Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Homecoming

Qi Yuan shuddered violently, goosebumps erupting across his arms and scattering like fallen leaves.

No wonder I had that sinister, terrifying dreamscape. How could I not after ending up in a coffin burial ground?

Though he wasn’t a superstitious man, even a glance revealed this place had terrible feng shui—it was practically slapped in your face, impossible to ignore, and made his spine crawl.

Just then, a large hand covered Qi Yuan’s eyes.

“Don’t look,” Xia Jiqing said. “It’s filthy.”

Xia Jiqing’s gaze toward the Ancient Village remained dark and inscrutable.

Guiding Qi Yuan silently away from the ill-omened place, their distance widened until the village vanished from sight.

After countless transfers, they finally arrived home.

The three of them sat around the table.

The warm yellow lamplight bathed them in a subtle, indescribable tenderness.

Qi Meng pointed at Xia Jiqing and asked Qi Yuan, “So, Big Brother, you mean he’ll be staying with you from now on? But you’re still going back to Weilika for school, right? Can he even get into Weilika?”

She sensed something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Qi Yuan took a sip of water. He knew he had acted impulsively, but he didn’t regret it.

“I don’t plan to keep him by my side forever. I want to see if I can get him into your school first. Xia Jiqing is only eighteen. Even though I brought him out, I don’t want his entire life to revolve around me. He deserves his own path. I’m just here to provide some early-stage support.”

“Studying… you don’t mind, do you, Xia Jiqing?”

Qi Yuan turned to Xia Jiqing with a gentle tone.

“I… can I even do that?” Xia Jiqing asked, his voice tinged with doubt.

Xia Jiqing didn’t want to study. He knew that if he went to school, it would mean separating from Qi Yuan. He didn’t want to be apart from Qi Yuan so soon after escaping.

Yet he also knew he couldn’t refuse. It would surely disappoint Qi Yuan, and he didn’t want to disappoint him.

Qi Meng wholeheartedly supported her brother’s decision. Hearing Xia Jiqing’s self-doubt, she quickly interjected, “Of course you can! It’s never too late to study!”

“Since Big Brother brought you here, he’ll take responsibility for you. Just focus on your studies, get into a good university, and make sure you can support yourself after graduation.”

She had her own reasons. Qi Yuan was already overworked, juggling studies and work in Weilika. If Xia Jiqing went with him, he’d inevitably rely on her brother for support, and the cost of supporting him there would likely exceed the cost of sponsoring his education.

Qi Meng didn’t oppose her brother’s decision to take responsibility for Xia Jiqing, but she still worried about the immense pressure on Qi Yuan’s shoulders.

Xia Jiqing might be pitiful, but weren’t they pitiful too?

Qi Meng’s life had only recently improved slightly, and she’d always been sensible. Knowing that Xia Jiqing had helped them escape and was a good person who deserved compassion, she felt it was only right to help him.

However, she wouldn’t let Xia Jiqing become a hindrance to Qi Yuan. Therefore, Xia Jiqing absolutely had to study.

Qi Yuan nodded in agreement. “Qi Meng is right. It’s never too late to study.”

“Come on, let’s see how much you still remember.”

Xia Jiqing obediently followed.

They entered Qi Yuan’s room and sat together at the desk, beginning the assessment.

Meanwhile, Qi Meng was tidying up her parents’ room. They couldn’t possibly let the guest sleep on the living room sofa.

She had always cleaned her parents’ room every time she came home from school, so rolling up her sleeves and getting to work was second nature.

Looking at the newly refreshed room, Qi Meng nodded in satisfaction.

In Qi Yuan’s room, he had already assessed Xia Jiqing’s current progress.

He couldn’t help but marvel at Xia Jiqing’s sharp memory and intelligence. Despite having only completed junior high in the Ancient Village and having been out of school for several years, Xia Jiqing hadn’t forgotten any of the key concepts from junior high. He could practically recall everything.

“Not bad,” Qi Yuan praised, ruffling Xia Jiqing’s hair casually.

The hair quality is actually quite good, just a bit too long. I’ll take him for a haircut tomorrow.

“Wait here for a moment,” Qi Yuan said, grabbing his phone and heading to the balcony.

He had a good relationship with his high school homeroom teacher and planned to use this connection to reach out to the principal and get Xia Jiqing admitted. No high school would be foolish enough to reject a student like him, who was virtually guaranteed to get into Weilika, just like Qi Yuan himself.

