After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently - Chapter 56

The September sun was already showing signs of growing tired, slowly casting its light across the sky.

The sound of cicadas still lingered, but the sunlight that fell was much gentler than before.

Soft rays slanted through the gaps in the curtains that hadn’t been fully drawn. A few light pieces of clothing were casually left on the floor, slightly disrupting the otherwise neat and clean room.

The clock on the nightstand ticked slowly until it pointed to seven. A soft pillow supported the girl’s cheek, her long eyelashes and loose hair falling over her face. She was still sound asleep, completely immersed in her dreams.

“Ayan… Ayan.”

The familiar voice drifted into Chi Yan’s dream. Her sleepy eyes slowly opened.

The once-dark room was now bathed in light. Yan Youqing was in her arms, gently calling her name.

University life was much freer than high school. There were fewer rules, though Alpha and Omega dorms were located far apart.

Right after the semester started, Chi Yan and Yan Youqing withdrew from the dorms and rented an apartment together near campus.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Yan Ning had wanted to buy Yan Youqing a place. But she declined.

She didn’t need a complicated reason. She just wanted her future to be something she chose for herself.

“It’s seven o’clock. Time to wake up.”

Yan Youqing reminded her, trying to slip out of Chi Yan’s arms.

Still in a sleepy daze, Chi Yan felt the warmth in her embrace shift. Instinctively, she tightened her hold and pulled her closer.

“I don’t want to get up,” she mumbled, sounding like she was still clinging to her dream.

The morning light, still carrying a bit of summer’s warmth, poured through the curtains and settled softly over the bed.

Chi Yan’s body still held the heat of sleep. As she pulled Yan Youqing closer, that warmth passed between them.

Even though this wasn’t the first time Chi Yan acted this way, Yan Youqing’s heart still skipped a beat.

She liked it. It made her feel like she belonged only to the person she loved most.

The room was quiet and calm, wrapped in a soft glow.

Held in Chi Yan’s arms, Yan Youqing reached up and gently brushed aside the messy hair covering Chi Yan’s face. Her voice was cool but tender.

“You can sleep in tomorrow. It’s the weekend.”

Chi Yan didn’t respond to that.

She leaned her head against Yan Youqing’s shoulder and spoke in a pitiful voice.

“You wore me out. I don’t want to move.”

Yan Youqing looked at the girl in front of her, the very one who had clearly been the one in control last night. Her slightly lowered eyes carried a small smile.

Then, as if recharging her in return, she leaned in and kissed Chi Yan on the forehead.

Her lips, dry from sleep but still warm, left a soft and gentle trace.

After a moment, they separated, lying on their sides and facing each other. In their clear eyes, the morning light reflected the image of the one they loved.

Suddenly, the taste of tequila returned.

Chi Yan wasn’t satisfied with a kiss on the forehead. She pulled Yan Youqing closer by the waist and kissed her on the lips.

Her slender fingers slid into Yan Youqing’s soft hair and gently supported the back of her neck, still a little damp with sweat.

Holding her like that, Chi Yan drew her into the kiss more deeply.

Her tongue moved lightly, and the spark between their lips and teeth surged into her mind. The calm rhythm of her morning heartbeat was quickly replaced with something more intense.

Yan Youqing felt as though she had been dropped into a glass full of tequila. The sharpness of it spread quickly through her entire body, leaving her weak and breathless. She could only follow Chi Yan’s lead and sink deeper into the kiss.

The early morning was especially quiet, as if the world had faded away and only the two of them remained.

Chi Yan’s boldness was tempered by Yan Youqing’s calmness, like morning ocean water circling her fingertips.

That ocean water slowly took on the taste of tequila.

Only when Yan Youqing began to run out of breath did Chi Yan finally let go.

“I really wish I could stay with you like this forever,” Chi Yan said, holding her close like a lion guarding its most precious treasure.

Yan Youqing shifted slightly in her arms, then spoke with a voice that was gentle but firm.

