After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 6

When An Yu arrived at her manager’s office, the door was closed. She knocked, and upon hearing a response, she entered.

“An Yu, you’re here. This is an invitation to a variety show. Just sign it and go, mix and see how things go,” Ning Xuan handed her a contract.

An Yu took it and glanced over it. “’Hello, Friend’—what kind of variety show is this?”

Ning Xuan looked up and swiveled her chair to face her. “It’s a variety show that combines romance, travel, adventure, and daily life. The director has done many shows like this before; the content quality is pretty good, though they haven’t gone viral. I just introduced you to her. You can get some screen time and exposure. Your supporting role in that upcoming drama hasn’t aired yet—maybe you’ll catch some of that spotlight too.”

In other words, going viral wasn’t really on the table for her.

An Yu thought about what the system had said, went through the formalities, and agreed. Seeing her sign so quickly, Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you’re deciding fast today. Keep it up.”

An Yu smiled faintly. “Ning Jie, do you have anything else? If not, I’ll head back.”

Ning Xuan frowned. “An Yu, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” She pushed a stack of scripts across the desk. “I’ve also lined up some other roles for you in TV and film. Pick a few and go for auditions.”

An Yu opened the scripts and found they were all low-quality productions.

She took a deep breath. “Ning Jie, I think you might have misunderstood. I want to focus on the variety show you just mentioned for now. Can we put these scripts aside for the time being?”

After some convincing, she finally stopped Ning Xuan from trying to push her into acting.

“So you were waiting here for me? No wonder you were signing so quickly today. Fine, Director Qiao’s variety show is indeed better quality than these scripts. If you perform well, it could even become a representative work for you. You’ve been my best-developing artist—don’t disappoint me.”

An Yu agreed repeatedly.

On her way home, An Yu searched for the director of Hello, Friend and discovered that this person had originally made art films but later transitioned to lifestyle variety shows. Despite adding elements of romance and live broadcasts, the show still hadn’t drawn much attention. She was one of the newcomers brought in to test the waters.

However, she was curious—how would Lin Duxi and Pei Lu even participate in such an obscure variety show? She asked the system, but it didn’t respond, acting as if it were just decoration. An Yu could only give up.

Bored, she leaned against the car window, eyes wandering. Suddenly, she noticed a familiar car in the rearview mirror.

Tilting her head slightly, she saw through the anti-peep film that a black car was following the taxi behind her. The two cars weren’t very close, and the black car deliberately kept a distance, weaving through several other vehicles. If An Yu hadn’t seen this car before, she wouldn’t have dared to draw any conclusions.

It was the paparazzi from that night.

How had they found her? When had they silently started following her? How long had they been tailing her?

Turning back, she placed her hands at her chin, a sense of being watched spreading over her body, every inch of skin feeling like it was on fire. She forced herself to stay calm.

The paparazzi tailing someone as unknown as her was disproportionate in risk and reward—unless their target wasn’t her.

Then it hit her suddenly.

It was Lin Duxi.

At the restaurant, only she and Lin Duxi had interacted, which the paparazzi had seen. If they realized they had followed the wrong person, they would know her connection to Lin Duxi was close. Using her as a starting point, they could potentially track Lin Duxi’s home.

Lin Duxi had just won Best Actress and was embroiled in a recent scandal due to the system. Her popularity was at its peak, and whoever scooped her story first could make a fortune.

Quite the plan.

An Yu suddenly let out a sharp laugh. These people had no bottom line for money.

She had no interest in Lin Duxi’s scandal, but that didn’t mean she would let the paparazzi pry into someone else’s private life.

Looking at the car closely in the rearview mirror, her eyes darkened.

She didn’t know if the paparazzi had already discovered her address. To be safe, the sooner she moved, the better. Luckily, she had already been planning to move—she just needed to execute it sooner.

Back home, An Yu leaned by the window and looked down, confirming the car was parked nearby on an empty lot. Her community’s security wasn’t perfect, and with the high foot traffic, the paparazzi’s car didn’t look out of place.

She closed the curtains and called Ning Xuan.

“Ning Jie, paparazzi are following me around my house. Do you know anyone selling or renting a place? I want to move.”

“Paparazzi? You still have paparazzi? Don’t tell me the heat is making you lose it,” Ning Xuan said in surprise.

An Yu was speechless. To leave quickly, she said, “Maybe it’s because Nightfall as Frost is hot right now, and I’m just a minor supporting role—they might want to capture something from me.”

Although Ning Xuan thought it wasn’t a big deal, she agreed. “Okay. What kind of place do you want? I’ll ask around for rentals.”

An Yu thought for a moment. “Somewhere with good security, just for me. The sooner, the better.”

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye out. For now, stay where you are. I’ll contact you if I find something suitable.”

An Yu hung up and collapsed onto her bed, burying her head in the pillow with a long sigh.

