On the way down to the cafeteria, my phone rang. It was Little Cardigan, that effeminate guy. I told Ling Xiao to wait a second and ducked to the side to take the call in private.
"Are you okay? Why haven't you contacted me lately?"
The moment Little Cardigan’s dainty, breathy voice came through the line, it made our relationship sound far more scandalous than it actually was. Ling Xiao stood by the corridor window, arms crossed, watching me with a look of utter indifference. I quickly covered the receiver and whispered, "What is it?"
"You're asking *me*? Didn't you say you were going to treat me to dinner? Don't you want to know more about Ling Xiao?"
"I do."
"Then hurry up and treat me! Tomorrow’s the weekend, and I’ll tell you everything~"
I stole a glance back at Ling Xiao. He wasn't looking at me anymore; he was leaning against the windowsill, gazing out at the view. The bright sunlight framed his silhouette, giving him the undeniable aura of a top-tier heartthrob. Most importantly, he was actually waiting for me. I couldn't let that go unrewarded.
I said to Little Cardigan, "I want to ask him myself."
"What? You’re actually on speaking terms with him now?" Little Cardigan sounded disappointed. "Fine, forget the dinner then. And you don't have to call me 'Ma'—I'm not that old!~"
*Would it kill you people not to take advantage of me for one second?*
"Well, I wish you luck in drilling your way into his heart, my little Snail Girl!"
"Call me a Diamond Drill, thanks!"
I hung up and took a deep breath, feeling quite moved by my own loyalty and faith in my friend. But when I turned around, the window was empty. In the blink of an eye, Ling Xiao was gone.
I looked down at my call log. It had only been a little over two minutes. Talk about a lack of patience.
Still, maybe it was for the best. If he stayed a bit arrogant, it would keep me from getting too full of myself. The more I thought about it, the more I felt this "AI" was perfect for me—it was like heaven had sent him specifically to cure all my personality flaws!
***
Since I’d decided to ask Ling Xiao personally, I needed to do some homework first. I had to strike where it hurt. I started by searching for "Song Guo" online. Baidu didn't yield much, so I got clever and checked Weibo. Sure enough, I found his account.
One look and I was floored. Little Cardigan was right—Song Guo was a real piece of work. Most of his mutual followers were "socialites" from the gay scene, all dressed to the nines and posing flamboyantly. Song Guo was clearly a pimp. Fortunately, I didn't find any secret alt-accounts for Ling Xiao among his followers. Then again, maybe Ling Xiao just didn't use Weibo.
I spent the whole night scrolling through Song Guo’s feed and discovered that his "procurement" services were surprisingly broad. He even dealt with underground matches.
*Underground matches!* My heart skipped a beat. That was the connection!
Song Guo’s underground business covered boxing, taekwondo, and recently, the rising trend of fencing. It looked like he scouted quite a few athletes for these events. Apparently, these matches were a huge hit in wealthy circles, with rich people flocking to watch them every week. There were even people in the comments asking how to get in touch with Song Guo because they wanted to fight for the "generous compensation."
There was no doubt about it: the only possible link between Ling Xiao and Song Guo was underground fencing.
Underground matches... I leaned back in my chair, still struggling to believe it. As a member of the national team, competing in underground matches during training was a death sentence. If Coach Hu found out, he’d kick Ling Xiao out without a second thought.
I couldn't understand why Ling Xiao would take such a massive risk. He was so talented; there was absolutely no need for it! Was it for the money?
***
Regardless of the reason, a professional athlete shouldn't be touching those kinds of dangerous matches. Since I was the only one who knew, I was the only one who could try to talk him out of it.
The next day after morning training, I spotted Ling Xiao in the cafeteria line and lunged into the spot right behind him.
"Hey, they have fish today! Captain, don't you love fish? I noticed you're always super focused when you eat it!" Honestly, the way he meticulously picked out every tiny bone was hilarious to imagine—the same guy who moved like lightning on the strip turned into a total sloth when eating fish!
Ling Xiao turned to look at me. I suppressed my grin. He frowned, his hand already reaching toward the fish, but then he abruptly changed course and grabbed a plate of... shredded pork with garlic sauce.
I felt genuinely disappointed. "You really don't want the fish? If you want it, I'll grab it and we can share!"