“Get up. We have calculus first thing this morning.”

Calculus wasn’t hard. With her strong high school foundation, Chi Yan had no trouble keeping up.

Still, like many universities, her school had a frustrating habit of scheduling a class on Friday afternoon, just when everyone wanted to relax.

Freshmen had it even worse. Not only did they have class on Friday afternoons, they were also required to attend supervised self-study sessions, even on Fridays.

Just like in her past life, Yan Youqing had gone from being the disciplinary officer at their high school to becoming the class secretary of the biology department in the Life Sciences Institute.

As soon as class ended, she was called away for a meeting.

Seeing her leave with a resigned look, Chi Yan quietly took her books and went to the study room by herself.

There were no assigned seats in the self-study room. Chi Yan, out of habit, chose a seat by the window in the back row.

Just as she sat down, an Omega walked over. Her voice was soft and shy.

“Can I sit here?”

Most people in their class knew that Chi Yan and Yan Youqing were in a relationship.

But because of her S-rank Alpha status, there were always a few Omegas who tried to test the waters.

They wanted to know how serious she was about Yan Youqing. They wanted to see if there was a chance.

After all, they were just dating. They hadn’t formed a full bond.

Chi Yan always responded the same way.

“Sorry. Someone already sits here.”

The Omega looked disappointed.

But she didn’t argue. She just let out a soft “okay” and walked away.

By now, most of the class had arrived. The self-study session began in silence.

Chi Yan didn’t let the interruption affect her. She opened her notebook and started working on the calculus assignment their professor had given.

She made two copies—one for herself and one for Yan Youqing.

The sound of her pen moving across the page was steady and rhythmic.

But it didn’t last long. Soon, the sound of someone playing a game and chatting drifted through the classroom.

Chi Yan frowned. The noise was annoying.

Just as she was about to pull out her headphones and play some music, a shadow fell across her desk.

A breeze blew in through the open classroom window, carrying with it a fruity scent she couldn’t quite place.

Chi Yan’s frown deepened.

The shadow didn’t feel right.

And neither did the scent.

Chi Yan suddenly looked up and saw that the person pulling out the chair next to her wasn’t Yan Youqing. It was an Omega boy she didn’t know at all.

She assumed he hadn’t noticed the items she had placed on the desk. Pointing to the books Yan Youqing had left, she said politely, “Sorry, this seat is taken.”

But the Omega acted like he hadn’t heard her and sat down anyway. “There are no other seats left in the classroom.”

Chi Yan was visibly annoyed.

She glanced around the room and pointed. “There are seats in the front row.”

The Omega looked toward the front for just a second, then quickly averted his eyes.

Maybe he was just the type who didn’t care about boundaries. He dragged his chair close enough to touch hers and said casually, “I don’t like sitting in the front. It’s too easy to get caught using your phone. This spot is perfect.”

The fruity scent he carried drifted over with him, lingering in the space around Chi Yan.

She frowned slightly. For reasons she couldn’t fully explain, something about him made her uncomfortable. Without saying more, she pulled her chair farther away and repeated calmly, “Sorry. I’m saving this seat for my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend is Yan Youqing, right?” the Omega replied, his tone casual, as if he knew all about it. “Didn’t she go to a meeting? Those meetings last a whole period. It’s already halfway through class. She might not come back at all.”

As he spoke, he gave a deliberate sigh, pretending to be concerned. “It must be tough dating someone so busy. Class committee work really takes a toll, doesn’t it? Prioritizing student duties over a relationship. Personally, I think being with the person you care about is more important.”

If Chi Yan hadn’t been sure of his intentions before, she was now.

Spending so much time around Yan Youqing had left its mark. Chi Yan’s eyes took on the same cold sharpness she had once seen in her girlfriend’s.

She looked directly at the boy, her voice calm and flat. “That actually makes a bit of sense. Thanks for your concern.”

The Omega thought his plan had worked. A small smile started to form at the corners of his mouth, but it froze just a second later.

