Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 46

“Ye Ningyu was one of the top three students at the High School Affiliated with the Normal University. But because she was both beautiful and smart, many people became jealous of her…” Wang Qingshan began explaining.

“Eventually, some girls in her class started spreading rumors, accusing her of being involved in… inappropriate work on weekends. The rumors spread like wildfire throughout the entire school. But Ye Ningyu, with her soft and gentle personality, acted as if she didn’t know anything, continuing her studies quietly.

“Those three jealous girls weren’t satisfied. They later lured her out alone… If it hadn’t been for two teachers passing by at the right moment, something irreparably terrible could’ve happened to Ye Ningyu that day.

“As a result, the three girls were expelled, but they harbored deep resentment. They continued to spread false rumors about Ye Ningyu. In the end, the situation became so severe that the school, not wanting to see such a promising student’s potential ruined, reluctantly arranged for her transfer to our school, No. 1 High School.”

As Xia Tian listened to Ye Ningyu’s story, his fists clenched tightly.

No wonder she never wanted to talk about why she transferred when he asked her before.

At No. 1 High School, no one knew about her past.

And no one here had heard the rumors.

If those rumors from the previous school ever spread here, Ye Ningyu might not be able to stay at No. 1 High School either.

Narrowing his eyes, Xia Tian barely contained the rage bubbling up inside him and asked, “Mr. Wang, rumors alone wouldn’t have been enough to spread through the entire school. So how did those three girls manage to do it?”

“That… touches on sensitive family matters, and as a teacher, it’s not my place to share more,” Wang Qingshan replied, shaking his head, signaling that he had already told Xia Tian everything he could.

He then gave Xia Tian a serious look and continued, “The reason her transfer was kept under wraps was to prevent the rumors from spreading here at No. 1 High School. Xia Tian, if you truly want to help Ye Ningyu, the best thing you can do is protect her and let her focus on her studies without any distractions until the college entrance exams are over.”

“Understood,” Xia Tian nodded firmly.

He hadn’t expected that Little Ye had endured such hardships before transferring to No. 1 High School.

In her diary, she had never mentioned any of this.

Wang Qingshan sighed, “Alright, since you know now, you’d better head back to class. It’s good that you’re walking her home, but I’m warning you—don’t have any inappropriate ideas about her. Ye Ningyu is a very fragile girl. You can mess with anyone else, but you leave her be!”

“Come on, Mr. Wang, give me some credit. If you didn’t trust my character, you wouldn’t have told me all this, right?”

Wang Qingshan gave Xia Tian a meaningful pat on the shoulder. “You sly kid…”

After saying goodbye to Wang Qingshan, Xia Tian started heading back to the classroom.

But then, a sudden thought hit him. He quickly turned around and asked:

“By the way, Mr. Wang, do you know the names of those three girls who spread the rumors at the High School Affiliated with the Normal University?”

—

By the time Xia Tian returned to the classroom, half of evening self-study had already passed.

Sitting down at his desk, he glanced over at Ye Ningyu, a wave of complex emotions washing over him.

In his previous life, most of what he knew about Ye Ningyu came from reading her diary before his rebirth.

But that diary had recorded only the interactions between the two of them.

Beyond that, he had known nothing about her personal struggles.

He had been vaguely aware that her family wasn’t well off, but he hadn’t imagined that she had gone through something so traumatic at her previous school.

“So, even a beautiful flower, despite blooming quietly without seeking attention, can still provoke jealousy for no reason—so much so that people would want to destroy her.”

Xia Tian gazed at Ye Ningyu’s profile.

He couldn’t fathom how such a soft-hearted girl had survived in the face of endless rumors and bullying at her previous school.

Sensing Xia Tian’s heated gaze, Ye Ningyu turned her head slightly.

“X-Xia Tian, could you please stop staring at me like that? It feels… strange.”

“You’re so pretty—how can I not steal a few more glances?” Xia Tian teased, pushing aside his complicated thoughts and flashing a playful grin.

Ye Ningyu, ever the shy one, immediately turned red and buried her face in her jacket.

