After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 61

After school, An Yu waited until almost all her classmates had left the classroom before finally stirring. She sat at her desk, slowly packing her things, putting books into her bag only to take them out again, her peripheral gaze flickering repeatedly toward Lin Duxi’s figure at the front of the room.

Lin Duxi’s slender back remained straight, the only sign of life being the swift movements of her pen. It was as if an invisible barrier had risen around her, isolating her from everyone else.

Only a handful of scattered students remained in the classroom, all of them-like Lin Duxi-bent over their work, preparing for supplementary lessons in the teachers’ office. An Yu’s furtive glances made her stand out conspicuously among them.

There were still thirty minutes left before their tutoring session ended. An Yu wasn’t in any particular hurry, so she mimicked the others, pulling out a pen to work on her exercise book. But her mind was nowhere near the problems on the page. After struggling through ten minutes, she finally tossed her pen aside, grabbed her school blazer, and walked out.

As she passed Lin Duxi, her steps were deliberately casual, as if to project an air of nonchalance and confidence. But inside her blazer pockets, her hands were clenched into tight fists, her palms slick with sweat.

The classroom door clicked shut behind An Yu, cutting off most of the light. Only then did Lin Duxi’s tense shoulders finally relax. It was hard to maintain composure under such an intense gaze. She rolled her stiff shoulders, glancing down at the paper beneath her pen-already stained with a blot of spilled ink. Her eyes flicked toward the closed door, emotions swirling in their depths.

An Yu decided to check out the area near the barbecue shop. But Qi Yuankang’s words weren’t exactly trustworthy, so she took precautions. She picked up a loose brick from the roadside and stuffed it into her backpack, then called her family’s chauffeur-who was waiting for her-and instructed him to take the bodyguards to the barbecue shop first, ordering some food to “wait for her.” In reality, she wanted them to scout for any suspicious figures loitering nearby.

An Yu could have just gone home and slept instead of going through all this trouble. But what if? What if Lin Duxi really had asked her to come? Even the faintest possibility made her heart flutter with excitement, an urge to see her that she couldn’t ignore.

An Yu was acutely aware of this shift within herself. The mind that had once been occupied only by eating, drinking, and having fun was now steadily being overtaken by the name  Lin Duxi  . For a moment, her heart trembled, but she quickly suppressed the clamoring beat, refusing to dwell on it.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed since school let out. The students who had lingered around the snack stalls outside the campus had already left in small groups, and the once-bustling area quickly fell into silence. Vendors packed up their things, preparing to move to the next lively spot.

An Yu walked along the road, her backpack slung over her shoulders. The barbecue shop was quite a distance from the school, and after several minutes of walking, a cold wind swept past her. Despite the relatively warm weather, she shivered inexplicably, her grip on the backpack straps tightening abruptly.

Someone was following her.

An Yu’s brow furrowed. She quickened her pace toward a nearby snack stall, where the vendor was packing up his folding stools. When he saw An Yu approach, he merely muttered, “Take a look if you want anything,” before lowering his head again to fiddle with his things.

An Yu pretended to browse the selection, but her attention was fixed on the figure lurking a dozen meters behind her. The person lingered near another stall, mimicking her actions. When An Yu lifted her arm to check her watch, she caught the other person raising the same arm-except theirs bore no watch.

This is bad.  These people weren’t waiting for her at the barbecue shop-they had tailed her directly on the road.

An Yu handed the vendor a skewer, but before he could even name the price, she bolted, leaving only a five-yuan bill on the griddle.

Vendor: “?”

An Yu dashed into a nearby milk tea shop, her senses sharp enough to pick up the hurried footsteps behind her. Breathing heavily, she slid into a seat inside.

A few students were scattered around the shop. Through the glass, An Yu saw the stalker pause outside, pacing uncertainly before running off-probably to gather the others.

