After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently (GL) - Chapter 20

The bright white lights were more glaring than the stars in the night sky, breaking the peacefulness that the evening should have held with their noisy glow and energy.

Chi Yan had not visited this night market in a long time. Everything still looked the same as she remembered, except this time, she had someone quietly following behind her.

Crowds of people weaved between steaming food stalls. Yan Youqing stayed close by Chi Yan’s side. Her cool, graceful presence didn’t quite match the lively atmosphere around them. The hem of her white dress moved gently in the breeze, making her look like a young lady from a wealthy family who had somehow wandered into the wrong place.

In Chi Yan’s memory, Yan Youqing had always been wearing some sort of uniform. In high school, it was the school uniform. In university, it was the white lab coat from the lab. Later, at the Faculty of Life Sciences, it was a white dress shirt and black slacks.

This was the first time Chi Yan had seen her in anything else.

The long-sleeved white dress made her look especially clean and elegant. The small bow tied at the collar gave her an unexpectedly playful touch, something that didn’t quite match her usual serious demeanor.

“Have you ever eaten these?” Chi Yan stopped in front of a stall selling deep-fried skewers. She picked through the selection using a basket that wasn’t exactly spotless and asked the question casually.

Yan Youqing shook her head. “No.”

“Really?” Even though Chi Yan had guessed that she probably had never tried this kind of street food, hearing it confirmed still made her a bit surprised. Her face showed some disappointment. “You’ve missed out on so many delicious things.”

The sound of frying food crackled crisply in the noisy background. Chi Yan watched as the vendor dropped her chosen skewers into the hot oil.

By this time, the night market had reached its peak crowd. The narrow space between the stalls became even more cramped with people constantly passing by.

While waiting, a laughing couple bumped into Chi Yan. She had been watching her skewers and wasn’t prepared, so she stumbled slightly to the right.

Standing there was Yan Youqing.

Her reaction was quicker. She reached out and steadied Chi Yan’s arm. “Are you alright?”

Her cool palm pressed against Chi Yan’s bare skin, and the warmth that followed seemed to quietly burn into her senses.

Chi Yan could hear her own heartbeat.

She glanced at Yan Youqing’s hand on her arm, then awkwardly pulled away. “I’m fine.”

But because of the couple squeezing in, the space in front of the stall became even more crowded.

Even though Chi Yan had stepped back from the contact, their shoulders still ended up touching.

The air was filled with the strong smell of all kinds of food, making it hard to tell which one was the most tempting. But in that moment, Chi Yan caught a faint scent of sea salt, light and fresh.

It smelled really nice.

With so many people around, the stall owner moved quickly. Before long, she pulled out Chi Yan’s skewers from the oil.

She brushed on sauce, bagged the food, and handed it to the two girls. “Here you go, girls.”

Both of them heard her voice and, as if snapping out of a daze, reached out their hands at the same time.

The light from the stall shone on their fingers, revealing every line and bone. For a brief moment, their fingers lightly touched, then quickly separated.

Chi Yan turned to glance at Yan Youqing. Yan Youqing also turned to look at her.

Their eyes met. Yan Youqing calmly pulled back her hand, and Chi Yan naturally accepted the bag of food.

“Do you want one?” Chi Yan offered the bag to Yan Youqing as if the brief moment between them had never happened.

“Thank you.” Yan Youqing accepted the offer and picked a starchy sausage skewer.

She used her right hand, the one that had not touched Chi Yan’s earlier.

Chi Yan waved her hand lightly. “No need to thank me. You helped me with my homework today.”

“There’s no need to mention it. I promised Uncle Chi that we would work hard together,” Yan Youqing replied softly.

The hand at her side curled slightly. Her pale thumb gently brushed across her palm without drawing attention.

“I’ve told you already, haven’t I? You don’t have to take my dad’s words so seriously.” Chi Yan frowned, then glanced at the quiet and serious Yan Youqing beside her. “Are all of you student committee types this trustworthy?”

“I gave Uncle Chi my word. I don’t want to break a promise,” Yan Youqing answered. Her calm voice gave no reason to doubt her.

Maybe it was because they had spent a lifetime as rivals in a past life, but Chi Yan didn’t know how to respond to that. She just nodded, silently acknowledging her sincerity.

The night grew darker, and the sky made the stars seem even brighter.

Chi Yan looked down at her watch, then motioned toward Yan Youqing. “Let’s go. It’s getting late, and we have school tomorrow.”

“Don’t you want to walk around a bit more?” Yan Youqing asked, a trace of reluctance in her voice.

“I already brought you out. I can’t let the student committee be late tomorrow because of me,” Chi Yan replied, her tone teasing. She looked at Yan Youqing again, standing there with her usual quiet elegance, completely out of place in the night market. It really did seem like this was her first time visiting one. She added, “If you want to explore more, let’s pick a weekend. Friday is just around the corner. Then you can take your time and stay as long as you want.”

“Alright.” Yan Youqing nodded at her words.

A gentle breeze passed through the rows of street trees lining the road, carrying a slight chill as it swept past the two girls walking side by side.

Most of the skewers had been eaten along the way. Yan Youqing didn’t particularly enjoy greasy food like this, but when Chi Yan offered to share, she still accepted it.

Soon, the two of them reached the villa district. Chi Yan’s home was located in the lower part of the neighborhood, so they arrived there first.

She held onto the courtyard gate and turned to Yan Youqing. “I’m heading in.”

“Alright.” Yan Youqing nodded, her expression calm, as if she didn’t mind at all that Chi Yan wouldn’t walk her the rest of the way home.

A light cough broke the moment.

It was just past ten o’clock, and the lights in the row of townhouses glowed brightly.

Chi Yan was about to take out her keys to open the gate when she heard a soft cough behind her.

At first, she didn’t think much of it. The sound of her keys jingling was louder than the cough.

But the wind seemed deliberate, rising from the distance like a wave of cool air sweeping in from the sea.

Another cough followed.

A few leaves fell with the sound, landing quietly on the ground. Under the dim streetlights, the silhouette of the girl walking away stretched long and thin.

Yan Youqing continued walking alone, her head slightly lowered.

It felt like something had fallen onto her, covering her completely.

A faint trace of tequila drifted across her tongue, sharp and intrusive.

She turned around and saw Chi Yan now standing beside her, hands stuffed casually in her pockets, speaking with a lazy tone.

“Come on. If something happens to you on your way back, people will blame me for it.”