She went into the kitchen, leaving Su Baijin outside, unsure whether he might feel bored or not. But after all, it was up to her; of course, he hadn’t taken the initiative to offer any help in the kitchen.
Qin Xiangnuan brought out the meatballs she had fried, made a dish of braised meatballs, stir-fried greens, plain stir-fried mushrooms, and stir-fried shredded potatoes. She portioned out some of the dishes and kept them warm in pots for Jian Zhiqing, unsure when he would return.
She served the rest of the dishes, laid out on the table — four dishes in total, plus an egg soup. Since this was Su Baijin’s first time eating at her home, she couldn’t make it too shabby. Fortunately, it was her usual practice to prepare a lot of ingredients, so she didn’t have to scramble around looking for what to cook.
"Please don’t mind the simple meal," Qin Xiangnuan placed a bowl of white rice in front of him.
"Not at all," Su Baijin genuinely enjoyed the dishes, welcomeness shone through his smile. He took a meatball and put it in his mouth, and the taste was actually pretty good.
"This is the best meatball I’ve ever had," Su Baijin generously complimented. Of course he was being polite; almost all the meatballs ended up in his mouth. Qin Xiangnuan only ate one or two; not wanting more, she thought if Su Baijin liked them, she’d let him have them. She was perfectly happy nibbling on plain rice herself.
It was past eight o’clock, and the sky was already pitch black, yet Su Baijin was still waiting, without any sign of leaving. Qin Xiangnuan had a feeling that he was determined to wait for Jian Zhiqing to return, but if it got too late, how would he get home?
"Mr. Su, it’s already this late. Are you still waiting?" Qin Xiangnuan wanted to go into the system to review tomorrow’s lessons, but with Su Baijin here, she simply couldn’t leave and thus couldn’t enter the system.
"I’ll wait a bit longer," Su Baijin didn’t seem embarrassed at all and remained seated.
Alright then, Qin Xiangnuan didn’t say anything further. She just picked up a few books and reviewed outside the material she needed for tomorrow, also reciting some texts. Even though the light here was dim and not great for the eyes, there was nothing she could do; she certainly couldn’t just go inside her room and leave Su Baijin outside by herself.
Another hour passed, and Su Baijin seemed to be getting restless.
She stood up, and Qin Xiangnuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Good, at last, he was ready to leave. Otherwise, she didn’t know what to do.
"Xiang Nuan, it’s late," Su Baijin exhaled and her face was somewhat flushed, but she couldn’t give up such a good opportunity so easily.
So, is he leaving now?
"So, how about I stay here tonight? Your bed should be able to fit me, right?" After saying this, Su Baijin waited for Qin Xiangnuan’s response, feeling sure she wouldn’t object. It was just for one night, and besides, she would have to get along well with Qin Tongnuan in the future. Even if there were no spare rooms available here right now, she could use this as an excuse to stay here later.
"I’ll go find some bedding," Qin Xiangnuan sighed. If someone didn’t want to leave, she couldn’t just kick them out. Even though it was safe out there, it’s always a bit risky for a girl to go out late at night. Yes, after nine o’clock in the future might not mean much, as nighttime activities start and there are more people in the streets, but not now. After nine, the streets are already deserted.