Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 18

Ultraman Tiga…

Xu Yuan stood there, dumbfounded, unable to comprehend Xia Tian’s sudden response.

A few seconds passed.

When she saw the playful smirk on Xia Tian’s face, Xu Yuan finally realized what was happening.

He wasn’t warming up to her—he was making fun of her!

“Pfft!”

“Hahaha! Oh man, Little Tian, you’re the best!” Fang Yu couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

His laughter was loud and jarring.

Xu Yuan’s face turned bright red with a mix of anger and embarrassment, her chest heaving with frustration.

She stomped her foot and shouted, “Xia Tian, what do you mean by this? Are you making fun of me?”

Xia Tian shrugged casually. “Yeah, isn’t that obvious? But don’t worry, I’ll be more direct next time. No guessing required—I’ll just tell you straight up that I’m making fun of you.”

“You…! I was kindly offering to help you study, and this is how you treat me?”

“Whether or not you were really going to help me study… you know that better than anyone. Besides, my deskmate is literally the top student in the entire school. Why would I need you to tutor me? Do I look stupid?”

At those words, tears began to well up in Xu Yuan’s eyes.

“Fine! Remember what you said! Starting now, I’ll never talk to you again!”

Xia Tian gasped dramatically.

“Wow, really? What a blessing! You better keep your word!”

“You absolutely have to remember your promise!”

With that, he casually walked past Xu Yuan with Fang Yu, leaving the teaching building.

His laughter echoed through the stairwell.

“Haha! Wow, I didn’t expect to get such a great deal—this is awesome!”

—

Xu Yuan watched Xia Tian’s retreating figure, tears streaming down her cheeks, no longer able to hold them back.

Never in her life had someone rejected her so harshly.

And it was Xia Tian—the very boy who used to chase after her all the time!

How could he have changed so much?

At that moment, Qiao Shaoxuan happened to walk out of the classroom and saw Xu Yuan standing there with tears in her eyes.

As the resident Number One Simp, Qiao Shaoxuan panicked and quickly rushed over with a tissue.

“Xu Yuan, what happened? Who made you cry? I swear I’ll teach them a lesson!”

Xu Yuan shook her head slightly.

With teary eyes, she glanced in Qiao Shaoxuan’s direction, then looked toward the spot where Xia Tian had disappeared.

Biting her lip in frustration, she said, “Qiao Shaoxuan, come with me to the city library tomorrow afternoon.”

Qiao Shaoxuan couldn’t believe his ears.

His goddess was inviting him?

Was happiness really coming this suddenly?

“What? Go to the library with you?”

“Yes, you heard me.”

“Great! I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat or drink on the way! Oh, and someone gave my dad a box of imported chocolates yesterday. I’ll bring them for you to try!”

Qiao Shaoxuan practically wagged his tail like a puppy, his eyes shining with excitement.

He thought his confrontation with Xia Tian last night had worked wonders.

And to top it off, bumping into Xu Yuan right outside the classroom door? That had to be fate!

Clearly, she had been waiting just to tell him about tomorrow’s library plans.

Qiao Shaoxuan was over the moon.

Turns out, smiling through adversity really does bring good fortune!

—

“Little Tian, that was absolutely priceless! You nailed it—silent flexing is the deadliest kind!”

“Seeing Xu Yuan’s dumbfounded expression just now was the most satisfying thing ever! She’s spent all this time enjoying your attention while stringing you along. Watching her face fall like that was pure justice!”

Outside the school, Fang Yu was still laughing, having not forgotten Xu Yuan’s baffled and disoriented reaction.

He had initially been worried that Xia Tian might fall for her tactics again and revert to his old, pitiful ways.

But Xia Tian had completely turned the tables, mocking Xu Yuan in the process.

It was glorious!

Xia Tian smiled calmly. “Those days are behind me now. She can string along whoever she wants, but it won’t be me anymore.”

“She can never have me—Dad is the man she will never get.”

Fang Yu gave a thumbs-up.

He now fully believed that Xia Tian was truly over Xu Yuan.

After all, in the past, even if Xia Tian had been given a hundred chances, he would never have dared treat Xu Yuan like that.

“But what did you mean earlier when you said Xu Yuan isn’t ‘that kind of person’? For a second, I thought you were about to let her fool you again.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. What I meant was that Xu Yuan isn’t qualified to test me. The only ones who can test me are the Party and the nation. Xu Yuan doesn’t have that right.”

There’s a saying: When does a man become most attractive to a woman?

The wise answer: When he no longer loves her.

Right now, Xia Tian was drawing more attention from Xu Yuan than ever before.

“Wise words from the ancestors—they never fail!”

—

At 7 p.m., Xia Tian and Fang Yu rode their bicycles to the largest food market in Bei’an.

Fang Yu looked around, confused.

“Little Tian, didn’t you say we were going to make some extra cash? Why are we at the food market?”

“Patience, my friend. To make money, we need to prepare first. By about 7:30, this market will be empty of customers. Plus, by this time of day, the fruits and vegetables left over are the ones that aren’t so fresh anymore—after being picked over all day by customers.”

“At this point, the vendors just want to sell off whatever’s left so they can go home. They’ll lower the prices to rock bottom.”

Fang Yu nodded, half-understanding. “So… what exactly are we going to do?”

Xia Tian parked his bike outside the market, his eyes gleaming.

“We’re going to buy the least appealing but cheapest fruits—apples, bananas, pears, things like that.”

“If we can get dragon fruit, pineapples, or strawberries at a good price, even better.”

Now Fang Yu was even more confused. “Are we going to make fruit pies or something? If we don’t sell them quickly, won’t they just rot before we make any money?”

“Of course not. We’re not making fruit pies, and I definitely won’t be losing money on this. Just focus on getting the fruits first. I’ll explain later.”

Seeing Xia Tian’s serious expression, Fang Yu decided not to ask any more questions.

True friendship is: when your bro randomly messages you in the middle of the night asking to go mountain climbing, you call him crazy but still ask what poses you should strike for pictures at the summit.

Xia Tian and Fang Yu each had 50 yuan in their pockets.

They scoured the market for the best deals on fruit, never settling on the first option they saw.

They’d ask around several stalls, comparing prices, until they found the cheapest ones.

After about thirty minutes,

Both of them were carrying two large bags full of fruit, smiling at their success.

“Okay, we’ve bought everything. What’s next?” Fang Yu asked.

“Next, we need to get 200 disposable plastic containers… um, do you have any money left?”

Fang Yu emptied his pockets, showing his last 20 yuan, his face full of despair.

“If we don’t make money tomorrow, I swear I’ll kill you…”

“Don’t worry. If we don’t make any money, I’ll give you my prized collection of Aoi Sora videos.”

“Thank you, godfather! Here’s your 20 yuan.”

—

Xia Tian took the money without hesitation and went to buy 200 plastic containers from a nearby supermarket.

Afterward, the two headed back home.

With all the materials gathered, Fang Yu—still clueless about the plan—was dragged to Xia Tian’s house.

The two of them spent the next three or four hours washing all the fruit, cutting it into pieces, and neatly placing them into the plastic containers, creating simple fruit platters.

“So, we’re not making fruit pies. We’re selling fruit platters, right?” Fang Yu asked, looking at the countless fruit platters spread out all over the house.

He was on the verge of tears, feeling like his 70 yuan had been thrown down the drain.

But Xia Tian, full of confidence, grinned.

“Why are you crying? Yes, we’re selling fruit platters, but we’re not doing it the regular way.”

“Just wait—tomorrow, we’ll be swimming in cash.”