The next morning, Qin Tian woke up to the sun shining brightly. He had been up quite late the night before, finally falling asleep around two in the morning after quite a bit of excitement.
Given his physical condition, it was no wonder Xia Nuannuan, curled up in his arms, was still fast asleep and showing no signs of waking. It was clear how exhausted the girl was from the previous night.
He carefully moved her arm from his waist, got out of bed, put on his pajamas from the floor, and tiptoed out of the room to make breakfast.
After preparing a nutritious and hearty breakfast, Qin Tian returned to the room to wake Xia Nuannuan. They washed their faces, brushed their teeth, and then sat down at the dining table to eat.
Xia Nuannuan buried her head in her breakfast, seeming unwilling to engage with Qin Tian.
"Nuannuan, after we eat, let's drive back to Yucheng!" Qin Tian turned his head to look at her, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Oh!"
"Have you contacted Su Yan? Is she going back?"
"Not yet."
"Is she still angry?" Qin Tian asked with a wry smile after a moment of silence.
Xia Nuannuan glanced up at him, then lowered her head to continue eating. It was obvious she still held a grudge against him for his strange requests and endless antics the day before. After a night's rest, her body still felt sore and weak, especially her legs.
Of course, her anger was mostly feigned; she was just a little embarrassed. While she was shy about the experiences of the previous night, she had also enjoyed them immensely.
"Oh, here, have this fried egg. Don't be angry anymore, I was wrong." Qin Tian picked up a fried egg from his plate and gave it to her, apologizing with a cheeky grin.
Xia Nuannuan remained silent, picked up the fried egg, and popped it into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's as she chewed. She looked up and glared at him.
Qin Tian chuckled and poked her collagen-rich, cute cheek with his left index finger.
"Pfft!" Xia Nuannuan's puffed-out cheeks deflated slightly before quickly puffing up again. She shyly but angrily swatted his hand away, continuing to glare at him as if she were fierce.
"I really was wrong, and I won't do that again," Qin Tian said with a wide smile.
Hearing this, Xia Nuannuan's mind immediately flashed back to the scenes from the previous night. She averted her gaze in a flustered manner, her face flushing red from her neck upwards. Seeing her reaction, Qin Tian knew she was likely over her mood and happily continued eating his breakfast.
After a while, Xia Nuannuan's shy voice suddenly broke the silence.
"You, you can't do that. It has to be... it has to be consensual."
"Ah?" Qin Tian looked at her in surprise. After realizing what she meant, he beamed and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I promise."
"Eat up quickly, and then we'll pack up and leave." Xia Nuannuan said, her face still flushed, changing the subject.
"Alright!" Qin Tian nodded happily.
Xia Nuannuan called Su Yan to ask if she wanted to go back together. She learned that Su Yan planned to stay in Jiangcheng during the National Day holiday to work as a tutor. Therefore, the two of them drove back to Yucheng by themselves.
This time, they could take the highway, making the journey much faster, taking only about an hour and a half. By two o'clock, they arrived at Xia Nuannuan's apartment complex.
Since she didn't have much luggage, just a backpack, Qin Tian decided not to escort her upstairs.
"I'm going up then. Say hello to your aunt for me, and I'll come see her tomorrow!" Xia Nuannuan unbuckled her seatbelt and said to a smiling Qin Tian.
"Okay, you say hello to Aunt Su for me too," Qin Tian nodded with a smile.
"Got it!" Xia Nuannuan acknowledged with a nod, opened the car door, and was about to get out.
"Wait a moment!" Qin Tian suddenly called out to her.
Xia Nuannuan turned to look at him, her expression puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Qin Tian smiled awkwardly, reached over, opened the vanity mirror above the passenger seat, and pointed at her neck. Xia Nuannuan became even more confused. She tilted her head and looked into the mirror, then her face turned bright red.
She saw a vivid hickey on her neck, clearly a mark left by Qin Tian's enthusiastic affections the night before. Xia Nuannuan glared at him with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.
"Cough, cough..." Qin Tian coughed lightly and suggested with a sheepish grin, "Why don't... you cover it with some foundation?"
"I didn't even bring any!" Xia Nuannuan replied grumpily. She didn't wear much makeup and certainly didn't bring any for a holiday break; if she needed it, she could use her mother's.
"It's okay, it's not very noticeable. They probably won't discover it. I just noticed it myself this morning!" Qin Tian said, trying to comfort her with a smile.
"What if they see it?"
"Well... if they do, just say you had a heat rash and went for cupping therapy."
"Cupping therapy? You're really good at making things up!" Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes speechlessly. She pulled at her collar to cover the red mark and said resignedly, "Forget it, I'll be careful. If they see it, they see it."
Qin Tian smiled foolishly, unsure how to respond.
"Don't do that again next time," Xia Nuannuan glared at him and ordered. Qin Tian plastered on a fawning smile and nodded vigorously.
"I'm going now!" Xia Nuannuan got out of the car, closed the door, and turned to leave. After walking a short distance into the complex, Xia Nuannuan looked back to see that his car hadn't left yet. She clenched her fist and waved it at him from a distance, as if threatening him. However, it wasn't scary at all; it was quite cute and playfully fierce. Qin Tian smiled and then started his car and drove away.
When he got home, he found the door closed; his mother hadn't returned yet. He parked the car at the entrance and called his mother.
"Hello? Xiao Tian, you're home?" His mother's voice came through the phone quickly. It seemed she was still at the clothing store, interacting with customers. "This one, you have great taste. The fabric and style are the most popular this year, perfect for a beautiful woman with your temperament. I'll give you a discount price, 188!"
"Boss, why is it so expensive? Clothes from other places are much cheaper."
"Not expensive, you get what you pay for. Look at my styles, my fabric, we're the only ones in Yucheng."
"I'll consider it."
"Alright, take your time. Hello, Xiao Tian."
"Mom, why are you still at the store?" Qin Tian asked, a little exasperated.
"Business has been good lately, I've been so busy, so I'm helping out. There's nothing for me to do back home at this hour anyway. What, you want your mom to throw you a welcome-home party?" Tang Xiuxia said teasingly.
"No, no, how could I dare? You do your work. I just arrived home."
"You're already home?"
"Yes, just arrived." Qin Tian replied while getting out of the car and finding his keys to open the door.
"Okay, then you rest up, buy some groceries, cook a few good dishes, and I'll come back later for a drink with you."
"You want me to cook? That's not fair!"
"Otherwise? Who told you my cooking is worse than yours? Stop talking nonsense, I'm hanging up now, I'm busy!" Tang Xiuxia hung up the phone.