After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 61

After school, An Yu waited until almost all the classmates had left the classroom before finally moving. She sat at her desk, slowly packing her things. She put her books into her bag, then took them out again, her eyes occasionally glancing at Lin Duxi in front of her.

Lin Duxi’s slim back remained straight, only the hand holding the pen moving briskly, showing that she was alive. It was as if an invisible barrier had risen around her, isolating everyone else.

The classroom had only a few students left, preparing to go to the office for extra tutoring. Like Lin Duxi, they all kept their heads down, doing exercises. An Yu’s furtive glances made her stand out.

There were still about half an hour before tutoring ended. An Yu wasn’t in a hurry; she picked up a pen and worked on her exercise book like the others, though her mind was far from the problems in front of her. After about ten minutes, she finally put down the pen, put on her school jacket, and walked out.

Passing by Lin Duxi, she tried to make her steps casual, appearing fearless and nonchalant. But her hands hidden inside her jacket were clenched so tightly that her palms grew hot and sweaty.

When An Yu closed the classroom door behind her, Lin Duxi, who had been tense the whole time, finally relaxed. It was hard to maintain such tension when someone’s intense gaze was fixed on you. She rubbed her shoulders; the tip of her pen had already smudged the paper with ink. Lin Duxi glanced at the tightly closed classroom door, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

An Yu decided to check the barbecue shop nearby. Qi Yuankang’s information wasn’t entirely reliable, so she took some precautions. She picked up a brick from the roadside and put it in her bag, then called her driver to take the bodyguards to the barbecue shop to order some food “to wait for her.” In reality, she wanted them to keep an eye out for any troublemakers.

An Yu didn’t really need to take such precautions. She could have just gone home to rest. But what if—what if Lin Duxi had really called her over? Even the tiniest possibility made her heart leap with excitement. She wanted to see her no matter what, unable to ignore the feeling.

She noticed this change in herself. Before, her mind was mostly on fun and food, but now the name Lin Duxi was gradually occupying her thoughts. A shiver ran through her, but she suppressed the noisy beating of her heart, refusing to dwell on it.

About 20 minutes had passed since school ended. The students lingering near the street food stalls had mostly gone home. What had been lively moments ago was now quiet. The vendors were packing up and preparing to move to the next busy spot.

An Yu walked along the street, the barbecue shop a little far from school. After a few minutes, a chilly wind brushed against her. Though the weather was still relatively warm, she shivered for some reason, clutching her bag strap tightly.

Someone was following her.

An Yu furrowed her brows and quickly moved toward a nearby snack stall. The vendor, packing up a small stool, glanced at her and said casually, “Take a look at what you want,” before returning to his work.

An Yu hovered over the skewers with her hand, but her eyes never left the figure behind her. About ten meters away, someone was standing at another stall, choosing items just like her. When An Yu raised her arm to check the time on her watch, she noticed the person mirrored her motion.

That arm didn’t have a watch.

An Yu’s heart sank. These people weren’t waiting for her at the barbecue shop—they were following her directly.

She handed a skewer to the vendor, who took it without looking up, busy with his work. An Yu scanned the surrounding shops and finally fixed her gaze on one.

The vendor handed her the fried skewer. Before she could ask the price, the person across from her ran off, leaving five yuan on the iron plate.

Vendor: “?”

An Yu dashed into a nearby milk tea shop. She could clearly sense the urgent footsteps behind her. She ducked in, gasping for breath, and took a seat.

The milk tea shop was sparsely populated with a few students. Through the glass, An Yu saw the delinquent who had been following her pause at the shop’s entrance, hesitating before running off, probably to find others.

She couldn’t afford to let her guard down. She called her driver and bodyguards to come immediately, but they weren’t in a car. The fastest route from the barbecue shop to the milk tea shop would take two or three minutes, and they didn’t know the area.

About a hundred meters ahead of the milk tea shop was an abandoned factory. The delinquent probably intended to wait there. An Yu’s heart pounded violently, sweat forming on her forehead from anxiety. Going back was impossible; those people would certainly enter the shop. She had to leave.

“Hello, do you need any help, student?” a female voice broke her thoughts. An Yu looked up to see a milk tea shop staff member.

The shop wasn’t busy. Upon seeing the beautiful girl rush in and look anxious, the staff assumed she needed help and approached her.

An Yu’s eyes lit up. “Do you have a back door?”

The staff member hesitated, slightly puzzled, but answered honestly: “Yes.”

“Can I leave through the back door?” An Yu blinked her big eyes, looking hopeful. The staff initially thought of refusing due to store rules, but she was quite taken by An Yu’s appearance, so she nodded firmly.

An Yu beamed.

They didn’t wait long and quickly headed to the back. The back door led to a deserted street.

“If anyone comes looking for me, please tell them I went back through the front door,” An Yu said.

The staff member worriedly asked, “Do you need me to call the police?”

“No, thank you.”

An Yu handed the staff member something and sprinted down the alley.

The staff looked down—it was a skewer, still hot.

An Yu ran through the alley, carefully mapping her position in her mind. She had never been in this area, and the alleyways were labyrinthine. She made sure all exits led in one direction. When she felt she had run far enough, those people shouldn’t be able to find her. She finally stopped at an intersection and cautiously walked toward the main road.

A nearby building had poor insulation, and loud arguing could be heard inside, growing louder and piercing her ears.

