After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 7

After sending the voice message, An Yu waited for a while, but Lin Duxi didn’t reply. She frowned in confusion.

This shouldn’t be happening.  Normally, Lin Duxi would have immediately messaged her in playful annoyance after receiving a blank voice note. Why wasn’t she responding? Unable to figure it out, An Yu replayed the voice message but found nothing unusual.

The expected reaction never came, leaving An Yu puzzled. After some thought, she decided to send another message.

“Is there anything else you need?”

The screen displayed “The other party is typing…” before disappearing, then reappearing again-repeating several times before Lin Duxi finally sent a perfectly ordinary reply:

“No, nothing else. Goodbye, A’Yu.”

She didn’t even say “see you later.”

An Yu closed her phone, still unable to grasp what Lin Duxi was up to. Just then, footsteps echoed from the living room.

“Miss An, we’ve finished packing everything. Please check if anything’s missing.” A moving worker in a blue uniform and cap stood at the doorway, wiping sweat from his brow.

An Yu stood up and handed him a bottle of water. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The worker took the water and scratched his head sheepishly. “It’s our job.”

An Yu walked into the living room, now eerily empty compared to before. Several large boxes sat in the center, with movers carefully arranging items inside.

“Everything’s here. Would you like to check for anything else?”

An Yu wandered through the house until she spotted an abandoned box in the corner of the study. The damp, shadowy corner had left the box slightly moist, its contents filled with discarded draft sketches covered in dust. She flipped through them but had no memory of these drawings.

“I thought these were just used papers, so I left them here,” the mover said, stepping forward to pick up the box.

“No need. They’re just drafts. Just take the ones in the living room,” An Yu replied, dusting off her hands before casting one last glance at the sketches and walking away.

The movers quickly carried out the boxes, leaving the house bare. An Yu scanned the room one final time to ensure nothing was left behind, but her gaze lingered on the abandoned box in the corner.

In the end, she didn’t take it. She wasn’t the sentimental type-if something had been forgotten, it no longer held meaning.

As she reached the door to leave, the sound of a neighbor’s door opening stopped her.

“Xiao Yu, are you moving out?” An elderly woman peeked out, relaxing when she saw An Yu. Beside her stood a tall, slender man who shyly lowered his head upon noticing An Yu.

“No wonder I kept hearing all that noise. Are you moving in with a boyfriend?” she probed.

An Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. “No.”

The woman immediately brightened. “That’s good! But it’s tough for a young woman to live alone in the city without support. You’ve lived here for years, so how about I give you my son’s number? He’s very kind-just call him if you need anything. Go on, son!”

The man stepped forward, but An Yu firmly declined.

“Auntie, that’s unnecessary. Thank you for your kindness.” Without another word, she headed downstairs, ignoring the woman’s disappointed muttering behind her.

“Such a pretty girl, but so cold and distant. She’s lived here for years, and you still couldn’t make a move!”

“Hello, Friends!” was a groundbreaking variety show that blended multiple genres and pioneered a fully live-streamed format. Each episode spanned three days and two nights, broadcasting everything except sleep and private moments-completely unedited, leaving the audience to interpret events freely. Whether by design or sheer luck, the show’s popularity skyrocketed, hinting at a potential blockbuster.

Having only produced low-budget flops before, director Qiao Qingzhou was nervous. To test the waters, he arranged a prelude livestream-a behind-the-scenes look at the six guests’ preparations, along with casual Q&As to familiarize the audience.

The comment section buzzed about Lin Duxi and Pei Lu, while An Yu’s name barely registered. She didn’t mind, though-she was too busy moving.

An Yu had lived in her old apartment for four years. Though her belongings seemed sparse, unpacking still took days. Once everything was arranged, the new place finally felt like home-a comforting sensation that made even her rarely used kitchen feel complete.

Exhausted, she collapsed onto the sofa, savoring the coziness.

With daylight still left, she bagged the trash and headed out to dispose of it, planning to visit a nearby supermarket. The crew would arrive the next day, and as Ning Xuan had advised, she needed supplies. As she locked her door, she glanced at her neighbor’s-still shut tight.

Guess the agent was right-no one lives there.

Downstairs, a silver-white car idled, seemingly waiting for someone.

She bought groceries and seasonings. The script included a segment where guests showcased their cooking skills, and meals would feature heavily throughout the show. Luckily, An Yu knew her way around a kitchen, so filming wouldn’t be too awkward.

An Yu was the third guest to livestream. The first two-a rising star from a hit teen drama and a singer-had solid fanbases, ensuring lively broadcasts.

But An Yu was different. Despite her role in an upcoming hit drama, few recognized her. Her Weibo followers barely reached tens of thousands, half of which were likely company-bought bots. Most comments under the show’s official posts were:

“Who is this? She’s gorgeous!”

“How have I never seen her before?”

As a result, the crew didn’t prioritize her segment, treating it as a quick task to check off. Even the interviewer assigned to her was a rookie.

At 10 a.m., An Yu, dressed neatly, greeted the crew downstairs with a polite smile.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Teacher An! Please greet the audience.” The staff, already running late, hurriedly started the stream.

An Yu smiled and waved at the camera before leading them upstairs. When they reached her floor, she noticed the silver car still parked below.

[Early bird here! No one else? Then this livestream is MINE!]

[Randomly clicked in-who is this beauty? Why so few viewers?]

[Few viewers = hidden gem! She smiled at me-I’m sold! Where’s her fan page?]

[Just checked-how does she have so few followers? I’m an OG fan now!]

Five minutes in, the viewer count barely hit a thousand and stagnated. The staff sighed, already anticipating the dismal post-stream stats.

Unaware, An Yu followed the script, guiding them inside.

