After leaving the bookstore, as they prepared to head home separately, the two of them were reluctant to part.
"only you can bring me to the Journey to the West..."
The call was from An Yuying, who coyly asked on the phone, "Luo Yang, have you come back yet? I want to go to the bank with you."
Luo Yang said, "I'm at Xiaoshulin Market, and I'll be back soon."
"Then hurry back, come to my house for dinner. I've made braised carp, which is my specialty, and my parents are asking you to come over for dinner, we're waiting for you to start eating."
"Sister An, there's no need to wait, you guys start eating."
"I just want to wait for you. If you don't come, I'll be really annoyed. I spent a lot of time preparing the braised carp."
Her tone was coquettish, sweet, and slightly sultry, its faint flavor somehow compelling one to listen more.
"Alright, I'll definitely come."
"Then we'll chat when you get here. Be careful and ride slow on the road."
Hong Jiaxin, standing nearby, naturally heard Luo Yang speaking to a girl on the phone. After he hung up, she asked who it was. Luo Yang, smiling, said it was a girl from the same village.
"Class representative, goodbye." Luo Yang got on his bicycle and waved.
A touch of melancholy surged in her heart. Hong Jiaxin waved back with a smile, watching Luo Yang's unrestrained, lively smile, thinking, "Huh? What's going on? I seem to care a lot about him."
Seeing that he was already a few meters away, she quickly called out, "Luo Yang!"
Luo Yang braked to a stop, turning his head and seeing the wistful look in Hong Jiaxin's eyes, asked curiously, "Class representative, what's up?"
"Uh, you, um, are you coming back to school this afternoon?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"It's nothing big, just wanted to spar with you a bit."
"I have to see a patient this afternoon, but I'll be at school by evening. Can't wait to beat me?"
"Laughing? I'm sure I'll beat you. You made a pledge in front of Teacher Su and me. Remember not to be late tonight, come early."
After speaking, she strangely thought to herself, "Really, since when do I care so much about a guy? I'm an outstanding person." Glancing at Luo Yang, she continued, "This underachiever isn't just talented, he's also quite handsome. Ah, where are my thoughts wandering off to? Would I care about him? No way, I definitely don't care about him."
Muttering to herself in her heart, yet she couldn't help but continue to admire Luo Yang's handsome, sunny features, which were a bit roguish but sincere. His harmless, genuine smile would put anyone at ease.
Seeing Hong Jiaxin lost in thought, Luo Yang smiled and waved at her.
"Class representative, what are you spacing out for? I'm leaving."
"Huh? Luo Yang..."
"What's up?"
"Uh, I..., it's nothing. You go back. See you tonight. Remember, it's better to come to school early. I..."
She wanted to say "I will be waiting for you at school," but suddenly felt it inappropriate and swallowed her words.
Seeing Hong Jiaxin's cheeks flush with a light pink, eyes holding traces of reluctance, Luo Yang teased, "Class representative, why are your cheeks red?"
At his words, Hong Jiaxin's cheeks turned even redder, like blooming peach blossoms.
"It's a bit hot today, you better go back. I need to head home too." She turned to unlock her bicycle, her heart pounding fiercely, her lips curled into a deep smile.
"Class representative, I'm off."
Hong Jiaxin turned her head to look at Luo Yang, saw him still smiling at her, and guiltily shifted her gaze away. Once he had cycled off into the distance, she stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Only when she could no longer see him did she withdraw her gaze, thinking, "How strange, why was I so flustered today? I haven't done anything wrong. Just making eye contact with him made my heart race. He's not a tiger, why should I be afraid of him? Hmph, next time I see him, I must stay calm."
Thinking this, she pushed her bicycle home, her mind filled with bits and pieces of Luo Yang, forgetting even to ride her bike.
In fact, Luo Yang had important matters to attend to. After Hong Jiaxin walked away, he made a phone call to Zhu Li.
"Sister Kick, are your people ready?"
"Ready to be dispatched at any time. Are you coming over now?"
"Yes."
"They're nearby. Once you go in, they'll follow soon."
After ending the call, Luo Yang parked his bicycle at the roadside, took a deep breath, and then walked into the bright clothing store. The store was about fifty square meters, mainly selling women's clothing. Besides Xia Yun, there were two other female sales assistants.
As soon as Luo Yang entered, a sales assistant came over to introduce and promote clothing warmly.
"Sir, these washed shirts are new arrivals. Autumn is approaching, and it's suitable to wear long-sleeved shirts. We are currently offering a discount, making it affordable and advantageous..."
"Okay, I'll take two."
"Do you want any other clothes?"
"Of course. Let's have a look first. For women's lingerie sets, which type is the best?"
"How tall is your wife, and what are her measurements?"
Seeing Luo Yang's generous spending, Xia Yun, the store owner, noticed him. She personally came over to recommend clothes to him. She suggested many types of lingerie for Luo Yang, including seductive, plain, and various novel styles.
Just then, two fierce young men walked into the store.
"Welcome."
However, the polite welcome by the female sales assistant only elicited a rude response from one of the young men, "Hey, who's the boss here?!"
From his tone, it was evident they were looking for trouble. They were obviously not there to shop.
Xia Yun, wearing high heels, gracefully stepped forward and introduced herself to the two young men, "Hello, I am the owner of this place. Can I help you with anything?"
One of the young men with a dark complexion coldly said, "Listen, our big brother is in need of money recently; he wants to borrow some money from you."
"I'm not giving you anything."
"Believe it or not, I can burn down your clothing store with a single fire!"
Those words made Xia Yun's heart skip a beat.
She angrily said, "If you dare cause trouble here again, I'm calling the police!"
The dark-faced young man forcefully pushed Xia Yun's shoulder. Her steps faltered, and she stumbled backward.
Fortunately, Luo Yang was right behind her. He quickly reached out, caught her, and steadied her.
"Madam, let me talk to them," Luo Yang intervened.
Xia Yun's chest heaved rapidly, both shocked and furious, but she stepped aside to see how Luo Yang would handle it.
"Brothers, give it a break, don't make trouble here. Is it really okay to bully a woman?" Luo Yang said righteously.
"Where did this trash come from! Keep blabbering and I'll slap you to death!" the dark-faced young man shouted.
Before he finished speaking, a whooshing sound was heard, and the dark-faced young man was swept to the ground by Luo Yang's kick and couldn't get up.
The other young man swung a fist at Luo Yang's face. Luo Yang dodged, moved closer, delivered an elbow strike followed by a kick, and knocked him down too.
The two young men tried to get up, but Luo Yang kept them pinned to the ground.
"At this level and you try to extort? You're disgracing men! I can't stand this type of bullying behavior!"
Luo Yang landed a few more kicks on them, causing them to scream in agony like slaughtered pigs.