As he bent down to search for the English textbook in the drawer, she covertly took the chance to size up his well-built chest and broad shoulders. When he looked over, she guiltily snapped her gaze back as if she was a thief caught in the act. Whenever his gaze shifted away, she couldn't help but sneak peeks at him again.
"Class leader, what are you smiling about?"
"It feels weird seeing you without a shirt on here. Can you pick locks? Help me unlock my dormitory door, and I can change into my clothes."
The small brass lock on the dormitory door was something Luo Yang could easily open.
So, he went with Hong Jiaxin to the girls' dormitory to unlock the door.
With just a piece of wire, he opened the lock.
When the door opened, he only glanced inside to see a number of clothes hung on the bed frames—big and small, red, pink, white, black, triangular, square, oval; they had them all.
He didn't enter, just waited in the hallway.
After Hong Jiaxin closed the door and changed her clothes, she came out and returned the T-shirt to him.
"You girls just hang your clothes all over the dormitory," Luo Yang chuckled.
"Don't look," Hong Jiaxin hurriedly shut the door.
The rain had stopped, and the sun had come out.
Hong Jiaxin wanted to warm up and sweat a bit, as it would help her cold recover faster. She asked Luo Yang if he wanted to play table tennis, and he nodded, so she went back into the dormitory and came out with a set of table tennis rackets.
Seeing Luo Yang peering curiously at the scenery inside the dormitory, Hong Jiaxin smiled and said, "Stop looking, I know what you're watching."
Luo Yang gave an embarrassed smile and said, "The wallpaper on your dormitory walls is really nice."
"I remember you were looking at the girls' clothes in our dormitory just now, not the wallpaper."
"No, no, I was really admiring the wallpaper."
"The wallpaper is on the left, and you were looking to the right. Do you dare say you were looking at the wallpaper?"
"Haha, class leader, are you good at playing table tennis?"
In the midst of their conversation, they had arrived at the table tennis table under the willow tree next to the female dormitory building. It had no net, so a brick was laid across the middle to serve as one.
The cement table was still damp, but playing was fine as it wasn't a competition, just for fun.
"I heard our school is hosting a campus table tennis Telecom Cup tournament; registration starts tomorrow. Are you going to sign up?" Hong Jiaxin used her hand to push the rainwater off the table.
"Are you signing up?"
"My level isn't good enough to win any prizes. There are a few people in our school who are really good at table tennis; I can't beat them."
Luo Yang's table tennis skills weren't strong, but ever since he acquired the 'Shennong Scripture' and gained True Qi, both his agility and strength had improved by two levels.
Playing table tennis for fun, as long as he wasn't facing a top expert, he stood a chance to win.
"Let's sign up together for mixed doubles. Are you interested?"
"Beat me first then we'll talk."
With that, she served a low and fast ball to him.
Luo Yang nonchalantly played a backhand chop, the ball just tapped the brick and went over. Hong Jiaxin leaned over the table trying to reach it but was half a beat too slow and missed.
"You just got lucky beating me. Again! I don't believe I can't win against you."
"You really can't beat me."
Luo Yang served a low ball back, Hong Jiaxin returned it but the ball bounced high. Luo Yang raised his hand and slammed it, scoring another point.
After a few more exchanges with Hong Jiaxin losing every round, she finally exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't realize it before, but you're actually a table tennis master! Hey, if we sign up for mixed doubles, we're sure to win a prize."
Luo Yang smiled faintly and said, "Stick with me and there'll be meat to eat."
"Tsk, we'll talk about it after we win a prize. Tomorrow after we register, we'll find some time to practice. Let's go, I still have to tutor you in English."
The two of them returned to the classroom to resume their cultural studies.
Having returned to the dormitory earlier, Hong Jiaxin had changed her hairstyle, letting her wet hair down.
Her hair was soft and lustrous, shiny and black, cascading down, with a few strands messily draped over her full forehead, her delicate face, rosy lips, and bright agile eyes made her look innocent at first glance, and then somewhat enchanting upon closer observation.
This was the first time Luo Yang had seen her not wearing her hair in a bun, and he couldn't help but take a few extra looks.
Hong Jiaxin caught him glancing her way repeatedly, and a delicate blush quietly spread across her tender cheeks. She gently pursed her lips, fluttered her long, curved eyelashes, and met his gaze twice.
Each time their eyes met, Luo Yang felt his spirits lift by a notch, and the faint scent from her delicate body wafted over to him, causing him to become lost in thought.
"Hey, don't look at me like that, it's kind of uncomfortable," Hong Jiaxin said with a smile.
"You're really beautiful," Luo Yang said sincerely.
The blush that was already dancing lightly on Hong Jiaxin's cheeks deepened at Luo Yang's compliment, spreading a rich flush to her neck, even her ears turned red, tender and thin, as if a gentle touch could squeeze water from them.