After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 33
An hour passed quickly, and all the teams returned to the foot of the mountain as scheduled by the production crew.
An Yu and Xie An’an used their remaining money to buy two thermoses and asked the staff to fill them with hot water. By the time the two arrived at the designated meeting point, the crew had already packed up their things.
Qiao Qingzhou held a megaphone, glanced at the blazing midday sun, and announced to the six gathered members: “It seems everyone bought a lot of things in that hour. Now, please take a break, organize your belongings, and travel light. We’ll start climbing in ten minutes.”
Hearing this, An Yu sat on a nearby stone bench and began rearranging the contents of her backpack.
Xie An’an sat beside her, tearing open the packaging of the items they had just bought. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked up at the sky. “It’s so hot down here. Will it really be cold enough to wear a coat up there? Maybe I should just leave the thick clothes behind-they’re heavy and take up too much space,” she muttered.
An Yu paused her packing and glanced at Lin Duxi, who was sitting on a stone bench in the distance, gazing ahead. Lin Duxi’s backpack looked empty, as if she hadn’t brought anything. An Yu withdrew her gaze, rummaged through her own backpack, and pulled out a lightweight thick coat. She stood up, clutching the garment, and walked over.
Lin Duxi sat on the bench, staring blankly into the distance when a pale, slender hand suddenly entered her field of vision. Something soft was placed in her hands. She looked up and met An Yu’s clear, spring-like eyes.
“Ah Yu,” she murmured, looking at the extra piece of clothing in confusion.
An Yu said, “It might be cold at the summit. Take this thick coat just in case.”
Lin Duxi’s lips curved into a smile. Her gentle eyes shimmered with deep, misty affection as her delicate fingers clutched the fabric, sinking into its softness. “How did you know I didn’t bring a thick coat?”
An Yu thought for a moment and joked, “Maybe I have magic.”
Lin Duxi’s smile deepened, her gaze fixed on An Yu as her entire demeanor softened. “Ah, so Ah Yu has magic, huh?”
[I have magic-my magic is making you fall in love with me! I’m trash for this, and I love it!]
[Absence makes the heart grow fonder-the moment they meet, their eyes are already tangled!]
[My shipper eyes are activated! Just them standing together fills the screen with pink bubbles!]
[One person’s humble request: Can these two star in a drama together? I’d watch the hell out of that, thank you.]
Xie An’an watched as the two started getting all lovey-dovey again without her noticing. She clutched her hair protectively-she couldn’t afford to lose any more and become a full-fledged third wheel.
Ten minutes later, all six members had adjusted their backpacks and stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing up at the towering peak with a mix of awe and dread.
[This mountain is so high… Climbing to the top is going to be exhausting.]
[Nope, my legs are already weak. I’m leaving the stream for five seconds.]
[A mountain this tall would take at least half my life force to climb.]
Qiao Qingzhou raised the megaphone and announced the start: “Alright, everyone! Pair up into teams of two, and let’s begin the climb. At the summit, there’s a flag marking our meeting point. Just like last time, the first team to reach the top will win a grand prize.”
At the mention of a reward, everyone’s expressions shifted. The last time An Yu and Lin Duxi won first place, their “prize” was being exempt from cooking dinner. Given the production team’s sadistic tendencies, this time’s reward was… questionable at best.
Sensing their skepticism, Qiao Qingzhou hurriedly added, “This time’s reward is definitely beneficial-you won’t regret winning it. Now, let’s get started!”
Afraid of further doubts, he quickly declared the climb underway.
An Yu adjusted the zipper on her backpack, straightened her clothes, and prepared to start. She called Xie An’an over, and the two got ready.
Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian walked over as well. An Yu wasn’t very familiar with them, but Xie An’an had teamed up with Yu Fei last time, so they were somewhat acquainted.
Seeing the two girls looking eager and determined, Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian couldn’t help but tease, “You two girls are so fired up. How about we give you a half-hour head start?”
An Yu’s hands paused on her trekking pole. She lifted her head, her expression cool. Xie An’an, however, flared up instantly. “Who are you looking down on? Who says you’ll definitely win?”
An Yu reached out to stop her from charging forward. Her eyes swept over Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian with a look that seemed torn between disdain and politeness-ridiculous yet cuttingly sarcastic.
“How about we give you a half-hour head start instead?”
Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian’s faces instantly turned a kaleidoscope of colors, looking like they’d just kicked an iron plate. They awkwardly shuffled away.
“Pfft-An Yu, you’re amazing! Let’s hurry up. I was planning to slack off, but after that, we’re taking first place for sure!” Xie An’an stretched her limbs, ready to give it her all.
An Yu nodded and glanced back at where Lin Duxi had been standing earlier-but she was already gone. Suppressing the chaotic emotions swirling inside her, she focused and began the climb.
