Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 23

As they were finishing their meal, Xia Tian excused himself to “go to the bathroom,” but in reality, he sneaked over to the front desk to pay the bill.

He knew that if he brought Ye Ningyu with him to settle the bill, she would definitely feel bad about it.

When they left the hotpot restaurant, it was almost 7 p.m.

Xia Tian hopped on his bike with Little Ye sitting on the back, and they headed toward Qingshui Park.

“Xia Tian, are we going to the park now?” Ye Ningyu asked softly.

“Yes, Fang Yu is already waiting for us there.”

“O-Okay.”

Ye Ningyu nodded obediently. She was willing to go anywhere as long as it was with Xia Tian.

In truth, Xia Tian didn’t bring Ye Ningyu along because they needed an extra pair of hands.

Rather, he wanted to start helping her build confidence and develop her personality.

Someone like her, who was shy and quiet, would end up being taken advantage of in many situations.

Xia Tian couldn’t always be by her side to protect her.

So, instead of just giving her the fish, he wanted to teach her how to fish.

Only if Ye Ningyu could overcome her timid nature would Xia Tian truly feel reassured.

When they arrived at Qingshui Park, Fang Yu was already waiting, sitting on top of a tricycle loaded with supplies. From afar, he waved his hands excitedly.

“Little Tian! Little Ye! Over here!”

When the two of them reached Fang Yu, they saw that the tricycle was packed full of fruit platters—at least 500 by the looks of it.

Fang Yu greeted Ye Ningyu with a grin.

“Hello, Little Ye!”

“H-Hello…” Ye Ningyu responded shyly. She didn’t like interacting with strangers, but since Fang Yu was Xia Tian’s best friend, she mustered the courage to lift her head and reply.

But as soon as Ye Ningyu lifted her head, Fang Yu caught a glimpse of her face, and he froze in shock.

At school, Ye Ningyu always buried her face in her collar, so almost no one, aside from Xia Tian and a few teachers, knew what she actually looked like.

This was the first time Fang Yu had ever seen her up close.

And with just one glance, he was completely dumbfounded.

Whoa!

Was Ye Ningyu always this beautiful?!

Her clear, bright, almond-shaped eyes, framed by long, fluttering lashes, were mesmerizing. Her fair skin had a natural pink blush, and her slender legs and full chest made her figure stand out—even the school belle, Xu Yuan, would struggle to compete!

It hit Fang Yu like a ton of bricks.

Xu Yuan wasn’t the real school belle—Ye Ningyu was the true queen of the school!

“No wonder Little Tian stopped chasing after Xu Yuan. With a hidden gem like Ye Ningyu by his side, who would even care about Xu Yuan?” Fang Yu thought to himself, sighing in awe.

Why couldn’t he find a treasure like this?

Xia Tian kicked Fang Yu in the shin. “Stop staring! She’s my desk—my deskmate! Keep gawking, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

“Uh… haha, sorry! Little Ye is just too pretty, I couldn’t help it,” Fang Yu laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“Anyway, Little Tian, just like you said, I rented this tricycle, and we’ve got 650 fruit platters loaded up here. Should we go to our old spot?”

“No, we’re going to the man-made lake in the park. That’s where most people will be in the evening.”

Xia Tian waved his hand dismissively.

He was already very familiar with the flow of people in Qingshui Park.

In his previous life, his company had a project based here, so he knew the layout of the park like the back of his hand.

At this point, Ye Ningyu gently tugged at his sleeve and quietly asked,

“Xia Tian, are the three of us… selling fruit platters?”

She was feeling nervous.

Were they really going to sell items in the park?

If that was what they were doing, there’d definitely be a lot of people around.

Although she genuinely wanted to help Xia Tian, the thought of being surrounded by so many people made her anxious. She worried she’d get flustered and end up being more of a burden than a help.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.

“I-I don’t think I’ll be much help. I’m clumsy, and I’ll probably mess things up. Maybe… maybe I should just go home…”

But Xia Tian gently patted her on the head, smiling warmly as he reassured her.

“Don’t be nervous. Stop doubting yourself—you’re not clumsy. Besides, you’re the top student in the entire school! If you’re clumsy, then what does that make everyone else at school? A bunch of idiots?”

“You don’t need to do anything complicated. Just stand there and collect the money. It’s super easy.”

As soon as Xia Tian patted her head, Little Ye instinctively took a step back, her face flushing bright red, like a ripened apple.

Had Xia Tian lost his mind?

They were in a crowded park!

And his best friend, Fang Yu, was standing right there, yet Xia Tian had casually ruffled her hair?

Wasn’t he worried Fang Yu would misunderstand their relationship?

However, Fang Yu seemed to be completely oblivious. He tactfully turned his back, pretending not to notice.

Ye Ningyu finally let out a small sigh of relief. “O-Okay, I’ll stay.”

Xia Tian grinned.

“That’s more like it. When we make money later, you’ll get a share too.”

“N-No need! I don’t want any money… As long as I can help, that’s enough.”

Little Ye shook her head vigorously like a bobblehead.

Xia Tian couldn’t stop smiling.

She was just too cute!

She didn’t even want the money—how easy she’d be to take care of in the future.

He was definitely going to keep her by his side.

—

The three of them set up their stand next to the man-made lake in Qingshui Park.

The area was full of elderly folks taking evening walks and couples holding hands, enjoying their dates.

