After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 86
The majority of the hype surrounding the show Hello, Friend centered on Lin Duxi and An Yu. Online, countless hashtags had sprouted from their conversations during their first-day date.
Unaware of the discussions on Weibo, An Yu and the others returned to the villa, ate a simple meal, and Lin Duxi excused herself early, citing exhaustion from the day. An Yu stayed behind with the others to clean up the dining table.
Her gaze lingered in the direction where Lin Duxi had disappeared. After finishing the cleanup, An Yu grabbed some fruit from the table and went upstairs.
Twisting the doorknob, she heard the sound of running water-Lin Duxi must be showering. Seizing the opportunity, she began organizing her clothes.
Or rather, she pretended to organize them while staring blankly at the suitcase, so lost in thought that she didn’t notice when Lin Duxi appeared beside her.
“What are you doing?” Lin Duxi’s voice, still damp from the shower, sounded beside her ear.
An Yu turned her head. Lin Duxi stood there in a thin nightgown, her wet hair loosely draped over her shoulders, droplets still clinging to the ends. Her slender fingers held a towel, gently drying the strands.
The room’s light fell on her, making her already fair skin appear even paler.
“Looking for clothes,” An Yu replied.
Lin Duxi’s eyes carried a smile. Though her body was tired, her expression was relaxed. “Found them?”
An Yu nodded.
“Then go shower. We had a long day today-let’s sleep early.” Her tone was so familiar, as if they had been a married couple for years.
An Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re very enthusiastic today. Much more than when we were hiking.”
“Because this was my first date with you,” Lin Duxi said bluntly, her eyes overflowing with affection.
Ever since stepping off the Ferris wheel, the restless unease in her heart had settled.
An Yu’s expression remained calm, as if she had grown accustomed to Lin Duxi’s occasional outbursts of love. But as she walked past Lin Duxi with her clothes, a gust of wind brushed her hair aside, revealing a reddened ear.
Lin Duxi smiled faintly.
The steam in the bathroom blurred her vision. An Yu let the hot water rush over her, her mind entirely occupied by what the system had told her earlier.
If she failed to complete the mission, she wouldn’t truly survive. The system would forever control her, monitoring her every move.
Was this a dead end?
An Yu adjusted the water temperature. A burst of icy water poured down, jolting her awake. Hidden details from the corners of her memory slowly surfaced.
The system had warned her that failing the mission would trigger “punishment mode”-something it described as terrifying. But she hadn’t found it so unbearable.
Punishment mode forced her to relive the moment of her death, torturing her mind with despair over and over. Yet, it also allowed her to move freely and recall details-which was useful.
It didn’t match what the system had described. It felt as though the “punishment” she experienced wasn’t the same one the system referred to.
Every time she entered punishment mode, Lin Duxi’s condition deteriorated. It seemed the punishment didn’t just affect her-Lin Duxi was also impacted.
If the punishment harmed Lin Duxi in some way… What did Lin Duxi dream about? What did she know that made her state so unstable?
Whenever Lin Duxi was in a bad state, she would act more possessive, as if afraid An Yu would disappear.
An Yu felt she was grasping at something crucial, her heart racing.
Lin Duxi already knew about the system’s existence. On the Ferris wheel, it wasn’t just An Yu hinting at Lin Duxi-Lin Duxi had also silently confirmed it.
And the system didn’t know.
There was still a chance.
But she knew too little. With just these fragments, she couldn’t piece together the full truth. The system wanted her to beg Lin Duxi? Fine, she’d play along-as long as Lin Duxi refused, she could test the system’s limits.
The system claimed this was her last chance-that failure meant she’d never truly live again. Then she’d make sure the system saw her try and fail anyway.
She never claimed to be a good person. If someone pushed her too far, she wouldn’t let them off easy.
The system’s blatant appearance in front of Lin Duxi today proved one thing: the system was panicking. This was its last chance.
But not hers. As long as she didn’t die, there was still hope.
Lin Duxi would never agree.
The water stopped. An Yu opened the door, shivering as she dried herself.
Lin Duxi watched her trembling hands rubbing her hair and frowned, snatching the towel away.
“You took a cold shower?!” she scolded.
An Yu: “I felt a little hot, so… Hachoo! ”
Lin Duxi deliberately ruffled her hair roughly, but when she picked up the hairdryer, her movements were gentle.
“Even if you’re hot, you can’t do that. What if you catch a cold?” Her voice carried an undercurrent of worry-and something like hurt.
“I’m sorry,” An Yu said meekly.
Her fingers twisted together as she struggled to phrase her thoughts.
