Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Dream Love Variety Show 2

“I actually really like watching Alpha/Beta couples…”

“+1”

“Everyone has their own preferences. The show’s just started, nothing’s set in stone yet. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

Before long, the sound of a car pulling up outside the villa reached their ears.

It seemed a new guest had arrived.

Qi Yuan immediately grew restless. Should he stand up? Or remain seated?

In the end, he chose to remain seated. He reasoned that standing up to welcome someone who hadn’t even entered yet would seem too eager, bordering on obsequious.

He didn’t want to cause trouble and preferred to maintain a low profile, but that wasn’t a reason to ingratiate himself with others.

Better to do nothing at all and cultivate a wooden, indifferent persona. That way, whenever he encountered questions or situations he didn’t want to answer or acknowledge, he could simply stare blankly and ignore them.

Qi Yuan understood human nature all too well.

Those who chase after others are rarely valued. The audience was no different; they wouldn’t want to see contestants lowering themselves to curry favor with others.

Moreover, as the show’s sole Beta, he represented the entire Beta community. He absolutely couldn’t tarnish their image, even in a dream. Qi Yuan understood this principle perfectly.

Click! The villa door swung open.

Qi Yuan looked up and saw You Qinghe enter, dressed casually and looking displeased, pulling a black suitcase.

As if sensing someone was watching him, You Qinghe turned and met Qi Yuan’s gaze. Qi Yuan was sitting obediently on the sofa.

The fierce glint in You Qinghe’s eyes froze instantly. After a moment of stunned silence, he quickly lowered his head, slipped into slippers, and set down his suitcase. His movements were stiff as he walked to the sofa area.

No one noticed his subtle movements.

His slightly flushed ears were hidden beneath his hair, but his imposing aura had softened considerably.

Qi Yuan was sitting on the only single-person sofa, the closest seat being the sofa covered with a sofa cover opposite him.

You Qinghe walked straight to that spot and sat down the moment he entered, his destination clear.

He had never imagined that someone could burrow so deeply into his heart, that every gesture and glance could captivate his attention. With each passing second, his fondness and concern for Qi Yuan grew.

“Want some water?” Qi Yuan picked up the kettle from the coffee table and poured himself a glass first.

Only after pouring his own did he remember You Qinghe across from him and offer.

He knew You Qinghe quite well in reality, but the You Qinghe in this Dreamscape seemed not to recognize him.

Still, that might be for the best—not knowing each other would prevent the messy entanglements from the previous Dreamscape.

“Yeah, I’ll take some!”

You Qinghe’s first words came out a little too quickly. Realizing his mistake, he inwardly berated himself and cautiously glanced at Qi Yuan’s face, relieved to see no sign of annoyance.

“Thank you,” he murmured, accepting the water Qi Yuan offered. Lowering his voice unconsciously, he felt a sense of relief.

He took another small sip, noticing a subtle, indescribable sweetness in the water.

“No problem,” Qi Yuan replied, taking a sip himself to clear his throat.

He cast a covert glance at You Qinghe. Why does he look so nervous?

You Qinghe? Nervous?

I must be imagining things.

Letting the awkward silence stretch until the next guest arrived would be impolite, at the very least. Qi Yuan decided to break the ice first.

“Hello, I’m Qi Yuan,” he said, extending his hand.

You Qinghe immediately grasped it. “I’m You Qinghe. I’m an Alpha.”

Qi Yuan looked puzzled. Was it necessary to specify his status?

Still, he added, “I’m a Beta.”

You Qinghe hadn’t expected his crush to be the show’s only Beta. Though surprised, he wasn’t disappointed. To him, whether Qi Yuan was an Omega, Beta, or Alpha didn’t matter. He was drawn to Qi Yuan as a person, not to any label or status.

Wait a minute… does this Alpha, You Qinghe, look like he’s got heart eyes?!

This pairing is kinda cute, fam!

Are we sure they haven’t met before?

The vibe between them is electric!

You Qinghe lives up to his Top Tier Alpha status—looks and physique are top-notch! The cream of the crop!

A friend who’s watching the show messaged me right away when You Qinghe appeared, saying his family background is no joke!

This Beta, Qi Yuan, doesn’t seem to have any special status. Just some obscure 18th-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry. I’ve seen him in a few minor roles; his acting’s decent.

“Qi Yuan, what do you think of the villa?” You Qinghe asked, initiating conversation.

He was friends with the show’s director and had been forced to participate after losing a bet.

Willing Alphas and Omegas were already rare enough, let alone Top Tier ones. The director had pulled every string and exhausted every contact just to assemble this cast.

But no matter what, they were still one short. They already had a beta participant, and the director had no intention of adding another. In fact, he only allowed the beta to join because he owed the manager a favor.

Just as the director was fretting over the final spot, You Qinghe happened to bump into him.

With the full cast assembled, he immediately began filming and live-streaming Dream Love.

You Qinghe wasn’t one to skimp on himself. As soon as he confirmed his participation in the show, he immediately inquired about the accommodations. Dissatisfied with the lodging his friend—the director—had provided, he offered one of his own villas as both the filming location and the cast’s residence during the show.

“Hmm,” Qi Yuan pretended to consider.

“The villa’s decor is quite stylish, and the surrounding scenery is beautiful. I think I even saw a pool behind the villa—it’ll be great for swimming in my free time. I really like it here.”