The lower slopes of Bai Mi Mountain were relatively gentle, but the higher they went, the steeper the path became. An Yu kept her head down, pushing forward. When she checked her watch, nearly an hour had already passed.
The two maintained a steady pace. The crowd that had been dense at the base had now thinned out, leaving the surroundings eerily quiet.
An Yu gripped the railing and looked down. The people below had shrunk to tiny black dots. She then raised her head toward the summit hidden in the clouds and estimated they’d covered about a third of the distance.
They hadn’t taken many breaks along the way. Seeing Xie An’an panting beside her, An Yu wiped the sweat from her brow and said, “Let’s rest for a bit when we reach the restroom up ahead.”
The director and the pharmacy owner hadn’t lied-the temperature at the base was no indicator of the mountain’s climate. Even though they hadn’t even reached the halfway point, the air had already grown noticeably cooler. The wind against their sweat-dampened skin made them shiver slightly.
Xie An’an plopped onto a bench near the restroom, gulping down water from her bottle.
An Yu glanced around, then set her backpack down beside Xie An’an. “I’m going to the restroom first.”
Xie An’an, too busy drinking, waved her off.
An Yu entered the restroom. It was silent inside, as if she were the only one there. She turned on the faucet, washing the sticky sweat from her hands and face. The mountain water was icy, splashing against her skin and clearing the tangled mess in her heart.
She looked up at her reflection in the mirror-her hair clung to her cheeks, wet from the water, droplets rolling down her face and falling to the floor with soft plips . The only sound in the empty room.
Looking at her own disheveled appearance, An Yu laughed self-deprecatingly. Why was she so worked up over Lin Duxi? The system had already said the male lead was involved-she was just making a fuss over nothing.
“An Yu, you’re really sick in the head,” she muttered.
As she turned the faucet back on, the rushing water drowned out a faint noise from one of the stalls.
An Yu washed her face again, waiting until her mind felt clearer before preparing to leave.
Just then, a loud BANG came from one of the stalls-like something had slammed against the door. Startled, An Yu turned toward the sound and walked over.
“Hello? Is everything okay?”
No response.
An Yu frowned. The noise had been loud-something must have happened. They were in the middle of nowhere; if it was serious, delaying could be dangerous.
She stepped further inside and called out again, more urgently, “Hello? Do you need help?” She held her breath, listening carefully. A faint whimper came from the farthest stall. An Yu hurried over.
“Are you okay? Do you need help?” She knocked on the stall door and repeated.
This time, the person inside seemed to hear her. An Yu heard shuffling, as if they were trying to push the door open. She stepped back to give them space.
Click. The stall door opened, revealing a figure who immediately collapsed forward. An Yu instinctively reached out and caught them. A faint, familiar fragrance filled her nose.
Shocked, An Yu looked down at the person in her arms. “Lin Duxi?! What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”
Lin Duxi clung tightly to An Yu’s waist, her entire body weak and trembling. Her forehead was slick with cold sweat, her brows furrowed in pain. Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Ah Yu… it hurts… Ah Yu…”
Her fragile, breathy voice was like a flower on the verge of snapping in a storm. Each word stabbed into An Yu’s heart like a thorn.
Lin Duxi’s body was frighteningly cold. Even through their clothes, An Yu could feel the chill radiating from her, the tremors making her own chest ache.
“Where does it hurt? Let’s get you outside first, okay?” An Yu softened her voice, coaxing gently. At the same time, she caught a faint metallic scent in the air. Realization hit her instantly, memories flooding back uncontrollably.
Lin Duxi’s menstrual cramps had always left her weak. Back in high school, she’d sometimes tremble in pain during class. But now, years later, it seemed even worse.
Lin Duxi buried her face in An Yu’s chest, savoring her warmth and scent. The comforting embrace eased some of the pain, giving her enough strength to respond.
“Okay.”
Xie An’an, having finished her water, sat on the bench and lazily admired the view while waiting for An Yu. Suddenly, she heard noises from the restroom. Worried something had happened, she quickly called out.
“An Yu? What’s going on in there? You good?”
When no one answered, she grabbed both their backpacks and was about to go in-only to see An Yu helping someone out, their posture intimate.
[An Yu went to the restroom and came back with her wife?!]
[What’s wrong with Lin Duxi?]
[Ah, Lin Duxi! Are you okay?!]
“An Yu! Teacher Lin! What’s wrong?” Xie An’an swallowed her teasing remark when she saw Lin Duxi’s visibly unwell state.
An Yu guided Lin Duxi to the bench, then tried to step away to grab her backpack-but Lin Duxi clung to her, refusing to let go.
Weak and unsteady, Lin Duxi held onto An Yu for support, her icy skin sending waves of ache through An Yu’s heart.
Xie An’an watched the two embrace and silently handed An Yu her backpack before turning away, dutifully pretending to be invisible.
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Zei_An
Poor Xie An’an… LMAO