Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 50

10 p.m.

“Little Tian, should we ask the shop owner to send over another 200 bottles? We’re down to the last 30.”

In the midst of the noisy crowd, Fang Yu shouted into Xia Tian’s ear.

There were so many young people on Bar Street that they had already sold out of the initial 200 bottles of beer. The beer they were selling now was from the second batch of 250 bottles.

Xia Tian’s phone had even run out of battery from constantly using the stopwatch, so he had switched to using a digital watch to time the challenges.

Looking at the crowd that had gathered, Xia Tian estimated they could sell at least another hundred bottles.

He nodded to Fang Yu. “Yeah, go to the shop yourself and ask the owner to send over another hundred bottles.”

“Hold the fort here. I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Fang Yu replied.

But just as Fang Yu was about to leave, the crowd was suddenly pushed aside.

A group of young men with brightly colored hair strolled toward the stall. They wore stylish loafers with no socks, their ankles exposed, cigarettes dangling from their mouths. Their entire demeanor screamed arrogance and defiance.

The surrounding people, as if sensing trouble, quickly backed away, not wanting to get involved.

The leader, a blonde named Zhang Dong, glanced at Xia Tian before kicking the chalkboard with his loafer.

“Hey, kid, is everything written on this board true?” Zhang Dong sneered.

Xia Tian frowned slightly at the sight of the group, but he still nodded. “Yes, it’s true.”

“Alright, let my buddy chug two bottles. But… these beers you’re selling—they’re good quality, right? No funny stuff in them?” Zhang Dong asked, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

“No issues. They’re all freshly bought,” Xia Tian replied.

“Good. As long as you say that,” Zhang Dong said with a sarcastic grin. Then he pushed one of his lackeys forward.

“Ah Mao, go ahead and show these kids how it’s done.”

“Leave it to me, Brother Dong!” Ah Mao, the lackey, chuckled as he pulled some money from his pocket and slapped it onto the table.

He picked up a bottle, motioning for Xia Tian to start the timer.

Xia Tian kept his frown but hesitated only for a moment before starting the countdown, despite sensing that this group wasn’t here simply to participate in the challenge.

“Three, two, one…”

Ah Mao began drinking, but unlike the previous challengers, he wasn’t in a hurry. He drank slowly, taking over ten seconds to finish the bottle.

When he was done, he sighed dramatically, “Sorry, Brother Dong. I don’t know why, but this beer tastes a little weird. It’s hard to drink.”

“Useless!” Zhang Dong scolded, kicking Ah Mao lightly before turning back to Xia Tian. “My buddy couldn’t do it, so I guess it’s my turn.”

He started pulling money from his pocket.

But right at that moment, Ah Mao’s face twisted in pain, and he suddenly clutched his stomach, collapsing onto the ground and writhing in apparent agony.

“Oww! My stomach! It hurts so much!”

“Brother Dong! There’s something wrong with the beer!”

Zhang Dong’s expression immediately darkened, and he snapped his head toward Xia Tian and Fang Yu, his eyes filled with menace.

“What the hell, didn’t you say the beer was fine? How come my buddy is rolling on the ground in pain?”

“You bastards running a shady stall, huh?!”

Watching Ah Mao thrash on the ground, Fang Yu was completely stunned. Panic flooded his mind as he stammered, “B-Brother, I swear our beer is fine! We’ve sold hundreds of bottles tonight and no one else has had any issues!”

Zhang Dong glared icily at Fang Yu, his tone cold and threatening. “So, what? You’re calling me a liar? Everyone here saw it—my buddy drank your beer, and now he’s like this. You gonna deny it?”

“I… I swear our beer is fine!” Fang Yu’s mind was blank, and he had no idea what to do. He looked helplessly at Zhang Dong and Ah Mao, wanting to check on the guy writhing on the ground, but Zhang Dong’s crew blocked him.

