After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 12

The two of them got into the car one after the other, sitting on opposite sides of the back seat, while the crew diligently filmed their every move.

Since it was a live broadcast, every gesture and movement of theirs inside the car was visible to the viewers. The production team wouldn’t allow them to sit silently and not talk.

“The car will reach the mission location in about ten minutes. During this time, the two teachers can chat with each other to get to know one another better,” a crew member prompted.

“You can also talk about your expectations for the program and interact with viewers to increase familiarity.”

Lin Duxi smiled softly at this and said, “I’m already quite familiar with Ayu.”

Ayu’s brow twitched slightly. She then turned to face Lin Duxi, meeting her gaze, and nodded in agreement. “After all, Lin and I are neighbors, so we know each other a little better.”

[Wow! True neighborly duo, afraid we wouldn’t know they’re neighbors otherwise.]

[She calls her by full name, and she calls her ‘teacher’? The information is so uneven!]

[Just a cute little thing between a couple.]

Lin Duxi’s smile deepened.

“Oh right, it was clear from the apartment livestream that you two were friends. That kind of camaraderie is undeniable. How about you each explain why you chose your picture? That should answer some questions from viewers.” the crew suggested.

“An yu, you go first.”

An yu glanced at the camera, picked up her picture, and began, “The fan in this picture is placed on a table, with some art supplies beside it. I guessed it might be related to painting, and since I’m interested in painting, I chose this picture.”

“Wow, I didn’t expect our Teacher An to have such diverse skills. Truly, the more skills, the better. And Teacher Lin?”

Lin Duxi’s gaze lingered on An yu for a moment before shifting lightly toward the camera. “This fan reminds me of my first acting experience. I felt nostalgic, so I chose it. But An yu’s painting skills are really impressive.”

“Was it in your costume drama Fei Ling? I still vividly remember your portrayal of Hua Jin! But Teacher Lin, have you ever seen Ayu’s painting in person?” the crew asked, curious.

Lin Duxi looked at Ayu, who was leaning against the car window, watching her reflection through the glass.

“Just occasionally,” Lin Duxi said softly, her eyes meeting An yu’s reflected image.

An yu lowered her eyes, her raven-like lashes partially shielding them from the sunlight, leaving shadows that made it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

The car quickly arrived at the folk fan shop. From a short distance away, they could see the store manager and staff waiting for them.

“Welcome, teachers, please come in,” the manager greeted warmly.

“In our Jiangnan town here in Nancheng, there are countless fan and accessory shops like this,” he said, pointing to some fans hanging on the wall. “These were all painted by visitors.”

Although filming was underway, the store was still open for business. Nearby, a mother and her lively little daughter—around five or six years old—were painting on a fan. The girl had painted her face like a little flower cat. The mother noticed and, in mock exasperation, scolded her.

A staff member hurried over, taking the little girl toward the restroom. “Good girl, come with sister to wash your hands.”

Ayu turned to ask, “So are we supposed to paint on them too?”

“Yes, teachers,” a crew member replied, adding, “And your task doesn’t stop there. There are some fans on the table. By noon, after finishing your own fan, you’ll need to sell these to passing visitors. The team that finishes in the shortest time among the three groups will unlock a special reward!”

[Special reward! My house is right nearby—let’s go!]

[Could it be a luxurious suite?]

An yu sat first on the bench, in front of two fans, a brush, and some paint. She prepared to paint flowers, birds, and landscapes.

Lin Duxi sat on the other side, watching An yu dip her brush into the paint with meticulous focus. Unable to resist admiration, she mimicked Ayu’s movements, slowly moving closer, her body subtly leaning toward An yu.

An yu became deeply engrossed in her painting. Soon, the outline and colors of her fan were taking shape. When she finally relaxed her tense limbs, she realized that Lin Duxi had unconsciously moved so close that one of her hands was lightly holding onto Ayu’s sleeve.

Turning slightly, An yu noticed Lin Duxi carefully sketching on her fan. Curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced over to see a little, smiling Q-version cat painted on the fan—an exact miniature of Lin Duxi’s own avatar.

An yu froze, and memories that had been buried in time spread gently over her heart like the golden rays of a setting sun.

When they first became deskmates, An yu hadn’t really had any interaction with Lin Duxi. Before she could even speak to her, the homeroom teacher had pulled her aside and sternly warned her not to disturb this ‘academic genius.’

An yu had thought the warning was puzzling. If she wasn’t supposed to disturb Lin, why were they made deskmates?

Still, she kept the teacher’s words quietly in her heart and assumed she wouldn’t really interact with Lin anyway. She believed the deskmate relationship would end quickly.

Keeping her distance wasn’t difficult. If she didn’t care, her deskmate would naturally treat her like air.

