After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 14

When they arrived at the villa, An Yu checked the time. Excluding the time she spent painting, it had only taken them about forty minutes to sell all the fans. There was still some time before noon.

She had assumed that the two of them would be the last group to finish the task, but to her surprise, when they arrived at the villa, it turned out they were the first and only ones who had completed it.

“The other two groups are still working on their tasks,” the staff explained beside them. “You two can rest for now. And without a doubt, you’re the first group to finish. As for the reward, we’ll reveal it later once everyone has gathered.”

“Ah Yu, what do you think the reward will be?” Lin Duxi asked with a smile.

An Yu carried the fruits and vegetables they had just bought from the supermarket, and answered lightly, “It’s probably some kind of benefit to help strengthen team bonds. After all, this is a dating reality show—they definitely want the audience to ship CPs.”

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but when she uttered the words “dating show,” Lin Duxi’s eyes suddenly lit up. The gleam disappeared the next moment, hidden beneath her bright and delighted gaze.

“A dating show, huh…” Lin Duxi deliberately dragged out the last syllables, her voice lifting just slightly, carrying a subtle, indescribable allure—like a siren’s call, seductive and dangerous, wrapping itself around its prey.

She stepped closer, the faint fragrance on her body drifting into An Yu’s senses with the breeze. Her steps were soft, and when she reached An Yu’s side, she lifted her hand. Her fingers brushed casually against An Yu’s cheek before resting lightly on her shoulder, tapping it gently. The next second, she leaned in.

A richer scent enveloped An Yu, flooding her awareness. Both of her hands were occupied holding the produce, leaving her unable to push away the hand on her shoulder. With staff members right behind her, she couldn’t move back either without the cameras catching it all. An Yu furrowed her brows—why was Lin Duxi suddenly being this bold?

Everything in front of her blurred and spun with the cloying perfume, and the familiar sensation triggered a sharp memory. For an instant, it wasn’t the twenty-four-year-old Lin Duxi in front of her, but the eighteen-year-old version—clumsy, awkward, yet trying hard to tease her.

Naïve, but fatally lethal.

Lin Duxi’s warm breath spilled against the bare skin of her neck, slowly trailing upward toward her delicate ear. An Yu’s heart pounded violently, reverberating in her eardrums, forcing her to shut her eyes.

But a few seconds later, the anticipated wet heat never came. Her heartbeat gradually slowed, the intoxicating scent faded a little, and instead she felt someone tugging lightly at her collar. Opening her eyes in confusion, she saw Lin Duxi standing before her, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes.

“All done,” Lin Duxi said, stepping back with a smile that curved her brows and eyes into innocent crescents. Yet beneath that harmless expression, An Yu detected a flicker of smug satisfaction.

“…Thanks,” An Yu muttered. She glanced at her, about to step past, when Lin Duxi casually caught her arm.

“Ah Yu, you said this is a dating show. Since it’s a dating show, and we’re on the same team… how about we play along and hype a CP?” Lin Duxi suggested, half in jest. But within her dark eyes, there was an earnest plea.

An Yu replied, “That’s unnecessary. I only came here to gain some exposure.” She paused, then smiled faintly. “Besides, pairing up with you wouldn’t be worth the cost. Lin-laoshi has much better options.”

She slipped her arm free and walked quickly ahead. Her words had been firm, but her retreating back looked more like a hasty escape. A complicated, nameless emotion churned within her chest—she couldn’t tell if it came from Lin Duxi’s prank, the heavy perfume, or the echo of that pounding heartbeat.

Lin Duxi lowered her gaze, absently rubbing the fingers that had just hooked around An Yu’s. Her long lashes trembled slightly, as though lost in thought. After a long moment, she chuckled softly.

“Better options, huh…”

Nearly an hour later, the other four contestants finally arrived. The production team then switched on the equipment, signaling the start of the afternoon live broadcast.

“First, congratulations to everyone for completing this morning’s task,” the director announced. “Among the three groups, Lin Duxi and An Yu finished in the shortest time, so they win this round and will receive a mysterious reward.”

Pei Lu stiffened, casting An Yu a jealous look.