Xia Tian chuckled and didn’t press her further. He began thinking about how to earn some money over the upcoming weekend.

Just then, Xu Yuan walked back into the classroom, her hands still damp, clearly having just returned from the restroom.

As she entered, she cast a complicated look in Xia Tian and Ye Ningyu’s direction, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

“Little Yuan, I can’t believe Xia Tian managed to score tenth place in the class this time. He even ranked higher than me… Are you sure he didn’t copy from you during the exam?”

Ever since the results were announced that morning, Chen Jiayi had been unable to wrap her head around it.

For someone like Xia Tian, who had always been at the bottom of the class, to score so highly—it didn’t make sense.

Xu Yuan, still feeling down, shook her head. “Jiayi, this is the third time you’ve asked me. I can tell you for certain—Xia Tian didn’t copy from me at all…”

“Then how is it possible for him to score so high? Did he copy from someone else nearby? Was there a top student sitting near you?”

“No, I know all the top ten students in the grade, and there wasn’t anyone like that in our exam room. Besides… I already checked. This time, only two people in the entire grade got a perfect score in English—Xia Tian was one, and the other person wasn’t in our exam room.”

“This…”

Chen Jiayi was left speechless. She couldn’t understand it at all.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan stared out the window, lost in thought.

She remembered the two days of exams clearly. She had desperately tried to get Xia Tian to copy her answers.

Not only did Xia Tian refuse, but after the exams, he had even gone so far as to delete her from his QQ contacts.

And then, just now, on her way back from the restroom, she had overheard something that finally made everything click.

All her and Chen Jiayi’s speculations over the past few days had just been fantasies they’d concocted in their own minds.

Xia Tian wasn’t playing hard to get.

He really…

He really just didn’t like her anymore.

“No, I can’t just let Xia Tian slip away like this! If he’s not chasing me anymore… then I’ll take the initiative. I’ll show him my sincerity!”

Xu Yuan’s face, once filled with sadness, grew resolute again.

Chen Jiayi noticed the changes in Xu Yuan’s expressions and sighed to herself.

“Looks like Little Yuan really has fallen for Xia Tian this time…”

—

That evening, the rain was still falling softly. Xia Tian insisted that Ye Ningyu not ride her bike in the rain.

As they passed a milk tea shop at the corner, Xia Tian was surprised to see it still open at this hour.

“Wait here for a bit—I’m going to grab some milk tea.”

“Mm… alright.”

A few minutes later, Xia Tian returned with two cups of milk tea, handing one to Ye Ningyu.

“Here, this is for you.”

“Thanks, Xia Tian… But could you stop buying things for me? Even though you keep saying it’s like compensation for tutoring me, I’m not dumb. We’re… good deskmates, right? You don’t need to do this just for tutoring.”

“Exactly—since we’re good deskmates, what’s wrong with me treating you to some milk tea?”

Ye Ningyu wanted to argue, but couldn’t find the words. She glanced at Xia Tian with a slightly aggrieved look before lowering her head.

Xia Tian chuckled and gently pushed the milk tea into her hands.

When they reached the usual spot where he would stop walking her home, Xia Tian slowed to a halt.

“I won’t walk you any further, just in case your mom sees me.”

“Mm…”

Ye Ningyu hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words.

Since Xia Tian had returned from the office earlier, she had felt that his attitude toward her was noticeably gentler.

In his eyes…

There seemed to be a hint of care that hadn’t been there before.

Seeing that she wasn’t heading home yet, Xia Tian grinned mischievously and squinted at her.

“What’s wrong? Still not going home? Do you want me to pinch your cheeks before you leave?”

“N-No…”

Ye Ningyu’s face flushed, and she instinctively made to hide her face in her collar.

But then she remembered the promise she had made to Xia Tian.

At school or outside, she wasn’t supposed to hide her face anymore.

Summoning her courage, Ye Ningyu lifted her head. Her bright, clear eyes shone as she softly said:

“Thank you, Xia Tian. This… this is the first time someone’s ever bought me milk tea… It made… it made my heart feel really warm!”

“Really? Can I touch it to confirm?”