Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 33

After sending that message, Xia Tian originally wanted to add one more line: “But even if it scans, it’ll still say ‘I miss you.’”

However, considering he had only just started chatting with Little Ye, he figured it wasn’t quite the right time to escalate things so quickly, so he deleted the extra sentence.

Little Ye didn’t reply for several minutes. Xia Tian couldn’t help but grin with a silly auntie-like smile, his face practically glowing with amusement.

She must be blushing like a fully ripened apple right about now.

Cheesy lines may be a bit old-fashioned, but they fit perfectly in this time period.

Five minutes later, Ye Ningyu finally responded.

“Goodnight, Xia Tian! See you tomorrow!”

“Now that’s the right spirit. Goodnight, Little Ye~”

Xia Tian chuckled to himself, then closed QQ. After scrolling through a few ads on his phone, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.

“Sigh… There’s no Douyin in this day and age. Not being able to scroll through short videos before bed just feels incomplete.”

—

At Ye Ningyu’s home.

She was hiding under her blanket, her cheeks flushed red.

After calming down, she clumsily fumbled through the QQ app, trying to figure out how to set a contact nickname.

After a bit of searching, she finally found the option.

With a few taps, she labeled Xia Tian with a fitting nickname.

“Big Trickster!”

—

The next day, the weather was bright and sunny.

Xia Tian grabbed some breakfast and leisurely made his way to school.

Along the way, several girls greeted him, but Xia Tian ignored them all.

“Morning, Little Ye.”

“Good morning, Xia Tian… The seating and exam room assignments for tomorrow’s mock exam were posted. Did you see them when you came in?”

“Huh? Really?”

Xia Tian scratched his head, looking confused.

On his way here, he’d been so focused on acting cool that he hadn’t noticed.

Seeing this, Ye Ningyu quietly pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him.

“I-I copied it down for you earlier. It has your exam room, seat number, and exam number…”

Xia Tian looked at Little Ye, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart.

He could imagine it now—

Little Ye, who naturally disliked crowded places, must have squeezed through the throngs of students, going from one chalkboard to the next, searching carefully for his name.

Then, she had quietly jotted down all the information for him.

“Thanks. But next time, don’t push yourself to do things like this for me.”

“N-No, it wasn’t any trouble…”

Feeling the intensity of Xia Tian’s gaze, Little Ye quickly hid her face in her collar, her ears turning red.

Xia Tian couldn’t help but smile, a soft feeling bubbling up inside him.

“Alright, alright. I get it, it wasn’t any trouble. Now hurry up and eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

“O-Okay… Um, have you already eaten?”

“Yeah, I have.”

While Ye Ningyu quietly nibbled on her breakfast, Xia Tian stood up and stretched.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Xu Yuan’s usual seat was surprisingly empty.

Considering she normally arrived early, Xia Tian was a bit puzzled for a second, but he quickly brushed it off and went back to examining his own desk.

In his previous life, during high school, he hadn’t realized it, but now that he thought about it after going through university…

He and Little Ye had been sitting in the prime spot all along.

Second-to-last row by the window—the king’s throne from every manga!

—

Just before morning self-study began, Xu Yuan rushed into the classroom, backpack slung over her shoulder. She made a beeline for Xia Tian’s desk and handed him a small plastic bag.

“Xia Tian, I bought you breakfast today. It’s still warm, so you should eat it before it gets cold!”

Xia Tian: ?

He stared at Xu Yuan, clearly caught off guard.

His expression was strange as he looked her up and down.

“Did someone possess you? Or did the sun rise in the west today? You’re giving me breakfast?”

“What are you talking about?! Don’t overthink it—just eat it! It’s the first time I’ve ever bought breakfast for a guy!”

Xu Yuan raised her chin slightly, still carrying that air of superiority she was used to flaunting around Xia Tian.

But seeing her acting all high and mighty, Xia Tian wasn’t having any of it.

His expression turned cold, and he didn’t even reach out to take the bag.

“I’m not eating it.”

Xu Yuan froze. “Why? I bought it especially for you!”

“Afraid you poisoned it.”

“…..”

Xu Yuan hadn’t expected Xia Tian to reject her breakfast so bluntly, especially with such a ridiculous reason.

But she knew that now wasn’t the time to get upset.

She had come here today to give Xia Tian a way out!

“Xia Tian, I really didn’t poison it. I know you’re mad at me right now, but I wouldn’t go so far as to try to kill you…”

“That’s true,” Xia Tian nodded, realizing he might’ve been exaggerating a little.

Seeing him agree, a small smile crept onto Xu Yuan’s face.

“I know you don’t usually eat breakfast, but since I bought it for you this time, you should at least have a bite. I’ll leave it on your desk—make sure to eat it while it’s still warm.”

With that, she turned and walked back to her seat, her ponytail swinging as she went, clearly in a good mood.

But Xia Tian only glanced at the plastic bag on his desk, feeling no particular emotions.

