After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently (GL) - Chapter 21
Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches above, blending with the hazy glow of the streetlights on either side of the road. The soft light gently illuminated the small area around them.
Yan Youqing lightly held the jacket that had fallen over her head. As she lifted the edge of the fabric blocking her view, she saw the side of Chi Yan’s face, slightly raised.
The moonlight lay over her features like a delicate veil. It made Chi Yan’s slightly rebellious face seem both unreal and vividly present, like a scene that could only exist in a dream.
Yan Youqing paused briefly, then heard Chi Yan’s voice beside her again.
“Not heading home?”
“I am,” Yan Youqing replied, her expression calm and steady.
She glanced at Chi Yan walking beside her and added, “Thank you.”
“No need. I’m just walking off the food,” Chi Yan replied, her eyes casually shifting toward the road ahead.
Up ahead, one of the streetlights was broken. The shadows of the leaves looked heavy and dark, giving that stretch of road a slightly eerie feeling, almost like something from a horror film.
For some reason, Chi Yan suddenly remembered that not long ago, this same person had once hesitated to go home because of a power outage.
The autumn wind blew gently between them. The scent of tequila lingered faintly in the air, mixing with the freshness of lime and the saltiness of sea breeze.
Their shadows stretched side by side under the dim lights, sometimes overlapping, sometimes apart. The shape of their legs beneath the hems of their skirts appeared long and slender.
Chi Yan looked at the shadows on the ground, then at the jacket draped over Yan Youqing’s shoulders. She reached out and tugged it up a little.
“Put it on properly,” she said.
Her tone, as usual, wasn’t exactly gentle. It still carried that blunt, distant edge. But her action gave her away.
Yan Youqing didn’t resist. She quietly followed her lead and wore the jacket properly. The smell of tequila now rested even closer to the back of her neck, hidden beneath her long hair.
Strangely, the light cough she had been holding back disappeared as if the jacket had actually done something useful.
Chi Yan, satisfied, took a bite of the last skewer in her hand.
“It’s already autumn. You should know to wear a jacket when going out. You’re almost an adult now, and still don’t know how to take care of yourself.”
Yan Youqing lowered her gaze and didn’t argue with Chi Yan’s scolding.
The night breeze rose and fell as they walked. Chi Yan didn’t say much after that. Only the rustling of leaves filled the silence between them.
It was a strange feeling. Walking in silence beside someone who had always been her rival should have felt uncomfortable, maybe even tense. But Chi Yan actually felt a little relaxed, even peaceful.
She ate her skewers. Yan Youqing didn’t lecture her like Xu Yongli usually did, telling her that fried food was unhealthy. Nor did she try to steal bites the way Zhong Yi and the others would.
She had said she was walking Yan Youqing home. But really, it felt more like Yan Youqing was keeping her company while she took a stroll and ate her snacks.
Without a word, they soon arrived at the small white house.
Chi Yan looked at the yard in front of Yan Youqing’s home, then finished the last bite of grilled gluten.
“Alright. You made it home safe. I’m heading back.”
She clapped her hands clean and turned around decisively.
“Chi Yan.”
The sound of her name came from behind her just as she started to walk away.
The wind picked up again. The hem of Yan Youqing’s white dress fluttered softly in the breeze.
Moonlight spilled through the shifting leaves above, landing in gentle patches on the stone steps of the house. It lit up her usually cool and distant face, softening her expression with a glow as gentle as the moonlight itself.
Chi Yan blinked, and her heart wavered slightly.
She thought, for a moment, that Yan Youqing had stopped her for something important.
But Yan Youqing looked calm and simply said, “Don’t forget to review what we went over today when you get home.”
Chi Yan suddenly laughed.
She raised a hand and brushed her hair back, then waved at her.
“Got it. I will.”
She couldn’t help thinking she had completely misunderstood the moment.
Feeling a bit annoyed with herself, Chi Yan turned away and walked back toward the row of townhouses without looking back again.
At this hour, her house was still awake.
In the living room, the TV was playing one of Xu Yongli’s favorite over-the-top family dramas. The widowed Alpha woman sat on the couch, holding a box of tissues and crying for the poor Omega heroine on screen.
“I’m back,” Chi Yan called out.
But Xu Yongli was too caught up in the show to hear her.
That actually worked out fine. It saved her from another round of nagging.
Chi Yan felt relieved. She turned and tossed the garbage she had been carrying all the way home into the bin in the dining room.
Just as Chi Yan went upstairs, she saw Xu Minxue coming out of the bathroom on the right side of the second-floor hallway.
He didn’t look happy. After giving her a sharp glare, he slammed his bedroom door behind him.
Chi Yan thought he was acting strange for no reason. She rolled her eyes at him and returned to her own room.
The next morning, Xu Minxue was still sulking.
Xu Yongli scolded him a couple of times, and for once, he showed a bit of Alpha pride. Without saying a word, he stood up with his sandwich and walked out of the house.
Chi Yan figured he might have taken the wrong medicine or something. She didn’t think too much about it. After finishing her breakfast, she got on her bike and headed to school.
The top-ranking class was always the earliest to gather in the morning. As usual, Chi Yan was the last to arrive. She walked slowly through the back door into the classroom.
She glanced around at her classmates, all focused on their books. The scene reminded her of how hard she used to study in her past life, all just to try to surpass Yan Youqing.
As that thought crossed her mind, her eyes landed on Yan Youqing, who was seated beside her.
Today, she wasn’t on duty. She sat upright at her desk, quietly reciting the text Ms. Li Qin had assigned for memorization.
Maybe it was because of the few hours they had spent together the night before, but something about their usual tension seemed to have eased. Chi Yan leaned her elbow on the desk, held her backpack in one hand, and smiled with a casual, harmless expression.
“Hey, Yan Youqing. Not on duty today?”
The morning light filled the classroom, soft and clear. When Yan Youqing heard her voice, she looked up.
Her long lashes hung like black feathers, and her cool eyes reflected the sunlight shining in through the window. She looked at Chi Yan directly and calmly, without any sign of shyness or hesitation.
Chi Yan wasn’t sure what to make of her expression. Yan Youqing was staring at her so seriously that Chi Yan could see most of her own reflection in those dark eyes.
Then, slowly, Yan Youqing lifted her left hand.
Inch by inch, she reached it toward Chi Yan.