After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 1

The things in front of her were blurry, as if someone had smeared glue over her eyes. The surroundings were utterly silent—even the rushing wind that had always been howling in An Yu’s ears vanished in a strange, eerie way.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest. Her lungs felt like they were about to explode, and each breath brought unbearable pain.

She was about to die.

She didn’t know how long it lasted. The wrenching pain gradually receded, numb limbs slowly regained sensation, and An Yu struggled to open her eyes. Because she had been in the darkness too long, her vision was still blurred. Vague, flickering human shadows swayed before her eyes like a shadow play, laughing and saying something to her—but An Yu couldn’t make out the words.

The thick stench of alcohol hit her nose, making her already muddled head feel even heavier. She was like a broken-down, drafty machine, stiff and unmoving.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands grabbed her right shoulder. The man’s fingers brushed against her on purpose, cold and greasy. A wave of nausea rose up, jolting An Yu wide awake, as if plunging her into an ice cave. The scene before her snapped into clarity.

“Well, Xiao An, how’s it going, playing this little second female lead? Want big brother here to—ah!”

In less than two seconds, the fat man who had been pretending to casually drape an arm around An Yu found himself flipped over her shoulder and slammed hard onto the floor. The sudden force knocked the bottles and glasses off the table, shattering them. Red wine mixed with shards of glass spilled everywhere, dazzlingly red under the light.

Panting heavily, An Yu looked down at the man writhing in pain at her feet, trembling all over. It was exactly as she had imagined in countless dreams. Before anyone else in the room could react, she kicked off her high heels, grabbed one, and hurled it at the other two stunned men. Taking advantage of the confusion, she sprinted out of the private room.

“Ah! Damn it, chase her! Hahaha, she’s feisty—struggling makes it more fun! Tonight’s going to be a good one, hurry up and get her!”

The curses behind her clung like shadows as An Yu ran for her life. Her calves felt weak, but her speed didn’t slow in the slightest.

Run! Don’t let them catch you!

She tore across the first-floor lobby barefoot. Some people were still inside, staring in shock at the girl sprinting past, but as soon as they saw the men chasing after her with foul language, they quickly ducked their heads back down.

An Yu ran fast, with precise aim. After shaking off her pursuers, she darted straight into the women’s restroom. She slipped into the farthest stall, locked the door, and sat on the toilet with her knees pulled tight against her chest. Her whole body trembled as if she had been caught in a downpour. She didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, her ears straining to catch every sound outside.

This dream feels so real.

An Yu slowly calmed her breathing. Every now and then, footsteps ran past the restroom, making her hold her breath in fright, then she laughed bitterly at herself the next second.

Hadn’t she already gone through this in dreams countless times? She thought she had become immune.

Outside, chaos raged. The voices outside the restroom grew fainter and fainter as people scattered further away…

I can’t fall asleep! If they find me, I’m finished! I can’t let them get me again. Those people, and the paparazzi waiting outside with cameras, were all in on it together.

That wine they forced on her definitely wasn’t ordinary. An Yu’s head grew heavy, and sleep tugged at her.

Forcing herself awake, she slapped her own face with all her strength.

Slap! The sting spread instantly, shocking away the drowsiness. Her deathly pale face flushed. She jumped up, lifted the toilet lid, and forced her fingers down her throat.

She didn’t know how long it was before the sound of flushing echoed. Exhausted, she sat back down. As she shifted, sharp pain stabbed the sole of her right foot, making her freeze. Frowning, she lifted it—there, embedded deep in the flesh, was a shard of glass the size of a fingernail, blood oozing out around it.

Probably from when she stepped on the floor in the private room, she thought. Quickly she leaned down, checking under the stall door—thankfully, no blood trail outside.

Still, in her current state, she ought to find a doctor to take it out. But she had no strength left. Better to just hide here and wait until she woke from this “dream.”

After all, this wasn’t the first time she had this nightmare. From the very first day the entire internet turned against her, she had been trapped in it over and over, hoping desperately to change everything—to change the source of her pain.

An Yu tilted her head up, staring at the glowing white light overhead. But how could such a thing be possible?

From the moment she was drunk and dragged into Zhao Fang’s hotel room, she had already walked into their trap. Even though she had managed to escape, the paparazzi had photographed her entering his room in the middle of the night. Without warning, the photos were released publicly. Naturally, she was blackened by the entire internet. Naturally, her career was frozen. Naturally…

Footsteps outside broke her thoughts. Her nerves tensed tighter, and she pressed her ear to the door, straining to listen.

Someone was speaking in hushed tones. Too far away to hear clearly, but it was almost certainly about her.

An Yu curled up smaller, staring at the door. Her nerves were frayed to the breaking point, and the alcohol made her even sleepier. She could only pray that those people would leave soon—and pray she would wake up.

But the footsteps drew closer.

