Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: “We Still Have a Future, Right?”

Aunt Lin carried the dishes to the table, and Qi Yuan helped her.

In Qi Yuan’s mind, he felt like a freeloader. Watching Aunt Lin bustling about, he couldn’t help but feel awkward not pitching in.

Aunt Lin didn’t really want Qi Yuan’s help; she could manage on her own. But she couldn’t refuse his offer. After he carried two plates, she sent him to call He Zhou.

To be honest, Qi Yuan wasn’t keen on calling He Zhou.

An inexplicable awkwardness hung in the air, yet he couldn’t refuse. He reluctantly shuffled to the study door.

After taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked softly.

“Come in,” a quiet voice replied from within.

Qi Yuan pressed down on the doorknob and pushed the study door open.

He Zhou didn’t even glance up from his work. He remained focused on his computer, surrounded by a mountain of documents that testified to his overwhelming workload.

Seeing He Zhou so engrossed, Qi Yuan hesitated to disturb him. But since he’d already entered, and because he was supposed to ensure He Zhou ate, he decided to proceed. Qi Yuan finally understood why CEOs in novels often suffered from stomach problems—they genuinely forgot to eat due to their crushing workload or lost their appetite under the weight of relentless pressure.

“D…i…nner’s… ready…”

After a moment’s thought, Qi Yuan deliberately lowered his voice, drawing out the syllables as he leaned against the doorway and called out to He Zhou.

He Zhou’s expression softened. He rubbed his aching temples, a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he mimicked Qi Yuan: “Al…right…I’ll…be…right…there.”

He successfully made Qi Yuan laugh.

Qi Yuan hadn’t expected He Zhou to mimic him. I never knew he had this side to him, he thought.

The two walked to the dining table, one behind the other. Qi Yuan sat down first, followed closely by He Zhou.

Aunt Lin finished cleaning up the kitchen and washed her hands before carrying the trash out, as if she were going to take it out.

She had always been remarkably discreet, which was why she had been able to care for He Zhou for over a decade.

Having watched He Zhou grow up, she knew his personality well—a child wary of the outside world and fiercely detached. She understood that growing up in a stifling family environment, developing emotional scars was inevitable.

That was why she felt such heartache for He Zhou, yet there was little she could truly do for him beyond ensuring his comfort as best she could. It was the only thing she could offer.

Qi Yuan chewed on his chopsticks.

Aunt Lin’s cooking was exceptional. He ate quickly, alternating bites of food with rice, but without looking ravenous.

“Slow down,” He Zhou said with a helpless expression. “No one’s going to snatch it away.” He worried Qi Yuan would choke from eating too fast.

“I know,” Qi Yuan replied, “it’s just that Aunt Lin’s cooking is exactly to my taste.” He explained, afraid He Zhou would think he was some starving ghost reincarnated.

“Mm, Aunt Lin will be here tonight too. If there’s anything else you want, just tell her.”

Qi Yuan nodded in understanding.

Seeing Qi Yuan’s satisfied expression, He Zhou’s previously poor appetite inexplicably revived. He ate two bowls with Qi Yuan before silently setting down his chopsticks, feeling slightly stuffed.

The days passed in uneventful monotony.

Until the day the unexpected arrived, Qi Yuan remained blissfully unaware. His beloved phone, the object of his constant longing, still hadn’t turned up.

His anxiety grew steadily.

Sensing Qi Yuan’s mounting agitation, He Zhou, in an attempt to soothe him, took him on a trip to a resort.

Qi Yuan didn’t really want to go. He knew exactly what was fueling his anxiety, but He Zhou remained oblivious, and he couldn’t bring himself to tell He Zhou the truth.

Barely a day after arriving at He Zhou’s house, Qi Yuan was taken back to the hospital for further tests. The doctors confirmed his memory loss, but despite exhaustive examinations, they couldn’t pinpoint the cause. Their best guess was food poisoning, and they scheduled monthly follow-up visits until his memories returned.

In the car, Qi Yuan leaned his head against the window, idly tracing patterns on the glass with his finger.

Ever since He Zhou confirmed Qi Yuan’s amnesia, his mood had brightened considerably.

He knew Qi Yuan’s reluctance, but he couldn’t keep him cooped up at home, where his days consisted of nothing but eating, playing on his phone, and sleeping—or eating, playing on his phone, and sleeping. He feared such monotony would inevitably lead to trouble.

Thus, a break to clear his mind was essential.

Just in time, a business partner introduced him to this newly opened resort, its signature attraction being a hot spring sourced from the mountain foothills, renowned for its therapeutic effects on both body and mind.

Hearing about the hot spring’s benefits, He Zhou immediately postponed most of his meetings or switched them to online conferences. His assistant and secretary prepared all the necessary documents, delivering and collecting them daily.

Upon arriving at the resort, Qi Yuan stepped out of the car, following He Zhou. Since the resort had only recently opened and hadn’t yet launched a full-scale marketing campaign, there were few visitors. Most, like He Zhou, had stumbled upon the information by chance and, finding themselves with nothing better to do, decided to come explore out of curiosity and join the early buzz.

He Zhou gently took Qi Yuan’s hand, while his assistant and secretary trailed behind with several bodyguards.

After all, they were in unfamiliar territory, and while leisure was the aim, security remained paramount. For He Zhou, the current head of the He Family, safety was indispensable. Moreover, the presence of bodyguards deterred any trouble from unwanted attention.

In a corner they hadn’t noticed, Jiang Wang stood in the shadow of a towering tree. Having already broken free of control and punished all the scheming old men, he remained composed.

