Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 14

As soon as Xia Tian finished speaking, he felt an overwhelming sense of pride, as if he had just transcended to a higher plane.

A rush of excitement surged through him.

However, his serious demeanor only succeeded in triggering Ye Ningyu’s giggles. She covered her mouth as she laughed, the sound light and sweet.

—

After class started,

Xia Tian watched Ye Ningyu as she worked through problems, her movements light and cheerful. This left Xia Tian feeling deeply satisfied.

He hadn’t yet explicitly revealed to Ye Ningyu that he knew about her secret crush on him. For now, he enjoyed interacting with her in this ambiguous way.

Every time Xia Tian did something to clarify misunderstandings with other girls, Ye Ningyu would secretly feel joy and relief.

—

In the early days of March in Bei’an, the weather was still quite chilly.

During evening self-study, Xia Tian noticed that Ye Ningyu kept warming her hands with her breath while she wrote.

Seizing a moment when the teacher wasn’t paying attention, he quietly slipped out of the classroom through the back door.

Xia Tian hurried over to the school’s convenience store.

“Boss, give me the best hand warmer you’ve got.”

“Sure, that’ll be 11 yuan.”

“Hey, boss, help me fill it with hot water, will you?”

The convenience store owner gave Xia Tian an exasperated look but still filled the hand warmer with hot water while muttering complaints.

“You students… You spend several yuan a day on snacks yet won’t spend five yuan for a water card. You come here to mooch off my hot water. I don’t know if you’re rich or broke…”

Xia Tian grinned. “Come on, boss! If I pay for a water card, that money goes to the school. But when I buy snacks, I’m helping your business. Surely a smart guy like you can see which is more important!”

The store owner chuckled and handed him the hand warmer filled with hot water.

Xia Tian quickly tucked it under his jacket and rushed back to the classroom, worried that it might cool down before he could give it to Ye Ningyu.

It wasn’t that Xia Tian didn’t want to buy a water card. In his previous life, he’d just thought that instead of spending money on a water card, he could use that money to buy small gifts for Xu Yuan.

Back then, he thought getting a smile from her was worth more than spending money on himself.

Looking back now… What an idiot he had been!

—

Returning to the classroom, Xia Tian quietly closed the windows. Then, he pulled out the hand warmer from under his jacket.

“Little Ye, take this. Your hands are so cold you can barely write.”

Ye Ningyu looked at the pink hand warmer in astonishment, not knowing what to say.

Xia Tian didn’t go to play basketball earlier? He actually went out to buy her a hand warmer?

But… wasn’t this something only the class monitor used to receive?

Seeing Ye Ningyu sitting there in a daze, Xia Tian grabbed her hand and slipped the hand warmer into it.

Feeling its warmth, Ye Ningyu finally snapped out of it.

“Xia Tian, did you… Did you buy this just for me?”

“You’re overthinking it. I went out to take a piss and found it on my way back.”

Ye Ningyu pointed at the hand warmer’s tag, her voice soft. “But… but the tag is still on it…”

Xia Tian felt a bit embarrassed at being caught. He quickly snatched the hand warmer back, tore off the tag and threw it in the trash, before handing it back to her.

“Tag? What tag? Now hurry up and finish your work.”

Despite Xia Tian’s gruff demeanor, Ye Ningyu wasn’t scared. She simply giggled quietly.

She knew Xia Tian was just embarrassed.

“Thank you, Xia Tian.”

“Thank me? You should thank the unlucky person who lost this hand warmer. Besides, this is just what… what deskmates should do.”

Xia Tian almost slipped and said “couple” instead of “deskmates,” but luckily, Ye Ningyu didn’t notice. She just smiled softly while holding the hand warmer and continued writing her problems.

Underneath her collar, Ye Ningyu’s smile was radiant.

The hand warmer might have warmed her hands, but it warmed her heart even more.

If he had given this hand warmer to Xu Yuan, she probably would have thought it was only natural for Xia Tian to do that for her.

Watching Ye Ningyu’s content expression, Xia Tian couldn’t help but feel a touch of heartache.

For someone who’s been through so much, even the smallest bit of kindness can go a long way.

—

After evening self-study ended, Xia Tian packed his bag and left the classroom right away.

He knew that if he walked with Ye Ningyu to the bike shed, she would probably feel too shy and uncomfortable.

For now, rushing things would be too much for her.

They had plenty of time. He could take things slow.

