Point to Point: The Fencer’s Heart | Chapter 16 | A Ride and a Wall-Slam | Novela.app

First the princess carry, and now I was riding on the back of his bicycle. My dignity had been shredded to the point where I could probably toss the scraps like pancake dough, so I just leaned into the embarrassment and asked bluntly, "Who was that man?" "I don't know. You tell me." "Huh?" I gaped. "How would I know?" "If you don't know who he is, why were you chasing his car? Can a human outrun a vehicle?" I rolled my eyes at his back and shrugged. "Theoretically speaking, it’s highly unlikely." The bike screeched to a sudden halt. Ling Xiao turned his head to look at me. I swallowed hard, enduring a heavy dose of scrutiny from the team hunk under the pale glow of the streetlamp. Finally, he shook his head and turned back to keep pedaling. The look Ling Xiao just gave me... it was as if he’d finished an evaluation and concluded my IQ was below average. Theoretically, a human can't outrun a car, sure, but there are exceptions to every theory! Like Superman, Batman, or Captain America—they could probably do it, right? What was so wrong with my answer? The bike jerked to another stop. Ling Xiao tilted his head. "Get off." Hearing that "overbearing CEO" tone of his made my blood boil. If you were driving a Lamborghini and said that to me, I might actually feel the gravity of the moment. But you’re riding a beat-up bicycle—what’s with the "cool, handsome, and domineering" act? We were surrounded by woods, the streetlamps were dim, and there wasn't a building in sight. I asked, bewildered, "You’re just gonna dump me here?" Ling Xiao looked ahead. "Where exactly do you think I'm dumping you?" I followed his gaze and realized the outer wall of our training base was just a short distance away. I scrambled off the bike and accompanied him to the shed. Ling Xiao pushed the bike from the front, and I hurried to the other side to help push, as if the bike were our shared property. I felt a bit ridiculous, but walking beside him empty-handed made me feel like a lowly lackey, which was even more uncomfortable. Ling Xiao glanced at me. I immediately wiped the grin off my face and lowered my head to keep pushing. As we walked, my mind drifted back to that man. "Who is he, really? He couldn't be a fencer too, could he?" With a physique like that, there was no way in hell he was an athlete. Ling Xiao crouched down to lock the bike without saying a word. His bangs obscured his expression. I peered and poked around but couldn't see a thing, so I tried another probe: "Is he stronger than me?" Ling Xiao stood up after locking the bike. The look he gave me was dark and profound, and I suddenly realized I’d put my foot in my mouth. I’d beaten him three times; wasn't I just rubbing salt in his wounds? Was it too late to shake the salt off? "This is a really nice bike!" I said quickly, reaching down to pat the frame. Ling Xiao had already started walking behind me. I kept my head turned, pretending to admire the bike one last time, when I heard him say, "You're the first person to ever call it nice." "Hahaha," I laughed, catching up to walk beside him. "That's because you're too much of a loner. You should hang out with people more, communicate!" "What I meant was, I don't think this bike is nice at all. I also can't fathom how anyone could find an outdated, second-hand bicycle 'nice.'" "..." Did I owe you a life debt in a past incarnation? You can't even go two sentences without insulting me at least once and a half! Fine, I wouldn't stoop to his level. After all, he was my defeated opponent; it was understandable that he harbored some resentment. When we reached the perimeter wall, I looked up at the unfamiliar stretch of brick. I hopped up and down a couple of times. "Is this where you usually sneak in?" "What are you hopping for?" Ling Xiao stood behind me with his arms crossed, eyeing me. "Huh?" I couldn't think of a reason. Did I really need a reason to hop? "I just wanted to see if the other side of the wall is safe. You know, make sure there isn't a puddle or something." "Did you see anything?" How could I possibly see anything! Do you not understand the concept of giving someone a graceful way out? Besides, those two hops were just a normal person's attempt to liven up a stiff atmosphere. Too bad I ran into a guy who couldn't read the room to save his life. All my good intentions were wasted on him! I couldn't be bothered to keep making a fool of myself, so I squatted by the base of the wall, dropped into a horse stance, and cupped my hands low. I shot Ling Xiao a look, signaling for him to go first. Ling Xiao walked over, looked down at me, and then with a light leap, he caught the top of the wall. He scrambled up in a few fluid motions as if he’d been trained for it! I looked up at his heroic posture. Standing over six feet tall with long limbs, he managed to crouch gracefully on a ledge no wider than a palm. The moon was behind him, outlining his cold, sharp silhouette. I thought to myself: *Qi Ling... he really is like Zhang Qiling...