The following morning.
After having breakfast together, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan took a taxi to Jiangcheng University. Qin Tian's future father-in-law went to work.
Jiangcheng University allows visitors during non-special periods.
The university campus is vast; it would take more than a day to explore it all on foot. There are sightseeing carts available on campus for a few yuan, offering tours of the entire campus scenery. The campus is nestled by mountains and water, boasting beautiful surroundings. The palatial architectural complex, a blend of Chinese and Western styles, is ancient and elegant, earning it the reputation of being the most beautiful university in the country.
Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan held hands, enjoying their time together in the picturesque campus. They had lunch at one of the university canteens, which was affordable, delicious, and offered cuisine from all over the country. They continued their exploration until dusk, when Xia Nuannuan's father drove to the campus entrance to pick them up.
"Dad, Jiangda is so beautiful, and the campus is huge! We also ate lunch at the canteen, there were so many delicious things..." Xia Nuannuan excitedly recounted her day's experiences to her father in the car, still full of enthusiasm.
Xia Zhengping glanced at his daughter's smiling face in the rearview mirror and nodded. "After all, it's a university ranked among the top ten in the country, and its campus has been designated as a national 5A scenic area. The environment is naturally excellent. If you had come two months earlier, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, it would have been even more spectacular!"
"Cherry blossoms, that sounds wonderful... We'll be able to see them next year!" Xia Nuannuan's anticipation was evident.
"Yes," Xia Zhengping smiled and said, "Let's go eat first. What do you want to eat?"
"Qin Tian, what do you want to eat?" Xia Nuannuan asked, looking at him. Then, sensing what he might say, she quickly added, "Don't say 'whatever'!"
"But I really don't know what's good. Uncle Xia, you must know, you decide!" Qin Tian gave a helpless smile and cleverly passed the difficult question back to his future father-in-law.
"Alright, let me think," Xia Zhengping agreed with a smile.
Afterward, the three of them went to a popular restaurant that primarily served local cuisine, with their signature dish being lotus root and pork rib soup. After eating their fill, Xia Zhengping drove them to the train station. After bidding farewell to Xia Zhengping, they entered the train station and soon boarded the train back to Yucheng.
...
...
The day after their return to Yucheng was the grand opening day of Tianming Internet Cafe. Qin Tian was no longer in Jiangcheng and had entrusted all matters to Zhao Mingyuan. Feeling a bit guilty about being such a hands-off owner, he hurried to work on the game competition event proposal. He meticulously organized everything, from promotion to the detailed procedures and steps for holding the event, including prize money, competition formats, and entry requirements, into a clear document.
Meanwhile, Qin Tian transferred another fifty thousand yuan from the eighty thousand earned from the clothing design draft into his stock investment account. He directly transferred the remaining thirty thousand yuan to his mother's bank card to serve as capital for her clothing store. Combined with his mother's savings, this brought the total capital to nearly forty thousand yuan. Of course, it wasn't necessary to have so much money, but for his mother's first business venture, having more funds on the books would give her more confidence.
Two days later, Tang Xiuxia officially signed the contract and rented the shop she had chosen. It was located on the third floor of the mall in the women's clothing section, right at the top of the escalator. The location was excellent. As for the price, his mother's negotiations over the past few days had paid off. The rent had been negotiated down to a very low rate, surprisingly low, prompting Qin Tian to advise his mother to rent it for five years.
Subsequently, Qin Tian went to Zhang Peng's house for dinner and had a couple of drinks with Zhang Peng's father, finalizing the renovation arrangements. Zhang Peng's father was in the renovation business, and both Qin Tian and his mother felt assured leaving the job to Uncle Zhang. Qin Tian had also prepared the renovation plan and, taking Uncle Zhang to the rented shop on the third floor of the mall, explained his requirements. Uncle Zhang immediately patted his chest and guaranteed that it would be done perfectly and in the shortest possible time according to his specifications. The renovation of the shop was left to his mother to oversee.
After sending the game competition event proposal to Zhao Mingyuan, Qin Tian found himself with free time again. As the weather began to warm up, he became reluctant to go out, mostly staying home to study the stock market and steadily making money. When he had nothing else to do, he would accompany Xia Nuannuan in playing games.
The opening of Tianming Internet Cafe was also very successful. Even though the game competition event had not yet started, the cafe's location and class were evident. Since its opening, the number of registered members had been steadily increasing, and business was quite good.
With the days passing by in such leisure, time flew by quickly. According to previous years, college entrance examination scores were usually released around the 25th. After the 20th, high school graduates, who had been enjoying themselves immensely, began to remember the dread of the college entrance examination. The long-absent tension started to creep back into the hearts of all candidates. The QQ groups of various classes, as well as small study groups, became much more active. The topics of discussion shifted from travel plans and popular games to exam scores and university applications.
On the 24th, starting from 8 AM, the messages in Qin Tian's class group never stopped. In the afternoon, Xia Nuannuan, who was also feeling nervous, sent a message in their study group, proposing that everyone go out for another meal to gather, as the current atmosphere made time difficult to pass. Everyone, evidently glued to their computers or phones, quickly responded after her message.
Zhang Dashuai: "Agreed, agreed! I can't even play games anymore, I'm just waiting to check scores on the website at midnight."
Liao Juan: "Last time the class monitor treated us, this time I'll do it!"
Mu Nan: "Shall we go to the usual place?"
Tian Jiajia: "Go go go! I've been cooped up at home for days, I'm practically getting moldy. Nuannuan, I love you!"
Su Yan: "I haven't treated anyone yet either, and now I'm going to freeload again, how embarrassing!"
Cui Ying: "Since this morning, I've been lurking in the class group. I feel so tense!"
Qiu Man: "Of course! If nothing unexpected happens tonight, it's unlikely anyone will sleep. At midnight, the score checking website will definitely be swamped."
Tian Jiajia: "Where's my male god? Why hasn't my male god popped up? Nuannuan, are you guys being lovey-dovey together?"
Xia Nuannuan: "No, I haven't been out for several days either."
Zhang Dashuai: "Then it makes sense. So the dinner gathering was just an excuse. Tian Ge, what's going on with you? Come out and get scolded!"
Qin Tian had just finished reading a financial news article and happened to see this message. He quickly typed a reply.
"Grandpa Zhang, have you become a bit osteoporotic from not getting beaten up for a few days?"
After this message was sent, everyone in the group was amused and responded with messages and emojis.