Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 85

Ye Ningyu’s shy and adorable demeanor made Xia Tian grin from ear to ear.

He reached out and pinched her cheek before saying goodbye:

“Remember to switch seats back with Li Jiahui tomorrow morning.”

“Mm… but… but I already told Mr. Wang that I switched seats because I couldn’t see the blackboard. If I switch back now, he might get mad…”

“Don’t worry. You’re the top student in the grade and this year’s inevitable gaokao champion. It’s just moving seats back and forth—Mr. Wang won’t get mad.”

Xia Tian stroked his chin, smirking mischievously. “And if he does, just tell him that after a good night’s sleep, you can see the blackboard again.”

“O-okay…”

“Alright, go home now. We’ve been out for a while tonight—Auntie must be worried.”

Ye Ningyu obediently nodded, pushing her bike as she headed toward her apartment complex.

This time, Xia Tian stayed at the intersection, quietly waiting until he saw the light in Little Ye’s room turn on before leaving with peace of mind.

If he hadn’t left early the last time, perhaps Xu Yuan wouldn’t have had the chance to harm Little Ye.

Thinking about this, Xia Tian’s expression grew colder.

He hadn’t expected Xu Yuan to stoop so low, secretly confronting Ye Ningyu and using her past to threaten her.

“I need to get rid of this problem immediately. I also have to figure out how she found out about Little Ye’s past.

If anyone else knows too, it could become a bigger issue.”

Muttering to himself, Xia Tian got on his bike and pedaled home.

—

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.

It was the day of “Lixia,” the traditional start of summer, and Beian had already begun to feel sweltering.

With only 32 days left until the gaokao, every senior student woke up with a sense of urgency.

Xu Yuan walked downstairs, rubbing her eyes, her face still showing signs of sleepiness.

Her drop in rank during the second mock exam had left her anxious.

Especially since Xia Tian scored higher than her—this had her even more panicked. Every night, she stayed up until around 1 a.m., working on practice problems before finally sleeping.

As she stepped out of her apartment complex, she spotted a familiar figure sitting on a bicycle across the street.

“Xia Tian?”

“What’s he doing here?”

After her initial surprise, a sweet smile spread across Xu Yuan’s face.

Xia Tian must have come specifically to wait for her so they could go to school together.

It seemed her talk with Ye Ningyu had worked!

Ever since she had warned Ye Ningyu, not only had Ye Ningyu voluntarily switched seats, but she had also intentionally kept her distance from Xia Tian.

Xia Tian must have felt dejected and rejected, leaving him disheartened with Ye Ningyu. Now, he was coming back to her!

“Hmph, I knew it. A girl like Ye Ningyu doesn’t deserve Xia Tian’s affection!”

Xu Yuan secretly rejoiced.

She straightened her hair and instinctively puffed out her chest, preparing to walk toward Xia Tian.

But Xia Tian had already noticed her from across the street.

He parked his bike by the roadside and walked toward her first.

Xu Yuan’s heart was full of joy.

The Xia Tian who used to eagerly approach her was back!

But as Xia Tian got closer, she realized something was wrong.

His expression was unusually grim, and the hostility in his eyes was unmistakable.

His fists were clenched, and everything about him screamed anger.

Xu Yuan was startled by his demeanor and instinctively stepped back. But she soon found herself backed against a wall with nowhere to retreat.

By then, Xia Tian had reached her. He raised his fist and slammed it against the wall next to her ear.

Even though the sturdy cement wall stood behind her, Xia Tian’s punch still made a dull thud.

“Ah! Xia… Xia Tian, what are you doing?!”

Xu Yuan’s face went pale, her eyes filled with fear as she stared at him.

She had never seen Xia Tian like this before. In this moment, he felt like a stranger, someone she didn’t recognize at all.

“Xu Yuan! When you and Qiao Shaoxuan kept trying to show off in front of me, I ignored it. When you and Chen Jiayi kept gossiping, I didn’t bother with you two.

But you’ve got some nerve. After I clearly rejected you, you went and targeted Ye Ningyu. You even went to her apartment to threaten her?”

Hearing Xia Tian’s cold voice that seemed to pierce her very core, Xu Yuan stared at him in shock.

