Learning to Play Tennis
The two of them had lunch in the cafeteria. He Jin had the habit of taking afternoon naps. After lunch, he returned to the dormitory to take a nap. He arranged to meet Qin Yang downstairs at three o 'clock. Qin Yang reminded him to wear a sports shirt. If he didn't have one, he should wear something loose.
When they went downstairs, He Jin saw Qin Yang bring his racket. The two of them went straight to the tennis court.
Due to the popularity of Huaxia University's tennis team, the school invested a lot in the construction of the tennis court. The court was divided into indoor and outdoor courts. There was one indoor court, six outdoor courts, and a beginner's practice area.
The weather was good that day. There were a few pairs of students playing tennis on the outdoor court. When they saw Qin Yang from afar, they called out loudly. Some called him "Brother Qin", some called him "Senior", and some called him "Vice President".
He Jin was stunned. "So you're the Vice President of the tennis club?"
Qin Yang waved at them and said to He Jin, "I'm just joking. I don't really do anything serious."
When they got closer, Qin Yang told He Jin that the people playing tennis were all freshmen. A few of them came up and asked curiously, "Brother Qin, who's this?"
Qin Yang patted He Jin's back, causing him to take a small step forward. He said in a familiar tone, "He Jin, my friend."
The other party's introduction stunned He Jin once again. It wasn't "Senior", nor was it "someone from the Student Council", but "friend" … The word "friend" made He Jin feel extremely comfortable.
The juniors all called He Jin "Senior" and greeted each other. Qin Yang put his racket to the side and asked them to keep an eye on it. He swung his arms and started walking in small steps. "Shall we run two laps to warm up?"
He Jin kept up with his rhythm. The two of them started jogging. Qin Yang asked him as he ran, "Do you usually exercise a lot?"
He Jin shook his head. Huaxia University required freshmen to run every morning in the first semester. However, it was no longer mandatory in the second semester. He Jin maintained this habit at first. When he was with Tong Xuan, he would bring her breakfast for a period of time. Slowly, he abandoned this habit and did not exercise much after that.
Not long after, He Jin started to pant. After two laps, he directly placed his hands on his knees and bent his back.
Qin Yang's face wasn't red or flustered. As he stretched his limbs, he criticized him. "You can't do this. No wonder you got a fever from the rain and are so afraid of the cold. In the future, I'll run two laps with you every night. Fifteen minutes is enough. It can relieve stress, help you sleep, and strengthen your body."
He Jin panted and scratched his head. Qin Yang's suggestion was very good. He also felt that he couldn't go on like this.
After catching his breath, He Jin felt his entire body heat up. Qin Yang handed him a racket. "Weigh it. Is the weight okay?"
He Jin held the racket with both hands and commented, "Heavy!"
Qin Yang giggled. "The weight I gave you is still considered light." Then, he weighed his own weight for him.
He Jin's eyes widened. "This is even heavier! Why? "
"A beginner's racket shouldn't be too heavy. This is a racket I bought when I first started learning tennis. It has a large surface and is easier to play. I found it yesterday and wrapped a new sweatband around it …" Qin Yang held the racket's head and showed it to He Jin. Then, he asked in surprise, "Why are your hands so small?" He acted like he just realized it …
He Jin held the paddle tightly, feeling a little embarrassed that someone had exposed his shortcomings. He lowered his head and said, "Yes, I've always been like this. I don't know why I haven't grown up."
Qin Yang couldn't help but smile. He said calmly, "This racket is a size too big. The handle is a little thick for you. If you don't feel comfortable holding it, I'll help you get a smaller female racket."
He Jin was surprised. "There's no need. I'm just playing casually. This is fine. It's not like I can't hold it. There's no need to be too professional."
Qin Yang said seriously, "A thick handle will inhibit the downward pressure of the wrist when serving. It won't be easy to exert force. If you don't use enough strength, it's easy to lose your grip … But I can't do that today. I'll bring you around to play. If you like it, we can pick a suitable racket next time."
He Jin nodded. "Sure."
The two of them walked to the beginner's practice court. They first learned how to play squash. Qin Yang did a demonstration and threw a ball to He Jin. "Come, try it."
Before that, He Jin had read a few beginner's tennis guides online. He originally thought that Qin Yang would explain the rules and regulations to him. He didn't expect Qin Yang to let him go straight to the court!
He Jin hit two balls but couldn't catch them. Qin Yang persevered and threw the ball back to him. "It's fine if you drop it. Find the feeling and take it slowly."
After serving more than ten balls, He Jin was finally able to successfully catch them. As the number of times he caught the ball increased, He Jin's sense of accomplishment grew. Tennis seemed to be quite simple!
