Surprisingly, after their clash, Bian seemed to have toned down. He did not even gaze his way or taunt him in his usual manner. That was such a relief for him.
Jian happily finished his pending math homework and handed it to Rui, who was waiting beside him. As the class rep was taking it, the book flipped, and a small slip of paper fell to the ground, revealing a young man's sharp side profile.
"Who's this?" Rui picked it up. f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll.com
Jian silently plucked it from his hand. "No one." He stuffed it in his bag. Unknowingly, he had stored the portrait of that handsome man in his math homework. 'Oh right, that's why my homework was not done. I was too busy drawing his portrait...'
He gently caressed the paper. That man was just a stranger, but... weirdly, he felt very close to him. Something about that man was captivating and enchanting enough that he actually took a second look. 'He is just that handsome.' He let out a sigh and touched his own face. Compared to him, he was so mediocre. His face was a textbook example of an everyday face that is very forgettable. 'It's all because I copied Bian's face.' He gazed at the treacherous man. Even though they looked the same, Bian had those softer, feminine features. His eyes were limpid and always wet, giving him an innocent look. 'But he is a snake!'
Strangely, Bian was also looking at him, precisely at the paper he held in his bag. 'He will definitely try to ruin it. Better keep it somewhere safer.' He took it out and stuffed it in his pocket.
The rest of the day went quickly. Before he could realize it, the last period ended, and everyone started to disperse. Jian quickly went over to Rui. "You said you would introduce me to the fencing club."
"Hmm..." Rui stuffed his things in as fast as he could and followed him out. "How's your face? Does it still hurt?" He reached out to touch his bruise.
Jian backed away from his grabby hands. "I'm fine."
He really was fine. The pain was completely gone, and strangely, he could see the bruise also disappearing at an alarming rate. 'Maybe because of my special body...' He shrugged it off.
Fencing club members had not arrived at the training area, so Jian and Rui waited there awkwardly, sitting in silence. Soon members filed in. Rui walked up to a tall, bulky boy who was walking in the back. They started chatting happily, and occasionally they would gaze back at him.
Jian just smiled and waved.
Rui gestured for him to come closer. "This is Chen ge, the fencing club senior. And this is Jian. He wishes to join your club."
Jian gazed up at the boy, who was at least a head taller than him. His neck stretched, trying to look at the top of his forehead. 'Whoa... he is so tall...'
"What happened to your face?" fencing club president Chen said outright.
"He tripped," Rui answered for him.
"That doesn't look like an injury from tripping. Someone really took a fist to you, huh? Are you sure you don't have a concussion?"
Jian sighed. "I'm fine, thank you. So... the club?"
"Sure, you can join, but you have to train with those novices. You need to get into shape before you can even touch the weapon." He pointed to the small group of students who were doing weird half sit-ups.
Jian frowned. The alien invasion will happen soon; he really did not have time for warmups. "How long until I can learn the weapon?"
"Maybe a month or two. Why so impatient?"
"Just wanted to learn it as soon as I can," Jian mumbled under his breath. That would be the best option.
In his last life, he survived solely on his slingshot to hunt for small birds and critters. Maybe archery would help him aim better, and fencing would help him fight better in close contact.
"You can start right away," Chen gestured to his school shirt with a frown. "But you need to change it. It's going to get dirty very fast. Wear your gym clothes."
Jian nodded and ran to change his clothes.
Rui watched him with a sigh. "Take care of him. He seems to have family issues."
"I can see that. But he does not look like the type to take it lying down." He patted his back. "Why don't you join as well? I miss the days we took down the neighboring schools together."
"Tsk, don't. I'm concentrating on my studies. My fencing days are over." Rui nodded towards Jian, who ran back. "I'll get going then. I have tutoring sessions in an hour."
Jian smiled back. "Thank you."
"Hmm..." Rui rushed out.
The training started quickly. Jian joined the others in stretch-ups, and then they started running around the campus with gusto. Laughing, Jian also joined in their cheers.
But as the half-hour mark hit, he was panting and lagging behind the others.
"Come on, newbie, keep up!"
"I'm... I'm trying... I'm really trying..."
By the end of the run, he was on the ground, panting like a fish out of water.
Chen gazed at him with a huge grin. "You are really out of shape."
Jian grimaced, lifting his hand. "One month... I'll be in shape in one month."
"I'll be watching, haha."