After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 10

Night had fallen, and the moonlight draped the dark sky with a layer of soft white. It streamed through the uncurtained window and fell onto the person lying on the bed.
An Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Closing her eyes, her mind kept replaying Lin Duxi’s misty eyes and the words he hadn’t spoken. A nameless emotion pressed against her chest, leaving her frustrated and uneasy.
She got up and turned on the desk lamp, which cast a gentle light across the room. Seeing that it was already past midnight, An Yu poured herself a glass of water.
She casually opened her phone and scrolled to Weibo. Her gaze was immediately caught.
Because she had recently visited the “Yu Xi Super Topic,” her homepage now recommended many posts from that topic. An Yu had thought that after their last live stream, their CP (couple pairing) fandom would have grown and the discussion would be lively. But the posts she saw were nothing like she expected.
“Not possible… is someone really shipping this CP? There are so many better ones to ship. How can anyone be blind to this?”
“Honestly, doesn’t everyone see that this so-called ‘□□ celebrity’ is just trying to ride the coattails of the ‘three-character award-winning actress’? How are people still giving them attention?”
“Can’t even comment. Where did this CP even come from? Wouldn’t the actual people involved find it gross that someone’s shipping them like this?”
“Ugh… people who ship this CP have clearly never shopped good ones before.”
An Yu’s expression grew complicated. That “two-character mediocre celebrity” being criticized seemed to be referring to her, and almost every post in the Super Topic carried this tone. She scrolled through several posts and they were all similar, organized, and systematically mocking every corner of the CP’s Super Topic, clearly trying to dominate it and push away fans coming for “sugar” (cute interactions).
Scrolling further, she did notice some fans trying to reason:
“Everyone has the right to ship who they want. Coming into other people’s CP topic and badmouthing isn’t cool.”
But the topic was newly created and lacked proper moderation, so it was quickly overwhelmed by the flood of sarcastic comments.
An Yu frowned as she read these arrogant and mocking words. Gradually, she began to understand.
Just like the system had told her, the destined male and female leads would never allow anything that might prevent them from being together. The system would never allow mistakes. Her CP Super Topic with Lin Duxi was one of those “mistakes.”
But why? Why did the system have to control them? Why couldn’t they decide who they liked?
A nameless rage ignited within An Yu, growing stronger and stronger. She wanted to do something, and her gaze casually landed on the drawing tablet sitting on the floor—one she had taken from her old apartment. Dusty and unused for years, she picked it up, wiped it clean, and plugged it into the computer. To her surprise, it lit up.
An Yu smiled. This tablet had been purchased when she graduated high school. She had put it aside for years, but it still worked.
The room stayed lit for a long time. Staring at the empty canvas, she didn’t know what to draw. She casually picked up the cookie tin on her desk, untied the ribbon, and took a bite. The rich milky flavor filled her mouth, faintly sweet and just right.
She glanced at the time—almost 1 a.m.—and thought about needing to catch an early flight. Just as she was about to go back to sleep, she noticed a red ribbon on the desk.
A spark lit in her mind. She picked up the ribbon and tied it in front of her eyes. Looking through it, everything seemed transformed, bathed in red light, like a pre-wedding preparation scene, or the subtle intimacy before a romance—blurred yet seductive.
She untied the ribbon, and suddenly ideas flooded her mind. Picking up the stylus, she began to draw.
The next day, a certain ancient town in Jiangnan.
Near the airport, a car had been waiting for quite some time. Soon, a person emerged from the airport, fully masked and wearing a hat.
The people in the car quickly started a live broadcast, pointing the camera at her.
“Teacher An.” The staff waved at her. An Yu walked toward them, waving at the live viewers.
“Hello, everyone, hello viewers.”
[Good morning, An Yu! The filming is finally starting.]
[Looks like An Yu is the fourth person to start the live stream. I’m curious about how everyone meets.]
[Live streaming? So exciting!]
[Lin Duxi’s live just started too. Fans at the airport, so lively!]
