No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle watched as Mia's expression turned from shock to a mix of guilt and embarrassment. Her face turned red as Mia eventually replied, "Sorry."

Noelle had expected Mia to explain herself, but Mia instead just apologized immediately. It surprised Noelle.

The Liddell family would never apologize in such situations, after all. They would always come up with a bunch of excuses. In the end, they would even try to guilt- trip Noelle in return, but Mia was not like that.

Noelle spoke up. "You really did owe me an apology. You were the one who tipped Donovan off about the press conference, weren't you?"

Mia was still blushing as she nodded. "It was me. I'm sorry."

Noelle thought for a while and replied, "Do you think that I was the one who made things turn out this way by constantly rebelling against my family?"

"That's what I thought at first. But I realized that you're not that kind of person after spending more time with you. After that, I began to suspect Xenia, and I noticed that Donovan treats her differently," Mia replied.

Noelle replied, "Why don't you come with me to the Liddell residence for a meal? You'll understand the situation better by spending more time around them."

Mia nodded without hesitation. "Sure!"

She did not want to be kept in the dark any longer. Then, she glanced at Noelle and cautiously spoke up. "I owe you one after what I've done about your press conference. I'll make it up to you someday."

Noelle actually wanted to tell Mia that she and Donovan were not a good match. But she ultimately held herself back, as she did not want to get too involved in the Liddell family's messy affairs.

She knew that Donovan was not someone who would ever agree to a matrilocal arrangement, so she believed that Donovan must have had his own motives behind all of this.

After having lunch, Noelle and Grace headed to the esports team's training base. They arrived to find the team already in the middle of practice.

Noelle saw Raymond sitting in front of his computer. He was exceptionally talented in the game mechanics and had good situational awareness. She had watched as he improved significantly over time.

Noelle suddenly recalled about a certain someone in her past life who had a playstyle resembling Raymond's. Then again, Cedric's playstyle was also rather similar.

The game mechanics were largely the same for everyone playing the game, after all. But there was one way to find out the truth. Noelle had learned how to do the 12-hit combo from a certain someone in her previous life.

But even so, she had never personally witnessed him executing the combo in front of her. Noelle walked over and sat next to Raymond. "Do you know how to do the 12-hit combo?"

"I would already be on the national team if I could pull off something that difficult," Raymond replied.

Grace, who was sitting nearby, chimed in as well. "The other day.I saw Raymond attempting the 12-hit combo a few times, and he almost got it right! I think he'll manage to pultit off with a bit more practice."

Noelle was pleasantly surprised. "You've also practiced the 12-hit combo back then?"

"Yeah, of course. I really admire King and his technique. He's kinda like my idol!" Raymond explained.

Noelle smiled in response. "He's my idol, too!"

She recalled that the person from her previous life was also a fan of King's. Otherwise, they would not have been so familiar with the 12-hit combo.

Noelle spent the entire afternoon sparring with Raymond. She was eager to find out if he was the same person from her past life. But Raymond would barely fail to complete the combo every time.

Noticing his frustration, Noelle reassured him. "I practiced the 12-hit combo for a very, very long time before I managed to do it. You're talented, Raymond. I'm sure you'll succeed if you keep practicing."

"Thanks for teaching me so many new techniques, Noelle. I'll keep working hard," he replied.

Noelle took a look at the time and realized that it was already getting late and that the rest of the team had already left.

She then said, "I'll walk you back. I need to go back to the dorms anyway."

Noelle and Raymond turned off the lights and locked up the base before leaving for the dorms together. Ase they reached the dormitory building, Raymond came to a halt and said, "I'll be learning a lot more from you in the future, Noelle. I only hope that

I don't

annoy you too much."

"You won't," Noelle waved at him before turning to head inside. She instinctivelynoveldrama

reached for her phone as she turned around, only to see that there were no

messages from Cedric.

She put the phone away after taking another look at the screen. Back in her dorm, she noticed that several bags were placed on a desk.