The new resort was Jiang Wang’s property, a surprise he had meticulously prepared for Qi Yuan before losing his memory—an engagement gift.

Yes.

They were supposed to get engaged.

Jiang Wang’s face remained expressionless. After hearing everything from Lin Yuan, he was eerily calm, as if the “him” Lin Yuan described were a stranger.

His memories had been slowly returning. He had recovered his memories from before age twenty, but still had no recollection of Qi Yuan.

The lingering emotions from their brief initial encounter had gradually faded under the relentless passage of time. For the Jiang Wang who had regained his memories from before twenty, it was almost incomprehensible that he could have once been so besotted with a man.

To want to give everything to a man named Qi Yuan.

Love had always been something he could never quite grasp.

Upon learning that his pre-amnesia lover had been hospitalized for food poisoning and was now recovering, Jiang Wang found himself in a relationship with He Zhou, the head of the He Family. His body reacted as if in protest, his heart pounding fiercely, yet his mind remained chillingly calm.

Jiang Wang had initially believed he wouldn’t act as impulsively as his pre-amnesia self had toward Qi Yuan.

In reality, he had overestimated his self-control. One glance at Qi Yuan was all it took for his gaze to become helplessly fixated.

Regret gnawed at him, forcing him to acknowledge his own foolishness.

Was his pre-amnesia self not truly him?

Thankfully, there was still a chance to salvage things.

As fiancés soon to be engaged, any would-be rivals seeking to wedge themselves between Jiang Wang and Qi Yuan were merely insignificant pests.

Lin Yuan, oblivious to his boss’s internal turmoil, simply felt nauseous and carsick. He doubted He Zhou, as sturdy as an ox, could ever understand the torment of motion sickness.

Similarly, as a perennial bachelor, Lin Yuan couldn’t comprehend the complex love-hate dynamics between his boss and Qi Yuan.

He could barely stay on his feet. Just as he leaned against a tree for support, the boss strode off on his long legs, leaving him scrambling to react.

“Boss!”

“Slow down!”

Lin Yuan hurried to catch up.

Night fell.

Since He Zhou had an online meeting, Qi Yuan went to soak in the hot springs alone.

It was a testament to He Zhou’s wealth that he had rented an enormous hot spring, more like a swimming pool than a bath.

Qi Yuan undressed and slowly stepped into the water. It was a little hot, hotter than real-world hot springs, but still within a tolerable range.

He sank down until the water reached his chest, the perfect level—not too suffocating.

He draped a hot towel over his eyes, closed them, and leaned back, looking utterly blissful.

Just as Qi Yuan was drifting off to sleep, someone entered.

Assuming it was He Zhou, he ripped off the half-cooled towel and looked up.

But the person who had come in wasn’t He Zhou.

It was someone completely unexpected.

Jiang Wang?

How could it be him?

Jiang Wang entered silently, walked up to Qi Yuan, and crouched down.

His pale blue eyes locked onto Qi Yuan, as if trying to draw him in.

“Don’t you want me anymore, Qi Yuan?” he asked.

Unfazed by Qi Yuan’s silence, he continued, “Qi Yuan, I’ve been so heartbroken these past few days. I keep wondering if you ever loved me at all. Otherwise, how could you not care about me at all?”

Qi Yuan pursed his lips, at a loss for words beyond silence.

He took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth.

“Jiang Wang, you know I was hospitalized recently for food poisoning, right?”

Jiang Wang nodded, acknowledging the fact, and then gently twirled a strand of Qi Yuan’s hair between his fingers.

Qi Yuan met Jiang Wang’s gaze, his eyes clear and devoid of guilt, as if he were equally innocent in this situation.

“Because of the food poisoning, my memory became… scrambled.”

“So, Jiang Wang… I don’t remember what our relationship was. I recognize you, but… I’ve forgotten all the details, all the little things between us.”

He’s forgotten me?

Jiang Wang’s composure cracked for an instant.

This was information he hadn’t uncovered.

No wonder, he realized. During their first meeting outside the hospital after his return, Qi Yuan had looked at him with such curiosity. Despite being fiancés on the verge of engagement, Qi Yuan had acted like a complete stranger.

Jiang Wang couldn’t understand why fate had dealt them such a cruel hand. Two people who should have been the closest, suddenly transformed into familiar strangers after an unexpected tragedy.

“It’s okay,” he said softly.

He seemed to be comforting Qi Yuan, yet he was also comforting himself.

“At least we’re still alive. We still have time to rebuild memories that are uniquely ours.”

“Qi Yuan, are you willing to start over with me?”

“We still have a future, don’t we?”

Jiang Wang reached out, his heart filled with both anticipation and trepidation.

His earlier words by the hot spring had been mere bravado. In truth, he remembered nothing, just like Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan gazed at him, his thoughts churning.

Should I choose Jiang Wang?

To hell with it.

Hesitation lingered, but Qi Yuan decided to take a gamble.

He had been with He Zhou for so long, yet the Dreamscape persisted.

Could it be that I chose wrong from the start?

Is Jiang Wang the key to escaping the Dreamscape?

He felt, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that Jiang Wang held the key to escaping the Dreamscape.

Qi Yuan decisively placed his hand on Jiang Wang’s.

Jiang Wang remained kneeling on one knee, a testament to his unwavering devotion to his beloved.

“We’ll have a better future,” he vowed.

A kiss landed on the back of Qi Yuan’s hand—a gesture of reverence and a symbol of joy at their reunion.