After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 37
It felt like millions of electric currents were surging through her mind, the pain searing deep into her nerves and spreading through every limb.
An Yu couldn’t help but collapse to the ground, clutching her head as she gritted her teeth against the overwhelming agony. Cold sweat drenched her body from the sheer intensity of the pain.
She had no idea how much time had passed-time had lost all meaning. Only when the bone-deep torment finally began to fade did she unclench her bloodless lips, gasping for air as she lay sprawled on the floor, trembling like a survivor of a near-death experience. Her clothes were soaked and crumpled from sweat, but she didn’t have the strength to straighten them. Her mind buzzed like a broken fan.
At the same time, before she could even recover, a cold, mechanical system notification echoed in her mind, as if ice had been shattered to reveal a piercing, frigid abyss.
[Ding- Host has been detected intentionally disrupting the interactions between the male and female leads. Punishment has been administered based on the severity of the interference. Do not repeat this behavior.]
The icy words lingered in An Yu’s mind as she lay trembling on the floor. The system had delivered its message indifferently before vanishing again, not even bothering to answer the questions she had asked earlier. It seemed it only deigned to appear when she violated its rules.
An Yu remained on the ground for a long time, waiting until the chill in her body receded and sensation returned before slowly pulling herself up and staggering into the bathroom.
Steam rose in the cramped room as water cascaded over An Yu’s head, soaking her hair and plastering it to her skin.
She hung her head, water droplets sliding from her strands to the floor. The cold spray splashed against her body, yet she didn’t react. Her eyes were shadowed with complex emotions, as hazy as the mist in the bathroom, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.
Before, when she hadn’t actively pushed Lin Duxi and Pei Lu together, the system hadn’t taken any real action-at most, it had sent a warning pulse through her head. But this time, it had been serious.
There must have been a true “violation” somewhere. An Yu tilted her head back, letting the water wash over her face, clearing her mind further.
Based on her past actions, the system was usually too busy to pay her much attention. This time must have been the same. That meant the so-called “violation” was likely tied to a specific threshold set for the male and female leads-or for her. She needed to figure out where that line was.
The bathroom was thick with steam, but An Yu’s gaze was unexpectedly resolute.
An Yu stayed in the bathroom for a long time. By the time she finished showering, the others were almost done resting. She barely had time to rush to Lin Duxi’s room, but when she turned the doorknob, she found Lin Duxi still sleeping peacefully.
Relief washed over her-at least Pei Lu wasn’t in Lin Duxi’s room. With that thought, she stepped inside.
Midway, her footsteps suddenly halted as she remembered the punishment the system had inflicted in her own room. The residual pain still throbbed faintly in her mind.
She froze, her eyes flickering between Lin Duxi’s serene sleeping face and her own reflection. She knew she must look utterly drained right now-if Lin Duxi saw her like this, she’d only worry again. With a soft sigh, An Yu turned and left.
Click.
The sound of the door closing echoed softly, plunging the room back into silence.
Then, the bed in the center of the room rustled.
Lin Duxi, who had appeared to be sleeping soundly, slowly opened her eyes.
She glanced around the empty room, her breathing the only sound in the stillness. A pang of loneliness struck her.
Why did A’Yu leave again? She promised she’d be here when I woke up.
“Liar,” Lin Duxi muttered under her breath, turning her face away as she swallowed the sour ache in her chest. But her tone was more resigned than angry.
Even if An Yu was a liar, Lin Duxi’s love for her had long seeped into her bones-there was no escaping it now.
By the time all six members had fully rested, it was already afternoon. An Yu hadn’t slept at all, instead spending the time outside gazing at the mountain scenery. Though the bitterness and confusion in her heart hadn’t dissipated, she at least felt slightly better.
When she returned, the other five had already started lunch. The only open seat was next to Xie An’an, so she walked over and sat down.
Xie An’an noticed her arrival and leaned in to whisper, “When I got here, everyone else had already picked their spots. I wanted to save the seat next to Lin Duxi for you, but someone beat me to it.” She subtly tilted her head in a certain direction.
An Yu followed her gaze and saw Pei Lu sitting beside Lin Duxi across the table.
Perhaps sensing An Yu’s stare-or maybe because Lin Duxi had been watching her all along-Lin Duxi suddenly looked up, their eyes meeting. The corners of Lin Duxi’s lips curled into a gentle smile, warmth flooding her gaze.
Lin Duxi’s eyes were like the gentle tides of the deep sea, but the more tender they were, the more An Yu’s heart ached. Her own gaze was complicated, one hand gripping her clothes so tightly the fabric wrinkled. Still, she forced a smile in return before lowering her head to avoid Lin Duxi’s stare.
Lin Duxi’s smile faltered. She could clearly sense something off about An Yu-a hesitation, a conflict. A sudden, irrational fear gripped her, as if the fragile reconciliation they’d managed was slipping away again.
She clenched her chopsticks, taking slow, measured breaths to suppress the panic. When Pei Lu poured her a glass of wine, she barely acknowledged him, her mind already elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Xie An’an continued whispering to An Yu.
“You didn’t sleep, did you? You look exhausted,” Xie An’an remarked.
An Yu: “Do I? It’s fine.” She focused on her food, but her ears were perked up, listening to the conversation across the table. Her responses to Xie An’an were half-hearted.