Ling Xiao carried his tray away, ignoring the curious stares of the others. "No need."
*Why so petty?* I stifled a laugh. I didn't even say out loud that he looked silly eating fish~
But he really did! Hahaha!
Once I got my food, I sat down directly across from him. Ling Xiao glanced up at me but said nothing, returning to his meal.
*Tsk tsk.* This guy was so handsome that even watching him eat was a treat. He was nothing like the rougher guys on the team. I cast a disdainful glance at the neighboring table, where Lao Qi and Gao Dabang were inhaling their food like wolves.
"Can you get full just by staring at me instead of eating?" Ling Xiao suddenly spoke.
"Whoa, I didn't even see your lips move. Are you a ventriloquist?"
"Your flattery is getting excessive."
"Is it? Well, if I pat the horse's butt too hard, the horse might start moaning!" I said, feeling quite proud of my improvised dirty joke.
Ling Xiao looked up at me again. See? I could make him look at me whenever I wanted now. And why was I doing it? It was all for him! I was specifically picking jokes that "three-year-olds wouldn't understand."
He just shook his head and went back to his food, offering no further comment. I began to eat happily as well.
Having established some rapport, I remembered my mission. I took a sip of soup, cleared my throat, and tried to pull my chair closer. Only then did I remember the chairs were bolted to the floor. My tug shook the entire table. A piece of shredded pork fell from Ling Xiao’s chopsticks, but he caught it mid-air with a flick of his wrist. Auntie Tian was right—I fully believed he could catch a falling phone now.
Ling Xiao put the pork back in his bowl and looked at me, utterly perplexed.
I said, "I need my massage tonight. Are you free?"
At the next table, Lao Qi spat out a mouthful of soup!
*What are you thinking? Get your mind out of the gutter!* I rolled my eyes at him.
"After training," Ling Xiao said.
"I mean late at night. Like, right before I get into bed..."
Lao Qi started coughing uncontrollably. *So dramatic!*
I explained loudly, "If I get the massage right before bed, I can go straight to sleep. That’s when it’s most effective!"
Ling Xiao set his chopsticks down and looked at me squarely. "And what time do you go to bed?"
"I'm a night owl. Twelve?"
"Twelve won't work."
"Why not?" This was exactly the opening I wanted. I knew he was going out for a match tonight.
"No reason." He picked up his chopsticks again.
"How can there be no reason? Everything has a reason. Even Cinderella had a reason for leaving the ball at midnight," I argued.
Ling Xiao didn't look up, but he started arranging the food in his bowl—a bit of pork, a bit of green veg, a bit of tomato and egg—as if he were color-coding it. "You can go to bed earlier. I'll give you the massage earlier."
I waited until the surrounding tables were empty, then leaned in and lowered my voice. "Are you going out for another 'activity'?"
Ling Xiao’s eyes remained lowered as he poked at his rice.
I said, "A friend of mine told me that Song Guo is really unreliable. Don't let him scam you."
"Is this friend of yours reliable?"
"Totally!" Little Cardigan seemed reliable enough, right?
Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes at me. "How long have you known this friend?"
His gaze made me uncomfortable. "Don't misunderstand, we're just ordinary friends. Nothing else."
"When did you meet?" he asked patiently.
"Just last week."
"Where?"
"At that... bar. But I wasn't there looking for a hookup! I told you, I followed you there... that's where I met Little Cardigan..."
Ling Xiao nodded after hearing this. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "I see." He glanced toward the cafeteria entrance, left his half-finished plate of pork, and stood up to leave.
...What was that supposed to mean? I watched him go, completely bewildered. As Ling Xiao reached the glass doors, Granny Zhao—the one who feeds the cats—was about to enter. The doors were heavy, but Ling Xiao pushed them open and held them, letting Granny Zhao catch a "free ride" inside.
Granny Zhao started to head toward me, but seeing me still sitting there, she hesitated. Ling Xiao gave me a cold look from outside the glass door. I immediately took the hint, stood up, and gave up my seat. Only then did Granny Zhao come over with her bags.
Finally, I looked toward the door as if asking for approval. Behind the glass, Ling Xiao gave a satisfied tilt of his brow, turned, and walked away.
I felt... a little annoyed.
***
