My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

Everyone knew that Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng were childhood sweethearts. They had been engaged since they were young, and their relationship was widely recognized as legitimate.

But no one knew that Quan Le had also known Murong Huan for a long time.

Back then, Murong Huan had pink hair, always the most eye-catching person in any crowd. Yet, despite her striking appearance, she was quiet and well-behaved, a stark contrast to her flamboyant hair color.

At that time, Quan Le had no interest in this little girl. She looked so delicate and pure, and he thought she might burst into tears at the slightest touch. He didn’t want to get involved with someone like that.

Later, when he heard her name again, it was during middle school.

By then, Murong Huan’s personality had completely changed. It was said that she had a terrible temper and would often stir up trouble at school.

In fact, there was even a ranking of the “Three Troublemakers” at school. Shen Yujing was undeniably in first place, followed closely by Murong Huan and Quan Le.

Quan Le found it amusing that he was ranked below Murong Huan.

He didn’t care enough to argue with the rankings, but he couldn’t help but notice her presence again.

Compared to her previous overly sweet and docile demeanor, she now seemed more genuine and lively.

And she was truly beautiful—the most stunning person he had ever seen in real life, like a life-sized Barbie doll from his cousin’s collection.

So, after his cousin proudly showed off her collection of dolls, Quan Le shamelessly took one with pink hair, the one that looked the most like Murong Huan, before leaving.

His cousin cried loudly behind him, while his father scolded him and awkwardly apologized to his uncle.

But Quan Le didn’t care. He was already in the backseat of the car, playing with the doll.

The doll’s eyes were made of glass, sparkling and clear.

He couldn’t resist tugging at the doll’s pink hair, which felt surprisingly soft.

The next day, when he saw Murong Huan at school, Quan Le narrowed his eyes slightly.

In front of everyone, he reached out and tugged at her hair.

Amid Murong Huan’s furious shouts, Quan Le ran away as fast as he could, fearing for his life if he stayed even a second longer.

After escaping, he leaned against a wall and looked down at his fingertips.

The smooth texture he had just felt was even more pleasant than the doll’s hair.

Of course, Murong Huan put a bounty on him for a week at school, and Quan Le didn’t dare to do something like that again.

Soon, Murong Huan forgot about the incident. Her temper was quick to flare up but just as quick to fade. Besides, rather than seeking revenge on Quan Le, she was more focused on Jiang Yiheng.

Watching the girl trail behind Jiang Yiheng with a homemade lunchbox, Quan Le noticed how her once proud and domineering expression had been replaced by cautious attempts to please.

Quan Le bit down on the straw of his cola, a look of boredom crossing his face.

She wasn’t so special after all.

And besides, she liked Jiang Yiheng.

Everyone knew that Murong Huan was Jiang Yiheng’s fiancée.

Quan Le was a person who knew his limits, so he restrained himself and didn’t look at Murong Huan again.

He had no interest in puppy love.

That was until high school.

Somehow, Murong Huan’s life no longer revolved solely around Jiang Yiheng. She began to make friends, and the two of them crossed paths again.

Many people couldn’t understand it. They said that two tigers couldn’t share the same mountain, but Murong Huan, Quan Le, and Shen Yujing—three tigers—got along surprisingly well.

But Quan Le knew the reason. He was smart, after all. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have been able to stay in Class A without studying much.

Murong Huan really liked a girl named Song Yi, and Shen Yujing clearly treated her differently too. Song Yi was the glue that held their group together.

As for Quan Le himself… well, he was in a good mood lately, so he didn’t mind joining in on the fun.

Quan Le’s choice wasn’t wrong. Spending time with these people brought some joy to his otherwise dull senior year of high school, and he didn’t dislike them.

Then, everything changed.

Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng called off their engagement.

Quan Le didn’t know the details, but that day after school, he saw Murong Huan walking out of the school building with red, teary eyes.

He wouldn’t admit that he had specifically asked for her location after hearing someone say she had been crying.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He simply leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and chuckled lightly, asking, “Who made our princess cry?”

“None of your business!” Murong Huan glared at him fiercely before storming off.

Quan Le frowned. “Hey, I’m just trying to care for you.”

But Murong Huan ignored him and kept walking.

Quan Le followed her, maintaining a distance that wasn’t too close but wasn’t too far either. He walked leisurely behind her, occasionally coughing to remind her of his presence.

Finally, Murong Huan couldn’t take it anymore. She turned around angrily and shouted, “Are you crazy? Why are you following me?”

Quan Le shrugged and pointed toward the gate, implying that he was just heading in the same direction.

As if!

