Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Big Brother, Do You Have an Online Lover?

“Here, have some water.”

You Qinghe set down the peeled egg and hurried to pour a glass of water.

Qi Yuan took a large gulp before setting the glass down.

The glass clinked against the table, but neither of them paid any attention.

“Are you serious, You Qinghe?” Qi Yuan asked, his lips pressed into a thin line. He couldn’t believe You Qinghe would do something so reckless.

“Taking me to the You Family Banquet is really inappropriate,” Qi Yuan said gently, trying to reason with him.

But You Qinghe remained unmoved. He showed no reaction, simply delivering the words he hadn’t had a chance to say yesterday.

“Baby, there’s nothing inappropriate about it. They can’t touch me. Besides, Big Brother has already approved. With his backing, no one would dare object. After all, he’s running the company now. Their monthly paychecks depend on him, so even if they despise us, they won’t risk losing their money.”

He actually makes a good point, Qi Yuan thought, finding no logical counterarguments.

Still, he was curious why You Yuanxiu had agreed to let You Qinghe bring him to the Family Banquet.

He asked directly, never one to bottle up his questions.

“Why did your brother agree to let you bring me to the Family Banquet?” Qi Yuan asked after finishing his porridge. You Qinghe immediately handed him an egg, which he devoured in two bites.

“Because he needs my support,” You Qinghe replied.

Qi Yuan was shocked. “Huh?”

You Qinghe continued, “Big Brother has a long-distance online romance. They’re planning to meet in person soon, and he’ll definitely bring her home.”

“When he heard I wanted to take you back first, he immediately agreed and even offered to help us. After all, the first person to break the ice always faces the most scrutiny, while the second one usually has it easier.”

“But don’t worry, Baby. I’ll never let anyone give you trouble. Anyone who tries to make things difficult for you will have to go through me first. As long as I live, I’ll protect you.”

His promise was small, yet overwhelmingly vast.

Qi Yuan was momentarily speechless. His lips moved slightly, but he ultimately remained silent.

Faced with such sincerity, he preferred silence to lying.

You Qinghe seemed to understand, or perhaps he didn’t. He didn’t care whether Qi Yuan was giving him his whole heart right now; as long as his lover was by his side, that was enough.

He changed the subject.

“Big Brother is truly devious, but he promised to give you 2% of the company’s shares as compensation.”

By the time he finished speaking, the last egg had been peeled.

Qi Yuan couldn’t eat any more and shook his head to decline. You Qinghe understood, ate the egg himself, and began clearing the table.

So, You Yuanxiu in this Dreamscape doesn’t like me?

What a joyous occasion! Qi Yuan mentally applauded.

He voiced his true thoughts.

“It seems your brother is really smitten with his online girlfriend.”

“To give away 2% of the You Family’s shares just to protect her from being bullied? That’s inhumanly generous!”

This was 2% of the You Family’s shares! Not only would selling them fetch a fortune, but even if he didn’t sell, he’d still receive monthly dividends.

Though I don’t know exactly how much, it must be considerable. I could totally slack off every day and never have to go out and slave away!

What a dream life!

The little man in Qi Yuan’s heart wept tears of anguish. Why does this have to be a dream? If it were real, I can’t even imagine how happy I’d be!

Yet, after further reflection, Qi Yuan realized he wouldn’t actually want to be with You Qinghe in the real world. It wasn’t about being high-minded; he simply couldn’t bring himself to pursue him. For a lasting relationship, genuine compatibility was essential, so he decided to let it go.

You Qinghe placed the dishes in the kitchen, gave them a quick rinse, and neatly stored them away. After drying his hands with a paper towel, he overheard Qi Yuan’s words.

“Does Baby like Big Brother’s compensation?” he asked.

“Of course,” Qi Yuan replied. “Didn’t you say yourself, who’d turn down money?”

“What, you think I’m a gold digger?” He crossed his arms, adopting a confrontational stance.

Afraid of being misunderstood, You Qinghe quickly retorted, “How could you think that?”

