After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 28

It had been a week since the last time she had taken Lin Duxi home by car.

During this week, their interactions remained much like before—as familiar classmates. Any thoughts about what had happened last time were left unasked by An Yu.

On one hand, she felt a strange, unconscious concern for Lin Duxi; on the other, she reminded herself that their relationship wasn’t close enough to talk about personal matters.

The proud young lady, An Yu, did not understand what it meant to “like someone.” She simply thought it was the effect of adolescence and therefore kept a slight distance from Lin Duxi.

Yet, during breaks in self-study, when stretching after tiring herself with exercises, her peripheral vision always caught Lin Duxi leaning over her desk, working.

The loose short-sleeved school uniform concealed her slender figure, and a few strands of hair fell casually over her face, making her delicate profile appear even more beautiful. Lin Duxi would absentmindedly tuck her hair behind her ear, revealing her small, fair ear.

As if noticing her gaze, Lin Duxi tilted her head, and her usually distant eyes met An Yu’s briefly before they both discreetly looked away.

Everything seemed unchanged, yet something had subtly shifted.

After the first monthly exams of their second year, the students in the class finally relaxed from the long period of tension. Groups of two or three chatted about students from other classes or discussed the questions they had just completed. An Yu and Shiyu overheard the noisy classroom from the corridor.

“The exams are finally over!” Shiyu exclaimed, throwing her arms around An Yu’s neck. “Want to go to KTV this weekend? The class president said his good friend’s birthday is coming up, we can all go together.”

An Yu shook her head. “No.”

Shiyu pouted in displeasure. “Come on, just relax after the exams! You’re an adult now, you can go into KTV. Did your parents give you some goal again?”

An Yu shook her head again. “No, I’m not close with the others in class, it would be awkward.”

Shiyu gave up. “Alright, I’ll go then.”

They chatted as they walked into the classroom. An Yu immediately noticed Lin Duxi bent over her desk, working on assignments, seeming out of place amid the surrounding bustle. Her steps faltered, and a student walking ahead accidentally bumped into her.

“What’s wrong, An Yu?” Tong Ge asked, tilting her head, and followed An Yu’s gaze to see Lin Duxi.

“Monthly exams are over, and she’s not relaxing? Truly a top student,” she sighed and unintentionally said, “Besides the time you had a fever, I’ve never seen any other expression on her face.”

An Yu turned her head. “Tong Ge, what did you say? That day? What expression?”

Tong Ge was caught off guard by the three questions and hesitated. “Well, the last time you fell asleep in class with a fever, Lin Duxi was extremely worried and helped you to the infirmary. Someone else tried to help, but she refused.”

“And her expression was anxious and concerned—I’d never seen her like that before. You two are really close as classmates.” She patted An Yu’s shoulder and walked away.

Worried about her?

An Yu’s heart churned with a mixture of sourness and sweetness, as if thousands of little deer were running inside her chest, her nerves moving with Lin Duxi’s every action. She lifted her gaze and her eyes grew increasingly complex.

An Yu sat down next to Lin Duxi, reaching out to straighten the messily arranged papers on her desk. She wanted to speak, but didn’t know what to say. For the first time, the adolescent young lady felt flustered, and just as she finally found a reason to speak, a voice greeted her.

“An Yu.” Startled, she turned to see a quiet, glasses-wearing girl clutching her test paper nervously.

An Yu remembered her slightly, but they hadn’t interacted much. Afraid of saying the wrong name, she stayed silent. The girl continued, “An Yu, did you finish simplifying the last part of question 22 in math?”

“Huh?” An Yu replied.

“It’s the last formula in question 22. We argued for a long time and couldn’t get the answer, so I wanted to ask you—An… An Yu.” The girl lowered her head, cheeks flushed, the neatly held paper now wrinkled from her grip.

An Yu felt slightly puzzled. Why would she ask her, and not Lin Duxi, about a math problem? She unconsciously rejected the thought, without realizing it herself.

“For question 22, I only did the first part. I didn’t have time to finish the rest,” An Yu replied briefly.

The girl lifted her head and looked at her face, stammering even more: “Oh… sorry, if you don’t know it, we can…”

“An Yu.” A cool voice sounded behind her, landing like a signal in her ear. She turned and saw Lin Duxi holding the test paper she had just organized, looking at her lightly. “There’s a small mistake here.” Her knuckles tapped gently on the paper, producing a faint scratch.

An Yu’s heart raced. It was a question she had painstakingly solved, and she instinctively leaned closer, unknowingly bringing her long hair over the paper, brushing Lin Duxi’s hand slightly.

Lin Duxi reached her right hand over, encircling An Yu, and pointed at the paper. “It’s here, there seems to be a small mistake.”

An Yu refused to believe it, taking out paper and pen to recalculate, still unaware of how intimate their position had become.

Lin Duxi looked at the girl holding the test paper, her gaze cold. The girl froze, instantly understanding the closeness between them. Clenching her paper and holding back tears, she left.

“Yes, that’s right.” An Yu put down her pen and looked at Lin Duxi. The coldness in Lin Duxi’s eyes had just faded, but their eyes met, extremely close—barely twenty centimeters apart. Lin Duxi could feel An Yu’s breath. She was startled.

“I misread it just now,” Lin Duxi said, her voice tinged with a hint of panic.

An Yu’s smile immediately brightened, filled with pride. “See? I couldn’t have made a mistake.”

