Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 58

The setting sun cast a golden glow over the horizon.

Xia Tian and Ye Ningyu stood by the classroom door, watching the sunset over the opposite side of the school building.

“Little Ye, your birthday is coming up soon. How are you planning to celebrate it?” Xia Tian broke the silence, knowing that Ye Ningyu usually wouldn’t initiate conversation.

Ye Ningyu’s eyes showed a hint of confusion. “B-birthday? I’ll probably just stay home, do some homework, and take a little rest.”

“No way! This is your 18th birthday—it’s a big deal! It means you’re becoming an adult. You can’t just let it pass by like any other day!”

“But… I’ve never really celebrated my birthday before… Back home, my mom would at least make me longevity noodles,” she said, as her eyes sparkled with the thought of a happy memory.

But the light in them faded quickly.

Xia Tian noticed this subtle change and gleaned a bit more about her family’s situation.

So, her mom only made longevity noodles for her back when they still lived in Sichuan and Chongqing? That must mean her family life was better back then.

“Is your hometown in Sichuan and Chongqing?”

“Mm.”

“People always say girls from Sichuan and Chongqing are fiery and tough, but you’re so… soft. Soft to the point that anyone who meets you would just want to tease you a little.”

Ye Ningyu puffed her cheeks in protest and lowered her head. “I-I’m not soft! I can be fierce…”

“Well, you’re definitely soft, that’s for sure… As for fierce… you’re certainly busty enough,” Xia Tian said with a playful smirk as he glanced at her chest, which was hardly hidden by her loose school uniform. (Note: The word “fierce” (兇, xiōng) sounds exactly the same as the word for “chest” (胸, xiōng), which leads to a playful double meaning.)

As it was nearly time for evening self-study, Ye Ningyu decided to go refill her water bottle before class started.

Just as she was leaving, Xia Tian spotted a younger girl downstairs wearing a cute white camisole, looking rather eye-catching.

He muttered to himself, “Wow, girls these days have developed so well. That camisole looks really good on her… I wonder when Little Ye will wear something like that.”

He had barely finished speaking when he turned around and noticed that Ye Ningyu was still standing behind him, her face showing evident awkwardness.

“Uh… weren’t you going to get some water? You’d better hurry up or you’ll have to wait in line.”

“Okay…” Ye Ningyu mumbled and quickly left with her water bottle.

Xia Tian scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Damn, I really need to fix this habit of talking to myself. That girl must’ve heard me.”

Meanwhile, on her way to get water, Ye Ningyu leaned over the railing briefly, glancing down at the girl in the camisole.

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty for a few seconds.

“Does Xia Tian really like camisoles like that?”

—

With the second mock exams just around the corner, most of the teachers were called away for a conference to prepare.

This left the classroom without supervision during evening self-study.

Having been tense all day, the students finally had a chance to relax.

“Hey, have you heard about that Heartbreak Museum that’s opening tomorrow?”

“Of course! Who hasn’t heard about the Heartbreak Museum by now? I’m planning to go right after school tomorrow!”

“Wait, but you’ve never even been in a relationship! Why would you go? At least I’ve had an online relationship before, so I’ll probably relate to it more than you.”

“Are you all going too? Perfect! I was planning to go tomorrow as well. Let’s go together as a group!”

Once the topic of the Heartbreak Museum came up, nearly the entire class started discussing it.

Seeing the growing buzz, Chen Jiayi nudged Xu Yuan with her elbow.

“Little Yuan, should we go check out the Heartbreak Museum tomorrow as well? Everyone’s been sharing posts about it on QQ Space—it sounds pretty fun!”

“Hmph, I haven’t been heartbroken, so why would I go?”

“Oh, come on! Who says you haven’t been heartbroken? Over the past month, you’ve practically been chasing after Xia Tian… He’s not pursuing you anymore, and now you’re the one being nice to him. In a way, that’s a form of heartbreak too, isn’t it?”

Xu Yuan’s face darkened, and for once, she didn’t argue back.

Chen Jiayi wasn’t wrong. Over the past month, Xu Yuan had been going out of her way to be kind to Xia Tian.

But Xia Tian no longer treated her with the same warmth he once had.

Every time Xu Yuan made an effort, she was left feeling cold and rejected.

And every night when she went to bed, her heart felt hollow.

When she had confided in her online friends, they all said it was the classic feeling of post-breakup uncertainty.

“Jiayi… what if I invited Xia Tian to go with us?” Xu Yuan suggested.

“Good idea! I saw some pictures of the museum on QQ Space. A lot of the quotes inside are really sad, but they also seem like they’d create the perfect atmosphere.

If you two go together, in such an intimate setting, there’s a chance that some of those words might rekindle his feelings for you!”

Chen Jiayi’s reply made Xu Yuan’s eyes light up with excitement.

With newfound determination, Xu Yuan hurried to the front of the classroom, picking up some of the papers that hadn’t been handed out yet.

Using this as an excuse, she walked over to Xia Tian’s desk.

“Xia Tian, the Heartbreak Museum is opening tomorrow. A lot of our classmates are planning to go together. Why don’t we join them? I’ve already bought the tickets!”

Fearing Xia Tian might refuse, Xu Yuan had already used a little trick—she made it sound like the tickets were already purchased.

But when Xia Tian heard her suggestion, he immediately looked up, his expression strange.

“Heartbreak Museum? You already bought the tickets?”