Lin Yi suddenly reached over, his thumb brushing the corner of her lips. "Grain of rice."
The unexpected intimacy made Su Xiaoxi's heart skip a beat. But Lin Yi had already withdrawn his hand and continued eating as if nothing had happened.
Back at the office in the afternoon, Su Xiaoxi could feel even more curious eyes on her. The rumors had clearly escalated.
Over the next few days, their morning training sessions continued. Su Xiaoxi improved rapidly, mastering basic counters against grabs and ambushes. Lin Yi's training grew stricter, even simulating real attack scenarios.
"Today, we're practicing defense against knife threats," Lin Yi announced on Friday morning, pulling out a rubber training knife.
Su Xiaoxi swallowed hard. "Isn't this too soon?"
"Danger won't wait for you to be ready," Lin Yi said firmly. "Remember, when facing a blade, your first choice is always to escape. Fight only if there's no way out."
As the drills began, Lin Yi simulated various knife attack scenarios. Su Xiaoxi failed the first few attempts, but in the last simulation, something clicked—when Lin Yi "stabbed" from the side, she swiftly dodged, twisted his wrist, and actually managed to knock the "knife" to the ground.
Momentum sent them both tumbling onto the training mat. Lin Yi was on top, Su Xiaoxi beneath him, their faces mere inches apart. She could count his eyelashes, see her own reflection in his deep brown pupils. Time seemed to freeze.
Lin Yi snapped back to reality first, quickly standing and offering her a hand up. "You did... well," he said, his voice slightly strained.
Su Xiaoxi brushed nonexistent dust off her clothes to hide her burning cheeks. "Thanks, Coach."
Lin Yi turned away to pack up the training gear, his shoulders unusually stiff. "Take the weekend off. We'll continue Monday."
"Hey..." Su Xiaoxi hesitated. "Any plans this weekend?"
Lin Yi turned back, brow furrowed. "Keeping you safe."
"I mean, outside of work." She mustered her courage. "Want to... grab dinner? As thanks for teaching me so much."
For a split second, Lin Yi's expression softened—but then it was gone. "Not safe."