An Yu didn’t dare let her guard down. She called the chauffeur and bodyguards, demanding they return immediately. But they weren’t in the car, and the fastest they could get from the barbecue shop to the milk tea shop was two or three minutes-  if  they could even find their way.

About a hundred meters past the milk tea shop stood an abandoned factory building. The stalkers were probably lying in wait there. An Yu’s heart pounded violently, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Running back now was out of the question-those thugs would definitely barge into the milk tea shop. She couldn’t stay here.

“Hello, classmate, do you need any help?” A female voice snapped An Yu out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a milk tea shop employee.

The shop wasn’t busy, and the employee had noticed the pretty girl as soon as she walked in. Seeing her anxious expression, the employee assumed she was in some kind of trouble and took the initiative to approach her.

An Yu’s eyes lit up. “Do you have a back door in your shop?”

The employee was taken aback but answered honestly, “Yes, we do.”

An Yu: “Can I leave through the back door?” She blinked her big eyes, her face full of hope. The employee had initially planned to say that the manager had rules against it, but she was weak for pretty faces and nodded firmly.

An Yu beamed with joy.

Without wasting time, the two hurried to the back door. The employee opened it, revealing a deserted street outside.

An Yu: “If anyone comes looking for me, please tell them I went back to school through the front door.”

The employee asked worriedly, “No problem, but do you need me to call the police for you?”

An Yu: “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

She turned and handed the employee something before quickly darting away down the alley.

The employee looked down-it was a skewer of grilled meat, still warm.

An Yu sprinted down the narrow paths, mentally mapping her location as she ran. She wasn’t familiar with this area, and the maze-like alleys made her worry about getting lost. She kept turning in the same direction at every intersection until she felt she had run far enough that those people wouldn’t find her. Finally, she stopped at a crossing, catching her breath before stepping onto the main road.

The building beside her had poor soundproofing, and noisy quarrels spilled out from inside. She walked slowly, panting, as the voices grew louder, forcing their way into her ears.

“You set your sights on her, Lin Ze. If you want to die, you could’ve just told me directly.”

“Lin… you’re fucking insane… you’re all insane… you’re the one who should die.”

An Yu frowned. What vulgar language. She glanced over and realized with a start that she was standing right outside the abandoned factory building. She cursed herself-running in the same direction at every turn had brought her full circle.

An Yu: “…” She wanted to take the brick from her bag and knock herself out.

Her gaze trailed down the building. The abandoned roller shutter door hung half-open, and broken windows creaked in the wind. Sunlight could only illuminate small patches inside. An Yu saw several people sprawled on the ground, one of whom was being roughly hauled up by someone crouching beside them. The distance and dim lighting made it hard to see clearly.

An Yu had a bad feeling and was about to run when another voice rang out from inside.

“Lin… Du Xi, you fucking dare hit me? Have you forgotten who the hell you are… ugh.” Another muffled groan followed.

An Yu froze mid-turn, then slowly turned back. As she moved, her foot knocked over a bottle, the clattering sound drawing the attention of those inside. The clouds parted, and sunlight finally spilled into the factory, illuminating the dark corners. An Yu’s eyes met those of Lin Du Xi, who was still crouching.

The shadows and obsession in Lin Du Xi’s eyes hadn’t yet faded, but the distance between them was too great-An Yu could only see her reddened eyes.

She’s crying  , An Yu thought.

Lin Du Xi stiffened, abruptly releasing the collar in her grip. The man collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath like he’d narrowly escaped death.

In the blink of an eye, the person who had been ten meters away was now right in front of An Yu. Lin Du Xi’s nose stung as she pulled An Yu into a tight embrace, burying her face in An Yu’s shoulder. Her voice was choked with emotion. “A-Yu, it’s all my fault for dragging you into this. Are you hurt?”

She really is crying.  An Yu’s heart shattered like a cookie, crumbling into pieces under the weight of her tears. She wrapped her arms around Lin Du Xi’s waist.

“I’m fine. Did they give you trouble? Did they hurt you?”

