Around 9:30 PM, Qin Tian returned home after evening study ended.
While his mother was cooking him a late-night snack, Qin Tian placed the clothes he bought for his mother and the skincare products Xia Nuannuan bought for her on the sofa.
A moment later, Tang Xiuxia entered the room with a bowl of cooked shredded pork noodles.
"What's this?"
Upon seeing the shopping bags on the sofa, Tang Xiuxia asked in surprise.
"A few summer clothes I bought for you. Nuannuan helped pick them out," Qin Tian replied with a smile.
Tang Xiuxia placed the bowl in front of him and chided him, "I don't lack clothes, why did you buy me some? I left you a note asking you to take Xiao Xia out for a good meal!"
"We did eat!"
Qin Tian picked up his chopsticks and slurped a mouthful of noodles with relish.
Perhaps it was because she often cooked him late-night snacks, but his mother's cooking skills for noodles and dumplings were much better than her stir-fried dishes.
"Then where did you get the money? And you bought so much? That must have cost a lot, right?"
"It wasn't much, just money I'd saved up."
"You? Saved money?"
Tang Xiuxia looked at him suspiciously.
Did she not know what her son was like?
"Alright, I confess. This is money I earned by playing games with people."
Qin Tian said seriously.
He felt it was necessary to reveal a little about his income sources to his mother, otherwise, she might not accept it if he suddenly asked her to resign and open a clothing store later.
"You can make money playing games?"
Tang Xiuxia furrowed her brow even tighter, her eyes on her son filled with even more doubt.
"Really, if you don't believe me, I can play a couple of rounds later and you can watch. We can talk about this later."
Qin Tian pointed to the bag with the skincare products, changing the subject. "Take a look in that bag, those are skincare products Nuannuan bought for you."
"Huh?"
"Stop, don't scold me. I tried to dissuade her, but it was no use. I couldn't even drag her away."
Qin Tian directly raised his hand, interrupting his mother, who was about to speak.
Tang Xiuxia's words were cut off. She glared at him and took out a set of skincare products.
Over the years, she had hardly used any cosmetics. She didn't have the inclination for it and couldn't bear to spend the money.
However, she did use skincare products consistently.
And this brand of skincare products was one she had used before and found very effective.
"You rascal, going out with a girl and letting her spend money."
Tang Xiuxia still complained verbally, but a bright smile bloomed on her face.
Qin Tian felt helpless and obediently accepted the criticism.
"How about this, when the factory gives us a holiday, you bring her home for dinner, and I can meet her," Tang Xiuxia said unexpectedly.
Qin Tian froze completely, with several strands of noodles still hanging from his mouth. He looked up at his mother, dumbfounded.
"What? You've been to her parents' home, and I can't meet her?" Tang Xiuxia asked righteously.
"Slurp..."
Qin Tian slurped the noodles into his mouth, his face full of bitterness, and said, "Mom, is that the same? I'm a guy, she's a girl. How could she feel comfortable coming over for dinner out of the blue? Besides, didn't you say last time it was just going out to eat as classmates and good friends? How did it become meeting parents?"
"I just think this girl is very good, and I want to see what she looks like," Tang Xiuxia looked at him with a wistful gaze.
Qin Tian showed a speechless expression and tentatively suggested, "How about... we talk about it after the college entrance examination? It's less than two months away."
"Alright!"
Tang Xiuxia pondered for a moment, then nodded with some regret.
Qin Tian breathed a sigh of relief and buried his head, continuing to eat his noodles heartily.
"How is it that such a good girl has taken a liking to you with your attitude?"
"Mom, would you badmouth your own son like that? I don't look bad, do I? My grades are good, so why isn't anyone else interested? I'm telling you, there are plenty of girls at school who like me. Before evening study, a junior even confessed to me!"
"Really?"
"Look, you must have been very beautiful when you were young, right?"
"That's right, your mom was the campus belle back then!"
"So, as your son, inheriting your excellent genes, it's normal for me to be popular with girls at school, isn't it?"
"Hmm... That makes some sense."
Tang Xiuxia nodded in agreement, her eyes twinkling, and asked, "Come on, tell Mom, what did you do on your date with the girl today?"
"We just ate, shopped, and watched a movie. Nothing much to report."
"Tell me!"
"Okay..."
While recounting the day's date to his mother, Qin Tian also ate his fill.
He returned to his room in the back and opened his computer, logging into the game interface. He found that "Young Master I'm Strong" was already in a game.
Qin Tian typed a message to him and waited impatiently for him to come out.
Soon, Tang Xiuxia, who had finished washing the dishes, came over and sat on the head of the bed behind him.
"Show me how you make money playing games."
"The boss is playing now, he'll be out soon."
Just as Qin Tian finished speaking, the benefactor, Boss Wang, sent him a private message.
So, Qin Tian quickly pulled him into the room and connected to their voice chat.
To prove his words to his mother, Qin Tian didn't wear headphones and put the game on speakerphone.
"Master, how many games can we play today?"
"Still three games, then off to bed."
"Alright, your situation as a high school senior is indeed tough. Let's pull all-nighters to climb ranks after the college entrance exam."
"We'll see."
"Okay, I'll transfer the money to you then. Three games, the rest for tomorrow."
"Got it, thank you for your patronage, generous boss."
Qin Tian showered him with a compliment.
"Haha..."
Wang Shao's hearty laughter came through.
A moment later, Qin Tian felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Under his mother's astonished gaze from behind, he took out his phone, opened the deposit message, and handed it to her.
"Take a look."
"This phone..."
"I bought it today too. Check the message first."
Qin Tian smiled.
Tang Xiuxia looked closely at the phone screen. Seeing the message about a ten-thousand-yuan deposit and the subsequent bank account balance, her eyes widened in disbelief.
For the past week, Qin Tian had played two to three games with Boss Wang almost every day when he got home.
Coupled with the nearly twenty thousand yuan he had previously transferred from Xu Hao's card, his balance now exceeded seventy thousand yuan.
For Tang Xiuxia, who had only saved tens of thousands of yuan after working in the factory for many years, it was truly unbelievable, leaving her stunned for a long time.
"Master, who is it?"
"My mom. I bought her some clothes today with the money I earned. She was worried about the source of my money."
"Haha... Good evening, Auntie."
Wang Shao couldn't help but laugh heartily, then greeted her.
"Oh? Good evening."
Tang Xiuxia quickly responded.
"Auntie, don't worry, my money source is also legitimate. It's all pocket money from my dad, and my dad is a proper businessman."
Wang Shao explained with a smile.
"I, I didn't mean that... This..."
Tang Xiuxia hastily tried to say something, but her mind was still a bit jumbled.
"I understand, I understand."
Wang Shao showed understanding and said no more.
"Mom, just think of it as us not understanding the world of the rich. I know you might think this money came too easily, but for truly wealthy people, this is just the cost of a meal," Qin Tian appeased her with a smile.
Tang Xiuxia was stunned.
"Haha... Master, what you said is interesting, hahaha..."