Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: “Should We Get Back Together?”

“Let’s eat.”

“It’s been ages since we last met, Jiang Wang. You’ve lost so much weight—you need to eat more.”

Qi Yuan caught the aroma of the dishes and released Jiang Wang’s face, instead taking his hand.

He led Jiang Wang to the dining table, where they sat down together. Most of the dishes had already been served, and at a glance, Qi Yuan noticed that nearly all were his favorites. He couldn’t help but marvel at the attentiveness of Jiang Wang’s staff.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wang’s gaze lingered on their clasped hands. He seemed about to tighten his grip, but before he could, Qi Yuan released his hand.

In the next moment, a pair of chopsticks were pressed into Jiang Wang’s hand.

“Eat,” Qi Yuan urged.

Actually, he was eager to start eating himself. Who wouldn’t be tempted by a table laden with their favorite dishes? But as a guest, it was proper for the host to take the first bite.

Though Jiang Wang didn’t seem to care about such formalities, others might. Qi Yuan didn’t want the Qi Family to be labeled as ill-mannered after this visit—not that he personally cared about such labels, but he worried about how it might affect Qi Meng.

“Okay,” Jiang Wang replied.

As he ate, Jiang Wang kept his eyes fixed on Qi Yuan, mimicking his every bite.

Jiang Wang’s gaze was intensely possessive. After enduring it for too long, Qi Yuan grew inexplicably uneasy, losing his appetite. He finally had to reach out and gently turn Jiang Wang’s head away to regain his composure and continue eating.

“Eat properly,” Qi Yuan said.

“I’m not going anywhere. You don’t need to be so tense,” Jiang Wang replied, his eyes downcast. Deep down, he didn’t truly believe Qi Yuan’s words.

In this world, no one was more adept at running away than Qi Yuan. After all, hadn’t he vanished for a decade with nothing more than a casual breakup?

When he reappeared, he was exactly as before, as if time had stood still for him—absurd and unreal.

“Don’t be angry.”

Jiang Wang didn’t respond immediately. His skill at comforting others had grown stiff with disuse over the years. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally managed to utter these words.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan placed a spare rib on Jiang Wang’s plate.

“I’m not angry.”

He wasn’t the type to get angry easily, and Jiang Wang hadn’t done anything to provoke him.

It was only then that Qi Yuan noticed Jiang Wang seemed emotionally drained.

Could a mere decade truly have transformed the once-powerful leader he remembered into someone so fragile?

Qi Yuan didn’t understand, nor did he want to.

He chose to ignore it—or perhaps, to evade it.

He deliberately steered the conversation away from the topic, asking instead about Jiang Wang’s recent activities.

And so, the two finished their meal, chatting idly.

Satiated both physically and emotionally, Qi Yuan felt a newfound energy to deal with Jiang Wang.

He rubbed his stomach contentedly.

Leaning close to He Zhou’s ear, Qi Yuan whispered, “Is there a private space where we can talk alone? I have something to tell you that others shouldn’t hear.”

Jiang Wang wiped Qi Yuan’s greasy hands with a wet wipe, then asked, “Would the study work?”

“Of course,” Qi Yuan replied.

“Lead the way.”

As he finished speaking, he held out his hand to Jiang Wang, his eyes signaling his intentions.

Jiang Wang met his gaze, immediately understood, and took Qi Yuan’s hand, their fingers interlacing.

With a gentle tug, Jiang Wang helped Qi Yuan, who was still sluggish from overeating, rise from his chair, then guided him toward the study.

Outside the study, thick clouds blocked most of the sunlight, leaving the room dimly lit. But when they switched on the lights, the room brightened considerably.

Just as Qi Yuan was about to speak, Jiang Wang suddenly scooped him up by the waist, lifting him off the ground. Qi Yuan quickly wrapped his arms around Jiang Wang’s neck.

Jiang Wang took a few steps forward and set Qi Yuan down on the desk.

Sitting on the desk, Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Qi Yuan couldn’t help but marvel at Jiang Wang’s sheer strength. How could he, a perfectly normal adult man, be lifted onto the desk so effortlessly? And without even seeming to strain?

“Jiang Wang!” Qi Yuan snapped, annoyance rising. He hated these sudden, unannounced actions.

“Mm, I’m here,” Jiang Wang replied, his voice low.

They were so close—one looking down, the other up. Their breaths mingled on each other’s faces, their eyes locked in a gaze that slowly, inexorably, drew them closer.

Just as their lips were about to meet, Qi Yuan abruptly snapped out of his daze. He pressed his hand against Jiang Wang’s chest, feeling the hard, unyielding muscle beneath his palm.

“Stop messing around,” Qi Yuan protested. “I really have something important to say.”

Why does everyone seem to completely disregard why I vanished for ten years? As if my mere return is all that matters? Qi Yuan felt utterly helpless, yet he knew he had no choice but to explain.

Jiang Wang grasped Qi Yuan’s hand, which still rested on his chest, and moved it to his own face.

“I’m not messing around. Tell me. I’m listening.”

With Jiang Wang’s unwavering attentiveness, Qi Yuan found himself at a loss for how to proceed.

Fine. Business first.

Gathering his resolve, Qi Yuan asked, “Jiang Wang, do you know what time travel is?”

Jiang Wang looked up. “Qi Yuan wants to tell me you traveled here from ten years ago, right?”

He was incredibly sharp. Just one question, and he had already guessed what Qi Yuan wanted to reveal.

Qi Yuan gently wiped Jiang Wang’s cheek with the pad of his finger.

“That’s right.”

“Do you believe it?”

This sounds like a fabricated lie, something made up to fill in the gaps.

Jiang Wang: “It sounds fake.”

“But I believe it’s true.”

