After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 5

An Yu felt a bit dizzy when she got out of the car. The “Speed King of Jiangcheng” had taken her on a high-speed tour of the city within the limits of traffic rules. Not only did they shake off the paparazzi, but An Yu herself nearly got flung out of the car.

Finally, the car came to a smooth stop in front of An Yu’s apartment complex. The driver burst into laughter at her dazed expression.

An Yu took the elevator up to her floor and was just about to pull out her keys to unlock the door when her neighbor-a middle-aged woman with short, permed hair-suddenly opened her door and exclaimed, “Xiao Yu, you’re back!”

An Yu nodded and unlocked her own door.

“Goodness, it’s already eleven! Why are you only coming back now? You’re what, 24 or 25? I always say, girls should live a more stable life. My son is just like you-always finding excuses to go out. I thought he was up to something, but turns out he was just building shelters for stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood. Ah, someone so kind will surely spoil his future wife rotten-”

Bang!  An Yu shut the door, cutting off the woman’s relentless sales pitch.

She took off her coat-the one that belonged to Lin Duxi. It still carried a faint trace of perfume, something light and unobtrusive. An Yu sniffed herself and decided a shower was in order.

Hanging Lin Duxi’s coat on the rack, she reached for her phone but instead brushed against something else in the pocket. She pulled it out-Lin Duxi’s candy. In the rush of changing clothes earlier, she had only remembered to swap their phones, leaving the candy behind.

The packaging was unexpectedly cute, not something she’d associate with Lin Duxi at all. An Yu stared at it for a moment before unwrapping a piece and popping it into her mouth.

The sweet-and-sour burst of orange flooded her taste buds. It was just as delicious as she remembered from years ago. Her gaze lingered on the packaging, now with a different light in her eyes.

She checked her phone and saw a friend request from a stranger. The profile name was simply “LDX” in uppercase letters, but the avatar was a hand-drawn, Q-style kitten-clearly sketched in pencil on paper and then photographed. The amateurish strokes gave it a certain charm, but there was an odd, out-of-place black line near the center-right, as if someone had dragged a pen across it, ruining the harmony of the pencil sketch.

An Yu froze for a few seconds, fragments of memory flashing through her mind. She accepted the request and labeled it  Lin Duxi  .

The moment the chat opened, a voice message from Lin Duxi came through. An Yu tapped play.

“Thank you, A-Yu. I’m home safe, just letting you know.”

Her voice was hoarse, laced with the remnants of alcohol and softened by what sounded like steam or water, wrapping around An Yu’s ears like a lingering embrace.

An Yu typed back a simple “Okay.”

Lin Duxi: “Sorry for the trouble. I’ll wash your clothes and return them as soon as possible. Where do you live?”

An Yu: “No need. Keep them for now. I’m in no hurry.”

She thought that would end the conversation, but Lin Duxi had other ideas.

Lin Duxi: “When I saw you earlier, I really thought I was dreaming. You appeared beside me like a fairy the moment I opened my eyes. I was so happy!” Her voice was brimming with joy, as if seeing An Yu had been the highlight of her day.

“I only did it to return the favor. Don’t read too much into it.”

An Yu’s reply was cold and detached. There was a brief pause on the other end, but Lin Duxi continued undeterred.

“Alright, if that’s what A-Yu says, I won’t bring it up again. But I’ll take good care of your clothes and return them the next time I see you, okay?”

An Yu frowned. Was this woman incapable of taking a hint?

“Do whatever you want. Consider it a gift.”

“I knew A-Yu was the best.” Her voice was tender, almost intoxicated. An Yu scoffed in disbelief.

“Lin Duxi, are you still drunk? Do you even know what you’re saying? Weren’t you dizzy and in pain earlier? How are you still chatting?” Her words carried a faint sarcasm, though devoid of tone.

“But I’m talking to A-Yu. It’s like you’re right beside me-my head doesn’t hurt at all.” Lin Duxi seemed entirely oblivious to An Yu’s sharpness, her voice still gentle.

Her soft tone, mixed with the faint slur of alcohol, left An Yu at a loss. This woman was  definitely  still drunk.

She didn’t reply further. Seeing no new messages, she got up to shower-only for another voice message to arrive. Before she could play it, Lin Duxi withdrew it and sent a text instead.

Lin Duoxi: “Goodnight, A-Yu.”

An Yu: “Mm.”

Just as she was about to exit the chat, a notification on her homepage caught her eye-one she hadn’t expected.

[Film Crew “Night Frost” Announces Firing of Assistant Director.]

An Yu clicked on the article in surprise. The gist was that the assistant director had gotten into a physical altercation with an actor during filming, leading to his dismissal.

She still couldn’t quite believe it. Exiting the app, she checked  Night Frost  ‘s official Weibo and found the same statement. A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

In her past life, Zhao Fang had relied on Director Fang’s connections to act with impunity. With this public announcement, he had lost that backing. Now, all she needed was solid evidence of his crimes, and he’d have no room to deny them.

Her hands trembled with excitement as she grabbed her phone to call her lawyer-only to remember she didn’t  have  a lawyer’s contact yet in this timeline. She sighed in frustration.

She’d have to visit a law firm in a couple of days.

The assistant director’s firing didn’t interest netizens much, but given the film’s high-profile cast, the comments quickly derailed into jokes about the male lead and Lin Duxi.