Lin Du Xi nuzzled into An Yu’s neck, inhaling her scent like a needy animal. Before she could answer, two frantic voices called out from nearby.

“Young Miss, thank goodness you’re alright!”

An Yu looked up to see the driver and bodyguard standing in the middle of the factory, surrounded by groaning thugs curled up on the ground.

An Yu felt her head spin. The driver stepped forward to explain.

“Miss Lin called us over. She said there were people here who might threaten you.”

An Yu turned back to Lin Du Xi, who had just taken full advantage of the hug and finally loosened her grip, sliding her hands down to clasp An Yu’s. Her tear-filled eyes were even clearer now, pitifully pleading.

“After school, I saw you leaving in a hurry and knew something was wrong, so I followed you. On the way, I noticed someone tailing you. You went into the milk tea shop to ask for help, ran into these two when they returned, and then these guys showed up outside the factory.”

She didn’t elaborate further, but An Yu could guess the rest-the bodyguard and driver had beaten them up, Lin Du Xi had demanded to know where she was, they’d refused and taunted her, and Lin Du Xi had been driven to tears.

An Yu studied Lin Du Xi-her reddened eyes, her trembling hand-and felt her heart ache as if it were being split apart, painful yet tender.

“I’m fine, okay? Don’t cry.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and gently wiped Lin Du Xi’s cheeks. Lin Du Xi let her, docile as a pet under its owner’s touch.

The bodyguard and driver stared in disbelief. Was this the same girl who had been cold and ruthless just moments ago?

Ahem.  “Young Miss, Miss Lin, you should both go home and rest. The police will be here soon, and the master is on his way too.”

An Yu nodded and glanced at Lin Du Xi, who was still staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought. An Yu gave her hand a light squeeze.

Lin Du Xi snapped back to reality. “Hm?”

An Yu softened her voice. “Let’s go home first.”

“Okay.”

The driver got into the car with them, while the bodyguard stayed behind to wait for the authorities.

As the car started, their intertwined hands never separated. The temperature in the narrow backseat rose steadily, their exhales warm against the cool air.

An Yu suddenly remembered Lin Du Xi’s words when they first met and sensed something off.

“Earlier, you said it was your fault for dragging me into this. What did you mean?”

Lin Du Xi stiffened imperceptibly. “It’s nothing. I was just emotional at the time.”

“You’re lying. There’s definitely a reason.” An Yu could feel the tension in their clasped hands. Lin Du Xi wouldn’t have said that without cause. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

“Before this, had those people bothered you before?” Her voice turned cold.

Lin Du Xi’s silence was confirmation.

The realization didn’t bring relief-instead, An Yu’s heart felt like it was being gouged by glass, sharp and suffocating.

“So that’s why you refused when I asked you to move in with me.” Her voice shook.

Lin Du Xi said quietly, “I was afraid they’d target you if we spent too much time together.” But she hadn’t expected that, despite keeping her distance and resisting the urge to seek An Yu out, they’d still set their sights on her.

An Yu exhaled sharply, unable to contain her emotions. She gripped Lin Du Xi’s hand tightly, squeezing until it hurt, but Lin Du Xi didn’t utter a word of complaint.

“Now that I know, will you move in with me?” She stared straight at Lin Du Xi, her gaze clear and stubborn, as if she’d bite if she sensed even a hint of refusal.

Lin Du Xi’s heart raced uncontrollably, a fire blazing inside her, threatening to reduce her to ashes. Wordlessly, she pulled An Yu into a tight embrace, her lips brushing against An Yu’s ear as she exhaled hotly against her delicate skin.

“An Yu, you said it yourself.” Lin Du Xi’s voice was ghostly against her shoulder.

This is your last chance to push me away. After this, you’ll never get rid of me-I’ll cling to you like a vine, inseparable till death.

“I meant it,” An Yu replied.

That day was November 6th, the day before Winter Begins.