She didn’t want to say it, even if it was just for the system’s benefit.
“Done.” Lin Duxi turned off the dryer, combing her fingers through An Yu’s hair.
“Go lie down. Don’t get sick.”
Preoccupied, An Yu obeyed without protest, making Lin Duxi smile.
“You’re very well-behaved today,” she praised.
An Yu: “Aren’t I always?”
Lin Duxi’s eyes curved as she leaned down, her clear gaze meeting An Yu’s.
“You’ve always been good,” she murmured, stroking An Yu’s fluffy hair, her smile deepening.
“If I really do catch a cold, what will you do about tomorrow’s activities?” An Yu suddenly asked. In her mind, Lin Duxi would say she’d stay by her side until the fever passed.
That way, she could pretend to ask Lin Duxi for help while ensuring she refused-triggering the system’s punishment mode.
Lin Duxi’s smile didn’t waver, as if she’d expected the question.
“Are you asking for my help?”
An Yu blinked. “How did you know?”
Lin Duxi leaned closer, their foreheads touching. Her breath brushed An Yu’s ear like a ripple across a still lake, soft and lingering.
“Because you’re really bad at hiding things,” she whispered, her voice hooking into An Yu’s heart. Then she kissed An Yu’s forehead.
“I’ve said it before-if you want my help, you can have it. But there’s a price.” Her gaze was unwavering.
An Yu’s eyes widened. “You’ll agree?”
Lin Duxi nodded. “Of course. But you have to pay.”
An Yu sneezed again, flustered. “This isn’t about payment! Why would you agree?”
Lin Duxi looked puzzled. “Didn’t you ask for my help? And it is about payment.”
Payment?
An Yu suddenly remembered the hickey on her neck yesterday and understood.
She covered her neck defensively. “You want to leave another mark? No way! We’re filming tomorrow-if they see it, they’ll figure things out. I don’t think you want that.”
Lin Duxi straightened, nodding as if enlightened. “You’re right. No neck.”
An Yu pretended to relax.
Then Lin Duxi’s dark eyes gleamed. She pushed An Yu onto the bed, their noses brushing, breaths mingling in the narrow space between them, the air growing warmer.
“Then let’s kiss somewhere else.”
She pinned An Yu’s wrists above her head, tilting her chin up to claim her lips.
Between ragged breaths, dizziness crept in. When An Yu briefly surfaced for air, she realized their positions had reversed.
Lin Duxi gasped softly, melting against her, her eyes damp like morning dew on fragile petals.
She reached up, cupping An Yu’s face, her fingers tracing her skin with longing. Her lips trembled slightly, her voice husky with emotion.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you since the Ferris wheel.”
Her gaze was so intense it was impossible to look away. An Yu fell into those eyes, drowning in them, and couldn’t help but kiss her again.
“Say it.”
“An Yu, I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Without giving her time to process it, Lin Duxi kissed her again-desperate, deep, pouring everything into it.
This was the warmth An Yu had given her, the home she’d spent her life searching for.
And now, she’d found it.
Late at night, the autumn air was chilly. Moonlight filtered through the trees, slipping through the window cracks to spill onto the floor, silver threads blooming like flowers in their palms.
An Yu rested her forehead against Lin Duxi’s shoulder, her skin burning from the hot breaths against her ear. Her heart clenched uncontrollably.
They’d forgotten to close the window. Dew dampened their clothes as Lin Duxi held An Yu’s wrist, kissing away the moisture.
“It shouldn’t be watching now, right?” Lin Duxi murmured after catching her breath, her words still fragmented.
“No. I can tell-it doesn’t come often,” An Yu said, rubbing Lin Duxi’s ears until they burned before letting go. “But we can’t risk it. We have to be careful.”
Lin Duxi rolled over, burrowing into her arms, her eyes soft and drowsy, the corners still faintly red.
An Yu couldn’t meet her gaze-that was her doing.
“I want to shower,” Lin Duxi mumbled, too tired to move but uncomfortable.
An Yu carried her to the bathtub, carefully washing her.
Water splashed onto the tiles again before the warmth faded, and they finally returned to bed.
Lin Duxi curled into her, her body radiating heat that seeped into An Yu’s cooler skin.
“If we take the initiative, we’ll have a chance,” Lin Duxi murmured sleepily into her chest.
An Yu: “So you want it to come to us.”
“Why not?” Lin Duxi was too tired to move, ready to sleep just like this.
An Yu looked down at the woman in her arms, moonlight painting her skin like porcelain.
“Yeah. Why not?”
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