Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The End

A warm body wrapped around Qi Yuan from behind as he sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone.

“I’m sorry, Qi Yuan. I just feel insecure. I don’t want to pressure you.”

Yang Huaiyuan’s breath tickled the back of Qi Yuan’s neck.

Qi Yuan froze, his scrolling coming to an abrupt halt. Is this even human speech? he wondered.

Rich, powerful, handsome, tall, and capable—the textbook definition of a high-roller—telling me he feels insecure? This is too absurd, too surreal. It has to be a dream.

“Why do you think that way?” Qi Yuan asked, genuinely puzzled.

Qi Yuan turned sideways, and Yang Huaiyuan immediately nestled into his arms, resting his head on Qi Yuan’s lap and closing his eyes contentedly.

“We all love you so much,” Yang Huaiyuan murmured.

“I’m always afraid they’ll steal you away, just like I snatched you from You Qinghe back then.”

Yang Huaiyuan’s voice was barely a whisper. Qi Yuan had to strain to hear him clearly.

He stroked Yang Huaiyuan’s hair, absentmindedly playing with the strands. His fingers traced a path from Yang Huaiyuan’s forehead down to the corner of his lips, where Qi Yuan noticed a faint mole.

After a moment’s pause, Qi Yuan gathered his thoughts and began to steer the conversation with playful banter.

“Come on, you’re Yang Huaiyuan! You can’t be this insecure, can you?”

“No,” he mumbled, turning his face away and hugging Qi Yuan’s waist.

But Qi Yuan could clearly see him smiling.

Expressionless, Qi Yuan pinched his cheek. “Yang Huaiyuan, I see you’re smiling.”

“Sorry you had to see that,” he muttered, his voice muffled but brimming with barely suppressed laughter.

“Yang Huaiyuan, you said yourself you snatched me away from You Qinghe. But why didn’t you stop to consider: if I hadn’t wanted to be taken, how could you have possibly stolen me from You Qinghe’s grasp?”

Qi Yuan analyzed the known facts like an impartial observer, calmly deducing the situation within the dream and organizing his thoughts into words.

Perhaps Yang Huaiyuan, being so deeply involved, couldn’t see the forest for the trees. As an outsider, Qi Yuan could see the situation with greater clarity.

“You’re Yang Huaiyuan. Don’t let self-doubt consume you so easily. And if there’s no trust between two people for too long, it’s easy for them to drift apart. Do you want that to be our ending?”

Qi Yuan gently patted Yang Huaiyuan’s back, the same way he used to comfort Qi Meng when they were little. Their parents had been busy when they were young, so Qi Meng had essentially been raised by him.

“No,” Yang Huaiyuan answered quickly.

He sat up, resting his head on Qi Yuan’s shoulder, a mix of resentment and relief in his posture.

“Qi Yuan… I’m sorry. I was overthinking things…”

Qi Yuan affectionately patted his head. “It’s good to talk it out.”

Yang Huaiyuan looked up, his eyes rimmed with red, his gaze gradually softening into a daze.

Wait a minute.

Qi Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. That expression looks… familiar.

He tried to pull away, but it was too late.

A soft kiss landed on his lips. Yang Huaiyuan’s touch was gentle, almost reverent, with no further movement.

Qi Yuan’s eyes widened in shock, while Yang Huaiyuan’s remained tightly shut.

What the hell?!

Just then, the dream began to dissolve.

Qi Yuan jolted awake and leaped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom to frantically scrub his mouth.

This is insane! All I wanted was to talk him out of the official announcement at the gathering! I didn’t mean to offer myself up as a sacrifice!

Even though it was just a dream, the sensation of Yang Huaiyuan’s kiss had felt overwhelmingly real. To Qi Yuan, it might as well have been an actual kiss.

For the first time, Qi Yuan wished he hadn’t been reborn.

In the end, he couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning Qi Meng and persevered.

In the days that followed, Qi Yuan found it impossible to look Yang Huaiyuan in the eye in real life.

Staring at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, Qi Yuan sighed deeply. He knew that the Yang Huaiyuan of reality and the Yang Huaiyuan of the dream were two different people, and he couldn’t blame the real one.

But people always need someone to vent their anger on. At least his venting took the form of avoidance, posing no threat or harm to Yang Huaiyuan.

After all, Qi Yuan knew all too well that to the colossal Yang Huaiyuan, he was utterly insignificant.

For the next few days, he had no more dreams, which brought him a sense of relief.

His only contact with Yang Huaiyuan was the occasional accidental glance in class.

Before Qi Yuan could even make a conscious effort to distance himself, Yang Huaiyuan had already begun to withdraw, as if realizing Qi Yuan wasn’t a worthwhile connection. Moreover, Yang Huaiyuan’s loss of control in their previous encounter had damaged his reputation, turning him into a laughingstock.

In their next specialized course, Yang Huaiyuan resumed his seat among the privileged elite, and the class tacitly avoided any mention of the previous lesson’s events, maintaining a facade of calm.

News about the Yang Family remained tightly suppressed. Lower-ranking nobles, eager to curry favor with the heir and secure business collaborations, dared not spread rumors. The impoverished students, lacking powerful backers, had even less desire to get involved; their only option was to bury their knowledge deep within their hearts.

Qi Yuan paid little attention to these matters. His focus was entirely on the results of his Student Council interview.

Finally, today, as he languished in his dorm room, he received the news: he had passed the interview.

With this good news, Qi Yuan cast aside all his previous worries. The oppressive mood of being confined to his dorm, afraid to venture out, lifted considerably.

Just then, his phone rang.

The caller ID read “Qi Meng.”

He answered.

“Qi Meng, what’s up?”

“Nothing much,” she replied. “I just got my phone back during break and wanted to check in with you.”

“How are you adjusting to the new school?”

“I’ve heard some rumors from classmates whose families also have kids at Weilika. They say the power dynamics there can be tricky—no one’s giving you a hard time, right?”

“I was a little worried, so I called as soon as I got my phone back.”

Qi Yuan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Relax,” he said. “Focus on your studies and stop overthinking things.”

“Your brother might not be good at much else, but I’m a master of staying out of trouble.”

“It’s you I’m worried about. You’re so soft-hearted. If you just showed them the same attitude you give me, no one would dare bully you.”

Qi Meng paused. “…I just don’t want to cause any trouble… Now that Mom and Dad are gone, I can’t lose you too.”

“Don’t worry so much,” Qi Yuan reassured her. “As long as you’re safe and not being bullied, whether you cause me trouble or not doesn’t matter. I want you to grow up safe and healthy—not just physically, but mentally too.”

After hanging up, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but sigh. His little sister had truly reached that tender, sentimental age. There was nothing he could do but call her more often and guide her carefully, ideally once a week. He also needed to find time to go back and visit her, absolutely determined to prevent a repeat of what had happened in his previous life.

Thank goodness I caught on quickly back then, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Qi Yuan tapped his fingers on the table, his brow furrowed, his lips pressed into a tight line.