After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 58

An Yu’s hand froze in place as she carefully examined the photograph. Her parents had once sponsored the orphanage where Lin Duxi had lived.

Her heart felt as if it were being struck by countless tiny hammers. An Yu stared at the date on the photo-seventeen years ago. Lin Duxi had been seven years old at the time.

She flipped through the album further and found more photos of An Huaili and Yu Yingzhen posing with staff from other orphanages in Jiangcheng. Seeing this, the tension in her chest eased slightly.

It must just be a coincidence.  Her parents had always loved charity work, so it wasn’t strange that they had sponsored the orphanage where Lin Duxi grew up. An Yu tried to reassure herself, but a seed of doubt had already taken root in her heart.

Had Lin Duxi known her parents when she was little?

She couldn’t help but study the photo a few more times. Only staff members appeared in the picture-none of the children were visible. Whether it was her imagination or not, An Yu noticed that the smile of a middle-aged woman in a blue volunteer uniform in the bottom right corner seemed… off. Forced. She glanced at the name written below the photo.

Zhao Sunan.

“These are all the orphanages your parents sponsored. The one you’re looking at now is one of them.” Wen Zhenhe’s voice came from behind her. Unnoticed, he had entered the storage room and was now standing behind her, watching as she held the album. His tone carried a hint of nostalgia.

“Back then, I still had more hair on my head,” he joked, running a hand through his still-thick hair. For his age, he had managed to retain quite a bit.

“I remember, your parents paid special attention to this orphanage. They sponsored its operations for over a decade. The last time they helped was when the orphanage was in a financial crisis. Thanks to your parents’ support, it managed to pull through. After that, your parents no longer had the time to focus on charity work.” He sighed.

An Yu traced the worn edges of the photo with her fingers. “Did my parents always like doing charity work?”

Wen Zhenhe thought for a moment. “I’ve been the An family’s butler for decades-since your father was just a teenager. After your parents got married, I continued serving them. From what I recall, they weren’t particularly invested in charity at first. But after you were born, they gradually started paying more attention to it.”

Wen Zhenhe was right. An Yu had checked the dates on all the photos in the album. The earliest one was taken when she was seven-the same photo with the staff of Jiangcheng’s Loving Heart Orphanage.

Jiangcheng’s Loving Heart Orphanage. An Huaili and Yu Yingzhen. Lin Duxi. Seven years old.

An Yu pieced these fragments together in her mind, but no memories surfaced. It seemed she really hadn’t accompanied her parents to any charity events as a child.

She closed the album and forced herself to push aside the swirling thoughts in her head.

“Thank you, Uncle Wen. These photos are precious. I’ll take good care of them.”

Wen Zhenhe smiled warmly. “They belonged to your parents. Now that they’ve been passed to you, it’s only right.”

An Yu’s grip on the album tightened unconsciously.

She didn’t know much about Lin Duxi’s time in the orphanage. During high school, Lin Duxi had rarely spoken about it. Now, trying to uncover the truth felt like an impossible task.

She tucked the album into her bag and closed her eyes, trying to rest and clear her mind. Unintentionally, she ended up falling asleep in the car on the way back.

At some point, she dreamed-something hazy, something important. But when she woke up, her head was heavy, and she couldn’t remember anything. The bumpy ride had left her feeling nauseous, her body covered in a thin layer of sweat. Suppressing her dizziness, she got out of the car and headed to the company.

Ning Xuan had been waiting for her in the office for a while. When An Yu walked in, looking like death warmed over, she frowned.

“What’s wrong with you? Such good news falls into your lap, and you look like you don’t even want it.”

An Yu was confused. “What good news?” She sat on the sofa, massaging her throbbing temples, and poured herself a glass of water.

Ning Xuan shot her a look. “You really don’t hold back, do you? Both  Hello, Friend  and  Frost in the Night  have been invited to a gala. An Yu, you’ve hit the jackpot!”

An Yu blinked. “A gala? When?”

“This weekend. Why do you look so reluctant? The people attending this jewelry gala aren’t small-time celebrities. If you network well, it’ll only benefit your career.” She didn’t spell it out, but An Yu understood.

Making connections at the gala would ensure that even after she terminated her contract, she wouldn’t be blacklisted or left without work.

An Yu nodded. “Thank you, Sister Ning. I’ll do my best!”

Ning Xuan waved a hand. “Don’t celebrate yet. The host of this jewelry gala is Du Qianshu, the CEO of Yaoyue. The invitation was personally delivered by one of her subordinates. Do you know her?”

“Auntie Du.” An Yu knew her well. She had been her mother’s college classmate. After her parents passed away, Du Qianshu had often visited her. When the battle over the company’s assets had erupted, An Yu-completely clueless about business-had relied on Du Qianshu’s help to keep the family home. She was deeply grateful to her. But Du Qianshu was a busy woman, and they rarely kept in touch. Eventually, they became the kind of relatives who only saw each other once a year.

“She was a friend of my mom’s. We don’t talk much now,” An Yu replied.

“Even if you don’t talk much, there’s still a connection. The fact that she sent someone to deliver the invitation means she still thinks highly of you.” Ning Xuan couldn’t help but add, “Speaking of connections, I noticed you and Lin Duxi seem pretty close on the show. Did you know each other before, or was it just natural chemistry for the CP?”

