Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 6

Ye Ningyu suddenly lifted her head, her wide, innocent eyes staring blankly at Xia Tian.

After a few seconds of processing, her cheeks flushed bright red, and she quickly buried her face back into her collar.

It finally dawned on her.

The sticky note and Xia Tian bumping into her bike were all part of his plan from the start.

“You… you can’t just do that…”

“Oh, but I can! I bumped into you, so you have to marry me. It’s right there in black and white!”

Ye Ningyu kept her head down, weakly mumbling, “But I didn’t write it…”

She wanted to leave but was too scared to move her feet.

Looking at the soft and adorable Ye Ningyu in front of him, Xia Tian couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Alright, alright, don’t be so scared. I’m just teasing you.”

“But you’re acting like marrying me would be a huge loss for you. I mean, come on, I’m at least tall, handsome, and charming. Anyone would fall for me, right? Anyway, let’s go. I’ll walk you home.”

Xia Tian muttered, finally putting away his playful attitude.

At this, Ye Ningyu slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.

She blinked a few times before quietly asking, “Walk… walk me home?”

“Who else? Is there another Ye Ningyu around here?”

“But… didn’t the class monitor just ask you to walk her home? Are you not going to walk her?”

Xia Tian raised an eyebrow, pushing his bike forward, then gently flicked Ye Ningyu on the forehead.

“Just because she asked me to walk her home, does that mean I have to?”

Ye Ningyu’s white, delicate forehead quickly turned red where he flicked her.

“But, Xia Tian… you used to always ask the class monitor if you could walk her home. Even when she said no, you’d quietly follow her from behind.”

Hearing that, Xia Tian suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

Cough, cough. “Why do you have so many ‘buts’? Let’s go!”

Quickly changing the subject, he pushed his bike and started walking.

Ye Ningyu, seeing this, hurried to catch up, pushing her old, worn-out bike alongside his.

She smiled softly, hidden beneath the collar of her jacket, feeling content.

As they left the school and turned into a narrow, dimly lit alley, Xia Tian finally walked alongside Ye Ningyu.

It was then that Ye Ningyu realized—Xia Tian was really walking her home. He wasn’t joking!

“Xia Tian… are you really walking me home?”

“Of course not. It just so happens that we’re headed in the same direction.”

“But doesn’t your house… Isn’t it in the other direction? I… I saw your address once when I was in the office. I… accidentally glanced at your file…”

As she spoke, Ye Ningyu timidly raised her arm from under her uniform, pointing toward the bright, well-lit road in the opposite direction.

Xia Tian looked at the brightly lit road, then instinctively glanced around at the dark, empty street they were currently on.

He suddenly paused.

His house was on the bustling, well-lit new street, and every night the road home was filled with life and light.

But Ye Ningyu lived in the old neighborhood, where the streetlights were broken and barely anyone walked at night.

Every night after school, she would silently watch him walk toward that bright boulevard before she turned and headed into the darkness…

And yet, in her diary, she repeatedly mentioned how much she feared the dark.

Thinking about this, Xia Tian felt a sharp pang in his heart.

He felt even more protective of the girl in front of him.

He scoffed slightly and smiled.

“Spying on my address, huh? Well, your punishment is that I’ll walk you home every night from now on.”

“Huh? Is… is that really a punishment?”

“Of course it is.”

Xia Tian grinned and continued pushing his bike.

Ye Ningyu still looked a little confused but quickly rushed to push her bike and catch up with Xia Tian, afraid of being left behind.

“Every night… walk me home?” she murmured quietly, glancing sideways at Xia Tian before quickly lowering her head again.

Her heart felt warm, but she didn’t believe it could be real.

“Maybe he’s just doing this for fun? Yeah, that must be it.”

“After all, Xia Tian’s real crush is the class monitor, Xu Yuan…”

—

As they walked, Ye Ningyu stayed silent unless Xia Tian brought up a topic. With her head lowered, she quietly pushed her bike, which squeaked with every step.

Neither of them seemed inclined to ride their bikes.

“Little Ye.”

“Huh? What is it…”

“Where did you go to school before, and why did you transfer?”

Xia Tian suddenly grew curious about why Ye Ningyu transferred schools during such a critical time in her senior year of high school.