“What kind of reward?” Xie An’an asked curiously.

“Well…” Qiao Qingzhou replied with exaggerated mystery, “We’ll reveal it later, during dinner. For now, everyone can start preparing the meal. There are ingredients already stocked in the kitchen, plus whatever Lin Duxi and An Yu bought at the supermarket. Feel free to be creative.”

“Ugh, Director, you’re teasing us again,” Xie An’an pouted. “Dropping hints but refusing to say—it’s so boring.”

【Xie An’an, don’t be so cute.】

“I circled around the villa this morning,” Xie An’an continued, “and I saw a new barbecue grill in the backyard. Why don’t we do a barbecue? It’s simple, and hard to mess up.”

“But isn’t barbecue more of a nighttime thing? Better atmosphere,” Yu Fei countered.

“Do you honestly think the few of us could get all the prep done for a barbecue within two hours—without a single mistake?” Xie An’an shot back, giving him a flat look.

Yu Fei, stung, fell silent.

【Hahahaha】
【Xie An’an, the sharp tongue we all needed!】

An Yu couldn’t help lifting the corners of her mouth—Xie An’an wasn’t wrong. From what she’d seen in the earlier live streams, none of them had shown much cooking ability. Her reasoning made sense.

Subconsciously, An Yu glanced toward Lin Duxi, recalling that her livestreams had never involved cooking either.

Sensing her gaze, Lin Duxi turned to meet it. Their eyes locked for a moment, heat sparking in the exchange. Lin Duxi’s smile lingered from earlier when Xie An’an had made her laugh—it was relaxed, unguarded, pure.

An Yu froze, caught off guard.

Lin Duxi tilted her head slightly, curious at An Yu’s expression, but said nothing and simply kept smiling as she turned back.

The group soon settled on barbecue. Two of them went to buy charcoal and seasonings, while the rest stayed behind to prep the food.

An Yu placed the vegetables by the sink and started washing them carefully. Beside her, Lin Duxi stood quietly with the meat in hand, waiting patiently without rushing or interrupting—her gaze soft as she watched An Yu rinse each item with care.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, spilling across the kitchen floor. The two of them moved together with an easy harmony, like an old married couple preparing a meal after years of living together. It should have been a peaceful, domestic moment.

But then, a faint buzzing crackle echoed in An Yu’s mind. She frowned, continuing to wash the vegetables.

“Host, you haven’t done any work for hours,” the system’s cold voice remarked.

“That’s because I’ve only been with Lin Duxi these past hours,” An Yu shot back icily.

Silenced, the system faltered. A small thrill of satisfaction rose in An Yu—finally, a bit of payback for the electric shocks from this morning.

“You should be dropping hints,” the system pressed suddenly. “Subtly steer Lin Duxi to think about how great the male lead is. Make her regret. That’s your job.”

An Yu: “…”

“You’ve been reborn, you know your mission. You should be doing everything possible to complete it. Anyway, you’ll have plenty of chances to interact with the two of them. Remember—leave no effort spared.”

With that, the system vanished, leaving behind nothing but the long hiss of static.

An Yu let out a small sigh through her nose. Leave no effort spared sounded simple enough, but how exactly was she supposed to do that?

“Ah Yu? Ah Yu?”

Lin Duxi’s gentle call snapped her back. She had almost forgotten that Lin Duxi was right beside her. Thank goodness she hadn’t spoken aloud to the system.

“What is it?” An Yu steadied her voice.

Lin Duxi said softly, “You’ve been rinsing that cabbage for quite a while. It’s already perfectly clean. I thought I’d remind you—it’s time to switch to another vegetable.”

An Yu glanced down. The cabbage in her hands was nearly falling apart from over-washing. Flustered, she set it aside quickly. “I was worried there might be bugs, so I gave it extra time,” she explained, hurriedly grabbing another vegetable instead.

The sound of running water filled the air between them. Lin Duxi lowered her gaze, watching the stream slip over An Yu’s pale hands, eyes thoughtful.

She hadn’t said everything. The rest of her question was swallowed back down.

Why had An Yu sighed just now? Why had she stared off so distractedly?

What on earth was she thinking?

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