After exiting Yuchen Railway Station, Qin Tian hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take him to Xia Nuannuan's residential compound.
It was past ten o'clock in the evening when he arrived outside the compound.
Qin Tian sent Xia Nuannuan a message to let her know he had arrived.
Xia Nuannuan, who was sitting at her desk, heard the message notification from her phone. With a beaming smile, she picked up her phone and stood up.
After checking the message, she couldn't wait and rushed out of her room.
In the living room, Su Xia was snacking on sunflower seeds while watching a prime-time evening drama.
"Where are you going?"
Su Xia glanced at her daughter, who was hurrying towards the entrance, and asked.
"Uh..."
Xia Nuannuan replied with a blush while changing her shoes, "I told you before that Qin Tian went to Jiangcheng, didn't I? He brought me some duck necks, I'm just going to the door to get them."
"Oh, I see!"
Su Xia nodded in understanding and reminded her, "You're wearing pajamas, put on a coat!"
"No need, I'm not cold, I don't want him to wait too long."
Xia Nuannuan declined.
Su Xia rolled her eyes and then asked, "Do you want Mom to go down with you?"
"No, you should stay home and watch TV. I'll go by myself."
Xia Nuannuan quickly refused again.
"Alright then, come back soon, don't catch a cold."
"I will!"
Immediately after, the sound of the door opening and closing was heard.
Su Xia smiled gently and couldn't help but sigh, "Youth!"
They hadn't even officially started dating, and already a day apart felt like three autumns. What would happen in the future?
Thinking this, she suddenly missed her husband who was working hard in Jiangcheng to earn a living for the family.
She picked up her phone from the coffee table and opened the chat app to check.
Not seeing a message from her husband, Su Xia pouted and typed a message.
"Drink less alcohol!"
Seeing no immediate reply, she placed her phone on the sofa and went back to cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV.
...
...
At the entrance of the compound, Qin Tian saw Xia Nuannuan, wearing pink cartoon pajamas, running towards him from a distance.
"Qin Tian!"
Xia Nuannuan also saw him and waved her arm at him with a sweet smile.
"Slow down, don't run."
Qin Tian called out loudly with concern.
"Okay!"
Xia Nuannuan obediently replied and slowed her pace to a brisk walk.
The security guard in the nearby guardhouse saw this and opened the gate with a kind smile.
Qin Tian paused for a moment and quickly thanked the security guard.
"Thank you!"
"Go ahead!"
The guard said with a beaming smile.
Qin Tian nodded with a smile and stepped into the compound.
Xia Nuannuan ran up to Qin Tian and looked at him with a smile, saying, "I told you you didn't need to come, it's so late."
Her slightly thin pajamas perfectly accentuated her figure, which surpassed that of girls her age.
She was slightly out of breath from running, which made her unintentional charm even more striking.
Even Qin Tian, who considered himself to have strong self-control, felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly averted his gaze, choosing not to look at what was improper.
"Why aren't you wearing more clothes? It's so cold tonight."
Qin Tian said with a hint of a scolding tone as he pretended to be calm and opened his messenger bag.
"It's okay, I'm not cold."
Xia Nuannuan waved her hand.
"That's because you were running. If the wind blows later, you'll easily catch a cold."
Qin Tian took out several boxes of duck necks and duck wings from his bag and handed them over, saying, "Here you go, take them and go back quickly!"
"There's so much, I can't finish it all. You should take two boxes back!"
Xia Nuannuan said hastily.
"Eat them with your aunt. I have another portion in my bag."
"Okay, thank you."
Xia Nuannuan took the bag, her bright eyes looking at him.
"What's wrong? Haven't seen me for a day, and you already miss me?"
Qin Tian teased with a chuckle.
Xia Nuannuan's pretty face turned red, and she gave him a look of disdain. "You think too much, I don't."
"That truly breaks my heart. And here I brought you delicious food from afar."
Qin Tian clutched his chest, feigning a look of heartbreak.
"Pfft!"
Xia Nuannuan was amused and laughed playfully, "Stop pretending, it's too fake!"
"Alright!"
Qin Tian shrugged helplessly.
Then there was a brief silence.
Both of them knew it was very late and they should go home, but neither wanted to part.
"How about... I walk you to the building entrance before I go back?"
Qin Tian asked tentatively.
"Can... can I?"
Xia Nuannuan's eyes lit up.
"It's not far, let's go!"
Qin Tian slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and said with a smile.
"Mhm mhm!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Thus, they walked together towards the building where Xia Nuannuan lived.
Qin Tian took off his jacket and draped it over Xia Nuannuan.
"My pajamas are very warm, I'm really not cold. You'll catch a cold wearing just a t-shirt like this."
"No, I have a good constitution. Listen to me and wear it."
"Okay!"
Xia Nuannuan replied sweetly in her heart and casually asked, "What did you do in Jiangcheng today?"
Qin Tian didn't hide anything and briefly recounted his trip to Jiangcheng.
When she learned that he had earned two hundred thousand yuan from those design drafts, Xia Nuannuan was both shocked and impressed, her eyes twinkling with countless little stars as she looked at him.
With a tacit understanding, they both walked very slowly.
However, the few hundred meters of distance were quickly covered, and they soon arrived at the entrance of Xia Nuannuan's building.
"Then... I'm going up!"
"Okay, eat something and go to bed early. Don't stay up late like yesterday."
"I know."
"Go on in!"
Qin Tian said with a smile.
Xia Nuannuan nodded and turned to leave, her face full of reluctance.
After taking just two steps, she suddenly turned back and hugged Qin Tian.
By the time Qin Tian, stunned, recovered from the warm, soft embrace, Xia Nuannuan had already run inside like a startled little rabbit.
"This girl is getting bolder and bolder."
Qin Tian muttered to himself with a light chuckle, and then walked away with a happy heart.
After thanking the security guard again, Qin Tian went out of the compound and took out his phone to send a message.
"Next time, don't ambush me. Give me some time to prepare."
Xia Nuannuan had already returned home and sat on the sofa in the living room. She had just taken two boxes of duck necks and duck wings out of the bag to share with her mother.
Upon seeing the message on her phone, her face turned completely red.
"What's wrong?"
Su Xia curiously poked her head over, trying to see.
"Ah? N-nothing!"
Xia Nuannuan fumbled to turn off the screen and said with a blushing face, "Mom, eat duck necks, eat duck necks."
"Tsk, if you don't want to show me, then don't,"
Su Xia muttered with a resentful pout, picked up a duck neck, and took a bite in a depressed manner.
Her husband wasn't replying to her messages, and her daughter had her own little secrets. She felt a bit bored.