The phone rang twice before being answered quickly.
"Hello, Nuannuan!" Tang Xiuxia's affectionate voice came through.
"Auntie, good afternoon, what are you doing?" Xia Nuannuan asked with a sweet smile.
"Your mom and I are out eating!"
"Ah? You're with my mom?"
"Yes, we went shopping this afternoon and are eating now."
"Oh, oh, we're about to eat too."
"Did the surprise go well?"
"Hehe… a great success!"
"That's good. This brat, he even forgot his own birthday!" Tang Xiuxia grumbled indignantly.
"Mom, you're already an accomplice, and now you're scolding me?" Qin Tian said with a wry smile.
"Why shouldn't I scold you? A son's birthday is a mother's day of suffering, don't you understand? You don't even remember your own birthday, so shouldn't I say something?" His mother retorted without politeness.
On the table, Chen Zhuang and the others struggled to suppress their laughter, finding it hilarious. Qin Tian immediately regretted making the call. He quickly picked up his phone, turned off the speaker, and lowered his voice, saying with a sheepish grin, "Mom, okay, I know I was wrong. My classmates are here, please save me some face!"
"Ah? Your classmates are here? Cough cough… it's not my fault. I thought it was just the two of you!" His mother immediately restrained herself and decisively shifted the blame.
"I'll hang up now and call you back later!" Qin Tian said speechlessly.
"Okay, you guys have fun!"
"Mm."
"Wait a moment!"
"What's up?"
"Son, happy birthday!"
"Thanks, Mom!"
After hanging up, Qin Tian pretended nothing had happened and returned the phone to Xia Nuannuan, who was beside him. Xia Nuannuan, her eyes smiling, took the phone and put it back in her pocket.
"Brother Tian…" Chen Zhuang began with a fawning smile, but Qin Tian shot him a cold glance.
"Shut up!"
"No way, I just wanted to say Auntie speaks very humorously." Chen Zhuang said cheerfully.
"Pfft!" Shen Siqi couldn't hold back and giggled, covering her mouth. This laughter was contagious. In an instant, the private room was filled with continuous, joyful laughter. No one expected that the renowned Qin Tian, the CEO and Master Qin, would be so helpless in front of his mother.
"That's enough!"
"Haha…"
"Stop laughing, okay? Aren't you tired? Doesn't your stomach hurt?"
"Hahaha…"
Unable to do anything, Qin Tian finally gave up struggling and let them laugh to their hearts' content. Only when the waiter brought the dishes did the laughter finally subside, although occasional giggles could still be heard.
"Alright, alright, let's eat!" Xia Nuannuan called out, feeling a little sorry for Qin Tian.
"Cough cough… eat, eat."
"Open the wine and drinks first!"
"I won't ask the guys, they'll drink some. Which of you girls wants to drink?"
"Give me a glass, I haven't even tried Maotai!"
"I'll have some too!"
…
With everyone chiming in, they finally got past the laughing fit. After the drinks and beverages were poured, Xia Nuannuan led the toast.
"Happy birthday!"
"Happy birthday…" Everyone sent their blessings in unison and drank their cups.
As they ate and drank, the atmosphere quickly became lively. With the addition of Wang Zijun, a lively and cheerful senior, the table was significantly more animated.
"Senior, this is your first time at our gathering, come, let me toast you!" Chen Zhuang raised his glass.
"Just this one glass, I can't drink as much as you!" Wang Zijun said seriously.
"Okay, just this one glass, then you can go drink with Cao Ze."
"I won't drink with him, I'm afraid he'll get me drunk and make a move on me."
"Hahaha…" Everyone burst into laughter.
"Senior, you can't slander me like that, am I that kind of person?" Cao Mingliang said with a dark expression.
"With so many girls around you, haven't you used this trick before?" Wang Zijun expressed disbelief.
"No, I've never stooped to getting girls drunk!" Cao Ze denied earnestly.
"Brother Liang, you probably can't out-drink them, right? You're afraid of losing face if you get too drunk!" Zhuang Zhe interjected with his usual sharp wit.
"Zhuang the Sixth!!" Cao Ze glared at Zhuang Zhe, gritting his teeth. Another round of laughter ensued!
"Oh, right, Qin Tian, this is for you!" Shen Siqi handed a gift box to Qin Tian.
"So soon?" Qin Tian put down his chopsticks, accepted it with a smile, and thanked her before opening it.
"Thanks!"
"Mine is nothing valuable, it's just a humble offering to attract better ones!" Shen Siqi winked playfully. Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes at her. Seeing this, the other girls also presented their gifts. As per usual, Chen Zhuang and Zhuang Zhe were with their girlfriends, so they didn't need to prepare gifts. Cao Mingliang, who was nominally a bachelor, directly stated he had a pair of sneakers prepared for him but didn't bring them, and would give them to him back at the dorm. Finally, there was only Xia Nuannuan left. As everyone ate, their eyes watched the couple with keen interest. Qin Tian, however, was not in a hurry and placed some of Xia Nuannuan's favorite dishes into her bowl. Under everyone's gaze, Xia Nuannuan put down her chopsticks, stood up, walked to the inside of the private room, opened a cabinet, and took out a pre-hidden box. The box was black and very exquisite, slightly smaller than a shoe box.
"What is this?"
"I don't know, I can't see the logo!"
"The size of this box doesn't look like shoes!"
"Nonsense, how could Nuannuan give the same thing as Cao Mingliang?" Everyone began to discuss like curious babies. Xia Nuannuan returned to her seat and presented the box with both hands, a sweet smile on her face.
"Here, this is my 20th birthday gift for you!"
"Thank you!" Qin Tian took the box and, upon seeing the logo, looked at her with surprise.
"Holy crap, Patek Philippe?" Cao Mingliang, knowledgeable as he was, was the first to recognize the logo and couldn't help but exclaim. Patek Philippe, the undisputed king of watch brands, costing hundreds of thousands, even tens of millions. There was even a classic slogan: "No one truly owns a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." Hearing this, everyone's faces showed shock. This was enough to prove how extraordinary the value of this watch brand was.
"Nuannuan…" Qin Tian looked troubled, hesitating to speak.
"Brother, don't worry, I didn't ask my parents for money. This is money I saved with my mom before. Red envelopes, leftover pocket money… over the years, I've saved quite a bit without realizing it." Xia Nuannuan smiled and continued, "After you gave me that car, I discussed with Mom what to give you for your birthday. Mom suggested that men should have a good watch, so she proposed using that money to buy you one. I agreed, and then Mom gave the money to Old Xia to order it."
"Don't think it's too expensive or anything. Compared to the car you gave me, this is much cheaper!"
"Okay, then I'll accept it!" Qin Tian smiled and nodded.
"Wait a minute, Nuannuan, why did you emphasize that this is a 20th birthday gift?" Shen Siqi suddenly asked. Knowing Xia Nuannuan well, she sensed something was amiss. Moreover, Xia Nuannuan had said she had prepared this birthday gift for a long time. While the watch was expensive, Xia Nuannuan hadn't personally chosen it, so the phrase "prepared for a long time" didn't quite fit.