Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 11

On the way back to school, Fang Yu kept stealing glances at Xia Tian, shaking his head in disbelief.

“This doesn’t make sense, man, it’s just not logical!”

“How can a simple haircut make you look like a completely different person? What the heck happened while I was in the bathroom?!”

“Tsk tsk, before, I thought it was understandable that you couldn’t win over Xu Yuan. But now… It feels like maybe she’s the one who doesn’t deserve you.”

“Ugh, I can’t stand it anymore! Jealousy is making me look hideous!”

The more Fang Yu thought about it, the sadder he became.

We both agreed to be ugly together, but somehow you’ve transformed into a handsome guy?!

It felt like ants were crawling all over his body.

As Xia Tian and Fang Yu re-entered the school grounds, their presence drew noticeable attention.

Many girls turned their heads to sneak a peek at Xia Tian, their faces lighting up with admiration.

Some looked like they were moments away from rushing over to ask for his QQ number.

“Oh my gosh, is he a new transfer student? He’s way too handsome!”

“I know the guy next to him—that’s Fang Yu from Class 5 in the third year. This new guy must also be in his third year, right?”

“Wait a minute! Why does this handsome guy look kind of familiar?”

“That’s Xia Tian! He’s the one who used to chase after the school belle, Xu Yuan! Remember when there was a bug in their classroom that scared Xu Yuan so much she cried? Xia Tian brought like a dozen cans of bug spray the next day and fumigated the whole room! They had to shut down class, and he got a public reprimand from the school…”

“No way! Is Xia Tian really this handsome? My cousin’s in his class, but she never mentioned he looked like this!”

“Too bad… Xia Tian likes the school belle. I don’t stand a chance. Sobs.”

“Don’t be so sure. I heard some upperclassmen say that last night, after evening self-study, Xia Tian made the school belle cry and even argued with her. Rumor has it he’s not planning to chase her anymore.”

“Really?! That means I still have a chance!”

“I’m going for it, ladies!”

The younger girls whispered among themselves, giggling as they tried to gather as much information as possible about Xia Tian.

Hearing all this, Fang Yu felt like he would rather die than keep listening.

He glanced at Xia Tian and sighed.

“Little Tian, it looks like you’ve become quite the celebrity. Now you’ve got thousands of girls to choose from…”

Xia Tian just smiled without saying a word.

Famous?

Sorry, I’m not interested.

The only person I care about is Ye Ningyu!

—

Xia Tian and Fang Yu parted ways at the classroom door.

Inside, most of the students were already seated, chatting with their desk neighbors.

As soon as Xia Tian entered the room, the noisy classroom went dead silent.

“Whoa! Who’s this handsome guy?”

“Hey, cutie, did you walk into the wrong class?”

“Damn, is he a new transfer student? He’s insanely good-looking!”

“Wait a second… Oh my God, is that Xia Tian?!”

The room was filled with curiosity, but it was quickly quelled when someone finally recognized him.

Everyone took a closer look and realized that the handsome guy was indeed Xia Tian!

Xu Yuan also followed the gazes of her classmates and froze in place.

“Xia… Xia Tian? That’s really him?!”

She blurted out in disbelief.

Xia Tian had ditched the thick bowl-cut he had kept for the past three years, replacing it with a fresh, neat hairstyle. His entire aura was different.

At six feet tall, his newfound confidence, paired with his clean and crisp appearance, made him stand out. The sunlight streaming in through the window highlighted the sharp angles of his jawline, as if he were bathed in a cinematic filter—he exuded youthful charm.

Xu Yuan felt a bitter sense of loss.

She had never imagined that Xia Tian could look this way.

It was as if a hidden treasure had been sitting right beside her all along, only now revealing its brilliance for the world to see.

Before, Xu Yuan always felt that Xia Tian wasn’t on her level.

But now, for the first time, she wasn’t so sure anymore…

Chen Jiayi, who was sitting next to Xu Yuan, couldn’t help but exclaim:

“Oh my God, when did Xia Tian get so handsome? Little Yuan, is this really the same Xia Tian who’s been chasing after you all these years?”

Xu Yuan stared at him, wanting to go up and say something.

