Chapter 153 This Moment Belongs to Me

"This is between the two of us…"

Liao Juan, mimicking Qin Tian's tone and manner of speaking, trailed off after half a sentence and couldn't help but shiver, shaking her head with a fond smile. "I can't stand it, it's too cheesy."

"Liao Juan, you're not imitating him well at all, you're missing the emotion!" Zhang Peng teased with a chuckle.

"Indeed!" Xue Qian, standing beside them, nodded in agreement.

"Come on, Yan Yan darling, let's have one too!" Tian Jiajia chimed in, playfully holding a peeled shrimp towards Su Yan's mouth.

Su Yan rolled her eyes but obligingly opened her mouth and ate it.

"How was it? Did it taste better because I fed you?" Tian Jiajia asked with a smile.

Su Yan nodded and said, "Then peel a few more for me."

"Dream on, you're not my girlfriend."

"I can be."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the two of them in astonishment.

Even Tian Jiajia was taken aback, her eyes wide as she looked at her best friend as if seeing her for the first time.

"Just kidding, what are you all thinking!" Su Yan said calmly.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Phew, that almost scared me to death," Tian Jiajia said, patting her flat chest with lingering fear.

After this little interlude, no one dared to tease Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan anymore. They changed the topic and continued chatting, eating, and drinking.

They ate from seven o'clock until nine-thirty.

Mu Nan and Tian Jiajia had only drunk one bottle of beer each and were not particularly tipsy. Qin Tian, with his excellent alcohol tolerance and physique, had drunk a good amount of beer but didn't feel too much. However, Zhang Peng and Xue Qian had been competing in drinking later on and were getting a bit carried away. Zhang Peng, in particular, was flushed red all over his face, like a monkey's backside, which looked rather alarming.

Xue Qian went to pay the bill. The table full of food, though looking substantial, only had a few pots of crayfish that were pricey, costing around four to five hundred yuan.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone prepared to leave. The girls lived in the same direction, so they made sure to walk together. Zhang Peng and Xue Qian also acted as their escorts. There were many people drinking after the college entrance examination, and they were all young and spirited. Safety was still important. As for Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan, everyone tacitly left the two of them behind.

After seeing everyone off, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan discussed it and decided to walk home. As they walked, their hands naturally intertwined. The June night air was not yet too hot. Walking slowly along the riverbank, hand in hand, with the evening breeze blowing, felt very comfortable. For a while, neither of them spoke, savoring the warmth and tranquility.

It wasn't until Xia Nuannuan's phone rang that the pleasant atmosphere was broken. Xia Nuannuan quickly pulled her phone from her pocket and answered the call. Unsurprisingly, it was her father.

"Hello, Dad, I'm already on my way back. Yes, Qin Tian is with me. Okay, I'll hang up now…" Xia Nuannuan finished her brief conversation and hung up, looking at Qin Tian beside her with a helpless expression.

"It's normal, your uncle is just concerned about you," Qin Tian said with a smile.

Xia Nuannuan nodded and asked, "What are you planning to do during the next two months of vacation, Qin Tian?"

"My mom resigned earlier, remember? She originally planned to take care of things after the college entrance examination and then see if she could open a clothing store. I need to help her brainstorm and get this store up and running as soon as possible so she doesn't have to work so hard at the factory anymore," Qin Tian replied.

"So, the money you made designing clothes was all for this?" Xia Nuannuan asked again, full of surprise.

Qin Tian nodded. "Sort of!"

"Qin Tian, I think you're truly amazing." Xia Nuannuan's eyes, which seemed to speak volumes, were filled with admiration.

"I just want my mom to have an easier life and do what I can to help," Qin Tian said with a hearty laugh.

Gazing at his gentle smile, a soft shimmer seemed to flow through the depths of Xia Nuannuan's eyes, and for a moment, she was lost in thought.

"Nuannuan."

"Hmm?"

"My mom wants me to bring you home for dinner."

"Okay!" Xia Nuannuan's reaction was a beat slower. When she snapped back to reality, her eyes instantly widened in shock as she looked up at Qin Tian, stammering, "You—you—what did you say?"

"My mom wants me to bring you home for dinner." Qin Tian couldn't help but chuckle and repeated it unhurriedly, adding, "She mentioned it after the first time I brought you to my house for dinner. She's brought it up several times, but I kept putting it off, saying we'd discuss it after the college entrance examination, so…"

Xia Nuannuan's face turned as red as a ripe apple, and her voice was flustered. "But, but… I haven't prepared anything, this is a bit too sudden."

"Wasn't it also very sudden when I came to your house last time?"

"That's different!"

"Oh? How is it different?" Qin Tian raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile appearing on his face.

Xia Nuannuan's face grew even redder, and she shyly lowered her head, refusing to speak. The last time Qin Tian had dinner at her house, it was ostensibly as a good friend and classmate, and her parents were thanking him for helping with her studies. If she were to go to Qin Tian's house now, she naturally couldn't use that excuse anymore. Moreover, there was their agreement. And now, the college entrance examination was over! Since Qin Tian had said it, she couldn't possibly refuse, and she didn't want to. If she agreed to go, would it be considered her first meeting with his parents as his girlfriend? But, were they even officially dating? At that moment, Xia Nuannuan's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, her emotions complicated.

Just then, Qin Tian suddenly stopped walking. Xia Nuannuan continued walking forward a couple of steps with her head down. Feeling the resistance from the hand holding hers, she turned to look at him with a surprised gaze.

Qin Tian smiled and gently pulled his right hand, which was intertwined with hers.

"Ah!" The girl cried out in surprise. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already been pulled into his embrace, his arm around her waist.

"Nuannuan, you haven't forgotten our agreement, have you?" Qin Tian leaned close to her ear and asked in his magnetic, gentle voice. The sound, accompanied by a trace of warm breath, entered her ear. Xia Nuannuan's face flushed as if she were about to bleed, and she softly hummed, her heart pounding rapidly.

Qin Tian stood up straight, looked directly into her bright eyes, and said with a smile, "From this moment on, you belong to me."

Their eyes met. Xia Nuannuan's cheeks burned, and she buried her head, softly responding with a gentle voice. Qin Tian slowly raised his right hand, gently hooked her chin with his index finger, and leaned down to kiss her.

Xia Nuannuan's eyes widened, and her mind went blank. A moment later, the girl slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. Under the dim streetlights, a young, beautiful couple embraced in a passionate kiss.