No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Cedric watched Noelle calm down and asked, "What did Magnus say to you?"

"How did you know about this?"

Noelle was taken aback, feeling a little uneasy. Did Cedric notice something? She knew he was sharp, and it wasn't easy to hide anything from him.

At that moment, Cedric felt a bit uneasy. He wasn't sure exactly what Magnus had said to Noelle. He then steadied himself and said, "Don't take his words too seriously."

"I know."

Noelle had calmed down a bit. She drank some water and said, "I just asked him

one thing, but he didn't respond at all."

"What did you ask?"

Cedric felt his breath catch. He didn't even get nervous during business negotiations, but this was different.

Noelle hesitated before looking at him. However, thinking that Cedric and Magnus probably had a good relationship, she wondered if he might know the answer. Magnus must have withdrawn from the finals because of someone important. Cedric looked at her seriously. "You don't trust me?"

"No, it's just... it's not really important. I just asked him if someone could make him withdraw from the competition during the finals."

Noelle suddenly felt like her question had been a little inappropriate. What was Magnus supposed to say to that?

Cedric found it odd. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"I was just... curious." Noelle didn't dare admit the truth.

Cedric recalled what Magnus had said earlier-it was no wonder the kid had been trying to get answers from him. He gave her a half-smile, amusement flickering in his eyes.

"You're not trying to figure out Magnus's weaknesses, so he'll withdraw from next year's competition, are you?"

"What nonsense is that? Do I look like the kind of person who would do that?"

Noelle hadn't thought of that at all. She would never resort to such underhanded tactics. Competitions should be won through ability!

How could anyone truly feel proud after winning with such tactics? However, after seeing Cedric's expression, she realized that Magnus must have misunderstood, too.

"Then, why ask about it? And why did it bother you so much?"

Cedric recalled the scene at the competition when Noelle stood next to Magnus. He couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

Noelle parted her lips to explain, but she couldn't bring herself to say the real reason. She paused for a moment. "Okay, fine, I admit I was a little curious."

That was the only answer she could give at that moment.

Cedric studied her for a while, sensing she wasn't telling the truth. His voice dropped low. "You seem pretty interested in Magnus."

Noelle nodded. "A little."

She had wondered if Magnus was the person from her past life. She would need to interact with him more to find out.

Cedric tightened his grip on the water bottle, his gaze growing deep. "He's just a dumb kid."

"Well, he's two years older than me. We're both adults. What do you mean, 'kid'? Are you trying to make yourself sound old?"

Cedric couldn't resist pinching her cheek. "Who are you calling old?"

Noelle rubbed her cheek. "Whoever admits it."

She glanced at Cedric's face. Actually, he didn't look old at all. He was young, handsome, and had a great figure.

Noelle couldn't help but feel that their interactions were becoming ambiguous. She stood up quickly. "I'm going to change my clothes."

She hurried out of the room, patting her face, trying to remind herself not to overthink things. After showering and changing, Noelle found him leaning against the wall, looking straight-backed and handsome.

As she walked over, a beautiful woman approached him shyly, asking, "Could we follow each other on Instagram?"

Noelle slowed her steps as the scene unfolded.

Cedric's tone was cold. "No."

He glanced up, and his gaze softened when he saw Noelle. He said, walking toward her, "You're so slow, like a tortoise."

Noelle instinctively looked at the beautiful woman and saw the disappointment in her eyes. She muttered, "With looks like that, you're not going to follow her?"noveldrama

Cedric lowered his gaze to her. "Do you want me to?"