At that moment, Qin Yang suddenly said, "He Jin, stop for a moment. Maintain this posture. Yes …"
He Jin maintained the comical posture of raising his racket with his right hand. He didn't dare to move like a puppet. He felt Qin Yang walk over from behind. He thought that Qin Yang would raise his arm, fiddle with it, and correct his posture like last time. He didn't expect Qin Yang to directly stick to him from behind!
That's right. His whole body was sticking to him, chest to back. Because Qin Yang was bigger than He Jin, He Jin felt a strong sense of oppression coming from behind him!
Qin Yang's left hand grabbed He Jin's wrist and pressed it down. His right hand wrapped around He Jin's hand that was holding the racket, and he forcefully pulled it back. "Relax your shoulders. Straighten your arms. Squat down. Lower your center of gravity …"
When Qin Yang spoke, his warm breath brushed past He Jin's ear. He Jin's earbones twitched and his scalp went numb. He was like a puppet on strings, lost in thought. He allowed Qin Yang to do whatever he wanted.
This … This posture …
He Jin couldn't take it anymore and cursed in his heart, "Holy sh * t!"
… Was he the only one who thought it was strange? orz...
(↓ You're not alone ↓)
"Ah …" The screams of a few girls came from afar, instantly pulling He Jin back to reality!
Qin Yang had already taken a step back without a trace. He Jin turned around stiffly and saw a row of girls hanging outside the wire netting of the squash court. Their eyes were shining, and their faces were flushed. They stared at He Jin and Qin Yang … They scratched the wire netting excitedly!
Qin Yang was unmoved. He didn't even look at them. He said to He Jin expressionlessly, "Let's continue." He really was like a strict and calm tennis coach. He didn't seem to be joking at all.
He Jin played for a while in silence. Only then did he slowly suppress the awkwardness from before.
He didn't suspect that Qin Yang was abnormal. Whenever he encountered a problem, he was used to looking for problems with himself first. Qin Yang was so serious. If He Jin acted surprised, it would seem strange … So even though there was that kind of ambiguous action just now, He Jin wouldn't hide from Qin Yang because of it.
He was the one with the problem. Just like Shang Huo had said, he was overthinking things.
After that, Qin Yang didn't approach him again. He just stood at the side and pointed out his moves, occasionally demonstrating something.
Exercise was indeed a very stress-relieving thing. As He Jin played, he threw all the random thoughts to the back of his mind. The more he sweated, the more energetic he became. It was as if all the frustrations in his heart were expelled from his body along with his sweat. His whole body relaxed.
"I couldn't tell that you have such athletic cells!" Qin Yang was not stingy with his compliments.
He Jin was very happy. He took off his jacket and grabbed the collar of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. He said a little proudly, "I played badminton in junior high. I even represented the school team and won an award in the district."
Qin Yang said, "Hehe, what about tennis? Do you want to continue playing?"
He Jin said, "Yes, it's quite fun … Why don't you play?"
"I'm watching you." Qin Yang's first "watch" sounded like he was looking at a child. "I don't want your movements to be wrong. If you play randomly, your whole body will be sore for a few days when you get back."
"You're so dedicated." He Jin was so tired that he sat on the ground and panted. "I'll rest for a while. You play for a while, I'll watch and learn."
Qin Yang weighed the racket in his hand, gripped it tightly, and turned to leave.
Tossing the ball, serving the ball, whipping … Qin Yang slowly pulled his body apart. Every hit was steady and accurate!
After controlling the rhythm, Qin Yang began to speed up. He returned every ball at twice the speed He Jin had practiced.
He Jin watched in a daze, but what shocked him even more was yet to come. This was because Qin Yang was clearly not satisfied with this — he played faster and faster, returning the ball more and more frequently, shuttling through the air like bullets … But not a single ball fell from his hands. Or rather, his body was like a net. His arms moved nimbly, leaving afterimages in the air. He nimbly caught every ball in the net, returning them accurately and fiercely with offensive momentum!
He Jin also discovered that Qin Yang's return attacks were all concentrated in the same area. Unlike when he was playing, he was running all over the place. Qin Yang's tennis balls hit that area at high speed. It gave people the illusion that the walls would be pierced through!
The girls watching Qin Yang on the iron net screamed again. He Jin unconsciously swallowed his saliva. He suddenly understood why so many people said Qin Yang was handsome … It was because Qin Yang, who was so flamboyant, was really, really handsome.
He Jin suddenly felt ashamed when he thought about how he had shown off in front of an expert when he had won a junior high school badminton award in front of Qin Yang!
At night, He Jin took a shower and lay on the bed, exhausted. He recalled Qin Yang's heroic posture when he was hitting the wall.
He envied and yearned for that kind of boy … He wanted to run with him. He wanted to fight with him on the court. He wanted to see Qin Yang treat him as an opponent. He wanted to be stared at with that kind of focused gaze and have a showdown.
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