After Being Reborn, My Ex-Girlfriend Became Obsessed - Chapter 74

The director was finally rescued from the emergency room, but her condition was still far from optimistic. The vice director explained that it had been a long-standing illness, and the director had always refused to spend money on treatment. Over time, it had gradually worsened into the current state.

She patted Lin Duxi’s shoulder, hoping her words could ease some of the guilt in Lin Duxi’s heart. Seeing Lin Duxi stay outside the hospital room for days without rest, she felt a bitter ache in her heart. She also feared that showing any sign of weakness in front of Lin Duxi—the only person she could rely on—would make the girl feel even worse. Every time she ran to the bathroom to cry silently, Lin Duxi never failed to notice her swollen eyes upon returning. In those moments, her heart felt like it was being judged in the fires of hell.

It was in the cold, oppressive corridor that Lin Duxi overheard the vice director on the phone. Even though the vice director tried to keep her voice low, the conversation penetrated the air like it had no holes, striking Lin Duxi’s ears like thunder.

The vice director said that the orphanage’s financial situation had been extremely bad recently. On top of the director’s medical expenses and the costs of repairing the damage caused by Lin Yongfeng and his son, the orphanage was on the verge of collapse.

Lin Duxi stood in the shadowed corner of the hallway, hidden from the harsh lights, letting the darkness swallow her thin frame like a lifeless puppet.

When the vice director ended the call and turned, she saw Lin Duxi standing behind her, enveloped in darkness. Her lifeless eyes met the vice director’s, freezing her in place before she could even try to mask her expression. Trembling, she spoke.

“X…Xiaoxi…”

Lin Duxi stared at her, exuding despair, and the vice director’s voice dissipated into the air without any response. The night’s darkness made the space feel suffocating.

After a long moment, as if suppressing some intense emotion, Lin Duxi’s cracked lips moved.

“I’ll go raise the money.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned and ran. The vice director’s calls fell on deaf ears behind her, completely ineffective.

Lin Duxi bit her lips tightly, her eyes misted over. The phone conversation was like a thorn piercing her heart, tearing it apart. She would raise money—do part-time jobs, tutor, anything. She could always gather enough funds.

Meanwhile, in the house, An Yu had been trapped inside for days without any means of communicating with anyone. She could only stare blankly at the garden below from the balcony.

The disadvantage of having a bedroom equipped with its own washroom and bathroom became evident now. Apart from the brief minutes when meals were delivered, An Yu had no way of receiving any messages or news about Lin Duxi.

A few days ago, she had pounded on the bedroom door, begging her parents to let her out so she could talk properly with them. Eventually, she gave up.

Calling out had proven futile; all she received were her father’s low reprimands and her mother’s hoarse, tear-choked voice, each word striking An Yu’s heart. Her heart was already in shreds.

That night, the bedroom lights went out early. From under the thick bedding, An Yu eventually rose, put on her shoes, and stood on the windowsill. The summer night breeze fluttered her clothes and hair, but she didn’t react—she simply watched the bodyguard standing in the lawn.

Her parents had placed guards around the yard to prevent her from escaping.

An Yu’s expression was blank as she observed the guard lighting a cigarette. The small red glow stood out starkly against the dark night. She focused on that point, her heartbeat drumming in her chest.

Through her observations over the past few days, she had learned that the guard had a habit of smoking during each shift change. About ten seconds after the cigarette went out was the perfect time to escape.

Soon, the faint glow vanished. An Yu felt the air freeze around her and exhaled gently, then jumped from the second floor in one go.

The impact hit, but the pain in her body was secondary to the tension in her mind. One side of her body went numb, but she quickly got up and ran toward the door. In their habit, the small iron door within the main gate wasn’t locked, allowing easy access in and out.

Yet her parents were always one step ahead. Just as she reached the gate, another guard caught her.

An Yu’s inner defenses collapsed instantly. She struggled with all her strength, desperate to reach Lin Duxi and hide with her. The money she had saved was enough for the two of them to survive for a while.

She tried every method she could think of, but not a single chance presented itself. Worse, her efforts roused her sleeping parents.

An Huaili put on his coat and went downstairs, and the first thing he saw was An Yu biting the guard’s hand fiercely. As a proper middle-aged man, he was furious to witness such behavior from his daughter and slapped her without thinking.

The burning pain on her cheek made An Yu fall utterly silent.

Yu Yingzhen pushed An Huaili aside, scooped An Yu into her arms, and stroked her face, crying. An Huaili realized his actions had gone too far and stood by helplessly.

