Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 79

However much Xia Tian thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why Ye Ningyu would lie to him.

If her mother’s condition had worsened, Little Ye’s tone wouldn’t have been so calm.

In the end, Xia Tian concluded that he might just be overthinking it.

“Alright then, message me on QQ when you get home so I don’t worry about you.”

“Mm… I will.”

After hanging up, Xia Tian finished up in the bathroom and strolled leisurely back to the classroom.

Looking at the empty seat beside him, he felt a pang of loneliness.

This was the first time he had experienced what it was like to have Little Ye not sitting next to him. It felt empty, cold, and lonely.

Halfway through the evening self-study session, Wang Qingshan walked into the classroom with a stack of score sheets in hand, ready to announce the results and rankings of the second mock exam.

The entire class sat up straight, ears perked, waiting to hear their scores and ranks.

“This time, compared to the first mock exam, many of you have improved. It’s clear that everyone has been working hard during this crucial final sprint. I hope that when you hear your scores and rankings, you’ll remain humble.

With just over thirty days left, it’s crucial to maintain a healthy and positive mindset. This is the first major test in your lives.”

Wang Qingshan began with a few heartfelt words before moving on to announce the scores.

“First place, Ye Ningyu: Chinese 140, Math 150, English 149, Science 288, Total 727, ranked first in the grade.

Second place, Zhang Shiya: Chinese 132, Math 140, English 140, Science 238, Total 650, ranked fourth in the grade.

Third place, Jiao Cheng: Chinese 130, Math…”

Upon hearing that she wasn’t in third place, Xu Yuan’s eyes dimmed.

Ever since the first mock exam, when she found out how well Xia Tian had performed, she had felt an invisible pressure.

Coupled with her preoccupation with trying to win Xia Tian back, much of her energy had been wasted on useless pursuits.

This had caused her ranking to drop.

“Don’t feel down, Little Yuan. You’ve been in the top three of our class since the first year. It’s just this time that you slipped up. I believe you’ll get back up there in the next exam!”

Chen Jiayi immediately comforted her best friend.

Xu Yuan nodded. “I know, Jiayi. I’m fine.”

After announcing the third-place results, Wang Qingshan deliberately paused, his expression becoming more animated.

He suddenly raised his head and addressed the class: “Everyone, this time’s rankings are quite different from usual. Why don’t you take a guess who’s in fourth place?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

If Wang Qingshan was saying this, it meant she wasn’t even in fourth place!

Her ranking had dropped so drastically?

Xu Yuan felt a heavy weight in her chest. She had assumed she’d only drop one spot in the class rankings, but to not even make the top four was beyond her expectations.

Meanwhile, the rest of the class was busy guessing who might have taken fourth place.

“Fourth place? No way—could it be Ma Dongguai? That’d be a total underdog story!”

“What are you talking about? If Ma Dongguai is fourth place, I’ll go to the bathroom and eat a full meal.”

“What the hell, Li? What do you mean by that? Are you saying I, Ma Dongguai, don’t deserve to be in fourth place?”

“Could it be Bai Feng? I remember at the start of senior year, he was ranked around 20th in our class. This semester, he’s already broken into the top 10. I think he was ranked eighth in the first mock exam!”

“That’s actually possible. I haven’t seen Bai Feng leave his desk this entire month, except to go to the bathroom. I feel like he’s spent every waking moment in the classroom doing practice problems!”

As the class continued their heated discussion, Wang Qingshan cleared his throat twice.

“Alright, alright, quiet down. Let’s continue… Fourth place: Xia Tian!

Chinese 129, Math 150, English 150, Science 167, Total 596, ranked 35th in the grade!”

The moment Wang Qingshan announced Xia Tian’s name and scores, the classroom erupted.

“What the hell? Did I hear that right? Xia Tian is in fourth place?”

“Is this some kind of international joke? Xia Tian’s total score was only four points short of 600?”

“Whoa… Xia Tian actually scored higher than Xu Yuan and Bai Feng. I remember last time, he was ranked around 100th in the grade. How did he improve so fast?”

Everyone turned to look at Xia Tian, who was sitting in the second-to-last row.

At that moment, Xia Tian was slumped over his desk, half-asleep. Hearing the commotion, he rubbed his eyes and sat up with a confused expression, looking at his classmates.

Xu Yuan, in particular, stared at Xia Tian in disbelief.

“H-how is this possible? Xia Tian scored higher than me? How?”

“Jiayi, pinch me! Am I dreaming?”

Xu Yuan’s gaze remained fixed on Xia Tian.

She had expected him to improve this time, but she never imagined he’d shoot up to fourth place!

Wang Qingshan chuckled. “Xia Tian’s progress is evident to all. He went from being at the bottom of the rankings to breaking into the top 10, and now he’s in the top 5, ranking among the best in the grade.

I hope everyone can learn from Xia Tian: stay humble, work hard, and keep improving.”

After praising Xia Tian, Wang Qingshan continued announcing the rest of the results.

But the class was still reeling from the shock of Xia Tian’s fourth-place ranking.

It was unbelievable.

He had scored full marks in both Math and English!

If his Science and Chinese scores had been on par with the top three, wouldn’t he have easily made it into the top 10 of the grade?

The only reason his total score didn’t break 600 was because of his relatively weaker Science score.

Xu Yuan looked at Xia Tian with a complicated expression, once again regretting her past rejections of him.

But when her gaze shifted to the empty seat beside him, a hint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes.

“Hmph! It seems like Ye Ningyu knows her place. Without her interference, Xia Tian is bound to like me again sooner or later!”

Thinking this, Xu Yuan felt much better.

Her future boyfriend was becoming more and more outstanding—how could she not be happy?