Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 31

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

Xia Tian’s mouth formed an “O” as he looked at Ye Ningyu in surprise.

“Little Ye, are you being this forward now? With so many classmates in the room, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

Ye Ningyu: [ _ ]

Xia Tian froze.

Seeing the confused expression on Ye Ningyu’s face, he quickly realized that he had misheard her entirely.

An awkward feeling washed over him, and he wished he could dig a hole in the ground, build a Barbie Dreamhouse inside it, and hide there forever.

Cough, cough. “Thanks… You’re really thoughtful.”

Xia Tian hurriedly accepted the hand warmer, turning his head away to hide the deep blush spreading across his face.

Damn it, being hard of hearing really is a problem—I need to get that checked!

But Ye Ningyu’s face was also flushed with embarrassment after what she had said earlier.

“N-No problem!… Oh, right, Xia Tian,” she suddenly remembered something and pointed at his desk.

“There’s something in your desk compartment. Some younger students and kids from other classes put it in there before class.”

“Oh? What is it?” Xia Tian asked absentmindedly, casually rummaging through his bag. He didn’t seem particularly interested in whatever was in his desk.

Ye Ningyu bit her lip. “It’s… love letters.”

Xia Tian’s movements came to a sudden halt.

A smirk played across his lips as he lowered his gaze.

Reaching into the desk, he found five or six love letters and a few bars of Dove chocolate.

Seeing this, Xia Tian couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Ah, the classic high school confession package! Love letters and chocolate—what a nostalgic combo.

Still, his expression remained indifferent as he casually tossed the love letters into the trash bin.

Ye Ningyu, seeing him do this, panicked.

“Xia Tian, are you really throwing them all away? Isn’t that a little rude? These students wrote those letters seriously…”

Xia Tian shrugged. “So what? I don’t like them. It’s pointless for me to read them. Better to throw them away and let them know sooner rather than later that I’m not interested.”

“But…”

“But this chocolate tastes pretty good. Want a piece?”

“I-I’ll pass…”

“Come on, open up.”

“Mmph!”

When Xia Tian brought the chocolate right up to her mouth, Ye Ningyu couldn’t refuse. She hesitated for a moment before shyly biting into a piece.

Xia Tian smiled contentedly.

Today, I feed her chocolate. Tomorrow… I’ll feed her something even better…

“Alright, here’s your hand warmer back. My hands are warm now. You can also take the rest of this chocolate. I don’t care for it.”

“N-No, I can’t. These were gifts for you. I can’t take them.”

“You’re not allowed to refuse. Consider this your payment for tutoring me tonight. I have a few more questions about the material,” Xia Tian said, pulling out a few challenging problems that he hadn’t been able to figure out on his own at home.

Ye Ningyu pursed her lips.

Every time Xia Tian used that confident, authoritative tone, she wanted to argue back. But she wasn’t quick with words and could never outtalk someone as smooth-talking as Xia Tian.

“The mock exams are in two days. Whether I can score 100 on the science section is all up to you, Teacher Ye!”

Seeing Xia Tian’s sincere and determined expression, Ye Ningyu felt a sense of responsibility weighing on her. She nodded vigorously.

“Don’t worry, Xia Tian. I’ll make sure you understand these difficult problems!”

Watching her innocent and determined look, Xia Tian secretly laughed to himself.

How blind had he been in his previous life to not notice that such a treasure was right beside him?

Meanwhile, sitting in the front row, Xu Yuan had witnessed the entire interaction between Xia Tian and Ye Ningyu.

Her eyes glistened with tears.

“I never imagined that the quiet, invisible girl in class could look so pretty when she’s not wearing her school uniform… Jiayi, do you think Xia Tian really stopped liking me and has fallen for Ye Ningyu?”

Chen Jiayi stroked her chin, deep in thought, before launching into full “strategist mode,” carefully analyzing the situation for Xu Yuan.

“I think Xia Tian was purposely trying to provoke you when he said that stuff in the park yesterday.”

“W-Why would he do that? Why would he go out of his way to provoke me?”

“Let’s assume that Xia Tian was talking about you when he mentioned the girl he liked. But when he realized you hadn’t left and had overheard him, he didn’t want to admit it. You had brought Qiao Shaoxuan along, and seeing you with another guy, Xia Tian’s pride must have kicked in. In that situation, how could he possibly admit that he liked you?”

“He probably acted indifferent to save face. Plus, did you hear him actually say that he doesn’t like you?”

