After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 39
After finishing the promotional shoot, An Yu returned just in time to see Lin Duxi standing in the courtyard, piously burning incense.
Lin Duxi was wearing An Yu’s jacket, zipped all the way up, enveloping her entire body. The sky had darkened, and the temperature had dropped even further. The wind tousled the loose strands of her hair, making Lin Duxi appear even more delicate and pitiable.
An Yu’s eyes darkened slightly as she stepped forward.
Hearing the footsteps, Lin Duxi turned her head. Her previously indifferent expression instantly bloomed into a smile.
“Ah Yu, you’re back.”
Though it was just an ordinary greeting, her gaze as she looked at An Yu was soft, as if she had been waiting for her beloved’s return.
An Yu: “Mm.” She walked up beside Lin Duxi and, recalling the pious expression she had just seen, couldn’t help but ask curiously,
“What were you praying for just now?”
Lin Duxi tilted her head slightly, frowning a little. “Didn’t Ah Yu say that if you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true? If Ah Yu tells me what she wished for, I’ll tell you too. That way, it’s an exchange.”
An Yu: “……Never mind. I suddenly realize I’m not that curious anymore.”
Lin Duxi curved her lips into a smile.
“Teacher An! Teacher Lin!” A staff member’s slightly raised voice drew their attention.
The staff member jogged over to them and handed An Yu a wishing plaque. Lin Duxi’s lowered hand clenched slightly.
“Director Qiao asked all the teachers to write their names or some blessings on these. We’ll hang them on the tree later.” After quickly explaining, she glanced at her watch and frowned. “I still need to coordinate with the props team outside the temple. I wonder if there’s enough time.”
Lin Duxi spoke up, “Why don’t you go handle that first? After Ah Yu and I finish writing, we can hand them to the director. Would that work?”
The staff member’s eyes brightened as she looked at them. “Really? Thank you, Teacher Lin and Teacher An!”
Lin Duxi smiled politely. “No problem. Go ahead.”
An Yu watched her leave, then looked down at the wishing plaque in her hand, her delicate brows furrowing in confusion. “Didn’t you already give me one earlier?”
Lin Duxi shrugged, indicating she didn’t know either. An Yu didn’t dwell on it, assuming it was just an extra one in case someone made a mistake while signing. She first wrote her name on the plaque, then paused, thinking for a moment before adding a blessing: “Wishing ‘Hello, Friends’ a massive hit!”
Lin Duxi smiled at the sight of An Yu’s elegant handwriting, then took the plaque and wrote her own name next to An Yu’s.
Their names stood side by side in the middle, separated by about the space of one character. With the other words around them, written on the red plaque, it almost looked like a wedding invitation.
The live broadcast zoomed in on their wishing plaque.
[Quick, screenshot! Dreaming of a wedding invitation!]
[It feels like something’s missing… Wouldn’t a heart fit perfectly in that blank space?]
[(Heart emoji)]
[Wuwuwu, tonight’s bedtime material is here. Come to my CP’s wedding!]
The sun set early in the mountains, so the group didn’t stay at the temple for long before preparing to leave. The director gave them several options for descending the mountain-unsurprisingly, everyone chose the cable car.
Since the cable car’s interior was cramped, and the crew’s equipment made filming difficult inside, the director also worried about potential accidents. Thus, the live broadcast was temporarily shut off during the descent.
One cable car could seat six people, which happened to be their exact number. They sat in pairs, facing each other.
An Yu wasn’t paying attention and was about to sit randomly when Xie An’an suddenly yanked her over to sit beside Lin Duxi, even throwing her a “you’re welcome” wink.
An Yu: “……”
She turned her gaze away, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught Pei Lu staring at her with a twisted expression. A hint of amusement flickered in her eyes, and her expression relaxed.
Lin Duxi sat beside her, watching An Yu with a faint smile. The close quarters of the cable car made her uncomfortable being so near so many people, but at least An Yu was by her side.
Seeing An Yu’s softened expression, she suddenly wanted to capture this moment. She reached into her pocket-only to freeze the next second.
“Sorry, I might have to take the next cable car.” Lin Duxi’s emotionless voice abruptly broke the quiet inside the cabin.
An Yu turned to her, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Duxi met her gaze and gently patted An Yu’s hand resting on the seat, reassuring her. “It’s nothing. I just think I left my phone at Baimu Temple.”
With that, she stood up and stepped out of the stationary cable car. She gave the others inside a slight bow before turning to leave-only to hear the door open behind her again. When she turned back, she saw An Yu stepping out as well.
An Yu: “I’ll go with you.”
Lin Duxi’s lips curved as she walked over, placing both hands on An Yu’s shoulders. The sudden closeness made An Yu stiffen.
But Lin Duxi only pressed down on her shoulders, pushing her back into the seat. Her eyes were tender as she murmured, “No need to trouble Ah Yu. I can go alone. If you’re this good to me, I might start thinking you like me.”
