Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 24

Over 600 boxes of fruit platters were quickly being sold, thanks to Xia Tian’s exceptional dice-rolling skills and clever tactics. Already, about a third of them were gone.

“Hey, kid, you seem pretty skilled at rolling dice. I’ve been watching you for a while, and it’s almost impossible for you to lose. Feels like you’re just scamming us,” a customer finally spoke up, suspecting Xia Tian of foul play.

Xia Tian, however, smiled and responded, “Brother, you can’t say it like that. Of course I’ve practiced—how else would I make a living? But I can’t control the numbers you roll, right?”

“If you roll fives and sixes every time, there’s no way I could beat you—even if I tried my best, at most, we’d tie. You’ve seen it yourself—I’m only rolling fours and fives; the problem is your rolls are just too low.”

“And besides, didn’t you see those older gentlemen winning two or three boxes earlier? Luck plays a big part here.”

With Xia Tian’s explanation, the crowd immediately supported him, jumping in to back him up.

“Exactly, the kid’s got a point. I won three boxes myself!”

“Hey, man, if you’ve got bad luck, don’t blame the kid for it. You can’t accuse him of cheating.”

“Dude, if you don’t want to play, step aside. I’m still waiting for my turn to win.”

“Even if the kid has a trick or two, these fruit platters are only five yuan each. At the supermarket, they’re eight or nine yuan. I’ve been eating fruit platters for years—I know what’s fake or not. This kid isn’t making much money at all!”

Hearing these words, the man who had complained turned beet red with embarrassment.

Frustrated and unable to respond, he was soon pushed aside by the crowd, left fuming and stomping in place. Trying to force his way back in was now impossible.

Xia Tian smirked inwardly.

The people who had defended him were mostly elderly men and women.

Xia Tian didn’t feel right about taking money from them, so whenever an older person played, he purposefully let them win.

However, after letting them win a couple of rounds, if they kept playing, he wouldn’t go easy on them anymore.

Most of these older folks knew when to stop, unlike the younger ones who might get carried away.

As a result, some people were able to “win” a few boxes for free, and they stayed around, enjoying the spectacle and supporting Xia Tian whenever someone questioned his game.

Xia Tian had perfected his understanding of human nature.

Manipulating their instincts, playing on their desires—it was all orchestrated flawlessly.

Ye Ningyu, standing beside him, observed everything quietly.

Though soft-spoken and shy, she wasn’t the top student in school for nothing.

She had already figured out Xia Tian’s strategy.

“Xia Tian is amazing… He can cover all the loopholes with different solutions.”

“And he manages all of this under the watchful eyes of so many people—if only I could be as brave as him.”

Her face lit up with admiration as she looked at Xia Tian.

At that moment, in her eyes, there was no one but him.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan, Chen Jiayi, and Qiao Shaoxuan, who had pushed their way through the crowd, finally understood what Xia Tian’s business was all about.

Xu Yuan’s eyes were filled with complex emotions as she watched the girl standing next to Xia Tian, collecting money non-stop.

They’re making *this* much money?

In just the few minutes she had been watching, Xia Tian’s group had already raked in two or three hundred yuan!

And more people were gathering, eagerly handing over their money to play the dice game.

“Little Yuan, Xia Tian is making a killing! If they sell all the fruit platters they brought, they’ll easily make over a thousand yuan in just one night! Unbelievable!” Chen Jiayi exclaimed, shaking Xu Yuan’s arm in excitement.

But Qiao Shaoxuan, standing beside them, scoffed dismissively. “Pfft, they’re not making that much. The cost of each box must be at least three or four yuan. At most, they’re making a yuan or so per box.”

“They’re wasting all this time for a profit that’s not even close to what I spent on dinner for you guys earlier!”

Qiao Shaoxuan puffed up his chest, feeling like he had finally found an opportunity to show off.

He was inwardly delighted.

Finally, a chance for me to flex and put Xia Tian in his place!

“Little Yuan, now you see the difference, right? Xia Tian is just a poor kid. All the money he spends on gifts for you comes from these side gigs he has to work on during the weekends.”

“But I was born into privilege. If I run out of money, I just ask my family for more—I don’t need to work part-time!”

Qiao Shaoxuan’s smugness was practically overflowing.

However, in the next second, Xu Yuan’s face turned cold, and she glared at him.

Her voice was icy.

“Xia Tian earns thousands of yuan in one night based on his own ability. What about you? Besides begging your family for money, what else can you do?”

“I…”

Qiao Shaoxuan was left speechless, staring at Xu Yuan in disbelief.

He had spent all day buying her things, and now she was mad at *him*?

At that moment, Chen Jiayi chimed in, trying to smooth things over. “Little Yuan, don’t be mad. Qiao Shaoxuan has a point—Xia Tian’s little hustle isn’t going to make him rich.”

“Besides, do you think all these people are here because of the fruit platters? It’s pretty obvious they’re here because of that pretty girl taking the money. That’s what they’re really paying for!”