“I just regret…”

Qi Yuan’s curiosity was piqued. “Regret what?”

You Qinghe pulled his stool closer, took Qi Yuan’s hand, and said earnestly, “I regret that my company shares can only be accessed after we’re married.”

“Still, I have plenty of other assets under my name. After we attend the Family Banquet, I’ll have my assistant prepare a list for you. Baby can pick out whatever he likes.”

He didn’t say it all, but Qi Yuan understood everything perfectly.

Qi Yuan genuinely thought You Qinghe must have water on the brain to say such ridiculous things.

Though admittedly, it was incredibly tempting.

“Let’s worry about that later. We’ve finished breakfast, so shouldn’t we be heading out?”

He deftly changed the subject, unwilling to continue lest his heart give out.

You Qinghe: “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”

They got into the car, which came with a driver—a middle-aged man who wasn’t much of a talker.

It took nearly an hour’s drive to reach the location of the family banquet:

A rather imposing villa, oddly familiar, vaguely resembling the place he’d stayed in his previous dreamscape. But since that dreamscape had been set at night, his only clear memory was of the garden; the rest remained hazy.

After getting out of the car, You Qinghe tightly gripped Qi Yuan’s hand, and the two walked side by side.

“Young Master.”

“Young Master.”

“Young Master.”

Along the way, servants, whether occupied or not, would stop what they were doing and greet You Qinghe.

You Qinghe would always return the greeting.

Qi Yuan, who had been relaxed during the drive, now felt a surge of nervousness.

He didn’t notice his phone vibrating repeatedly in his pocket.

The butler was waiting at the entrance and hurried forward to greet You Qinghe upon his arrival.

“Young Master,” the butler said with a smile. “The Eldest Young Master instructed you to go directly to his study upstairs upon arrival. No lingering.”

He smiled and nodded at Qi Yuan as he finished speaking.

Though the butler didn’t know the young man accompanying the Young Master, he could tell how much You Qinghe cared for him.

In this wealthy family, finding someone to love and spend a lifetime with was incredibly difficult. He was genuinely happy for the Young Master.

“Mm, I understand,” You Qinghe replied, leading Qi Yuan straight upstairs.

As they passed, You Family members, engaged in lively conversation, noticed You Qinghe approaching and prepared to greet him. However, he simply walked past them without a word, leaving embarrassed expressions on their faces and unspoken curses in their hearts.

Inside the study, You Yuanxiu remained immersed in his work, his gold-rimmed glasses lending him an air of refined gentleness.

His gaze occasionally drifted to the phone beside him, wondering if You Qinghe was still asleep.

It shouldn’t be like this, You Yuanxiu thought. He usually woke up early. Aside from still being asleep, he couldn’t fathom why Qi Yuan hadn’t replied to his messages.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” You Yuanxiu said, pulling himself out of his scattered thoughts.

“Big Brother!” You Qinghe called as she opened the door.

She then introduced Qi Yuan: “This is Qi Yuan, my boyfriend.”

You Yuanxiu merely glanced at him, as if disinterested, his attitude cold.

“Mm. I need to talk to you about something. Have him sit on the sofa over there, then come back.”

You Qinghe nodded. “Okay.”

And so, Qi Yuan was directed to the sofa a short distance away. He remained remarkably composed, completely unfazed by You Yuanxiu’s frosty demeanor, even hoping he would maintain it.

Bored on the sofa, Qi Yuan pulled out his phone, looking for anything useful.

What he saw next was shocking.

How could this Dreamscape version of himself be friends with You Yuanxiu? Shouldn’t they be strangers? After all, You Yuanxiu’s earlier attitude had clearly shown they were.

But the reality was far from that.

Qi Yuan’s mind was a mess as he clicked on the chat history, his face pale.

He had barely scrolled through a few messages when he was struck by a wave of confusion.

Why is You Yuanxiu calling me “darling”?

Why is he sending me photos of his abs?!

The more he scrolled, the more he felt like he was going insane!