Lin Duxi’s academic prowess was known not only to An yu. Yet perhaps due to people’s admiration for a top student, no one had asked her for help since the beginning of the semester, nor had anyone initiated conversation.

Every time An yu returned to her seat, she saw Lin Duxi sitting alone, working on problems. She seemed friendless, An yu thought.

High school math in the second year was far more difficult than in the first year, and An yu’s foundation was shaky. The leap in difficulty made things even more frustrating.

As the clock approached the end of class, An yu’s math workbook had only a few solved problems. Sweat had formed on her back from the summer heat, sticking to her skin and intensifying her irritation.

Frustrated, she set down her pen, intending to put away the workbook and tackle other assignments. Then, unexpectedly, she heard a quiet voice beside her:

“First simplify, then take the derivative.”

An yu paused for a moment, thinking she might have imagined it. She glanced at Lin Duxi, who was still studying the problem intently, and continued with her work, placing the unfinished assignment in the top left corner of her desk. But the next second, Lin Duxi took the workbook from her.

She placed it in the center of the desk and repeated her earlier instructions.

Leaning slightly toward An yu, Lin Duxi’s loose short-sleeved uniform brushed lightly against her fingers, sending a faint ticklish sensation.

A strand of hair had fallen over her cheek, and she tucked it gently behind her ear. Her fair skin and the tiny, delicate ear were right there in front of An yu.

An yu froze and subtly diverted her gaze, but the faint, refreshing scent—not like the stifling classroom heat—lingered in her nose.

The frustration that had weighed on her melted away. She looked at Lin Duxi and blinked slowly.

“Just simplify this part, take the derivative, then take it once more,” Lin Duxi said, looking up and meeting Ayu’s startled eyes, smiling gently.

“An yu?”

Snapping back to reality, An yu turned her head and asked casually, “Thanks, but…”

“There are only five minutes left before the bell. Finish your problem first, and then we can talk, okay?” Lin Duxi’s eyes sparkled faintly, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible hint of coquettishness, like a soothing lullaby for An yu’s restless mind.

Outside, cicadas chirped through the tightly closed windows. The sound, though faint, carried through the room. What should have been an irritating season instead felt uniquely serene to An yu. She had a sudden intuition that no future summer would surpass the warmth and intensity of this sweltering one.

After they became closer, An yu had once asked Lin Duxi why she had spoken to her first.

Lin Duxi hooked her arm around An yu, leaning against her body, and whispered gently into her ear:

“Because I was waiting for you to talk to me.”

“But I couldn’t wait,” she added.

That tender, lingering tone etched itself deeply into An yu’s heart—the brightest, most resonant whisper of her entire youth.

And now, that same tone was right there, in her ear.

“An yu?” Lin Duxi asked, observing Ayu staring blankly at the fan, testing her while a hint of hope flickered in her eyes. Her heart beat fiercely.

It felt as though a single word or expression from An yu could determine everything for her.

“What are you thinking about?” Lin Duxi asked.

An yu returned her gaze. Lin Duxi was only a hand’s length away; she could count each of her long eyelashes.

Startled, An yu instinctively leaned back, creating distance between them.

“I’m fine. I stayed up a bit late last night. I got a little tired when I sat down,” she said, lowering her gaze to hide the darker thoughts in her eyes.

Lin Duxi frowned lightly, rubbing An yu’s sleeve with a firm, almost playful motion, as if venting her slight annoyance.

An yu didn’t notice the gesture. She glanced at Lin Duxi’s fan and said, “Have you finished your painting? Time’s almost up.”

Lin Duxi set her fan aside. “Done. Earlier, when I called you, you didn’t hear me, so I added a bit more,” she said, then turned to the manager: “Could you please wrap up this fan?”

The manager nodded repeatedly and took the fan to the counter.

Tilting her head, Lin Duxi looked at An yu, who seemed puzzled, and smiled. “I asked the manager earlier; he said we could take our own fans home. So this one is mine. An yu really gets absorbed in what she likes, just like before.”

She was referring to the fan with the Q-version smiling cat.

[This little cat is so cute!]

[I’ll pay ten times An yu’s price for this painting!]

[Does this cat have special significance for Lin Duxi? She seems so fond of it, smiling as she painted.]

As she said this, Lin Duxi looked at An yu, her dark, bright eyes showing no pretense, her tone relaxed, as if simply stating an ordinary fact.

An yu suppressed the complex emotions rising in her chest and apologized, “Sorry, I got too absorbed in painting and didn’t hear you, Teacher Lin.”

She picked up the fan from the table and walked past Lin Duxi, lowering her gaze to hide the shadowed thoughts in her eyes.

Watching her back, Lin Duxi tapped the table lightly with her fingers. As she stifled her smile, her originally cool face seemed even more distant. Yet her gaze on Ayu remained burning, carrying a subtle, possessive intensity, curling her lips slowly.

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