After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 23

After the break, An Yu and the others got into the car and arrived at a folk handicraft shop. Looking at the store’s signboard, she finally understood what the system meant by a “group activity.”

“Welcome, everyone, to the town’s most renowned and representative art shop. This is a store specializing in purely handmade wooden masks. Every mask here is carved meticulously by a craftsman, one piece at a time,” Qiao Qingzhou explained to the group. After giving this background, he returned to the main point.

“Tonight, the town will hold a gathering, an event that is a must-see for tourists. Everyone can bring their self-made masks to participate. We have invited a master craftsman with 30 years of experience to demonstrate the process. After learning from him, you can create the mask designs you like.”

[“These masks are so beautiful and stylish… and so exquisite! Is there a way to buy them?”]
[“It must take a lot of time to make a mask. So hard.”]
[“And I get to see the CP I ship! Can’t wait to see what kind of masks they’ll make.”]

After the director finished explaining the rules, everyone was allowed to act freely. An Yu watched the craftsman sitting on a chair with a block of wood in hand, demonstrating the next steps and how to carve the correct angles.

She sat beside the craftsman, picked up a corner of wood, drew lines with a pencil, and, following his instructions, began chiseling little by little. She had studied painting before, and her family had encouraged her to try various skills. Wood carving was one of them, so this was like practicing something she had already learned. Before long, she received praise from the master craftsman.

Compared to her, the others struggled more with carving. After An Yu became proficient, she voluntarily stepped aside to let others find better positions.

She walked over to some wood nearby, looked at the materials, and suddenly an idea for a design popped into her mind. While inspiration was fresh, she quickly drew it down. Just as she was about to start, she caught sight of Lin Duxi from the corner of her eye.

Lin Duxi held a chisel and hammer, carefully studying her block of wood. As she lifted the chisel to carve, she felt a warm touch that interrupted her movements and thoughts.

Her breathing faltered, and the next second, a familiar warmth enveloped her, seeping into her heart. Fine, silken hands grasped her wrists, guiding her movements.

“Don’t hold the chisel too straight here; tilt it slightly,” An Yu’s cold, unassuming voice whispered in her ear, sending electric shivers through Lin Duxi’s body. Her heart raced wildly, and for a moment, she forgot to respond, allowing An Yu to guide her hands as they carved together.

An Yu focused on helping Lin Duxi position her hands, her own hands holding Lin Duxi’s, as if encircling her in an embrace. Lin Duxi felt entirely enveloped by her.

The soft rhythm of An Yu’s breathing brushed against Lin Duxi’s neck, stirring heat along her skin. Her long, slender fingers unintentionally brushed against Lin Duxi’s, causing a ripple in her heart. Lin Duxi’s face remained calm, yet deep in her eyes, a hidden fire ignited.

She desperately wanted to turn and kiss her, to be kissed until she was breathless, to be held and comforted by An Yu’s gentle embrace. Just imagining it made her tremble with excitement. Lin Duxi couldn’t ignore An Yu’s presence for even a moment.

[“Can I, a mere fan, even watch this?”]
[“They’re hugging!!! And still in such an intimate, ambiguous posture… I knew it, they’re real!”]
[“Is this development too fast? Already hugging like this… is it even real or just a publicity stunt?”]
[“Stop hating, just because they’re close doesn’t mean they’re faking it!”]

An Yu continued guiding Lin Duxi, but suddenly noticed her increasingly rapid breathing, each one stirring sparks in her heart. She froze, finally realizing how intimate their position was. Feeling the heat in Lin Duxi’s hands, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly let go.

“Got it?” she cleared her throat and stood, feigning casualness.

The warmth and touch were gone, leaving Lin Duxi staring at the half-finished mask on her hand, feeling somewhat empty.

Lin Duxi wanted to shake her head, signaling she didn’t understand, and let An Yu continue guiding her, but she also feared An Yu would look down on her. Conflicting emotions tangled in her heart. She wanted to stay in An Yu’s embrace, but couldn’t.

“I think I understand now,” Lin Duxi nodded in reply.

An Yu looked at the mask in Lin Duxi’s hands—it had already taken shape, and she could finish the rest herself. Relieved, An Yu returned to her own wood to focus on her mask.

Her painting skills made designing the mask easier, and after practicing a few scraps, she quickly progressed through most of the work.

After a short rest, wiping her sweat, she was about to continue when she noticed Pei Lu walking over to Lin Duxi with his mask.