“You’ve put your thoughts on her, Lin Ze. If you want to die, just say it.”

“Lin… you’re fucking crazy… all of you are crazy… the one who should die is you.”

An Yu frowned. The words were harsh. She turned her head and realized she had ended up in the abandoned factory. She silently scolded herself—running in one direction had brought her back to the starting point.

An Yu: “….” She wanted to pick up her brick and hit herself.

Her eyes scanned the factory floor through the broken shutter door. Sunlight barely reached inside, illuminating scattered figures. She saw a few people lying haphazardly, and one figure seemed to be half-squatting beside another, lifting the person up forcefully. The distance and dim light made it hard to see clearly.

Her heart raced. She lifted her foot to run, but more voices sounded inside.

“Lin… Duxi, you dared hit me? Don’t you think about who you’re messing with… ugh.”

An Yu froze, then slowly turned back. Her foot hit a wine bottle, making a noise that drew the attention of the people inside. At last, the sunlight illuminated the dark corners. An Yu’s eyes met Lin Duxi, who was half-squatting.

Lin Duxi’s emotions hadn’t completely faded; shadows of obsession and fixation surfaced. They were too far apart, so An Yu could only see the redness in her eyes.

She seems to be crying, An Yu thought.

Lin Duxi was startled, then abruptly released the collar she had been holding. The man fell to the ground, grimacing in relief.

Within seconds, she was ten meters away from An Yu, who stood before her. Lin Duxi’s nose tingled as she hugged An Yu tightly, resting her head on An Yu’s shoulder. Her voice choked: “An Yu, it’s all my fault for dragging you into this. Are you okay?”

Sure enough, she was crying. An Yu’s heart shattered into pieces. She wrapped her arms around Lin Duxi’s waist.

“I’m fine. Did anyone bother you? Did anyone hurt you?”

Lin Duxi buried her head in An Yu’s neck, acting coquettishly, smelling her scent. Before she could speak, two anxious voices came from nearby.

“Miss, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

An Yu looked up and saw her driver and bodyguards in the center of the factory. Several delinquents lay sprawled around, curling up and screaming in pain.

An Yu felt overwhelmed. The driver explained to her:

“Miss Lin called us over. She said someone might pose a threat to you.”

An Yu looked at Lin Duxi again. She had taken quite a risk and finally released An Yu’s waist, then slowly held her hand. Her teary eyes looked even clearer and pitiful.

“After school, I saw you walking so hurriedly, I knew something must have happened. On the road, I saw someone following you. You went into the milk tea shop, sought help, then encountered us, and finally met these people leaving the factory.”

She didn’t elaborate further. An Yu knew that the bodyguards had dealt with them after that, and Lin Duxi had asked where she was; they had provoked her, making her cry.

An Yu looked at Lin Duxi, her eyes red and trembling, her hands shaking in theirs. Her heart felt like it was being broken.

“I’m fine. Don’t cry, okay?” She took a tissue from her pocket and gently wiped Lin Duxi’s face. Lin Duxi obediently let her, like a small animal under her care.

The bodyguards and driver were stunned. Could this be the same girl who had been cold and ruthless just minutes ago?

“Cough, Miss, Miss Lin, you should rest first. The police are on their way, and the master will arrive soon.”

An Yu nodded, looking at Lin Duxi, who still kept her head down, seemingly lost in thought. An Yu pinched Lin Duxi’s hand gently.

Lin Duxi snapped back to reality.

“We should go home,” An Yu said softly.

“Mm.”

They got into the car with the driver, leaving the bodyguards at the factory.

The car started and steadily drove toward An Yu’s home. Their hands never parted during the ride, and the narrow backseat grew warmer as their shared body heat spread.

An Yu recalled Lin Duxi’s words from earlier, sensing something amiss.

“What did you mean earlier when you said you dragged me into this?”

Lin Duxi froze, then nonchalantly replied, “Nothing. I was just emotional.”

“You’re lying. There’s clearly a reason.” An Yu felt it through the pressure of their hands; Lin Duxi’s reaction betrayed her.

“Before this, have these people troubled you more than once?” An Yu asked, her voice cold.

Lin Duxi remained silent, implying yes.

Her suspicions confirmed, An Yu didn’t feel relieved; instead, her heart ached as if being pierced with glass.

“So that’s why you didn’t agree when I suggested you move in with me,” she said, her voice trembling.

Lin Duxi explained, “I was afraid if you had too much contact with me, they’d target you too.” Yet, no matter how much she tried to restrain herself, they still affected An Yu.

An Yu exhaled, unable to hold back her emotions. She gripped Lin Duxi’s hand tightly, leaving it in pain. Lin Duxi didn’t say a word.

“Now I understand. You can move in with me, right?” She looked at Lin Duxi with clear and determined eyes, as if to say she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Lin Duxi couldn’t control her excitement. Flames roared inside her, ready to consume her. Wordlessly, she hugged An Yu tightly, pressing her lips to An Yu’s fair ear, sending hot breath onto delicate skin.

“An Yu, what you said…” Lin Duxi whispered eerily against her shoulder.

This is your last chance to leave me. From now on, no matter what, you won’t be able to get rid of me. I’ll cling to you like a vine, relentless and undying.

“I mean it,” An Yu replied.

That day was November 6, the day before the start of winter.

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