After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently - Chapter 35

That afternoon, the sunlight was so vivid that it felt scorching, so much so that even in a dream one might still feel its heat. The cold water bottle pressed against Chi Yan’s face felt like a piece of ice dropped onto burning iron, sending up a mist that blurred everything in front of her eyes.

The smell of antiseptic didn’t erase the quiet tension inside the infirmary. The salty freshness of ocean air from a morning breeze seemed to wrap around Chi Yan completely.

Her eyes were clear and calm. The sunlight streamed through the window beside her, casting a soft, almost invisible veil over her figure.

What kind of person was Yan Youqing, really?

She was cold, distant, and carried the pride of someone who would never lower her head.

As the head of the discipline committee, she always seemed serious, her words formal and strict. Anything that came from her mouth felt unusually heavy and precise.

And yet, this same person had just said something completely different from her usual tone.

Though her voice still carried that familiar calm seriousness, it somehow stepped beyond her typical cold distance. There was a quiet warmth beneath it, something that couldn’t quite be explained.

The cold water bottle still pressed lightly against Chi Yan’s face, making every detail of the moment feel sharper and more real.

Chi Yan had to admit, her heart did skip a few real, strong beats because of what Yan Youqing had said.

The usually quiet autumn day, touched by the warm sunlight, felt like it had been dyed with the soft orange red of fallen leaves. A gentle golden light settled between the two of them.

Their eyes met. Yan Youqing looked down at Chi Yan, her gaze calm and steady. In her deep, quiet eyes, there was a kind of certainty that made people trust her, even if they were unsure themselves.

There was something strangely familiar about it.

“Ayan, I talked to our homeroom teacher. She said you don’t have to go back to class. We can head to the cafeteria now and grab the sweet and sour ribs before they’re gone!” Zhong Yi rushed in with a bag of medicine, her voice bright and cheerful. With a crash of energy, she broke the fragile tension that had filled the room.

The two girls who had been looking at each other quickly turned away at the same time, as if the quiet ripples on the surface of a still pond had suddenly settled back into stillness.

The water bottle fell from Yan Youqing’s hand just as naturally, and Chi Yan caught it smoothly.

The soft brush of fingers, possibly intentional, passed across Chi Yan’s cheek. A faint trail of cold was left behind on her skin, right where the hand had touched the condensation-covered bottle.

Chi Yan blinked slowly, looking down at the bottle now in her hand. After a few moments, realization dawned on her.

What was she so nervous about?

Shouldn’t it have been Yan Youqing who felt nervous, afraid Zhong Yi would notice that she had come all this way just to give her water?

The coolness in her palm lingered. As she looked at the bottle that Yan Youqing had placed there, her thoughts became even more clouded.

Why did it suddenly feel like she and Yan Youqing had been doing something secret in the infirmary, something they didn’t want Zhong Yi to find out about?

The sunlight shifted. In the quiet infirmary, only the faint scent of disinfectant moved through the air.

Everything seemed to return to normal. Whatever silent understanding had passed between them was tucked away, hidden in the corners of the room.

“Yan, did you come to visit Ayan too?” Zhong Yi asked, her voice full of innocent surprise. She hadn’t picked up on anything strange between the two of them. She just found it a little unexpected that Yan Youqing would come.

Yan Youqing answered quickly and calmly, her face as unreadable as ever. “The discipline committee asked me to check on the situation.”

“Oh.” Zhong Yi nodded, then seemed to suddenly realize something. She hesitated a little before asking, “Um, Yan, since the sports meet doesn’t have regular class periods, if we go to the cafeteria now, it won’t count as skipping, right?”

Yan Youqing shook her head gently. “It won’t.”

“That’s good.” Zhong Yi gave a couple of relieved chuckles and turned to Chi Yan. “Ayan, are we heading over now? Ah Ning just messaged me to bring her a plate too.”

“Alright,” Chi Yan nodded casually and stood up, walking toward Zhong Yi.

But when she reached the door, she turned back without thinking and looked into the infirmary once more.

Yan Youqing stood alone by the window where Chi Yan had been sitting just moments ago. Her tall, slim figure was surrounded by the warm light of noon. Her solitary shadow on the floor looked quietly lonely.

“Ayan? What’s wrong?” Zhong Yi noticed her pause and turned to ask.

“Nothing,” Chi Yan replied with a shake of her head. “Just thinking that maybe autumn really has arrived.”

The morning races had ended quickly. By the time Chi Yan and Zhong Yi were almost finished getting their food, a wave of students surged into the cafeteria.

Pushing her way through the crowd, Wang Chuning called out, “Chi Yan, Zhong Yi!”

Zhong Yi quickly handed her the extra tray she had been carrying. “Here, take this. My arms are sore from carrying both of them.”

