After training the next day, Coach Hu did indeed call me into his office for a chat. I glanced over at Ling Xiao; he was leaning over to unscrew a bottle of water, drinking by himself without sparing a look at either me or the coach.
Coach Hu was unusually polite, offering me a seat as soon as I walked in. Not knowing what kind of scheme he was brewing, I didn't dare accept the courtesy. Seeing that I remained standing, he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "You know about Lilong Electronics, right?"
My mind raced through various possibilities, trying to guess where this was going. I hadn't expected Coach Hu to be so blunt; he didn't even give me a moment to process before dropping a bombshell that left me slack-jawed.
The man was no orator. Having been turned down by Ling Xiao, he hadn't improved his pitch for me. He just kept repeating the same few points to my stunned face: the endorsement was a great opportunity, there was a lot of money in it, it would help the National Team secure sponsorship, and since I loved showing my face so much anyway, this would give me all the exposure I could want... and so on.
I didn't bother pointing out how unflattering his words were. Instead, I asked him directly why he wasn't asking Ling Xiao.
Coach Hu froze for a second, then waved a hand dismissively with a forced laugh. "Isn't asking you the same as asking Ling Xiao?"
Defeated by my silent, deadpan stare, he finally came clean. He said he had originally wanted Ling Xiao, but Ling Xiao had refused.
"Why didn't he want to do it?" That was what I really wanted to know.
"Who knows? Maybe he just doesn't like the limelight." Coach Hu flicked some ash into the tray, a clear attempt to hide his discomfort.
"Then I don't want to do it either," I said.
"Huh? Why?" Coach Hu looked genuinely shocked. "You're turning down money and a chance to be on TV? Qiao Mai, I know you. You’re one step away from posting nudes on Weibo for attention!"
"You've got me all wrong," I said righteously. "If I were that obsessed with money and fame, why would I join the National Team? I would've debuted as an idol long ago."
Coach Hu leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "If you all treat wealth like dross, it makes my job as head coach very difficult."
"Shouldn't you be proud of us? Besides, I don't want to get distracted during training. You know as well as I do that none of us even have a decent world ranking in fencing yet. Our opponents for next year's Olympics are all top-ten legends. I'm not like Ling Xiao; I can't resist the temptation of vanity as easily as he can. He’s pushing this chore onto me so he can focus on training—his motives are absolutely treacherous!" I gritted my teeth, though my heart wasn't in the accusation.
Coach Hu puffed on his cigarette and waved me off. "Don't talk nonsense. That's not what he meant."
Reading between the lines, it was clear Coach Hu knew Ling Xiao had some sort of hidden reason. I tried to fish for it. "Then what did he mean?"
Coach Hu’s lips moved as if he were about to spill, but then he shoved the cigarette back into his mouth, took a drag, and changed the subject. "This is tough for me. President Li specifically wanted Ling Xiao. If Ling Xiao won't go, you're the next best choice. It makes sense for you to do it. Lilong Electronics mainly wants a spokesperson to promote their new digital products. Why would they sponsor us if no one represents them?"
Coach Hu took several deep drags in a row. Seeing him look so worried was a rare sight. I couldn't help but ask, "Is the National Team really that broke?"
I hadn't felt it. Were we really unable to continue training or put food on the table without Lilong Electronics? I knew the Foil and Épée teams had hired expensive foreign coaches, but even if the Sabre team only had Coach Hu, surely the prestigious National Team could afford their salaries.
Coach Hu remained silent for a long time. Eventually, he said in a low voice, "You don't understand the politics at the top, and you don't need to. You just need to focus on training. If there's something you can do to help the team, try to help. If it's truly too much to ask, I won't force you."
The office fell silent. Coach Hu pulled back the blinds, letting a sharp ray of sunlight pierce through. I noticed the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
I still remembered the first time I saw "Young Hu" on TV, looking so high-spirited and full of life. That felt like such a long time ago...
***
I told him I needed time to think, but in my heart, I had already decided to accept. An endorsement was a sweet deal no matter how you looked at it—money and fame were nothing to sneeze at. I knew I was susceptible to temptation, and I was actually a bit surprised by how self-aware I was about it. The temptation was there, but for me, there was an even greater lure: the thought of facing Ling Xiao on the Olympic stage, of standing with him on the highest podium. Compared to that, fame and endorsements were just "meh."
The reason I hesitated was because of Ling Xiao. The way this endorsement had come about felt murky and strange, leaving me with an unsettled feeling in my gut.
I returned to the locker room, my mind full of heavy thoughts. It was empty and dim with the lights off. Too lazy to turn them on, I sat on a bench for a while, feeling like I’d been sold out by Ling Xiao and was now helping him count the profit. I was in the dark, doing whatever they told me to do—it was a stifling feeling.
Sigh. I blamed my soft heart. I couldn't stand to see the National Team in trouble, and I especially couldn't stand to see Ling Xiao in a bind. Even for a nuisance like Coach Hu, I didn't want to see him swallowing his pride to wine and dine Li Rui. It looked like I was the one who had to earn this money.
