After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 4

“I should go pick her up?” An Yu found it hard to believe. “You’re at a class reunion, right? Shouldn’t her manager or assistant be the one to get her? Why are you calling me?”

“I’m not sure either. After the reunion, the class president and the others went to karaoke. I saw her slumped on the sofa, drunk. I wanted to call a friend to take her home, but when I asked for her phone, she didn’t respond. She just kept mumbling something. When I leaned in, I heard her calling your name over and over. I had no choice but to call you first.”

An Yu sighed, glancing at the taxi she had just boarded. Without much hesitation, she replied,  “Address.”

Lin Duxi had helped her before. Whether out of duty or kindness, she couldn’t just abandon her when she needed help.

Still, she was surprised. Lin Duxi had actually attended the class reunion? That was unexpected. Back in high school, she had been even less familiar with their classmates than An Yu was.

“Thank you, An Yu! You’re a lifesaver-no, a bodhisattva reborn! We owe you big time!” Shi Yu cheerfully rattled off the address and hung up before An Yu could scold her.

Pushing open the karaoke room door, Shi Yu looked at Lin Duxi, who was leaning against the sofa with her eyes closed, frowning. She sighed.

“I hope you remember what you said back then.”

Her quiet words lingered briefly in the small room before fading into silence, unanswered.

When An Yu arrived at the restaurant, she spotted Shi Yu waiting at the entrance from a distance. The moment she stepped out of the car, Shi Yu grabbed her hand and hurriedly pulled her inside. An Yu frowned slightly but didn’t say anything.

“You got here fast. Lin Duxi’s been sleeping in the private room-not sure if she’s awake yet.”

Shi Yu dragged her along at a brisk pace. An Yu silently noted the surroundings as they walked. Just as they turned a corner, someone suddenly stepped out, startling them both.

“Class President?! Weren’t you supposed to be at karaoke with the others?” Shi Yu stared at the man in surprise.

“We noticed you didn’t come along, so I came back to check on you,” the man-addressed as  Class President  -adjusted his glasses. “After all, you all still call me Class President.”

Then, he turned to An Yu and smiled politely. “An Yu, long time no see.”

An Yu returned the courtesy. “Class President.”

“It’s been years. We should catch up sometime.” He paused.  “Y  ou’re here to…?”

“Pick up… a friend.”

Qi Yuankang nodded, about to say more when Shi Yu suddenly exclaimed:

“What’s that noise in the private room? Did Lin Duxi fall?!”

Their attention snapped toward the closed door. Qi Yuankang asked, “Is something wrong? Do you need help?”

“No need, Class President. You go ahead to karaoke-I’ll join you as soon as I’m done here.” Shi Yu rushed toward the room, An Yu following close behind.

When they pushed open the door, An Yu saw Lin Duxi collapsed on the floor beside the sofa.

“Oh sh- An Yu, help me!”

Shi Yu hurried to lift Lin Duxi while An Yu grabbed her arm. Together, they hauled her back onto the sofa. Lin Duxi’s cheeks were flushed, her skin burning unnaturally. As An Yu leaned in, the strong scent of alcohol hit her, making her frown. “How much did she drink?”

“No idea. She started drinking as soon as she arrived, right after greeting everyone. The others didn’t know her well, so no one talked to her. Every time I saw her, she was still drinking. Must’ve had a lot.”

An Yu adjusted Lin Duxi’s position to keep her from toppling over again, then tried to stand-only for the woman to suddenly lurch forward and lock her in place. Caught off guard, An Yu nearly fell backward, barely catching herself on the sofa behind her.

“Lin Duxi, what are you doing?!” She struggled, but the other woman only tightened her grip, as if trying to crush her ribs.

“Are you even drunk?” An Yu doubted it. Could someone truly drunk exert this much strength?

Lin Duxi clung to her waist, face buried in her chest. At An Yu’s words, she slowly lifted her head. The moment her bleary eyes landed on An Yu, they brightened.

“A-Yu… A-Yu, I’m not dreaming. I really saw A-Yu… A-Yu falling from the sky…” She murmured to herself, ignoring An Yu’s question. After speaking, she buried her face back into An Yu’s chest and fell silent.

An Yu tried to pry herself free again, but it was useless. Resigned, she sat back on the sofa, letting Lin Duxi lean against her-only for the woman to tighten her grip again and press her entire body against An Yu’s.