Wang Chuning took the tray and gave her a look. “Zhong Yi, your stamina is so bad. If it had been Chi Yan, she wouldn’t even complain.”

“Exactly,” Chi Yan agreed easily. “Even if I don’t do anything, I wouldn’t complain.”

She then glanced down at the bandages on her injured elbow and sighed dramatically. “But unfortunately, I’m wounded.”

Zhong Yi rolled her eyes. “Sure you are.”

The three of them joked and laughed as they found a quiet corner to sit.

Just then, a girl approached. She was an Omega with heavy makeup, and the strong scent of perfume seemed to pour across their table.

She walked over with clear intent, placing a box of ointment next to Chi Yan.

“Chi Yan, I heard you fell during the 3000-meter race. I bought some medicine for bruises and injuries. I wanted to give it to you.”

“No need,” Chi Yan replied calmly. “The school clinic already gave me everything I need. You should take it back.”

The Omega didn’t want to give up. She pushed the box closer.

“But I bought this especially for you. Please take it, Chi Yan.”

“And don’t be discouraged about the race. In our eyes, you were already the real champion.”

As she spoke, she slid into the empty seat next to Chi Yan and reached out, as if trying to check her injury herself.

Chi Yan didn’t like being touched without permission. She pulled her arm back quickly, her slightly narrowed eyes holding the kind of guarded emotion that Alphas rarely allowed others to see.

The Omega girl was startled by Chi Yan’s expression. Zhong Yi immediately grew tense, while Wang Chuning, worried that Chi Yan might do something against school rules, quickly stepped in.

“Thanks for your kindness,” Wang Chuning said politely, “but we really don’t need this. Thank you anyway.”

“But…” the Omega started to say something else, but then noticed the shadow beside her slowly rise and expand until it completely covered her.

Chi Yan calmly picked up her tray, looked at the girl with a flat expression, and said, “We’re not familiar. It’s not appropriate for you to approach an Alpha without asking first.”

“If you really like this seat, you can have it. I’ll excuse myself.”

She turned and walked away, not waiting for Zhong Yi or Wang Chuning, heading toward a quieter corner of the cafeteria.

Zhong Yi and Wang Chuning were both stunned. They looked at each other, unsure what had just happened or why Chi Yan reacted that way.

Wang Chuning quickly caught up with her, trying to ease the tension. “Chi Yan, what’s wrong? Are you upset about losing first place? It’s really not a big deal. You’ve got tons of fans now. Everyone on the forum is saying you’re their number one.”

Chi Yan listened and turned to her. Her brows were still furrowed, now deeper than before.

Zhong Yi rushed to add, “Come on, Ayan, don’t let it bother you. Everyone knows you were the real champion in the 3000 meters. That fall wasn’t your fault. And someone else took the win because of it. You should let it go.”

Sunlight streamed through the windows and landed on Chi Yan’s face in narrow strips, broken apart by the window panes. In the spaces where light didn’t reach, her expression became shadowed and unreadable.

She didn’t know why, but she suddenly found herself caring too much about this so-called first place. Hearing so many people say, “You’re number one,” stirred something inside her that she couldn’t quite describe.

“Is that all there is to it?” she asked quietly. “What if I didn’t fall? What if I really wasn’t strong enough to be first? Would they still say I’m their number one?”

The chatter around them faded for a moment. Zhong Yi and Wang Chuning were both caught off guard.

After a short pause, Wang Chuning picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork from her plate and placed it on Chi Yan’s tray. She tried to joke, “You’re really overthinking this, Chi Yan. Come on, don’t take it so seriously.”

The crispy pork glistened under the light, the air filled with its sweet and tangy aroma. Chi Yan looked down and took a bite of a chicken nugget on her tray. She didn’t say anything more.

She knew she was making too big a deal of it, but she still couldn’t help how she felt. It was like a child pestering an adult for an answer to a question that the adult thought didn’t matter.

In the end, the question went unanswered. The child didn’t understand, and the toy rabbit in their arms hung limply, its ears dragging on the floor.

Chi Yan felt a little lost, but she couldn’t explain exactly why.

Maybe her brain was trying to protect her, helping her avoid the real answer behind that feeling.

The sports meet was the last celebration for the senior students. After that, their restless energy was buried under thick stacks of exam papers.

Her performance in the 3000 meters had made her stand out. For about three days a week, love letters filled the space under her desk.

But Chi Yan wasn’t interested in dating. Her life remained calm and uneventful.

She still walked Yan Youqing home after school, still went to her house on weekends for tutoring. Sometimes she even left her suppression patches with her.

They had known each other for a lifetime in their past lives. Maybe it was because they had always been rivals that Chi Yan often forgot Yan Youqing was now, at least in theory, the most compatible S-class Omega for her.

Nothing had changed between them, even after what Yan Youqing said to her in the infirmary.

Still, Chi Yan couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed.

