Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 38

“Yes, I saw it.”

Chen Lan’s words hit Ye Ningyu like a bomb, exploding in her mind and sending her into a panic. She had no idea how to explain her relationship with Xia Tian to her mother.

But just as she was scrambling for a response, Chen Lan spoke again, her tone still gentle.

“I caught a glimpse of your classmate’s back just now. I didn’t expect a girl to be that tall.”

“It’s not a bad thing for a girl to be tall. After all, you’re not short either, Little Yu. But your classmate is really tall, huh? Finding a boyfriend might be a bit challenging for her in the future!”

A… girl?

Finding a boyfriend?

Hearing this, Ye Ningyu secretly sighed in relief.

“So, Mom only saw Xia Tian’s back and thought he was a tall girl… That scared me to death!”

Little Ye patted her chest to calm herself.

She quickly played along with her mother’s misunderstanding. “Yeah, she is really tall… Alright, Mom, I’m feeling a bit tired now. Let me boil some water for you. Don’t forget to drink it before bed.”

“Okay, and remember, tomorrow’s a big exam day, so make sure you have a good breakfast. Don’t go to school hungry.”

“I will, Mom.”

Relieved, Ye Ningyu excused herself from her mother’s room with a lighter heart, patting her chest again.

Thank goodness Xia Tian went home early tonight and didn’t stay downstairs chatting with her for too long. Otherwise, her mom might have realized her “friend” wasn’t a girl after all!

With everything settled, Little Ye opened her phone and saw a message from “Big Trickster” sent just a minute ago.

“Little Ye, I’m home. What are you up to?”

“I was just talking with my mom. What about you, Xia Tian?”

Ye Ningyu assumed Xia Tian would take some time to reply, but to her surprise, he responded almost instantly.

“Working on science questions. I ran into one I don’t understand—could you help me out?”

Shortly after, a photo appeared on her screen. It was a physics problem about magnetic field intensity.

Ye Ningyu scanned the problem and quickly figured out the solution. She grabbed a pen, scribbling down the steps and explaining the thought process in detail.

But she worried that Xia Tian might not fully understand it, so after a moment of hesitation, she sent him a voice message, softly walking him through the solution.

Xia Tian replied almost immediately.

“You’re amazing, Teacher Ye! Figured it out in no time! Breakfast is on me tomorrow, I’ll wait for you at your exam room.”

“Okay, thank you, Xia Tian.”

“No need to thank me. I’m feeling a bit tired, so I’m going to head to bed early. I’ve got to prepare for getting into the top 20 tomorrow—no pressure though, haha! Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Xia Tian! Good luck on your exam tomorrow! (≧▽≦)”

After seeing Xia Tian’s QQ status go offline, Ye Ningyu couldn’t help but scroll through their chat history, reading it over and over again with a smile on her face.

Finally, she put her phone away, still smiling, and took out her pink diary from the locked drawer.

March 6, 2013, Overcast.

Wherever you like, I’m willing to go with you.

Whatever you enjoy, I’m willing to do with you.

Whatever you ask of me, I’ll agree without hesitation.

As long as it’s you, I’m willing.

Xia Tian, good luck on your exam tomorrow!!!

—

Xia Tian lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

He was consumed with curiosity about what secrets still lingered in Ye Ningyu’s past, things he didn’t know.

Despite reading her diary in his previous life, it had only ever been filled with thoughts revolving around him—every happiness and sorrow connected to Xia Tian.

There was never any mention of Ye Ningyu’s personal struggles.

“I’ll find out everything after this exam.”

Determined, Xia Tian made a mental note to talk to their teacher, Wang Qingshan. As the class advisor, Mr. Wang would definitely know more about Ye Ningyu’s situation.

As he mulled over this, Xia Tian remembered the conversation they had earlier that evening, when Ye Ningyu asked why he was so nice to her.

At the time, his answer had been somewhat evasive, meant to encourage Little Ye to take more initiative. But reflecting on it now, he felt unsatisfied with his response.

Opening QQ, Xia Tian clicked on his “status message” field. His eyes fell on the old, cringe-worthy phrase that had once seemed so cool to him: “Give me a bed, and I’ll sleep until the end of the world.”

“Tsk… so embarrassing. My dead memories are attacking me again.”

Xia Tian cringed. He had truly been a textbook example of an edgy, cringe-filled teenager.

