After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 37

It was as if millions of electric currents were running through her brain, causing a deep, nerve-piercing pain that spread to every limb and joint.

An Yu couldn’t help but collapse to the ground, clutching her head and gritting her teeth to endure the overwhelming pain. Cold sweat began to cover her entire body.

Time lost all meaning as she lay there. Only gradually did the bone-deep pain start to subside. An Yu finally released her lips, which had long since turned pale, and collapsed, gasping for breath, her body trembling as if she had narrowly escaped death. Her back was soaked with cold sweat, her clothes wrinkled and stuck to her skin, but she had no strength to straighten up. Her head throbbed with a buzzing that felt like a broken fan inside her skull.

At the same time, her still-recovering mind suddenly heard a cold, mechanical system alert, as if shattering a layer of ice and revealing a bone-chilling cold beneath.

【Ding—Detection: The host has deliberately disrupted the interaction between the male and female leads. Based on the severity of the disruption, the host will now be punished. Do not violate the rules again.】

The cold words echoed in An Yu’s mind. She lay on the ground, still trembling from the pain. The system merely spoke and then disappeared, not even responding to the questions she had asked earlier. It seemed to appear only because she had violated the rules.

An Yu stayed on the floor for a long time. Only when the cold gradually left her body and her senses returned did she slowly get up and enter the bathroom.

Steam rose slowly in the confined space. The shower water poured over An Yu’s head, soaking her hair and clinging to her body.

She lowered her head, letting the water run down her hair and onto the floor. The cold water splashed against her body, yet she made no move, her expression complex, her inner thoughts hidden beneath the mist rising in the bathroom.

Previously, when she had failed to match Lin Duxi and Pei Lu, the system had done nothing more than slightly stimulate her head as a warning. But this time, it had been serious.

Clearly, a true “violation” had occurred. An Yu tilted her head back, letting the water wash over her face, becoming slightly more clear-headed.

Based on her past actions, the system was too busy to pay attention to her. This time, it likely followed the same logic. The “violation” it mentioned must be a line set around the male and female leads, or herself. She needed to find where that line was.

The bathroom was filled with mist, yet An Yu’s gaze was unusually determined.

She stayed in the shower for a long time. By the time she finished, the others’ rest period was nearly over. She could only run to Lin Duxi’s room. Reaching for the doorknob, she opened the door, only to find Lin Duxi still peacefully asleep.

Relieved, An Yu thought at least Pei Lu wasn’t in Lin Duxi’s room. She started to step inside.

Halfway through, her steps froze as she remembered the system’s punishment in her room. The lingering pain still resided deep in her brain.

She paused, looking at Lin Duxi’s serene sleeping face, then at herself. She must look incredibly weak. Lin Duxi seeing her like this would worry even more. Sighing softly, An Yu turned and left.

“Click.” The door lock clicked, and the room fell silent again. The bed in the center suddenly made a rustling sound. Lin Duxi, who had been asleep, slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around the room. It was silent except for her own breathing, and a feeling of loss rose in her chest.

Why had An Yu left again? Didn’t she promise to stay until I woke up?

“Liar.” Lin Duxi turned her head, suppressing the sour feeling in her heart, more with helplessness than anger.

Even as a “liar,” her love for An Yu had already sunk deep into her bones, impossible to detach.

By the time all six people had rested enough, it was afternoon. An Yu hadn’t slept, spending the time outside looking at the mountain scenery. Though her frustration and confusion hadn’t disappeared completely, she felt slightly less troubled.

Returning, the other five had already begun lunch. Next to Xie An’an, a seat was vacant, and she walked over to sit down.

Xie An’an glanced at her and whispered, “By the time I came, they had already taken their seats. I was going to let you sit next to Lin Duxi, but someone beat you to it.”

An Yu looked up and saw Pei Lu sitting beside Lin Duxi.

Sensing An Yu’s gaze—or perhaps noticing An Yu had been watching—Lin Duxi looked up and their eyes met. She couldn’t help but smile gently.

Her eyes were like calm waves in the deep sea, and the softer Lin Duxi looked at her, the more conflicted An Yu felt. She lowered one hand, gripping her own clothes tightly, wrinkling the fabric, and forced a smile at Lin Duxi.

An Yu then looked down, avoiding Lin Duxi’s gaze. Lin Duxi paused, sensing something unusual about her, a kind of struggle. A sudden sense of panic rose, making her feel that the tentative harmony between them had again fallen apart.

She tightened her grip on the chopsticks, taking a few deep breaths to calm the sudden alarm. When Pei Lu poured her a glass of wine, she simply responded quietly, having no desire to interact with him.

Meanwhile, Xie An’an continued speaking quietly to An Yu.

“You haven’t slept, have you? You look exhausted.”

