Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: “Who Was That?”

Qi Yuan wiped his mouth with a tissue, savoring the unique satisfaction that only a full meal could provide.

“What do you want to eat tomorrow?” He Zhou asked as he sat down after throwing away the trash and washing his hands.

“Nothing in particular. No organ meats, but anything else is fine,” Qi Yuan replied after a moment’s thought. He genuinely couldn’t think of anything he craved.

His dietary options were far too limited at the moment. If restrictions weren’t an issue, he’d be feasting on stir-fried prawns, spicy crawfish, sautéed crab, and more.

But for now, such dishes remained mere fantasies, unattainable.

“Alright. Aunt Lin knows your preferences. I’ll ask her to prepare something you’ll enjoy tomorrow. Get some rest.”

“I have matters to attend to at the office. I’ll be leaving now. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. I won’t be bothered.”

He Zhou lowered his gaze, his hand pausing in mid-air before dropping back down. He cautioned himself against greed, lest he lose more than he gained. Take it slow, he thought. At least now I have a chance, right?

His greatest enemy was no longer a threat. The rest were mere trifles, easily dealt with.

“Mm, thank you,” Qi Yuan murmured, offering his gratitude.

In this Dreamscape, our relationship shouldn’t be anything special, he thought, casting a surreptitious glance at He Zhou’s retreating hand.

A faint smile bloomed on Qi Yuan’s face, his weak yet obedient demeanor melting He Zhou’s heart.

After the meal, the pale, almost bloodless face regained some color, no longer resembling the lifeless figure He Zhou had found lying in bed when he first entered the room.

The knot in his chest loosened slightly.

“By the way, He Zhou, do you know where my phone went?”

Without his phone to pass the time, each day stretched into an eternity. More importantly, Qi Yuan suspected his phone held the key to escaping this Dreamscape, making it imperative to find out where it had gone.

He Zhou paused, halfway out the door.

“I’ll have my assistant bring you a new one right away. I’m sorry, but your original phone seems to have gone missing.”

“When you’re well enough to be discharged, I’ll take you to get your phone number reinstated.”

Qi Yuan was skeptical. He found it hard to believe such a crucial item could simply vanish. Had He Zhou hidden it?

Yet he couldn’t voice his suspicions directly. If He Zhou had concealed the phone, it meant it must contain something vital.

He would have to play this slowly, lulling his opponent with a facade of weakness before seizing an opportunity to retrieve it. A rash move would only prompt He Zhou to deny everything and potentially destroy the phone upon returning, making it a pointless loss.

“Alright, thank you, He Zhou.”

Qi Yuan feigned complete trust, tilted his head back, and thanked He Zhou.

After watching him leave, the smile gradually faded from his face.

A good night’s sleep and nourishing meals had significantly improved his condition, leaving him feeling less weak than before.

Yet, after a full day of meeting several people, he still knew nothing.

Qi Yuan’s greatest curiosity remained: Who exactly was his deceased boyfriend?

Considering the people he knew:

You Qinghe, He Zhou, and Yang Huaiyuan were definitely not the candidates.

You Yuanxiu was likely out of the running too. You Qinghe’s attitude was off; if his big brother had died, he wouldn’t be so indifferent.

The remaining suspects would have to be eliminated one by one.

Qi Yuan knew that rushing things would be futile; it was best to let events unfold naturally.

Before long, as he lay on the bed lost in thought, he found himself growing drowsy again.

He yawned.

Still, he wanted to wait until he had the new phone in hand before sleeping.

Just as he was thinking this, a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Qi Yuan called out weakly.

A young man in a sharp suit entered.

“Mr. Qi, I’m Qiao Xin, Assistant to CEO He.

“This is the phone CEO He asked me to purchase for you.”

He held up a bag from a well-known phone brand and handed it to Qi Yuan.

Qiao Xin had a pleasant, approachable demeanor—not sharp or intimidating, and he was respectful toward Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan sat up and took the phone.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly. “I appreciate you going out of your way.”

Qiao Xin smiled. “Mr. Qi, no need to thank me. I’m just doing my job—CEO He pays quite well for overtime.” He winked at Qi Yuan, clearly a cheerful and measured person.

“Well then, Mr. Qi, I’ll be off. CEO He still needs me.”

“CEO He’s been quite busy these past few days, often working late into the night.”

Though the comment seemed casual, Qi Yuan understood the underlying message.

“Working very late, huh?”