Since the villa was provided by the show and they were currently live-streaming, he couldn’t possibly criticize it. Besides, the villa was genuinely quite impressive, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.

They chatted idly, mostly with You Qinghe initiating topics.

Their conversation ended only when someone else arrived.

The door opened again.

Jiang Wang, dressed in a suit and wearing an austere expression, strode in, exuding the air of a man accustomed to authority. He seemed to have come straight from work.

Seeming indifferent to everything, he changed his shoes and stowed his suitcase.

As he approached the sofa area, he nodded to Qi Yuan and You Qinghe.

He introduced himself: “Jiang Wang, Alpha.”

His striking, foreign-looking blue eyes first swept over You Qinghe before settling on Qi Yuan. He quickly looked away, and because the glance was fleeting, the observers didn’t notice anything amiss.

But You Qinghe’s guard went up. He sensed the scent of a rival in love.

His gaze fixed on Jiang Wang, he thought, This one won’t be easy to deal with.

“I’m Qi Yuan, Beta,” Qi Yuan said.

Despite his wariness, You Qinghe maintained his manners. “You Qinghe, Alpha,” he added, though his tone was noticeably sharper than when he’d spoken to Qi Yuan.

Top Tier Alphas naturally have conflicting auras, and now that Jiang Wang had been categorized as You Qinghe’s rival for You Qing’s affections, expecting polite behavior from You Qinghe would be absurd.

“Mm,” Jiang Wang replied curtly, dismissing You Qinghe as nothing more than a childish hothead.

The youngest son of the You Family? He knew him well.

Back when Jiang Wang ran the company, You Qinghe hadn’t even graduated high school. To Jiang Wang, he was nothing but a kid.

Jiang Wang found a seat.

Having already poured water for You Qinghe, Qi Yuan decided to treat all subsequent guests equally and pour water for each of them—it was just a simple gesture, after all.

The main reason was to avoid any speculation that he was interested in You Qinghe. Qi Yuan didn’t want to be seen as being linked to him from the start.

“Mr. Jiang, would you like some water?” Qi Yuan asked.

His bright, expressive eyes met Jiang Wang’s, prompting the latter to reconsider his initial refusal and accept Qi Yuan’s kindness.

“Thank you,” Jiang Wang said, taking the glass of water.

Though not thirsty, he took a sip—simply because Qi Yuan had poured it—before setting it down.

The remaining guests arrived in quick succession, generally a few minutes apart.

The fourth guest to enter the villa was a male Omega, impeccably dressed with an adorably cheerful appearance and a refreshingly easygoing demeanor.

He burst into the room, introducing himself loudly to Qi Yuan and the others: “Hi everyone! I’m Cheng Huan, and I’m an Omega!”

His smile was sweet, accentuated by a charming dimple on one cheek.

The three men introduced themselves again.

Qi Yuan, having already introduced himself three times, was starting to feel exasperated. Being the first to arrive had its downsides.

Cheng Huan was a sucker for good looks.

Qi Yuan happened to fit his ideal type perfectly. However, the moment Cheng Huan learned Qi Yuan was a Beta, his initial interest instantly vanished.

As he sat down, Cheng Huan cast a wistful glance at Qi Yuan, inwardly sighing, Why couldn’t he be an Alpha?

The other two Alphas were handsome enough, but they weren’t his type. He preferred slender Alphas, a rare breed, and those who did exist were often inferior Alphas. His family would never approve of him being with a low-ranking Alpha.

The fifth contestant was another male Omega, with a pure, innocent look—the classic “first love” face—and an air of delicate fragility.

When introducing himself, he blushed crimson with shyness, his voice barely audible. But the villa was quiet enough to hear him clearly.

“I’m Qin Ke. I’m an Omega.”

He clearly hadn’t had much contact with Alphas, avoiding eye contact and clinging to the hem of Cheng Huan’s shirt after being pulled down to sit beside him. He remained silent, huddled like a quail, his anxiety easing only when he realized no one was paying him any attention.

Qin Ke was a social recluse, spending most of his time at home. His mother, worried that he would become completely disconnected from society and wanting him to experience romance, had thrown him into this reality show, claiming it would “help him socialize.”

He had no desire to participate, but couldn’t defy his mother’s wishes, so he dutifully went along.

The sixth contestant was Cheng Xinyi, an Alpha.

Her aura was refined and elegant, with a scholarly air that spoke of extensive education.

Qi Yuan didn’t know if Cheng Xinyi worked as a teacher in this Dreamscape, but he had a hunch she did, just like in reality.

After introducing himself for the sixth time, he didn’t ask if she wanted water. Instead, he poured a glass and handed it to her directly.

Cheng Xinyi was visibly taken aback.

Then, accepting the glass with both hands, she smiled. “Qi Yuan, thank you.”

The seventh guest arrived next: Gu Yuzhu, a male Omega. He seemed gentle, speaking with a calm demeanor and a faint smile.

The group repeated their introductions once more.

Qi Yuan was numb from repeating his introduction, but he forced a smile and remained silent, trying to fade into the background of the variety show.

Finally, the last guest made their grand entrance.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Cyril strode into the villa, his radiant golden hair gleaming.

He swept his gaze across the group on the sofas.

Those seemingly affectionate, gem-like violet eyes met Qi Yuan’s—whether by chance or design, it was impossible to tell.