An Yu’s cheerful mood suddenly darkened. She lowered her head, picking up a file, forcing herself to focus.

She turned her head too quickly and didn’t notice Lin Duxi’s gaze. Lin Duxi saw An Yu focused on carving and felt a twinge of sadness—she had noticed An Yu looking at her earlier.

Lin Duxi’s deep eyes darkened as she looked at the mask Pei Lu left behind and then away.

Some time passed. An Yu’s mask gradually took shape. She picked up paints and began carefully decorating it.

Suddenly, she heard a faint hiss nearby. The sound was soft, but she recognized it immediately.

Startled, An Yu looked up and saw Lin Duxi behaving unusually. Alarmed, she quickly walked over.

Lin Duxi looked at her approach and smiled, “An Yu, what’s wrong?”

She smiled but her hands were clasped awkwardly in front of her.

An Yu frowned slightly, reaching for Lin Duxi’s hands. Lin Duxi instinctively pulled back.

An Yu froze. Normally, she would eagerly reach out to take advantage of the moment.

Lin Duxi saw her expression and, realizing she could no longer hide it, took the initiative, extending her hand: “You really can’t miss anything, can you? It’s nothing, just a small cut.” She said it lightly.

An Yu looked at her bleeding fingers. This was no small cut—the tip of her thumb was almost peeled, blood steadily oozing. Her heart ached.

“It’s okay, An Yu. Just a band-aid, it won’t hurt,” Lin Duxi said. She didn’t seem bothered, but the more she said this, the more it hurt An Yu.

An Yu, feeling distressed, lowered her voice: “I’ll get some gauze.” She rushed to the car and quickly grabbed gauze, cotton swabs, and alcohol from the medical supplies she had packed that morning in case Lin Duxi had a fever.

She hurried back and knelt beside Lin Duxi, gently dabbing the wound with alcohol. Despite the sting, Lin Duxi only slightly furrowed her brows.

An Yu froze for a moment, then quickly finished disinfecting and carefully wrapped the wound.

Finally done, she exhaled with relief. Rising slowly, she felt slightly dizzy from tension. When she looked at Lin Duxi, her eyes were calm, but then she noticed the mask beside her and froze.

The mask was ugly—it wasn’t Lin Duxi’s.

Lin Duxi, looking at the carefully bandaged wound with gauze tied with a little bow, couldn’t help but smile. She looked at An Yu, wanting to praise her, but noticed her gaze fixed elsewhere.

Following her line of sight, Lin Duxi saw the mask and smiled faintly. She patiently explained:

“This is Teacher Pei’s mask. He asked me to help fix it a bit.”

Her soft voice struck An Yu like thousands of daggers to the heart. Everything she had done seemed pointless.

It was because of her suggestion that Lin Duxi helped another team member, resulting in her injury.

Judging by Lin Duxi’s personality, she would never help someone else without reason.

An Yu recalled the wound she had seen—it wasn’t large but was deep. Others might think it wasn’t serious, but An Yu felt a sharp pang of heartache.

She didn’t know why she felt so upset—was it guilt or shock at seeing this side of Lin Duxi? She only knew she felt deeply distressed.

Lin Duxi saw An Yu’s furrowed brows and self-reproachful expression. She hesitated, then stood and gently lifted An Yu’s face with her uninjured hand, coaxing her attention:

“An Yu, don’t overthink. I’d worry, and your bandaging is so good, it didn’t hurt at all. You can relax.” Her slow, gentle tone was like an invisible lullaby, calming An Yu’s turbulent heart.

An Yu looked into Lin Duxi’s eyes, filled with deep affection for her. She froze slightly and avoided eye contact.

Lin Duxi saw her awkwardly lowering her hands and, feeling hurt, also lowered her eyes.

“It still hurts a little,” Lin Duxi admitted softly.

An Yu immediately worried, reaching for her hand again. Lin Duxi gently grasped her wrist and stepped closer, lightly encircling An Yu’s waist.

“Let me hold you, An Yu. It’ll stop hurting if I hold you.”

An Yu froze, her nose filled with Lin Duxi’s hair scent. She didn’t want to pull away, letting Lin Duxi’s embrace gradually tighten.

Perhaps An Yu was too shocked. Normally perceptive with colors, she didn’t even notice that the mask was spotless—no blood had spilled onto it. Usually, blood would drip and stain the mask, but not this time.

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