After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 34

An Yu took the backpack and softly thanked her before pulling out a thermos. She poured some warm water into the lid, ready to feed it to Lin Duxi, when she suddenly remembered the brown sugar ginger tea she had bought at the pharmacy at the foot of the mountain.

She quickly opened the backpack and took out the unopened package, tearing open a sachet and stirring it into the water. At that moment, she was immensely grateful she had bought it. While waiting for the sugar to dissolve, she pulled out a heating pad and tore open its packaging.

The rustling sound of the plastic was unusually loud in the quiet, deserted mountain path. Lin Duxi, nestled in An Yu’s arms, slowly opened her eyes. Watching An Yu’s practiced movements, her gaze darkened imperceptibly.

Had An Yu taken care of someone else like this before? Or had she, over the years, learned to care for herself through countless stumbles?

Neither possibility was acceptable to her. The latter, especially, made her already aching body feel even more suffocated.

She lowered her head, her eyes hidden from view, filled with suppressed obsession.  An Yu was by her side now. An Yu would never be alone again.

Just as An Yu finished opening the heating pad and was about to speak to Lin Duxi, she suddenly felt the other woman tighten her embrace. Startled, An Yu thought Lin Duxi’s pain had worsened. She quickly leaned over, pulled open Lin Duxi’s jacket, and placed the heating pad against her abdomen, over her T-shirt.

“If it gets too hot, you can take it out,” she said softly, her voice laced with an unconscious tenderness.

Lin Duxi froze at her gentle tone. After a long pause, she finally looked up at An Yu, meeting the undisguised worry in her eyes. The sight sent a tremor through her heart.

The heating pad took a while to warm up. As they waited, Lin Duxi remained curled in An Yu’s arms, her brows furrowed as she gritted her teeth against the pain, her body still trembling.

An Yu’s heart ached even more, nearly drowning in the sour swell of emotions. Watching the shivering figure in her arms, her mind suddenly drifted back to memories from six years ago.

Snapping back to reality, An Yu blinked, then rubbed her hands together vigorously. Once they were warm, she pressed them against Lin Duxi’s abdomen, repeating the motion over and over.

Lin Duxi was stunned by her actions. The warmth, coupled with An Yu’s tender care, seeped into her flesh, flowing through her bloodstream straight to her heart, whispering of a love that was fervent and unwavering.

Unable to resist, Lin Duxi lifted herself slightly and leaned close to An Yu’s ear. Weakly, she murmured something so faint that the wind on the mountain drowned it out, leaving the microphone unable to pick it up.

“An Yu, it feels like we’re back in high school.” She smiled, each word punctuated by a shaky breath, her warm exhales brushing against An Yu’s ear, turning the pale skin a delicate pink.

An Yu didn’t respond. She kept rubbing her hands to warm Lin Duxi, only stopping when the heating pad finally began to radiate heat.

Seeing that Lin Duxi’s complexion had regained some color, An Yu finally let the boulder in her chest settle. She reached for the thermos, poured another cup of water, and handed it to Lin Duxi.

“The water’s hot. Drink some to warm up,” she said gently.

A sick Lin Duxi was entirely different from her usual self. Tear stains lingered on her face, making her appear heartbreakingly fragile. She lowered her eyes, shutting out An Yu’s voice entirely.

An Yu sighed inwardly. Ailing Lin Duxi was more vulnerable yet also more stubborn. She brought the cup to Lin Duxi’s lips, and only then did the other woman take small sips. With Lin Duxi occupied, An Yu finally had a moment to think about other things.

“System, didn’t you say nothing would happen? What’s going on now? Where’s your male lead? What happened to your confident promises?”

“Is this what you call ‘just a minor incident’?”

The image of Lin Duxi trembling uncontrollably flashed in her mind. Just the memory made An Yu’s chest tighten with bitterness. Her tone when questioning the system couldn’t help but carry anger.

Strangely, despite her fury, the system-which usually wouldn’t tolerate any challenge to its authority-remained silent this time, as if guilty. Meanwhile, the live chat exploded at the sight of the two.

[Wow… a sick Lin Duxi is so cute! I just want to ruffle her hair!]

[An Yu is so gentle when taking care of someone. That soft voice, that worried gaze-so sweet!]

[They’ve been hugging for so long! Lin Duxi’s been clinging to An Yu’s waist since they came out, and she’s still nestled in her arms now. They’re definitely real!]

Xie An’an couldn’t bear to watch. She exchanged a glance with the crew member holding the camera, both seeing the blindingly bright “third wheel” aura above each other’s heads.

Taking a deep breath, Xie An’an spoke up, “Um… Teacher Lin, how are you feeling now?”

Lin Duxi blinked, as if only now realizing there were other people around. Slowly, she pulled away from An Yu’s embrace, shifting to rest her head on An Yu’s shoulder instead. Weakly, she replied, “Much better.”

An Yu glanced at her still-pale face and frowned. She poured another cup of hot water and took out painkillers from her backpack. “Take these first. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Lin Duxi obediently swallowed the pills but didn’t respond to An Yu’s suggestion, only shaking her head.

An Yu’s expression faltered. Her frown deepened as she studied Lin Duxi’s frail state. With a sigh, she softened her voice. “Let’s go to the hospital, okay?”

Lin Duxi still shook her head. After finishing the water, she poured herself another cup, her bowed head the picture of docility.

“The medicine will help soon. There’s no need for the hospital. If you take me, you won’t be able to climb anymore. I can keep going alone. Once the pills kick in, the pain will fade. Don’t worry about me. You should go ahead-you have to win first place.”

