Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: A Transmigration?

Inside Weilika Academy, in a private lounge, You Qinghe lay sprawled on a sofa, his right arm draped across his forehead, eyes closed. His left hand dangled limply over the edge.

Half a semester had passed, yet he still hadn’t found the person he was searching for, growing increasingly restless.

You Qinghe could clearly sense the person he sought was nearby, yet they always eluded him, leaving him with a persistent sense of missed connections.

Since enrolling, he had practically lived at the Academy, rarely going out. His Big Brother back home had even doubled his allowance, convinced he’d “turned over a new leaf” and urging him to keep it up.

Money was no object to him, but staring at the doubled allowance deposited into his account, he felt a strange sense of absurdity.

Just then, someone entered—Xu Yu, one of You Qinghe’s loyal underlings.

Xu Yu slumped down beside him, his face etched with exhaustion. These past few months had been a relentless grind—searching for the elusive figure while pacifying You Qinghe’s restless followers. This brief respite was all he could afford.

You Qinghe didn’t open his eyes. He recognized the familiar footsteps instantly.

“Any news?”

“Boss, nothing yet,” Xu Yu replied.

His answer was exactly what You Qinghe had expected.

Xu Yu sighed. “Ah, if only you could remember what they looked like or what their name was, it would be so much easier.”

You Qinghe: “………”

Bullshit!

Of course I want to remember!

But all he could recall were the memories of being with the person in his dreams—no details about their appearance or name. Trying to find someone based on such fragmentary clues in the entire Academy was like searching for a needle in the ocean.

You Qinghe understood the futility of it all, yet he refused to give up. If he didn’t even try, he’d lose all hope.

“Oh, right, Boss,” Xu Yu said, sensing You Qinghe’s darkening mood. He quickly changed the subject to some gossip he’d heard, hoping to distract him.

“I heard from the juniors that Liang Tingxuan from the Student Council has become a big supporter of underprivileged students. He’s practically bending over backward for departments run by them, approving any requests they make in record time. It’s causing a lot of resentment in the other departments.”

“Liang Tingxuan? From the Liang Family? What’s he doing hanging out with underprivileged students?”

You Qinghe’s attention was indeed piqued.

It wasn’t that he looked down on impoverished students; he looked down on everyone inferior to him with equal contempt.

Yet he was acutely aware of the vast chasm between the impoverished and the privileged, a gap that couldn’t be easily bridged. As the heir to the Liang Family—second only to the You Family in power—Liang Tingxuan should have been just as aware of this insurmountable divide.

He had no intention of dissuading Liang Tingxuan. Their paths diverged; Liang Tingxuan was from He Zhou, and while they were acquainted, they weren’t close. Each moved within their own social circles, maintaining a peaceful coexistence without interference.

You Qinghe’s mind operated on a different wavelength than most. Viewing issues from an unconventional angle, he quickly deduced why Liang Tingxuan had swiftly approved the impoverished students’ department’s funding requests.

If he were Liang Tingxuan, the annual budget requested by the impoverished students’ department would likely pale in comparison to a single funding request from other departments, which often demanded exorbitant sums. There was simply no comparison.

He found it rather absurd that Xu Yu was bothering him with such trivial matters.

Opening his eyes, he sat up.

“Are you stupid?” You Qinghe snapped. “Don’t you think there’s a slight difference between what other departments request and what the impoverished students’ department asks for?”

Xu Yu, unfazed by the reprimand, smiled. “You’re right, Boss.”

He had been about to mention seeing on the Academy forum how Liang Tingxuan’s attitude toward Qi Yuan, a student in the impoverished students’ department, was remarkably warm and friendly. Other departments’ gossip claimed Liang Tingxuan had even hand-fed Qi Yuan his rare custom-made lollipops, tearing open the wrappers himself.

The forum’s information was a mix of truth and lies, but Xu Yu suspected this was true—the post had been deleted within two minutes of him reading it.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Who would have thought that Liang Tingxuan, with his thick eyebrows and bright eyes, had the potential to be such a simp?

Noticing Boss’s mood had improved considerably, Xu Yu decided to save this gossip for later and focus on diverting Boss’s attention back to work.

He stood up, stretched briefly, and prepared to resume his duties.

“Boss, I’m off to get busy. Call me if you need anything.”

You Qinghe lay back down.

“Mm, go ahead.”

Then, remembering something, she added, “If you run into anything you can’t handle, call me. Don’t try to tough it out with the others.”

“Got it,” Xu Yu replied.

The door opened and closed.

The lounge fell silent.

You Qinghe savored the stillness, murmuring, “Where could you possibly be…?”

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room, yet it failed to dispel the gloom in You Qinghe’s heart.

Jiang Wang took Qi Yuan to an upscale restaurant.

