My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

"Let's get started."

A clear voice rang out as Song Yi took a step forward, her gaze fixed on him with seriousness.

Xu Che extinguished the cigarette in his left hand while holding a milk tea in his right. He lowered his eyes, thoughtfully observing the young girl in front of him.

She was wearing the uniform of Saint Slee, her appearance exceptionally gentle and well-behaved. Yet, her almond-shaped eyes stared at him with a hint of impatience, as if she couldn’t wait to challenge him.

The girl stood protectively in front of Shen Yujing, clearly having come here for his sake.

The surrounding onlookers were egging him on, urging him to teach this overconfident girl a lesson.

Xu Che felt a sense of helplessness. His gaze shifted to Shen Yujing, intending to mock him, but for some reason, his eyes returned to the girl. He asked, "Do you really like Shen Yujing that much? Are you so eager to stand up for him?"

Song Yi immediately denied it, but her expression seemed off, making Xu Che think she was just embarrassed at being called out.

He decided not to press further. It wasn’t his place to pry into her private matters, and it would make him seem petty.

Still, Xu Che couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. After all, this was the first time a girl had stood up for Shen Yujing out of affection.

As if guided by some inexplicable impulse, Xu Che handed the milk tea in his hand to the girl. He then threw a few mocking remarks at Shen Yujing before walking away.

This was the first time Xu Che had voluntarily backed down in a confrontation with Shen Yujing.

That night, for reasons unknown, Xu Che couldn’t fall asleep.

After much thought, he concluded it was because he hadn’t had his milk tea that day.

He had a sweet tooth, especially for milk tea, and made it a point to drink at least three cups a week. Today was supposed to be one of those days.

Xu Che got up, went to the fridge downstairs, and made himself a cup using the ingredients he had.

As the sweetness spread in his mouth, he finally felt at ease.

At that moment, Xu Che didn’t realize why he had instinctively given his favorite drink to her during their first meeting.

Their second encounter took place in an alley.

That afternoon, he had planned to visit his grandmother’s fried skewer stall, only to find it already closed. After asking the neighbors, he learned that some troublemakers had harassed his grandmother.

So, that evening, Xu Che set out to teach the troublemaker a lesson, but to his surprise, someone had beaten him to it.

He saw the troublemaker kneeling on the ground, clutching a wound on his forehead in fear, while a girl, with her back to Xu Che, stepped closer to him. Xu Che couldn’t help but interrupt the scene.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

To his astonishment, the girl was none other than Song Yi. Even more surprising was that she had also come for his grandmother.

To express his gratitude, Xu Che offered to treat her to milk tea.

He genuinely wanted to buy her a cup, but Song Yi kept glancing at him, clearly wanting to say something.

After finishing the milk tea, Xu Che frowned and waited for her to speak.

As expected, Song Yi told him she could provide information about Shen Yujing’s weaknesses to help him.

The thing was, Xu Che had never considered Shen Yujing an enemy and didn’t need such information.

The conversation somehow shifted to why Shen Yujing had broken his leg, which instantly changed Song Yi’s expression. She quickly ended the conversation and left in a hurry.

Before leaving, she even called him by the wrong name.

This girl was a bit strange—perhaps forgetful, but kind-hearted.

That was Xu Che’s impression of Song Yi so far.

The next time they met, she once again called him by the wrong name, this time wearing the uniform of Saint Yu Academy.

She always seemed to appear in places he least expected.

Eventually, things took an even more absurd turn when they ended up performing in a play together.

There was no rehearsal, no script—just improvisation and random adaptations.

Of course, the main characters were Shen Yujing and Wang Chan, while he and Song Yi played minor roles.

In the end, it could be considered… a success.

As payment, he gave Song Yi a piece of candy.

It was strange. Every time he saw her, he felt an urge to give her candy or sweets.

These were his favorite things, and he wanted her to try them, hoping she’d like them too.

But before he could delve deeper into these feelings, Xu Che had more pressing matters to attend to.

His father… or rather, he should refer to him as Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu’s health was deteriorating. For the first time, Xu Che saw a look of desolation on the face of this usually domineering man. It turned out he, too, had nights where he couldn’t sleep, haunted by regrets. Perhaps he even had a shred of conscience left.

Then again, it might not be genuine remorse. When faced with death, people often think of those they’ve wronged.

Xu Che wasn’t sure how he felt about it—perhaps pity. Not pity for Xu Yuanguo, but for himself and Hang Feng.

So, Xu Che decided to help, hoping Hang Feng would come back to see the dying man and the will that represented his guilt.