Chi Yan continued without emotion, drawing a firm boundary between them. “But I don’t need your advice about my relationship. My girlfriend is fulfilling her role as class secretary, and she’s busy because she’s responsible.”

“When you’re in a position, you should fulfill its duties.”

The Omega was stunned.

For him, the pressure of facing an S-rank Alpha was no longer just a line from a textbook. It was real and overwhelming.

He could tell that Chi Yan’s words were directed precisely at him. And in that moment, the warmth he had felt under the sunlight disappeared, replaced by a sharp, bone-deep chill.

The classroom door at the back creaked open, breaking the silence.

Yan Youqing appeared in Chi Yan’s field of view.

Chi Yan had no interest in speaking to the Omega any longer. She quietly gathered her belongings from the desk. “If you like this seat so much, I won’t fight you for it. Take it.”

Then she walked straight over to Yan Youqing. “Want to sit in the front row? There’s no space back here.”

“Sure,” Yan Youqing said, nodding without missing a beat. She acted like nothing had happened and followed Chi Yan forward.

Clouds moved slowly across the sky, pushed along by the wind.

The classroom dimmed slightly, and no one noticed the brief glance Yan Youqing gave the Omega now sitting in the seat Chi Yan had vacated.

She hated the smell of guava.

The heavy clouds lingered in front of the sun until dusk, when they were finally pulled away and disappeared behind the hills.

The school’s snack street filled the air with the scent of freshly cooked food, made even stronger as evening approached. The smell drifted toward the campus, rich and tempting.

After a long delay, Zhong Yi finally came to take Chi Yan out to explore A City’s famous snack street.

Chen Niannian came along as well, waving from a distance. “Ayan, Youqing, over here!”

Chi Yan looked at the two of them and teased without mercy, “Wow, now that you’re officially together, did you really have to wear matching outfits just to come here?”

“You don’t get it,” Zhong Yi replied, elbowing her.

It had been a while since they last met, and the moment they did, the banter started up again.

The snack street was narrow. Yan Youqing and Chen Niannian walked behind them, amused by the two bickering in front.

Suddenly, a young girl stepped in front of Chi Yan and Zhong Yi, holding out her phone with a QR code glowing on the screen.

Another breeze passed by, bringing with it a scent that was hard to describe, but one that made Yan Youqing’s expression change.

She stopped walking.

Before she and Chen Niannian could step forward, Chi Yan said something to the girl. A moment later, the girl walked away, looking disappointed.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Yan Youqing.

Zhong Yi watched the girl go and turned to Chi Yan. “Ayan, can you stop being so charming?”

Chi Yan sighed. “What do you want me to do? I’m wearing a suppressant patch. I haven’t leaked any pheromones. I seriously don’t know how they can tell.”

“Because you’re an S-rank Alpha,” Zhong Yi said with a dramatic sigh. “This isn’t high school anymore. Back then, people only dared to flirt in secret. Now that we’re in college, they’re bolder. I’m warning you, stay loyal.”

“You really think I need that warning?”

Chi Yan reached for Yan Youqing’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Don’t worry.”

“I won’t,” Yan Youqing replied with a small nod, her eyes calm but hiding a quiet storm.

Maybe because of that brief interruption, the group didn’t linger on the street for too long.

Stars had begun to scatter across the night sky. After walking Chen Niannian and Zhong Yi to their ride, Chi Yan and Yan Youqing turned and headed back to their apartment.

The sound of their milk tea bag rustled softly in the quiet hallway. The door opened as soon as the fingerprint lock clicked.

The entryway light had never worked properly since they moved in. It didn’t turn on, so the space remained dim, lit only faintly by the light spilling in from the corridor.

Chi Yan bent down to change her shoes, but before she could finish, someone pulled her into an embrace from behind.

Yan Youqing’s long hair glowed faintly under the hallway lights, falling gently over Chi Yan’s face.

Chi Yan turned around, confused, but before she could ask anything, a kiss warmer than the night air landed on her lips.

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