Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 10

Hearing Ye Ningyu’s response, Xia Tian was momentarily stunned.

He had only been teasing her, thinking that given her shy personality, there was no way she would agree.

To his surprise, this innocent girl actually agreed!

Seeing Xia Tian’s gaze on her, Ye Ningyu’s face flushed bright red, and she quickly lowered her head.

“This silly girl… she really doesn’t refuse any of my requests!” Xia Tian thought to himself.

—

Ding, ding, ding!

Soon, the bell signaling the end of the last class rang.

Xia Tian had originally planned to go to lunch with Ye Ningyu, but then he remembered that his bike tire had been punctured that morning.

Since he intended to walk Ye Ningyu home later, he couldn’t risk having a flat tire. If he had to push the bike all the way back, especially down that creepy dark street where she lived, he might just scare himself to death!

So, Xia Tian went to the neighboring class to find his “good son,” Fang Yu, and asked him to come along to get the tire fixed.

—

Outside the bike shop near the school.

Fang Yu looked at Xia Tian with a suspicious expression.

“Little Tian, you’re really not going to the cafeteria to spy on Xu Yuan while she’s eating lunch today? I’m starting to believe you seriously don’t want to chase her anymore.”

“Heh, I’m really done with that.”

“But I heard from a classmate that they saw you walking with your deskmate—uh, Little Ye—last night. You walked her home?”

Xia Tian nodded. “Yeah, I even bought her some tanghulu, and this morning I got her breakfast. That’s when my tire got punctured on the way back to school.”

Fang Yu was shocked.

“Holy crap, you’ve stopped simping for Xu Yuan, but now you’re simping for someone else!”

“Hey, that’s not true!” Xia Tian retorted, his face serious. “The wise ones say that one-sided devotion is what makes you a simp. But this? Me and Ye Ningyu are mutually invested. How could this be called simping?”

He stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then added, “We scholars call this love.”

“…”

“Little Tian, you’re inventing a new way to show off.” Fang Yu was speechless.

Love, my ass!

But knowing that Xia Tian had really given up on Xu Yuan made Fang Yu feel a bit happy inside.

He had witnessed firsthand how pathetic Xia Tian had been over the past three years.

Any money he got would be spent on Xu Yuan.

Any free time he had, he would try to find ways to catch a glimpse of her. Whenever Xu Yuan needed something, he was always there, entirely neglecting his own life.

So now that Xia Tian had shifted his attention to someone else, Fang Yu saw it as a blessing.

Xia Tian slung an arm around Fang Yu’s shoulders. “By the way, are you free this weekend? I’ll take you to make some extra cash.”

“Extra cash? How?”

“That’s a secret for now. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Xia Tian had already figured out how to make his first bit of money in this new life.

All he had to do was wait for the weekend.

After the bike shop owner finished fixing the tire, Xia Tian treated Fang Yu to a meal at a nearby malatang place. (Note: Malatang is a popular Chinese street food where you pick your own ingredients, like vegetables, meat, and tofu, and they are cooked in a spicy, numbing broth made with Sichuan peppercorns and chili.)

Fang Yu stared at Xia Tian in disbelief.

He stared for so long that he looked like he was about to say something but held back.

Xia Tian grew annoyed and tapped his chopsticks on the table. “Eat your food! Why do you keep staring at me? Do you think I’m a feast for the eyes? Sorry, creepy uncle, but I’m not into that!”

“Get lost… I’m just wondering if you’ve got some sort of terminal illness or something. You, who always hoard your money, just invited me to lunch?”

“Why the hell do you talk so much? Next time, I’ll treat you to steak.”

“Whoa, really? For real, godfather?”

Xia Tian just chuckled without saying more.

Out of all the weapons that could wound people, none cut deeper than memories of the past.

In his previous life, Xia Tian had been a penny-pincher because he spent every cent he had on buying gifts for Xu Yuan.