How ironic. Who cared about his measly inheritance? Even if Xu Yuanguo wanted to give it to him, Xu Che would find it tainted.

He didn’t want Xu Yuanguo’s money. He wished for Xu Yuanguo to die sooner.

To Xu Che, that man was the root of all evil.

Once the most urgent matters were settled, his attention returned to Song Yi.

Her presence was… special.

He thought it might be love.

The innocent affection of a young man, wanting to give his favorite things to the person he liked, without expecting anything in return.

But when Xu Che saw Hang Feng holding the candy he had given to Song Yi, he realized his previous assumption was wrong.

He did care.

It didn’t feel good to see something so important to him being overlooked by someone he cared about.

Moreover, Xu Che began to notice that the relationship between Song Yi and Hang Feng seemed far closer than he had imagined.

So, one day, he couldn’t resist and asked his grandmother for the turtle.

For Xu Che, this was the extent of what he could do. He couldn’t bring himself to compete with Hang Feng.

Unless Hang Feng confessed to Song Yi and was rejected, leaving no possibility between them, Xu Che wouldn’t cross that line.

Because he was the older brother.

A brother who had spent years thinking only of his younger sibling, whose wish was for his brother to find happiness.

Even if they both fell for the same girl.

Even with the grudges of the previous generation, he couldn’t erase the guilt or fully let go, yet he had to suppress his own feelings.

He felt like a coward.

Unknowingly, he had become the very person he used to despise.

He and Hang Feng seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement, choosing to avoid the issue to maintain their peaceful lives.

But not everyone was as weak-willed as they were.

In this world, everyone’s starting point was different, like opening a blind box.

Some were lucky, born into loving families, growing up surrounded by affection, and as adults, they could express love freely and love others wholeheartedly.

Xu Che had always envied Shen Yujing the most, because Shen Yujing had the warmth of family that Xu Che could never have.

He had often wondered what his life would have been like if he had been born into an ordinary family. Would he have turned out completely different?

But there were no “what ifs” in life, and he had long accepted his fate.

So, when Song Yi and Shen Yujing got together, a voice inside him said, “As expected.”

Because he liked her, he had tried to understand her and guess her feelings.

Shen Yujing was likely her type, and they were a good match. So, Xu Che forced himself to offer his blessings.

In the end, Shen Yujing was just fortunate. His rivals were all passive by nature, so they had already lost at the starting line.

This competition had ended before it even began.

Xu Che sometimes regretted not choosing Saint Slee. If he and Song Yi had been in the same class, would they have had more opportunities to interact?

Like the butterfly effect, if they had shared more experiences, would the outcome have been different?

But at times, he was relieved he hadn’t chosen Saint Slee. With fewer interactions, his feelings for her remained within controllable limits.

Could he deceive others, or even himself? Was that really control?

The young man's lips curled into a mocking smile, the milk tea in his hand had long gone cold without him noticing.

He took a sip, and for the first time, it tasted bitter, devoid of its usual sweetness.

It seemed he might never enjoy this drink again.

That summer after the college entrance exams.

Grandma had gone to bed early, and the two brothers sat at the table in the yard. Two cans of beer sat on the table, yet both remained silent, the cicadas' incessant chirping filling the air.

Hang Feng opened the two cans of beer, handing one to Xu Che, and asked, "What do you think?"

Hang Feng didn’t mention her name, but the unspoken bond between brothers made it clear to Xu Che what he was asking about.

Xu Che's voice was calm as he took the beer. "It’s fine. They’re a good match."

"True, Shen Yujing really likes her, and with his personality, he’d never let her suffer. She made the right choice," Hang Feng said, though he quickly took another swig of beer, as if the cold liquid could drown out the frustration in his heart.

They didn’t continue the conversation, as if by mutual agreement, they had marked it as forbidden territory, a line neither would cross.

Xu Che glanced at him for a few seconds, then got up and brought out all the beer from the fridge, placing it on the table.

Hang Feng didn’t refuse, opening can after can.

The warm breeze carried the heat of the summer night, signaling that this season was finally coming to an end.

Both brothers knew that, for them, high school life was truly over.

A long while later.

Looking at his younger brother, who had fallen asleep on the table, Xu Che put down the last can of beer and pulled out a piece of candy from his pocket—Song Yi’s favorite. He unwrapped it slowly.

His voice was soft, as if he were speaking to Hang Feng, or perhaps just to himself.

"Wait a little longer. Maybe she’ll find a better choice."

And he wanted to be that better choice.

Life is long, and no one knows what will happen next.

So, this might not truly be the end.

Of course, no matter what the future holds, the most important thing will always be her happiness.