Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 30

As Xia Tian watched Ye Ningyu disappear into her home, the smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

“Gambling? This is the first time I’ve heard Little Ye mention that word. Looks like there’s more to her story that I don’t know yet.”

“Maybe it’s connected to the real reason she transferred schools.”

Xia Tian recalled the time he had asked her why she transferred schools. But back then, she had only responded with silence.

Now, it was starting to make sense—her sudden question about gambling, her family situation, and her transfer all seemed intertwined.

With that realization, Xia Tian decided he’d find a way to uncover the truth sooner or later.

Once he saw the light in her room turn on, Xia Tian hopped on his bike and rode away.

—

Meanwhile, Ye Ningyu was lying in bed, her entire face buried in her pillow.

She tossed and turned, unable to hide the grin that kept slipping through.

After a while, she sat up, reaching for a diary she kept hidden under her pillow—a diary filled with entries all about Xia Tian.

March 4, 2013, Clear skies!

Today, Xia Tian treated me to hotpot. It’s my first time having hotpot since I moved to Bei’an with Mom.

Xia Tian seems so different from before. He even held onto my arm! (°w°)

Xia Tian said: “No. I never have, and I never will.”

He also said: “The moon is bright, so it must be useful.”

Because Xia Tian’s path had changed after his rebirth, Ye Ningyu’s diary had also quietly shifted along with it.

—

At Bar Street.

By 10:30 p.m., Xia Tian and Fang Yu met up again.

“Little Tian, you’re finally here!”

“I’ve got everything you asked for—this cart has 500 yuan worth of fruit platters. The rest of the fruit, another 500 yuan worth, is still being cut by the restaurant owner. He’ll bring it over shortly.”

Fang Yu was drenched in sweat, having been running around non-stop ever since he left Qingshui Park.

Xia Tian clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for all your hard work, Fang Yu. But later, you’ll be counting so much money your hands will cramp.”

“It’s no big deal… I took a walk around earlier and noticed that the whole street is lined with bars. After thinking about it some more, I think I understand why you brought us here. You want to set up our stand right outside the bars and target the people coming out, right?”

Xia Tian wasn’t surprised that Fang Yu figured it out.

With Xia Tian’s earlier hints, plus Fang Yu’s sharp mind, he was able to connect the dots. He realized that Xia Tian wanted to capitalize on the psychology of people coming out of the bars after drinking.

“Exactly. These people are tipsy and have lowered inhibitions. With a little bit of persuasion, one of them can spend as much as ten people at a park.”

As Xia Tian spoke, he scouted for a good location to set up their stand.

Once they found a spot, the two began setting up, waiting for their first customer.

During this time, Fang Yu couldn’t help but voice the question that had been nagging at him.

“Little Tian, do we really need to work this hard? We’ve been at it since this afternoon. Bar Street will still be here tomorrow. We could just come back. Even if we don’t have time at night, we could still go back to the park during the day and make some easy money. It wouldn’t be as fast, but it would still be steady.”

Xia Tian shook his head. “You’re falling into a mental trap. Our method of making money is a one-time deal, and it’s too easy to copy.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing in focus.

“After we set up tonight, if any savvy people notice how easy it is to make money, by tomorrow, they’ll have already copied our method. They’ll take over the parks, and those with a bit of brains will come to Bar Street as well. By then, there will be stands like ours everywhere, and the novelty will wear off. The business will dry up.”

“So, we have to use this window of opportunity, before anyone else catches on, to make as much money as we can.”

Fang Yu was left speechless by his explanation.

He had thought he’d caught up to Xia Tian’s thinking once he understood the Bar Street strategy.

But now he realized…

Xia Tian had already planned out the entire road map when he took the first step.

Seeing this, Fang Yu’s emotions were in turmoil. He turned to look at Xia Tian.

It was the same familiar face, but now he felt like he hardly recognized him.

“Little Tian, it’s like the moment you stopped liking Xu Yuan, you broke free from some kind of seal. You’re freaking amazing!”

“Shh, keep it low-key. There are people around,” Xia Tian chuckled.

Just then, a group of people stumbled out of a nearby bar, walking unsteadily toward them.

Xia Tian kicked Fang Yu and straightened his face.

“Alright, son. It’s showtime. Get ready to collect the money!”

“Yes, godfather!”