Forget treating Fang Yu to meals; Xia Tian had worn the same worn-out pair of underwear until it was practically see-through, unwilling to spend money on new ones…

But in this new life, he wasn’t chasing after Xu Yuan anymore.

And with his plans to start making money soon, he didn’t need to be so frugal.

What’s wrong with treating his buddy to a meal?

As one wise philosopher once said:

Spend $100 to take out your crush, and she’ll think you’re cheap.

But spend $100 to treat your bro, and he’ll worry you’ve got cancer.

—

After eating, Xia Tian ran his hand through his bowl-cut hairstyle and decided it was time for a change.

He looked too much like a stereotypical “watermelon kid!”

“My face is exactly like Daniel Wu’s. It’ll look great if I cut my bangs short and show some forehead.”

“Once I show off my forehead, I’ll pretty much be Daniel Wu’s doppelganger!”

Xia Tian thought it over, feeling quite pleased with his logic.

He grabbed Fang Yu and headed to the barbershop near the school.

—

“What kind of haircut do you want?” the barber asked, running his hands through Fang Yu’s hair with a friendly tone.

Fang Yu didn’t waste any time and said, “Shave the sides, leave the top long!”

A few moments later, Fang Yu was near tears.

“Dude, do you believe I’ll take your shop apart?”

Xia Tian tried to hold back his laughter. This guy clearly didn’t understand the art of communicating with a barber. If you’re not specific about how you want your cut, asking a barber for a general style is like opening a mystery box.

Learning from Fang Yu’s mistake, Xia Tian carefully thought about his request before speaking.

“Boss, give me a micro-layered cut.”

The barber looked puzzled.

“Uh… micro-layered? What does that even mean?”

Xia Tian froze.

That’s when he remembered—this is 2013. Terms like “micro-layered cuts” haven’t become a thing yet.

“Okay… just do it like this… first like this, then like that, and finish it off like this.”

The barber finally understood.

“Ah, I see! First like this, then like that, and finally like this… got it!”

Fifteen minutes later.

Xia Tian looked at himself in the mirror—his haircut was now on par with Daniel Wu’s. He gave the barber a big thumbs-up.

“Master, your skills are incredible!”

His once-thick bowl haircut had been thinned out, and his bangs shortened, revealing just enough of his forehead.

The change in his overall appearance was dramatic—he looked fresh and stylish, like a Korean pop star!

Fang Yu returned from the bathroom and stared at Xia Tian in disbelief.

“Holy crap! L-Little Tian? Did you have plastic surgery?”

He couldn’t believe that Xia Tian had become so handsome just from a simple haircut!

Xia Tian grinned. “Plastic surgery? Please, that’s beneath me.”

“Damn it! Same barber, but he makes your dreams come true while crushing mine! You’re infuriating!”

Fang Yu was heartbroken.

His own haircut was bad enough, but seeing his friend looking so sharp made it even worse!

Xia Tian draped an arm around Fang Yu’s shoulders and slapped some change on the counter.

“Boss, time to pay!”

“Ten… ten yuan.”

The barber took the money, staring at Xia Tian’s retreating figure in a daze.

He couldn’t snap out of it.

Looking down at his hands, the barber smiled confidently and muttered to himself, “Did I… really cut that? I’m even more skilled than I thought!”

“It’s time to get a job at that fancy salon down the street…”

Meanwhile, no one noticed that a female customer in the corner, getting her hair permed, had watched Xia Tian’s whole transformation.

She was practically drooling.

Are younger guys really this promising these days?

Wiping the drool from her mouth, she quickly pulled out her phone and called her best friend.

“Girl, I’m telling you! I just saw the hottest guy at the barbershop. He’s insanely handsome!”

“Really?!”

“For real! He’s practically Daniel Wu’s twin!”

“Describe him—how hot is he? I want to imagine it!”

The woman thought for a moment, blushing as she lowered her head shyly.

“He’s so handsome I couldn’t keep my legs together.”