“Nuan Nuan, what should we do? If it gets serious, should we join in too?” Shen Siqi asked in a low voice.
Xia Nuannuan turned her head, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at her. Shen Siqi’s round face was flushed, whether from too much beer or excitement, and her eyes, though flustered, held a hint of eagerness.
“Don’t do anything rash. With Tian Ge and the others here, it’s not our turn to act!” Xia Nuannuan said, feeling a mix of amusement and helplessness. In such a tense atmosphere, Shen Siqi had almost made her laugh.
“I know, Qin Tian and Chen Zhuang seem pretty capable. But just in case, don’t worry, your sister will protect you!” Shen Siqi said seriously.
Xia Nuannuan and Lu Lei exchanged glances, both wearing expressions of speechlessness. Then, their gazes converged on Lü Yanran.
Lü Yanran showed an awkward expression, pretending not to notice their stares. She turned to Cao Mingliang beside her and said, “It’s all my fault, making him misunderstand something. You all calm down, please don’t fight!”
“It’s none of your business. Let them fight. Don’t look at me like this, but where I come from, we’re not afraid of anyone when it comes to fighting!” Cao Mingliang said confidently.
“Senior, to be honest, I don’t quite understand why you’re angry,” Qin Tian raised his hand, signaling Chen Zhuang and the others not to be impulsive. He said calmly to Liang Yu, “Even if Lü Yanran took your contact information, it doesn’t mean anything, does it? You’re not a couple, and you’re only meeting for the first time today, am I right?”
Liang Yu’s brow furrowed, and he forced himself to say stubbornly, “It’s not about that. Your roommate was clearly being sarcastic and provoking us just now.”
“Was he? I didn’t feel that way. Instead, you seniors came over and disturbed our meal, and even had Lü Yanran introduce us. If it were just us guys, that would be fine. But there are girls here, which is a bit inappropriate, isn’t it? It makes people think you’re deliberately hitting on us,” Qin Tian said with a smile.
The surrounding diners who heard this nodded in agreement, finding his words logical. For a moment, Liang Yu and the others were speechless. They couldn’t argue their way out of it, might not win a fight, and public opinion was against them. It was clear they wouldn’t get anywhere today.
“Junior, you’re really good with words. Fine, it was us brothers who disturbed you,” Liang Yu said with a chuckle.
“Yu Ge…”
“Stop talking!” Liang Yu interrupted his companion, then glared at Cao Mingliang and said with a cold smile, “You newcomers, don’t be too arrogant. Just because you have some money at home doesn’t mean you can fly. Our Jiang University has plenty of rich and powerful people. Be careful not to get carried away and meet with misfortune one day!”
“Sorry, my family doesn’t have ‘some’ money, we have mountains,” Cao Mingliang said with a grin.
Liang Yu didn’t quite understand but just chuckled, turned, and left. The other guys, seeing this, could only leave after issuing some threats and followed him. The proprietress didn’t call out to them, only breathed a sigh of relief. As long as a fight didn’t break out, losing one order was acceptable; it was better to lose money than to face disaster.
“You all sit down and continue eating. The rest of the dishes will be here shortly,” the proprietress said warmly to Qin Tian and the others.
“Proprietress, we’re really sorry!” Qin Tian apologized.
“It’s alright, it’s alright, please sit!” The proprietress smiled and waved her hand.
Qin Tian nodded and returned to his seat with Chen Zhuang and the other two. After the commotion, the originally cheerful atmosphere at the table understandably became much subdued. They ate their grilled skewers and drank their wine in silence, unsure how to restart the conversation.
“Um… I’m really sorry everyone today. I’ll have a toast!” Lü Yanran picked up a glass of beer and gestured to everyone, then tilted her head and drank it in one go. Perhaps she drank too quickly, or perhaps it was intentional, but she coughed repeatedly, her brows furrowed, and her face showed discomfort.
“What are you doing? That guy was just being self-righteous and looking for trouble. It has nothing to do with you,” Cao Mingliang said with a frown.
“Cough, cough…” Lü Yanran coughed and shook her head, saying softly, “I didn’t manage the distance well, and he misunderstood. I just felt that since I’m new to school, being more proactive and friendly would help me adapt to university life faster.”
“No need to say more, I understand,” Cao Mingliang nodded, believing her words. Xia Nuannuan, Shen Siqi, and Lu Lei, the three girls, watched this scene and exchanged glances, their moods complex. Lü Yanran’s words seemed fine, but as her roommates, they hadn’t felt any of her proactivity or friendliness at all. However, they certainly wouldn’t say anything directly.
“Nuannuan, eat something!” Qin Tian handed Xia Nuannuan a skewer of grilled cauliflower, smiling lightly. Xia Nuannuan nodded, took the cauliflower, and ate it thoughtfully.
…
…
Even though Lü Yanran apologized, the atmosphere clearly couldn’t return to what it was before. They spoke less, and the pace of eating skewers naturally quickened. After ordering a plate of fried rice with soy sauce, they shared it and then prepared to leave. Qin Tian called the proprietress over to settle the bill. Two cases of beer and a large amount of grilled skewers cost just over five hundred yuan. Qin Tian couldn’t help but marvel at how low the prices were now; if it were before his rebirth, this meal would have cost at least a thousand yuan.
After leaving the barbecue restaurant, they walked back to school. Upon entering the school gate, they noticed that Cao Mingliang and Lü Yanran, who had been behind them, were nowhere to be seen. They must have gone off for a walk or a private chat somewhere.
“Qin Tian, Nuannuan, Lu Lei and I are heading back too. You two should go for a walk too, but don’t forget the dormitory closing time,” Shen Siqi said with a smile to the couple, holding Lu Lei’s arm.
“Okay!” Qin Tian replied with a smile, and Xia Nuannuan, whose hand he was holding, blushed a little.
“Let’s go!” Shen Siqi waved, holding Lu Lei’s arm as they quickly walked away.
Chen Zhuang opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he sighed. Zhuang Zhe, who was beside him, patted him on the shoulder in comfort.
“We’re going to stroll around. You guys do as you please!” Qin Tian said smilingly to the two.
“Alright!” Zhuang Zhe nodded and agreed with a smile. Chen Zhuang said nothing, still waving them off with envy and jealousy. Qin Tian chuckled, released Xia Nuannuan’s hand, and instead put his arm around her waist. Since she was his girl now, he could certainly be a little cheeky.
Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes and nudged him gently with her shoulder.
“Tian Ge, does Chen Zhuang want to chase Shen Siqi?”
“Can you tell?”
“Definitely, it’s too obvious!”
“Oh? Not bad, looks like both of us are experienced now,” Qin Tian teased with a smile. Xia Nuannuan’s face turned even redder, and she nudged him again with more force.