Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 75

“Little Brother Xia Tian?!”

Hearing the voice, Xia Tian turned around.

It was Wang Defa, whom he hadn’t seen in a month. His face was slightly flushed, and his steps were unsteady—he’d obviously had a bit too much to drink.

“Boss Wang, long time no see. What a coincidence to run into you here.”

“Haha, yeah, it’s been a while. I was just in a private room discussing business with some partners.”

Wang Defa staggered over to Xia Tian, his eyes filled with admiration.

Over the past month, Wang Defa had kept a close eye on Xia Tian. When the Heartbreak Museum opened, Wang Defa had made time to visit it himself, only to discover the sheer volume of daily visitors was astonishing.

It was only then that he understood why Xia Tian had been so confident in signing a contract promising to increase the shop’s rent tenfold within two months.

“You turned my shop into some sort of Heartbreak Museum, and every day, there are at least hundreds of people coming and going. You must be raking it in, huh? You’ve really opened my eyes, kid!”

Xia Tian smiled modestly. “I haven’t made much, Boss Wang. Compared to you, I’m just playing small games.”

“Cut that nonsense. I know exactly how much you’re charging for tickets. I’d bet you’ve already made at least 100,000 yuan in just this first week of operation!”

When it came to money, Xia Tian only smiled and stayed silent.

Wang Defa, understanding the principle of “wealth should not be flaunted,” didn’t press further. Instead, he shifted the topic.

“It seems you’ll definitely be able to pay the tenfold rent on time. I must say, among all the young people I’ve met, you’re the most ambitious and capable one.”

“You’re flattering me, Boss Wang. It’s just luck… But you’ve misunderstood one thing. I won’t be the one paying the tenfold rent.”

“Huh? If it’s not you, then who?”

Wang Defa was surprised, sobering up a little.

Xia Tian didn’t answer directly but instead gave a meaningful smile.

“You must have noticed that the terrifying foot traffic and inflated revenue at my museum are entirely because there’s no other museum like it in the country. It’s all hype, creating explosive income in a short period.

This cake is too big for me to eat alone. Naturally, there are envious people who want a share. I can’t stop them, can I?”

Hearing this, Wang Defa’s pupils contracted sharply.

He immediately understood who would be paying the tenfold rent.

At the same time, the way he looked at Xia Tian changed once again.

Wang Defa no longer saw Xia Tian as a lucky young man. Xia Tian’s success had nothing to do with luck—it was entirely due to his business acumen and foresight.

“Little Brother Xia Tian, you really surprise me. Can I ask you something? Are you really still in your third year of high school?”

“Of course. Look, I even have my school ID in my pocket. Want to see?”

Xia Tian shrugged and pulled out his Beian No. 1 High School ID card from his pocket.

Wang Defa stared at the ID in disbelief.

He suddenly felt that this young man before him, in no more than five years, would surely make the entire city of Beian remember his name!

—

At nearly 10:30, Xia Shi’s old-fashioned “Little Smart” phone finally rang.

The caller was Xia Pingfu, her father.

Xia Shi pouted, reluctantly hugging Ye Ningyu.

“Sister Ye, I have to go home now. Otherwise, my dad will use my ‘waifus’ to threaten me again.”

“It’s okay. You can always find me at school.”

Xia Tian glanced at the time and realized it was indeed late.

“Let’s leave together. It’s not safe for Xia Shi to go home alone this late. Fang Yu, you take her home.”

“Little Ye, wait for me. I’ll settle the bill, then I’ll take you home.”

Fang Yu gave Xia Tian a knowing look and quickly pulled Xia Shi away.

“Shi Shi, let’s go. I need to get you home quickly—I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

“But there’s a restroom right here. Why do you have to go home to use it?”

“Haven’t you heard of the saying, ‘Don’t let your fertilizer flow into someone else’s field’? Let’s go, hurry—I can’t hold it anymore.”

Before Xia Shi could figure out what was happening, Fang Yu had already dragged her out of the restaurant.