Xu Yuan blinked in surprise, then glanced at the girl standing beside Xia Tian.

Suddenly, she felt like Chen Jiayi had a point.

After all, fruit platters are sold everywhere, so why were so many people flocking to Xia Tian’s stand?

It must be because of that pretty girl!

These people weren’t paying for the fruit; they were paying to get a closer look at her!

“That does make sense… But… Jiayi, don’t you think that girl looks kind of familiar?”

“Really? I don’t think so. But let’s not dwell on it. I’m betting Xia Tian hired her to attract customers. It’s gross that he’s already learning shady business practices at such a young age, using a pretty girl to draw in a crowd.”

Chen Jiayi was disgusted by what she perceived as Xia Tian using sex appeal to run his business.

But little did she know that one day, after entering the workforce, she would have to run face-first into countless obstacles and make endless sacrifices to learn what Xia Tian had already mastered at 18…

Standing nearby, Qiao Shaoxuan finally realized what was happening.

Xu Yuan wasn’t mad at him—she was mad at Xia Tian.

And he had just happened to walk into her line of fire, acting as her punching bag.

Qiao Shaoxuan nodded to himself, feeling confident in his deduction.

He grumbled inwardly, “It’s all Xia Tian’s fault! I got chewed out because of him!”

With that thought, he handed his bags to Chen Jiayi.

“Chen Jiayi, hold these for me. I’m going to teach Xia Tian a lesson.”

“So what if he’s good at rolling dice? When I was a kid, I used to go to banquets with my dad, and the guys there were way better than him. One of them even taught me some tricks!”

“Watch me win all his fruit platters in no time. I can’t stand show-offs!”

With a boastful tone, Qiao Shaoxuan pushed his way through the crowd to the front of the stand.

“Xia Tian, I’m here to play a few rounds with you. Let me show you what real dice-rolling looks like!”

Xia Tian heard the familiar barking and turned his head slightly.

He immediately spotted Qiao Shaoxuan pushing through the crowd, with Xu Yuan and Chen Jiayi standing behind him.

Xia Tian’s face remained expressionless. He glanced at them briefly before turning back to the customer in front of him, continuing with the dice game.

Xu Yuan, who had felt a pang of nervousness, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest when she realized that Xia Tian didn’t even care to acknowledge her presence.

Qiao Shaoxuan, meanwhile, was insulted by Xia Tian’s indifference. His voice grew louder as he called out again.

“What, you’re ignoring me? You must be scared that I’ll win all your fruit platters and ruin your business!”

“Xia Tian, you coward!”

But before Xia Tian could respond, someone from the crowd elbowed Qiao Shaoxuan aside.

“Who are you, man? If you want to play, get in line!”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with kids these days? Cutting in line like it’s no big deal.”

“So what if you’ve ‘practiced’? We had a guy earlier claiming to be a disciple of some gambling master, and he still lost four rounds in a row and paid 20 yuan! Who do you think you are?”

The customers who had been waiting in line were furious at Qiao Shaoxuan’s attempt to cut in, and they didn’t hold back their criticism.

Qiao Shaoxuan’s face turned bright red in embarrassment. Realizing that these were all adults much older than him, he didn’t dare to argue.

Not wanting to lose face in front of Xu Yuan, he tried to save himself by appealing to his “relationship” with Xia Tian.

“Xia Tian, we’re classmates, aren’t we? Can’t you let me go first? I’ll even pay double—or triple!”

Xia Tian barely lifted his eyes, replying coldly, “Who are you? Stop acting like we’re close.”

“If you want to play, get in line and pay up. If not, don’t block the way. I don’t care if you’re a classmate, or even if the king himself shows up—everyone waits their turn.”

Then, with a dismissive nod, Xia Tian turned back to his current customer, his cold expression shifting back to a warm smile.

“Alright, big brother, let’s continue.”

Fang Yu, standing nearby, couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Qiao Shaoxuan was in his class, and the guy always flaunted his wealth, showing off every chance he got.

And now, here he was, completely humiliated by Xia Tian in front of everyone.

He was nothing!

Qiao Shaoxuan opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the crowd pushed him aside, leaving him standing there in a daze.

He turned to Xu Yuan, clearly embarrassed, and muttered, “Little Yuan… let’s just get in line. Cutting in was kind of rude…”

Xu Yuan’s face was stormy.

She had been standing right next to Qiao Shaoxuan, expecting to watch him put Xia Tian in his place.

But instead, Qiao Shaoxuan had been humiliated right away.

Now, she had lost face in front of Xia Tian!

“Hmph!”

Xu Yuan crossed her arms and refused to even look at Qiao Shaoxuan.

Feeling awkward, Qiao Shaoxuan rubbed his nose and reluctantly got in line.

But deep down, anger was brewing inside him.

“Xia Tian, just you wait!”

“When it’s my turn, I’m going to destroy your little business! You’re trash at this dice game, and once I win all your fruit platters, let’s see how you’ll show your face in front of Little Yuan!”