The scene became chaotic. Yet An Yu, at the center, was unresponsive, as if the noise and argument existed outside her consciousness. She only felt exhaustion, profound fatigue.

Yu Yingzhen’s anguished voice pierced the air as she clutched An Yu.

“Mom, please… don’t push us anymore, okay?”

An Yu opened her eyes and saw Yu Yingzhen burying her face in her hair, as if she were being tortured. Her voice trembled and hoarse, barely audible.

“Mom, can you stop forcing me?”

She only wanted to see Lin Duxi one more time. She couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye.

Her gaze swept over the surroundings. She was still in her bedroom, but the balcony was now reinforced with thick glass. Mechanically, she returned her view to the white ceiling, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Mom, I just want to see her once more. I can’t just leave without telling her.”

Tears streamed down her face, wetting the bedsheets.

An Huaili sighed deeply and spoke.

“An Yu, do you know why your mother and I wanted you to go abroad?”

An Yu didn’t respond. The answer was already obvious; whether she knew it or not wouldn’t change anything.

Seeing her unresponsive, An Huaili sighed again, gritted his teeth, and revealed the truth.

“Our family has gone bankrupt. I won’t restrict your travels anymore. You can go see her—whether you go abroad or not, that’s up to you.” Yu Yingzhen clutched his sleeve, but he continued to speak the words.

An Yu opened her eyes, filled with shock. “How could this happen?” All the events of the past surfaced in her mind—everything had been foreshadowed, yet she had instinctively avoided it.

“You’re hurt. When your injuries heal, you can do whatever you want.” An Huaili helped the weakened Yu Yingzhen away, and the room fell silent again, leaving only An Yu’s heavy breathing.

Their family had gone bankrupt—such a massive An family enterprise had collapsed without her knowledge. An Yu felt her head ache. She instinctively reached up to rub it, only to feel a sharp pain in her hand. She looked down to see a long wound, bandaged, likely scraped by small stones when she jumped.

The shock of the bankruptcy was too great. Even with prior signs, An Yu needed time to process it. Her parents’ plan to send her abroad seemed intended to protect her. Her mind was increasingly chaotic, but one thought gradually clarified amidst the confusion:

She would not go abroad. Doing so would be a poor choice for her, her parents, and Lin Duxi. It would be an act of escape.

Naively, An Yu believed that as long as her family stayed together, they could overcome any difficulty, and she could remain with Lin Duxi. As long as she and Lin Duxi persevered, they would eventually earn her parents’ approval.

If her parents still didn’t recognize it, she would prevent Lin Duxi from interacting with them further.

With this resolve, An Yu’s injuries gradually healed. She finally had access to her phone.

The first thing she did was find Lin Duxi’s contact information. As expected, during her absence, Lin Duxi had sent countless messages. An Yu patiently replied to them one by one. The later it got, the fewer messages she received from Lin Duxi. An Yu, anxious, curled up in her room and called her.

After a few beeps, the restrained, trembling voice came through the speaker.

“An Yu.”

The voice was soft, as if she feared An Yu’s call was only a dream and her own words would shatter it.

Just hearing the voice, An Yu’s eyes filled with mist. She opened her mouth, realizing her own voice had become hoarse beyond recognition.

“Mm, I’m here. Sorry you couldn’t reach me for so long.”

Lin Duxi’s voice came through the speaker, low and hoarse, carrying the weight of her suppressed emotions. She drew in a breath, and the words she spoke were tinged with tears.

“An Yu… An Yu… An Yu.”

Each call of her name was softer than the last, more broken, infused with emotions that An Yu could barely decipher, pounding on her heart.

“Mm, I’m here, I’m here. Where are you? I’ll come see you.”

Lin Duxi choked back sobs and gave her location. An Yu, hearing the plea in her voice, felt it in her heart.

Lin Duxi apologized: “An Yu, I’ll wait for you.”

Knowing Lin Duxi had matters to attend to, An Yu reluctantly hung up and stared at the phone screen, stunned. After a long moment, she sprang into action, rushing to the mirror to conceal the lingering bruises on her exposed skin.

In the car, An Yu searched for the address Lin Duxi had provided. Looking at the apartment building, she hesitated for a moment, then relayed the address to the driver.

The car sped away from the villa. Despite staying within the speed limit, by the time they arrived at the location Lin Duxi had given, more than an hour had passed.

The neighborhood guard wouldn’t allow strangers in. An Yu got out of the car and watched the driver and guard gesturing and talking. Her anxiety deepened. Then, behind her, a soft, familiar call reached her ears.

“An Yu.”

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