After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 73

Since receiving the vice dean’s phone call, Lin Duxi had been plagued by unease, as if an invisible boulder weighed on her heart, suffocating her. She could only barely maintain her outward composure, bidding An Yu farewell with gentle calm in front of the café.

Before leaving, An Yu softly kissed her lips-so tender and sweet-greatly easing the worry in her heart.

Watching the taxi carrying An Yu drive away, the forced smile on Lin Duxi’s lips finally faded. Her hand clenched her phone tightly, sweat from her palm blurring the screen and obscuring the call history.

The taxi sped along, the driver accelerating further upon seeing her urgency. By the time she arrived at the welfare institute, only half an hour had passed. Lin Duxi hurriedly stepped out of the car.

The institute’s gates were wide open, yet the courtyard was eerily empty. Amid the clamor of cicadas in the summer heat, the silence was unsettling-so much so that it was terrifying. Lin Duxi’s breath caught.

She quickened her pace through the courtyard, and just around the corner, she heard chaotic voices. Her nerves stretched to the breaking point, the childhood fear flooding back made her legs feel as if they were filled with lead. Oppressed, she gasped for air, sweat beading on her back, her entire body trembling.

Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself forward, step by agonizing step. Then, she saw Lin Yongfeng and Lin Ze standing in the yard, hurling curses, while Zhao Sunan lay on the ground, supported by several staff members. Not a single patch of her exposed skin was unharmed.

The moment Lin Duxi appeared at the corner, she drew the attention of the staff. Lin Yongfeng and Lin Ze, with their backs to her, hadn’t noticed yet, too busy berating Zhao Sunan on the ground.

“Well, well, if it weren’t for Old Zhang telling me that a Lin-surnamed high schooler from this welfare institute became the city’s top scorer, and me coming here by chance, I’d never have run into you! How much longer did you plan to hide from me, huh? What, are you so obsessed with Lin Duxi? A city’s top scorer makes you so happy-is she your damn daughter or something?”

“No wonder you care so much about Lin Chengzhou’s kid! Did Lin Duxi’s bitch of a mother give you money before she died? Where is it? Hand it over!”

His insults were vile. A few staff members tried to intervene, but one step forward was met with a glare that sent them retreating.

Zhao Sunan’s face was streaked with tears as she was helped up, shaking her head weakly.

“I didn’t… She didn’t give me any money, I’m not-”

“You fucking bitch, still talking back? I’ll teach you a lesson!” He raised his hand to strike, but the staff pulled Zhao Sunan out of the way, leaving him humiliated. He pointed at them, roaring.

“And this damn institute of yours! Making her work without paying a cent-I’ll sue you all!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? She’s a volunteer! It’s voluntary, understand?” One staff member couldn’t take it anymore and retorted.

The man fell silent, his gaze fixed on the staff member with such malice and darkness that the latter shrank back.

This was someone who, if provoked, was capable of anything.

The staff member averted his eyes-only to spot Lin Duxi standing not far away. His expression froze. The man followed his gaze and turned around.

Lin Duxi’s fists tightened, loosened, then clenched again as she stepped forward, meeting the man’s gaze without flinching.

This was only the second time she had seen Lin Yongfeng in all these years. The last time they met, he had ordered Zhao Sunan to abandon her in a desolate construction site. She had wandered alone for two days before collapsing on the roadside.

The memories she had deliberately buried now surged toward her like a tidal wave. There was no escaping them-she could only endure, letting the suffering and pain scar her anew. The festering recollections burrowed into her bones, agony trembling through the depths of her soul. Yet now, she had no choice but to suppress it all, ensuring no one else would see.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the welfare institute’s top scholar? What, you’re back?” Lin Ze sneered at her.

“Don’t tell me you aced the college entrance exams and are heading to some fancy school, ready to forget all about your poor relatives, huh, cousin?”

Lin Duxi stared at Lin Ze. “I have no family. What the hell are you?”

“You little-” Lin Ze flew into a rage, rolling up his sleeves to teach her a lesson, but Lin Yongfeng stopped him.

“This is our family’s top scholar-what are you doing?” He held back the furious Lin Ze, then stepped toward Lin Duxi.

“Lin Duxi, you know this-my father made me drop out of school so my brother could go to college. The mess I am today is largely thanks to him. He owes me. Now that he’s been dead for years, it’s time for you, his daughter, to pay up.”

Lin Duxi faced the dangerous aura radiating from him but stood her ground.

“I said I have no family.”

The man laughed upon hearing this, his tongue pressing against his cheek before he suddenly reached out and slapped Lin Duxi with such force that she had to brace herself against the wall to steady herself.

Her ears rang with a deafening buzz, and one side of her face burned with pain. In that dazed moment, her first thought was that An Yu must not see her in this state.

