Point to Point: The Fencer’s Heart | Chapter 13 | An Unexpected Encounter | Novela.app

I decided to start living my life according to Ling Xiao’s schedule. The next morning, my phone alarm vibrated before six o’clock. After lingering under the covers for a while longer, I finally crawled out of bed. A quick glance at my phone showed it was exactly 6:10 AM. Yours truly has always had the foresight to know I’d never get up on the first ring, so I’d intentionally set the alarm fifteen minutes early. As they say, where there’s a will—and a bit of wit—there’s a way. When I reached the track, the sun hadn’t even risen. The floodlights were still on, but the air was incredibly crisp. I stretched, letting the fresh oxygen flood my lungs; it felt like I hadn't breathed air this clean in my entire life. Ling Xiao had already finished nearly half a lap. It was just the two of us on the track. In the hazy morning light, the atmosphere was quiet and serene, like a deserted train station at dusk. Despite the perfect setting for some casual conversation, he continued to treat me like I didn't exist, running past me with his headphones on without so much as a nod. *Does your headset come with built-in subtitles? Is that why you can’t see me?* I silently lowered the hand I’d halfway raised, trailing behind him with a stomach full of annoyance. Then, in a burst of spite, I sprinted past him, leaving him far behind. Only then did I feel a bit of satisfaction. To my surprise, Ling Xiao maintained a steady pace for five laps, while I was gassed after three. Our track was relatively short—only 200 meters per lap—meaning I’d only run 400 meters, yet Ling Xiao had cleared a full kilometer without even breaking a sweat. His stamina was staggering. Refusing to give up, I gritted my teeth and pushed on, but the moment Ling Xiao effortlessly overtook me, I was so exhausted I nearly collapsed. "If you can't handle it, don't force it." Ling Xiao dropped the remark coolly as he ran past. I stared wide-eyed at his receding back. What an absolute humiliation! I forced myself through two more laps, and by the time I reached the cafeteria, I felt like a stranded sardine. The cafeteria was nearly empty. Only Ling Xiao and I were there, sitting at our respective tables for breakfast. He was two tables ahead of me to the right, giving me nothing but a view of his perfectly poised back. People are usually at their most relaxed and unguarded when they eat. I’m normally quite conscious of my image, but when food is involved, all bets are off. Unless you possess incredible self-discipline and willpower, it’s impossible to carry yourself as well as Ling Xiao did even while eating. The more I noticed these details of his daily life, the more I realized how formidable he was—and the less I could believe he had actually lost to me twice. The cafeteria was too quiet. Seeing as no one was talking, I decided to hell with it. I brazenly turned on my phone’s speaker and started playing a crosstalk routine. I’d heard it before, but I just wanted to liven things up. As the comedy played, I kept my eyes glued to Ling Xiao’s back, making sure he hadn't put his headphones back on. *Please don't put them on,* I thought. *That would be so awkward.* But he didn't. Although I couldn't read any emotion from his back, I had a feeling he listened to my favorite crosstalk bits the whole time. Maybe he even smiled, and I just couldn't see it. Eventually, more people started trickling in, and Ling Xiao stood up to leave. As he passed me, I saw him put his headphones back on. *Sigh, why bother? Would it kill you to be a more approachable team heartthrob?* *** And so, I began a silent rivalry with Ling Xiao. If he woke up early to run laps, so did I. If he stayed late for extra practice, I planned to do the same. No sooner said than done. After dinner and a short rest, I headed back to the training hall. Sure enough, the lights were on and the doors were half-open. I saw Ling Xiao, now changed into his fencing whites, practicing intensely on his own. Before I met Ling Xiao, I never did more than the required training. But he was different... I could truly feel his passion for fencing. I almost wished I had been the one to lose to him; it felt like that would have been a more "inspiring" narrative. The hall wasn't fully lit—only a few lamps were on. Beams of white light draped over his lunging and parrying figure, and the rhythmic sound of his footwork echoed through the cavernous space. In that moment, I actually found myself envying the target dummy in front of him. The sound of his footwork stopped abruptly. I ducked behind the door, and only when I heard no further movement did I peek back in. Ling Xiao stood before the dummy, his saber hanging at his side, lost in thought. Then, he suddenly raised the blade, the tip snapping toward the dummy’s chest with a sharp *swish*. In the training hall, there was only the white light and Ling Xiao in his white uniform; everything else was shades of gray and black, like a long still-shot from a monochrome film. Then, I heard a soft laugh—a short, nasal sound. It carried his familiar cold arrogance, but also a sense of lighthearted pleasure. I was too far away to see his expression, but my heart hammered against my ribs at the sound of that fleeting laugh—one I’d only heard rumors of but never witnessed. Even though Ling Xiao always acted like I was invisible to his face, I knew he acknowledged me in his heart. He was likely preparing to slaughter me in the next match. Knowing that actually put my mind at ease. *** As it turned out, the next match didn't come first—my childhood friend did. I’d met Tian Ai back in elementary school when we were both learning fencing at the Children’s Palace. Later, by some stroke of luck, she became my