“Burning the midnight oil too often isn’t good for his health. Could you persuade He Zhou to get some rest tonight? His health is the foundation of everything, even more important than work.”

Qiao Xin nodded. “I’ll do my best to persuade CEO He. You can count on me, Mr. Qi.”

“Alright, thank you again. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Qi.”

After watching Qiao Xin leave, Qi Yuan started dismantling the phone. They couldn’t even include a new SIM card? If they didn’t want to give me the old phone, fine, but at least include a new SIM card. It would make communication so much easier.

He had been too dazed earlier to remember the possibility of a new SIM card. Without one, he could only watch TV by searching for sketchy websites in the browser.

Tomorrow, I absolutely have to get He Zhou to get me a new SIM card—one with 100GB of monthly data. I might not use that much, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it.

After scrolling through some funny videos until sleepiness overwhelmed him, Qi Yuan turned off the light, put down the phone, and drifted off to sleep.

As dawn broke, the sky was a dull gray, threatening rain.

Qi Yuan woke naturally. As he brushed his teeth and washed his face, He Zhou arrived with a lunchbox.

Wiping his face dry, Qi Yuan sat down and gazed at the box, struck by the familiar feeling of opening a blind box.

He opened it to find millet porridge and two large steamed buns.

The portion was quite generous. Won’t eating this much in the morning lead to indigestion?

He Zhou sat down across from him.

Qi Yuan looked at him and asked, “He Zhou, have you had breakfast yet?”

He Zhou shook his head. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”

In other words, he hadn’t eaten.

Qi Yuan pushed the porridge toward him.

“Then you drink the porridge, and I’ll eat the buns. You really should eat something in the morning.”

He Zhou’s eyes curved into a soft smile. Without refusing, he murmured gently, “Alright.”

This was deliberate, He Zhou intentionally savoring Qi Yuan’s concern.

His plan was to gradually encroach, step by step.

What if Qi Yuan noticed?

That was precisely what he wanted. If Qi Yuan didn’t notice, all his efforts would have been in vain.

After days of relentless feeding, it wasn’t just He Zhou who was stuffed—Yang Huaiyuan and You Qinghe joined in the feeding frenzy.

In just a few short days, Qi Yuan had gained several pounds.

He couldn’t bear this pig-like existence any longer. After hurriedly confirming with the doctor that he could be discharged, he had He Zhou process his release papers.

Standing at the hospital entrance, Qi Yuan gazed at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling utterly liberated.

Just as he was about to take a deep breath of fresh air, a black car suddenly sped straight toward him.

He scrambled out of the way.

He Zhou, standing behind him, saw the car and his expression darkened. He then glanced silently at Qi Yuan. When he saw no reaction from Qi Yuan, he breathed a sigh of relief.

A tanned young man stepped out of the car. His dark complexion added a rugged handsomeness to his features.

Qi Yuan found the man’s blue eyes strangely familiar.

He squinted and took a few steps closer, studying the man. It looked like Jiang Wang.

No way. Why did Jiang Wang in the Dreamscape look like some kind of wild man?

Just as he was about to step forward again, He Zhou, who had been silently standing behind him, grabbed his wrist. Qi Yuan turned back in confusion, meeting a pair of eyes filled with unreadable emotions.

He Zhou asked, “Qi Yuan, will you still come home with me?”

After being reunited with your long-lost lover, will you still come back with me?

To be honest, He Zhou wasn’t sure Qi Yuan would choose him. Yet, deep in his heart, he desperately hoped Qi Yuan would choose him without hesitation.

Qi Yuan looked puzzled. “Of course I’ll come back with you.”

He still needed to find his hidden phone at He Zhou’s family home, so going back with He Zhou was a must.

“That’s good then,” He Zhou replied.

In contrast to the warmth and friendliness on this side, Jiang Wang’s mind suddenly began to throb with an inexplicable pain.

Especially when he saw those two people—strangers he’d never met, yet who stirred an inexplicable sense of familiarity within him.

His heart clenched with sharp, repeated pangs.

Frowning deeply, he stared intently at the shorter youth standing ahead and asked the man beside him, who had identified himself as an assistant when he found Jiang Wang, “Who is that man?”

The assistant’s eyes widened in horror. The sky is falling!

“………”

Damn it.

Didn’t you lose your memory?

What, have you fallen for him again already?

That was way too fast!

He didn’t know how to answer. If he told his boss the truth, the main family would immediately punish him. If he lied, his boss would surely punish him once his memories returned.

How could being a wage slave be this difficult?