Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 12

Xia Tian had no idea that simply changing his hairstyle had sparked such a whirlwind of emotions within Xu Yuan.

He returned to his seat, where Ye Ningyu blinked her doe-like eyes at him. Her gaze sparkled, almost like there were stars twinkling in them.

“Xia… Xia Tian… you changed your hairstyle?” she asked softly.

“Yeah, how is it? Not bad, right?”

“Mm! Very… very handsome,” Ye Ningyu nodded vigorously, afraid Xia Tian might think she wasn’t being sincere.

To Ye Ningyu, Xia Tian had always been handsome.

Especially that time when he stood up to those bullies for her. In her eyes, he was the most handsome boy in the world.

But like everyone else, she hadn’t expected such a transformation from just a change in hairstyle. He looked like a completely different person.

Since she already admired Xia Tian, her affection for him now added an extra layer of bias. With his sharp features and clean haircut, his appearance was impeccable…

Suddenly, her usual feelings of inferiority crept up again, and she instinctively glanced over at Xu Yuan.

Xia Tian and the class monitor really are a perfect match, aren’t they?

They’ll definitely end up together, won’t they?

“Hey, you just told me I’m handsome, but now you’re already looking down like you don’t mean it. Where’s the sincerity?” Xia Tian noticed Ye Ningyu’s self-consciousness and quickly pulled her out of her dark thoughts.

“Ah, no… no, Xia Tian, you really are very handsome!” she stammered.

Seeing her timid and careful demeanor, Xia Tian smiled. Unable to resist, he gently reached out and gave her nose a playful flick.

“Little Ye, don’t always look so gloomy. I want to see you happy.”

“Ah!”

Ye Ningyu’s face turned beet red as she gasped softly.

They were in the classroom, and Xia Tian had just done something so intimate and playful!

She quickly looked around, worried that someone might have seen.

Only after confirming that no one had noticed did she relax, patting her chest in relief. Then, she buried her face in her collar and whispered softly, “As long as I’m with Xia Tian… I’m always happy.”

Of course, this statement, spoken in the faintest of whispers, didn’t reach Xia Tian’s ears.

He also didn’t know that when he dazzled the entire class during English earlier, explaining the difficult cloze test, Ye Ningyu’s gaze never left him for a second.

While the whole class applauded for him, Ye Ningyu’s heart was secretly cheering the loudest.

—

The first class after lunch was math, taught by their homeroom teacher, Wang Qingshan.

He entered the classroom, carrying his books, and glanced around before stopping at Ye Ningyu’s desk.

Seeing a student sitting next to her who looked both familiar and unfamiliar, Wang Qingshan frowned.

Adjusting his thick glasses, he asked, “Young man, which class are you from? Why are you sitting in Xia Tian’s seat?”

The moment he said this, the entire classroom erupted with laughter.

No one expected Wang Qingshan to fail to recognize Xia Tian after his haircut.

“Hahaha! Old Wang, are you losing it? That is Xia Tian!”

One of the more mischievous students called out without hesitation.

Wang Qingshan blinked in disbelief and stepped down from the podium. It wasn’t until he got closer that he realized it really was Xia Tian.

His face immediately filled with shock.

“Whoa! I didn’t expect that after a haircut, you’d actually look like a decent human being for once.”

“Old Wang, you’ve got a way with compliments,” Xia Tian retorted, rolling his eyes.

He wasn’t upset by the remark, knowing it was Wang Qingshan’s way of joking around to lighten the class atmosphere.

The tension was rising as the college entrance exams approached, and as a seasoned teacher, Wang Qingshan knew how to manage that pressure well.

Xia Tian wasn’t bothered by it—he knew a lively class atmosphere was good for his Little Ye’s mental health.

Since Wang Qingshan was teaching math, a subject Xia Tian was already confident in, he ignored the lesson and pulled out his science practice sheets, starting with the basics.

He was confident that he could score over 400 points total in Chinese, math, and English during the college entrance exams.

If he could score 180 or more in science, it would be enough to attend the same university as Ye Ningyu.

“In my last life, my science scores were pretty bad. Now, after not studying for over a decade, it feels like I’ve forgotten everything. Trying to get 180 points in 98 days is going to be tough!”