After settling the bill, Xia Tian hailed a taxi and rode back with Ye Ningyu.

Although Ye Ningyu’s mom had said they could stay out late today, Xia Tian wasn’t as tactless as Fang Yu.

After all, Chen Lan would be his future mother-in-law. If he kept Little Ye out until midnight, how could Chen Lan ever feel comfortable letting her daughter be with him?

The answer was obvious—she wouldn’t.

—

At the intersection near Ye Ningyu’s apartment complex, the usual spot where they said their goodbyes…

Ye Ningyu hugged the birthday gifts she’d received from Xia Tian, Fang Yu, and Xia Shi. Her long, curled eyelashes quivered slightly.

“X-Xia Tian, thank you for inviting them to celebrate my birthday today. I’m really happy.”

“You’re welcome. We’re deskmates, after all. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Xia Tian smiled, reaching out to habitually pat her head, his eyes full of affection.

Now that Little Ye was officially an adult…

Would it be illegal to give her a kiss?

But Xia Tian held himself back.

Just then, a few raindrops fell from the sky, landing on Little Ye’s face.

Xia Tian reached out to wipe them away, grinning.

“It’s starting to rain again. Head home quickly. We’ve got the May Day holiday, so remember to log onto QQ. If there’s anything, let’s chat there.”

“O-okay.”

Ye Ningyu nodded obediently.

But before leaving, she couldn’t resist tugging on Xia Tian’s sleeve. Looking up at him with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, she asked the question she had asked before:

“X-Xia Tian, why are you so good to me?”

This time, Xia Tian didn’t give the usual answer about them being good deskmates.

He paused for a few seconds before speaking softly:

“Because I owe you too much, and just the tears you’ve shed, I can never repay.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Nothing. I just want to be good to you.”

Little Ye looked at Xia Tian, slightly confused. She didn’t fully understand what he meant.

But his words, “I just want to be good to you,” flowed into her heart like a warm current.

As the rain intensified, she didn’t dare linger any longer. Hugging her gifts tightly, she quickly said, “Good night,” and hurried home.

Since the rain was getting heavier and Xia Tian hadn’t brought his bike, he couldn’t wait for Little Ye’s room light to turn on as he usually did. Instead, he ran to the street corner to hail a taxi.

This was the only time Xia Tian didn’t wait for her room light to come on.

—

Holding her gifts, Ye Ningyu’s footsteps felt lighter as she replayed Xia Tian’s words in her mind.

But just as she reached the entrance of her apartment complex, she saw a familiar figure standing there.

“Class… Class Monitor?”

Ye Ningyu froze, her watery eyes blinking as she innocently looked at Xu Yuan.

“Class Monitor, it’s raining. What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.”

Xu Yuan’s tone was abnormally cold.

She had been waiting here for a while and had witnessed the entire scene of Xia Tian walking Ye Ningyu home.

The hatred in her eyes was impossible to hide.

“Waiting for me? Is there something you need? Why don’t we go to my place to talk? Let’s not stand in the rain.”

Ye Ningyu’s face was full of innocence, completely unaware of Xu Yuan’s hostility toward her.

But it was precisely that innocence that set Xu Yuan off even more.

“Ye Ningyu! Stop pretending to be so pure. Don’t think I don’t know what you used to do!”

“I’ve been asking around for days, and I finally found out why you transferred schools. Hah! To think that before you came to Beian, you were involved in such filthy work back in Sichuan and Chongqing. It’s disgusting!”

Hearing this, Ye Ningyu froze, staring blankly at Xu Yuan.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Yuan’s expression turned smug.

She began recounting every detail she had dug up about Ye Ningyu, not leaving a single word out.

In an instant, the pain Ye Ningyu had worked so hard to bury came rushing back, engulfing her completely.

That helpless fear rooted her to the ground, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.

As the thought crept in that this might reach Xia Tian’s ears, Ye Ningyu tried to suppress her fear, choking back her sobs as she stammered:

“N-no, that’s not true. It’s not like that…”