After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 5

When An Yu got out of the car, she was still a bit dizzy. The “Car God of Jiang City” had taken her for a ride around the city at the fastest speed allowed by traffic rules. Not only did he lose the paparazzi, but An Yu also almost got thrown off the car.

Finally, the car came to a steady stop at An Yu’s residential complex. The driver laughed heartily at An Yu, who seemed lost in thought.

An Yu took the elevator up to her floor. Just as she was about to take out her keys to open the door, the neighbor’s door opened. A woman with short curly hair saw her and greeted her enthusiastically.

“Xiao Yu, you’re back!”

An Yu nodded as she opened her door.

“Oh my, it’s already eleven o’clock! Why are you just getting back? You must be 24 or 25 now. I always say, girls should be steady. My boy is just like you, running around all the time. I thought he was off doing something, but turns out he was just making nests for the neighborhood cats and dogs. Such a kind person… his future wife will be so lucky…”

“Bang—” An Yu slammed the door, cutting off the neighbor’s ongoing advice.

She took off her coat. Lin Duxi’s coat still carried a faint scent of perfume, very light and not overpowering. An Yu sniffed herself and decided she’d better take a shower first.

She hung Lin Duxi’s coat on the rack. When she reached for her phone, her hand brushed something else. She pulled it out: Lin Duxi’s candy. In the rush of exchanging clothes, they had only swapped phones, and the candy had been left in the pocket.

The candy was packaged in a cute way, completely unlike something Lin Duxi would own. An Yu looked at it and, on a whim, popped one into her mouth.

A sweet and sour orange flavor burst in her mouth, awakening her taste buds. She hadn’t expected snacks from a few years ago to taste so good. An Yu glanced at the packaging, her gaze lingering.

She took out her phone and noticed a new friend request from a stranger. The username was capital letters: “LDX”, and the profile picture was a chibi-style cat. The cat appeared to be drawing with a pencil on paper and photographing the work with a phone. The drawing was youthful, and oddly, there was a black pen line on the middle-right of the paper, disrupting the piece.

An Yu stared at the drawing for a few seconds, fragments of memory flashing through her mind. She accepted the request and added a note: Lin Duxi.

The moment she entered the chat, Lin Duxi sent her a voice message. An Yu clicked to play it.

“Thanks, A Yu. I’ve made it home safely.”

Her voice was husky, slightly tipsy, with a soft, misty warmth that sounded intimate.

An Yu texted back: “Okay.”

Lin Duxi: “Thanks for helping me, A Yu. I’ll wash your clothes and return them soon. By the way, where do you live?”

An Yu: “No need, just keep them for now. I’m not in a hurry.”

An Yu intended to end the conversation, but Lin Duxi wasn’t done.

Lin Duxi: “Seeing you today, I honestly thought I was dreaming. You were like a little spirit, appearing right before my eyes. I was so happy!” Her voice overflowed with joy at seeing An Yu.

“Just returning the favor for your help. You don’t need to read too much into it.”

An Yu’s reply was cold. Lin Duxi paused for a few seconds, then continued messaging.

“Okay, if you say so, I won’t. But I’ll take good care of your clothes and return them the next time I see you. Is that okay?”

An Yu frowned. Didn’t this person understand polite conversation?

“Whatever, consider them a gift.”

“I knew A Yu was the best.” Her voice was soft and warm, full of intoxicated charm. An Yu almost laughed with frustration.

“Lin Duxi, you’re still drunk, right? Do you even realize what you’re saying? Aren’t you dizzy and in pain?” An Yu’s text had no tone, but the sarcasm was palpable.

“But I’m talking to A Yu, and I feel like you’re right here with me. My head doesn’t hurt at all.” Lin Duxi seemed oblivious to An Yu’s tone, continuing in her gentle voice.

The combination of her soft tone and faint drunkenness left An Yu helpless.

An Yu didn’t reply further. Seeing that Lin Duxi stopped messaging, she got up to freshen up, only to notice another voice message. Before she could open it, it was withdrawn and replaced with another text.

Lin Duxi: “Good night, A Yu.” This time she typed it manually.

An Yu: “Mm.”

As she exited the app, she saw an unexpected notification on the homepage.

[The production of Night Like Frost announces the dismissal of the assistant director.]

An Yu clicked in surprise and read the article carefully. It said that during filming, the assistant director had a dispute with an actor and even resorted to physical violence, resulting in his dismissal.

An Yu still found it hard to believe. She exited and checked the official account of Night Like Frost, finding the announcement there, and couldn’t help but laugh.

In her previous life, Zhao Fang had dared to act arrogantly only because he was backed by Director Fang’s influence. Now, with the production’s statement, he had lost that power. As long as the evidence of his crimes was secured, he couldn’t possibly argue.

An Yu’s hands trembled with excitement as she picked up her phone to call a lawyer, only to realize she didn’t have one’s contact. She sighed.

She would need to visit a law firm in a couple of days.

The dismissal of the assistant director didn’t interest netizens much, but because of the production’s particularity, online comments started to go off-topic, mostly teasing the male lead and Lin Duxi.