neighbor. From then on, she shed her "little princess" persona and became the third mountain of oppression in my life, right after my parents. Back in high school, she was always going on about how much she "loved" fencing, only to toss her blade aside the moment she graduated to go study abroad. Today, she had finally returned from the States and made a special trip to the team base to see how I was faring. I complained to her about how mind-numbingly boring life on the team was. On the other end of the line, Tian Ai laughed and said, "Hearing that you're doing poorly puts my mind at ease." "Thanks a lot, Auntie Tian," I retorted. Tian Ai arrived at Zishan at noon and asked me to pick her up. The guys on the team were practically starving for the sight of a girl, and since "Auntie" was quite the beauty, I had to rush down to protect her before she got spooked by the over-eager monkeys. However, as I was waiting for the elevator, I looked out the window and saw Tian Ai downstairs, actually talking to Ling Xiao. *What the hell? You beat me to it again!* But knowing Tian Ai, she was probably the one who initiated it. The two of us had shared the exact same taste since we were kids; we’d even buy the same wristbands and gloves. I’d call her a "tomboy," and she’d mock me for being "sissy." She had the nerve to call me sissy when I was wearing men's gloves—completely illogical! But no matter how much she annoyed me, I never actually fell out with her. Only a real "sissy" would throw a tantrum over that. It was thanks to my manly, broad-minded nature that I’d endured her oppression for all these years. If Ling Xiao was my cup of tea, he was definitely her dish. I figured, why not use this chance to strike up a conversation with him? Half of my circle of friends had been introduced to me by Tian Ai. With "Auntie" covering for me, my chances of a successful approach were high. With that thought, I abandoned the elevator and bolted down the stairs. But by the time I reached the first floor, all I saw was Tian Ai in British-style shades and a long trench-coat dress, waving at me daintily. I looked left and right, but Ling Xiao was nowhere to be seen. He’d already left. I should have known my luck wasn't that good. "Where is he?" I asked. Tian Ai finally grabbed me excitedly. "Oh my god, your team heartthrob is so handsome!" "Yeah, yeah, he's gorgeous. What were you two talking about?" Tian Ai waved her phone. "Don't even get me started. The guys in your fencing team are as rowdy as monkeys. I was going to come upstairs to surprise you, but some guy rushing to lunch bumped into me. My phone fell out the window, and Ling Xiao just happened to be passing by and caught it..." She described the scene vividly, clearly trying to convey how heroic Ling Xiao looked catching a falling phone. I found it tedious. It wasn't like he did a 360-degree backflip to catch it; was it really that impressive? "I've rescued your phone before, too. How come you never call me handsome?" Auntie Tian patted my head. "There, there. How can you compare to him? That time, you caught my phone with your face. It was much more impressive, sure, but nowhere near as handsome." In her eyes, I had never been handsome. I took Tian Ai out for a meal. Along the way, she kept asking if I was on good terms with Ling Xiao, if I was inferior to him, blah blah blah... I wanted to tell her I’d already beaten him twice, but I ultimately kept my mouth shut. I just said we stayed out of each other's way. Auntie Tian looked at me with pity. "You look like an aggrieved little daughter-in-law." "What are you talking about?" I snapped. "Then you're my mother-in-law." "Aw, such a good daughter-in-law~" Pah! Why am I such an idiot? *** It was Sunday, and the team was allowed to go out. I accompanied Tian Ai to the CBD for some shopping, and by evening, we went to a bar to catch up. I rarely visited such places of "debauchery," but once inside, it felt alright—quite classy, actually, and not at all the seedy den I’d imagined. Auntie Tian teased me: "You're thinking of a nightclub. You can't even tell a bar and a club apart~" I’d intended to reminisce with her—I’d actually missed her during her year abroad—but Auntie Tian couldn't go three sentences without mentioning Ling Xiao. One moment she was asking if he was single and if she had a chance; the next, she was saying he seemed exactly like my type and wondering why we had no interaction. "Is it because he's better than you? Oh, my dear nephew, let me tell you, there's always a bigger fish. You have to accept your fate..." I silently downed the drinks she ordered, one after another, until a sudden, inexplicable fire of irritation flared up in me. "Enough! Do you have any idea that your 'nephew' has faced him twice, and I won both times?" Tian Ai was shocked. "Really? Then why do you still look like a submissive wife who's been bullied by her husband?" Slurring my words, I said, "Why are you being so brutally honest? When... when are you going back? We have another internal match next week. Do you want to come watch? You'll see then. No matter how much overtime he puts in, he's never going to get the upper hand over me!" *Clack.* I set my cocktail glass down on the bar, but it hit the edge and wobbled, threatening to fall. A hand reached out and caught it. I followed the hand that steadied the glass upward, and my eyes met Ling Xiao, dressed in a black-and-white bar server's uniform! I turned to Tian Ai. "I think I'm drunk." *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 田爱 | Tian Ai | Qiao Mai's childhood friend. 相声 | Crosstalk / Xiangsheng | A traditional Chinese comedic performing art. 受气的小媳妇 | Aggrieved little daughter-in-law | An idiom describing someone who looks bullied, submissive, or resentful but unable to speak up.