Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: The End
Qi Yuan couldn’t help but show a panicked expression. How could this be?
It was You Yuanxiu’s voice!
He didn’t dare turn around, afraid to face You Yuanxiu now that he knew the truth.
No, wait—how did he find out?
Even as fear gripped his heart, Qi Yuan couldn’t suppress his confusion.
Did he deliberately call to confirm? But why would he even need to confirm? Where did I slip up?
Qi Yuan couldn’t make sense of it. He took a deep breath, reminding himself he had to face reality.
Come to think of it, You Yuanxiu can’t actually do anything to me. It’s just that being caught off guard like that made my heart race. Anyone in my position would feel guilty, even if I’m completely innocent! It’s so unfair, yet I still feel inexplicably guilty!
Qi Yuan was truly exasperated.
He hastily put his phone away and feigned ignorance. “Big Brother, is there something you need?”
You Yuanxiu took a few steps forward.
“Sweetheart, were you trying to play a role-playing game?”
“Sister-in-law and Big Brother?”
He continued to advance.
Qi Yuan retreated.
What the hell is going on?!
Hearing You Yuanxiu’s words, Qi Yuan’s lips twitched involuntarily.
I have absolutely no desire to play any role-playing games, thank you.
Realizing his pretense of ignorance was no longer effective, Qi Yuan had no choice but to come clean.
“You Yuanxiu, what nonsense are you spouting?”
He retreated a few steps until his back pressed against the wall, the two men drawing closer.
You Yuanxiu gazed at the man who haunted his dreams day and night. He had initially intended to punish this disobedient one, but now he had a change of heart.
He could forgive everything Qi Yuan had done, as long as he broke up with You Qinghe. He would let bygones be bygones.
He could pretend that everything Qi Yuan had done to upset him today had never happened.
“Sweetheart doesn’t want to play?”
“I thought Sweetheart came to the You Family Banquet with my brother precisely to play-act roles with me?”
His voice dripped with amusement, the final words tinged with provocative undertones.
These words, at once revealing and concealing, left Qi Yuan speechless.
Qi Yuan had expected that upon learning the truth, You Yuanxiu would at least be angry, if not act irrationally.
But now, the unnatural calm hung heavy in the air, like the stillness before a storm, waiting to erupt.
It sent a chill down Qi Yuan’s spine.
He would have preferred You Yuanxiu to show anger rather than wear that enigmatic half-smile as he picked up a strand of Qi Yuan’s hair and sniffed it.
Stay calm, Qi Yuan told himself, pushing You Yuanxiu away with a cold expression.
“You Yuanxiu, let’s break up.”
“Since you already know, there’s nothing more to say. You saw it yourself—I’m with You Qinghe, and I even attended the Family Banquet…”
The smile vanished from You Yuanxiu’s face.
“No.”
“I love you, so I can forgive you for playing both sides. But I will never agree to break up.”
“Sweetheart, you’ll never escape me.”
Qi Yuan was stunned. “You can forgive this?”
Is this guy the reincarnation of a cuckold champion or something?
What’s he even thinking?
He can forgive this?
You Yuanxiu lowered his gaze. “What else can I do but forgive?”
“Tie Sweetheart up?”
“Lock you in a house with only me?”
“Or… force you to break up with You Qinghe?”
“Sweetheart, would you want that?”
“No, you wouldn’t. And if I did any of those things, you’d hate me to the core…”
“How could I bear your hatred…?”
He forced a bitter smile. Let Qi Yuan go? Watch him live happily ever after with You Qinghe? Marry her in the end?
That was impossible. He’d surely lose his mind.
But one was his lover, the other his own younger brother.
He couldn’t bring himself to hurt You Yuanxiu either. So he could only pretend ignorance, maintaining the fragile balance between the three of them.
Qi Yuan fell silent as he listened to You Yuanxiu’s words, his gaze complex as he studied the man before him.
As if struck by a sudden thought, his eyes lit up.
He seemed to have found a clue to escaping this Dreamscape!
The sheer intensity of this Dreamscape had given Qi Yuan no time to consider how to leave it.
He realized he’d been overlooking a crucial question: Why were there two connected Dreamscapes?
If the first, now-ended Dreamscape represented You Qinghe’s lingering resentment and her desire to be chosen…
So, could this Dreamscape represent You Yuanxiu’s resentment? And his desire to be chosen?
Qi Yuan felt he had grasped the key.
I could try it, he thought.
“You Yuanxiu, when did you realize I was Xu Yuan?” he asked, voicing his initial suspicion.
Qi Yuan had no intention of immediately declaring his regret or claiming he shouldn’t have played both sides.
He wouldn’t say he planned to break up with You Qinghe and settle down with You Yuanxiu peacefully.
That would sound utterly fake and hypocritical, beyond what any reasonable person could believe.
It might even backfire, so he decided to take things slowly.
“Sweetheart is easy to recognize,” You Yuanxiu said, reaching out to press a finger against Qi Yuan’s throat.
“Your voice.”
“And… here.”
He then took Qi Yuan’s hand and touched the conspicuous mole on his wrist.
“We didn’t video chat much.”
“That mole was the only thing I could see. I constantly recalled its position, color, and size on your wrist.”
“So, at the dinner table, I initially thought your voice was just a coincidence. But when I saw the mole, I knew for certain: you were my Sweetheart.”
His voice was thick with yearning.
Qi Yuan: “Weren’t you afraid of mistaking someone else for me?”
You Yuanxiu shook his head, meeting Qi Yuan’s gaze. “I trust my memory, especially when it comes to you.”
Qi Yuan took a deep breath, his thoughts churning.
“I’m sorry.”