Lin Duxi sniffed at her, then frowned. “A-Yu smells like something I don’t like… but…” Her voice trailed off into silence, replaced by soft, steady breathing.

An Yu: “…”

She looked up at Shi Yu, who seemed to be trying to disappear into the wallpaper. “Shi Yu, you go ahead. I’ll wait until she sobers up a bit and call her manager.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Shi Yu hesitated.

“It’s fine. You’re the star of the reunion-can’t have you missing the whole time.”

Relieved, Shi Yu thanked An Yu profusely before leaving.

Once the door closed, An Yu exhaled heavily. Then, she turned her attention to the woman curled up against her.

Lin Duxi clung to her like an overly affectionate cat, her grip gradually loosening as she drifted into sleep. An Yu finally managed to free herself, watching as Lin Duxi slumped against the sofa. Frowning, she leaned over and began searching her pockets.

Lin Duxi carried very little-just a pack of gummies and her phone. An Yu paused for a moment, then picked up the phone.

“What’s the password?”

No response. An Yu shrugged and tried swiping to unlock. The lock screen was a generic landscape. She input Lin Duxi’s birthday-no luck.

Raising an eyebrow, she tried the last four digits of her birthday. Still wrong.

Staring at the “Try again in one minute” prompt, An Yu scoffed at her own foolishness. Who in the world would use their ex-girlfriend’s birthday as their passcode?

She held the phone up to Lin Duxi.

“What’s the password?”

Lin Duxi’s state was completely different from before. She furrowed her brows as if in pain, lips moving faintly.

An Yu leaned closer and heard her whispering: “It hurts… my head hurts…” Her breath was scorching, her voice weak and pitiful.

“Too much to drink?” An Yu muttered. “Lin Duxi, wake up. What’s the password? If you’re hungover, I’ll call your manager to take you home. You’ll feel better there.”

Lin Duxi slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw An Yu, they brightened, and she lunged forward again. An Yu sidestepped, leaving Lin Duxi frozen mid-motion.

“If you’re awake, just tell me the password so your assistant can pick you up,” An Yu said flatly, holding out the unlocked phone.

Lin Duxi didn’t react at first, then mumbled:

“1106.”

She said it without looking at An Yu, who assumed she was sober enough and didn’t press further. She input the code, her mind instinctively searching for any significance behind the numbers-but nothing came to mind. Then, reality hit her, and she smirked at her own sentimentality.

Unbeknownst to her, Lin Duxi had turned to watch her reaction. Seeing An Yu’s indifferent, almost cold expression, Lin Duxi felt as if she’d been plunged into icy water. Her entire body trembled. The fleeting warmth she’d managed to steal was nothing compared to this chilling rejection. At the same time, the throbbing pain in her head flared again, as if something were strangling her, drowning her in despair.

An Yu opened the contacts list, searching for the manager’s number.

“What’s your manager’s number? Or your assistant’s-”

Before she could finish, Lin Duxi suddenly tackled her to the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of An Yu, her back slamming against the cold floor. Even through her clothes, the pain made her gasp.

“Lin Duxi! What the hell are you doing?!” she snapped, trying to push her off. But the moment her hand touched Lin Duxi’s face, she felt something wet.

“A-Yu… A-Yu, don’t look at me like that… please…” Lin Duxi sobbed, clutching An Yu desperately, as if afraid she’d vanish. “A-Yu… my head hurts… it hurts… A-Yu… A-Yu…”

An Yu lay on the ground, letting Lin Duxi use her shirt as a tissue. Her head thudded lightly against the floor-but before it could hit properly, Lin Duxi quickly slipped a hand beneath it to cushion the blow. Then, satisfied, she nestled against An Yu’s chest and fell asleep.

An Yu: “…Just how much did you drink?”

After much effort, An Yu finally managed to get Lin Duxi back onto the sofa. She found the manager’s number and dialed without hesitation.

“Hello, Duxi?”

“Are you Lin Duxi’s manager? She’s drunk. Come pick her up,” An Yu said bluntly.

“Who is this?”

An Yu glanced at Lin Duxi, now peacefully asleep, and stepped outside the private room.

“A classmate. She got drunk at the reunion. Hurry up.”

