After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 15

After An Yu finished cutting the vegetables, she switched places with Lin Duxi, becoming her assistant instead.

Once Lin Duxi took over as “head chef,” she skillfully cleaned the meat. Her pair of hands, so fair they seemed untouched by spring water, carefully rinsed the cuts. Watching her so proficient, An Yu felt she was of no use and quietly stepped out of the kitchen.

She wandered into the backyard, where Pei Lu and Feng Zhinian were busy assembling a barbecue grill. The two pampered young masters, faced with a device that wasn’t even very complicated, were sweating and gasping for breath, yet still hadn’t managed to put it together.

An Yu simply stood at the doorway, watching them scratch their heads in frustration.

Pei Lu, sharp-eyed, noticed her the very moment she arrived. He cast her a hostile glance and let out a sharp snort through his nose.

When the director had announced earlier that she and Lin Duxi had received a mysterious reward, Pei Lu had nearly been consumed with jealousy—he had even fantasized about taking An Yu’s place as Lin Duxi’s partner.

What qualifications did a small-time celebrity like An Yu have to partner with Lin Duxi? Obviously, he was the one best matched with her. And yet An Yu had snatched the chance first. That “mysterious reward” should have been his!

Thinking of this, he raised his head again to glare at An Yu fiercely, then swallowed his anger and continued fiddling with the grill, treating her as if she were air.

His hostility was so open and raw that An Yu could feel it clearly. She rolled her eyes inwardly but, under the system’s instructions, returned to the kitchen. Watching Lin Duxi earnestly marinating the meat, she softly asked,

“Pei Lu and the others don’t seem to know how to assemble the barbecue grill. Should we help them?”

Lin Duxi, back facing her, never paused in her marinating, as though she hadn’t heard.

【Xiaoxi’s so absorbed in marinating she didn’t even hear.】
【Nope, she’s pretending. Haha, Xiaoxi’s adorable, acting like she didn’t hear.】
【Lin Duxi brand ear filter—automatically blocks out what she doesn’t want to hear. Please, I’ll take one too.】

An Yu raised her brows. For some reason, she was very satisfied with this reaction. Her earlier irritation dissolved. She didn’t repeat herself, just turned to go help herself so the system would stop nagging. But before she could step out, she heard a cool voice behind her.

“Ah Yu, I’ll go. You help me put the meat away.”

As always, her tone brimmed with thoughtfulness and care, as if she were incapable of displeasure. Yet to An Yu, it carried another meaning.

An Yu froze, then patted her hands and stepped closer to take over the seasoning from her.

While Lin Duxi washed her hands, she watched An Yu’s movements. Her washing was meticulous—again and again, lathering soap, as if to scrub every trace of residue clean. Her nails were neatly trimmed, the foam covering them in a soft white layer. Comments on the barrage started drifting into indecent territory.

Catching her motions from the corner of her eye, An Yu suddenly felt a knot in her chest. She turned away, forcing herself to focus.

Perhaps sensing it, Lin Duxi finally stopped, shut off the tap, dried her hands, and came close. She gently tugged at An Yu’s rolled-up sleeve and said softly,

“I’ll be back soon. Ah Yu, remember to miss me, okay?”

Her tone was wistful, like a farewell before a long journey.

Listening to Lin Duxi’s footsteps fade away, An Yu’s hazel eyes darkened. She sank into turmoil.

That half-joking remark—casual to the speaker, but not to the listener—made her ask herself: would she miss Lin Duxi? If asked six years ago, would she have firmly said “yes”?

Humans are creatures that “forget the pain once the scar heals,” but An Yu remembered every ounce of that pain vividly. Because she remembered so clearly, she was even more lost now.

To always think of her—was that love? She tried to decipher through blurred memories whether she had truly loved Lin Duxi back then. If she had, then she must have loved her recklessly, draining all her passion.

Yet the system insisted: in this world, the male and female leads were destined, the archetype of romance everyone envied but feared. And Pei Lu had indeed fallen for Lin Duxi at first sight. And now Lin Duxi was helping him.