[Support! Representing Lin from Night Like Frost production, I vote!]
[Please, can we get photos of Lin Duxi visiting Zhuang Yu on set as behind-the-scenes footage? I want to see the beauty.]
[Are you really just here to see the beauty? (squints)]
[A bit rude, but can I ship this CP?]

An Yu knew that in novels, NPCs always shipped the main characters, but she hadn’t expected it to be this intense. All directions were filled with shipping comments. Yet this reminded her of one thing.

“System, you keep telling me to match them, but you haven’t said how or where to do it.”

System replied: [Host, it’s not time yet. In the story, they will participate in a variety show together. You will also be involved, and you can complete your mission there.]

“Variety show? When?”

[Wait for notification. When the time comes, your company will inform you.]

Compared to An Yu’s curiosity, the system seemed calm, unwilling to say more.

An Yu didn’t dwell on it. Since the system had prepared everything, she would wait for the story to reach her.

Before washing up, An Yu noticed the unfinished candy on the table. She walked over and popped another piece in her mouth.

Sweet and sour, just like her high school youth—vivid, addictive, yet fleeting.

The summer between her first and second year of high school had been the happiest she’d ever had. That also led to extremely irregular routines, which caused her to be late on the first day of school.

On the day she saw the time was already eight o’clock while still commuting, she finally relaxed, then asked the driver to stop for a jianbing (Chinese pancake) and bought some snacks along the way.

According to gossip from Shi Yu, they would be in the same class again. An Yu planned to share the snacks with her.

When she arrived at Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, the main gate was already closed. An Yu sneaked to a secluded corner where a tree had many thick branches. Many late students used it to climb over the wall, and so did An Yu.

As she climbed up, she saw a schoolgirl standing in the yard, tilting her head curiously at her.

An Yu: “!” No way, what a coincidence.

The girl’s eyes showed curiosity. She walked toward An Yu and asked, “Classmate, are you climbing over the wall?”

An Yu defended herself: “No, I’m testing the wall’s endurance.”

The girl’s dark, beautiful eyes curved into a smile. An Yu leapt down next to her.

“Pretty, I see you’re serious. Here, take this. Can you let me off?” An Yu handed the girl a pack of candy.

The girl looked at the candy and then at An Yu. “Bribing me?”

An Yu took a half step back in shock. “My loyalty to the school is witnessed by heaven and earth. I just had an unexpected situation today. Please let me off, classmate. Don’t mark me absent.” She clasped her hands together in plea.

“Unexpected situation?”

“Yes, like forgetting breakfast. High school girls who skip breakfast will feel awful all day.”

Her expression was a bit pitiful.

The girl laughed, then glanced at the candy packaging. An Yu added in time, “These gummies are delicious. Try them. If you don’t like them, I have… sunflower seeds. Never mind, just eat the candy.”

The girl looked at her and took the candy. “Okay.”

An Yu finally relaxed. “Classmate, you’re really nice. By the way, where’s your notebook and armband?”

The girl’s long eyelashes fluttered. “Did I say I’m part of the student council?”

An Yu paused for two seconds, then happily said, “Ah, didn’t say earlier! You scared me. Well, I should go now. If my homeroom teacher finds me, I’ll have to write an 800-character self-criticism. This candy is for you as a friendship gift. I’m An Yu from Class 2-3. Come find me if you want to hang out!”

The girl ran toward the teaching building, her blue-and-white uniform puffing in the wind, hiding a summer full of carefree freedom.

Lin Duxi watched An Yu’s retreating back, finally releasing the hand she had been gripping so tightly. Her palm was red from pressure. She wiped her hand with a tissue and walked slowly toward the teaching building.

Almost late.

“Here you are, and you even brought sunflower seeds?” Shi Yu teased, looking at An Yu.

“I passed by the supermarket, so I bought some. Didn’t you like sunflower seeds in high school?” An Yu replied, handing the seeds to her.

Shi Yu smiled and caught them. “True, I’ll take them then. Didn’t expect you still remembered what I liked all those years ago.”

An Yu just smiled silently. Perhaps due to meeting Lin Duxi frequently these days, she even dreamed last night about the first time she had met her. These details only came back to her upon waking.

Those hidden memories had quietly opened in An Yu’s mind, slowly surfacing without a trace.

“So, this time back in the country, is it for travel or work?” An Yu asked.

“For work. I’ll settle here permanently.” Shi Yu had studied literature and became a screenwriter after graduation. She returned because a company specifically recruited her.

“I plan to travel nationwide in a few days for inspiration for my script, but before that, I need to visit a local orphanage for a charity event and write a short play for the children.”

“Orphanage?” An Yu felt it sounded familiar—Lin Duxi seemed connected to one in Jiang City.

Tiny fragments flashed in her mind, but she couldn’t grasp them.

“Yes, do you want to come with me? Play some games with the kids?”

An Yu thought for a moment: “If I have time.”

Shi Yu: “Great, it’s a plan. By the way, when we met at the gathering the other day, did anything happen after I left?”

An Yu: “No, everything went smoothly.”

Shi Yu was relieved. “Good. When I left, she looked like she might cause trouble, but she was actually very calm.”

An Yu smiled wryly. “Haha, yes.”

In the afternoon, An Yu received a message from her agency, asking her to go sign a contract for a variety show.

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