I stood up to turn on the light and change, but then I heard the locker room door open. It was 12:30 PM; everyone else should have been at the cafeteria. Who was coming in now? I peeked out and immediately pressed my back against the wall in a panic. Oh god, it was Ling Xiao!
I was currently standing behind the second row of lockers. I had been about to walk around to the switch, but since Ling Xiao had come through the main door, he hadn't seen me. He probably thought the room was empty since the lights were off. He didn't turn them on either, walking straight to the first row of lockers and pulling off his shirt. I stared at his silhouette from behind the lockers, caught in a dilemma. It would be too weird to walk out and say hello now. By the time I realized it would be even weirder to wait until he finished changing, I had no choice but to stay hidden.
As if possessed, my eyes drifted to Ling Xiao’s bare torso. My "Auntie" friend had been wrong—he did have scars. They weren't deep, but even in the dim light, I could see various marks of different lengths. Ling Xiao paused while reaching for his clothes, lowering his head. It seemed he had strained the longest wound on his waist.
I watched as he stared at the faint red seeping from the wound. He went still, placed his clothes back into the open locker, sat on the bench, and began applying medicine.
The wound on his waist stretched all the way to the small of his back; he couldn't see it even if he turned his head. I thought to myself, *This is it. This is the moment where Heaven tests a man before granting him a great task! I must step up and help him with the medicine!* Suddenly, Ling Xiao stood up. I thought he’d spotted me, but he hadn't. He simply turned toward the row of lockers behind him.
And stopped right in front of mine.
My heart leaped into my throat, dangling there like it was pulled by a high-tension spring. I had no idea what he was doing.
Ling Xiao hesitated for a moment before reaching out to pull my locker door. I never locked it, so it slid open easily. He seemed momentarily stunned by the "creak" of the door, as if he hadn't expected it to be open.
There was a mirror hanging on the inside of my locker door. He probably intended to use it to see his back while applying the medicine.
Still, I was thrilled. Ling Xiao knew which locker was mine. He even knew I had a mirror inside. I wanted to run back and shake Lao Qi by the shoulders, screaming that Ling Xiao knew my locker and even knew about the damn mirror!
Though Lao Qi would probably just tell me, "You spend half your life preening in front of that thing every time you change; who *doesn't* know you have a mirror?"
Maybe that was the truth, but I was still happy. At least it meant that even before I started shamelessly pestering him, I wasn't completely invisible to him.
Ling Xiao stood before the mirror—I don't know how else to describe it—staring blankly for a moment? Then he took the small mirror down, sat back on the bench, and with his arm raised and head lowered, laboriously finished applying the medicine.
Once done, he hung the mirror back exactly where it had been, closed the locker, changed his clothes, and left.
Only after the door clicked shut and the silence outside stretched on did I finally breathe a sigh of relief. Scaling this iceberg was going to be a hundred times harder than I’d imagined. I could only catch tiny glimpses of his emotions. I didn't understand him at all. Last night, I had felt a strange, cold hostility radiating from him, but just now, the moment he thoughtfully took down the mirror, I felt as though he had transformed from an iceberg into a snow-covered plain—still cold, but soft and vast.
I had no way of knowing the cause of his unpredictable moods. To me, this man was as mysterious as he was captivating.
And very far away.
After changing, I prepared to leave, but when I pulled the handle, I froze. The door wouldn't budge. I yanked it twice more, but it remained motionless. I turned on the lights and checked the lock, forced to face a cruel reality: Ling Xiao had locked me inside the locker room!
***
"Hello? Lao Qi? Help me out, man! I'm locked in the locker room!"
"Hahaha! Just jump out the window! Aren't you a monkey?"
"Who told you I was a monkey? I was born in the year of the dog!" I frantically opened the window and looked down. This was the third floor! I was a fencer, not a high diver!
I knew Lao Qi was unreliable. You had to use extreme measures with him; if I told him I was being stabbed, he wouldn't feel any sense of urgency—he'd just wail at my grave later, slapping his own face in regret.
I feigned a tone of desperate urgency. "I'm not joking. I have claustrophobia!"
That finally got Lao Qi to agree to rescue me. I figured Ling Xiao thought he was the last one out, so he’d gotten the key from the guard to lock up. He must have returned the key to the guard station downstairs. I told Lao Qi to grab the key first. Sigh. It looked like I’d be stuck here for a while. I wondered if there’d be anything left for me at the cafeteria.
I lay back on the bench Ling Xiao had sat on, boredly scrolling through Weibo, the scent of Yunnan Baiyao still lingering in the air. I expected Lao Qi to take his time getting here from the cafeteria, but to my surprise, I heard the door rattle after only five minutes. I sat up, a wave of touched emotion washing over me. Qi-ge really does care about me!
I waited behind the door, ready to burst out. As soon as it swung open, I threw my arms wide. "Qi-ge, I love you to dea—"
The last word died in my throat as I realized I had made a massive fool of myself.
Ling Xiao stood outside the door, nearly getting a face full of my hug.
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Point to Point: The Fencer’s Heart | Chapter 27 | Reflections in the Dark | Novela.app | Novela.app