An Yu’s breath caught, her whole body going cold as though plunged into icy water. Forcing herself alert, she searched frantically for a weapon. In the tiny stall, there was nothing—until her gaze fell on her foot.

She lifted it, gritted her teeth, and pulled out the shard of glass. A transparent, bloodstained piece gleamed in her palm like a cruel little jewel.

Sharp enough—if she slashed someone’s neck, it could be fatal. Even if she died, she’d drag one of these bastards down with her.

Clutching her makeshift weapon, she gathered the desperate resolve of a cornered animal. When the person approached, she kicked the door open, lunged forward, and aimed straight for their neck.

She was about to succeed. Blood roared in her veins. But at that instant, a hand seized her wrist in a crushing grip. Agonizing pain shot up her arm, forcing a muffled cry from her lips. Darkness swallowed her vision as she collapsed. The last thing she saw was a woman’s pale, slender neck.

Yet instead of the cold, hard floor, she fell into a warm, soft embrace, filled with a faint, soothing fragrance. An Yu realized she had been saved. Drowsiness crashed over her like a wave, and she surrendered to sleep in the woman’s arms.

The last sensation that lingered was the woman’s low voice scolding her, tinged with worry. It was beautiful, and strangely familiar.

Even under the heavy haze of alcohol, An Yu didn’t sleep well. She tossed and turned. Something long lost seemed to seep back into her body bit by bit, fragments of forgotten memories colliding in her mind.

Blue-and-white school uniforms. Summer nights. Spider webs…

Scenes flashed through her like lightning. Until finally, all the clamor quieted, leaving only one tender yet firm voice that soothed her restless heart.

“A-Yu.”

Night fell, draping the city in darkness, drowning silent, hidden emotions along with it.

On the bed, An Yu tossed in uneasy sleep. Even with calming incense burning, her brows were furrowed tight. After sending away the doctor who had rushed over in the middle of the night, Lin Duxi returned quietly to the bedroom.

She sat down on a chair by the bed, watching over An Yu with eyes full of complicated emotions that softened, in the end, into a deep, heavy affection.

She reached out, smoothing the furrow between An Yu’s brows. Under the pale moonlight, her hand trembled, like a mad merchant finally clutching a priceless jewel—too afraid to touch it, too afraid to lose it.

Then she drew back, sitting still again, staring blankly, stubbornly, eyes reddening at the corners.

Later that night, when An Yu had a nightmare, Lin Duxi gripped her hand tightly. Her nails dug into An Yu’s flesh, making her tremble, until at last she calmed. Only then did Lin Duxi let go. Leaning forward, she pressed a gentle kiss to the hand, lips curving faintly. In the darkness, her beautiful eyes glistened with tears, holding something wild and unclear.

When An Yu woke, she was dazed for a moment.

Her dream last night had been too real—so terrifying it felt like racing against death itself. Thinking of it, she grew clearer, and turned to grab her phone to check if the person who claimed to know the truth about her parents’ deaths had sent her a message. But her hand froze midair.

Hadn’t she already met that person? At that abandoned office building? She and that person had fallen together from the rooftop with seventy thousand yuan meant for the exchange. Blood had splattered everywhere, bright red under the night sky.

Thud— Both blanket and body slid to the floor. An Yu groaned, clutching her right foot, and saw that it was wrapped in bandages.

Injury. Restroom. Glass. Red wine. Fragrance…

She snapped her head up, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. This wasn’t her home. Everything that happened last night had been real.

She had been reborn.

Ding-dong! Congratulations, Host, on realizing your rebirth. The mission officially begins now! A cheerful mechanical voice echoed in An Yu’s mind, shattering her worldview.

“Who are you?” An Yu looked around warily.

Don’t be afraid, Host. I’m your system. You’re a supporting female character in a novel, meant to pave the way for the male and female leads’ love. The reason you’ve been reborn is that in your last life, the leads’ romance fell apart. A big part of that was because you failed your mission. This time around, you mustn’t fail again.

It took An Yu half an hour to reluctantly accept that she was just a character in a novel, and that she had to complete missions.

“So last night… it was real. I wasn’t dragged into that man’s hotel room. The paparazzi didn’t catch me. I wasn’t blackened by the whole internet?” Her voice trembled with disbelief.

Correct, Host. You successfully avoided all that. But because of the butterfly effect, no one can predict what will happen from now on. The system’s voice was flat.

But those words made An Yu finally relax, lowering her guard even in conversation with the system.

“So my mission is to bring the male and female leads together. Who are they? Do I know them?”

Of course you do. The system’s smile was audible.

Lin Duxi—and your current drama’s male lead, Pei Lu—are this novel’s destined pair.

Lin Duxi?

Hearing that name, An Yu froze. It felt so distant, so far buried in the past, that all her memories of that person were already covered in dust.

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