Xia Yingjie nodded: "Yeah, good, Xiao Hao is really thoughtful."
Around two o'clock, Qin Hao got up to say goodbye and left Xia Qing's house.
Xia Qing accompanied him all the way downstairs and asked with concern, "You drank quite a bit. Are you okay?"
Qin Hao replied with a smile, "I'm fine. Has my face turned red?"
Xia Qing: "Not really. I didn't expect you to be such a good drinker. Do you drink often?"
Qin Hao: "You're wrong there, this is the first time I'm drinking outside."
"That's good. Drinking too much isn't good for your health. Are you going home or to Jiangshan Roasted Duck later?" Xia Qing asked curiously.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao replied, "I'll go to the roasted duck restaurant, there's still work to do in the afternoon."
"Okay, then be careful with the work. If there's nothing else, I'll head back first," Xia Qing said to him softly.
Qin Hao nodded: "Alright, goodbye."
Xia Qing turned and walked upstairs. Qin Hao watched her go up before turning to leave.
He slowly walked out of the complex and headed outside; Xia Qing had gone upstairs and stood on the balcony watching Qin Hao's figure until he disappeared.
She didn't know when she started liking Qin Hao. Maybe it was the first time she met him or perhaps it was the warm and mild-mannered aura he emitted that influenced her.
She couldn't pinpoint when exactly, but sometimes fate just arrives so suddenly.
Seeing their daughter's behavior, Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong would have been too foolish not to understand what she meant.
It was obvious that their daughter had taken a liking to Qin Hao.
They looked at each other, and then Tian Rong said to her daughter, "Xiaoqing, come here, mom wants to talk to you."
Hearing this, Xia Qing's cheeks reddened slightly as she came over and sat on the sofa: "What is it, mom?"
Tian Rong: "Mom wants to ask you, tell me the truth, do you like Qin Hao?"
Xia Qing's face heated up, turning bright red, and she nodded gently without lifting her head.
Tian Rong continued to ask, "Have you two made it official?"
Xia Qing, embarrassed, shook her head: "Not yet."
Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong were taken aback: "He hasn't confessed to you?"
If he didn't attend after a personal invitation from the class teacher, he would certainly hurt Mr. Liu's feelings.
If that were to happen, Mr. Liu might say something behind his back like: He's successful now and has forgotten his old teacher, and so on.
This would be a stain on his future reputation.
Similarly, Mr. Liu had said many good things about him in interviews, though under pressure from above, Qin Hao still felt thankful.
Mr. Liu, pleased with his response, said, "The location will be at the Garden Restaurant near our school."
"Alright, Mr. Liu, you can continue to notify the other classmates. I'll definitely be there tomorrow," Qin Hao assured.
"Fine, then I'll hang up first," said Liu Xiu, ending the call.
Actually, Qin Hao didn't want to go to the reunion, because he was practically unfamiliar with any of the high school classmates, Du Wanrou being the exception.
Since Mr. Liu personally called to invite, Du Wanrou would probably also attend.
That evening, after dinner at home, Qin Hao returned to his room.
He turned on his computer and logged into the chat software, sending Du Wanrou a message: "Did Mr. Liu call you today?"
Du Wanrou replied quickly, almost instantaneously: "Yes, he did. Are you going?"
Qin Hao: "Mr. Liu personally called, do you think I can afford not to go?"
Seeing his message at home, Du Wanrou's face revealed a slight smile: "You were the champion of our class's unified exams, tomorrow's star."
"...Don't joke with me; you know how those people used to treat me."
Seeing his response, Du Wanrou blinked, memories of Qin Hao being bullied and ridiculed surfaced in her mind.
Many of those incidents had started because of her, so she always felt a sense of guilt towards Qin Hao.
But sometimes, seeing his timidity, Du Wanrou felt a frustration, wishing he had been made of sterner stuff.
Thinking of Qin Hao now, she couldn't help but recall a few lines: Not heard is well, but a thunderous peal when heard.
Three years of enduring hardships, then soaring high in one fell swoop.
Truth be told, Du Wanrou thought the current Qin Hao was quite good, and his personality had also changed a lot compared to before.
"?? Why aren't you saying anything?" Qin Hao, seeing that she hadn't replied for a while, couldn't help but send another message.
Then Du Wanrou snapped back to the moment: "Got distracted for a bit. By the way, it's almost time to choose our university preferences. Are you going to Chen University or Jinhua?"