NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53—Win or Lose?
Chapter 53—Win or Lose?
by Bocchan13
The Bo staff was customizable to one’s height. However, Song Yu didn’t think much of it and bought only 4 of the same standard size of 5’7. It might have been perfect for Song Yu, but to Lu Jingxiu who reached a staggering 190cm, it seemed incomparably small.
Song Yu delicately swished the Bo around, his grip on the Bo strong and resilient. Lu Jingxiu watched as Song Yu familiarized himself with it. He was nervous, but there was a lingering feeling of anticipation. Song Yu was a mysterious being, and his CEO brain had to compartmentalize Song Yu into a category.
Is he an enemy? Will he hurt Lan Zhou? Can he rely on him?
Lu Jingxiu from the very beginning had little hopes for this person. At the time of their meeting, he had put all of Song Yu’s actions on trial, waiting to see if his trust would teeter. Yes, Song Yu helped them. He opened his home to them. But Lu Jingxiu still remembered that cold face as he told them to abandon Lan Zhou and Xiao Zi.
A person like that was not ordinary.
Song Yu and Lu Jingxiu didn’t have a fighting camaraderie like Wang Cheng and Yu Ci nor the intense rivalry of Lan Zhou and Xiao Zi. But there was an immense amount of pressure emanating from the both of them.
They had something they wanted to prove.
Song Yu breathed deeply, until the air escaped his body and his heartbeat slowed to a dull thud. Opening his eyes, he didn’t even hear the countdown as he prepared for what was to come.
Lu Jingxiu was an offensive attacker. He switched hands so his left would be more dominant, just in time for the staff to collide directly in the middle. If he hadn’t switched, his fingers would have bruised. Song Yu twisted the staff, creating a whirlwind before extending his staff to hit Lu Jingxiu’s side.
The hit was unexpected and the impact was hard. Lu Jingxiu gritted his teeth. It wasn’t an area near the heart or the head, so the blow didn’t count. He glimpsed a sinister glint in Song Yu’s eyes and had to keep his vigilance up.
But Song Yu wasn’t done. In a matter of a millisecond, Song Yu’s staff somehow got under his arms and into the space between, blocking him with his own strength. Directly onto his heart.
“Point to Song Yu!”
Song Yu smiled triumphantly, his dangerous eyes looking to devour.
“Don’t worry. Next time I’ll go easy on you.”
Lu Jingxiu smirked as his words were thrown back at him. Letting go, they started the second match. Going for a more dangerous approach, Lu Jingxiu started another wave of attacks, this time moving his hands in the middle position to anchor weight distribution.
Song Yu was not deterred as they exchanged more and more blows. Lu Jingxiu managed to hit Song Yu’s head after an intense 3 minute bout. Huffing in tiredness, they took a small break before continuing.
Sweat gleamed from their faces as the 3rd round lasted far longer than the others. At this point in time, they just wanted to win.
Song Yu narrowed his eyes as he drew back from a staff thrust. Lu Jingxiu wasn’t pulling punches or going easy on him. If that had made contact, it could have seriously injured him. Song Yu back-flipped backwards, out of the staff’s range.
Lu Jingxiu was no better. Their fight had lasted more than 10 minutes of non-stop blows.
“Take a break first.” Lu Jingxiu and Song Yu unanimously nodded and went to take a small rest. Lan Zhou had watched the entire fight with stern observation.
In the two years of the apocalypse, Song Yu had trained his mind and body to be deadly and accurate. One arrow shot was enough, one strike was enough, and one small moment of hesitation was enough for death. Song Yu fought like he didn’t want to die.
That could be said for everyone else, but Lan Zhou knew that Song Yu was alone while he had his friends and colleagues with him. He had someone watching his back while Song Yu had none.
Song Yu fought like it was his last chance at life.
He gently wiped Song Yu’s sweat off his forehead with a towel, handing an opened bottle of water.
“You’re doing well. Lu Jingxiu is a tough nut to crack. He also took lessons in pugilism and mixed martial arts since he was a kid. He’s been kidnapped a few times as a teen, so he learned how to defend himself, not to mention his time in the apocalypse army force.”
Song Yu nodded, but had to sigh.
Lu Jingxiu…was seriously good. As expected of someone who lasted so long in the apocalypse. Song Yu wiped his chin and grinned.
“He’s good. But he’s not going to win.” Lan Zhou smiled and rubbed his hair.
Song Yu and Lu Jingxiu went back to the fighting mats and resumed the fight. Caution was now a priority. Song Yu wasn’t good at strategy or feints, but he knew the best place for ‘chances’.
