After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently (GL) - Chapter 10
Is there anything more awkward than waking up to find yourself holding hands with your archenemy?
Chi Yan believed there definitely was.
The hospital room’s bright fluorescent lights lit everything harshly, and the loosely tucked blanket had slipped again, revealing part of her bare shoulder.
It was in that moment Chi Yan realized something truly embarrassing—she had apparently been holding Yan Youqing’s hand the entire time she was unconscious. Because of that, her hospital gown wasn’t properly worn, barely hanging off her left shoulder.
Yan Youqing, as calm and composed as ever, didn’t react to the expression on Chi Yan’s face. Her gaze remained steady as she placed the notebook in her lap and asked, “You’re awake?”
“Yeah,” Chi Yan replied, forcing herself to sound normal. She quickly pulled her hand back and tried to act like it was no big deal.
But her mind was tangled in conflicting emotions. After a brief pause, she struggled to ask, “Um… how long was I out?”
“Not long. Less than three hours,” Yan Youqing answered.
Her voice was as cool and composed as usual, as if she were casually reporting the time.
But the fading sunlight streaming in through the window fell across Chi Yan’s face, and her eyebrow twitched uncontrollably.
To her, that simple answer didn’t mean “not long”—it meant they had been holding hands for nearly three hours.
If a crack in the floor had opened up at that moment, Chi Yan would have gladly jumped in and sealed it shut with cement.
It was mortifying.
Why had she fallen into Yan Youqing’s arms of all people?
And how had she ended up clinging to her hand while unconscious? What was wrong with her? Was that girl’s hand some kind of miracle drug?
Chi Yan was overwhelmed with regret and shame.
The IV bag above her head dripped steadily. The room was even quieter than it had been while she was asleep.
She reached for her hospital gown and awkwardly pulled it back into place.
A faint trace of salt and dew lingered on her fingers as she adjusted the fabric, brushing past her nose. For a moment, it smelled just like the ocean from her dreams—gentle, familiar, and oddly comforting.
It was difficult to describe…
Just as her scattered thoughts were starting to come together again, the door suddenly burst open.
That fragile scent instantly vanished, swept away by the gust of air from the hallway.
“Yanyan!”
A man with messy curls that resembled a bird’s nest rushed in, looking frantic. His thick-rimmed glasses caught the light in dizzying circles.
The moment Chi Yan saw him, all the negative emotions in her chest seemed to melt away.
Her pupils trembled, and a storm of emotions surged behind her calm facade, threatening to break through.
Her father, Chi Xufeng, had arrived.
She hadn’t seen him in almost ten years.
“Yanyan, I’m so sorry I’m late. This is all my fault. I should’ve made sure your school’s contact was flagged as important. I heard you presented. Are you okay?”
Chi Xufeng stumbled over his words, trying to explain why he hadn’t arrived sooner. His eyes, dark and rimmed with exhaustion, never left her face.
His hand, the one that always seemed to be wrapped in a bandage or band-aid, reached out and gently clasped hers. The warmth was real and grounding, a comfort she hadn’t felt in so long.
She kept her expression calm and shook her head gently. “As you can see, I’m okay now, Dad.”
“Good, good,” Chi Xufeng repeated, nodding quickly. His words were clumsy, but the fear he had felt on the way over was written all over his face.
Chi Yan raised her IV-bound hand and brushed his messy hair away from his forehead. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m really fine.”
He nodded again, a little awkwardly, clearly unused to his daughter’s sudden tenderness. “I’ve been buried in work at the institute. I haven’t had time to keep up. Yanyan, how did you not notice you were presenting? Has your aunt not been taking good care of you?”
The room seemed to pause for a second. The stillness felt heavy, like time itself had stopped.
Has your aunt not been taking care of you?
Yes.
Xu Yongli had always favored Xu Minxue, going so far as to withhold the living expenses Chi Xufeng sent. Chi Yan had suffered in silence through much of that during her past life.
Sunlight spilled through the window and fell on her face. She smiled.
Looking at the man who had sacrificed so much for his research, she replied with bright confidence, “There’s nothing going on. My aunt and I are fine.”
“Dad, I’m an Alpha now. I can handle my own problems. You don’t need to worry about me. Just take care of yourself.”
Her long hair swept softly over her neck. The gland that had once caused her such pain no longer stung.
It rested quietly beneath her skin, like a gift from fate to celebrate her rebirth.
Chi Yan didn’t know why her gland had suddenly activated on her eighteenth birthday, a day that should have been uneventful.
But if it was a gift, she would make the most of it.
Her father wasn’t good at reading people. He’d never be able to win against someone like Xu Yongli. If he tried to confront her, he might end up being manipulated.
All the injustice and pain Chi Yan had suffered in her last life this time, she would make things right.
