After Rebirth, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessive - Chapter 90
An Yu tilted her head to glance at the adjacent door. After hesitating for a few seconds, she knocked on Lin Duxi’s door. The moment her hand dropped, regret washed over her.
At this hour, Lin Duxi was probably already asleep. Waking her up now wasn’t ideal-it would be better to wait until tomorrow to tell her.
Just as she was about to turn away, reasoning that her knock hadn’t been loud enough to disturb anyone, a soft click sounded behind her. The door opened.
Lin Duxi stood there in a silky slip dress, her fair skin glowing under the hallway light, the hem of her nightgown swaying gently. She clasped her hands behind her back, stepping aside to let An Yu in, her lips curving into a smile. “Missed me?”
An Yu closed the door, shutting out the cool draft from the hallway, and bent down to change her shoes, the tips of her ears tinged pink. “Shi Yu just called me. She saw Pei Lu and Lin Ze together at a bar.”
The softness in Lin Duxi’s eyes flickered briefly before steadying again. “So, A-Yu came to find me?”
An Yu nodded. “They’re probably planning something. I thought it’d be best to discuss it with you first.”
Lin Duxi hummed in acknowledgment, then asked, “What time is it now?”
An Yu blinked but obediently checked her phone. “11:37 PM.”
Lin Duxi exhaled sharply, lowering the hand that had been resting on her chin. “It’s so late already. Let’s go to bed.”
An Yu was momentarily thrown by the sudden shift in topic-one second they were discussing schemes, the next, sleep.
“Huh?”
Lin Duxi took her hand and tugged her toward the bedroom. “It’s late. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.” She punctuated her words with a yawn, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, her gaze languid yet bright.
An Yu suddenly remembered that Lin Duxi had been unusually drowsy these past few days.
Probably making up for all the sleepless nights she’d spent working, An Yu reasoned.
“But shouldn’t we do something? I’m worried they might try something harmful,” An Yu pressed, her steps slowing.
Lin Duxi stopped. Their joined hands hung suspended in the air as she turned to face An Yu, her expression unreadable.
“A-Yu… are you worried about me?” A smirk played on her lips.
“Yes,” An Yu admitted without hesitation. “I am.”
She feared their malice would bring Lin Duxi pain, feared she’d suffer unjustly, feared the peaceful life they’d fought so hard for would be shattered again.
Lin Duxi seemed stunned by her bluntness, momentarily at a loss.
Then she stepped forward, cradling An Yu’s face in her hands, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
“I love it when A-Yu says things like this,” she murmured before pressing a fleeting kiss to her lips.
She adored An Yu’s unfiltered concern, the way her urgency and worry were all for her sake. Just the thought made her heart melt.
Noses brushing, breaths mingling, the air between them grew thick with warmth.
“As much as I’d love for A-Yu to always care this much… it wouldn’t be fair to you,” Lin Duxi whispered between kisses along her cheek and ear.
“You already knew about this,” An Yu said, wrapping her arms around Lin Duxi’s waist as the latter’s weight pressed into her, guiding them both onto the bed.
Lin Duxi straddled An Yu’s lap, arms loosely draped around her neck. At An Yu’s words, she pulled back slightly, releasing the reddened ear she’d been nibbling to meet her gaze.
“Mhm.”
An Yu frowned. “How did you know Pei Lu and Lin Ze would connect?”
Lin Duxi shook her head, the dim light masking the coldness in her eyes. “Just a hunch. But I never let my guard down. Your confirmation tonight just proved my preparations weren’t in vain.”
“Birds of a feather,” she muttered.
“So you already knew Pei Lu wouldn’t give up, and that Lin Ze would seek help,” An Yu pieced together. “Which means right now, we’re staying quiet and observing?”
While she’d been speculating, Lin Duxi had already taken action. She marveled at Lin Duxi’s vigilance but also lamented her own inability to be of more help.
Lin Duxi, however, deflected with a third yawn of the night, slumping against An Yu’s shoulder in a drowsy whine. “Something like that. I’m exhausted. Can we sleep first?”
An Yu sighed in resignation. “Fine. Get off me first.”
Lin Duxi didn’t budge. Instead, she pushed An Yu onto the bed, wrapping herself around her like a koala. “A-Yu has to sleep with me.”
“I will, but I haven’t showered yet. Let me wash up first, okay?”
Only then did Lin Duxi release her.
True to her word, Lin Duxi was out like a light by the time An Yu returned from the shower, her sleeping face serene.
An Yu climbed into bed as carefully as possible, not wanting to disturb her.
The moment she settled, Lin Duxi pulled her into a tight embrace, throwing a leg over her waist and clinging to her like a stuffed animal, her head nestled against An Yu’s shoulder.
Though An Yu had agreed to sleep, her mind refused to quiet. Only when Lin Duxi’s breathing evened out did she finally exhale softly.
The unease festering in her heart fermented in the silence of the night. The conversation with Shi Yu earlier clung to her thoughts, stubbornly refusing to fade.
What exactly are Pei Lu and Lin Ze planning?
Lin Duxi seemed unbothered, even sleeping soundly, but An Yu couldn’t shake her apprehension.
Despite Lin Duxi’s reassurances and confidence in her team’s preparedness, An Yu’s worry lingered like a lump in her throat.
She lay awake until dawn.
The moment Lin Duxi rolled over, An Yu finally dared to move her stiff limbs.
She got up and immediately grabbed her phone, stepping into the living room to call the butler. She needed him to investigate-she trusted Wen Zhenhe, and as a long-time steward, he had connections she could rely on.
Aside from Ning Xuan, none of the company employees were trustworthy. She couldn’t afford risks.
But the moment she unlocked her phone, the first notification made her freeze.
#LinDuxiFamilyScandal#
What the-?