“I lied to you brothers. It was my own greed that led to this…”
The dreamscape version of himself had indeed been too greedy. Two brothers with bright futures were now on the brink of estrangement because of him.
Having become the person he was in the Dreamscape, this apology was long overdue. Qi Yuan wasn’t without conscience.
“Sweetheart is indeed wicked. But if our meeting point was born from that wickedness, then I think Sweetheart could afford to be a little more wicked.”
Qi Yuan pursed his lips.
“If you put it like that, I don’t even want to break up with you anymore,” he joked.
“Then let’s not,” You Yuanxiu countered immediately.
“We can have a secret relationship, try to keep it hidden from You Qing and You Qinghe. As long as we don’t break up.”
Qi Yuan was stunned again.
Good lord, this guy’s wild. No wonder they’re brothers.
His shocked expression vanished in seconds, replaced by solemnity.
“You Yuanxiu, honestly, I’m really grateful for your understanding.”
“So, I’ve decided…”
He was cut off before he could finish.
“Do we really have to break up?” You Yuanxiu looked utterly wounded, his reddened eyes betraying his unstable emotions. The madness buried deep within him was on the verge of erupting.
Before he could say another word, Qi Yuan clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Shh.”
“Let me finish, okay?”
“I’ve decided to break up with You Qinghe, not you!”
“Did you hear me clearly?”
“So stop staring at me like you’re about to die.”
Qi Yuan forced a smile, his eyes fixed intently on You Yuanxiu’s reaction.
You Yuanxiu’s eyes widened with a mixture of delight and disbelief.
Qi Yuan released his mouth and continued, “It’s true. I’m not lying.”
Before the words had even fully left his lips, You Yuanxiu seized Qi Yuan in a tight embrace.
“Brother, Baby, what are you two doing?”
You Qinghe emerged from her heart-to-heart with their mother, blocking the doorway. She peered down the hallway at the two figures locked in an embrace, her voice tinged with confusion.
Just as Qi Yuan felt he was about to die of embarrassment, mercifully, the Dreamscape began to collapse, allowing him to escape this hopeless situation.
Waking with a start, Qi Yuan sat up in bed, his mind still reeling from two exhausting Dreamscapes. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already nearly noon.
He patted his chest, calming his guilt-stricken, racing heart. Any later, and he would have had to face the confrontation between the two brothers—a prospect he couldn’t bear.
Qi Yuan swung his legs off the bed and pulled open the curtains.
Facing the sunlight, he told himself it was over. Stop thinking about it!
He grabbed his phone, opened the clock app, and turned off the alarm he’d set. He confirmed that alarms had no effect within the Dreamscape.
Fortunately, his only class today was in the afternoon. After that, he had a three-day holiday break. Qi Yuan planned to go home and deal with the growing danger his Little Sister Qi Meng faced.
After washing up, his stomach began to growl—he was starting to feel hungry.
He quickly packed a backpack with essentials and two books. He hadn’t finished his notes yet and planned to continue working on them at home.
With the backpack slung over his shoulder, Qi Yuan left the dormitory, planning to combine breakfast and lunch.
After eating, he wouldn’t return to the dormitory but head straight to class. After class, he would leave immediately and catch the train home.
His high-speed rail ticket was already booked. Weilika Academy was quite a distance from home.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, time always seemed to slip away quickly. Before they knew it, another day had vanished.
Since it wasn’t a major course, Qi Yuan signed the attendance sheet, lingered for a bit, and then skipped class.
He took the high-speed train home, arriving well past midnight.
At the dining table, Qi Meng had already prepared the meal. She was hunched over, playing on her phone, waiting for her big brother’s return.
Hearing the door open, she immediately sat up straight. “Big Brother! You’re finally back!” she exclaimed happily, rushing to greet him.
“Yeah, I’m back,” Qi Yuan replied, ruffling her hair before heading to his room to put down his backpack.
Qi Meng went to reheat the now-cold dishes in the microwave.
Soon, the siblings were sitting together, enjoying the simple meal and the warmth of family.
Halfway through the meal, Qi Yuan asked, “Qi Meng, how are you getting along with your classmates at school?”
Qi Meng gave him a puzzled look. “Pretty well, everyone’s fine.”
She chewed on her chopsticks, then added, “Oh, by the way, Big Brother, I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid, but ever since the semester started, I’ve felt like someone’s been watching me from behind. But every time I turn around to look, there’s no one there.”
This incident had made Qi Meng somewhat paranoid. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just her imagination—someone was watching her.
And that gaze… it was sickeningly creepy, sending an inexplicable chill down her spine. Qi Meng loathed it.
Qi Yuan nodded.
He’d returned specifically to deal with the pervert stalking his little sister.
He’d already formulated a plan, but he couldn’t reveal his knowledge of the stalker from the start. Instead, he needed Qi Meng to bring it up herself.
As for his rebirth, he intended to keep that buried deep within his heart forever. He’d never tell anyone.
Qi Yuan feigned deep thought, pretending to ponder a solution. After a deliberate pause, he revealed his plan to Qi Meng:
“We’ll fish them out.”
All Qi Meng needed to do was cooperate. The fly buzzing behind her would come out on its own. Once it emerged, dealing with it would be simple.
“Brother, do you really trust me that much?” Qi Meng asked, surprised that Qi Yuan had unconditionally believed her mere seconds after she spoke and immediately devised a plan.
“You’re my little sister. If I don’t trust you, who else would I trust?” Qi Yuan replied.
“Besides, caution never hurts. Even if it turns out to be a false alarm, wasting a bit of effort is better than leaving a potential threat unchecked and risking harm.”
Qi Yuan understood her concerns and reassured her gently.