“You vanished ten years ago so completely, without leaving a single trace.”

“I’ve always suspected you encountered some unknown, unscientific event. Now it seems my suspicions were correct.”

“That’s just one reason. There’s an even more important one.”

“Qi Yuan might abandon all of us, but he would never abandon Qi Meng. She’s your most precious little sister. I know how much he cares for her.”

He truly understood Qi Yuan, leaving the man himself speechless.

Qi Yuan’s lips moved soundlessly, trying to speak but unable to find the words.

After Jiang Wang finished speaking, he leaned closer. This time, Qi Yuan didn’t stop him.

A soft kiss landed on Qi Yuan’s cheek, full of solemnity and tenderness. Qi Yuan blinked, his long lashes falling to hide the emotions he was desperately trying to conceal in his eyes.

Jiang Wang: “Qi Yuan.”

Qi Yuan: “Hmm.”

Jiang Wang: “Should we get back together?”

“We’ve already missed ten years. I don’t want to waste another second after this.”

Qi Yuan: “Even knowing you might lose me again, are you willing?”

Transmigration carries inherent uncertainties. If it happened once, it could happen again.

He couldn’t believe Jiang Wang didn’t understand this.

He should have agreed immediately, but he couldn’t help asking.

Jiang Wang smiled. “Precisely because I know I might lose you again, I want to cherish every moment we have together even more.”

Qi Yuan gazed at Jiang Wang’s radiant smile.

If that’s how you feel, then I’ll agree.

I’ve already agreed to one thing. What’s one more? If Jiang Wang is the key to escaping this Dreamscape, then all the better—no need to worry about things going wrong.

And if not? No problem. I’ll just move on to the next one. As they say, “More debts won’t break you.” Let them call me a scumbag.

“Hmm.”

“Let’s get back together.”

Hearing Qi Yuan’s answer, Jiang Wang was overjoyed. But his happiness was short-lived, shattered by an urgent phone call.

Jiang Wang’s mother, who lived abroad, had been shot and was now fighting for her life in the hospital. He needed to leave immediately.

After a brief two-minute conversation, he hung up.

Jiang Wang’s entire being sank into despair. Why, after just reuniting with his beloved, must they be separated again?

He knew Qi Yuan wouldn’t leave with him; he would stay in the country to care for Qi Meng.

Jiang Wang was fiercely jealous of Qi Meng. She received eighty percent of Qi Yuan’s love, while he hadn’t even received ten percent.

When one understands too clearly, the pain becomes unbearable.

He was now in that state. If he didn’t have to part with his lover, he could have feigned ignorance and deceived himself. But the current situation allowed no room for such self-deception.

Still, he refused to give up hope.

“Qi Yuan,” he asked, “will you come with me?”

He clung to the impossible answer he knew he wouldn’t receive.

Qi Yuan’s expression was complex as he shook his head.

Jiang Wang wasn’t the key to his escape from the Dreamscape, so he couldn’t possibly leave with him.

The rejection was firm.

But reassurance was still necessary. He feared that if he were too blunt, Jiang Wang might knock him unconscious and take him abroad against his will.

“Jiang Wang,” he said gently.

“I’ll wait for you to return.”

“You know I can’t abandon Qi Meng to go abroad with you.”

“Just as you wouldn’t stay here with me instead of going abroad to care for your mother.”

“Let’s not force each other to choose, okay?”

“Besides, we’re back together now, aren’t we?”

“No matter what, I’ll wait for you to come back after you’ve settled things.”

Qi Yuan had said everything he could think of. He was sure Jiang Wang would agree.

Even though he was lying through his teeth without a second thought, the lies he spoke were rooted in genuine emotion. Jiang Wang shouldn’t be able to tell, right?

They stood locked in place for several minutes.

Finally, Jiang Wang relented, the exhaustion in his eyes impossible to hide.

But even as he gave in, he couldn’t bring himself to let Qi Yuan go completely.

He pressed a fierce kiss onto Qi Yuan’s lips. He wasn’t experienced at kissing; they had broken up not long after getting together, so this could almost be considered his first kiss.

Jiang Wang acted purely on instinct.

After a few minutes, his breathing grew ragged, and they broke apart.

Qi Yuan’s breath was equally uneven. His lips were flushed from the kiss, and a shimmering layer of moisture glazed his eyes.

Jiang Wang: “You promised you’d wait for me to come back, Qi Yuan. You can’t break your word.”

He gave Qi Yuan one last hug, then instructed the butler to take him home. Qi Meng’s place was safer than his own mansion. Jiang Wang boarded his private jet and left the country.

Heavy snow swirled, the wind howling fiercely.

After packing his belongings, Qi Yuan was driven home, dragging his suitcase behind him.

On the way, he texted Qi Meng, letting her know he was on his way back.

She didn’t ask any questions, simply replied, “Okay.”

When he arrived, Qi Yuan spotted Qi Meng waiting for him at the entrance of their residential complex, holding an umbrella.

After getting out of the car, he took the suitcase from the trunk and hurried toward her.

The wind-driven snow whipped against his face.

Qi Meng raised the umbrella, sheltering him.

Smiling, she said, “Big Brother, let’s go home.”

Qi Yuan smiled back. “Okay, let’s go home.”

The air conditioning hadn’t been turned off.

As they stepped inside, the snow on their clothes rapidly melted, soaking them through.

Qi Meng pushed Qi Yuan toward the bathroom for a hot shower.

By the time he emerged, the food delivery had arrived.

They sat together, sipping ginger soup from the takeout containers.

He took small, deliberate sips, pondering who his next target should be.

After a moment’s thought, he decided on He Zhou.

Raising his gaze to Qi Meng, he prepared to ask her for information about He Zhou.