The entire afternoon, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan couldn't help but notice the gazes from their classmates.
They both understood the meaning behind those looks.
Qin Tian, however, was indifferent. Having spent years navigating the cutthroat world of business in his past life, his skin had long since thickened.
Xia Nuannuan, on the other hand, was a little shy.
In her previous life, she had been a nobody in class, her presence barely noticeable.
Suddenly being the center of so much attention made her feel rather unaccustomed to it.
Yet, whenever she felt flustered, a glance at Qin Tian, who remained composed beside her, immediately brought a sense of calm to her heart.
There was no such thing as weekends in the third year of high school.
According to the established regulations of Yucheng No. 4 High School, the third-year students were granted one day of rest only every fortnight.
This Saturday afternoon marked the beginning of their break.
They were scheduled to return to school for evening study on Sunday.
As the college entrance examination drew nearer, the graduating students felt the pressure mounting.
Even with just a single day of vacation, everyone was immensely looking forward to it.
Not long after the start of the last class that afternoon, the classroom had already begun to stir with unrest.
Even though the biology teacher on the podium had reminded them multiple times and even singled them out for criticism, it had little effect.
Finally, the bell signaling the end of class rang.
Before the teacher on the podium could even announce dismissal, many had already started packing their belongings.
The hushed discussions and whispers became entirely unrestrained.
"Class dismissed, class dismissed. Remember to take the practice test papers we just handed out with you. The class representative will collect them before evening study tomorrow."
After the biology teacher gave these instructions, he left the classroom directly.
As soon as the teacher departed, the classroom instantly transformed into a chaotic marketplace.
"Let's go, let's go, time for some CF at the internet café!"
"I want to play DNF, my annual package is about to be released."
"What kind of trash games are those? It's League of Legends, of course!"
"League of Legends? That's a game for elementary school kids. I'd rather play Dota!"
"Heh heh..."
The boys, in groups of three or four, argued and left the classroom together.
As for the practice test papers the biology teacher had just mentioned, what were those?
Many even left completely empty-handed.
Homework, and such, was typically just copied and submitted after returning to school.
"Qin Tian, wanna hit the internet café!"
Zhang Peng sidled up with a grin.
His face, covered in pimples, made his smile appear rather lewd.
"Nuannuan, we're going to the internet café. Do you want to come along?"
Qin Tian looked at Xia Nuannuan beside him and invited her.
"Ah?"
Xia Nuannuan blinked, her heart skipping a beat at his calling her "Nuannuan." Blushing, she murmured, "But I usually go straight home. If I don't go home, Mom will worry?"
"It's fine. We can call you from the internet café later, or send a message on QQ,"
Qin Tian reassured her with a smile.
"This..."
Xia Nuannuan was somewhat tempted.
She usually kept to herself at school, and it had been a long time since anyone had asked her out.
"Let's go, we can play for a couple of hours to relax. A balance between work and rest will improve your study efficiency,"
Qin Tian persuaded her with a smile.
"Alright then, I'll call my mom to let her know."
Xia Nuannuan nodded and agreed.
Then, to the surprised gazes of Qin Tian and Zhang Peng, she took out a classic work of old Mr. Qiao, an iPhone 4s, from her schoolbag and turned it on.
"My dad bought this for me last year. We're not allowed to bring phones to school, so I usually keep it off,"
Seeing their astonished looks, Xia Nuannuan quickly explained.
Qin Tian knew her family was well-off, so he didn't find it particularly surprising.
Zhang Peng, on the other hand, was quite shocked. "Xia Nuannuan, what does your family do? You're so rich! This phone is so expensive, I heard it costs almost five thousand yuan!"
"My family is just in a bit of business."
Xia Nuannuan smiled sheepishly and gave a casual reply.
At this moment, the phone had finished booting up.
After unlocking it, she opened her contacts and dialed her mother's number.
"Hello, Mom, I won't be coming back right away. I'm going out with classmates for a bit. Mmm-hmm, I know, I won't be too late... Okay, thanks, Mom!"
After briefly explaining the situation, she hung up the phone and gave them a sweet smile:
"Alright, my mom agreed."
"Can I borrow it? I need to call my family too,"
Qin Tian requested with a smile.
"Of course, here you go."
Xia Nuannuan readily handed him the phone.
"Let's go, we can call as we walk. If we're late, there might not be any machines left,"
Zhang Peng urged impatiently.
And so, the three of them left the classroom together.
As they walked out of the teaching building, Qin Tian had already finished his call, informing his mother that he would be back a bit later.
...
Along the way, Qin Tian could tell that Xia Nuannuan was in a very good mood.
Although she didn't talk much, her lovely face was always adorned with a sweet smile, and she seemed to have become much more cheerful.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the entrance of an internet café near the school named "Times Internet Café."
Upon entering, they found it already packed with people, and many more were standing by the counter, waiting for machines.
"Ah, we're still too late! These guys ran too fast!"
Zhang Peng sighed helplessly.
Qin Tian wasn't surprised.
In those days, the internet café industry was booming.
Especially during holidays, it was difficult to secure a spot if you didn't act fast.
Not to mention that this internet café was the closest to No. 4 High School, and with the third-year students just released for break, many would undoubtedly rush over.
"So many people!"
Xia Nuannuan, with her small mouth slightly agape, looked around in disbelief.
"Is this your first time at an internet café?"
Qin Tian asked with a smile.
"Mhm!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded. "I don't play games, and we have a computer at home."
"Having a computer at home is great!"
Zhang Peng said enviously, then looked at Qin Tian and asked, "What should we do? Should we check out other internet cafés?"
"Forget it. Judging by the situation, other internet cafés are probably similar,"
Qin Tian shook his head.
"Then what do we do? How long do we have to wait?"
Zhang Peng scratched his head in annoyance.
"Follow me, watch this."
Qin Tian smiled mysteriously and strode inside.
Zhang Peng and Xia Nuannuan exchanged bewildered glances and quickly followed.
In this era, many games were popular in internet cafés.
The most popular among them wasn't League of Legends, but rather DNF, which had long held the top spot on the pay-to-win game charts for years.
Looking around, the warriors of the Dungeon & Fighter world almost occupied half of the internet café.
There were also quite a few people playing CF, QQ Speed, and Dota.
League of Legends had only been launched on the Chinese server in September of the previous year, and it had only been about half a year since then.
Although it was showing signs of booming popularity, only a small portion of people had actually started playing the game.
Those playing League of Legends in the internet café were mostly concentrated in a section on the right side.
Upon reaching this area, Qin Tian stood behind one of the youths.
The youth was wearing headphones and operating the hero on the screen with one hand on the keyboard and the other holding a mouse.
It was evident at a glance that this guy also enjoyed flashy plays, as he was playing Lee Sin, a champion with a relatively high skill ceiling.
However, his skill...
Was almost unbearable to watch.
In the canyon, seven heroes from both sides were engaging in a team fight around the dragon.
The youth's team had four members, outnumbering the opponent.
The enemy jungler, Master Yi, charged in with his ultimate, using Q and Smite to snatch the dragon.
"Crap, you bastard! How dare you steal my dragon, you're asking for death."
The youth furiously cursed, pressing his ultimate with his left index finger.
On the screen, Lee Sin, with a splendid "life-saving and wound-healing" kick, sent the Master Yi, whose health was at a quarter, flying out of the dragon pit.
"What a Hua Tuo!"
Zhang Peng, watching this scene from behind, couldn't help but exclaim with a laugh.