After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 51

When Lin Duxi pushed the door open, her emotions were already restrained, and her expression looked as calm as usual. She lifted her eyes and looked at An Yu not far away, her gaze shimmering.

Seeing her come out, An Yu stepped forward. Most of the questions from the directing team had been about Lin Duxi, so Lin Duxi’s questions were likely similar.

Lin Duxi: “Ah Yu, what’s wrong?”

An Yu reached out, grabbing her wrist gently, and started walking a short distance away with her. Softly, she said, “I want to apologize to you.” She steadied herself and summoned all her courage.

To ensure smooth recording and maintain viewer engagement, Qiao Qingzhou had turned off all six cameras that were following them, so now the two of them stood in a corner, largely unseen.

Lin Duxi looked down at the corner of her clothes fluttering in the wind and said hoarsely, “How do you want to apologize?” An Yu thought she might be cold from the morning wind and stepped in front of her, shielding her from it.

“Last night, when I said that memories should stay in the past and not be brought up again, I was actually lying, just as you said.” She started by keeping her head down, looking at the hem of Lin Duxi’s clothes, then slowly lifted her head to meet Lin Duxi’s gaze, courage growing inside her.

“During that time, many things happened. Even though things have returned to normal now, I still instinctively try to avoid recalling the past. So what I said yesterday was also me subconsciously trying to evade it. I haven’t forgotten the memories from back then, but I told you to let go of the past—I was lying. I apologize and hope you can forgive me.”

An Yu blurted this out without much thought, and saw Lin Duxi’s eyes gradually fill with moisture, the corners of her eyes reddening as if she might cry at any moment.

“Lin Duxi, what’s wrong…” An Yu panicked, rummaging in her pockets for tissues, but Lin Duxi stepped forward and hugged her tightly, as if trying to merge her whole being with An Yu’s.

Even though An Yu had tried to downplay the past pain in her words, Lin Duxi could still keenly sense An Yu’s avoidance. Time had forced An Yu to numb herself and rebuild her life on that numbness, but it was all a futile effort.

Initially, Lin Duxi wanted An Yu to face those buried, rotten memories—she knew only a “surgical” confrontation could heal them. But just hearing An Yu mention them lightly made Lin Duxi feel as if her heart was being carved open and blood dripping down, pierced by countless blades, painful beyond breath.

An Yu escaped the memories, yet was still entangled by them. She was willing to immerse herself in them; they were the same in this.

Lin Duxi pressed against An Yu’s shoulder, tilting her head to feel the warmth of An Yu’s neck. Two buttons of An Yu’s shirt had been brushed open, revealing her flawless skin above the collarbone.

“No more… it’s over…” she murmured, her nose brushing over An Yu’s skin, lips slightly parted, gently brushing and restraining herself, even leaving a bite mark that couldn’t bring them back to the past.

An Yu stiffened, shivering all over. Then she heard Lin Duxi mutter softly:

“This time, I forgive you, but I was really mad before—you owe me compensation.”

The stone weighing on An Yu’s heart finally fell away. “Okay,” she said. Then Lin Duxi kissed her heavily on the neck again, making her heartbeat pound wildly in her chest.

“I’m still mad. You forgive me too easily,” Lin Duxi murmured with her eyes closed, feeling An Yu’s warmth. An Yu had sprayed a faint fragrance today, masking her scent, but Lin Duxi didn’t mind. Her hand slipped under An Yu’s jacket, wrapping around her waist over her shirt.

The ups and downs of the past two days, the anxieties buried in her dreams, melted away in An Yu’s embrace, comforting Lin Duxi.

“The kiss just now… does that count as compensation?”

“One more then.”

“Okay.”

The second episode of Hello, Friends far exceeded the popularity and viewership of the first, especially during the interview when the six came in alone at the end. The live viewers’ attention on Lin Duxi and An Yu alone surpassed the cumulative online viewership of the first episode.

Qiao Qingzhou watched the nearly crashing live feed in surprise, gulped to steady herself, and seeing the viewers drop after the interview, finally understood the strength of their fans, and couldn’t help smiling.

“So many people have such good taste, just like me,” she muttered to herself while watching the live feed.

She picked up the script for the next episode, flipped through it, and raised her eyebrows.

By noon, the recording for the second episode of Hello, Friends was wrapping up. The six returned to the living room where they had first arrived, sitting in their teams. Lin Duxi and An Yu sat across from each other, their eyes meeting briefly before gently smiling away.

【They’re reconciled! Right?】
【They just smiled at each other! I told you, couples fight on the bed but make up at the headboard.】
【More sweet moments coming, such emotional exchanges between young lovers.】

Qiao Qingzhou sat at the control station watching the surge in online popularity, raising a megaphone:

“Everyone, the second episode of Hello, Friends is ending. Following the first episode’s tradition, we’ll now announce the team formation for the third episode.” She paused, noticing all six staring at her, the screen full of curious comments, then continued.

“This time, team formation will not be by drawing lots. Our live broadcast is free of any subjective interference. After the first two episodes aired, viewers have formed their own opinions. So for the third episode, we’ll use—viewer voting!”