Frowning, An Yu tapped the link, skimming the lengthy post from a gossip account. The gist was that Lin Duxi had a poor relative who, after her rise to fame, had begged for financial help-only to be coldly rejected.
The post exaggerated the family’s poverty and humiliation, painting Lin Yongfeng’s household as pitiable victims and Lin Duxi as the heartless villain.
[ I never thought Lin Duxi was this kind of person. I used to like her too. ]
[ Ungrateful wretch! ]
An Yu exited after reading just two comments, her grip on the phone tightening unconsciously.
There was no way Lin Ze could’ve crafted such a well-written smear campaign alone. Behind-the-scenes manipulation and paid trolls were clearly at play-no way this could trend so quickly without a coordinated push.
So this is Pei Lu and Lin Ze’s plan.
An Yu scoffed, forcing herself to stay calm despite the anger simmering under her skin.
At least Lin Duxi was still asleep, blissfully unaware.
Taking a deep breath, she reopened the trending topic and read the entire post carefully, quickly formulating countermeasures in her mind.
Lin Ze wanted money. Pei Lu wanted Lin Duxi-specifically, to make her the target of public scorn so he could swoop in as the hero who cleared her name.
Only a complete idiot would come up with something this stupid.
Two absolute lunatics!
An Yu took a screenshot of the article and called the director of the welfare home, asking her to help verify Lin Duxi’s background.
The welfare home would surely have records of Lin Duxi’s history with the Lin Yongfeng family. Moreover, Lin Duxi had lived there continuously since she was six years old-this alone was enough to expose the cruelty of Lin Yongfeng and his son.
When the director received the news, she was still confused. She rarely went online and had no idea what was happening.
An Yu didn’t tell her it was to help Lin Duxi clear her name. Knowing Lin Duxi’s personality, she wouldn’t have wanted An Yu to involve the director. Instead, An Yu simply said that Lin Duxi was participating in a program that required an interview about her past, and the director only needed to tell the truth.
The director readily agreed.
After hanging up, An Yu let out a long exhale, then called Ning Xuan.
“What now, little troublemaker?” Ning Xuan’s resigned voice came through the phone. “If this is about Lin Duxi, I’d advise you not to get so worked up.”
An Yu’s plea caught in her throat. “Why? Aren’t Lin Duxi and I a CP? If her image is damaged, it’ll affect me too. Shouldn’t I do something to minimize the fallout?” She tried to persuade Ning Xuan from a business perspective.
“When other people’s CPs get into trouble, they rush to cut ties. But here you are, ready to fight for her.” Ning Xuan sounded amused. “Did you actually fall for Lin Duxi?”
An Yu cleared her throat. “Something like that.”
“What?!” Ning Xuan gasped. “You’re really together? What happened between you two while I was gone?”
An Yu steered the conversation back on track. “That’s not the point right now. The important thing is Lin Duxi. I’ll explain the rest later.”
Ning Xuan relented. “It’s not about whether I’ll help or not. When I first heard about this, I reached out to Lin Duxi’s team, but they didn’t seem worried at all. They told me not to worry either, saying they had a plan. If her team isn’t concerned, you shouldn’t be either.”
“Really?” An Yu wondered if she’d misheard.
“Why would I lie? Who knows what they’re plotting-they’re acting like this isn’t a big deal at all. Aren’t you neighbors with Lin Duxi? Go ask her yourself.”
An Yu hung up in a daze, staring blankly at the disconnected screen.
A sound came from the bedroom. An Yu turned to see Lin Duxi looking at her sleepily, yawning.
“Why are you up so early?” An Yu asked, locking her phone.
Lin Duxi shuffled over in her slippers and hugged her, burying her face in An Yu’s chest.
“I woke up when you weren’t there,” she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
An Yu: “Should we go back to sleep?”
Lin Duxi lifted her head, her hand sliding down to grab An Yu’s phone.
“What were you looking at?” she asked.
An Yu’s heart clenched, and she quickly tried to snatch the phone back. “Nothing. Let’s go back to bed.”
Lin Duxi narrowed her eyes but obediently returned the phone. “A-Yu has secrets now.”
An Yu: “…”
“Fine, I’ll respect A-Yu’s privacy. If you don’t want me to know, I won’t ask.” Lin Duxi pouted, her eyes brimming with exaggerated sadness.
An Yu couldn’t stand that look-it felt like needles pricking her heart. She thought about Ning Xuan’s words and realized Lin Duxi would find out eventually. The only question was whether An Yu would be by her side when it happened.
After hesitating for a few seconds, An Yu finally spoke.
“Pei Lu and Lin Ze have made their move.”
Lin Duxi’s eyes curved into crescents. “A-Yu told me after all.”
An Yu: “Ning Xuan said your team isn’t doing any PR. They’re not reacting at all.”
Lin Duxi nodded. “It’s not time yet.” She tugged at An Yu’s sleeve. “So, you got up early to help me?”
An Yu nodded and explained what she’d done. “I called the director of the welfare home. She doesn’t follow online news, so I told her a program wanted to interview her about your past and asked her to tell the truth.”
Lin Duxi smiled. “A-Yu is so clever.”
An Yu was still puzzled. “So you knew this would happen? When will it be time?”
The online abuse targeting Lin Duxi was still growing, and every second could have devastating consequences. Just thinking about it made An Yu want to strangle Pei Lu and Lin Ze.
But Lin Duxi just smiled. “Soon.” She tossed An Yu’s phone aside.
“I’ll have someone go to the welfare home later. When the time comes, we’ll release everything together.”
An Yu: “Release what?”
Lin Duxi smirked coldly before nestling back into An Yu’s arms. “Other news, of course.”
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Zei_An
I really like three-steps ahead protagonists like this