After some thought, he changed his status to something more meaningful.

“The answer is long, and I’m prepared to spend my life telling you. Are you ready to listen?”

—

Fengming Courtyard, Apartment 3012.

This was Xu Yuan’s home.

Determined to perform well on the mock exam, Xu Yuan spent the whole evening working through two full practice exams after getting home.

“Phew… Finally done. The mock exam shouldn’t be harder than these practice tests!”

Feeling satisfied, Xu Yuan packed up her materials, then turned on her computer, planning on browsing QQ before bed.

While scrolling through her contacts, she noticed a username that seemed unfamiliar.

“Hmm? ‘Xia Handsome’?”

Curious, she clicked on the chat history with this person.

[Xia Handsome: Xu Yuan, it’s supposed to snow tomorrow. Make sure to wear something warm so you don’t catch a cold!]

[Xia Handsome: Ma Dongguai said today that you’re stringing me along, but I ignored him. Even if you are, so what? If you are, that means you feel something for me, right? Why else would you be stringing me along?]

[Xia Handsome: Xu Yuan, are you free this weekend? Let’s go to the arcade together!]

[Xia Handsome: There’s a new movie coming out this Friday. Want to watch it with me?]

[Xu Yuan: No, you can give the tickets to Jiayi and me. We’ll watch it together.]

Looking at the long list of messages, most of which she hadn’t even replied to, Xu Yuan finally realized that this “Xia Handsome” was… Xia Tian.

She had never bothered to save his contact with a nickname, so when he changed his username, she didn’t recognize him.

As she scrolled further, she noticed that Xia Tian had recently updated his status message about ten minutes ago.

“The answer is long, and I’m prepared to spend my life telling you. Are you ready to listen?”

Seeing this, Xu Yuan’s eyes widened in excitement.

“The answer? Spending a lifetime to explain?”

Could this be…

She suddenly remembered the conversation they had before the end of evening self-study, where Xia Tian had brushed off her question with a casual “Guess.”

At the time, he hadn’t given her a direct answer.

But with this status message, wasn’t he answering her question in his own subtle way?

“That’s why he didn’t answer me earlier… How cheesy!”

“But… I’m not ready for something like this right now!”

Blushing furiously, Xu Yuan found herself completely immersed in her own fantasy, interpreting Xia Tian’s status as a love confession aimed at her.

Now, she was more convinced than ever that Xia Tian still liked her.

He just didn’t want to show it openly anymore, hiding his feelings behind layers of subtlety.

“Hmph! I really don’t like this kind of vague affection!”

“Since that’s the case, I’ll take the initiative for now. I’ll make sure he knows there’s still hope of winning me over. No matter how cold and detached he acts, I know it’s all just an act! I’ll be patient!”

With a sly smile, Xu Yuan decided to send Xia Tian a response.

She, too, changed her status message.

“Take your time explaining. I’ll take my time listening.”

—

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

Xia Tian, carrying the breakfast he had bought for Ye Ningyu, soon found her exam room.

The first test of the day was Chinese. From a distance, Xia Tian spotted Ye Ningyu leaning against the classroom door, her head down, quietly reciting classical Chinese poems.

“Seriously? The exam’s about to start and she’s still cramming?”

“Good morning, Xia Tian,” Ye Ningyu greeted him sweetly. “I just want to make sure I remember everything. I don’t want to lose points that I could avoid losing.”

She looked up at him, her eyes full of sincerity.

“Alright, alright. Here, eat your breakfast. I’ll stay with you until you’re done.”

Ye Ningyu nodded and accepted the breakfast, nibbling on it slowly.

As Xia Tian watched her delicate lips, he felt his heart race.

No, no, no! Next month… I have to wait until after her birthday!

As Ye Ningyu finished her breakfast, a bit of milk foam clung to the corner of her lips.

Xia Tian reached out with his hand and said gently, “Hold still, you’ve got something on your mouth.”

“Oh…”

Just as he stretched out his hand, two boys who were roughhousing nearby bumped into Ye Ningyu from behind, knocking her off balance.

“Ah!”

Ye Ningyu let out a startled cry as she stumbled forward, falling directly into Xia Tian’s arms.

Feeling the soft warmth of Ye Ningyu’s chest pressing against him, Xia Tian’s pupils shrank in shock.

Little Xia Tian, at full attention!!!