In their previous life, they had spent an entire year sitting next to each other, but he had never asked.

Nor did he know anything about her family situation. It made him realize just how little he had paid attention to her before.

“I went to the Affiliated High School of the Normal University.”

The Affiliated High School of the Normal University?

In Bei’an, the two best high schools were the one Xia Tian currently attended—No. 1 High School—and the Affiliated High School of the Normal University, which Ye Ningyu mentioned.

In some ways, the Affiliated High School had even better teachers.

So why did Ye Ningyu transfer to No. 1 High School?

That’s like dropping down a level!

“Why did you transfer?”

“…..”

“Little Ye?”

“I’m here.”

“You haven’t answered my second question. Why did you transfer schools?”

Ye Ningyu fell silent again.

Xia Tian realized that she didn’t want to answer this question.

It was clear that the reason for her transfer wasn’t something she wanted to share with others.

Not even in her diary had she ever mentioned it.

Xia Tian didn’t press the issue, deciding he would look into it himself later. He had already started to form a suspicion.

The Affiliated High School was situated in the city center, and given Ye Ningyu’s situation, it was likely that her family couldn’t afford the tuition or the rent near the school anymore.

She had probably been forced to transfer to No. 1 High School.

“It’s fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask. But what about your family? What do your parents do for work?”

Xia Tian, like a curious child, began asking even more questions.

He was eager to learn everything about Ye Ningyu.

“My mom is sick and can’t work. My dad… passed away two years ago. My mom and I live off government subsidies now,” Ye Ningyu answered softly, her tone calm and emotionless.

But the more emotionless she sounded, the more Xia Tian’s heart broke for her.

He had never imagined that Ye Ningyu’s family was in such a difficult situation!

No wonder, in their past life, all the other students in their class would buy snacks or drinks after school, but Xia Tian had never once seen Ye Ningyu indulge in any of those things. She wore her school uniform year-round, with no seasonal change.

No wonder she was so skinny and frail—she probably skipped breakfast or dinner most days.

Looking back now… it was likely that her malnutrition during her school days contributed to her developing cancer later on.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know your family was going through this,” Xia Tian said, his voice filled with guilt.

Ye Ningyu shook her head gently. “It’s okay.”

After that, the two fell into silence.

Xia Tian silently vowed to start his money-making plans from university sooner than he had in their past life.

Ye Ningyu’s situation was far worse than he had anticipated.

He couldn’t let her suffer the same fate again!

—

Before long, Ye Ningyu stopped in front of a run-down apartment complex.

“Xia Tian, I’m home. Thank you for walking me. You should head back now—it’s getting chilly.”

Xia Tian looked at the dilapidated complex, which seemed almost deserted, and felt another pang in his heart.

Looking around, he spotted a vendor selling tanghulu not far away. (Note: Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese street snack made of skewered fruits, often hawthorn berries, that are coated in a hardened sugar syrup.)

“Hey, Little Ye, do you want some tanghulu?”

“No, I don’t…”

“Wait here, I’ll get you some.”

“Oh! Xia Tian!”

Before she could protest, Xia Tian had already left his bike and ran over to the vendor.

A moment later, he returned with a skewer of tanghulu, smiling as he exhaled puffs of visible breath into the cold air.

“Here, it’s the last one.”

Ye Ningyu frantically waved her hands, sounding flustered. “No, no, please return it! It’s too expensive!”

“Return it? What for? It was the last one, and the vendor even gave me a discount of 50 cents.”

“It still costs three yuan…”

Wait, she knew how much it cost?

It seemed like she had wanted to buy it before but couldn’t bring herself to spend the money.

Xia Tian felt a surge of bitterness in his heart.

He put the tanghulu in her hands. “You feel bad about me spending money on you, right?”

“Mm…”

“It’s easy to fix. Just repay me in another way.”

“Huh? O-Okay… How should I repay you?”

Ye Ningyu lifted her head slightly. In the dim streetlight, her cheeks, pink from the cold, looked incredibly cute.

Xia Tian was momentarily mesmerized.

His eyes flickered with mischief as he grinned.

“It’s simple. Just close your eyes and bring your face closer.”