Chapter 22: The Place Every Boy Wants to Go

"Yingying! Lin Ying!" Wang Xinrou waved her hand, greeting the two girls who had just entered the classroom.

"These are my two roommates," Wang Xinrou explained softly to He Tian, then skipped over to meet them.

"Xinrou!" Yingying and Lin Ying were delighted to see her. The three chattered animatedly, as if two days apart was an eternity.

He Tian smiled quietly, studying Yingying and Lin Ying. Neither girl was particularly beautiful, but neither could be called unattractive; they were rather ordinary-looking. Judging by their clothes, they likely came from well-off families. As they giggled and spoke with Xinrou, they would occasionally glance over at He Tian, making him touch his nose in slight embarrassment. There was no doubt he had become the focus of their conversation.

"Well, well, Xinrou, where did you find such a handsome guy?" Yingying teased, looking at Xinrou with a sly smile.

"Oh, get out! Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth! What do you mean, ‘found’? For your information, I haven’t even decided if I want to chase after him yet!" Xinrou declared shamelessly.

"Yeah, right! If you don’t want such a handsome guy, I might!" Lin Ying joked.

"Go ahead! Girl, are you in heat or something?" Xinrou scoffed. "I don’t see what’s so great about him!"

"Yeah, sure, you don't. Stop pretending! Come on, introduce us!" Yingying laughed.

"Alright, but listen, sisters—no fighting me over him!" Although Xinrou didn't believe her friends would be much competition, who knew if He Tian might not be picky? Better to be cautious. In her mind, she’d already decided: until she made up her mind about He Tian, no one else was allowed to snatch him away.

The three of them approached He Tian, still laughing. He Tian stood up with an easy smile.

"He Tian, let me introduce you. This is my good friend Yingying, and this is my good friend Lin Ying. We’re all in the same class. Yingying, Lin Ying, this is our new classmate, the handsome He Tian!" Xinrou said cheerfully.

"Yingying, Lin Ying, hello! I’m new here, so I hope you’ll look after me," He Tian said, extending his hand.

"We don't shake hands here!" Xinrou slapped his hand away. In her view, he was just trying to take advantage of her friends.

"Oh, come on, Xinrou! He’s not yours yet. What's wrong with us getting a little closer?" Yingying grinned, shaking He Tian's hand. "Hello, He Tian. I’m Li Yingying, but just call me Yingying. We’re classmates now, so let’s help each other out!"

"You troublemaker!" Xinrou muttered, exasperated. Still, she couldn’t stop Yingying from offering her hand. As He Tian shook Yingying’s hand, Xinrou shot him a fierce glare.

"Hello, I'm Lin Ying," Lin Ying said, quickly shaking He Tian’s hand and just as quickly letting go.

He Tian smiled. Yingying, it seemed, shared more of Xinrou’s outgoing, straightforward nature. Lin Ying, by contrast, was more reserved—at least with strangers. With friends, she would probably loosen up.

The four of them naturally sat together. At Xinrou’s insistence, He Tian sat to her left, with Yingying and Lin Ying on her right. Of course, Yingying took the opportunity to tease Xinrou again, while Lin Ying was less bold in He Tian’s presence than she had been during their private chatter.

"By the way, where’s Bingbing?" Xinrou asked. She had three roommates, but only two were present.

"She caught a cold. We asked for leave on her behalf," Lin Ying replied.

"A cold? We should go see her after class! How did she catch a cold?" Xinrou asked with concern.

"Don’t worry, it’s just a cold. She took some medicine and just needs some sleep. We went swimming at the beach yesterday, and Bingbing’s always been a little frail, so she probably just got chilled," Yingying explained.

"Show-off," Xinrou grumbled.

Soon it was time for class.

There was no requirement for He Tian to go up and introduce himself. He listened to the old professor at the podium, catching most of it, but some academic terms were unfamiliar to him. After all, he was starting from scratch and had already missed over two months of classes. That he could follow this much was impressive.

Compared to some students who were busying themselves with other things, Xinrou, Yingying, and Lin Ying were diligently taking notes, which earned them He Tian’s respect—especially Xinrou, whose focus reminded him of her dedication during morning training.

University courses lasted two hours, technically two periods. Usually, there were no more than four periods a day, sometimes all in the morning or afternoon. Occasionally, there was just one class for the entire day. This flexibility was one of the perks of university life. Each class included a ten-minute break.