Seeing the situation, the surrounding crowd quickly distanced themselves from Xia Tian and Fang Yu, afraid of getting caught up in the trouble.

Xia Tian finally realized what was happening.

These thugs weren’t here to take part in the challenge—they were here to cause trouble.

Xia Tian pulled Fang Yu behind him and squinted at Zhang Dong.

“Listen, I can assure you our beer is perfectly fine. If your friend’s stomach hurts, it’s not necessarily from the beer. And honestly, his acting is a bit over the top, don’t you think?”

“You say the beer’s fine just because you say so? Where’s your proof? Let me tell you something—my buddy’s health has always been great. The only reason he’s in pain is because of your beer!”

Xia Tian licked his lips. “So, what do you want to do about it?”

“Pay us 5,000 yuan. I’ll take my buddy to the hospital, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

Hearing Zhang Dong’s demand, Xia Tian’s suspicion was confirmed.

These thugs had come specifically to extort them. And the amount—5,000 yuan—was no coincidence. It was almost exactly how much Xia Tian and Fang Yu had earned that night.

There was no way this was a random number.

Realizing this, Xia Tian’s demeanor shifted, his expression turning cold.

“If it’s just a stomachache, a hospital visit wouldn’t cost anywhere near 5,000 yuan. You want that much? You’re here to rob us, plain and simple.”

“But fine. Let’s take him to the hospital. If the doctors say it’s because of the beer, I’ll cover all the expenses for his treatment.”

“But if it’s not… then I’m not paying you a single cent.”

Zhang Dong hadn’t expected Xia Tian to stand his ground so firmly. His expression turned more amused as he narrowed his eyes.

“No payment? Fine by me. But my buddies here and I are going to have to teach you a little lesson.”

With a subtle nod from Zhang Dong, the thugs rolled up their sleeves and circled around Xia Tian and Fang Yu.

“Fang Yu, call the police!” Xia Tian ordered.

“I-I can’t, Little Tian… My phone’s dead…” Fang Yu stammered, his voice trembling.

Xia Tian’s heart skipped a beat as he remembered that his own phone had died an hour ago too.

He glanced around, hoping someone would help, but the crowd had already scattered, unwilling to get involved.

Seeing this, Xia Tian suddenly realized a harsh truth.

It was 2013, and the national crackdown on organized crime wouldn’t come for another five years.

Public security wasn’t as good then—especially not on a street like this, packed with shady characters.

His heart sank.

This was bad.

Before setting up the stall, he had completely overlooked the issue of security.

Bar Street was filled with shady characters, and these thugs likely hung out there often. Even if they called the police, these guys wouldn’t be scared.

To them, the police were no big deal.

For the first time that night, Xia Tian felt a sliver of panic.

“Little Tian, what do we do…? Should we just fight them? We worked hard to earn this money. We can’t let them take it! They’re obviously here to scam us!” Fang Yu said, grabbing a beer bottle as a weapon.

His voice trembled, but his stance showed he wasn’t backing down.

In his previous life, Xia Tian would have made the same choice as Fang Yu.

If you’ve gotta fight, then fight!

But now, having lived two lives, Xia Tian knew better than to act on impulse.

“Fang Yu, put the bottle down! It’s not worth it—money can be earned again, but if you hit someone with that bottle, the situation will escalate!”

“But Little Tian…”

“Put it down!”

Seeing the serious look on Xia Tian’s face, Fang Yu hesitated, then gritted his teeth, his expression stubborn.

But this time, Fang Yu refused to listen.

“I’m not putting it down!”

“We won’t bow to them. They’re just people like us! Why should we be afraid of them?”

Xia Tian clicked his tongue in frustration, thinking, Kids will always act rashly, blinded by their sense of pride.

As Zhang Dong and his thugs closed in, Fang Yu tightened his grip on the bottle, ready to fight.

Just when the situation seemed about to spiral out of control, an authoritative voice suddenly rang out.

“Anyone who dares to make a move, I guarantee you’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars!”