“I just moved, so the place might be a bit messy. Please bear with me.”

[No no, streamer, you’re fine!]

The crew entered, panning the camera across the apartment. It wasn’t messy-just sparse, with plenty of space even with everyone inside. A few kitchen appliances sat unpacked in a corner.

An Yu followed their gaze and smiled apologetically. “Those are for cooking later. I haven’t had time to unbox them yet.”

[Cooking? What-bread? Cake?]

An Yu read the comments and smiled softly. “Yes, cake. To celebrate the show’s upcoming recording.”

The staff member glanced around, their gaze settling on the suitcase in the corner, and began to cue the next segment of the process.

“Teacher An, is this suitcase for the luggage you’re bringing to this shoot?”

An Yu nodded.

“Could you open it and let us-and the viewers in the livestream-take a look?”

“Of course.” She walked over and pulled out the suitcase. This was part of the scripted plan, so she hadn’t packed anything private inside.

She laid the suitcase flat, unzipped it, and revealed the contents.

“Over here are clothes and some cosmetics, and this side has things I might need for the show.”

“Teacher An seems very well-prepared. Could you introduce them for us?”

“Of course. These are some medicines for dizziness and fever, and here’s something for preventing insect bites.”

“Teacher An is so thoughtful. With you around, no one has to worry about getting sick,” the staff member chimed in.

[Wow, the suitcase is packed so neatly. I just shove things in wherever there’s space-I feel ashamed now.]

[The host’s voice is so nice-it has this cold, detached vibe, like you know she’d reject you coolly, but you still want to get closer.]

An Yu’s expression froze for a moment. “Thank you for the compliment, though I feel like there’s something a little off about it.”

She turned back to the suitcase and continued, “Over here, there are also some-”

Knock knock-  A sudden rapping at the door cut her off. Everyone turned toward the sound, and the staff member asked in confusion, “Teacher An, were you expecting someone?”

[Someone’s here?]

An Yu frowned slightly, looking puzzled. She hadn’t invited anyone over-who could it be?

Still, she stood up and walked toward the door under the watchful eye of the livestream, explaining casually, “It might be a neighbor.”

Then she gripped the doorknob, turned it, and the door swung inward. The next second, she froze in place, her brow furrowing in confusion.

From the angle of the camera, neither the staff nor the livestream viewers could see who was at the door-only An Yu’s profile. The staff member, noticing the growing curiosity in the chat, took a couple of steps forward. When he saw who was standing there, he, too, froze. The livestream chat also went silent in shock.

“Ah Yu!” Finally, Lin Duxi’s delighted voice broke the silence. She leaned forward slightly, raising her hand as if to hug An Yu’s arm, but at the last second, she caught sight of the staff member inside and hesitated, changing her motion to instead grip An Yu’s sleeve.

“So you’re the new neighbor,” she said happily, her eyes sparkling.

An Yu snapped out of her daze at the words and casually pulled her sleeve free. “Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be you either.”

Feeling An Yu’s withdrawal, Lin Duxi’s expression dimmed slightly, her eyebrows drooping.

[Holy sh*t.]

[Lin Duxi! Did I hear that right? Neighbors?!]

[Lin Duxi lives next door to the host?! Lin Duxi is An Yu’s neighbor!]

[What did they mean by that? Do they know each other?]

[Replying to the above: As a four-year fan of Lin Duxi, I can confirm they’ve had zero overlap aside from that one drama visit. The entertainment industry really is a small world.]

[Staff! Get Lin Duxi inside! I want to see! Are you seriously going to pass up this huge opportunity for views?! Hurry!]

[Support!]

The staff member never expected Lin Duxi to show up here-and from the way the two spoke, it seemed they might have known each other before.

Watching the skyrocketing viewer count and the flood of comments begging for Lin Duxi to stay, he mustered his courage and stepped forward.

Lin Duxi took in the scene inside and immediately understood. “You’re livestreaming? I should go, then?”

“Wait! Teacher Lin, the viewers really want you to stay! Besides, you’ll both be on the same show-you’ll definitely cross paths again. Why not join us for this?” He spoke boldly, unwilling to let go of this sudden surge in popularity.

“Is that really okay?” Lin Duxi looked up at An Yu, her long lashes fluttering. An Yu shrugged indifferently and stepped aside to make way. Only then did Lin Duxi’s eyes curve into crescents.

Ah Yu is so good.

With Lin Duxi’s arrival, the livestream’s viewer count shot up. Most were Lin Duxi’s fans, while the rest were curious bystanders drawn in by the unexpected twist.

[Do they know each other? Why are they in the same livestream? Haha, it’s so random, but it also feels kinda nice.]

[One beauty was already a feast for the eyes, but now there are two-ahhh, my vision has finally been restored!]

[Is no one else picking up on the chemistry between them? If no one’s shipping them yet, I’ll start.]

[Sis, want to experience the bond between two girls? Want to ship their love story? Want to admire their beauty? Search for the CP hashtag #YuXi on Weibo-click and immerse yourself in the genuine emotions between these two beauties. (Ad)]

[There’s a fan community? I’m joining!]

[The friendship between girls is just  chef’s kiss  . Just seeing them stand together gives off such a serene, comforting vibe.]

An Yu and Lin Duxi were completely unaware of the chat’s derailed discussion. As Lin Duxi stood in her living room and the staff member buzzed with renewed energy, An Yu sighed inwardly.

She walked back to the suitcase and closed it, then glanced at the staff member-who was too busy filming her and Lin Duxi to notice. Left with no choice, An Yu took over cueing the next segment herself.

“It’s already noon. I’ll unpack those furniture pieces and start baking the cake now.”

“Baking a cake? How about having Teacher Lin assist you?”