The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

After a long, tense silence, Qin Xin finally looked up blankly and asked, "Is...that all?"

"Yeah." Xu Nian shrugged, both amused and exasperated. "Teacher Qin, can you promise me? I just want to finish university quietly."

Seeing Xu Nian's serious expression, Qin Xin was completely dumbfounded.

Why is this different from what she imagined?

After a moment of stunned silence, she quickly nodded and replied, "Okay, Mr. Xu... Ms. Xu Nian."

Seeing that Qin Xin agreed, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.

"Then, Teacher Qin, I won't bother you any longer."

After saying goodbye to Qin Xin, he turned and left the classroom, leaving Qin Xin alone in her chair, staring blankly at his retreating figure.

Two and a half minutes later, Qin Xin slapped her thigh hard, muttering, "Damn it! CEO romance novels are so harmful, I'm never reading them again!"

......

Meanwhile, outside the teaching building.

As soon as Xu Nian stepped out of the gate, she bumped into Jiang Xun and his group of four who were rushing over.

The moment Luo Chen saw him, she immediately turned her head away, feeling shy and unable to meet his gaze.

"Uncle Xu, so you've been here." Jiang Xun strode forward and approached him familiarly. "You disappeared as soon as the class meeting ended. We've been looking for you for a while."

"I went to see the counselor," Xu Nian answered truthfully, then asked, "What did you need me for?"

"Ah, is that so?" Jiang Xun said with a smile. "Isn't this the daytime military training? We're planning to go out for dinner tonight, Uncle Xu, would you like to come along?"

Xu Nian raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise in her heart.

He had thought that due to the age difference and the huge generation gap between him and the group of teenagers, it would be difficult for him to integrate into the group.

I never expected to have a group of classmates with whom I planned to have a meal together on the first day of school.

Without the slightest hesitation, he readily agreed: "Okay, let's go."

As the initiator, Jiang Xun casually suggested a restaurant that was not far from the school and had a decent reputation.

The others had no objections, and the group walked side by side toward the street outside the school.

On the way, Xu Nian called Xu Xi to explain her situation, saying that she was going out to dinner with some classmates and that she didn't need to wait for her.

Xu Xi was very happy to learn that her brother had made several friends on the first day of school. After telling him not to drink alcohol, she went back to the new house to clean.

He spoke softly on the phone, and the few teenagers walking beside him overheard bits and pieces of the conversation, then quietly huddled together to gossip and discuss it.

Xiao Chen, being the most gossipy, spoke first: "Do you think Uncle Xu called his wife to let her know?"

Su Zhe continued, "Very likely. At Uncle Xu's age, he should already be married."

Jiang Xun shook his head, denying their claim: "I don't think so. Uncle Xu doesn't have a ring on his hand, so he's probably single. It's probably a work phone call."

Luo Chen, who had been silent all along, spoke up at the opportune moment: "Uncle Xu already has a daughter."

"Huh?" everyone exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know?"

Luo Chen scratched his head and said softly, "I saw Uncle Xu at the supermarket during the Chinese New Year. He was buying toys with his daughter."

"Wow, so you and Uncle Xu have known each other before," Xiao Chen exclaimed. "Old Luo, how old is Uncle Xu's daughter?"

Luo Chen thought for a moment: "She looks about the same age as us, maybe a little younger, like a junior or high school student. She was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see her very clearly, but she has beautiful features and an excellent temperament. She's definitely a top-tier beauty, like a girl next door who stepped out of a comic book."

Everyone gasped, instinctively turning to look at Xu Nian walking slowly behind them, their eyes instantly filled with complex emotions.

Su Zhe suddenly realized: "I understand now. Uncle Xu must be a single father who raised his daughter alone. His wife separated from him for various reasons, which is why he's not wearing a wedding ring."

He spoke loudly, and Jiang Xun quickly made a shushing gesture: "Shh, keep your voice down."

He frowned and said to Su Zhe, "If what you said is true, and Uncle Xu hears it, it will be like bringing up his painful memories and reopening his wounds, which is not good."

Su Zhe belatedly realized what was happening, quickly covered his mouth, and secretly glanced back at Xu Nian.

Seeing that he was still chatting and laughing on the other end of the phone, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Nian quickly stepped forward to catch up with the others.

"Um, Uncle Xu," Jiang Xun cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm so sorry, I was so focused on having dinner with you that I forgot to ask about your work and life arrangements. I wasn't considerate enough. Will tonight's dinner be too much of a hassle for you?"

Xu Nian felt a warmth in her heart, thinking that this young man was quite considerate. She waved her hand and replied, "It's okay, it won't take up any time."

Jiang Xun scratched his head and casually asked, "By the way, Uncle Xu, the kids should be out of school by now, right? Should we bring them along so they can eat with us? That way, you won't have to cook separately when you get back."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian looked completely bewildered: "Children? I don't have any children."

In an instant, the air fell silent.

All eyes turned to Luo Chen, especially Jiang Xun, who was leading the group, whose face was filled with embarrassment.

Luo Chen was instantly stunned and speechless.

He did see a young and beautiful girl next to Xu Nian when he was shopping for figurines at the supermarket that day.

But now, Xu Nian has personally admitted that he has no children, which undoubtedly contradicts what he has seen.

He quickly explained to Jiang Xun and the others with his eyes: It must be a relative's child.

Fortunately, Jiang Xun reacted quickly and changed the subject: "Hey, Uncle Xu, look at me. Just by looking at your age, I instinctively feel that you have children."

Hearing his explanation, Xu Nian suddenly understood: "Haha, not yet? You're quite thoughtful, you even considered this?"

Jiang Xun chuckled: "I just happened to see the family planning slogans on the wall and suddenly remembered them."

"It's quite interesting, really. The older generation wanted to have more children, but the policy restricted it to one per family. Now, with the high cost of living and raising children, people are less willing to have more, and instead, they're encouraging two or three children. They haven't even completely cleaned up the old slogans from before. You can imagine how ridiculous this is."

Xiao Chen realized that Jiang Xun was changing the subject, so he quickly chimed in, "Yeah, when I was a kid, if a neighbor had a second or third child, they'd have to send them to someone else's house to be raised."

"When I was a child, I didn't understand those rules. I only realized it when I grew up. If the family planning office found out, they would fine me a lot of money. Back then, everyone was poor, and no one could afford to pay the fine."

Xu Nian also followed their lead and offered her own opinions at appropriate times.

During the casual conversation, the topic subtly shifted from Xu Nian's fabricated child to something else, and the awkward atmosphere quietly dissipated.