Murong Huan could clearly see that he was following her on purpose. Her hand was still raised, pointing at him, but tears started falling again.

“You’re insane… sob…”

She wanted to scold him, but her words were drowned out by her sobs.

She was heartbroken because of Jiang Yiheng.

The person she had loved for so many years had shattered her last bit of hope today.

In her daze, she thought she heard a sigh.

Quan Le stepped forward, placed a hand on her shoulder, and turned her toward the gate. Then, he wrapped his arm around her and led her outside.

“Sob… let go of me…”

Quan Le lightly tapped her head and said, “Fine, if you don’t care about people seeing your ugly crying face, I’ll let go now.”

When he released her, Murong Huan suddenly grabbed his shoulder and buried her face in his chest.

He looked down.

Her fair cheeks were streaked with tears, her long lashes trembling as her eyes remained tightly shut. She looked utterly pitiful, a far cry from her usual proud and domineering self.

He didn’t like seeing her like this.

In the end, Quan Le took off his jacket and draped it over her head, shielding her tear-streaked face, before wrapping his arm around her again.

He heard himself say in a mocking tone, “Keep your head down. You look so ugly when you cry.”

Despite his words, his grip around her shoulder tightened slightly.

Somewhere deep inside, a voice told Quan Le that an opportunity had arisen.

But what kind of opportunity? He didn’t know.

*

Quan Le took Murong Huan to the apartment he had bought off-campus.

As soon as they entered and sat down on the sofa, Murong Huan pulled the jacket off her head and threw it at Quan Le’s face before breaking into loud, unrestrained sobs.

Rubbing his aching nose, Quan Le thought to himself, “Just my luck.”

He bent down, placed both hands on her shoulders, and said in an unusually serious tone, “Hey, stop for a second and look at me.”

Murong Huan raised her head, her eyes still red and swollen.

Then, she yelled in frustration, “Quan Le, are you out of your mind? How can I just stop crying like this?”

She pushed his shoulders, trying to make him let go.

The sudden movement caught Quan Le off guard. He was already leaning forward, so the push made him lose his balance.

As he stumbled and tried to steady himself, his lips accidentally brushed against something warm and wet.

He looked down and realized he had kissed her tear-stained cheek.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Murong Huan’s entire body froze, and she didn’t dare to move.

Stay calm, stay calm.

Quan Le told himself that only by remaining completely composed could he survive this situation.

He needed to take control before Murong Huan exploded.

“This was an accident.” Quan Le spoke while his hand still rested on the sofa behind Murong Huan, though his expression feigned calmness as he looked at her. He recited a line he had heard a few days ago while accompanying his cousin to watch a romantic drama—

“But if you keep crying, I might really kiss you.”

The cringe factor was off the charts.

So much so that Murong Huan took a deep breath and said, “Fine, I’ll stop crying. Now get up!”

Quan Le looked down at Murong Huan for a few seconds, confirming that she had indeed stopped crying, before finally letting go and sitting down beside her.

Forget it, it was just an accident, an accident, nothing more.

Quan Le tried to hypnotize himself, then picked up a tissue and handed it to Murong Huan, maintaining his composed façade as he said, “Here, wipe your face.”

Murong Huan didn’t take the tissue. Instead, she suddenly grabbed Quan Le’s left arm and pressed her face against it, smearing all her tears onto his white shirt.

“​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‍You!”

Quan Le’s other hand, which had initially been raised to push her away, froze when he heard Murong Huan’s muffled sobs again.

In the end, his right hand gently landed on the girl’s back, pulling her into his arms and patting her back to comfort her.

He muttered in frustration, “Didn’t we agree you’d stop crying? You’re so unreliable.”

In response, Murong Huan only cried louder.

Whatever, whatever.

Reasoning with Murong Huan was pointless because she never listened to reason.

Quan Le reluctantly conceded, “Fine, you can cry for five more minutes… Hey, Murong Huan! Who said you could pull on my clothes? Don’t wipe your tears on my chest! It’s cold! So cold!”

Despite his words, he held her even tighter in his arms, showing no intention of pushing her away.

He rested his chin lightly on Murong Huan’s forehead, feeling the tremors of her body as she cried. It made his heart ache for her.

Quan Le really couldn’t stand seeing Murong Huan cry. What he loved most was her unreasonable, headstrong self—that was the Murong Huan who felt most alive to him.

After a long while, Quan Le sighed softly and said in a very low voice, “Murong Huan, why don’t you stop liking him?”

Try liking me instead.

But those words lingered on the tip of his tongue, unspoken for now.

Because he wasn’t ready yet.

He didn’t feel worthy.

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