An Yu’s hand, holding the cup, stilled. Given how popular their CP had become, it was only a matter of time before someone dug up their high school history. Rather than letting paparazzi expose it and face Ning Xuan’s wrath later, it was better to come clean now.

“Lin Duxi and I were classmates in high school. We were… very close.”

Ning Xuan narrowed her eyes. ”  How  close?”

An Yu hesitated. “Just… very close.”

Ning Xuan: “……”

“You never mentioned it. Watching the show, I thought you two had gotten together behind my back. For now, just maintain this dynamic. Your CP is trending hard right now. I’ll reach out to her team and see if they’re open to pushing your pairing further. After the show ended, there was a CP poll online-you two were in first place.”

(Ning Xuan didn’t mention that she, too, had been voting for their CP every day, just like the fans.)

An Yu was full of surprises-not only was she high school classmates with Lin Duxi, but she also knew Du Qianshu. Ning Xuan had originally been worried about what would happen to An Yu after her contract ended, but now, those concerns were completely unnecessary.

An Yu had no idea what was happening online. She only ever logged into Weibo with a burner account, scrolling through comments and messages before quickly logging off.

Seeing her expression, Ning Xuan assumed she didn’t believe her and pulled up the voting page on her phone. “You really don’t keep up with trends, do you? As the actual person involved, you should be paying attention to your CP fans and supporters.”

An Yu thought to herself,  I even draw fanart of me and Lin Duxi on my alt account. Doesn’t that count as paying attention?

As Ning Xuan spoke, her fingers scrolled through the screen-but her brows gradually furrowed. Curious, An Yu leaned in to look.

The page showed the  Hello, Friend  CP poll rankings, with the numbers constantly updating. An Yu saw that her pairing with Lin Duxi was in second place. First place?

Lin Duxi and Pei Lu.

An Yu’s smile froze.

Ning Xuan put her phone away and looked at An Yu, her eyes practically saying,  “An Yu, you’re slacking.”

An Yu: “……”

She had briefly scanned the numbers. Pei Lu and Lin Duxi’s votes exceeded hers and Lin Duxi’s by about a third. Both pairings had votes in the millions. If Ning Xuan said they had been in first place before, only to be overtaken by Pei Lu and Lin Duxi later, such a huge gap in such a short time was impossible without interference.

An Yu thought of one person.

The system.

The system had once told her that only it could alter the rules of this world and correct the novel’s errors.

So  this  was the “mistake” it had mentioned before. It had gone to fix  this  .

Ning Xuan cleared her throat. She had spoken too soon. “Anyway, your CP with Lin Duxi is still doing well. You’ve already got a lot of fans. I’ll check with her team. If they agree, we’ll keep pushing this pairing-add fuel to the fire.”

An Yu thought to herself,  Lin Duxi’s team probably won’t agree.

If the system could manipulate the votes in this world, it could also influence Lin Duxi’s team’s decisions. Maybe the only thing it  couldn’t  change was the female lead’s own will-which was why it needed her, the ex-girlfriend and supporting character who knew everything, to complete its tasks.

Still, she nodded. Whether it was because she didn’t want to disappoint Ning Xuan or because she still held onto a sliver of hope, she wasn’t sure.

After a long day, An Yu returned home to find the neighboring apartment silent. She guessed Lin Duxi was already asleep.

On her way back, she had noticed heightened security in the neighborhood-several patrolling guards with flashlights. She glanced once more at Lin Duxi’s door before unlocking her own and stepping inside.

Exhausted, she dragged herself through a shower and collapsed onto the bed, ready to sleep.

The lingering scent of Lin Duxi from last night’s stay wrapped around her like a spell, soothing her frayed nerves. An Yu tossed and turned before settling into the most comfortable position, half-dreaming that Lin Duxi was still beside her.

Just as she was about to drift off, a  thud  -like something falling-jolted her awake.

An Yu lay still, listening.

The night was silent except for the rustling of leaves in the wind. She thought she had imagined it and turned over, ready to sleep again-

Then she heard another noise.

Followed by the soft click of a door closing.

The sound was faint, but to An Yu’s ears, it was as loud as thunder.

Her eyes flew open.

That sound had come from outside her door.

Lin Duxi!

Her heart clenched. Any remaining drowsiness vanished as adrenaline surged through her. She threw off the covers and rushed out.

The hallway was empty, as if nothing had happened. But An Yu’s sharp nose caught the faint scent of alcohol. She walked to Lin Duxi’s door and pressed the doorbell.

There was no response.

An Yu pressed the doorbell again while reaching for the handle. Unexpectedly, the door was unlocked. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

She turned the handle and stepped inside. The scent of alcohol overpowered the faint fragrance in the room. Passing the entryway, An Yu spotted the woman collapsed on the sofa.

The curtains in the living room were left open, allowing the moonlight to spill softly through the window, casting a pale glow over Lin Duxi’s body on the couch. An Yu lay there, brows knitted, her lips trembling slightly as faint, shaky whispers drifted through the quiet room.

“…Don’t go… Don’t… leave me…”