—

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan felt an increasing sense of loss as she watched Xia Tian leave the classroom without even glancing her way.

That looming sense of crisis grew heavier.

“Little Yuan, during dinner, I ran into Qiao Shaoxuan from the class next door. He heard that Xia Tian scared you last night with his ghost stories and has offered to walk you home with him tonight.”

“I don’t know… Maybe I shouldn’t…”

Xu Yuan hesitated, thinking about refusing.

Qiao Shaoxuan was one of her admirers, but more importantly, he came from a wealthy family that owned a factory. He was a typical rich second-generation kid.

However, compared to Xia Tian’s looks, Qiao Shaoxuan didn’t measure up.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Yuan wouldn’t have considered him as someone to walk her home.

But suddenly, she thought of a plan—if Qiao Shaoxuan walked her home and Xia Tian saw them together, wouldn’t that create a sense of urgency for Xia Tian?

He’d be scared stiff and wouldn’t dare to keep playing hard to get!

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan smiled with glee and changed her mind.

“Alright, Jiayi. Let’s have him walk me home tonight.”

“Great! He’s probably waiting for us at the school gate. Let’s hurry and pack up.”

Xu Yuan nodded, speeding up as she packed her things.

She needed to meet up with Qiao Shaoxuan before Xia Tian left.

She was confident that if Xia Tian saw her being walked home by another guy, he would definitely get anxious.

Hmph!

“Don’t think you’re the only one with admirers, Xia Tian. I’ve got a line of guys waiting to walk me home that stretches from the classroom door to the school gate!”

“If you won’t walk me home, there are plenty of others who will!”

—

Ye Ningyu, with her backpack on and hand warmer in hand, walked quietly toward the bike shed.

“Little Ye, you should walk faster! It’s freezing out here, and I’ve been waiting for a while!”

“Huh? Xia… Xia Tian!”

Ye Ningyu looked up in surprise and saw Xia Tian waiting right next to her bike.

Under the streetlight, Xia Tian seemed to be glowing softly.

He waved a hand in front of her face. “Stop standing there like a statue. Come on, get your bike. I’ll walk you home.”

“O-Okay…”

Ye Ningyu nodded blankly, still processing what was happening.

As she pushed her bike and walked beside Xia Tian toward the school gates, she suddenly remembered.

Last night, Xia Tian had said he would “punish” her by walking her home every evening…

She bit her lip, smiling to herself where Xia Tian couldn’t see.

Although she didn’t know why Xia Tian had suddenly become so kind and gentle to her, she cherished every moment they spent together.

Even if…

Even if those moments were fleeting.

—

As Xia Tian and Ye Ningyu walked out of the school gates, they spotted Xu Yuan and Chen Jiayi standing at the entrance with another boy.

Xia Tian vaguely remembered that the boy was in the same class as Fang Yu. His name was Qiao Shaoxuan, and his family ran a factory—pretty well-off.

In his previous life, apart from Xia Tian, Qiao Shaoxuan had been the most persistent in pursuing Xu Yuan.

But the guy had come to his senses way too late. After Xia Tian stopped simping for Xu Yuan, Qiao Shaoxuan had taken over as her number one simp.

It was rumored that later, Qiao Shaoxuan poured so much money into registering a company for Xu Yuan that he lost all the capital his father had built up over the years.

And what did he get in return?

Just like she had done with Xia Tian, Xu Yuan deleted all of Qiao Shaoxuan’s contact info without hesitation and moved on to another wealthy company CEO.

Xia Tian averted his gaze, feeling no sympathy for Qiao Shaoxuan.

A simp who never learns his lesson deserves to be scammed!

Lowering his head toward Ye Ningyu, Xia Tian pointed to a nearby stall selling tanghulu.

“Little Ye, want some tanghulu tonight?”

Ye Ningyu shook her head quickly, her voice a bit flustered. “No… don’t waste money, Xia Tian. I haven’t even paid you for the hand warmer yet.”

“I told you I found that hand warmer. Why would I need money for it?”

There was no way Xia Tian would take money from Little Ye.

However… if she wanted to exchange it for a face pinch, he wouldn’t mind at all.

Just as they were about to turn into the alley, their way was suddenly blocked by Qiao Shaoxuan.

“Xia Tian, I heard you made Xu Yuan cry last night with your ghost stories. If you’re a real man, you’ll apologize to her right now! Otherwise, don’t blame me for what comes next!”