But then she remembered—she had promised herself she wouldn’t speak to him for two weeks.

Suppressing the urge, she deliberately turned her head away, avoiding looking at him.

Xu Yuan had assumed that, true to form, Xia Tian would come over and try to talk to her, maybe even show off his new look a little.

But instead, Xia Tian walked right past her without so much as a glance.

In that instant, Xu Yuan felt like something inside her had been lost. Clutching her chest, she felt an overwhelming sadness.

Tears welled up, rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Xu Yuan had always considered herself a kind and good-hearted girl.

Even though she didn’t truly like Xia Tian, she had never outright rejected him or crushed his hopes. Instead, she had given him repeated chances to get closer, to think of her.

You could say that she had given Xia Tian the motivation to strive forward and the goal to aim for!

And yet Xia Tian?

Instead of being grateful, he had grown more demanding, refusing to give up until he had her. Now, he was even going so far as to hurt her feelings.

How selfish could he be?!

The more Xu Yuan thought about it, the more heartbroken she became.

Tears dripped down, one after another.

Chen Jiayi noticed her friend’s distress and quickly grabbed Xu Yuan’s hand, alarmed.

“Little Yuan, are you okay? Why are you crying?”

“Jiayi… Why doesn’t Xia Tian care about me anymore? He wasn’t like this before.”

Chen Jiayi’s anger flared as she glanced back at Xia Tian, her expression burning with rage.

If looks could kill, Xia Tian would have been dead dozens of times over by now!

Turning back to comfort Xu Yuan, Chen Jiayi spoke decisively:

“Little Yuan, don’t be sad. Earlier I thought maybe Xia Tian really didn’t like you anymore, but now I realize—he’s doing this on purpose!”

“On purpose?”

“Yes! Think about it. Didn’t it all start yesterday afternoon when he acted all set to confess to you, only to back out at the last minute to upset you? Then he agreed to buy you a watch but later took it back just to make you mad. After that, he refused to walk you home and even told those scary stories to frighten you!”

“Then, this morning, he worked extra hard in class and showed off during the English lesson. And now, he’s gone out of his way to get a new haircut and improve his image.”

“See the pattern? His behavior has completely changed over the past two days. I’m telling you, this is all part of his plan to get your attention! Can’t you see that?”

Chen Jiayi’s analysis made Xu Yuan reflect on the past two days’ events.

“Is that really true?”

“Of course it is! Ask yourself—ever since yesterday afternoon, haven’t your emotions been more affected by Xia Tian than usual? Haven’t you been paying more attention to him?”

Xu Yuan thought carefully.

It was true!

Wiping away her tears, Xu Yuan replayed the last two days in her mind, realizing that Chen Jiayi’s assessment made perfect sense.

Since yesterday, Xia Tian had constantly annoyed her, and as a result, her emotions had been entangled with his actions.

Because of him, she hadn’t been able to focus on her homework or even pay attention to class.

Her mind kept wandering back to how to recapture Xia Tian’s attention.

Wasn’t this exactly what Xia Tian wanted?

That sneaky Xia Tian!

Men really are all the same—total jerks!

“Jiayi, you’re right! That’s exactly what’s been happening.”

Xu Yuan finally realized the truth, her eyes brightening with understanding.

Chen Jiayi, satisfied with her quick deduction, grinned smugly.

Hmph! Xia Tian’s tactics are far too immature to fool me.

I, Chen Jiayi, have read over a hundred romance novels—did he really think he could play mind games with my bestie?

Too naive!

“See? I told you I was right!”

“Yes, yes, you were!”

“So, the more he acts like this, the more you need to appear indifferent. Be even colder than usual.”

“That way, he’ll realize that his tactics aren’t working and revert to his old self—the Xia Tian who used to give everything for you without hesitation!”

Listening to Chen Jiayi’s advice, Xu Yuan’s sadness melted away.

“You’re right! I’ll do just that.”

“That sneaky Xia Tian! I almost fell for his tricks. Thank goodness I have you to guide me, Jiayi. Thank you so much!”

Chen Jiayi blushed slightly at the praise.

“Aww, Little Yuan, there’s no need to thank me. We’re besties, aren’t we?”

“Yes! Men are all big jerks!”