Qi Hong felt he had said enough about his time in the army. He turned his head to look at Qin Tian beside him and saw him staring at him with a strange expression.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you give that girl a 'nice guy' card?"
"What 'nice guy' card?"
Qi Hong asked with a frown.
"You treated her to a meal, just said thank you, and nothing else?"
Qin Tian retorted.
"No!"
Qi Hong nodded blankly and added, "I really didn't know what to say then. She didn't say anything either. After we finished, I took her back."
"Alright!"
Qin Tian rubbed his forehead and said with a wry smile, "Isn't that like giving someone a 'nice guy' card? 'Thank you for always tutoring me, you're such a good person.'"
"Is there something wrong with that?"
Qi Hong was even more bewildered.
"Then put yourself in her shoes. Imagine if the girl you liked said that to you when you confessed to her. Think about it."
Qin Tian pointed at his own head, his expression serious.
Qi Hong fell silent, imagining the scene Qin Tian described. His expression quickly soured.
"Understand now?"
"Mmm..."
Qi Hong nodded in a daze, fully realizing his mistake.
"What happened after that? Did you keep in touch?"
Qin Tian asked again.
"We contacted each other by phone at first, but the conversations were very awkward. We didn't know what to say, and after a while, I didn't have the courage to call again."
Qi Hong answered diligently, treating Qin Tian like a true mentor.
"And then it was like that until now? No more interaction?"
Qin Tian asked in surprise.
"During the Spring Festival, there's a high school reunion every year. I went home for the new year twice and attended twice."
"You saw her both times?"
"Mhm!"
"Were many people from your class there?"
"Not too many, I think. The two times I went, there were only about ten people."
"And you saw her twice but didn't have a private chat?"
Qin Tian continued to ask, his face darkening.
"No."
Qi Hong shook his head in shame, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Why?"
Qin Tian rested his hands on his knees, glaring at him with an expression of utter disappointment.
"Well... how should I put it!"
Qi Hong scratched his head, his expression dimming. "I just lacked the courage. She's so outstanding, and everyone was surrounding her, chatting about university life. I really couldn't jump into the conversation."
"Then after the reunion, you could have walked her home. You could have chatted privately on the way!"
"This..."
"Sigh!"
Qin Tian sighed, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said earnestly, "Brother Qi, have you ever considered why she was there every time, at a reunion of only ten people? Is it because she enjoys these kinds of gatherings?"
Qi Hong froze upon hearing this, disbelief flickering across his face.
"You mean..."
"It's obvious she was there for you, Brother Qi! You're too dense!"
Qi Hong felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Memories of the two class reunions flashed through his mind.
During the gatherings, everyone ate and sang together. She always sat there, smiling and agreeing with everyone, occasionally glancing in his direction.
The moment their eyes met, they would both quickly look away.
"But, why would she..."
Qi Hong lowered his head, his voice growing even quieter.
"You want to say, why didn't she contact you? Are you stupid? You didn't even have the courage to contact her yourself. As a girl, how could she shamelessly call you?"
Qin Tian finished his sentence directly.
Actually, even if he hadn't said it, no matter how slow Qi Hong was, he would have known the answer the moment he asked the question.
Qi Hong raised his hand to cover his eyes, falling silent.
Qin Tian could clearly feel that his body, which could stand at attention without moving for half an hour, was trembling slightly.
"Brother Qi, when you go back today, give her a call and have a good chat. You said you were a man!"
Patting his shoulder, Qin Tian lowered his voice and said, then stood up and looked towards the top of the steps.
The few students who remained in their places were chatting and laughing as they watched the performance on the track field. No one was paying attention to them.
"Tian Ge!"
A familiar voice called out.
Qin Tian turned to look and saw Xia Nuannuan and a few other girls returning.
She took out a bottle of his favorite tea drink from her shopping bag and gestured with it.
Qin Tian flashed a bright smile and gave her a thumbs-up.
Xia Nuannuan smiled sweetly and tossed the tea drink directly at him.
"Whoa!"
Qin Tian caught it with both hands, twisted open the cap, took a couple of sips, and walked up the steps.
"There are also a few bottles of water and ice cream. Take them to the instructor."
Xia Nuannuan opened the shopping bag she was holding and nodded towards the instructor below.
"Let's talk about it later!"
Qin Tian shook his head.
"What's wrong?"
Xia Nuannuan looked surprised.
Cheng Meng and the other two by her side also sensed something was amiss and looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"The instructor suddenly understood something and needs some quiet time to sort it out."
Qin Tian replied with a smile.
As soon as he said this, the girls exchanged glances, becoming even more curious.
"Class monitor, don't keep us in suspense! What is it?"
Shen Siqi asked curiously like a child.
"Yeah, the way you're talking, where I come from, you'd get beaten up if you said that when you went out."
Cheng Meng said unhappily.
Qin Tian glared at her with amusement and scoffed, "Don't tell me you think I haven't been to the North? 'Get beaten up if you go out,' you're scaring me to death!"
Seeing this, Cheng Meng and Shen Siqi exchanged a look with Xia Nuannuan.
Xia Nuannuan immediately understood. She clenched her small fists and pretended to be fierce, scaring Qin Tian.
"If you don't tell me, I'll really hit you!"
"Come on, put some effort into it!"
Qin Tian was amused by her cute, fierce demeanor and puffed out his chest, inviting a beating.
Xia Nuannuan was stunned for a moment, blinking her bright eyes and looking at Shen Siqi and the other two with a helpless expression.
"I give up!"
"Speechless!"
"Amazing!"
The three girls covered their faces with their hands, all wearing expressions of resignation.
After ten o'clock, the departing classmates began to return one by one.
The instructors from the School of Economics and Management were called away by their superiors for a meeting.
Seeing the instructor leave, Qin Tian stood at the bottom of the steps and faced everyone, shouting loudly, "Everyone sit down and listen to me!"
The classmates sat down quietly, looking at him with questioning eyes.
"Everyone knows that after today's military training performance, we will be bidding farewell to Instructor Qi. It will be difficult to see each other again in the future. Our time together was brief, but Instructor Qi and we have left many memories together."
Qin Tian said with a smile.
Everyone agreed. Some emotional girls already showed expressions of lingering affection and reluctance to part.
"Therefore, for our own sake, and to give Instructor Qi the courage to pursue happiness, after we enter, please help me by showing our utmost spirit and best performance."
Qin Tian said in a high-pitched voice.
"Tian Ge, what do you mean by pursuing happiness? Explain it clearly!"
Cao Mingliang asked excitedly.
The eyes of the other classmates in the class also sparkled, their confusion and curiosity evident.