After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 20

An Yu became aware of her body being casually pulled into someone’s arms, her hand being guided to hang around that person’s neck. She wanted to refuse, but the dizziness in her head surged stronger than ever.

She leaned weakly against Lin Duxi, strands of a delicate fragrance filling her nose, tugging at her aching thoughts. By her ear came a gentle voice, clear as mountain spring water, yet blurred and distant, as though separated by glass.

So fragrant. So pleasant to hear.

An Yu’s last memory lingered on that faint fragrance—then she drifted into unconsciousness.

When she woke again, the first thing she saw was a pure white ceiling, with a bright incandescent lamp in the center stabbing into her pupils.

She raised her hand to block the light, sat up, and looked around. Then her gaze fell on the IV tube in her hand, her face full of confusion.

At that moment, the curtain beside her was pulled open. The school nurse, dressed in scrubs, saw her dazed expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Student, what time did you sleep last night? You’ve been sleeping here for so long.”

“Huh?”

Hearing this, An Yu turned her head toward the window. The evening sky outside was painted with rolling layers of sunset clouds, glowing with radiant afterglow.

She rubbed her head. Had classes already ended?

The school nurse turned toward the outside and called, “Your friend’s awake.”

Footsteps approached. For no reason, An Yu suddenly felt nervous. That faint fragrance from before floated back into her memory.

Before she saw the person, she heard her voice—clear and familiar.

“An Yu! You’re finally awake!”

For some reason, a trace of disappointment welled up inside An Yu. She couldn’t tell where the emotion came from. She forced a smile. “Shiyu.”

Seeing she was fine, Shiyu finally relaxed. She walked to An Yu’s bedside, lightly tapping the quilt covering her. “What happened? How did you suddenly faint in class?”

The school nurse explained: “This student probably stayed up late last night. Too little sleep, plus the weather turning cold—it’s easy to catch a cold. Once this IV finishes, you can go back. Remember to take care of yourself. Your health is the foundation of your studies.”

An Yu scratched her head in embarrassment and nodded in agreement.

Watching her look so chastened, Shiyu raised her brows. “Do you know how long you’ve slept? Four hours! What on earth were you doing last night?”

At her words, An Yu’s foggy mind finally cleared a little. She asked, “Shiyu… was it you who brought me here?”

Shiyu, who had been chattering away, paused at the question. She thought for a moment before replying.

“It was Lin Duxi who helped you over. Just now someone came looking for her, so she went out.”

“Just now?” For some reason, out of all that information, An Yu only latched onto those two words.

“Mm. After she carried you here, she stayed with you the whole time. When someone came looking for her, she was afraid of disturbing you, so she stepped out.” Shiyu told her everything that had happened.

An Yu’s heart jolted. A strong urge surged up inside her, an intense desire to see Lin Duxi. That faint fragrance lingered around her senses. She looked up at the IV bottle, nearly empty, and spoke to the nurse.

“Sis, I think my cold’s better now. Could you remove the needle for me?”

The nurse chuckled. “Even a miracle pill wouldn’t work that fast. Well, since it’s almost finished anyway, I’ll take it out.”

“By the way, the girl who brought you here looked so worried. She even helped me, running around to set you on the bed, putting a towel on your forehead. You two good friends?” she asked curiously.

“She’s my deskmate.” Just six ordinary words, but to Shiyu and the nurse, they somehow carried the weight of a declaration of ownership.

After the blood at the puncture site stopped, An Yu quickly threw back the quilt, pulled on her jacket, and prepared to run outside. From inside the room, Shiyu called after her:

“Hey, An Yu, where are you going? Want to go barbecue by the river later?”

An Yu waved a hand from afar. “No need, I just recovered from a cold. I shouldn’t be in the wind.”

Watching her figure grow smaller, the nurse rubbed her forehead helplessly. “She still has a cold—why’s she running around?” Then her gaze shifted from Shiyu, who was still watching An Yu, to a nearby statue. Slowly she spoke again.

“You’re not going to tell her? You stayed here with her for so long.”

Shiyu smiled faintly, her eyes following An Yu’s running back, the look in them unreadable.

The school, emptying for the holiday, felt unusually vast. An Yu circled the area near the infirmary but found no trace of Lin Duxi. She slowed to a walk around the track, a hollow disappointment tightening around her heart, leaving her restless.

Then, from the exit beneath the reviewing stand, a sound carried. An Yu’s ears pricked, and her heart stirred. She quickly hurried over.

Sure enough—it was Lin Duxi. In an instant, the disappointment in An Yu’s chest evaporated. She was about to call her name when she noticed someone else standing opposite Lin Duxi.

An Yu slowed her steps and watched from a distance. The girl opposite quickly stuffed an envelope into Lin Duxi’s hands. Lin Duxi spoke something with a blank expression, and the girl looked shocked, anxious to explain. When she lifted her head, she caught sight of An Yu.

An Yu: “…”

Following the girl’s gaze, Lin Duxi also turned and saw An Yu standing not far away. She said a few words to the girl, who then walked away, dejected, still holding the envelope.

Under Lin Duxi’s eyes, An Yu stiffly stepped forward. She was searching for words to break the awkwardness, but Lin Duxi was faster. She walked right up to An Yu, pulled out a tissue, and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Why so much sweat?” she frowned, completely unlike the expressionless person of a moment ago. “An Yu, did you run all the way here?” Her tone carried a hint of reproach—yet more than that, it was full of concern.

“Were you looking for me? Why didn’t you stay in the infirmary? I’d worry about you.”

Snapped back to herself, An Yu struggled to pull away from the tenderness in her eyes. She argued, “I wasn’t looking for you. The nurse said running a few laps after an IV helps sweat out a cold.” With that, she pretended to strike a running pose, about to set off again—only for Lin Duxi to grab her jacket and tug her back.

Lin Duxi pulled her into place, continuing to dab the sweat at her neck with the tissue. “Alright, An Yu must’ve finished running by now. Let’s rest a little, hm?” She coaxed her like a child.

They were standing close—so close that An Yu could see her long eyelashes trembling slightly as they hung low, soft as feathers. The clean scent of laundry detergent mixed with that delicate fragrance of hers—it was intoxicating.

An Yu couldn’t stop herself from saying, “It was you who carried me to the infirmary.”

Her tone was firm, leaving no room for denial. Lin Duxi froze. She hadn’t intended to hide it anyway. She nodded. Then, smiling, she leaned in a little closer, cupping An Yu’s cheeks in both hands, her voice soft.

“My deskmate fainted right beside me without a word. As her deskmate, how could I just sit by and do nothing?”

“Did you finish the IV before running out? Does your head still hurt?” she asked.

An Yu didn’t reply. All her awareness was on the warmth of Lin Duxi’s palms against her cheeks, heat spreading from there up to her ears.

Seeing her unusual reaction, Lin Duxi curled her lips in satisfaction. But the moment her eyes caught the faint red of An Yu’s ear tips, she froze slightly—then couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

Before An Yu could ask what she was laughing at, a ringtone chimed from Lin Duxi’s uniform pocket.

Both of them paused. Lin Duxi let go of her, pulled out her phone, and answered.

With the loss of that touch, An Yu felt her heartbeat gradually return to normal. She shifted her gaze around quietly, waiting for Lin Duxi to finish the call.

But Lin Duxi’s expression grew darker as she listened. “Alright. Wait for me. I’ll be right back.”

Hanging up, her brows knitted. The bus by the school gate wouldn’t come for a while yet—who knew how long it would take to get there? Sensing her worry, An Yu spoke softly.

“Let me take you back.”

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