It felt like her life had shifted a little from that moment. Or maybe not at all.

The midterm exams arrived as scheduled in November.

The senior teachers at their school worked late all week, and by Friday, they had compiled the scores.

Before the results were posted, Li Qin already had the class rankings. During the second-to-last period, she called students out one by one for private conversations.

The classroom door opened and closed repeatedly. Chi Yan noticed that several Omega girls came back with red eyes. Even Zhong Yi returned with a long face.

Chi Yan tapped lightly on Yan Youqing’s desk and said, “Your turn.”

Zhong Yi was never good at hiding her feelings. Her expression made it obvious how the conversation had gone. Yan Youqing looked at her calmly, but didn’t ask. She simply put down her pen and said, “Thanks,” before getting up and walking out.

Chi Yan was a little surprised at how down Zhong Yi looked. She couldn’t even remember what Li Qin had said to her in that same conversation the year before.

She pulled Zhong Yi over and sat her in Yan Youqing’s seat.

“Was it really that bad?”

“Don’t even bring it up,” Zhong Yi sighed. “They don’t call her the Ice Queen for nothing. She basically crushed all my dreams. She went through my scores and listed the schools I could realistically get into. Not one of them matches the ones my mom wants. If I don’t hit those scores, my allowance is getting cut in half. You know how scary my mom is.”

Chi Yan listened to her rant, and the anxiety she had been feeling started to ease a little.

Having seen Zhong Yi’s future once before, she gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“It’s okay. You’ve got this. I believe in you.”

Zhong Yi nodded, almost to convince herself. Then she suddenly straightened up, serious again.

“That’s it. I need to start studying more English. Ayan, you scored 140 on English. Are you secretly practicing some special technique without telling me?”

“One forty?” Chi Yan was shocked. She thought she had done well, but not that well. “How do you know?”

“Li Qin left the grade sheet on her desk. Your name was at the top. Of course I noticed. You look surprised too. Don’t tell me it was a lucky fluke?”

Chi Yan didn’t want to mention that Yan Youqing had been helping her study. So she nodded and played along.

“Yeah, probably.”

“I just hope I get lucky on the college entrance exam too,” Zhong Yi said with a laugh as she patted Chi Yan’s shoulder and stood up from Yan Youqing’s seat.

Their short talk ended, and the classroom returned to its usual peace.

The sound of pens scratching paper filled the air. Even the silence felt light and relaxed.

She had really gotten first place.

And a score of 140 in English.

The setting sun cast a warm glow across her desk. Chi Yan smiled to herself, not bothering to hide it.

She had done it.

Not long after, Chi Yan heard movement nearby.

Yan Youqing had returned. Her voice was calm as she spoke.

“The teacher wants to see you.”

Chi Yan looked up.

The light above fell perfectly on her face. Her lowered eyelashes gave nothing away.

Maybe it was because almost every Omega in class had been brought to tears by Li Qin today, but Chi Yan suddenly felt a strange concern for her.

She knew she had outscored Yan Youqing. But looking at her now, so unreadable, Chi Yan didn’t know what to say. So, she just nodded and got up to go.

In the quiet office, there were two gentle knocks on the door.

Chi Yan stood just outside.

“Reporting in.”

Li Qin looked up and motioned for her to come in.

“Come in.”

“Hey,” Chi Yan responded briskly, her steps light as she walked into the office.

Li Qin looked up and immediately understood. “You found out?”

Chi Yan nodded and took the class performance sheet that Li Qin handed over.

The A4 paper was a little wrinkled, but the rows of scores were clearly listed. “Chi Yan” was written in the very first row.

Right below her name was Yan Youqing’s.

Chi Yan couldn’t help but smile. The corners of her mouth lifted like a little sun, bright and proud.

Li Qin looked at the Alpha who wore all her emotions on her face and reminded her seriously, “Don’t get cocky. Keep this up. With grades like yours, you’ll have plenty of options in the future. Do you have a goal in mind?”

Chi Yan nodded. “I want to get into the School of Life Sciences.”

That was the unfinished dream from her last life, the direction she was still striving toward.

Li Qin was clearly satisfied with her answer. She nodded. “Then work hard toward that goal.”

But she didn’t end the conversation there.

After a moment of thought, she asked, “Chi Yan, you’ve been sitting next to Yan Youqing for half the semester. Have you noticed if she’s had any trouble adjusting to the back row?”

Chi Yan frowned and shook her head. “Not really… She seems fine. Pays attention in class. Her notes are faster than mine.”

Hearing that last part, Li Qin gave her a stern glare before sighing, almost talking to herself. “Maybe it really was a mistake.”

Chi Yan didn’t understand. She looked down at the sheet she had only glanced at earlier.

