After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently (GL) - Chapter 16

The sun gradually climbed higher in the sky, casting a golden halo as it reflected off the bike shed roof.

In the early autumn heat, cicadas clung to the last bit of summer, hidden among the leaves and chirping louder and faster with every call.

Following Zhong Yi’s gaze, Ayan saw Yan Youqing approaching with two other members of the disciplinary committee.

Although autumn had officially begun, the summer heat still showed no signs of fading. The bright red armbands on the committee members stood out starkly under the sun.

Ayan found their presence at the bike shed a bit puzzling.

As far as she could recall, patrolling the bike shed was not part of the committee’s duties. If they were checking for tardiness, they usually just verified attendance during morning study.

Could it be that someone had realized she was technically late earlier, and now they were here to settle the score?

With a slight frown, Ayan leaned lazily against her bike, her posture casual and unbothered.

She was known for arriving just in time to school, relying on her good grades and fearlessness. She was one of the rare students who didn’t worry about the disciplinary committee and even dared to defy them.

The hanging wisteria swayed gently in the breeze as both groups noticed each other.

The space between them closed quickly. Neither side gave way, and the tension felt like it could snap at any moment.

Chen Niannian had already been upset about letting Ayan off earlier. Now, seeing them still lingering outside the classroom, she immediately questioned them.
“It’s past the time to be inside. Why are you still hanging around the bike shed?”

Zhong Yi found her tone amusing. Before Ayan could even respond, she smiled and replied,
“Director Chen never said we had to be in the classroom before morning study started, right? We’re just out here checking on a friend who recently went through differentiation. Is that wrong?”

“You…”
Chen Niannian was left speechless, glaring at Zhong Yi with wide eyes.

“Niannian.”
Yan Youqing called her name, calmly putting an end to the confrontation. She lifted her gaze and spoke to the three of them in her usual soft tone.
“There’s nothing wrong. But morning study is about to begin. Please head back to the classroom before the bell rings.”

Her voice was as calm as ever, like a block of ice dropped into the heat of the day, instantly cooling the tension between Zhong Yi and Chen Niannian.

Ayan remembered that in her past life, whenever there was friction with the disciplinary committee, Yan Youqing would never step in. She would only watch coldly from the sidelines.

Why was she the one stepping in today?

Sunlight slipped through the bike shed’s roof and caught Ayan’s gaze, just as it met Yan Youqing’s calm and composed eyes.

She was still dressed in the school’s standard blue and white uniform, clean and perfectly pressed without a single wrinkle.

She stood quietly in front of Ayan, her gentle gaze framed by a glowing outline of light. For a moment, Ayan had the strange feeling that something had changed, but also that everything was exactly the same.

Before she could think any deeper about it, the preparatory bell suddenly rang.

With no time left, Ayan straightened up from her bike and walked back to class with Zhong Yi and Wang Chuning without saying anything.

Chen Niannian watched the three girls enter the building, then split up with another committee member to look around the bike shed.

They seemed to be searching for something, but found nothing.
“Ayan, there’s no sign anyone smoked here,” Chen Niannian reported.

Yan Youqing responded with a quiet hum.

Her eyes were pale in color. If one didn’t look closely, it was hard to tell where she was focused. It always seemed like she was deep in thought.

Behind the red brick wall of the school building, a single withered rose bush swayed alone in the breeze. Compared to the lush, layered wisteria nearby, it looked strangely out of place.

Yan Youqing had noticed that when Ayan left, she was only carrying a notebook with a pen clipped to it.

Ayan’s bold attitude toward the committee did not mean other students were the same.

The timid girl who had been hiding behind the wall earlier had run off the moment she saw the red armband of the disciplinary committee, carrying with her the letter and gift she had prepared.

After a brief pause, Yan Youqing quietly looked away and said calmly,
“Thank you. It seems the report might have been incorrect.”

At seven in the morning, the affiliated high school’s campus echoed with clear, steady voices reciting their lessons. Wherever the sunlight touched, the air was filled with energy and life.

Ayan sat in class, surrounded by the rhythm of repeated English phrases. She looked down in silence at the notebook Yan Youqing had returned to her desk.

This person hadn’t scribbled or made any dramatic comments in Chi Yan’s notebook. Instead, she had simply inserted a few sticky notes to point out where the notes Chi Yan sent last night matched up with the material.

The morning sunlight outside the window was much brighter than the light from the previous night. Under that light, Yan Youqing’s handwriting stood out clearly in Chi Yan’s view.

Just like its writer, the handwriting was clean, sharp, and meticulous. It completely outclassed the messy scrawl of Chi Yan’s own notes nearby.

Chi Yan felt a little irritated.

But at the same time, she couldn’t help but admire it.

She really was so careful. Was this what being an Omega was like?

The sticky note fluttered slightly in the light, then was pulled off without hesitation.

Not wanting to let herself form any more positive impressions of Yan Youqing, Chi Yan frowned and kept transferring notes from the new notebook into the old one.

Just then, a familiar shadow fell across her notebook.

She looked up, and just as she expected, it was Yan Youqing.

Her disciplinary committee duties were finished. She calmly folded the red armband and placed it neatly into her desk drawer.

Seeing the quick glance Chi Yan gave her, Yan Youqing spoke first.
“Is there anything you’re still unsure about?”

Chi Yan hadn’t planned on admitting that she didn’t understand something.

But if she was going to stay committed to improving herself, she had to go all the way.

After a brief pause, Chi Yan gave a small nod. She turned to the page that had been marked the night before and said,
“This part.”

Her pale finger pointed at a line of English text. The shadow over the page grew slightly larger.

Their chairs, which had been just slightly apart, touched with a soft clicking sound.

Wanting a better view, Yan Youqing quietly moved her chair closer.

Her long black hair shifted with the movement, falling past her neck and stirring slightly in the air. It carried a faint, cool scent that was unusual and distinct.

Now sitting very close to each other, Chi Yan could clearly smell it. The scent drifted softly into her nose.

The bright morning sunlight filled the classroom with warmth and energy. It also seemed to quietly amplify everything around them, including the sound of her own heartbeat.