shower door.

“Open up.”

A silhouette appeared on the glass door. Lin Duxi’s heart skipped a beat as she reached out and pulled the door open slightly.

The steam from the hot water hadn’t yet dissipated, filling every corner of the bathroom. Warm, humid air seeped through the crack, and a pale, slender hand slowly reached out. Droplets trembled on her arm, glistening under the light, the moisture clinging to An Yu as if blurring her vision.

An Yu’s gaze instinctively dropped to the floor. She handed the clothes over, her fingers accidentally brushing against Lin Duxi’s cool fingertips. The contact burned, and she quickly withdrew her hand, staring at her own fingers in a daze.

“Thank you, A-Yu.” Lin Duxi’s voice was soft.

Through the blurred glass, Lin Duxi saw her dazed expression and couldn’t help but smile. Then she slowly closed the door, shutting out An Yu’s heated thoughts along with it.

An Yu turned away and exhaled, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead. Just as she was about to leave, she heard something fall in the bathroom, followed by a soft whimper of pain.

“Sss-”

An Yu’s sharp instincts immediately latched onto the sound. She rushed back to the bathroom door and knocked.

“Lin Duxi, what happened?”

“A-Yu, I’m fine. The floor was just a little slippery, and I lost my balance,” Lin Duxi’s muffled voice came from inside.

Her tone was light, but the pained gasp had been real.

She made it sound like a minor scare, and An Yu’s racing heart settled slightly-until she heard Lin Duxi’s barely audible, shaky exhale.

Her pulse spiked again.

“Lin Duxi, are you hurt?”

“A-Yu… I think I twisted my ankle.” Lin Duxi winced. She tried to stand, but the moment she moved her foot, a sharp, hot pain shot through her ankle, forcing her to grimace.

An Yu frowned. “Put your clothes on first. I’ll get the medicine.”

Hearing the hurried footsteps outside, Lin Duxi felt a mix of pain and satisfaction. She acknowledged weakly and hastily dressed.

An Yu rushed to her suitcase. Fortunately, she hadn’t forgotten the first-aid supplies she had brought earlier. She dug out the ointment for sprains.

The shower door creaked open, steam billowing out. An Yu’s eyes immediately dropped to Lin Duxi’s reddened ankle, her frown deepening.

She looked up at Lin Duxi, who was leaning against the doorframe, watching her. Her damp hair clung to her skin, water droplets trailing down her cheeks to her collarbone, soaking into the loose sleepwear. Yet she seemed oblivious, her clear eyes fixed intently on An Yu.

An Yu’s gaze flickered back to her ankle before she crouched down to examine the injury.

The woman’s natural scent, amplified by the steam, wrapped around An Yu’s senses. The image of Lin Duxi’s misty, helpless eyes flashed in her mind-so vulnerable, so dependent, as if silently saying, “You’re all I have.”

I want to bully her… make her cry pitifully in front of me.

An Yu shook her head and focused on the ankle. “I’ll apply the medicine first. Go sit on the bed.”

Lin Duxi gave a small nod and tried to stand, but the moment she put weight on her foot, the world tilted. With a gasp, she flung her arms around An Yu’s neck, realizing she had been swept up in a princess carry.

An Yu’s expression didn’t change. “Your foot is injured. Don’t walk on it.”

“Okay.” Lin Duxi agreed softly, then lowered her head to hide the smile she couldn’t suppress. She rested her cheek lightly against An Yu’s shoulder, stealing a moment of closeness-only to be set down a second later.

The comforting warmth vanished too quickly. Before she could even savor it, it was gone. Her eyes dimmed slightly in disappointment.

Ignoring her reaction, An Yu opened the ointment, gently lifted Lin Duxi’s foot, and carefully applied a cold compress to reduce swelling. Once the time was up, she dabbed on the medicine and massaged it in with slow, precise movements, her expression serious, as if handling a matter of great importance.

Her focus was so intense that she didn’t notice the change in Lin Duxi.

Where An Yu touched, warmth spread, creeping up from her ankle. Lin Duxi’s heart fluttered, her eyes shimmering with unrestrained joy. Something wild and uncontrollable surged within her. She gazed down at An Yu, her expression unbearably tender.

If just a light touch to her ankle could make her feel like this, she didn’t dare imagine what actual intimacy would do to her. The thought alone sent an unnatural flush across her cheeks.

An Yu finished applying the ointment. “Wait a bit before moving it. See if it still hurts.” As she stood, her eyes inadvertently met Lin Duxi’s-overflowing with affection.

The depth of emotion in those eyes sent a tremor through An Yu’s heart. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat.  “I’m going to shower now.”

Watching the bathroom door close, Lin Duxi glanced down at her carefully treated ankle. She flexed it slightly-the pain was already fading. Yet she frowned.

Why didn’t I fall harder? Then A-Yu would’ve taken care of me longer.

This version of An Yu was so gentle with her. She wanted to cling to this pain, if only to keep An Yu’s attention.

It almost felt like they were back together. Just the thought of being with An Yu again made her tremble with excitement.

Holding one position for too long grew uncomfortable, so Lin Duxi shifted slightly-only to freeze as a warm, sticky wetness made itself known.

She slowly looked down at her freshly changed clothes, then at the running shower.

She remembered there was another bathroom down the hall. If she hurried, she could clean up and return before An Yu finished.

She wouldn’t notice… right?