Yan Youqing was indeed in second place. Her English score was still the highest, but her math, which had always been neck and neck with Chi Yan’s, was now fifteen points behind. That wasn’t something a single difficult problem could explain.

Sunlight slipped through the very bottom edge of the window frame, a little too bright for comfort.

Chi Yan’s joyful expression slowly faded as she stared at the scores. Her dark eyes reflected a vague and unreadable emotion.

“This isn’t your responsibility,” Li Qin said, waving her hand and taking the sheet back. “Go back to self-study. Just because you did well this time doesn’t mean you can slack off. And send Zhou Wen in on your way back.”

Chi Yan nodded and left the office. Her footsteps were heavier than when she came in.

How could this have nothing to do with her?

After all, every day after school, she took up a good half hour of Yan Youqing’s time to help her with English.

Teenage emotions were hard to predict, even for someone like Chi Yan, who prided herself on being rational.

Her earlier excitement from reaching a long-standing goal faded, like the setting sun on the horizon, bright but strangely lonely.

Class was still in session, and the whole building was quiet. The silence pressed down like a weight.

Chi Yan entered through the back door and tapped Zhou Wen on the shoulder.

“The teacher wants to see you.”

“Got it,” Zhou Wen replied, thanked her, and left the classroom.

Only the sound of pens scratching paper filled the room. Maybe because so many had just had one-on-one talks with Li Qin, the atmosphere felt heavy and tense.

Everyone was fighting hard for their future. Standing at the back, Chi Yan looked toward the front and quietly pressed her lips together.

As she turned to go back to her seat, she noticed Yan Youqing with her eyes closed. Her long lashes, dark like crow feathers, cast a shadow over her pale face. In the dim light, Chi Yan thought she saw a trace of moisture on her lashes.

Something tugged at her chest.

There was a soft tearing sound as a tissue was pulled from a box.

Yan Youqing opened her eyes to see Chi Yan standing beside her desk, holding a tissue.

“Your eyes sweating too?”

Outside, a sparrow flew past the window, breaking the stillness of the evening light.

The sun flashed across Yan Youqing’s eyes, and she blinked.

“You didn’t get first place this time, but it’s not worth crying over,” Chi Yan said, pushing the tissue into her hand. She wasn’t good with comforting words. Glancing at Zhong Yi, who was up front asking a question, she added, “With your scores, Zhong Yi’s going to need ages to catch up.”

“Achoo!”

Zhong Yi sneezed, the sound echoing through the quiet classroom before being swallowed by the turning of pages.

No one paid attention to a sneeze. No one noticed what happened in the back corner of the room. Eye drops were quietly returned to a drawer under the desk.

Yan Youqing held the tissue in her hand and said, “Thank you.”

Chi Yan pulled out her chair and sat down. She wasn’t the type to keep things in.

“Hey, be honest. Did you mess up in math because you were too busy helping me with English?”

Yan Youqing paused before answering, and the moment of silence between them made the air feel heavier.

Chi Yan suddenly felt afraid of what she might say, so she quickly added, “If it’s too much, we can stop.”

The words fell into silence. The corner of the room grew still.

Chi Yan glanced at her, her eyes not nearly as decisive as her voice had sounded.

“I don’t think you’re a distraction,” Yan Youqing said, lifting her gaze to meet Chi Yan’s. Her eyes were red, but her expression was steady. “I scored 147 in English this time. That’s the highest I’ve ever gotten.”

Their eyes met. Chi Yan blinked slowly, and the tension in her chest finally eased.

Still, she couldn’t help but frown a little. “But you can’t just let your math collapse.”

Yan Youqing didn’t respond. She just held the tissue more tightly.

Maybe it was the natural softness of an Omega. Her slightly red eyes and vulnerable look made her seem even more fragile.

Chi Yan watched her, lips pressed into a thin line.

After a brief pause, she offered, “How about this. After you help me with English, I’ll help you with math.”

Yan Youqing looked up at her. Before she could say anything, Chi Yan continued, “Just so you know, I’m not as organized as you. You’ll have to ask me when you’re stuck. Otherwise, I won’t know how to help.”

“Okay.”

Yan Youqing nodded. She looked a little more at ease, though her eyes were still pink around the edges.

Chi Yan didn’t like seeing her like this.

She once read a study that said sadness and low emotions could spread like pheromones. Maybe that was why seeing Yan Youqing upset was making her own mood worse too.

It was annoying, being unhappy and dragging someone else down with it.

Chi Yan frowned and pulled out her homework notebook, trying to distract herself.

A few minutes later, she felt someone bump her arm.

She turned and saw Chi Yan looking at her with a straight face.

“Alright, stop moping. I’m going to the night market after school. You coming?”

The setting sun fell into Yan Youqing’s eyes. Her pupils, dark and calm, suddenly lit up like stars.

Her voice was clearer and more direct than anything she had said all day.

“I’m coming.”