When Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan arrived at the mall, Xu Hao was smoking at the entrance.
Seeing them approach, he smiled and waved his arm.
"Has Zhang Peng not arrived yet?" Qin Tian asked as he walked closer, holding Xia Nuannuan's hand.
"No, he said he had to pick up his girlfriend first. Damn it, he's been showing off to me." Xu Hao said with annoyance.
"Haha..." Qin Tian burst into laughter, and Xia Nuannuan beside him also covered her mouth and giggled.
"A while ago, this kid suddenly called me, saying he was off the market, and was so smug. Damn it, I couldn't even hang up the phone." Xu Hao exhaled a puff of smoke with a melancholic expression and asked curiously, "Did he and that Tian Jiajia really make it happen?"
Previously, Zhang Peng and Tian Jiajia pretended to be a couple in front of him and tricked him out of a thousand-yuan red envelope. He found out the truth a few days later and wanted his red envelope back, but Zhang Peng had already used it to buy game skins. In the end, he had no choice but to accept it, considering it the price of his own foolishness. He never expected that the two of them would actually get together now.
Qin Tian smiled and nodded, saying, "Remember that National Day incident? Zhang Peng acted like a man, a hero saving the damsel scenario, you know."
"So that's how it is." Xu Hao nodded in realization, tossed his cigarette butt, and crushed it with his foot. He then pouted, "In that case, my thousand-yuan red envelope wasn't really a scam."
Hearing this, Xia Nuannuan, who recalled the incident from a few months ago, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"They hadn't even taken the first step back then, so don't comfort yourself, you were scammed." Qin Tian patted Xu Hao on the shoulder with a mischievous smile.
"It's not like you helped him act." Xu Hao shot him an annoyed glance and said indignantly, "No way, Zhang Peng has to treat us to a meal later. Not only did he scam me out of a red envelope, but he also flaunted it."
"He should." Qin Tian nodded in agreement.
"Why don't we go up first? It's cold outside!" Xia Nuannuan suggested with a smile.
Qin Tian and Xu Hao naturally had no objections, so the three of them entered the mall and took the elevator to the fifth floor. The mall had changed significantly in the past few months. Many shops had changed brands, and a large area in the center of the fifth floor had become an ice rink. Many people were skating inside, including young couples and parents with their children.
"It's not a weekend today, otherwise, there would be even more people, and sometimes we'd have to queue." Xu Hao remarked.
Qin Tian nodded and looked at Xia Nuannuan, asking, "Nuannuan, have you ever skated before?"
"Mhm, I skated with my dad in Modu when I was little. It's been many years, I don't even know if I still can." Xia Nuannuan replied with a smile.
"What do you say? Should we go skate, or wait for Zhang Peng and the others?" Xu Hao asked with a smile.
Just as Qin Tian was about to speak, Zhang Peng's voice came through.
"Of course, we'll go together!" His voice was as familiar as ever, with a slightly mischievous tone.
The three of them looked over and saw Zhang Peng and Tian Jiajia walking towards them, hand in hand. Seeing them look over, Tian Jiajia seemed a little embarrassed and pulled her hand away.
"Jiajia, when did you guys arrive?" Xia Nuannuan asked with a sweet smile.
"Just now, right behind you. We saw you come in," Tian Jiajia replied.
"Zhang Peng, you rascal, you're treating us to a meal later!" Xu Hao glared at Zhang Peng with a stern face, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"I'm treating? Why?" Zhang Peng was taken aback.
"Don't you think you should treat us to a meal now that you're off the market? And about that thousand yuan I lost, you haven't forgotten, have you?" Xu Hao said with a nonchalant expression.
"What thousand yuan? Who scammed you?" Zhang Peng feigned ignorance, his face unblinking. Seeing Xu Hao's sharp gaze, he immediately grinned and said, "Treating to a meal, no problem. We'll go when we get hungry later, eat as much as you want!" Anyway, there weren't any high-end restaurants in this mall in Yucheng, and with just these few people, the cost wouldn't be much. Little did he know that he hadn't been to this mall for nearly half a year, and the economic development had caused significant changes.
"You said it yourself!" Xu Hao's face showed a hint of malicious amusement. Zhang Peng felt a bad premonition surge within him upon seeing that smile.
"Nuannuan, come on, let's go ice skating! I've never done it before!"
"Okay, I can skate. I can teach you!"
"That's great." After a brief exchange, the two girls linked arms and happily ran towards the entrance of the ice rink.
Indeed, the ice rink was quite expensive. The entry fee was fifty yuan per person for a two-hour session, with half price for children. Additionally, renting skates and equipment cost twenty yuan. None of them had skates, so they had to rent them. For the five of them, the entry fee plus rental fees amounted to three hundred and fifty yuan. Qin Tian generously paid for everyone.
After selecting their skates, they prepared to enter the rink. Xu Hao had clearly been here many times, and after entering first, he performed for them. He skated forward a distance, then turned and skated backward with his arms spread wide.
"Hao Ge, that's amazing!" Zhang Peng exclaimed loudly.
"Of course, it is. Hurry up and come in, are you scared?" Xu Hao asked with a chuckle.
"What a joke, it's just ice skating, why would I be scared? When I was a kid, the river froze over, and we skated on it a lot. Watch this." As Zhang Peng spoke, he boldly charged in.
To the astonishment of the others, the guy flailed his arms like he was rowing a boat, let out a panicked cry, and then with a bang, he fell squarely on his backside. Tian Jiajia covered her face with her hands, wearing an expression that said, "I don't know him."
"Hahaha... Zhang Peng, look over there, some elementary school students are laughing at you." Xu Hao pointed at a few children not far away and laughed unreservedly. Zhang Peng's teeth ached from the pain. He looked over and saw a few elementary school students who had just finished school laughing hysterically.
"Damn it, I was careless." He made a forced excuse for himself and then, supporting himself on the ice with his hands, cautiously tried to stand up. However, standing up on the ice also required skill. Undoubtedly, he fell on his backside again.
"Hahahaha..." This time, not only Xu Hao burst into laughter, but the laughter of the elementary school students from not far away also drifted over.
"You're a newbie who's never skated before, why do you think you won't fall?" Qin Tian skated past him, completed a smooth and elegant spin, and stopped in front of him, offering his hands. "Don't embarrass yourself, get up quickly!"
"Brother Tian!" Zhang Peng put on a feigned expression of being so moved that tears welled up in his eyes and took his hands.
"Don't give me that disgusting look, or you can just sit here!" Qin Tian said calmly.
"Don't!" Zhang Peng immediately restrained his expression and, with his help, finally managed to stand up.
"Qin Tian, you can skate too? And you look really good at it!" Tian Jiajia praised in surprise. Beside her, Xia Nuannuan also looked at him with adoring eyes, sparkling like little stars.