As she thought this, Chi Xufeng’s voice rang out beside her again.
He turned to Yan Youqing, wearing his usual awkward, honest smile. “I heard from Teacher Chen that an Omega classmate helped my Yanyan. That must be you, right?”
“It was nothing serious,” Yan Youqing replied calmly. “Just something anyone would’ve done.”
After speaking, she moved with a kind of quiet determination that caught Chi Yan off guard. This person, who had always seemed cold and proud, unexpectedly reached across the hospital bed, offering her hand. “Hello, Uncle. I’m Yan Youqing, Chi Yan’s deskmate.”
“Oh, so you two sit together? That’s great. Nice to meet you, really,” Chi Xufeng said warmly, clearly pleased. “Last time at the parent-teacher meeting, I saw her sitting alone in the back row. I was a little worried. Knowing you’re by her side makes me feel much better.”
Like all concerned parents, Chi Xufeng continued without much hesitation. Turning to Yan Youqing, he asked, “Youqing, how is Yanyan doing at school? I never worry about her grades, but I do wonder about her social life. She’s not having any trouble with classmates, is she?”
A metal spoon suddenly clinked loudly against the edge of a porcelain bowl.
Chi Yan heard the question and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
Trouble? Yes.
The source of that trouble was sitting right in front of him.
But of course, that wasn’t something a parent should hear about.
Worried that Yan Youqing might bring up their rocky history and exaggerate things, Chi Yan immediately looked over, trying to signal with her eyes.
She could swallow her pride for now. A little humility to keep the peace was worth it.
But before she could even finish forming that pleading look, Yan Youqing spoke.
“No, Chi Yan gets along well with everyone. She hasn’t had any conflicts with other students.”
Her voice was quiet but clear, her expression as calm as ever.
Maybe it was the aura she’d developed after years as part of the discipline committee, but her words carried a kind of authority that was hard to question.
Chi Yan’s heart finally settled.
She hadn’t expected Yan Youqing to cover for her.
Chi Xufeng nodded in approval, adapting one of his usual lab encouragements to fit the moment. “That’s great. Since you sit together, you should support each other and grow together. I’m sure you’ll do well on the college entrance exam.”
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Chi Yan replied, giving him a reassuring nod.
“You can count on me too, Uncle,” Yan Youqing said quietly. There was a subtle warmth in her tone, barely noticeable but real.
The sun was already sinking behind the hills, and the soft orange glow of twilight fell across Yan Youqing’s figure.
She sat straight-backed, long black hair cascading over her shoulders, glowing faintly with gold in the fading light.
Looking at her now, quietly stepping in to support her, Chi Yan couldn’t help but feel like even the evening sun was on their side.
Suddenly, an old pop song blared through the room, the phone vibrating violently as the loud ringtone echoed like thunder.
Even though Chi Yan knew her father kept his ringer that loud to avoid missing calls, it still startled her.
Chi Xufeng looked slightly embarrassed and glanced at Yan Youqing, who remained calm, before quickly answering.
After a few short responses, Chi Yan heard the line she’d hated most in her past life.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming. Ten minutes.”
As expected, the moment he hung up, he turned to her with an apologetic look.
“Yanyan, I need to go. There’s a project at the lab and everyone’s waiting on me.”
Having been through the chaos of life science research herself, Chi Yan didn’t throw a tantrum like she used to. This time, she understood.
Looking at the man she hadn’t seen in years, her eyes softened. She even smiled. “Dad, just make sure you get enough rest, even if you’re busy.”
Chi Xufeng nodded, his broad hand gently smoothing back her hair. “Take care of yourself, alright? Your mom would be so relieved to know you’ve presented.”
Chi Yan tilted her head slightly, gazing out at the darkening sky.
Heavy clouds hung low, tinted with orange light, soft and warm. It was like her mother was up there, watching over her.
Her father once told her that her mom had become the wind and the clouds, always watching from above wherever she could lift her eyes.
The door closed with a soft click, and silence returned to the hospital room.
Chi Yan stared at the now-closed door, her eyes calm but starting to turn slightly red around the edges. The emotions she had kept buried for so long started to rise uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her bed as someone blocked the last ray of sunlight.
A faint, clean scent like morning dew drifted down and brushed her nose with a hint of salt.
She turned and saw Yan Youqing standing over her, looking down.
Her gaze was focused, the soft light catching on her long lashes and revealing a tiny mole beneath one eye.
Chi Yan blinked, uneasy under the intense stare. She quickly wiped the corners of her eyes and snapped, “What are you looking at? Never seen someone’s eyes sweat before?”
But before she could say anything else, a cool hand pressed against her forehead, gently pushing her back into bed.
“You’re still running a fever,” Yan Youqing said quietly. “Stop squirming.”