Upon hearing that, Xu Shuang was a bit surprised.

"Not going home for the Duanwu Festival?"

"Doesn't matter where I spend it." He waved his hand, looking indifferent, "Every year it's at home..."

"Alright... alright then." Xu Shuang hesitated to speak further.

Meanwhile, Old Liu glanced around nervously. His left eyelid kept twitching, it wasn't surprising that these two knew each other.

However, something clearly seemed to be up.

Just dealing with class issues was already enough for him. Now there's Xu Shuang, hope nothing goes wrong?

As the three were about to leave together, Old Liu opened his mouth, wanting to call Jiang Nian back, but then suddenly stopped.

No, the more dangerous something seems, the less you should meddle with it.

Downstairs.

Jiang Nian greeted them, preparing to part ways with the two girls.

"See you."

"Hey!" Xu Shuang called out to him, "Are you staying in the boys' dorm tonight... the whole time?"

Jiang Nian didn't answer immediately, thought for a moment, and said.

"Sort of."

"Okay, then." Xu Shuang nodded, "If you're free tomorrow, come over for a meal at my place."

"Ah..." Jiang Nian glanced at Zhao Yiqiu, who looked expectant, "Sure."

"Anything works."

......

North District, boys' dormitory.

"I've never had shrimp-filled zongzi before, what's it taste like?" Huang Caicai leaned in to ask.

"Try it and see." Jiang Nian put down the bag, "Got this from Old Liu."

"Hmm?"

Lin Dong leaped down from the top bunk, took a closer look, "This looks different from the ones we got."

"These were distributed by the school, meant for the teachers." He explained.

"Whoa!!"

"Whoa?"

As soon as he finished, the guys gathered around. After glancing at the zongzi, they exclaimed and then left.

He didn't bring many zongzi, and the boys had big appetites. Everyone got a small piece, and soon they were hungry again.

"Let's eat, let's eat!!"

"Where to eat?"

"How about the fast food place by the West Gate, just a short detour."

"It's closed."

"Closed?" Huang Caicai was shocked, "We just had a meal there yesterday noon, how come?"

"Duanwu Festival probably."

"Let's eat out, my treat." Jiang Nian said, which was also his reason for being there, "Eat to your heart's content."

Cheers erupted the next second.

This time, there were no girls because there was no time to gather them. Also, there was alcohol involved, so they only called the boys who stayed back at school.

Most went home, so there were only six of them. They locked up and headed straight to a small restaurant outside the North Gate.

The meal lasted two hours.

During the meal, Jiang Nian stepped outside to make a phone call home. He received a scolding.

"Not coming home for the festival, are you going to the heavens?"

"I'll be back soon."

"Forget it, I don't want to waste words on you." Li Hongmei said, "Luckily, I have two daughters, so I won't be an empty-nester."

Jiang Nian: "...."

"Mom, is it that serious?"

"Of course it is, I'm not going to waste my breath on you. I'm busy, remember to come back at night."

The call ended with a few beeps, leaving Jiang Nian a bit dumbfounded, but his purpose was only to inform them of his whereabouts since it was uncertain when he'd return.

Having achieved his goal, he went back to the table to continue eating.

Amidst the toasts and drinks, although they were few in number, they knew each other well. With the alcohol and the impending graduation,

Lin Dong, Yang Qiming, and the others, it was as if they had opened up the chatterbox.

When everything was over, it was already past nine in the evening. Jiang Nian didn't linger and headed straight back home.

The Duanwu Festival had almost come to an end.

It was still early, so he first went to the apartment next door. Song Xiyun opened the door, still engrossed in a game on her phone.

"Where's Xu Qianqian?"

"On the sofa." Song Xiyun said.

"Oh, okay." Jiang Nian walked over, and sure enough, he found Xu Qianqian lying on the sofa watching TV.

"Did you have any zongzi?"

"I did." Xu Qianqian glanced at him, "The school also gave out zongzi and asked us to collect them."

"Did you have the school's zongzi?"

"No, we were too lazy to go." She said, "We had some made by Aunt Li, there were several types."

"Are there any left?"

"In the fridge."

"Alright, I'll try some when I get back." Jiang Nian said casually, he already knew the taste by heart.

