After morning self-study ended, Qin Tian felt a bit drowsy and was about to take a nap when he suddenly heard someone calling his name.
He looked up and saw the class monitor, Mu Nan, walking over with a smile.
"Qin Tian, why didn't you come to evening self-study yesterday?"
"Huh? Didn't Zhang Peng ask for leave for me?"
Qin Tian glanced in Zhang Peng's direction but found the guy already slumped on his desk, his head buried in his arms.
"He did ask for leave, but the reason sounded fake," Mu Nan said with a smile.
"Uh..."
Qin Tian was momentarily speechless and tentatively asked, "May I ask what he said?"
Mu Nan rolled her eyes. "He said you had a bad stomach from dinner, spent over an hour in the restroom going in and out, and then just went home."
Qin Tian was stunned.
"Pfft!"
Xia Nuannuan, who was nearby, couldn't help but stifle a laugh, quickly raising her hand to cover her mouth as she chuckled.
"This idiot..."
Qin Tian gritted his teeth, his face darkened.
"So, what did you actually do? I let you off the hook and didn't mark you absent, but you still have to tell me the reason!" Mu Nan said, crossing her arms and smiling with interest.
"Thank you, class monitor. Class monitor, you're truly a great person." Qin Tian clasped his hands together and said with a playful grin, "I had something important to do. Just pretend I had a stomachache and took leave."
"Alright then!" Mu Nan shrugged helplessly. "I won't ask anymore, but don't use such a lame excuse next time. It's lucky the homeroom teacher didn't come by yesterday, or else..." She raised her eyebrows, giving him a knowing look.
"Understood!" Qin Tian nodded in agreement.
If it were the formidable teacher Li asking, and Zhang Peng came up with such a reason, the consequences could be imagined. This guy even charged him two hundred yuan for his trouble, couldn't he even bother to think a little?
"Nuannuan, want to go out for a walk? It's too stuffy in the classroom." Mu Nan invited Xia Nuannuan.
"Okay!" Xia Nuannuan nodded with a blooming smile. The cheerful and lively side of her, which she usually only showed to her parents, was gradually starting to emerge at school.
Afterward, the two girls called Liao Juan, and the three of them left the classroom, chatting and laughing.
Qin Tian hesitated for a moment, then resisted the urge to slap Zhang Peng awake and also lay down on his desk to rest.
Reading books, slacking off, and the morning half-day passed just like that.
After school at noon, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan left the school campus together. Xia Nuannuan went home for lunch, while Qin Tian first went to a business hall to set up broadband internet for his family, and then went to a nearby Industrial and Commercial Bank to open a bank card. Fortunately, there were people on duty during lunchtime.
After smoothly handling both matters, he returned directly to school.
Entering the classroom through the back door, he saw that Xia Nuannuan had also returned and was quietly doing her exercises. As if by telepathy, Xia Nuannuan turned her head to look at him, waved at him with a sweet smile, and then took out a thermos lunchbox from her drawer.
A warm smile appeared on Qin Tian's face as he walked over and sat down.
"What delicious dishes did you bring me today?"
"Hehe... There's braised pork ribs with potatoes, fried tofu, spicy shrimp balls, and seaweed egg drop soup." Xia Nuannuan cheerfully listed the dishes, then skillfully arranged the food from the lunchbox like a little wife.
"Slurp... It sounds delicious just hearing it." Qin Tian rubbed his hands together with great anticipation. He had gotten used to the free lunches from his future mother-in-law, and now he was a bit reluctant to go eat at the cafeteria with Zhang Peng. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and vowed to treat Xia Nuannuan well for the rest of his life in return for this favor.
Even though the surrounding classmates were already used to this scene, many still cast furtive glances. Some boys, who insisted on being jealous, had their faces contorted with sourness.
"Eat up. I highly recommend these spicy shrimp balls. My mom made them with fresh crayfish she bought this morning; they're very flavorful."
"Mmm." Qin Tian responded and eagerly picked up a shrimp ball, popping it into his mouth and chewing with a crunch.
"You haven't even peeled them yet!" Xia Nuannuan reminded him with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"It's fine, eating them with the shells on is also good. No waste." Qin Tian grinned and nodded in praise, "Delicious, truly delicious, much better than those shrimp balls."
Xia Nuannuan blinked in surprise, then chuckled wryly, "Don't worry, my dad went to Jiangcheng this morning."
"That's good, that's good." Qin Tian nodded with a smile and began to eat heartily.
"Brother Tian..."
"Get lost!" Suddenly hearing a familiar, cheeky voice, Qin Tian blurted out a single word without even looking up.
Zhang Peng, who had quietly snuck up behind him, smiled sheepishly. "Wow, this lunch is so lavish today, and quite a lot too. I'm still hungry, mind if I share a bit with you?"
"No need, I can finish it," Qin Tian replied vaguely, speeding up his eating.
"Sister-in-law..." Zhang Peng put on a pitiful expression and looked at Xia Nuannuan, who was sitting inside. Xia Nuannuan's face flushed instantly, and she shyly said, "He's angry with you, I... I can't help you."
"Angry? Why?" Zhang Peng asked, confused.
"Beat it, you won't get a single grain of rice from me today." Qin Tian turned and glared at him, speaking irritably.
"You have to let me die knowing why?" Zhang Peng said, looking exasperated.
"Give me back the two hundred yuan I gave you yesterday." Qin Tian extended his hand expressionlessly.
Zhang Peng froze for a moment, then instantly understood, and a embarrassed smile appeared on his face. "No, Brother Tian, it's really not my fault. I just couldn't think of a better excuse at the moment!"
"Two hundred yuan!"
"No, don't! I've already used it." Zhang Peng backed away with a smile.
"You're lying to ghosts, how could you spend two hundred yuan so quickly?" Qin Tian replied, clearly disbelieving.
Zhang Peng chuckled, pulled out the two hundred-yuan bills Qin Tian had given him yesterday, and patted his forehead as if remembering, "Ah, I haven't used it yet. I forgot, I was going to buy some snacks at the supermarket. What can I do when I can't even get a single grain of rice!"
"You scoundrel." Qin Tian glared at him, then looked around and picked up a book, making a gesture as if to throw it.
Zhang Peng immediately raised his hands in surrender, "No, no, no, my bad. How about I bring you two ice creams? What kind do you want?"
"The most expensive one," Qin Tian replied without hesitation. If there were "ice cream assassins" back then, he would have definitely dug a pit for this scoundrel.
"Ah, the most expensive kind doesn't taste good. How about a Little Pudding or an Old Popsicle? They're classic and delicious," Zhang Peng said with a troubled expression.
"No, I want the most expensive one. I like it that way!" Qin Tian refused calmly.
"Then I'm not buying it. You can buy it yourself."
"Really? I was going to teach you some advanced combos for 'Royal Guards' when I had time, but forget it, it's too much trouble."
"Buy, buy, buy. It's just the most expensive ice cream, I'll go buy it for you right now!"
"Two!" Qin Tian reminded him.
"Got it, got it." Zhang Peng sighed with a resentful look and turned to leave the classroom.