After they sat down, Qi Yuan grabbed the menu and ordered several dishes that caught his eye. Knowing that portions in fancy restaurants were notoriously small—often just a bite or two—he ordered extra to compensate.

As he scanned the menu filled with outrageously expensive dishes, he swallowed hard.

If I were paying, I’d never splurge like this.

He picked up his glass and took a sip of water, then set the menu down.

Since Jiang Wang was footing the bill and had insisted on treating him, Qi Yuan felt no need to be modest. He ordered freely, enjoying the moment guiltlessly.

He glanced up at Jiang Wang, who sat across from him. Jiang Wang showed no reaction, likely not very hungry himself, as he ordered sparingly. It seemed he simply wanted to share a meal with Qi Yuan.

The restaurant’s service was neither quick nor slow, and the two chatted casually between courses.

Jiang Wang occasionally cracked a joke, making Qi Yuan’s eyes crinkle into crescent moons.

Qi Yuan sighed inwardly. This was one of the reasons he avoided Jiang Wang: if he’d remained a mere stranger, with no ties between them, refusing him wouldn’t be so difficult.

After they finished eating, the night outside was deep and dark.

Qi Yuan got back into Jiang Wang’s car, gave the driver his address, and the driver immediately set off. It was quite a drive; Qi Yuan had suggested taking the subway back instead, thinking it would be more convenient.

But Jiang Wang refused, insisting that since he had brought Qi Yuan out, he would see him home safely.

Sitting across from Jiang Wang, Qi Yuan felt truly helpless. He knew perfectly well what Jiang Wang was up to, but he had no intention of calling him out on it. Let it be, he thought.

It took over an hour to reach Qi Yuan’s residential complex.

“Thank you, Mr. Jiang,” he said as he got out of the car.

The moon hung in the sky, a perfect half-circle surrounded by countless twinkling stars.

The car window rolled down.

“Text me when you get home safely,” Jiang Wang said.

Jiang Wang sat ramrod straight, his posture impeccable. In the dim light, his blue eyes shone like brilliant sapphires, utterly captivating. He gazed at Qi Yuan with an intensity that made it seem as though he were looking at the entire world.

Uncomfortable under Jiang Wang’s unwavering gaze, Qi Yuan glanced away and waved goodbye. “See you later, Jiang Wang.”

“See you later,” Jiang Wang replied softly.

Qi Yuan didn’t linger. He turned and left, Jiang Wang watching his retreating figure until it disappeared from sight before instructing the driver to leave.

Arriving home, he unlocked the door and immediately saw Qi Meng and Xia Jiqing sitting on the sofa. At the sound of the door opening, their eyes snapped toward the entrance in unison.

“I’m back,” Qi Yuan said with a warm smile.

After changing his shoes, he yawned.

“So tired… I’m going to bed first. You two should get some rest too.”

He’d been running around all day and hadn’t noticed the fatigue while dining with Jiang Wang. But the moment he relaxed at home, exhaustion hit him like a wave, and he felt immediately sleepy.

The pair had been waiting on the sofa specifically for Qi Yuan’s return. Now that he was home and had given his instructions, they obediently retired to their rooms.

Qi Yuan showered quickly and changed into his pajamas.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep in bed, he remembered Jiang Wang’s request to text him when he got home. Forcing his eyes open, he tapped on Jiang Wang’s account.

Qi Yuan: I’m home.

He didn’t even wait for a reply before falling asleep.

Barely a day had passed since his last Dreamscape, yet Qi Yuan found himself plunged into another.

Staring at the primordial jungle surrounding him, he felt utterly helpless.

If only I’d known this day would come, I’d have learned some survival skills.

Just as panic began to set in, a voice called out from behind him: “Qi Yuan!”

He turned to see a young man he didn’t recognize, though the other clearly knew him.

The man’s face lit up with delight.

He pushed through the dense undergrowth and rushed toward Qi Yuan.

Dust smudged his fair cheeks, but it couldn’t conceal his youthful charm.

“Qi Yuan, do you know where we are?”

“Didn’t our plane crash? Why did we wake up here after blacking out? Shouldn’t we be injured, at least, if we survived a plane crash?”

“But I’m not hurt at all, and neither are you. Our backpacks are intact too.”

The man’s joy vanished, replaced by a dawning horror as he voiced his theory: “Could we have… time-traveled?”

Now both their faces paled.

Yet Qi Yuan forced himself to remain calm, patting the younger man’s shoulder in reassurance.

“Don’t panic. Whether we’ve time-traveled or not, our priority is survival.”

He glanced at the sun’s position, judging it to be around midday.

“Our immediate task is finding a safe shelter. The nights in this jungle are dangerous; we need to prepare for the night.”