I'm the Sickly Childhood Friend of the Male Lead at a Noble Academy

[New Novel: Born to Be an Actor [Showbiz]] (The subscription rate for future bonus chapters only needs to reach 50%. Thanks! I've been really busy lately, so I'll write the PWP once I have more time.) Qi Heyin had known for ages that this world was a melodramatic novel. It was an old-fashioned tragic romance dressed up as a story about an interstellar academy: A timid, fragile orphan heroine entered the aristocratic academy in the imperial capital of Feiluosi as a special admit. There, she met several outstanding young men from very different backgrounds and was forced to become caught up in their game of possessive pursuit. Qi Heyin was a disposable character in the novel. She was one of the male leads' childhood friends, a sickly girl destined to die young, a tool whose death became a knot in his heart during his youth. In the end, the heroine would untie that knot, marking the beginning of the highborn male lead's complete infatuation with her. Qi Heyin didn't want to die, and she had no taste for such a hackneyed, heart-wrenching story. So she did two things: 1. She found the heroine's family from the original novel and brought forward the plotline in which the heroine would later reunite with her wealthy family. 2. She accepted her attending physician's radical treatment plan and went abroad for treatment, despite the slim odds. Once everything was settled, Qi Heyin quietly left for another country. She didn't return until two years later. * Lately, the aristocratic circles of Feiluosi's imperial capital had been buzzing with the news: Miss Qi, the youngest daughter of the Qi family, was back. In the nobles' eyes, she was gloomy and frail, keeping mostly to herself. Apart from her reputation as a “genius girl,” she had been nearly invisible in high society. Then, two years ago, she suddenly vanished. Her childhood friend, the arrogant young master of the ducal household, went mad searching for her, turning every hospital and sanatorium at home and abroad upside down and making an enormous commotion. Two years later, as soon as she returned, the Velitas Institute, hailed as the “Crown of Wisdom” of the Feiluosi Empire, appointed her as an S-rank Mimicry Researcher. She became the youngest Mimicry expert in the entire interstellar world. ...Qi Heyin's name was suddenly known to everyone. * After returning home, Qi Heyin received an offer from her dream institute, just as she'd hoped. But she still had two years left before graduation, so she had to return to the academy and make up the credits she'd missed because of her illness. At the aristocratic academy, Qi Heyin met the heroine she'd saved back then. Now restored to her status as a young lady of a wealthy family, the heroine was confident and beautiful, and no longer entangled with any of the male leads from the book. Qi Heyin also met those highborn male leads. After spending time with them, she realized that in person they weren't as awful as they were in the novel. In fact, they were friendly and showed plenty of camaraderie toward their fellow students. Apparently, thanks to the choices she'd made back then, the male and female leads in this melodramatic novel had both returned to normal. Qi Heyin was quite satisfied with this ending. At the academy, she happily accepted the friendship offered by the original novel's leads and got along harmoniously with them. ...The genius girl was remarkably oblivious about certain things. She completely failed to notice how, with every encounter, the lovesick, increasingly obsessive gazes of those exceptional young men and women, including the heroine, lingered more and more on her. And grew steadily more frenzied. 1. A genius heroine who focuses on research and is effortlessly charming without realizing it. 2. The story has lots of original worldbuilding. Some of the setting is inspired by constitutional monarchies. 3. The male and female leads all have colorful hair and eyes. Imagine them as anime characters... 4. The original heroine isn't gay. This is a straight romance. 5. The heroine's illness is cured, but she's still physically frail. PWP. 6. The style is old-fashioned, very old-fashioned and melodramatic. The male lead is a highborn aristocrat, be warned! A slow-burn writing style, with slice-of-life school days. 7. A harem-style Mary Sue story, with multiple male leads competing for her. All the male leads are virgins, both physically and emotionally. No choosing sides, open ending, with side stories for multiple male leads. [The heroine always takes the lead in matters of the heart. The male leads fall for her on their own and compete passionately for her. No angst.] 8. The first version of this blurb was written on 2024.10.22 and has been archived. Let me emphasize again: all the male leads are high-and-mighty aristocrats. Some are cruel, some arrogant, some disrespectful, some love putting on airs, and some love watching the drama. They all have their limitations, so a little criticism is fine. But please don't take it out on the author or heroine, or I'll hit back immediately. The blurb makes it clear that the male leads are all like this, so why click in just to insult them? I've given you fair warning, so please respect that and don't go looking for trouble. (Bows) Theme: The world is a process of our thinking