Chapter 21

Noelle sat in the car with Cedric, watching the traffic with growing concern. “Frank will definitely send someone after me,” she said. “He might even cause trouble for you at school.” After all, this was Liddell family territory. That’s why she’d endured everything, hoping to leave after the college entrance exams.

She felt guilty for dragging Cedric into her mess.

Cedric gently patted her head. “Don’t worry. They won’t find you. Right now, you should be thinking about where to stay.”

Noelle sighed. “I’ll rent a place.” It was something she’d always considered but never had the chance to do. In truth, she wouldn’t have minded if Frank had just kicked her out earlier; it would have saved her a lot of trouble.

“I know a place for rent,” he said.

Noelle followed Cedric without asking questions to a nearby neighborhood. The surroundings were beautiful.

Stepping inside one of the apartments, she exclaimed, “This place must be expensive! I’m kind of broke right now!”

“Money’s not an issue. This is my friend’s place. He’s not living here anyway. If anything, you’d be helping him look after it. Honestly, he should probably pay you.”

Cedric stood by the large glass window, his tall, slender figure radiating an effortless ease.

Noelle laughed. “Sir, are you sure this isn’t your apartment?”

He shook his head with a faint smile. “It’s not mine. Mine is next door.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously? What a coincidence.”

He smirked lazily. “I wouldn’t feel at ease if you stayed elsewhere. After all, I’m the one who lured you out of there.”

Noelle’s cheeks warmed at his playful remark. She hadn’t expected such a joke from the typically reserved Cedric.

Realizing his words were inappropriate, Cedric quickly changed the subject. “Just stay here for now. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Noelle nodded. “Alright, but I’ll still pay rent. I can sleep on the couch. I promise not to mess with your friend’s room or touch anything else.”

Cedric frowned. “You’re not sleeping on the couch. He’s never even lived here. The guy’s rich and clueless. Don’t stress about it.”

Noelle chuckled. “You two must be pretty close.”

Cedric glanced at his watch. “Do you want to play some games?”

“Sure,” Noelle replied.

She followed him next door to his identical apartment, though his was sparsely furnished and minimalist. Two high-end computers sat in the study.

Launching the game, Noelle was surprised to see a live stream on the homepage: a clip of her twelve-hit combo from the earlier match, titled “The Return of King’s Protégé.”

She felt uneasy. After all, she hadn’t mastered the twelve-hit combo during her past life’s revival round, and she’d never met King.

Cedric glanced at her. “When did you learn to pull off a twelve-hit combo?”

Noelle froze, nervous. She wondered if she should tell him about her past life. King’s twelve-hit combo was notoriously difficult; many spent hours on tutorial videos without success.

She bit her lip. “Actually, I’m a huge fan of King. I’ve liked him since I was young and secretly practiced his signature move. I never succeeded before, but somehow, I managed to pull it off in this match.”

Cedric’s gaze grew complicated. “You’ve admired him since you were young?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’ve always liked him. That’s why I’m so familiar with his moves,” she said.

Noelle felt unsure, but it was the best explanation. She hadn’t lied; she had admired King for a long time.

She stole a glance at Cedric. His expression turned stiff, and he said almost awkwardly, “Don’t go liking just anyone so easily.”

Noelle was taken aback. “That isn’t the same.”

It was King they were talking about; any player would admire him. Still, Cedric’s gaze softened as he watched the video of her twelve-hit combo.

Chapter 22