[Support! Casting my vote on behalf of unofficial crew member Ms. Lin!]
[Pretty please, I’m begging you-release the footage of Lin Duoxi visiting Zhuang Yu on set as a bonus clip. Let me see the beautiful ladies!]
[Are you    really    here for the beauties? (Squints)]
[No offense, but can I just ship them for a sec?]

An Yu knew that NPCs in novels tended to ship the main characters hard, but she hadn’t expected them to go  this  hard-shipping from every possible angle. Still, it reminded her of something.

“System, you keep telling me to set them up, but you never said  how  or  where  .”

[Host, it’s not time yet. In the plot, they’ll both appear on a variety show. I’ll arrange for you to join as well, and you can complete the mission there.]

“A variety show? When?”

[Please wait for notification. When the time comes, your company will inform you.]  Compared to An Yu’s curiosity, the system was eerily calm, refusing to elaborate further.

An Yu didn’t press. If the system had it planned, she’d just wait for the plot to come to her.

Before showering, her gaze fell on the half-eaten bag of candy. She walked over and took another piece.

The sweet-and-sour taste was just like her high school days-vibrant, addictive, and gone before she knew it.

The summer between her first and second year of high school had been the most carefree of An Yu’s life. Unfortunately, her irregular sleep schedule led to her being late on the first day of school.

When she checked her watch on the way to school and saw it was already 8 AM-with her still in the car-she gave up entirely. She redirected the driver to a breakfast stall for a  jianbing  , then stopped by a convenience store for snacks.

Shi Yu had tipped her off that they’d be in the same class again, so An Yu planned to share her haul.

By the time she reached Jiangcheng No. 2 High, the gates were long closed. Sneaking around to a secluded corner, she found the usual tree-its thick, gnarled branches a well-known access point for tardy students. An Yu was no exception.

Just as she triumphantly perched on the wall, she spotted a girl in uniform standing inside the school, watching her with a tilted head.

An Yu: “!” No way.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she approached. “Classmate, are you climbing the wall?”

An Yu: “No, I’m testing the structural integrity of the school’s perimeter.”

The girl’s dark, beautiful eyes crinkled with amusement. An Yu hopped down, landing beside her.

“Hey, pretty girl, since you’re so serious, how about this-let me off the hook, okay?” She shoved a bag of candy into the girl’s hands.

The girl examined it. “Bribing me?”

An Yu took a dramatic step back. “My loyalty to the school is unwavering! It’s just… today was an emergency.” She clasped her hands pleadingly. “Please don’t report me.”

“An emergency?”

“Yeah, like forgetting breakfast. A high school girl skipping breakfast is basically a walking zombie all day.”

Her pitiful expression made the girl laugh. She glanced at the candy packaging, and An Yu quickly added,

“This gummy candy is really good. Try it! If you don’t like it, I also have… sunflower seeds. Actually, just take the candy.”

The girl met her eyes, accepting it. “Fine.”

An Yu sighed in relief. “You’re the best! By the way, where’s your notepad? And your armband?”

The girl blinked, her long lashes fluttering innocently. “Did I say I was from the student council?”

An Yu froze for two seconds before grinning. “Oh! Should’ve said so sooner-you scared me! Anyway, I gotta run. If my homeroom teacher catches me, it’s another 800-word self-criticism essay. Keep the candy-consider it a friendship offering. I’m An Yu from Class 3, Grade 2. Come find me if you want to hang out!”

With that, she dashed off, her oversized blue-and-white uniform billowing in the wind, carrying the carefree spirit of summer.

Lin Duxi watched An Yu’s retreating figure, finally unclenching the hand she’d been squeezing tightly. Half-moon indentations marked her palm. She wiped away the sweat with a tissue, then slowly headed toward the school building.

She was going to be late.

“You brought sunflower seeds?” Shi Yu eyed An Yu across the table, amused.

“Passed by a store on the way. Figured I’d grab some-weren’t you obsessed with these in high school?” An Yu tossed the bag to her.

Shi Yu caught it with a laugh. “True. I’ll take them, then. I’m surprised you still remember my high school snacks after all these years.” She feigned exaggerated shock.

An Yu smiled faintly. Maybe it was because she’d been running into Lin Duxi so often lately, but last night, she’d dreamed of their first meeting-details she’d only recalled upon waking.

Those buried memories, unbeknownst to her, had already begun seeping out of the locked box in her mind, drifting silently to the surface.

“So, are you back for work or just visiting?” An Yu asked.

“Work. I’m settling down here.” Shi Yu had majored in literature and became a screenwriter. A domestic company had headhunted her for a position.

“I’m planning to travel around for inspiration soon, but first, I’m visiting an orphanage in the city-there’s a charity event, and I’m writing a short script for them.”

“An orphanage?” An Yu frowned. It sounded familiar-wasn’t Lin Duoxi from one in Jiangcheng?

Something flickered at the edge of her mind, but she couldn’t grasp it.

“Yeah. Want to come? Play some games with the kids.”

An Yu thought for a moment. “If I’m free.”

Shi Yu smiled. “Great, it’s a plan. Oh, by the way-after I left the reunion the other night, did anything happen?”

“No, everything was fine.”

Shi Yu relaxed. “Good. When I left, the way she looked made me think there’d be trouble. Glad she stayed calm.”

An Yu forced a laugh. “Yeah… haha.”

That afternoon, An Yu received a message from her agency-she was to come in and sign a contract for a variety show.