After the start of morning self-study, Xia Tian didn’t touch the bag. Instead, he pulled out his science practice problems and started working on them.

Throughout the morning, Ye Ningyu kept sneaking glances at Xia Tian, noticing how his brow alternated between furrowing and relaxing, his entire mood seeming a bit colder.

When Xu Yuan had talked to Xia Tian earlier, a wave of insecurity had washed over Ye Ningyu, making her feel deeply inferior. She hadn’t dared to make a sound.

But during their conversation, she had picked up on something important.

Xia Tian didn’t have a habit of eating breakfast!

But… but Xia Tian always told her he had already eaten when he brought her breakfast.

“Could it be that Xia Tian hasn’t been eating at all? Was he only saying that to make me feel better?”

Thinking this, Ye Ningyu cautiously reached over and gently poked Xia Tian’s arm.

“X-Xia Tian… aren’t you going to eat the breakfast the class monitor brought you? It’s getting cold…”

“I’m not eating it. It’s poisoned.”

“Then… I could try it first, and if it’s not poisoned, maybe you could have a little? You shouldn’t go hungry…”

Xia Tian turned to her, finding her concern amusing.

“You’re going to try it for me?”

“Mm… I don’t want you to go hungry.”

“Haven’t I told you already? I’ve eaten. Don’t listen to Xu Yuan. She doesn’t know me at all.”

Seeing Little Ye’s innocent expression, Xia Tian had the sudden urge to grab her cheeks and squish them.

She was too cute!

Too much fun to tease…

“But really? I… I don’t want you skipping breakfast just to buy me food.”

“You’re so silly. I made a ton of money this weekend—why wouldn’t I treat myself to breakfast? Besides, since you refused to take your share of the profit, I’ve got even more to spend on food for myself, haha!”

Only then did Little Ye relax, nodding with a soft smile as she lowered her head again.

Xia Tian chuckled to himself.

It was true that he hadn’t developed a habit of eating breakfast, but that was because, back when he was saving up money for Xu Yuan’s gifts, he had been skipping breakfast to cut costs.

Back then, he’d spent every morning in class starving like a dog.

But now…

Who cares about Xu Yuan?

There’s no way I’m saving up to buy you anything now!

—

The day passed quickly, and soon it was time for the last class of the afternoon.

After spending the entire day solving practice problems, Xia Tian’s brain felt like it was about to explode.

For the last class, he decided to take it easy and rest his head on his desk to clear his mind.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He leaned over and gently poked Ye Ningyu’s leg under the desk.

The unexpected touch sent a shiver through Ye Ningyu, causing her to let out a soft, flustered squeak.

“Xia Tian… that tickles…”

“Hehe. What do you want to eat tonight?” Xia Tian asked mischievously.

“I-I’ll just eat at the school cafeteria… steamed buns, porridge, and pickled vegetables.”

“That’s so boring. Since the mock exams are tomorrow, let’s go out and eat something nice.”

Ye Ningyu hesitated for a moment.

But then she remembered the money her mom had given her yesterday. She had originally planned to buy Xia Tian a small gift, but she hadn’t decided what to get him yet.

Plus, Xia Tian had given her 100 yuan from selling the fruit platters, so now she had 150 yuan on her.

Maybe she could treat Xia Tian to a meal today?

With that thought, Ye Ningyu nodded timidly. “Okay… but can I treat you this time?”

“Sure, you treat then.”

Xia Tian smiled. He knew exactly what was going through her mind.

And rather than disappoint her, he decided to go along with it.

Once they got to the restaurant, he’d figure out some way to trick her into letting him pay. This silly girl was just too easy to fool.

“Riiing~”

As the school bell rang, Xia Tian packed up his things and headed outside with Little Ye.

Just before leaving, he grabbed the breakfast Xu Yuan had given him and tossed it over to his classmate.

“Ma Dongguai, this milk and bread are yours.”

Ma Dongguai’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really, godfather?”

—

Between 5:50 and 7:20 p.m., students were allowed to leave campus for dinner.

This meant that the area outside the school gates was filled with street vendors selling all kinds of snacks, and many students would grab food there.

Of course, some students would skip dinner altogether and sprint across the street to the nearby internet café, racing against the clock to squeeze in a game of LoL or CrossFire’s Biohazard Hotel mode.

As Xia Tian stepped out of the school gates, he watched the scene unfold with a wave of nostalgia.

Back in the day, he and Fang Yu had been regulars at those LAN parties.

At that moment, Ye Ningyu tugged gently on Xia Tian’s sleeve.

“Xia Tian… what do you want to eat?”

Xia Tian snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at Little Ye, only to be totally captivated by what he saw.

The setting sun bathed her face in a golden light, highlighting her youthful glow. She looked absolutely stunning, full of that innocent, high school charm.

With a playful smirk, Xia Tian leaned in slightly and said,

“Let’s eat some lemon-flavored Little Ye.”