A small error, a tiny gap, a slow movement. Everyone was in Song Yu’s eyes. The moment a ‘chance’ opened up, he would go for it. Even if it was a feint or a trap, Song Yu managed to evade it accurately and go for the kill.
Lu Jingxiu was getting excited. Because he was the exact same. Unlike Yu Ci’s powerful strength, or Lan Zhou’s stable parry, Lu Jingxiu was sneaky.
As a child, he grew up knowing that people wanted to hurt him. Or technically—his parents. As one of the most powerful families in B Country, he was sought after by money hungry kids, social climbing women, and a dust of kidnappers here or there.
As he got older and took over several of his parent’s companies, he used his ruthlessness and scum ways to deal with business and politics.
Lu Jingxiu knew when to strike at an opportunity, whether it is for his gain or someone else’s.
And fighting someone who felt the same way got him in a good mood. Analyzing, estimating, and creating possibilities. Cold-hearted traits that could make you shiver.
Now Lu Jingxiu knew why he was so untrusting of Song Yu. Because he was the exact same. In his shoes, he would abandon strangers, even if they had a past. He would be vigilant and unkind to those who took kindness for granted.
Song Yu was like Lu Jingxiu.
And like Lu Jingxiu, they pulled back their fangs for their loved ones and kept their darkness hidden, hoping that it would disappear one day.
Song Yu twisted his staff hitting the right side before knocking the staffs together creating a bounce. Taking this chance, he twisted to the left, the wood coming straight for Lu Jingxiu. With little time to react, Lu Jingxiu jerked his head back, blocking his sight to what would happen next.
Song Yu didn’t hesitate to continue the staff’s trajectory, creating a wheel. The staff was about to collide again. Lu Jingxiu kicked himself away, lodging his staff on the mat like a sword, his head open for a deathly blow.
Song Yu’s eyes glittered before he went straight for the kill. Until Lu Jingxiu’s staff somehow wasn’t vertical anymore, but aimed at Song Yu’s exposed heart.
You could hear a pin drop as both staffs halted midair, mere centimeters from their target. Song Yu and Lu Jingxiu were both exhaling with difficulty, their eyes now glaring at each other with such blood thirst it could slice someone in two.
“Stalemate!”
Song Yu dropped the staff and flounced on the mat. Lan Zhou helped him like a coach and wiped him down with gentleness. Lu Jingxiu was no better and staggered next to Xiao Zi, his sweat soaked hair dripping on the linoleum floor.
“Was I handsome?” Xiao Zi patted his on his back and nodded.
“Extremely so.”
“I didn’t win though,”
“You didn’t lose either.”
“He’s tough.”
“Yep. He’s kind of like you.”
Lu Jingxiu grinned and kissed Xiao Zi’s cheek.
Song Yu was picked up by Lan Zhou and brought to a chair. Despite a stalemate, Song Yu was quite happy with the results. The phrase that men got closer after fighting seemed to be true. He quite understood Lu Jingxiu now.
If he was in Lu Jingxiu’s shoes, he would also be cautious, distrustful and suspicious. That was to be expected. Even if he didn’t like it, he had to accept it.
The small tournament came to a close, going on much longer than intended. Song Yu decided that they would do training another day, much to everyone’s relief. Yu Ci and Lan Zhou were the least tired and took to cleaning up the training hall whilst Wang Cheng and Xiao Zi picked up the weapons and moved them back.
Song Yu and Lu Jingxiu sat not far from each other and watched the collective do their work.
“I can’t say I trust you.”
Song Yu turned to look at Lu Jingxiu. Lu Jingxiu was staring at the hardworking Xiao Zi, a small smile on his lips.
“Trust is difficult in the apocalypse, and whether you’re a good guy or bad guy will be made clear one way or the other. But thanks to you, I can see Xiao Zi having so much fun.”
Lu Jingxiu paused as he recollected some past memories.
“He was always in the lab with his face in a frown. He was the one who got grey hair first, and permanent frown lines. I always wanted to massage them away but never got the guts to. In this life, we are happier than we have ever been.”
Lu Jingxiu’s eyes penetrated Song Yu’s. Emotions too hard to comprehend filled them.
“I want to keep it that way. Can you do that?”
Song Yu looked away and scrunched his toes. Thinking deeply for a good response, he could only mutter,
“I’ll try. I can’t promise anything.”
Lu Jingxiu nodded his head.
“That’s all I can ask for…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