Moreover, he had some in the afternoon as well.

"No, you can't have them back home." Song Xiyun looked up, "They're in our fridge."

Upon hearing that, Jiang Nian was stunned. He planned to spend the remaining two hours of today figuring out this sentence.

What do you mean I can't have them back home?

"What do you mean?" He hesitated for a moment, "Did my mom take all the leftover zongzi..."

"Yeah, just like you thought." Xu Qianqian squinted at him, "Aunt Li said her son is unfilial."

Jiang Nian: "...."

Song Xiyun finished her game and got up with a smile.

"I'll steam some for you then."

"No need..." He waved his hand, then stopped midway and changed his mind, "Alright, that works."

Xu Qianqian: "Hmph, stubborn."

Jiang Nian ignored her, sitting a little farther away, "What are you guys planning to do tomorrow?"

Xu Qianqian sniffed and squinted her eyes.

"Is that alcohol?"

"Uh... just a little, you knew that right?" Jiang Nian remembered he had sent a message to Xu Qianqian.

"I knew you guys were having a meal, but didn't know there was drinking involved." Xu Qianqian rolled her eyes.

"Boys are so boring, do you have to drink?"

"Indeed." Jiang Nian didn't refute, moving closer, "I haven't finished the test papers today either."

Xu Qianqian: "...."

"You might as well drink more."

Soon, Xiao Song came out of the kitchen. She was about to say that the zongzi needed a while longer, only to see Jiang Nian reviewing test papers.

She was stunned, as if seeing an illusion.

"You..."

Under the unanimous protest of the two girls, Jiang Nian had to put down the test papers and act like a normal person playing with his phone.

"How many days are left?" Xu Qianqian asked.

Xiao Song hesitated, "Ten days?"

"Going back makes it eight days." Jiang Nian added, "Wonder if there will be an exam."

Xu Qianqian muttered, "Didn't we finish the third mock exam, what else is there to take?"

"Yeah, there's not enough time, right?" Song Xiyun said, "I heard from the previous year that it was mainly self-studying."

"There's always some activity." Jiang Nian said.

Upon hearing this, the living room fell silent for a moment before the three exchanged glances.

"High zongzi?"

"Shouting from the dorms?"

"Capture the flag?"

The three offered different answers, and then couldn't help but laugh.

Xu Qianqian flopped onto the sofa with a thud. Gazing at the ceiling, she murmured.

"Time flies, what do you think we'll be doing the night before the college entrance exams?"

Song Xiyun thought for a moment, "Going to bed early."

Jiang Nian said, "Taking group photos."

Xu Qianqian was about to say something when her nose twitched.

"Did you turn off the stove?"

Xiao Song froze, instantly jumping up.

"Oh no!"

...

The next day.

In the morning, Jiang Nian brought the keys and woke up the two girls next door. Around ten, they made their way to the sub-campus and booked a hotel nearby.

After repeatedly confirming at the front desk, they still ended up paying for a full day's stay just for one room.

Such a waste…

Maybe a bit, but he was doing something important.

Letting Xu Qianqian and Xiao Song experience what it feels like to take a noon break in a hotel. If they weren't comfortable, they could go home to rest during the college entrance exams.

To simulate the situation better, the two girls even did a half-hour test paper. Afterwards, they went downstairs to meet Jiang Nian and ate nearby.

In the blink of an eye, it was 2 PM.

Jiang Nian entered the hotel, just in time to see the two girls coming down to check out. So he waited outside for a while.

Once they came out, he asked.

"How was it?"

He noticed the slightly weary look on Xu Qianqian and Xiao Song's faces, he had a rough idea.

As expected, Xu Qianqian shook her head.

"Couldn't fall asleep at all."

Xiao Song pursed her lips, quietly adding.

"It was a bit noisy, and... the air didn't smell right. Closing my eyes made me anxious."

Xu Qianqian also nodded, "Yeah, it wasn't well ventilated, and the air conditioning smelled bad."

He said, "Then we'll stick with driving you there. I'll scout around this afternoon to find a reliable route." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Xu Qianqian seemed concerned, "Won't it be really crowded driving there that day?"

Jiang Nian turned to her, "Tricycle."