Sitting in Xia Nuannuan's living room, Qin Tian ate snacks and fruit while watching television, chatting and laughing with Xia Nuannuan and her future mother-in-law.
It was his second time visiting Xia Nuannuan's home.
He had often sent Xia Nuannuan home recently, but they always parted ways at the entrance of her building, and he hadn't gone upstairs.
However, Qin Tian no longer felt much tension or awkwardness. He was undoubtedly much more relaxed than the first time he came for dinner.
Su Xia wore a gentle smile, chatting casually with Qin Tian.
"I heard from Nuannuan that you've made quite a bit of money from fashion design and stock trading, and you've partnered with others to open three internet cafes in Jiangcheng."
"Yes!"
"Xiao Qin, you are truly amazing. When Nuannuan first told me about these things, I almost didn't believe her and specifically called her father to ask."
Su Xia praised him with a beaming smile, her gaze towards Qin Tian filled with even more admiration.
Although her own family was wealthy enough and she didn't care about such things, it naturally made her even happier and prouder that her future son-in-law was so outstanding in earning money.
"Mainly, I've been quite lucky!"
Qin Tian replied with a humble smile.
Su Xia shook her head with a smile, "Auntie isn't completely clueless. While stock trading might involve some luck, fashion design and opening internet cafes—these things can't all be down to luck, can they?"
Qin Tian just smiled, unsure of what else to say.
Xia Nuannuan sat to Qin Tian's right, cracking melon seeds, her pretty face also beaming with a proud smile.
After returning from Jiangcheng with Qin Tian, she had shared everything she knew with her mother.
She simply wanted her parents to know how outstanding the boy she liked was.
"I heard you're also helping your mother open a clothing store?"
"Mm, it's in the mall, and it's currently being renovated!"
"Truly impressive, Xiao Qin. Among the younger generation, you are the most outstanding I've ever seen."
Su Xia expressed her sincere approval, her eyes smiling as she looked at her daughter, and then added, "I must say, Nuannuan's taste in people really runs in the family, just like mine."
"Mom..."
Xia Nuannuan's pretty face flushed red, and she shot a shy glance at her mother.
"Haha..."
Su Xia laughed happily.
Qin Tian's handsome face wore a cheerful smile. He actually felt a bit ashamed by his future mother-in-law's words.
His future father-in-law had started from scratch and was now worth billions, undoubtedly possessing immense capability.
When Xia Nuannuan's parents first got together, her father hadn't yet started his ventures.
And Qin Tian could easily imagine that Su Xia, at that time, would have had no shortage of suitors. Yet, she chose her future father-in-law at a glance, and they remained so loving even now.
In comparison, his own achievements were largely due to the foreknowledge advantage of his rebirth and the system's advanced technology.
More importantly, his own judgment in choosing people was actually not very good, and he could even say it was quite blind.
Otherwise, how could he have missed such a treasure of a deskmate in his previous life?
In fact, when classmates gossiped behind Xia Nuannuan's back in his previous life, he had actually stood up for her.
However, at that time, it was more out of a sense of injustice and seeing something wrong, not because he had any romantic feelings for Xia Nuannuan.
Because of this, they had remained ordinary classmates in their past life. After graduating from high school, they had become two parallel lines that never intersected again.
But what Qin Tian didn't know was that these parallel lines were only perceived as such by himself.
That's right, in his past life, Xia Nuannuan had actually harbored a secret crush on him.
It was just that the Xia Nuannuan of that time was too self-conscious and introverted, lacking the courage to actively close the distance.
Later, during the years she studied abroad and transformed herself, the only person Xia Nuannuan kept in contact with was the class monitor, Mu Nan. She had always learned about him indirectly through Mu Nan and the class group.
Even her elaborate appearance at the class monitor Mu Nan's wedding banquet after returning to China was an attempt to let Qin Tian see her transformation and to prompt him to make a move.
Regrettably, Qin Tian at that time, having experienced the harshness and hardships of society, had long lost that courage.
Finally, by the end of the banquet, Xia Nuannuan was surrounded by her classmates, who showered her with praise, while Qin Tian quietly left.
Not long after, Qin Tian was laid off by his company, got drunk in his rental apartment, and woke up to find himself reborn.
These regrets of his past life were destined to remain unknown to anyone.
...
...
Amidst the pleasant chat, time passed quickly.
About fifteen minutes before midnight, Xia Nuannuan hurried to get her laptop from her room and handed it to Qin Tian.
It was an Alienware laptop that had been released last year, a birthday gift from her father.
Xia Nuannuan's family had Wi-Fi, which was quite rare at the time.
However, to prevent any lag, Qin Tian asked Xia Nuannuan to get a network cable. He connected it to the network jack in the living room and first navigated to the score inquiry webpage.
Xia Nuannuan and Su Xia moved closer, flanking Qin Tian.
Xia Nuannuan had taken a shower earlier while idle and changed into her pajamas. The scent of her shampoo and body wash was delightful, making Qin Tian feel a little stir of affection.
If her future mother-in-law hadn't been present, he would have surely been unable to resist doing something.
"Five more minutes!"
Su Xia said, glancing at her phone, her voice laced with a hint of nervousness.
Xia Nuannuan's hands, resting on her lap, instinctively clenched, her expression tense.
She felt she had performed well and answered all the questions she could.
But Jiangda was a top university among the top ten in the country, and she didn't have absolute certainty.
In the past few days, she had carefully studied Jiangda's admission scores from previous years and the difficulty of the college entrance examination papers.
According to her estimation, she would need at least 650 points to be considered safely admitted and to have the freedom to choose her major.
Qin Tian sensed her emotions, reached out, and gently clasped her clenched fist, reassuring her, "Don't be nervous, believe in yourself."
"Mm!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded vigorously, her smile blooming, and the sense of tension eased considerably.
It was fortunate that Qin Tian had come up to check her scores with her; otherwise, she would have been incredibly anxious on her own.
Su Xia watched this scene, her face soft with a smile, saying nothing.
"Nuannuan, let's check yours first!"
"Okay!"
So, Qin Tian entered her examination number, registration number, and ID number one by one, then intently watched the time in the bottom right corner of the computer screen.
The television was playing uninteresting commercials, and no one was paying attention to them anymore.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The moment the time in the bottom right corner reached twelve o'clock, Qin Tian quickly clicked to query.
His hand speed was fast, and combined with good luck, he managed to get in on the first try.
The three held their breath, their eyes fixed on the computer screen.
First came the student ID, name, and school, and then below that were the scores for each subject.
Chinese: 138, Mathematics: 130, English: 135, Science Comprehensive: 265, Total Score: 668!
Upon seeing the final total score, Xia Nuannuan first let out a sigh of relief, then her pretty face bloomed with a smile as radiant as summer flowers.
"Darling, you are truly amazing!"
Su Xia got up and walked over, her face flushed with excitement as she embraced her daughter.