Xu Yuan blinked in surprise.

This was something she hadn’t considered before.

When she thought about it more deeply, Chen Jiayi’s explanation seemed to make perfect sense. Her reasoning was sound, and there were no apparent flaws in her logic.

“Could it be… Xia Tian’s cold attitude is just his wounded pride, and he’s unwilling to admit that he still likes me?”

Chen Jiayi nodded, her tone firm. “Exactly! Think about it, Little Yuan. If you liked Xia Tian but saw him out with another girl, you wouldn’t want to admit your feelings in front of her, would you?”

“Of course not! That would be so embarrassing!”

“Aha! So that’s the answer! The reason Xia Tian acted so cold toward you yesterday was because Qiao Shaoxuan was there!”

Even though Chen Jiayi’s analysis was persuasive and well-reasoned, Xu Yuan, after the events of the past few days, was no longer as confident.

Her expression was hesitant as she asked, “But if that’s the case, wouldn’t Xia Tian have come to explain things to me by now? Isn’t he worried that I might really be angry and refuse to talk to him again?”

Chen Jiayi shook her head knowingly, like an experienced older sister.

“You’re wrong, Little Yuan. Xia Tian isn’t going to come and explain things to you. Like I said, his pride is getting in the way, and for guys, their pride is incredibly important.”

“What you need to do is give him an opportunity, a way out, so he can come and explain himself. If you don’t handle this right, you two might end up stuck in a stalemate.”

“Before, you could afford to let things drag out, but now that Ye Ningyu is in the picture—and she even stepped in to help Xia Tian last night—Xia Tian is sure to thank her. And now that he’s realized how pretty Ye Ningyu is, if you don’t act fast, they might really end up together for real!”

Chen Jiayi’s “strategic analysis” had no holes in it.

Even if Xia Tian himself had heard it, he’d have to admit how convincing it sounded.

If it weren’t for the fact that Xia Tian didn’t have those thoughts, he might have been swayed himself…

As a result, Xu Yuan was left even more bewildered.

She kept glancing back at Xia Tian, her resolve strengthening with each look.

“No! I can’t let Ye Ningyu steal Xia Tian away. Even if I have to make the first move and sacrifice a little during this time, I won’t let it happen!”

“That’s the spirit, Little Yuan! You’ve got to stay strong… Besides, Ye Ningyu isn’t all that. Sure, her chest is bigger than yours, but so what?”

Chen Jiayi, pleased with how her “counseling” had cheered up Xu Yuan, smiled and began subtly badmouthing Ye Ningyu as a way to boost her friend’s confidence.

Xu Yuan scoffed, crossing her arms. “Hmph, you’re right. Sure, I didn’t expect Ye Ningyu to look that good, but she’s still a bit lacking compared to me.”

“And so what if her chest is bigger? Big boobs are such a hassle anyway!”

What Xu Yuan didn’t realize, being young and inexperienced, was that comparing herself to another girl meant she had already lost the upper hand.

And if Xia Tian had overheard her thoughts on breast size, he definitely would have let out a condescending laugh.

When did a flat chest dare to compete with a 36D?

—

Throughout the entire study session, Xia Tian sat next to Little Ye, going over science problems. He deliberately leaned in close, occasionally taking deep, exaggerated whiffs of her lovely scent.

It wasn’t until the bell rang for the end of class that Xia Tian finally let go of the blushing Ye Ningyu.

Stretching with satisfaction, he smiled to himself. Tonight had been quite productive!

“Teacher Ye’s explanations are always so clear. Makes everything easy to understand.”

“X-Xia Tian, you’re very smart too…”

Blushing, Little Ye looked down at her desk.

Xia Tian laughed, feeling particularly pleased.

Once Ye Ningyu finished packing up her things, Xia Tian walked with her toward the bike shed.

Neither of them noticed Xu Yuan quietly following them from behind.

As they walked, Xia Tian reached into his bag and pulled out the brand-new Xiaomi smartphone he had bought earlier that afternoon.

“Little Ye, this phone is for you. I’ve already installed the SIM card and topped it up with credit.”

“Ah!”

Ye Ningyu stopped in her tracks and looked up at Xia Tian, her face full of surprise and confusion.

Behind them, Xu Yuan also froze in place, her eyes widening in shock.

Her pupils constricted as they locked onto the phone in Xia Tian’s hand.

“That’s… the latest Xiaomi 2!”