Xie An’an: “…”
People were always like this-the things they least wanted to focus on were the things they noticed most. An Yu didn’t understand how the system determined violations, so she didn’t know how to face Lin Duxi now.
Her mind was a mess, and she wanted nothing more than to be alone. Yet her attention kept drifting back to Lin Duxi and the others, especially Pei Lu’s shameless attempts to flirt with her.
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly, stabbing at her food to keep herself from actually doing it.
Right then, the system chose to speak up.
*”Host, you see the interactions between the male and female leads now? This is what I meant by 100% compatibility. Stop making trouble for yourself. Just watch quietly and play hype-man when needed.”*
Its tone was half-consoling, half-warning. But An Yu wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.
Her peripheral vision remained locked on Lin Duxi. When she saw Pei Lu pour Lin Duxi another drink, fury ignited in her chest. She stood abruptly and walked away.
Xie An’an: “An Yu, where are you going? The director’s about to announce the results.”
An Yu: “I’ll be right back.”
Lin Duxi, of course, noticed. Hearing their exchange, she looked up just in time to see An Yu’s retreating back. Her expression dimmed, her bangs casting shadows over her eyes.
That familiar, suffocating panic wrapped around her again. Instinctively, she wanted to chase after An Yu-but at the sight of her walking away, she forced herself to stay seated.
Compared to watching An Yu leave, what terrified her more was the thought of An Yu saying something cruel or looking at her with cold eyes. That would destroy any hope she had left.
Lin Duxi’s grip slackened, letting herself sink into the dark swamp of her thoughts. She lowered her eyes, drowning in silent grief.
Then-
Clink.
The sound of porcelain against glass snapped her out of it.
Her vision cleared just in time to see a pale, slender hand replacing her wine glass with a steaming cup of brown sugar water.
The rising heat misted Lin Duxi’s eyes. For a moment, she felt like a pet mistakenly abandoned by its owner. Desperate, she whipped her head around-
And met An Yu’s gaze.
An Yu didn’t react, simply taking the wine glass and walking away like a waiter, returning to her seat without another word.
Once An Yu sat down, Xie An’an teased, “So that’s where you ran off to-getting brown sugar water for Lin Duxi?”
An Yu shrugged. “She’s on her period. This’ll make her feel better.” She set the wine glass down carelessly, not touching it again.
At the same time, she mentally lectured the system: “This is just to prevent the female lead from feeling unwell after drinking, which could disrupt the male lead’s interactions later. Do you understand? This isn’t a violation-it’s facilitating the plot!”
The system stayed silent, tacitly approving.
An Yu exhaled. So, logically justified actions wouldn’t trigger the system’s penalties. That meant her earlier punishment must have been for stopping Pei Lu from taking Lin Duxi away.
If she went back to that moment, she’d make the same choice-Pei Lu wouldn’t get his way. In fact, she’d curse him out even harder. Disgusting creep.
The weight in her chest lightened considerably. When she glanced back at Lin Duxi sipping the warm drink, her eyes softened unconsciously.
By the time everyone finished eating, Director Qiao Qingzhou finally approached to announce the results of the hike.
“Congratulations, everyone! You’ve successfully completed the challenge of climbing Bomi Mountain. Let’s give ourselves a round of applause!”
The group clapped half-heartedly. Then Qiao Qingzhou continued.
“Based on everyone’s climbing times, after calculations-congratulations to An Yu and Xie An’an for taking first place today!”
[An Yu and Xie An’an, you’re amazing!]
[My girls did so well! First place!]
[LMAO this is such a slap in the face to Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian. So satisfying!]
Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian exchanged glances before simultaneously lowering their heads in silence.
“I was the first one to reach the top. Not bad, right? Didn’t let you down, sis,” Xie An’an said, nudging An Yu with her elbow.
An Yu chuckled and nodded. She was genuinely happy. Then, out of habit, she glanced at Lin Duxi.
Lin Duxi was already looking at her, clapping softly, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy. When she noticed An Yu’s gaze, her happiness deepened, her smile spilling over like sunlight.
Her lips moved silently, but An Yu understood perfectly.
“Congratulations, A’Yu. You’ll always be first in my heart.”
An Yu stared back, their gazes tangling. The tension in her chest dissolved completely under the weight of those unspoken words.
[The way they looked at each other and just started smiling-I’m crying at my screen. What kind of fairy-tale love is this? I’ll chip in for the wedding. Put it on Xie An’an’s tab!]
[Lin Duxi, what did you say??? What are you hiding from us professional shippers???]
[Where are the lip-reading experts? We need translations, stat!]
[Here! Lin Duxi said: “Congrats, baby. Tonight, you’re on top.” (100% accurate)]
[If that’s the case, then I’m fully awake now. I’m joining your faction.]
[An Yu is incredible-she helped an injured teammate and still won first place with Xie An’an. That’s my OTP for you!]
Qiao Qingzhou glanced at the barrage of comments before continuing. “Of course, we won’t forget the promised reward. If any of you are afraid of heights, this will be a blessing-you’re exempt from tomorrow’s glass skywalk experience!”
The group looked up in unison. Ignoring their reactions, Qiao Qingzhou moved on.
“Now that everyone’s rested, please head to our next destination: Bomi Temple.”
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Zei_An
Huh, I’d hate that reward. I wanna experience that!