So perhaps what she felt back then didn’t count as love—just the nostalgia of a first crush, the memory of a youthful spring.

A love she couldn’t clearly remember was useless. Something lost could never be regained, no matter how hard one tried.

An Yu laughed bitterly. If only then…

But there was no “if.”

Behind her, the back door creaked softly open, but so absorbed was she that she didn’t hear.

Lin Duxi walked in slowly, deliberately quiet, watching An Yu’s back with a smile curling her lips. When she finally reached her, she pounced, wrapping her tightly in her arms and murmuring,

“Ah Yu, I’m back. Did you miss me? I missed you so, so much.”

An Yu froze, then quickly recovered, replying gently, “It’s only been a short while and you’re already missing me?”

Her sudden softness caught Lin Duxi off guard, her heart surging wildly. She pressed her face against An Yu’s back, drinking in her scent. “Mm. I missed you. I want to do this together with you. Ah Yu, do you miss me?”

Hearing that, An Yu suddenly smiled—an ambiguous smile, tender yet edged like a blade. “Lin Duxi.”

Lin Duxi stiffened, instantly sensing something was off. Just as she was about to speak, An Yu’s words cut deep—sweet yet searing.

“I used to miss you so much, every moment, never wanting to part. But now… heh.”

It was as though Lin Duxi fell into an icy abyss. She quickly loosened her grip, wanting An Yu to turn around, to see her face.

Moments ago she had been smiling so happily—why had it changed in an instant? What happened?

“Ah Yu…”

Her heart was in chaos, that suffocating sense of defeat surging back. Her eyes reddened with desperation, needing to see into An Yu’s heart.

But An Yu wouldn’t allow it. She pried away those grasping hands and walked out decisively.

“The meat’s already marinated, Teacher Lin. You can check it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”

With her doubts unresolved, An Yu avoided Lin Duxi, retreating to a secluded corner of the villa. She sat, staring blankly at a patch of overgrown grass.

Not far away, on the villa’s second-floor balcony, a graceful beauty stood, eyes fixed intently on the lone figure brooding in the garden. Emotions churned in her gaze like stormy waves. For as long as An Yu sat there in a daze, Lin Duxi watched her.

Just as Xie An’an predicted, everyone only finished preparing the barbecue by evening. They hurriedly carried out the skewers from the kitchen.

The grill was already heated with charcoal. An Yu placed a few skewers on the rack. The free-flowing night breeze scattered some of her midday gloom. She sat on a chair, opened a bottle of alcohol, and sipped slowly.

Suddenly, someone sat down beside her. Instinctively, An Yu wanted to pull away, but the next second she heard a bright, cheerful voice.

“Teacher An, why are you drinking alone? Not going to eat barbecue?” Xie An’an handed her a skewer while munching happily on her own.

【Carefree Xie An’an. Can’t you see your An-jie is pondering life right now? Hahaha.】

An Yu accepted the skewer with a faint, self-mocking smile. “I just put them on the grill. I’ll go over later.”

“Hmm, I thought today’s mission gave Teacher An some trauma,” Xie An’an said casually.

“Trauma?” An Yu turned her head, puzzled. “What trauma?”

“Well yeah—so many people crowding into the shop to buy things, packed inside and out. Even if you weren’t scared, you’d be shocked, right? But Teacher An, you didn’t seem fazed at all. Respect.” She gave a thumbs-up in admiration.

An Yu blinked, confused. What did she mean? Was Lin Duxi frightened by the customers during the fan-selling? Why hadn’t she known? Lin Duxi hadn’t told her.

Almost unconsciously, she glanced toward the bonfire. Lin Duxi sat slightly away from the flames, watching the others at the grill, looking naïve and harmless.

Sensing her gaze, Lin Duxi turned. The firelight illuminated her face, weary yet still smiling at An Yu. In her eyes, deep down, the fire reflected as light.

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