During the break, Xinrou went up to the podium.

"Classmates! Today, we have a new student joining us—not just auditing, but officially one of us! Please welcome He Tian to the front. Let’s give him a round of applause!" Xinrou spoke confidently, with no trace of stage fright.

He Tian had no choice but to go up.

"Hello, everyone! I’m He Tian, your new classmate. I’m over two months late—my fault! Sorry I took so long to meet you all. I apologize!" He grinned. "I hope you’ll all look after me. Thank you!"

Laughter broke out in the classroom, mostly from the girls. The boys, however, were more jealous, each sizing He Tian up as a rival. Handsome guys, after all, were always envied by their peers.

He Tian, naturally, didn’t care what others thought. He’d shown his face; that was enough. Afterwards, a few girls came up to introduce themselves, which made him marvel at how bold modern university students were.

Xinrou, on the other hand, was not pleased. She regretted introducing He Tian to everyone. Was she starting to like him? No way! She hadn’t even decided if she wanted to pursue him. She scolded herself: behave, don’t embarrass yourself!

After ten minutes, class resumed.

"I’m warning you—don’t flirt with those girls," Xinrou whispered to He Tian.

"I didn’t do anything!" He Tian protested.

"Then why do you keep grinning like that?" she pouted.

"What was I supposed to do—scowl at people coming to say hello?" He Tian chuckled, then teased, "Hey, are you… falling for me?"

"As if! Me? Like you? Just because you’re a little handsome and good at martial arts? Not a chance!" Xinrou scoffed.

"If you don’t like me, then it’s fine if I chat with other girls, right?" He Tian grinned. "I hear there’s even a campus beauty ranking. Maybe I should get to know all the beauties and see if I can find true love!"

"True love, my foot!" Xinrou shot him a fierce glare, then pinched him hard under the desk.

"Ouch!" He Tian yelped.

His outburst was a little too loud.

"Be mindful! I don't care if you don't pay attention, as long as you pass your exams. Just don’t disrupt my class," the old professor admonished, tapping the lectern.

University professors were always like this. Expecting students to pay attention as they did in middle or high school was unrealistic. All they asked was not to disturb the class. Whatever you learned was your own business.

He Tian quickly bowed his head.

"Why’d you have to be so loud?" Xinrou’s cheeks flushed.

"Next time, warn me before you pinch!" He Tian grumbled.

"Alright, I’ll let you know in advance next time," Xinrou replied, catching on to the real issue.

"There won’t be a next time!" He Tian said firmly.

Xinrou pursed her lips in a quiet smile, then whispered a few words to Yingying and Lin Ying before focusing on her notes.

He Tian rubbed his thigh where she’d pinched him—it really hurt! Even as someone who trained, it stung.

After two periods, He Tian was still excited—the novelty of it all hadn’t worn off. Morning classes were over; it was only ten o’clock, so there was still time before lunch. The four of them left the teaching building, heading to the dormitory to visit their ailing roommate, Bingbing.

"Am I going, too? Are guys allowed in the girls’ dorm?" He Tian asked, dubious. The truth was, he wanted to go. After all, any place populated solely by girls was bound to pique a boy’s curiosity.

"Of course not, officially. Just follow my lead," Xinrou said, patting his shoulder with an air of assurance.

At the girls’ dormitory, Xinrou and Lin Ying went to distract the dorm supervisor. Xinrou’s sweet talk had the lady smiling from ear to ear. Meanwhile, Yingying dragged He Tian in quickly.

The girls they passed hardly gave them a second glance, clearly used to such antics. Still, He Tian’s good looks did earn him a few extra glances.

Once inside, Xinrou and Lin Ying entered as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"So, how’d we do?" Xinrou asked He Tian with a laugh.

"You’re quite the actress," He Tian complimented her.

"Why does that sound so strange coming from you?" Xinrou pouted.

"Alright, enough flirting—let’s go!" Yingying couldn’t stand it any longer. If this kept up, she’d be dying of envy.

He Tian noticed the dorm was quite clean. Their room was on the third floor. As they went, Yingying called out, "Make way! Make way! No peeking!"

"What does that mean?" He Tian asked, not too proud to admit his ignorance.

"It’s a warning for any girls who aren’t properly dressed—there’s a boy in the dorm!" Xinrou explained.

"Wow, you really have a system for this," He Tian said, amazed. It seemed that boys sneaking into the girls’ dorm had become something of a routine.