An Yu handed her suitcase to the staff and got into the car. After removing her mask, the staff asked the usual questions.
“Are you looking forward to the location you’re visiting? Want to guess where it might be?”
An Yu smiled politely. “Of course, I’m looking forward to it. I guess it might be an inn or garden typical of Jiangnan.”
“Wow, Teacher An, you’re so clever, guessed it right away.” The staff continued. “Among the other five guests, who are you most looking forward to partnering with?”
An Yu looked at him briefly, then replied, “All five guests are my respected seniors. I would feel honored partnering with anyone.”
This question wasn’t in the script. Naming any of the five could be seen as trying to ride someone’s popularity. Luckily, her answer was flawless, leaving the staff unable to find any fault.
[So official! I wanted something spicy, like pairing with Lin XX.]
[Bold!]
[Stans, please stop trying to get attention!]
The car quickly drove to the inn. At the entrance, An Yu followed the staff inside. There were three pairs of slippers of different colors. She instinctively reached for the light green pair, but the system stopped her.
“Host, don’t wear the green ones.”
“Why?”
“No reason. Just don’t wear them. Any other color is fine.”
An Yu sighed and changed to the pink pair. The system finally relented.
She opened the door and immediately saw Lin Duxi sitting on the sofa chatting with the others, wearing a knitted sweater and linen skirt, bathed in soft, gentle light.
Seeing An Yu, she and two others got up to greet her.
“Hello, Teacher An, I’m Xie An’an,” a bright, cheerful girl greeted her and tried to take the suitcase. But another pair of hands intercepted it.
“Teacher An must be tired. Please go rest.” Lin Duxi smiled and walked closer, quickly taking the suitcase, but An Yu didn’t let go.
“No, I’ll handle it myself.” She put the suitcase in the designated spot and then casually sat on a sofa.
[Four-legged formation.]
[Sitting North-South-East-West, looks like a gathering scene.]
A man introduced himself, “Hello, I’m Yu Fei.”
An Yu politely replied, “An Yu,” then remained silent.
[Notice, Lin Duxi didn’t introduce herself, and An Yu didn’t either. So cute!]
[Shipping moment!]
The other three continued their conversation. An Yu glanced around. The villa had two floors, with an open kitchen. The Jiangnan-style interior had cameras everywhere for filming.
Her eyes casually fell on Lin Duxi’s slippers across from her—green.
An Yu paused for a moment, then realized something.
Xie An’an noticed her gaze and looked too, seeing the mismatch of slippers.
“Our slippers seem to be different colors. An Yu, yours is the same color as mine,” she said excitedly. “Could our partners be chosen by slipper color? Haha, so unorthodox.”
Lin Duxi glanced at the other two, her smile unchanged but slightly less gentle. She looked down at her own slippers, lost in thought.
An Yu guessed, “Maybe. After all, the show didn’t specify that partners must be male-female.”
Thanks to the system’s earlier warning, An Yu suspected that subtle details might determine pairing.
Then Lin Duxi suddenly got up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to An Yu.
“Thank you,” An Yu said politely. Their fingers briefly touched. Lin Duxi lightly traced her knuckles with her finger, like a cat playfully scratching.
An Yu was startled and looked at Lin Duxi, who promptly withdrew her hand, offering a warm, polite smile, as if nothing had happened. An Yu took a sip of water, suppressing her shock.
Soon, the remaining two guests arrived. An Yu checked their slippers. Indeed, Pei Lu’s were green as well.
[Wow! Hope the partners are really chosen by slipper color!]
Once everyone arrived, the director, Qiao Qingzhou, came out to explain the process.
“Guests, I’m sure you noticed the slippers. This activity tests your tacit understanding. Next, let’s see if the pairing process can also reveal your synergy.”
Staff placed six photos on a table.
“Two of these photos show the same location. To ensure fairness, please draw lots before selecting locations.”
[Ah, so it’s not slipper color that chooses the partner. Disappointing.]