Point to Point: The Fencer’s Heart | Chapter 54 | A Heart Laid Bare | Novela.app

Morning at the base was the same as always. Ling Xiao would no longer appear on the track at dawn, yet I couldn't break the habit of waking up early for a run. Morning runs were better anyway; running in the evening made you look like some unlucky bastard who’d lost his job, his lover, and his will to live. Only Lao Qi, Da Pang, two other teammates, and I remained in the training hall. This was the final roster for the Olympic saber event. Coach Hu was the one most heartbroken over Ling Xiao’s dismissal. I felt like he’d grown a significant amount of white hair overnight. As I was staring at his head, trying to count the strands, he suddenly turned to look at me with a truly sadistic expression. And so, I was gifted a one-on-one "intensified training plan" meticulously concocted by Coach Hu. Lao Qi whispered, "When things become unbearable, there's no need to bear them anymore!" Since the captain wasn't around to see, I immediately slammed my mask onto the ground in protest! Around noon, I suddenly received a call from Li Rui. He asked if I knew where Ling Xiao was, saying that Li Xin hadn't picked up his calls since last night and wasn't at the villa. It sounded like Li Rui didn't know about Ling Xiao leaving the team. He probably assumed Li Xin was with him. I called Li Xin, praying she would pick up. Fortunately, after a long time, the call connected, but I didn't expect her to answer with a sob. "Qiao Mai, I feel so terrible right now..." *** By the time I rushed to Riverside Park, Li Xin was standing by the bridge railing, staring blankly at the misty surface of the river. When I saw her suddenly grip the railing with both hands, I panicked and rushed forward to grab her. "It’s just a breakup! Don't do anything reckless!" Li Xin felt like a fragile reed in my arms. She clung to me and let out a loud wail. "Don't cry! Tell me what happened!" I exhausted every trick in the book to comfort her. "Your makeup is running—it’s actually kind of scary!" "I know everything now... about Brother Ling Xiao... Qiao Mai, I’m so sorry..." So it was about that. "That wasn't your fault..." She shook her head. "You don't understand. That day, I talked to him about my brother. Right to his face, I said..." She sniffled. "I said if it weren't for him, my eldest brother and sister-in-law wouldn't have divorced. And that his car accident was just an unexpected tragedy that had nothing to do with my brother. I said it would have been better if he hadn't chased my brother halfway across the globe..." I was stunned. Hearing Li Xin say such things from the perspective of an "innocent bystander," I could only imagine how Ling Xiao must have felt. "Did Ling Xiao... tell you all this?" I asked. "I found it this morning..." Li Xin handed me a crumpled piece of stationery. The paper was soaked through with her tears. It was the first time I had seen Ling Xiao’s handwriting. It was upright and powerful, the mark of someone who had received a proper upbringing. *Li Xin,* *I’m sorry, but I’ve finally decided to write this letter to you.* *I know you’ve always wanted to ask why I accepted your invitation only to reject you in the end. You might be afraid that I discovered the fees you paid me actually came from your brother. But I guessed it from the start; he provided the money, and he provided the idea.* *I apologize for not being sincere about teaching you fencing from the beginning. I never believed my brother’s death was a simple traffic accident. I accepted your invitation because I wanted to uncover the truth behind it. By now, you must have guessed—my brother was the person you spoke of that day, the one who chased your brother halfway across the globe in a supposed attempt to tear him and your sister-in-law apart.* *You told me many things that day, but none of them were what I wanted to hear, save for one sentence. You told me yourself: "It seems that person only went out in the middle of the night to see my brother. The weather was terrible that day, and no one expected an accident to actually happen."* *Even now, I remember the indifferent tone you used when you said that. I held back from telling you then that it wasn't He Ming who tore Li Rui and your sister-in-law apart; it was your sister-in-law who tore them apart. In my eyes, Li Rui was never good enough for my brother. You were right—my brother did chase Li Rui halfway across the globe. If you had ever given your everything for someone, I believe you would have done the same.* *Hearing you say those words felt like a weight being lifted. It was as if I had been waiting years just for that sentence. I finally had a reason to give an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. By such a coincidence, he had a sister, too.* *Countless times, I thought of using you to get revenge on Li Rui. But every time I wanted to do it, I would think of a certain person. This person was more afraid of me becoming that kind of man than I was. He’s like an indestructible cockroach; no matter how much I strike him down, he’s back at full strength the next day. But one day, I found him curled up in a corner, looking as if he’d been stepped on. This little cockroach, who had always been chasing after me, almost got crushed to death because I never looked back at him.* *I poured so much focus into a person I hated that I couldn't find the energy to do anything for the person I loved. Even though I knew that just a little effort would make him so happy, my heart was so full of negative emotions that I didn't know how to take that step.* *I have met countless powerful opponents on the fencing strip, but the strongest opponent I have encountered to date is myself. After battling for so long, it is finally time for this duel to end. My brother is gone, and Li Rui should become nothing more than insignificant dust in my life. We should all spend our lives on things more worthwhile. That is the real reason I decided to stop teaching you.* *Originally, I didn't want to tell you any of this. You are innocent, and knowing these things serves no purpose. I am writing this letter only to clear my brother’s name. Precisely because you are an innocent party, I cannot allow him to remain blackened in your eyes.* *I am sorry for ever having such despicable thoughts toward you. You have every reason to hate me, but please do not misunderstand He Ming.* *Ling Xiao* *Written at Zishan Base, [Date]* I struggled to decipher the words blurred by tears, stumbling through the letter. Though it was soaked in Li Xin’s sorrow, to me, it read like a stirring manifesto. "So the cancellation fee was actually paid by Li Rui?" "Yes. Even though I have shares in the group, my mother manages them, and I couldn't produce that much cash. My brother said if Ling Xiao knew the money came from him, he’d never accept it, so he used that method." Li Xin hung her head dejectedly. "How can I ever hope for him to like me now? He must hate me so much..." I held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Li Xin, look at me. He might have been angry when you said those things, but he couldn't possibly hate you. It’s because he cares about you that he couldn't stand for He Ming to have such an image in your eyes. If he hated you, why would he bother writing such a formal letter? He even dated it and noted the location. Look at how nice this paper is. If I hated someone, I’d just scribble two lines on a piece of toilet paper while sitting on the john. I wouldn't be this solemn. Besides, if he hated you, why would he ask for your forgiveness?" Li Xin seemed to take it in. "I said such awful things... will he really forgive me?" "Why wouldn't he? If you don't believe me, I'll tell him when he gets back that you were so regretful you wanted to jump into the river. He’ll definitely forgive you then." Li Xin finally broke into a smile through her tears. "I didn't actually want to kill myself. I was just in a bad mood..." The mist on the river had dispersed. The shimmering light reflected on the girl’s tear-streaked face, looking a bit funny but possessing the beauty of a clear sky after the rain. "Thank you, Li Xin," I said. "Thank you for not blaming him." "You mean about him wanting to use me for revenge?" Li Xin gave a bitter laugh. "He probably just thought about it. Even though he took me out to eat and sing, he never did anything. He didn't even pick a single love song... they were all children's songs. I know there's someone else in his heart. He couldn't help it." What was with the children's songs...? "So, who is that indestructible cockroach?" Li Xin suddenly asked. I told her I didn't know and offered to go buy her an ice cream. I was moved and ecstatic, but I’m sorry—there was no way I was going to admit to being a cockroach.