“Nuan Nuan, how about this one?”
Tian Jiajia changed into another coat, appraising its effect on her body in the full-length mirror while asking for Xia Nuannuan’s opinion.
“It’s also quite nice, it suits you very well.”
Xia Nuannuan nodded in agreement with a smile, then glanced at Qin Tian and Zhang Peng, who were sitting together not far away. She lowered her voice and asked, “Jiajia, have you and Zhang Peng gotten together?”
A blush crept onto Tian Jiajia’s face, and she replied a bit shyly, “I don’t know if we can be considered together?”
“Huh?”
Xia Nuannuan was taken aback, her expression one of confusion. “You don’t know? How can you not know?”
“Aiya, how should I put it!”
After organizing her thoughts, Tian Jiajia explained, “He’s been messaging or calling me every day recently. My roommate and her boyfriend at another school are like that too. But, he hasn’t directly confessed to me, so…”
“I see.”
Xia Nuannuan nodded in realization, and for a moment, she too was unsure if this counted as a formal relationship.
After all, she wasn’t exactly an expert in relationships, and her situation with Qin Tian was completely different.
Qin Tian had expressed his intentions very directly from the start, and on the day the college entrance exams ended, he had proactively said something akin to a confession. Then, they had stolen each other’s first kiss.
“I also asked my roommate, and they said some guys are just like that. They don’t confess, and when the time is right, they’ll just hold your hand or even kiss you!”
Tian Jiajia said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Ah? It can be like that? Then, if it’s so sudden, what if the girl gets scared?”
Xia Nuannuan asked in surprise.
Tian Jiajia shrugged, indicating she didn’t know either.
“Then Zhang Peng…”
Xia Nuannuan trailed off, her gaze questioning.
“No, no.”
Tian Jiajia waved her hands frantically, denying it. “We haven’t even held hands, that’s why I said I don’t know if we’re together.”
“It’s okay, today is considered a double date for us. He’ll definitely give you some signals about what he’s thinking.”
“I hope so. Sigh, you know, he’s so close with Qin Tian, why hasn’t he learned to be more of a man like Qin Tian? It’s so annoying!”
“Uh…”
Xia Nuannuan was momentarily speechless. She couldn’t very well tell her best friend that Zhang Peng’s flirting tactics were something Qin Tian had learned from a womanizer in their dorm.
“If he doesn’t make things clear today, I’ve decided to ignore him for a month… no, half a month.”
Tian Jiajia said with a wistful look.
Xia Nuannuan gently patted her shoulder and smiled, “Don’t worry, he definitely will.”
Meanwhile, Qin Tian was also discussing this matter with Zhang Peng, but the situation was quite different.
“Confess? No, didn’t you tell me that a confession doesn’t necessarily mean a start? As long as she can feel that I like her, isn’t that enough? You said it loses its charm if it’s too explicit, and stuff like that.”
Zhang Peng looked at Qin Tian with surprise.
“I said that?”
Qin Tian asked, taken aback.
“Yeah, I still have the chat records. Want me to show you?”
Zhang Peng nodded absentmindedly and made a move to get his phone.
“No, no, you don’t have to show me.”
Qin Tian quickly stopped him, chuckling and making an excuse, “Actually, this was taught to me by a guy in our dorm. I don’t really know how to chase girls.”
“Oh really? Is that guy very good?”
“Ahem… you could say that. I’ve only been in university for two months, and I’ve added quite a few girls on my phone.”
“A true master!”
Zhang Peng’s face showed a look of admiration.
Qin Tian averted his gaze, looking around somewhat guiltily.
He wasn’t sure how good Cao Ze was in this regard.
If you said he was good, he almost got cuckolded within a month of dating.
If you said he wasn’t good, the number of fish in his pond was increasing significantly every day.
After all, they had only been in university for a short time, and there were very few materialistic girls like Lü Yanran.
Cao Ze’s ability to navigate so many girls so smoothly was definitely not just due to his "second-generation mine owner" status; he also had a "sea king" talent.
The problem was that the advice he gave Zhang Peng didn’t come from the supposed master, but from content he had seen on short videos that he’d thought of on the spot.
He hoped that the esteemed ancestor wasn’t tricking him.
…
…
After Tian Jiajia paid for the coat she liked, the four of them left the clothing store.
For some reason, as they walked out, Xia Nuannuan quickly stepped forward and linked her arm through Qin Tian’s, walking ahead with him.
After creating a few steps of distance between themselves and Zhang Peng and Tian Jiajia, Qin Tian looked back at the other two, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“Nuannuan, what’s wrong?”
Normally, Xia Nuannuan would have walked hand-in-hand with Tian Jiajia.
“Brother, let’s give them some space, so Zhang Peng can express his feelings?”
Xia Nuannuan explained in a low voice.
“What? Aren’t they already together?”
Qin Tian was a bit bewildered.
“I just asked Jiajia, and Jiajia said she doesn’t know if they’re dating yet, and she’s waiting for Zhang Peng to give her an answer!”
Xia Nuannuan said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Qin Tian’s lips twitched a few times, and he mentally apologized to Zhang Peng.
However, this guilt only lasted for a brief two seconds.
This wasn’t his fault, Qin Tian thought. He should blame that ancestor instead!
They browsed through several more stores. During this time, Xia Nuannuan and Qin Tian gave the other two plenty of space, but there was no change between them.
There was natural chatting and laughter, but it was more like a couple in the ambiguous stage of a relationship.
By around one o’clock, the four of them felt hungry and decided to find a place for lunch.
After some discussion between the two girls, they chose a specialty restaurant featuring firewood chicken.
Led to their seats by a server, they ordered the signature firewood chicken set meal and some side dishes.
The four of them sat facing each other, with Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan on one side, and Zhang Peng sitting with Tian Jiajia.
While waiting for the food to arrive, they chatted about recent amusing events at school.
Most of the young people visiting the pedestrian street on a day off were from Jiangcheng, and naturally, many of them were couples like themselves.
At a table directly opposite Qin Tian, a couple who had also just sat down and were waiting for their food were openly showing their affection.
While others in the restaurant were eating, the couple was engrossed in a deep kiss, sharing saliva.
Qin Tian wasn’t interested in staring for too long, and it wasn’t very polite.
Just as he withdrew his gaze, he suddenly felt a kiss on his cheek.
Qin Tian turned his head, his gaze looking at Xia Nuannuan beside him in surprise.
Tian Jiajia and Zhang Peng across from them were also dumbfounded.
“Nuannuan, what are you doing? Do we really need to be fed a dose of dog food before we even eat?”
Tian Jiajia complained speechlessly after recovering her senses.
A sly glint flashed in Xia Nuannuan’s beautiful eyes, and she subtly gestured towards the couple at the other table, saying calmly, “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing. Look at them.”
Tian Jiajia and Zhang Peng turned to look, and after a moment of stunned silence, they exchanged a glance with strange expressions.
Qin Tian seemed to understand something. He looked at Xia Nuannuan again with a knowing gaze, and saw her wink at him with a sweet smile.