An Yu: “Am I? I’m okay.” She looked down at her food, pretending to listen, though her ears picked up the conversation across the table.

Xie An’an: “…”

People are like that. Often, the less you want to pay attention, the more sensitive you become. An Yu had no way of knowing how the system judged her violation, much less how to deal with Lin Duxi.

Her heart was in chaos, focusing on Lin Duxi and the others, and naturally noticing Pei Lu’s attentiveness.

She couldn’t help rolling her eyes, forcing herself to focus on her meal.

At this moment, the system appeared.

“Host, you’ve seen the interaction between the leads, right? This is what I mean by 100% compatibility. Don’t trouble yourself; just quietly observe their interaction and, if necessary, play the supporting role.”

It was half comforting, half emphasizing, but An Yu had no time to respond.

Her peripheral vision stayed on Lin Duxi. Seeing Pei Lu pour her a drink, her anger flared. She furrowed her brow and stood abruptly.

Xie An’an: “An Yu, where are you going? The director will announce the results soon.”

An Yu: “I’ll be back soon.”

Lin Duxi noticed her decisive departure. She lowered her gaze, letting her loose hair partly cover her eyes.

Panic washed over her again. She wanted to follow but stopped when she saw An Yu’s back.

More than An Yu leaving, she feared An Yu would speak cruel words or show a cold gaze, extinguishing any hope she had.

She let her hands fall, sinking into the darkness of her thoughts. Her eyes filled with grief, frozen in place.

The clinking of porcelain against glass abruptly pulled Lin Duxi back. She saw a pale, slender hand taking the cup in front of her and replacing it with a cup of steaming brown sugar water.

The rising steam reflected in Lin Duxi’s eyes, filling her with misty emotions, as if she had been abandoned by her owner. She hurriedly looked back and met An Yu’s eyes.

An Yu saw no reaction from her, picking up the wine glass and walking back to her seat like a server.

After An Yu sat, Xie An’an couldn’t help teasing, “Where did you run off to? Preparing brown sugar water for Lin Duxi?”

An Yu casually replied, “She’s on her period; this will make her more comfortable,” and set the wine glass aside, ignoring it.

Meanwhile, she mentally reassured the system: This is to prevent the female lead from feeling uncomfortable after drinking, which could interfere with the lead interaction. System, this is not a violation! It’s a justified promotion of the event!

The system remained silent, tacitly approving.

An Yu understood: logical actions would not trigger the system’s rules. The punishment earlier must have prevented Pei Lu from taking Lin Duxi away.

Thinking back, she would make the same choice again. Pei Lu would not succeed and would be scolded more harshly—what a jerk.

Her pent-up frustration eased. Watching Lin Duxi sip her drink, her gaze softened.

Once they had mostly finished eating, director Qiao Qingzhou approached to announce the climbing results.

“Congratulations, everyone, for completing the climb of Bai Mi Mountain! Let’s give ourselves a round of applause.”

Everyone clapped. Then Qiao Qingzhou continued.

“Based on climbing times, congratulations to An Yu and Xie An’an for achieving first place today!”

【An Yu and Xie An’an, well done!】

【You two are amazing!】

【Haha, that’s a slap in the face to Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian! Awesome!】

Yu Fei and Feng Zhinian exchanged glances, biting their teeth and lowering their heads without a word.

“I was the first to reach the top. How about that, sister? I didn’t let you down, right?” Xie An’an nudged An Yu’s arm.

An Yu smiled and nodded, secretly feeling happy, then instinctively looked at Lin Duxi.

Lin Duxi’s hands lightly clapped, her eyes unrestrainedly joyful. Seeing An Yu look at her, her smile poured from her eyes, trying to drown An Yu in it.

She looked at An Yu, her lips moving slowly.

Lin Duxi didn’t speak, but An Yu understood her lip movements.

“Congratulations, An Yu. You’re always number one.”

An Yu met her gaze, smiling. All pent-up emotions dissipated with Lin Duxi’s silent words.

【Seeing them smile at each other, I almost cried—what a divine romance! Count it to Xie An’an!】

【What did Lin Duxi say? Can a seasoned shipper like me miss it?】

【Here comes the translation army! Hurry!】

【She said: Congratulations, baby, tonight you…】

【Upstairs, if you keep talking like that, I won’t sleep! I’m following you.】

【An Yu is amazing—helping an injured teammate and still finishing first with Xie An’an. Truly worthy of my ship!】

Qiao Qingzhou glanced at the comments, then continued:

“Of course, we promised a reward. If either of you is afraid of heights, the reward is perfect: you can skip tomorrow’s glass skywalk experience!”

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

After that, she announced the next plan:

“Everyone, you’ve rested enough. Let’s head to our next destination: Bai Mi Temple.”

Support After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed