After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 52

Ever since An Yu had sneaked out last time, the security at home had noticeably tightened. Her parents unusually spent more time with her, and An Yu, who was never keen on going out, found the interaction with them surprisingly harmonious.

Previously, she had asked Lin Duxi to tutor her in her studies. Lin Duxi agreed, but on one condition—she would not accept any payment.

An Yu’s parents were respectful of this arrangement, and their summer tutoring plan was quickly put into place. Lin Duxi would come to An Yu’s house every day for tutoring, having lunch and dinner there as well. An Huaili and Yu Yingzhen even prepared a guest room for her to stay in, which Lin Duxi politely refused.

An Yu didn’t mind, but seeing how firmly Lin Duxi declined, she didn’t insist.

At first, Lin Duxi would take the bus from her home on the other side of the city to An Yu’s house every day, arriving punctually at 7:00 AM, as if she had some kind of internal timer.

An Yu, usually slow to notice things, felt something slightly off but couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

Until one day, the morning had started beautifully, clear skies stretching endlessly. The butler only did a brief wash and looked out the window—by the time he checked again, a torrential downpour had begun. He glanced at the clock:

6:10 AM

Seeing the heavy rain hitting the ground, he assumed that Lin Duxi wouldn’t come and didn’t bother going upstairs to wake An Yu.

After a while, the iron gate at the villa opened. Wen Zhenhe, who was preparing breakfast, felt a sudden tension in his chest. He quickly checked the clock:

7:03 AM

Someone knocked at the door. He hurried to open it, and a gush of wet air and cold rushed in.

“I’m sorry, I’m late.” Lin Duxi panted, clutching her backpack tightly. Water dripped from her pants, sleeves, and hair, soon forming a small puddle on the floor.

She quickly crouched to place her backpack on the dry floor, checking the contents. Despite her clothes being soaked, the books inside were still dry, though the water dripping from her was beginning to dampen them.

“Miss Lin…” Wen Zhenhe froze for a moment, but years of experience as a butler quickly kicked in. “Go take a shower.”

Lin Duxi glanced at her drenched clothes and calmly bowed slightly to apologize.

By this time, An Yu had already woken up. Her routine was so ingrained that she would wake a few minutes after 7:00 AM. Seeing the sky dark and oppressive, she felt a strange sadness, thinking perhaps Lin Duxi wouldn’t come because of the rain.

In a sleepshirt, she went downstairs, holding onto the railing. But there, on the living room sofa, was Lin Duxi. Her hair was slightly damp, and she was quietly drinking a cup of tea. Their eyes met.

Lin Duxi wore a pure white long dress, her damp hair giving her a simple, elegant look. Before her was a stack of textbooks, mixed with notebooks, which she had carefully annotated with key points just for An Yu. An Yu froze in place.

At that moment, she realized what had always felt off.

Lin Duxi returned home at 9 PM each night, sometimes using the family car, sometimes taking the bus herself. Given the distance across the city, it would be past 11 PM by the time she got back. Then she prepared the questions and personalized tutoring for An Yu, only to get on the bus again the next morning.

From that day, An Yu firmly insisted that Lin Duxi be picked up and dropped off by the family driver. Lin Duxi found it strange but had no choice but to agree.

Wen Zhenhe perhaps knew the reason and praised An Yu: “Miss, you have a kind heart.”

An Yu smiled lightly, knowing that it wasn’t kindness that drove her actions. She didn’t fully understand the reason herself, only that an inner voice, pounding violently in her chest, urged her to do it.

Lin Duxi’s tutoring was tailored. An Yu’s foundation wasn’t bad, only a bit neglected recently. Now she just needed to catch up on what she had missed. An Yu had a habit of staring at one spot when thinking, only diverting her eyes when interrupted.

Once, while pondering a question, her gaze fell on Lin Duxi.

Lin Duxi, in a washed-out white T-shirt, rested her elbows quietly beside her, brows slightly furrowed. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting golden light that landed on Lin Duxi’s long eyelashes. She seemed like a fairy descended to the human world.

An Yu’s eyes lingered on her, and a sudden thought arose:

If every day were like this, she might not even mind.

Her heartbeat masked her fleeting thoughts as she hurriedly picked up her textbook, though deep inside, a seed of feeling had begun to sprout uncontrollably.

In the next moment, she noticed Lin Duxi lightly rubbing her left elbow, which had a small patch of scraped skin that had now healed into a scar.

An Yu had always felt guilty for not giving Lin Duxi a gift for her eighteenth birthday. She wanted to make it up, but after spending so much of the summer together, she hadn’t discovered anything Lin Duxi particularly liked. Lin Duxi always carried a calm, distant air. Yet, An Yu felt that when Lin Duxi looked at her, her eyes would show a trace of emotion.

An Yu thought she was shameless.

The summer passed. Lin Duxi’s tutoring ended, and An Yu still hadn’t discovered Lin Duxi’s preferences. Suddenly, she remembered Lin Duxi’s favorite fruit.

She could make her a cake!

At the beginning of the new school year, there was an exam. An Yu performed well, significantly improving her grades. Her homeroom teacher praised her, and she couldn’t help but straighten her back to glance at Lin Duxi, who smiled at her approvingly.

However, although An Yu’s grades had improved, her classmates’ grades were also high. When choosing seats, Lin Duxi’s seat became prime territory, and An Yu naturally had no choice. Shi Yu had transferred to the liberal arts class in the second semester of Grade 11. When An Yu asked why, Shi Yu explained:

“After finishing science, I realized I prefer liberal arts. I want to be a screenwriter.”

An Yu’s new deskmate was a girl named Xu Ting. They hadn’t interacted much before. The student in front of her was class president Qi Yuankang, who often helped Xu Ting with questions. An Yu didn’t want to disturb them and usually sought Shi Yu instead. But whenever she passed by Lin Duxi in the central seats, her eyes couldn’t help but glance at her, feeling excited.

Lin Duxi, as always, leaned over her desk, absorbed in her work. An Yu knew high school was important and didn’t want to disturb her.

After school, An Yu rushed to a bakery for an hour-long lesson in cake-making. Her interaction with Lin Duxi became even less, yet she was delighted, imagining Lin Duxi’s reaction every time. Each thought fueled her determination to perfect the cake, something she rarely achieved in other endeavors.

The moment she left the classroom, the conversation between Qi Yuankang and Xu Ting shifted.

Qi Yuankang looked through the window at An Yu’s disappearing figure and then turned his gaze back.

Xu Ting couldn’t help but tease: “If you like her, just go after her. Why are you sneaking glances at her back?” She glanced at Lin Duxi, lowering her voice: “Aren’t you afraid someone might confess to her first?”

Qi Yuankang frowned: “You’re kidding, right? An Yu has no guy by her side. Who could confess to her?”

Xu Ting: “…You’re hopeless. You like someone but don’t even talk to her.” She gave a thumbs-up to Qi Yuankang, holding back frustration.

She had realized this back in Grade 11. How could he still not understand?

“Perhaps we should broaden our perspective,” she suggested.

“From my observation, An Yu doesn’t like any guy. I want to wait until after the college entrance exam before confessing,” Qi Yuankang said firmly, watching An Yu disappear.

Xu Ting sighed softly.

Lin Duxi, sitting upright, had unknowingly stopped her hand mid-writing. When she looked back, ink had smeared across her workbook. She stared coldly at the blemish, revealing the obsessive perfectionism hidden in her.

She carefully tore the stained page, folding it neatly. Her deskmate asked:

“What happened?”

“It’s dirty. Make it clean,” she replied coldly, emotionless. Her deskmate felt a chill and withdrew her gaze.

Lin Duxi folded the torn sheet and dropped it into the trash. Her obsession and intensity had fully surfaced.

Why does someone always try to take what I’ve painstakingly obtained?

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