After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 88

At noon, a few lounge chairs were placed on the grass in the backyard of the villa, with several people lying on them, basking in the sun.

The intense sunlight dispelled the autumn chill, creating an illusion of warmth.

An Yu lay on the chair with her eyes closed, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t rest. Her mind was in turmoil, tangled like a mess of threads, haunted by the dream she’d had.

After lying there for a while and still unable to sleep, she decided to get up and take a walk to distract herself from dwelling on it. Yet, the face from that night still lingered in her thoughts, filling her with suspicion.

The person who pushed her off the rooftop was Lin Ze. The one who called her was also Lin Ze.

How did he know about her parents’ deaths? Who told him? And why did he want to kill her?

In her past life, she had no connection with this man. The only time they’d crossed paths was back in high school. By all logic, they shouldn’t even know each other.

Yet, years later, he contacted her, lured her to the rooftop with news about her parents, and then killed her. What was Lin Ze trying to achieve?

A weight pressed on her chest, making each breath feel suffocating. Frowning, she stared at the still surface of the swimming pool.

A leaf drifted down from a tree, landing on the water and sending ripples across its surface.

In her line of sight, a pair of slender, jade-like hands appeared, followed by a cool touch on her forehead.

“Good, the fever’s gone.” Lin Duxi visibly relaxed, her tone lightening with relief.

“Why did you sneak away?”

Their spot was some distance from the lounge chairs, hidden by shrubs and trees, so no one had noticed their absence. Yet, Lin Duxi still leaned in close, whispering softly.

An Yu: “It’s nothing. I just slept too long earlier and couldn’t nap anymore, so I came out for a walk.”

Lin Duxi sat beside her, dipping her toes into the pool’s water, stirring more ripples.

“The water’s cold,” An Yu quickly said.

Lin Duxi tilted her head to look at her and smiled. “The water here was just changed. The director originally planned for us to swim, but the temperature isn’t suitable now, so they scrapped the idea. But even if we could, you’re in no condition to swim.”

As she spoke, she lifted her feet out of the water.

An Yu glanced at the pool, then back at her.

Lin Duxi’s gentle, affectionate eyes held a trace of disappointment.

An Yu’s heart trembled. “When it gets colder, let’s go to the hot springs.”

Lin Duxi looked up. “Really?”

An Yu nodded. “We’ve never been before.”

“Okay, it’s a deal. We’ll go to the hot springs in winter.” Lin Duxi’s voice brightened noticeably. She reached out, covering An Yu’s hand where it rested beside her, then intertwined their fingers.

An Yu stood, pulling her up, and the two walked away from the backyard hand in hand.

Instead of returning to the villa, An Yu led her on a slow walk around the perimeter. Only when they were completely alone did she finally speak.

“It came to me.”

Lin Duxi’s movements froze for a split second before resuming, her expression indifferent as she listened.

“It was angry,” An Yu continued.

She couldn’t say too much-afraid the system would detect it. They had only just managed to communicate; they couldn’t risk letting the system discover that Lin Duxi knew about its existence.

Fortunately, Lin Duxi understood.

The system had grown impatient during its conversation with An Yu. She didn’t know what it had done to her, but today’s sudden collapse was undoubtedly its doing.

It had even dragged her into it-along with that bizarre, chaotic dream during her unconsciousness.

The thick fog in Lin Duxi’s mind began to thin. She had a feeling she was on the verge of uncovering the whole truth.

“Pei Lu said he’s leaving to film a drama and told me to stay away from you,” Lin Duxi remarked.

An Yu: “Did you agree?”

Lin Duxi shot her a glance, raising their interlaced fingers. “What do you think? I only agreed to do a task with him at noon. But unfortunately, it turned out to be a group activity.”

An Yu raised an eyebrow. “You already knew it was a group task, didn’t you? That’s why you agreed so easily.”

Lin Duxi smiled. “Ah Yu, so clever.”

An Yu was used to her little tricks by now. But remembering the worry she’d felt when Lin Duxi agreed, and seeing her gentle expression now, her helplessness melted into joy.

Lin Duxi lifted An Yu’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, sending a tingling warmth through An Yu’s heart.

The two took a car to the nearest supermarket, where the camera crew seized the opportunity to start a livestream.

This was An Yu’s first time exploring the area around the villa. Yesterday, they’d gone straight to the amusement park in the morning and returned after dark.

The supermarket wasn’t crowded, so An Yu and Lin Duxi stuck close together, pushing a cart as they browsed the aisles.

[Finally, we get to see you! An Yu, is your cold better? Make sure to rest well!]

[They give off such an old-married-couple vibe. Were you two together in your past life too? How are you so in sync?!]

[Opening the livestream to see my favorite CP grocery shopping-my boring day just got so much better.]

They picked up some essential groceries and snacks. When they reached the candy aisle, An Yu effortlessly grabbed a pack of mango gummies.

[Does An Yu like candy?]

[No, those are for me-it’s the candy my CP produces!]

[Isn’t this Lin Duxi’s favorite candy? I’ve seen so many behind-the-scenes photos of her with this brand. An Yu, no wonder you have a wife.]

[That smooth motion-bet she buys these all the time.]

The CP fans went wild in the comments, celebrating their newfound evidence. Meanwhile, An Yu and Lin Duxi had already finished shopping and were heading back.

The afternoon’s activities were as dull as before. Since the most exciting parts had already been broadcast yesterday, the director had everyone sit together for a chat.