She wasn’t in a hurry to move—if she were, she could have gone to the suburban villa. But she didn’t want to return there. She couldn’t face the empty room alone. It used to be warm and lively, but now it was covered in a thick layer of dust, forgotten.

Just like her.

Qiao Qingzhou’s hands trembled over the keyboard as she finished typing the last few words in the Weibo backend editor. If someone had told her earlier that Lin Duxi would participate in her show, she would have laughed, thinking it a joke. Yet now, she had truly posted that Weibo.

After sending, the trending topic “Lin Duxi Announces Participation in ‘Hello, Friend’” quickly hit the top searches. Initially, netizens thought it was some new method to grab attention. But clicking in, they saw Lin Duxi’s reposted Weibo.

Netizens were shocked.

• • “Baby, are you tired and just taking a break? Let’s go to a slow-life show instead.”

• • “Did I see it right? Lin Duxi is joining Hello, Friend—a romance show! I had to double-check her official account.”

• • “At 24, wanting to date is fine. She’s already an award-winning actress. Romance won’t affect her career. She can do whatever she wants.”

• • “Everyone’s obsessed with her love life; I’m just excited my baby is on a variety show! Haha, I finally have new content to follow!”

• • “Just checked the director’s previous works—they’re highly rated. Exciting!”

Later, fans dominated the discussion, shifting the tone to: “Lin Duxi wants to relax; who said you have to find a partner in a romance show?”

Among the uniform comments, a few stood out:

• • “Lin Duxi is joining a romance show! I checked her official account—do you know who the last participant was? An Yu!”

• • “The An Yu from Nightfall as Frost? I know her! I saw her in the behind-the-scenes videos; so pretty.”

• • “The poster suggests Lin Duxi is joining because of An Yu. That’s… ambitious. Good luck.”

• • “Maybe! I remember they were polite when they interacted—something must have happened.”

• • “Why can’t we ship An Yu and Lin Duxi too? I will! Pure gold! I’ll even make edits when the show airs!”

• • “Support!”

An Yu looked at the trending posts and realized she had a small share of attention as well, feeling surprised. Seeing people ship her with Lin Duxi, her surprise grew. Some minor NPCs weren’t bound by the system.

She watched the threaded comments grow taller and, in some cases, build a mini fan community for them—though tiny, it was intriguing.

She closed her phone and got dressed.

Following An Yu’s request, Ning Xuan found a few potential houses. An Yu was going to visit them one by one over the next few days.

The house she was visiting today didn’t give her high expectations. Ning Xuan had described it well—one floor with two units, quiet, good security, and a slightly cheaper rent because the owner was going abroad soon. An Yu felt a bit suspicious, so she left it for last.

Arriving at the upscale community, the surrounding trees and park created a serene atmosphere. Security was better than previous options, and the location was convenient.

The guard mentioned it was a preferred area for celebrity buyers. An Yu didn’t reply but mentally added points to this location.

The elevator reached the designated floor. The agent walked her around while giving detailed introductions:

“Good ventilation, plenty of sunlight. The space is large—you could even fit two pianos in the living room. One floor, two units, and the neighbor barely lives here, so privacy is not an issue.”

An Yu looked around. Indeed, it was better than the previous options, with fully furnished interiors ready to move in. Her worries vanished. She quickly signed the contract and scheduled the moving company for the next day.

The official lineup for Hello, Friend was finalized. Unexpectedly, Pei Lu would also participate. With Lin Duxi first and him later, fans couldn’t help but connect the two.

The couple’s fans surged, while An Yu and Lin Duxi’s fans quietly remained in their own corner. Pei Lu’s fans were furious that Lin Duxi was being “paired” with someone else. Many left the fan community; An Yu watched silently.

As she prepared to shut down her phone, she received a WeChat message from Lin Duxi.

Lin Duxi: “An Yu, I’ve washed your coat. When you have time, I’ll come by, and we can have a meal together.”

Lin Duxi’s voice message was soft, gentle, tinged with a subtle, pleading charm. Online discussions seemed to have no effect on her.

An Yu: “No need for a meal. Leave the coat with me; I’ll let you know when I have time.”

Seeing An Yu’s clear refusal, Lin Duxi didn’t insist. “Alright, I’ll wait. Let me know, and I’ll bring it over.”

Hearing the slight disappointment in Lin Duxi’s voice, something deep inside An Yu was stirred. With a mischievous thought, she tapped to send a voice message.

Lin Duxi’s body shivered when she saw An Yu’s message appear. She quickly opened it, fearing it might be retracted.

Unexpectedly, the voice message was silent. She felt a pang of sadness but stubbornly replayed it.

Finally, she turned the volume to maximum. Suddenly, she heard An Yu’s gentle breathing, her exhalations perfectly captured in the recording.

Lin Duxi’s body trembled as if someone had struck her heart. With each inhalation and exhalation, even her soul seemed to quiver, her eyes reddening, burning with a possessive, deep affection.

She put on her earphones, unable to stop listening, over and over. The soft, intimate whisper:

“An Yu.”

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