Lin Duxi, influenced by her smile, couldn’t help but smile back indulgently. “Yes, An Yu, you couldn’t be wrong.”

An Yu returned the gaze, her brown eyes sparkling. Then, realizing how close they were, she felt her heart pounding and instinctively shrank back, taking her papers with her.

“Thanks.” She cleared her throat, her voice slightly hoarse, and looked around, but the girl from before was gone. She was puzzled.

“Were you looking for the classmate who asked the question?” Lin Duxi asked. An Yu nodded.

“She saw you working on the question and went to ask someone else,” Lin Duxi replied, her deep eyes making it hard not to believe her.

An Yu nodded, no longer searching. She recalled Tong Ge’s words, clenched her fist, and finally said:

“Lin Duxi, let’s go home together after school.”

“Huh?”

“My uncle has something at home and can’t pick me up. I have to take the bus myself, so it’s safer if we go together, since it’s on the way.”

An Yu simply looked at her, without pleading or showing any particular expression. Lin Duxi felt her heart soften, almost melting.

“Okay.”

They looked at each other, unaware that in the distance, Shiyu’s gaze had quietly withdrawn. She lowered her head, her long lashes shading her eyes, hiding her expression while gripping her pen tightly.

The night before, An Yu had received a call from her friend Shiyu, inviting her out. She gladly accepted, also wanting to ask Shiyu a few things.

Following the address Shiyu gave, An Yu arrived at a café, spotting the elegantly dressed Shiyu inside. Shiyu waved as soon as she saw her.

An Yu sat across from her.

“Not bad, superstar An Yu, your complexion looks better since the show. So, have you reconciled with Lin Duxi?” Shiyu teased.

An Yu blushed at the memory of acting with Lin Duxi the previous night. “No… you’re overthinking.”

Shiyu sheepishly stopped talking. “You two looked so lovey-dovey on the show. It’s just the show; we viewers suffer the most.” She pretended to wipe tears.

An Yu laughed, curiosity piqued. “You said we were sweet… can you explain?”

Shiyu paused, her expression complex as she looked at An Yu, gripping her hands tightly.

An Yu hurried to explain: “Not really, I’m the one involved. I wouldn’t know clearly.” She also wondered why she didn’t remember Lin Duxi liking mangoes—perhaps her memory of that period was sealed after her parents died.

Shiyu lowered her hands, recalling carefully. An Yu felt a little relieved.

Shiyu suddenly looked up. “You’re taking this for granted, and want me to tell you? Who should I be feeding the love story to?”

An Yu waved her hands. Shiyu laughed heartily.

“Fine, just teasing. You and Lin Duxi back then were super sweet. Always thinking about each other, treating each other very well—a model couple.”

Though Shiyu had long forgotten that love and loved others fully, talking about An Yu and Lin Duxi brought a pang of nostalgia, like a needle pricking her heart.

“Anyway, can’t say too much—here she comes!” Shiyu stopped, looking at the café entrance.

“What’s coming?” An Yu followed her gaze and saw a woman’s back.

“So you brought me here just for this?” An Yu realized.

“I just happened to notice. I’ve been writing here these past few days, and she seems to come every afternoon for coffee. Today, she’s a bit late.”

An Yu frowned, teasing: “You’re so perverse. Did she report you?”

Shiyu: “…It’s just an observation. I just like women with stories and wanted to meet her. By the way, about the welfare home thing, have you thought about it?”

An Yu remembered the public welfare script Shiyu mentioned and agreed.

“Sure. When?”

“Whenever. I’ll check it out first, then when you’re done with your recording, we can go together.”

“Good.”

Shiyu nodded, satisfied, but her eyes unconsciously glanced at the woman again. When looking back at An Yu, she suddenly froze. An Yu turned to see a familiar figure.

“Ah Yu, what a coincidence.” Lin Duxi greeted, smiling slightly, tilting her head to greet Shiyu briefly, who nodded in response, before her gaze returned to An Yu.

“Ah Yu, did you know I was coming and waited for me?”

An Yu smiled wryly. “No, just a coincidence. You’re here for?”

Lin Duxi walked confidently to An Yu’s side. “I told you last night—I have things to do, and after finishing, I should rest. May I sit here?”

An Yu looked at Shiyu.

“…Sure.” Lin Duxi happily sat next to An Yu.

The waiter handed her a menu, and she ordered a mango crepe. An Yu’s eyes lowered, her expression complex.

Shiyu took a work call and left after a brief goodbye. An Yu noticed her waving from the door and suspected the call might have been staged.

“What brings you here?” Lin Duxi’s voice drew An Yu’s attention. She tilted her head, curious.

“I came on business,” Lin Duxi replied, casually taking the seat next to her.

An Yu noticed Lin Duxi had grown more mature and refined, wearing a fitted shirt and long pants, her dark chestnut hair cascading as she leaned forward.

The cold, aloof Lin Duxi she remembered seemed buried in her memories, known only to her. People always desired what they liked exclusively. An Yu felt pleased by the thought. Once again, her gaze at Lin Duxi carried a depth of emotion she hadn’t realized.

After all these years, what had she experienced?

An Yu turned her head to the passing traffic but her thoughts drifted back to a high school self-study class, to the sight that had captured her heart forever.

Even if sharp, dangerous thorns pierced her skin, blood mixing with pain, and despair seemed endless, she had still relished it willingly.

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