—

The next day, at noon.

Xia Tian’s blanket was yanked off him by Chen Meijuan.

She immediately grabbed his ear, twisting it slightly.

“You little brat! It’s already noon, and you’re still sleeping? Get up and eat! If you come home that late again, I’ll break your legs!”

“Aw, Mom! Just let me sleep a little longer… I’m exhausted…”

“Three… two…”

The moment Xia Tian heard his mom start counting, he shot out of bed like a rocket.

In just a few seconds, he was dressed and heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Ever since he was a child, Xia Tian had always feared his mom’s countdown.

If she ever made it to ‘one,’ it meant a serious butt-whupping was on the way.

As he sat down for lunch, Chen Meijuan glared at him from across the table, clearly still not over her anger.

“I was so happy to see you studying for once, but then you go and come home at two in the morning! Xia Tian, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I was busy with important stuff last night, and I didn’t fall behind on my studies…”

Xia Tian muttered under his breath, but his mom shot him a withering look.

Under the table, Xia Zhengguo kicked his son’s leg, signaling for him to keep quiet.

“Hmph! The mock exams are next Tuesday. If you end up at the bottom of your class again, don’t even bother coming home!”

Chen Meijuan slammed her fist on the table, clearly displeased.

But Xia Tian just smiled. “Don’t worry, Mom. This time, I definitely won’t be at the bottom. I’ll probably even make it to the top 15.”

Hearing this, Chen Meijuan and Xia Zhengguo both ignored him.

They knew their son’s academic abilities all too well.

Top 15? What a joke…

However, Xia Zhengguo couldn’t help but offer some fatherly advice.

“Little Tian, it’s great that you’ve started studying, but improvements take time. You can’t expect to succeed by cramming last minute.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad.”

Satisfied with that response, Xia Zhengguo went back to his meal.

After lunch, Xia Tian spent some time reading, then packed his schoolbag and headed out.

By 6 p.m. on Sundays, they had to be back at school for evening self-study.

Last night, he and Fang Yu had worked at Bar Street until after 1 a.m.

They had sold 600 yuan worth of fruit platters, and the remaining 400 yuan’s worth of fruit was sold to a nearby bar at half price.

In total, after subtracting all the costs, they had made a clean profit of exactly 5,000 yuan in one day.

Xia Tian had wanted to split the money evenly, but Fang Yu insisted on taking only 1,500.

In the end, Xia Tian begrudgingly pocketed 4,500 yuan.

His first bucket of gold since his rebirth had finally landed in his hands.

“Tsk, I was originally aiming for just 2,000 yuan. This is beyond my expectations.”

“Perfect. I’ll use the extra money to buy Little Ye a phone. It’ll make it easier to stay in touch with her.”

Smiling to himself, Xia Tian hopped on his bike and headed to the phone store.

In the end, he spent 2,000 yuan on the latest Xiaomi model for Little Ye and 1,000 yuan on a secondhand phone for himself.

The secondhand phone was enough for him.

But Little Ye? She deserved the best.

—

By the time Xia Tian arrived at school, the bell had just rung.

As he passed Xu Yuan’s desk, he noticed Chen Jiayi glaring at him like she wanted to kill him.

Before class, a bunch of girls from other classes, some even from lower grades, had come over to ask where Xia Tian’s seat was.

They had timidly stuffed love letters and small gifts into his desk.

Each time Xu Yuan saw them, her frustration grew, until she finally buried her face in her arms in defeat.

But over at her desk, Ye Ningyu had already quietly taken her seat and was diligently working on her homework.

Unlike the day before, Little Ye was back in her school uniform, with her beautiful face hidden inside her collar.

Xia Tian frowned. “Damn it! Who came up with school uniforms? Whoever it was, I swear I won’t beat you to death… but you’re definitely ruining my view of Little Ye!”

Ye Ningyu caught sight of Xia Tian, and immediately, memories of their evening together came flooding back.

Her face flushed red with embarrassment.

She bit her lip and pulled out the hand warmer she had prepared.

“X-Xia Tian, you must be cold from riding your bike. I just filled the hand warmer with hot water. Here, warm up…”

Since the wind had been strong while he was cycling, Xia Tian’s ears were still ringing a little. He misheard what she said.

“Huh?”

“Your embrace feels so soft… Let me stay and warm up?”