“Understood. What’s the address? I’ll be right there. Thank you.” The manager’s voice was brisk, and An Yu could already hear hurried footsteps.

She hung up, leaning against the doorway to cool off and collect her thoughts. Feeling restless, she instinctively reached for a cigarette-then remembered that, in this life, she hadn’t picked up the habit yet. She chuckled.  What’s the point of stressing when I’ve already been reborn?

Stretching, she turned to go back inside-but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a faint glint in the bushes across the street. She paused, glancing over, but the light had already vanished. Keeping her expression neutral, she walked back inside, picking up her pace once she rounded the corner.

There’s no way paparazzi would be after a nobody like me. So that means…

She pushed open the private room door to find Lin Duxi awake, her eyes lighting up with surprise and delight at the sight of her.

“A-Yu.”

“You’re awake.” An Yu walked to the table, checking the water pitcher. Fortunately, it still had warm water. She poured half a cup and handed it to Lin Duxi.

“Drink some water.”

Lin Duxi obediently took it, sipping lightly. Then, she looked at An Yu worriedly. “Does A-Yu’s head still hurt? I was drunk… I didn’t mean to be rough.”

An Yu smirked. “So you admit you were drunk. Lin Duxi, I’m curious-why did you drink so much? What were you trying to do?” She crouched in front of her, meeting her gaze.

Lin Duxi didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted the cup to An Yu’s lips.

“A-Yu’s mouth is better off not speaking. It only says hurtful things.”

An Yu:  “…”  Fine. No point arguing with a drunk.

After a while, An Yu checked her phone. The manager should be arriving soon. She stood, taking off her coat and walking over to Lin Duxi.

“Give me your jacket.”

Lin Duxi looked up, confused, but complied.

“There are paparazzi outside. Wear my coat when you leave.” She draped her own coat over Lin Duxi’s shoulders, their proximity so close that Lin Duxi could see the faint blue veins in An Yu’s neck. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth, wishing this moment could last forever-but all too soon, it was gone, replaced by cold indifference.

Lin Duxi’s eyes flew open in panic. “A-Yu, are you leaving?”

Her fragile expression, still damp from tears, made even An Yu soften her tone.

“Text me when you get home. You still know my number.” With that, she put on Lin Duxi’s jacket and walked out.

As she stepped outside, she caught another glimpse of that flickering light. She lowered her head, letting her hair obscure her face, then hailed a taxi. Through the rearview mirror, she confirmed that a black car was tailing her.

An Yu turned to the driver. “Sir, lose the car behind us.”

The driver stiffened for a second-then, to her surprise, his eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he’d been waiting for this moment his whole life.

“You got it! Hold on tight, kid-your uncle didn’t earn the title ‘Jiangcheng’s Drift King’ for nothing!”

By the time Lin Duxi left the restaurant, her manager, Ji Qi, was already on the phone by the car. Spotting her, Ji Qi quickly ended the call.

Lin Duxi slid into the backseat. The moment Ji Qi got in, the strong scent of alcohol hit her.

“I told you not to drink! Why do you keep doing this?” She was furious, but more than that, worried.

Lin Duxi adjusted the coat draped over her, silent. Ji Qi sighed and started the car.

The air conditioning inside was set to a comfortable temperature. Lin Duxi took off the coat, carefully folded it, and placed it on her lap before burying her face in it.

The scent was all An Yu’s. Lin Duxi felt as if she were truly being held by her-A-Yu allowing her closeness, letting her kiss her, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Just the thought made her heart melt, joy overflowing until even the relentless headache seemed to ease.

A-Yu. Her A-Yu.

Ji Qi glanced at the rearview mirror, sighing again. She decided against bringing up the phone call earlier, opting instead for a manager’s usual nagging.

“That deputy director-just like you said, we’re not settling privately. It’ll probably hit the headlines soon.”

“Also, avoid the set for the next few days. There’s already gossip online about you and the male lead. Wait until the rumors die down before going back.”

Only then did Lin Duxi reluctantly lift her head, her voice muffled.

“Filming’s already done. No need to go back.” Then she buried her face again, refusing to spare Ji Qi another glance.

Ji Qi was puzzled.

Didn’t Zhuang Yu say they still had over half a month of shooting left? Why is she saying it’s finished?