No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle's heart sank a little at Cedric's response. "Okay, fine. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask again."

Feeling her appetite slip away, she put down her spoon and stood up. "I should get going-don't want to get caught in traffic."

Before she left, Cedric said nonchalantly, "Remember, don't go soft."

Noelle glanced at his charming face, recalling how he had been messaging earlier. Her heart hardened. "I won't. Going soft on men is just cruel to oneself."

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out.

Cedric watched her leave, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. He wondered who she was referring to.

He slowly took out his phone and sent Alfred a message: "Less gossip, fewer beatings."noveldrama

Alfred had been bombarding him with messages since the early hours of the morning.

Noelle took the elevator out of the building. At the entrance, she overheard a group of elderly people chatting.

"They finally caught that pervert. I heard he got a real beating."

"Serves him right. If I'd been there, I'd have kicked him a few times, too. That pervert even harassed my granddaughter once."

Noelle felt a little lighter after hearing the conversation. She hailed a cab and headed for the competition venue. When she arrived, the area was packed with traffic. It seemed like there were far more fans here than at the revival match. She glanced at the team logos and captain photos on the poster and saw Magnus-the captain of Team Celestial.

In her previous life, Magnus had suddenly dropped out of the finals, so she never got the chance to compete with him. A wave of regret washed over Noelle.

She couldn't help but think that if Magnus hadn't withdrawn, Team Luminark would never have had a chance at the championship.

After all, no matter how skilled she was, she couldn't possibly take down a top-tier team on her own.

"Hey, Queen! I thought you weren't coming to this match," Rachel greeted, wearing a Team Celestial fan t-shirt, clearly showing her support for the team. Noelle smiled. "I wasn't planning to, but Firestorm invited me as a special guest for their live event. It's a VIP spot-there's no way I'm missing this." Firestorm had given Noelle two tickets, so she invited Rachel to come along. Just then, a sudden burst of fan screams erupted from the side. Noelle glanced over and saw Team Luminark's bus pulling up. Fans quickly swarmed toward it.

She spotted Lucas walking ahead of the team, with Xenia in the group as well. Clearly, Lucas couldn't find anyone else, so he let Xenia take over the role.

Xenia couldn't hide her pride as she soaked in attention, enjoying the moment of being surrounded by fans. She even received gifts, which brightened her mood even more.

"Lucas, is it true that your sister Noelle isn't playing in today's match?"

"Without Noelle, how confident are you about the team's chances?"

When the reporters mentioned

Noelle, Lucas's expression

darkened. He replied coldly, "It's not

unusual for teams to make lineup

changes. All our players will give their best in this match.

"As for the gunner position, I believe Xenia is more than capable. After all, competition isn't just about skill, it's also the chemistry between

ve

teammates, especially since we're family."

en

Xenia, who was standing beside him, smiled. "I've learned from my past mistakes, and I'll do my best this time." She didn't think Noelle's absence would make much of a difference.

"Noelle's here!"

Someone shouted, and immediately, the attention of reporters and fans shifted from Lucas to the other side. The area suddenly cleared out, leaving Lucas and his team in quiet solitude. A fan approached Xenia and said, "Sorry, this gift is actually for Noelle. I gave it to you by mistake."

Fuming, Xenia threw the gift back. She couldn't care less about some stupid present.

for

Not far away, Noelle found herself surrounded by a swarm of reporters. She hadn't intended to be caught interviews at the entrance, especially with the match about to start. Unfortunately, escaping seemed impossible now.

"Ms. Liddell, are you really sitting this one out?"

"In your opinion, how high are Team Luminark's chances of winning without you as the gunner?" Noelle glanced at Lucas and Xenia in the distance before responding coldly, "In my opinion? Zero."