Qingshui Park was situated next to a shopping mall and across from the city library, so the foot traffic was always heavy.

Most people coming from the mall or library would stroll through the park, either to walk off their meals or to relax after a long day of studying.

“Fang Yu, you’ll be in charge of handing out the fruit platters. Little Ye, you’ll handle the money. As for me, I’ll be rolling the dice.”

“Roger that!”

“O-Okay.”

Little Ye’s soft reply was incredibly adorable.

With their roles set, the trio set up the chalkboard.

It didn’t take long for their first customer to arrive.

“Hey, kiddo! Finally! I’ve been looking all over the park for you guys!”

“Huh? This time you brought a pretty little girl along… Alright, Little Missy, take my money!”

After paying, the man rolled up his sleeves and eagerly started playing dice with Xia Tian.

Four rounds later, Xia Tian won them all.

With tears in his eyes, the man walked away with four fruit platters.

Ye Ningyu blinked in disbelief as she watched Xia Tian.

“Is it… really that easy to sell four fruit platters? Xia Tian is amazing!”

She thought to herself, quickly realizing that Xia Tian was using a special dice technique.

The only other time she had seen this kind of skill was when her father used to gamble…

Soon after, a few passersby noticed the word “free” written on the chalkboard and couldn’t resist checking it out.

“Kid, is what you wrote on the board true? If I win the dice game, I get a free fruit platter?”

“Yes, grandpa. You can play as many times as you want.”

Xia Tian smiled as he responded.

The group each lined up to pay and began playing dice with Xia Tian.

Out of every ten rounds, Xia Tian would intentionally lose one or two.

The goal was to have the winners cheer loudly, drawing more attention from other park-goers.

In less than ten minutes, a crowd had gathered around the stand, with dozens of people now lined up in front of Ye Ningyu.

“Little Missy, take my money first!”

“Little Missy, don’t listen to him! I was here first—take mine!”

Ye Ningyu had never been in such a chaotic situation before, and her face turned pale with fear.

Her first instinct was to run away from the crowd.

But as she tried to back out, she bumped into something.

When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Xia Tian’s gentle yet encouraging gaze.

He mouthed the words, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

In that instant, it was as if a weight had been lifted from Ye Ningyu’s heart. The fear she felt began to fade.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back around.

This time, there was a new determination in her eyes, something she hadn’t shown before.

Gathering her courage, she spoke softly but firmly to the crowd.

“E-Everyone… please don’t push. Just line up, and there will be plenty of fruit platters for all of you…”

Xia Tian, watching this unfold from the side, finally let out a satisfied smile.

Little Ye had taken her first step.

She was getting closer to the goal he had set for her.

—

“Little Yuan, how was the lobster earlier? Are you thirsty now? Let’s grab some bubble tea,” Qiao Shaoxuan suggested as he carried bags of shopping, trailing behind Xu Yuan and Chen Jiayi.

They had spent the afternoon at the library.

But after sitting there for only ten minutes, Xu Yuan had said she wanted to go home.

Having worked so hard to get his goddess to spend time with him, Qiao Shaoxuan couldn’t bear the thought of parting ways so soon.

So, he immediately offered to take both Xu Yuan and Chen Jiayi shopping at the nearby mall instead.

After being their “walking ATM” all afternoon, Qiao Shaoxuan quietly called his father to ask for an advance on next month’s allowance.

Afterward, he took the two girls to a seafood restaurant for dinner.

However, throughout the entire day, Xu Yuan’s mood remained low.

“No thanks. Let’s just walk around Qingshui Park a bit, and then Jiayi and I will be heading home.”

“Okay, we’ll take a walk in the park. After that, I’ll call a car and take you both home.”

“Mm.”

Xu Yuan responded listlessly, barely acknowledging Qiao Shaoxuan.

For the entire day, her mind had been preoccupied with one question: why had Xia Tian suddenly changed?

He used to be so attentive and devoted to her, but now he seemed completely indifferent.

And worse—he kept deliberately making her angry.

“Is it because of Ye Ningyu? I’ve heard he’s walked her home twice now…”

“But that can’t be it. Aside from her good grades, Ye Ningyu doesn’t have anything else going for her. She always hides her face in her school uniform. If she were pretty, she’d be showing her face all the time, wouldn’t she?”

“Why? Why did Xia Tian stop chasing me?”

Xu Yuan’s thoughts spiraled as she tried to make sense of it all.

Watching her, Chen Jiayi sighed inwardly.

It seemed her best friend had truly developed feelings for Xia Tian.

Otherwise, why would she be so distracted all day?

A short while later, the three of them arrived at the man-made lake in Qingshui Park.

From a distance, they noticed a large crowd gathered around a stand, with bursts of laughter and exclamations coming from the group.

“Little Yuan, look at all those people over there! They must be selling something interesting. Let’s go check it out!”

Chen Jiayi grabbed Xu Yuan’s arm excitedly.

Xu Yuan didn’t seem particularly interested but gave a simple “Oh,” following Chen Jiayi as she headed toward the crowd.

Qiao Shaoxuan eagerly followed behind them.

But as they got closer, Xu Yuan began to hear a familiar voice.

“That… that sounds like Xia Tian?!”

Suddenly, Xu Yuan perked up, standing on her tiptoes to look over the crowd.

And there, in the middle of the group, standing tall and confident, was Xia Tian, throwing dice.

Her eyes widened in shock.

“It’s him! It’s really Xia Tian!”