Faintly, she heard a kind voice and felt someone supporting her. When she opened her eyes, she saw the vice-principal helping the principal, who was leaning on a cane.

“Come here, child,” the principal said, her eyes filled with concern.

Lin Duxi was helped over and pulled into the old principal’s embrace. A wrinkled hand gently touched her reddened cheek as the principal asked tenderly,

“Child, does it hurt badly?”

Lin Duxi’s dry eyes suddenly welled with tears. The long-lost feeling of being cared for by someone she respected filled her heart with bitterness. She gave a slight nod.

The principal then looked up at Zhao Sunan, who was being supported by others, and the father-son pair standing opposite them. She turned to a staff member and instructed them to call the police before addressing the two men.

“What are you two doing here? Why did you hit someone?”

The man glanced coldly at Zhao Sunan. “You’ve got quite the connections, huh? Daring to bring people against me-do you have a death wish? Get over here and come with me now!” He then turned to the principal. “You’re in charge here, right? This is none of your business! Lin Duxi and this woman are my relatives. I’m handling my own family affairs-what’s it to you?”

The principal remained unshaken. “Lin Duxi is a child of this institution, which makes her my child. And since Ms. Zhao’s incident happened here, it’s my duty to intervene.”

The man looked ready to strike again, but Lin Ze stepped forward, his eyes scanning the principal.

“So you’re the principal? Good. My mother has worked here for years without pay-don’t you owe her wages? And Lin Duxi-my cousin-her father owed mine a huge debt. Since you’re claiming her as one of yours, you can pay it back. Fifty thousand.”

The demand caused an uproar. The vice-principal was livid. “You shameless crooks! Fifty thousand? Why don’t you just rob us?”

“No pay? Then we’ll smash everything! Son, let’s go!” The two barged into a nearby room, grabbing whatever they could and hurling it to the ground. Staff members tried to stop them but were forced back by the objects in their hands.

Lin Duxi broke free from the principal’s embrace and rushed into the room, trembling as she tried to stop them. In the struggle, she was struck repeatedly by heavy objects, pain wracking her body.

The men’s curses continued as they moved to another room, smashing everything in sight. Lin Duxi followed, desperately grabbing items to prevent further destruction.

Then, a commotion outside drew their attention. When Lin Duxi stepped out, she saw the principal collapsed on the ground, her lips pale. Her blood ran cold. She didn’t remember how she reached the principal’s side-only that when she grasped the old woman’s hand with her own icy fingers, the principal’s skin was even colder.

The police and an ambulance arrived together. The two troublemakers were forced into a squad car, Lin Yongfeng shouting as an officer shoved his head down.

“Lin Duxi! As long as this orphanage stands, you’ll never escape! You’ll spend your whole life paying back what your father owes me!”

“Shut it!” an officer barked.

“I’ll kill you,” Lin Duxi whispered, her entire body trembling. Fury and hatred clouded her vision, making her dizzy. The man’s voice seemed distant, muffled, as if separated by layers of fog. She had no strength left to react-her eyes were fixed on the motionless figure of the principal on the stretcher. Her fingertips felt numb with cold.

Then, a hand gripped hers, pulling her back to reality.

“You’re covered in injuries. Come here, let me bandage you,” a medic said, frowning at her wounds.

Lin Duxi looked down. Her hands were stained with blood, the deep crimson pooling at her fingertips before it could drip.

So that’s why her fingers felt so cold.

She followed the ambulance to the hospital. Most of her injuries were superficial-bruises and cuts from being struck-so after a quick bandaging, she hurried to the emergency room doors.

The vice-principal sat on a chair, face buried in her hands, sighing heavily. The glaring red “In Surgery” sign above the doors stabbed into Lin Duxi’s vision. She slumped against the cold wall, sliding to the floor and hugging her knees, burying her face in them.

This was all her fault. Lin Yongfeng and Lin Ze had come because of her. The principal was in this state because of her. Lin Yongzhou was right-she was nothing but a burden.

They wouldn’t be locked up for long. A criminal record meant nothing to them. Lin Yongfeng’s words before being shoved into the car were like a delayed bullet, piercing her heart.

He was right. Knowing them, they’d come for her again. They’d already shown up right after her college entrance exams, demanding money, causing chaos at the orphanage, and now driving the principal to the hospital. They wouldn’t stop.

The hospital’s air conditioning was frigid. Lin Duxi curled up in the corner, teeth clenched, eyes red. At this moment, she longed desperately for that warm embrace-for An Yu, who would hold her, kiss her, let her be reckless and wild.

She missed her. She wanted to see her, hug her, cry in her arms.

Just one hug. Just one. She was on the verge of breaking.

But the moment that longing took shape, a dark thought crept into her mind. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, it surged like a flood, carving a deep wound in her heart.

If they knew her address, would they find out about An Yu? Worse-if they couldn’t get to her, would they go after An Yu instead?