* He was up, and he hadn't needed my help at all. I suddenly got nervous. I worried he might just turn around and hop down the other side, leaving me staring at the wall alone. It wouldn't be long before the security guards showed up with big dogs to catch me red-handed, and I’d inevitably have to face Coach Hu’s psychotic face... I immediately used my eyes to tell him firmly: *If you don't pull me up, I am definitely snitching on you when we get back!* Ling Xiao remained motionless atop the wall. Casting aside my pride, I shamelessly reached my hand out to him. Ling Xiao froze for a second, looking at my hand and then at me. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly reached out and grasped it. What was there to hesitate about? Ever heard of teammate love? I gripped his hand tightly and whined like a stray dog, "Put some muscle into it, Ling Xiao! I can't get any leverage down here!" For a split second, I felt like Ling Xiao really wanted to let go, but since I refused to release him, he had no choice. He exerted some force and hauled me up. The top of the wall was narrower than I’d imagined. I hooked one leg over, hanging there like a dead fish. Ling Xiao yanked his hand out of mine and jumped down without a backward glance. "Hey, wait for me!" I hurriedly swung my other leg over, straddled the wall, and slid down the other side with a *whoosh*. *** I was rubbing my sore backside as I followed Ling Xiao when my phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number. "Hello? Who is this?" I asked, confused. "Did you catch up to your sweetheart?" That pinched, feminine voice—I recognized it as the guy in the "Little Vest" from the bar. The glass doors of the dormitory reflected Ling Xiao and me. Ling Xiao was in a black turtleneck and slim-fit trousers, looking every bit the modern-day god. I was in my "straight-guy-aesthetic" tracksuit, my hair a mess after the night's ordeals. What exactly did Little Vest see in me? Afraid Ling Xiao would overhear, I turned away and lowered my voice, seizing the chance to dig for info. "Since you've already called, why don't you tell me who that man was?" "You can't just use people like that, you know." Little Vest complained, but his tone was playful. He didn't seem actually angry. "I'll buy you dinner sometime!" I promised. "You said it! No backing out! That man... he's quite famous in the industry. If you search for 'Song Guo' online, you might find some traces of him. But his dirty laundry can't be aired in just a sentence or two. I'll tell you all about it when you take me to dinner. That's all for now. Waiting for your call~" He hung up before I could even haggle. Dammit, I just lost the price of a meal! Are all gay guys this shrewd? "Whoa!" It was too dark, and I nearly missed the step at the main entrance. With a soft *click*, the area ahead lit up. White light illuminated the steps beneath my feet. I looked up to see the dormitory door wide open, the hallway bright behind it. Ling Xiao snapped his fingers, leaning his back against the glass door as he waited for me. I was actually quite touched for a moment, but as I hurried closer, the feeling vanished. Honestly, Ling Xiao’s expression was way too "AI." I don't like AIs at all—especially the heartless kind that constantly gives you the "King’s Disdain." If I had to like one, it would be the kind from Iron Man. I tucked my phone away, walked through the door, and said to Ling Xiao with a stiff face, "Thanks." Ling Xiao reached out and pushed the door shut behind me. That push sent me stumbling back a step, and his hand landed right next to my ear with a *thud*. I realized I was actually being "wall-slammed!" Fine, a "kabedon" from a handsome guy is forgivable. Standing this close, Ling Xiao was like a tree that had grown stubbornly in the middle of the road—not quite a giant, but radiating the aura of an ancient pine. Personally, I approved of this wall-slam. "Just say what you want to say," I said. Ling Xiao: "My hearing is very good. I can even hear the hum of the electricity in a lightbulb." "For real?" I knew he was hinting that he’d overheard my conversation, but I felt like he was bragging way too hard. "Then can you hear my heartbeat?" Ling Xiao seemed choked by my response. He stared straight at me, silent for a long time. Seeing the humanoid AI encounter a "Goldbach's Conjecture" moment—his cool exterior crumbling as he turned back into a twenty-two-year-old kid who wasn't much better than me—felt weirdly satisfying. I brushed his hand aside. "It's late. Get some sleep. We have a morning run tomorrow~" With that, I hummed a tune and headed upstairs, leaving him with nothing but the sight of my triumphant back. Today was totally worth it! *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 宋国 | Song Guo | The name of the man Ling Xiao met at the bar. 起灵 | Qi Ling | A reference to Zhang Qiling (Kylin Zhang), a cool, silent, and physically gifted character from the novel/series *The Lost Tomb* (Daomu Biji). 壁咚 | Wall-slam / Kabedon | A romantic/aggressive gesture where one person leans against a wall to trap another person between their body and the wall. 队草 | Team hunk / Team grass | The most handsome man in a group/team (counterpart to "school beauty/grass").