After finalizing the arrangements with his homeroom teacher, Qi Yuan let out a sigh of relief, but fatigue quickly set in. He massaged the bridge of his nose, standing for a while.

Spotting Qi Meng, who had already finished cleaning the room, he couldn’t resist sending her two hundred yuan, adding another sum to her little savings.

Night had fallen.

Exhausted to the point of drowsiness, Qi Yuan and Qi Meng forced themselves to ensure Xia Jiqing was settled before retreating to their rooms to wash up and sleep.

Xia Jiqing wore Qi Yuan’s clothes. While the garments hung loosely on Qi Yuan, they fit Xia Jiqing perfectly.

Instead of getting into bed, he leaned against the wall and sat down.

Ever since his parents’ accidental deaths and his subsequent adoption by his uncle, he had slept on the floor every night. Initially unaccustomed to it, he later grew used to falling asleep against the cold wall.

Those days were brutal. Besides his uncle’s beatings and verbal abuse, rumors spread through the Ancient Village that he was a cursed child who had brought about his parents’ demise.

In that isolated community, this news was earth-shattering. People who had once pitied him now glared at him with hatred.

For the first time, Xia Jiqing realized how easily people’s attitudes could flip completely based on baseless rumors.

Only after his uncle’s family met the same fate as his parents—despite the intensifying rumors about him being cursed—did he finally get a reprieve and a chance to live.

He had once resented fate for subjecting him to such hardships, but now he had come to terms with it.

He had avenged his parents’ deaths. Leaving the village behind, he was about to embark on a brand-new future.

The next day, after waking up at noon and finishing breakfast and lunch, Qi Yuan took Xia Jiqing for a haircut.

It was just a trim, so it was quick.

The blow-drying took a bit longer. Qi Yuan blinked at the newly transformed Xia Jiqing.

Though his demeanor remained gloomy, exposing his full face significantly diminished the oppressive aura. The focus now shifted entirely to his features.

His upward-slanting phoenix eyes, sharp and piercing, harmonized perfectly with the rest of his face, creating an indescribable allure—something enigmatic and captivating.

Qi Yuan praised, “You look good. Much more refreshed.”

Afterward, they bought Xia Jiqing new clothes, toiletries, and other necessities. By the time they returned home, it was already late afternoon.

Since they hadn’t bought groceries and were all quite hungry, they decided to eat out.

As they walked down the street, the Groupon-discounted restaurant wasn’t far, so they planned to walk there directly.

Unexpectedly, at a zebra crossing on a street corner, they witnessed a car accident firsthand.

A high-end black car had sideswiped a young man on a bicycle.

The man, dressed in a crisp white shirt with a fair complexion, lay sprawled on the ground, blood seeping from scrapes on his arms and legs. Tears welled in his eyes from the pain as he bit his lip, radiating a pitiable vulnerability.

The driver of the black car immediately got out and called 120 (the Chinese emergency number). He also assured the young man that his boss would cover all hospital expenses until he fully recovered.

The young man lowered his head, his expression twisted with resentment, a flicker of bitterness in his eyes.

When he looked up again, his face had regained its composure.

“Could I see your boss? I want to thank him. After all, I share some of the blame for this—if I hadn’t been running late for the exam and speeding in such a hurry…”

As he bickered with the driver, the rear car door swung open.

Jiang Wang, impeccably dressed in a suit, stepped out.

Qi Yuan, who had been watching the commotion from the crowd, stared in disbelief, as if he’d seen a ghost.

What’s Jiang Wang doing here?

Jiang Wang seemed oblivious to his presence as he strode directly to the man sitting on the ground.

“You want to see me?” he asked coldly.

Jiang Wang’s assistant, Lin Yuan, trailed close behind, handing him a tablet. Jiang Wang took it and scrolled through the screen.

Behind him, Lin Yuan regarded the man on the ground with the detached gaze one reserves for the dead.

Why can’t he be satisfied? Lin Yuan thought. The Jiang Family’s information network can uncover anyone’s secrets with ease.

After reviewing the tablet, Jiang Wang tossed it back to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan immediately began reciting what he’d found: “Meng Ke, orphaned, a gambling addict. He owed hundreds of thousands just days ago. But suddenly, after meeting with a representative from the Liu Family, the debt was paid off almost immediately.”

Meng Ke’s face twisted with disbelief.

He had underestimated the Jiang Family. Perhaps, in his lowly position, he hadn’t underestimated them so much as simply been ignorant of their true power, unaware that he was being used as a pawn in some larger game.