At first, the questions were uninspired. Watching the livestream viewer count drop, the director quickly switched to a format where staff would ask random questions, and each participant would hold up three fingers.

The livestream’s popularity immediately rebounded.

The first question was blunt.

“After spending these days together, do any of the teachers here already have someone they like? If yes, lower one finger. If no, keep them up.”

Silence fell over the room. Every eye in the livestream and on-site locked onto the group in the center.

Pei Lu was the first to move, lowering a finger without hesitation. No one was surprised.

Next was Yu Fei.

Xie An’an had no romantic interests. She’d known from the first episode that she was here purely to ship couples. Her gaze immediately zeroed in on Lin Duxi and An Yu, her eyes practically sparkling.

An Yu instinctively glanced toward Lin Duxi-only to meet Lin Duxi’s gaze already fixed on her. She quickly looked away.

An Yu’s lips curled up involuntarily.

Then, she lowered a finger.

A second later, Lin Duxi did the same.

Xie An’an: “!”

[AHHHH! Did they just make eye contact?! And smile at each other so tenderly?! Stop being so sweet, my heart can’t take it!]

[Xie An’an, calm down.]

[I’ve been KO’d by the sweetness! Sending 10,000 yuan as a gift-put it on Xie An’an’s tab.]

The staff member was equally excited. “Second question: If you believe the person you like also likes you, lower another finger. If not, keep them up.”

This time, before the staff even finished speaking, An Yu lowered another finger.

The staff member nearly choked, coughing awkwardly. An Yu even shot her a concerned look.

Lin Duxi stared at the “culprit,” her eyes soft and brimming with affection, a smile playing on her lips. Then, under everyone’s stunned gazes, she slowly lowered another finger.

The comments exploded.

Xie An’an turned her head away, hiding her ecstatic expression from the camera.

Qiao Qingzhou watched the endless stream of “AHHHs” on the screen, then glanced at Lin Duxi and An Yu, who sat there as if nothing had happened. His shock was hard to conceal.

These two were too much. They’d just publicly flirted in front of everyone without saying a word-yet their eyes had spoken volumes.

The staff member’s hands trembled. She hadn’t expected Lin Duxi and An Yu to both lower their fingers. Wasn’t this basically a public confession?!

Panicking slightly, she quickly switched to a milder question under the director’s remote guidance to wrap things up.

The final question wasn’t about romance but about favorite cuisines. An Yu lowered another finger.

Thus, she and Xie An’an (who hadn’t lowered any fingers) were tasked with making dinner.

Xie An’an: “?” Being too strong was a curse.

After a quick discussion, the two divided the work: Xie An’an would handle the prep, and An Yu would cook.

Xie An’an stood at the counter, meticulously chopping vegetables, when she looked up and realized An Yu’s spot had been taken by Lin Duxi.

“Ah Yu went to take her medicine. I’ll fill in for her,” Lin Duxi explained politely.

Xie An’an: “Oh, okay. Medicine is good. Medicine helps you recover faster.” As she spoke, she spotted An Yu walking over. “I’ll go take my medicine too. Teacher Lin, the vegetables are all chopped, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”

With that, she set down the damp greens and bolted from the kitchen.

An Yu: “What’s she doing?”

Lin Duxi turned and tied an apron around her. “Going to take her medicine.”

An Yu: “…Is she sick too?”

“Don’t know.”

After dinner, the night grew quiet. An Yu was pulled into Lin Duxi’s room, where the emotions she’d suppressed all day resurfaced.

Lin Duxi closed the door, sat An Yu down, and took a seat across from her-before deciding that was too formal and moving to her side instead.

“Did it say anything?”

An Yu thought back, then slumped in defeat. “I can’t make it leave.”

No matter how much she provoked the system, she couldn’t force it out. The despair and helplessness from her dream wrapped around her again, filling her with self-doubt.

“Am I useless?” Her voice was small.

Lin Duxi frowned, gripping her shoulders and forcing her to meet her gaze.

“Do you remember what I wanted to tell you in the park after that day at the orphanage?”

An Yu nodded, her nose tinged red from emotion. “The truth about why you didn’t show up the next day. Are you ready to tell me now?”

Lin Duxi’s hands clenched unconsciously on her knees, but she held An Yu’s gaze firmly. An Yu reached out, covering her cold hands with her own, sharing her warmth.

Lin Duxi intertwined their fingers, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“On the evening of the day we separated, a fire broke out in my home. My mother… never made it out. He died too.”

An Yu’s breath hitched.

Lin Duxi exhaled slowly and continued, “After that, I was sent to live with relatives. They didn’t want the burden of me, so they abandoned me at a construction site. I got lost. That’s why I didn’t come to meet you.”

An Yu’s grip tightened. “Scum. Absolute scum!”

Lin Duxi patted her hand, waiting until An Yu met her calm gaze again. “But I was actually very lucky. After being lost for two days, I finally found my way back. But I collapsed from hunger before I could get far.”

She cupped An Yu’s face, gently wiping away her tears. An Yu had already started crying.

“But right before I passed out, I saw Uncle An and Aunt Yu.” Her voice was soft, almost soothing.

An Yu froze mid-sob, momentarily dazed. “My parents?”

Lin Duxi nodded with a smile. “Yes. They took me to the orphanage and even funded it.”

“They said their daughter had made a good friend a few days ago. They’d promised to meet, but the next day, she couldn’t find her. Their daughter begged them to come look for her friend.”

“They found me. They saved me.”