Even now, every word she spoke was for An Yu’s sake, not a single one for herself. She only wanted to ease An Yu’s concerns.

Though she knew her words would upset An Yu, Lin Duxi said them anyway. The long speech left her weakened body even more exhausted, her breath coming in shallow gasps by the end.

She looked up and, sure enough, saw clear displeasure on An Yu’s face. Yet she met An Yu’s gaze steadily, her dark, clear eyes filled with unshakable sincerity and resolve. Her lips parted as she slowly voiced the obsession in her heart.

“An Yu is the most important.”

Her voice was soft, but each word carried unwavering conviction. What others might dismiss as a mere sweet nothing was, to her, the simplest proof of a love that bordered on madness.

So please… don’t push her away again. Okay?

[Huh? What? Lin Duxi, do you realize what you’re saying? Your closet door just turned transparent!]

[Ohoho, ‘An Yu is the most important’? Lin Duxi, you’re down bad!]

[Whose smile just stretched ear to ear? Oh right, mine!]

[Is this something us peasants are even allowed to witness? If this were a drama, the next scene would be them kissing passionately in the mountain breeze!]

[Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!]

An Yu stiffened at Lin Duxi’s words, her pupils trembling violently as if drowning in the depths of Lin Duxi’s gaze. Those eyes were too profound, hiding emotions An Yu couldn’t decipher yet relentlessly pulling her in deeper.

It took her a long moment to find her voice again. Seeing the determination in Lin Duxi’s eyes, she lowered her lashes, suppressing the turmoil in her chest. Turning to Xie An’an-who was desperately trying to vanish-she said,

“Xie An’an, could you go ahead first? We’ll catch up soon.”

Xie An’an jolted, then spun around with resolve. “Got it!”

Finally! No more third-wheeling!

Only after hearing this did Lin Duxi’s lips curve into a smile. She gazed at An Yu’s profile with deep affection, though a faint glint of triumph flickered in her eyes, unnoticed by anyone.

An Yu handed Xie An’an her backpack. “The director said the time is based on the total taken by both team members to reach the summit. You go ahead-don’t wait for me.”

Xie An’an slung her backpack on, zipped her black windbreaker to the top, adjusted her clothes, and tugged her cap low. With a smirk at the two, she said, “Don’t worry. Cardio is my favorite thing in life.”

An Yu nodded. “Thanks for your hard work.”

Xie An’an: “…” She shrugged and started climbing again.

Once Xie An’an’s figure disappeared, An Yu turned back to Lin Duxi, who sat obediently on the bench. The sight made her sigh helplessly.

“Still hurting?” she asked softly.

Lin Duxi shook her head. “Not as much after the medicine. Let’s go. We can’t lose to them.”

An Yu chuckled. “‘Them’? Who exactly are you teamed with?”

Lin Duxi lowered her head and mumbled something. An Yu leaned in closer to hear: “I’m teamed with An Yu.”

An Yu: “…” She couldn’t help but smile.

“Where’s your teammate?” Just thinking about it made her angry. The system still hadn’t answered her-it had practically vanished.

Lin Duxi looked up, her bright eyes clear and guileless, making it impossible not to believe her.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t feeling well during the climb, so I went to the restroom. But the pain got worse inside. Just as I was about to pass out, I heard An Yu’s voice.” As she spoke, a faint light glimmered in her eyes, her gaze deepening as it lingered on An Yu.

An Yu: “I was just passing by.”

Lin Duxi lowered her head with a small smile, not refuting her words. But the emotions in her downcast eyes were inscrutable.

There were restrooms all along the mountain trail. Hiking inevitably made people sweat, and An Yu, with her slight mysophobia, would never tolerate sticky hands. Given her excellent stamina, she wouldn’t bother with restrooms at lower elevations, narrowing the possible locations by nearly half.

So it wasn’t  just  a coincidence.

As An Yu bent to reorganize her backpack, her peripheral vision caught Lin Duxi’s still-trembling form.

Lin Duxi was drenched in sweat, and the higher they climbed, the colder the mountain wind grew. If this continued, she’d catch a chill.

Frowning, An Yu pulled out a thick coat and draped it over Lin Duxi’s shoulders.

Lin Duxi looked up at the garment in confusion.

“I don’t know where your backpack went, and your light jacket’s missing too. Wear this for now,” An Yu said.

Lin Duxi stared at the coat-thick, warm, and carrying An Yu’s scent. It felt like being enveloped in An Yu’s arms, shielded from the mountain’s biting wind.

Her heart burned with fierce, unbridled adoration. Clutching the coat tightly, she let the tempest in her eyes surge unchecked.

She loved her. She loved An Yu so, so much.

An Yu stood, slung her backpack on, and stuck a few more heating pads onto Lin Duxi, handing her the last one to hold for warmth.

Lin Duxi smiled, reveling in An Yu’s care, then stood to walk beside her.

“Let’s go,” she said.

An Yu studied her. Lin Duxi looked much better now, her cheeks regaining some color, though she was still far weaker than usual. With a slight frown, An Yu tucked a loose strand of hair behind Lin Duxi’s ear, then hooked their arms together to support her. Only then did she feel at ease.

“Let’s go.”

Lin Duxi froze. The emotions she’d barely suppressed surged anew. Where An Yu’s fingers brushed against her skin burned, the heat spreading through her limbs.

This was the first time An Yu had initiated contact, the first time she’d been so intimate. Lin Duxi was almost overwhelmed, swallowing the words on her tongue and leaning into An Yu’s side, breathing in her scent.

Truthfully, she wasn’t that weak anymore. She could walk on her own.