After looking at a few questions, Xia Tian realized he barely remembered anything. Even reading the answer explanations was a struggle that made his head spin.

Determined, he decided to dedicate all his free time to cramming for science.

If only I had some supernatural “ding” to help me out. Maybe if I heard that sound, I’d awaken a genius system and wouldn’t have to work this hard…

—

Ding, ding, ding~

The bell signaling the end of class rang, and true to form, Wang Qingshan finished promptly, leaving without dragging the lesson out.

But even after class, Xia Tian remained seated, diligently working on his practice problems.

This surprised Ye Ningyu.

She wondered quietly to herself, Could it be that the words of encouragement I wrote in my diary last night really inspired Xia Tian to study harder?

“Maybe Xia Tian will really get into the same university as me…” Ye Ningyu thought to herself, her heart full of hope.

She truly believed in Xia Tian’s abilities.

Perhaps they really would meet again at university.

—

It wasn’t long before Fang Yu came bouncing over from the neighboring class.

Now that he was sure Xia Tian wasn’t going to chase after Xu Yuan anymore, Fang Yu felt the “seal” that had kept them apart had been lifted, and he could finally hang out with Xia Tian again.

“Dad’s here!” Fang Yu announced as he leaped to the classroom door.

But what he saw when he arrived was a sight he would never forget.

Xia Tian was quietly sitting in his seat, studiously working on practice problems!

“Holy crap?”

Fang Yu rubbed his eyes, feeling like his entire worldview had been turned upside down.

Was this really the Xia Tian he knew?

He’s actually studying during break time?

Dashing over to Xia Tian’s desk, Fang Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Are you kidding me, Little Tian? What… what are you doing? You’re actually doing homework? It’s break time—prime time for goofing off—and you’re studying?!”

Xia Tian shot Fang Yu an annoyed look. “Why can’t I study, huh?”

“Other people studying? Fine. But you? You’d rather run ten laps in the blazing sun than sit down to do a single problem! And now you’re the one choosing to study? Did the sun rise in the west today?”

Putting down his pen, Xia Tian looked at Fang Yu seriously.

“Fang Yu, if you don’t want to study, that’s fine, but don’t disturb me. After all, I’m a man with ambitions to get into Tsinghua University.”

“???”

And just like that, Fang Yu was kicked out of the classroom, still dazed by what had just happened.

It all made sense to him now.

Ye Ningyu was the top student in their grade, the pride of the teachers and principal alike. If Xia Tian had switched his affections from Xu Yuan to Ye Ningyu, then everything clicked into place.

He was working so hard because he wanted to attend the same university as Ye Ningyu!

“Man, if Little Tian had fallen for Little Ye earlier, he probably would have started studying seriously a long time ago. Now it’s too late for him to get into a top-tier university.”

Fang Yu sighed, worried that Xia Tian’s change had come too late.

Quietly, he slunk back to his classroom, sat down, and pulled out his practice book to start working.

If his once lazy best friend was now working hard, what excuse did he have not to?

Come on, Fang Yu! You can do it!

—

After Fang Yu left, Xia Tian encountered a particularly difficult physics problem and started twirling his pen in deep thought.

His brows furrowed, then relaxed, only to furrow again.

Just as he was about to give up on the problem, Ye Ningyu gently tapped his arm, her voice soft.

“Xia… Xia Tian? I think someone’s looking for you… outside.”

“Hmm?”

Xia Tian blinked in surprise.

Aside from Fang Yu, he didn’t really have any other friends at school. Fang Yu had just left, so who could it be?

He followed Ye Ningyu’s gaze toward the back door.

Standing there, looking rather aloof, was a girl with long hair draped over her shoulders. She kept glancing in his direction with an annoyed expression, but when their eyes met, her face immediately brightened, and she waved at him with a bright, pearly smile.

“It’s her?” Xia Tian was taken aback and immediately stood up to greet the girl.

As he walked away, Ye Ningyu’s eyes darkened.

She noticed that the girl was holding something in her hand.

It looked a lot like a love letter.

“Xia Tian changed his hairstyle, so he’s going to get a lot of confessions, right?”