She hooked a finger under An Yu’s chin, her gaze deep and intoxicated. The burning intensity in her eyes made An Yu turn her face away, hiding the blush creeping up her cheeks.
“Go and come back quickly,” An Yu said softly.
Lin Duxi smiled in satisfaction, glanced at the other two in the cabin, then turned and left. Behind her, An Yu sat frozen in her seat, head lowered, emotions surging in her eyes.
Pei Lu met Lin Duxi’s icy stare-so different from the warmth she had just shown An Yu-and snorted, turning away. His gaze when it landed on An Yu was full of jealousy.
Xie An’an watched the scene unfold, biting her lip to suppress her grin. But when she noticed the sudden drop in mood beside her, she turned and saw Pei Lu’s expression. Her smile instantly froze, then faded.
Lin Duxi strode quickly back into Baimu Temple, heading straight for the Wishing Stone. She had passed it earlier while exploring the temple, so finding her way back was effortless.
In front of the Wishing Stone was a table covered with various prayer items. An elderly nun sat nearby and stood up to greet her.
“Are you here to make a wish, benefactor? You may choose any of these wishing plaques.”
Lin Duxi’s gaze swept over the table before settling on a pair of love locks. She picked one up, the cold metal pressing against her pale fingers. She paid for it without hesitation.
The nun accepted the money with a smile. “May you and your beloved be united in love forever.”
United in love forever.
Lin Duxi smiled genuinely for the first time. “Thank you.”
She pulled out the wishing plaque from her pocket and picked up a pen. Suppressing the trembling in her heart, she carefully wrote her name next to An Yu’s.
The red plaque bore only their two names, even more intimate than the previous one. If fans saw this, they’d surely scream. Staring at their names nestled together, Lin Duxi’s eyes darkened. She pressed the pen down again and added a line below:
Bound for life, inseparable.
Madness clouded Lin Duxi’s gaze, revealing the darkest depths of her obsession. Unrestrained insanity bled into her handwriting as she poured her most fervent prayer onto the plaque.
The nun watched her movements, her brow furrowing slightly.
In the past, couples who came here would whisper sweet nothings, writing declarations of love on their plaques. But none had ever been like this…
The nun’s pupils dilated. For some reason, a word she’d once overheard in a passing couple’s conversation came to mind-a word that now fit perfectly.
Morbid.
A sickness of love, an obsession bordering on madness.
Lin Duxi finished writing and examined the plaque, her lips curving at the sight of her name beside An Yu’s. Her entire body trembled with excitement over this small token. She stood and carefully tied the plaque to the stone rack beside the Wishing Stone.
The rack was already covered in plaques, some adorned with wind chimes that tinkled softly in the breeze.
Lin Duxi watched as her plaque swayed gently in the wind, her heart swaying along with it. Smiling, she took out the love lock and fastened it between the rack and the plaque, binding them together.
Click.
The sound of the lock snapping shut clashed with the wind chimes’ melody, but to Lin Duxi, it was the most beautiful sound in the world. She tenderly traced their names on the plaque, her happiest smile yet spreading across her face.
She pocketed the key, fiddling with it as she adjusted the plaque and lock. But as she passed a trash bin, she stopped. Clasping her hands together, she exerted force- snap -breaking the key in two. She opened her palms, letting the shattered pieces fall into the bin before walking away without a second glance.
The nun witnessed everything. She stared at Lin Duxi’s retreating figure, then at the locked plaque, shaking her head with a sigh.
“A doomed bond. A doomed bond.”
Her voice was too soft, disappearing into the air unheard, unnoticed.
Lin Duxi had spent quite some time in the temple. By the time she snapped back to reality, the sky had darkened. She checked her phone, the screen’s light illuminating the red marks on her palm-proof of what had just transpired. She smiled faintly at the sight.
It was already late. Lin Duxi pocketed her phone and quickened her pace. Ah Yu must be tired from waiting at the foot of the mountain. Just the thought of An Yu made her lips curve again.
She walked briskly but suddenly noticed something glinting faintly near the cable car station. Puzzled, she approached slowly-until she finally saw clearly.
Hearing footsteps, An Yu instinctively turned. Recognizing Lin Duxi, she put away her phone and stood. “Did you find your phone?”
Lin Duxi’s grip on her phone tightened. She stared at An Yu before smiling. “Yes, I did.”
An Yu returned the smile. “Let’s go then. It gets really cold up here after sunset.” She reached out to adjust Lin Duxi’s jacket.
Lin Duxi stood still, letting her fuss over the collar. The dim light perfectly concealed the obsessive love burning in her reddened eyes.
“Okay,” she replied softly.
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Zei_An
Huh… Ngl, Lin Duxi is super spooky here! even splitting the key in half to be bound for life… She snapped it, really?? Was it not made out of metal?!