But her stubborn nature refused to let her admit anything.

“You’re talking nonsense! Who threatened her? I just went to talk to her about the facts. Back in Sichuan-Chongqing, she was involved in sex work!

I… I just think a girl like her doesn’t deserve to be around you. She’s not worthy of your affection!”

The veins on Xia Tian’s forehead bulged as he sneered coldly.

“Whether or not she’s worthy of my affection is my business. What does it have to do with you?

And you dared to confront her with the information you got from Ye Shengshi, knowing full well it was all a misunderstanding. You’re playing with fire!”

At this, Xu Yuan’s face went pale.

She hadn’t expected Xia Tian to find Ye Shengshi.

And now that Xia Tian had confronted her, it was clear that Ye Shengshi had sold her out.

Panic set in, and the defiance she had shown moments earlier vanished.

Thinking about how cold Xia Tian had been to her these past few days while being so warm to Ye Ningyu, her sense of grievance overwhelmed her, and she burst into tears.

“I… I just wanted to scare Ye Ningyu into staying away from you. I knew it was all rumors, so I wasn’t planning to hurt her…

You used to like me so much—why… why do you suddenly like Ye Ningyu now? It’s not fair, it’s not fair… Sob, what’s so wrong about me liking you?”

But to Xia Tian, her tears were worthless.

“Scare her? You knew about the rumors she faced before transferring to Beian No. 1 High School, and you thought this was just scaring her?”

“And stop pretending to be morally superior. Your so-called affection for me is nothing more than a habit of being treated well by me. Now that I’m not good to you anymore, you feel empty because you haven’t found anyone better to pursue you.

If you had, you wouldn’t even remember who I am. This isn’t love—you just liked the way I treated you!”

Xia Tian’s words were sharp and cutting, leaving Xu Yuan speechless.

He took a few heavy breaths before continuing, his voice cold as ice.

“Now tell me—where did you learn about Ye Ningyu’s past? If you dare lie, I promise you’ll regret it!”

Looking at the ferocity in Xia Tian’s expression, Xu Yuan trembled with fear.

In the end, she was just a girl. Faced with such intimidation, she didn’t dare lie.

“I… I overheard you and Mr. Wang talking about it in the hallway during evening self-study…”

Xia Tian squinted, feeling a slight sense of relief.

At least it hadn’t come from someone else spreading it further.

He pressed her further. “Did you tell anyone else about this?”

“N-no…”

Xia Tian stared into Xu Yuan’s eyes for a long time, confirming that she wasn’t lying.

Finally, he dropped his threatening stance, but his gaze remained full of warning.

“Let me make this clear: I don’t care what you do to me.

But I won’t tolerate you hurting Ye Ningyu again. If you dare, I’ll stop at nothing to make you regret ever being born into this world!”

With that, Xia Tian cast her one final glare before turning and riding away on his bike.

Watching his retreating figure, Xu Yuan stood frozen for a long time before collapsing to the ground, hugging herself as she sobbed uncontrollably.

—

Early that morning, Ye Ningyu was already in the classroom, quietly working on practice problems.

She had no idea what had transpired outside Xu Yuan’s apartment complex.

Since Li Jiahui, the subject representative, needed to collect homework in the morning, she arrived earlier than most students.

When Little Ye saw Li Jiahui enter the classroom, she immediately walked up to her.

Lowering her head, she spent a long time building up the courage before softly speaking:

“Li… Li Jiahui… can we switch seats back?”

But Li Jiahui just stood there, staring at Ye Ningyu in astonishment, her mouth slightly agape, eyes filled with disbelief.

Because Ye Ningyu had moved so suddenly, her entire face was now visible, lifted from behind her collar.

And this was the first time Li Jiahui had ever seen Ye Ningyu’s full face.

This…

She’s absolutely stunning!

Who in the world spread the rumor that Ye Ningyu was some ugly duckling?

“Wait a minute… This face looks kind of familiar… Isn’t she the gorgeous rich lady who was supposedly keeping Xia Tian at the Heartbreak Museum?!”

—

TL Note: Gaokao, or the National College Entrance Examination, is an annual standardized test in China that determines university admissions. It is widely considered the most important and competitive exam for Chinese high school students.