“After this episode ends, an official voting system will be released on Weibo. There are fifteen options. Viewers can choose two people to form a team, voting for them daily for free. The team with the most votes will be automatically paired. Teams are formed according to vote count. If a person is in two top-three teams simultaneously, the team with more votes will be selected. So, for your favorite pair, vote hard!”

【What, this is amazing! Director Qiao, no more black box—I’ll vote every day.】
【Let the viewers decide—this show respects us!】
【Feels like the last line was aimed at us CP fans. They weren’t in a team last time; I’ll fix that this time!】
【Hurry, open the voting!】

As Qiao Qingzhou clearly explained, An Yu adjusted her posture, placing her hand on the nearby chair, her gaze scanning the others before settling on Lin Duxi’s clear eyes.

Every time she looked at Lin Duxi, their gentle gazes met—not a coincidence, but because Lin Duxi was always watching her.

Lin Duxi’s eyes were soft, sunlight warming her, softening her edges. The Lin Duxi in her memory also looked like this, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile, eyes shimmering with moisture.

An Yu’s heart twitched slightly, burning, yet she didn’t look away. She curved her lips and returned Lin Duxi’s gaze.

The comment section went wild, fans shouting for them to marry, eagerly anticipating the third episode.

【Such sticky-sweet eye contact! I was worried before, but now it’s so sweet, little arguments make for little pleasures!】
【I declare An Yu & Lin Duxi the sweetest!】
【Did the camera fall into honey? How sweet—my teeth hurt!】

Recording ended, and Lin Duxi and An Yu went to the airport together. Since everyone online knew they were neighbors, they no longer needed to avoid public display. Now, avoiding it would only make their closeness more obvious.

At the airport, many of their CP fans gathered, holding banners and photos. Lin Duxi warmly signed autographs.

After saying goodbye to the fans, An Yu tilted her head to look at Lin Duxi’s smiling face—her mood clearly lifted.

“They said they hope we’ll last a long time.” Lin Duxi turned her head slowly toward An Yu, her smile spilling from her eyes.

An Yu felt her mood brighten, responding: “They…”

“They said it secretly, thinking I didn’t hear.”

An Yu: “If they knew you heard it, it would be so awkward.”

Lin Duxi smiled but didn’t answer further. She had heard it, and quietly replied, “Thank you,” which the fans didn’t capture on camera, leaving them frozen in place.

The plane landed at Jiangcheng Airport. There were no fans, but Lin Duxi’s company had her bodyguards ready. Seeing these muscular black-clad men, An Yu couldn’t help thinking how intense it was for a top celebrity.

Ning Xuan had already messaged An Yu, asking her to come to the company about a script audition. Besides being surprised by Lin Duxi and An Yu’s sudden intimacy, she wanted to ask about it in person.

An Yu had no choice but to explain to Lin Duxi, and then they prepared to part ways at the airport.

As they exited the airport, An Yu immediately sensed she was being watched. Looking around, she saw several paparazzi peeking from behind objects.

Lin Duxi noticed too but didn’t care. She turned to An Yu, lips moving:

“Ah Yu, can I hug you?” Without waiting for a response, she stepped forward and held her tightly.

“Friends hug when parting, nothing strange,” An Yu said, stopping herself from speaking further.

Although she felt it was a little unusual, she allowed Lin Duxi to hug her tightly, ignoring the sensation of her hands brushing her back.

Lin Duxi’s car was nearby. The bodyguards dutifully opened the doors, standing alert, making An Yu think they were unusually tense.

Lin Duxi got into the car, and the bodyguard slammed the door shut.

In those few seconds through the tinted glass, An Yu noticed Lin Duxi’s normally relaxed body suddenly tense up, shivering like a startled bird before quickly recovering, seemingly unaware of it herself. Memories of the previous recording surfaced—when Lin Duxi had heard the glass door slam, she had reacted the same way.

An Yu furrowed her brows, taking out her phone to message Ning Xuan, but then decided to just call.

“Ning Jie, is it urgent that you wanted to discuss something today?”

“No, just some trivial matters. Why?”

“I’m a little unwell today. Can I come to the company tomorrow?”

“Of course, rest well,” Ning Xuan said with concern, wanting to say more, but the call abruptly ended with a “beep.”

Ning Xuan: “?”

In the backseat, Lin Duxi, shielded by the tinted glass, stared unabashedly at An Yu, finally releasing some of the strong, suppressed emotions inside.

The driver, seeing her actions in the rearview mirror, wisely kept the car stationary.

Seeing An Yu hang up, Lin Duxi quickly opened her door, and An Yu hesitated for a moment before climbing in to sit beside her.

“Ning Jie said she’s busy today. I won’t go to the company. I’ll ride with you home.”

Lin Duxi chuckled softly: “Mm.”

“There are paparazzi here. Riding in my car will definitely get reported. I’ll have someone deal with them.”

“Since we’re neighbors, what’s strange about riding together?” An Yu said.

Lin Duxi leaned closer, her hand reaching for An Yu’s sleeve, fingers lightly tracing it, sweetness blooming in her heart.

“Okay, let’s do as you wish.”

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