Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 9

Qin Ning and Xie Jing returned to the dorm together.

Zhou Yan watched them walking side by side with surprise. How was it that whenever Xie Jing wasn’t in the dorm, Qin Ning wasn’t either, and as soon as Xie Jing came back, Qin Ning returned too? It was like

they had some unspoken agreement.

“The school’s sports meet is next week. What events are you planning to join?” Chen Yuan asked as everyone gathered.

“Of course, not participating!” Zhou Yan rejected the idea immediately without a second thought. “No way! No way!”

“You can earn credits,” Chen Yuan added casually.

“I think modern college students should exercise more. Staying cooped up in the dorm playing on your phone all day isn’t good for your eyes, your back, or the phone,” Zhou Yan said firmly. “Besides, even for the sake of class honor, I have to participate. So, I’m signing up for the 3000-meter run.”

Chen Yuan blinked.

“What about Xie Jing?” she asked.

Xie Jing hesitated for two seconds. “Long jump, I guess.”

The 3000 meters was still too tough for her, so Xie Jing chose a simpler event—not pushing herself too hard.

Chen Yuan then looked toward Qin Ning.

“High jump,” Qin Ning answered.

Talking about high jump, Xie Jing suddenly realized Qin Ning was quite tall. But wasn’t she from the south? How could she be so much taller than herself? Was that even possible? What did she eat to grow that tall—milk with rice?

Qin Ning noticed Xie Jing staring and looked back.

Qin Ning had inner double eyelids and long eyelashes. When she lowered her gaze, her lashes nearly hid all emotion, but when she looked up at Xie Jing, her entire pupil became visible, revealing a focused, serious expression.

Feeling that gaze, Xie Jing blushed and quickly looked away.

“I’m going to wash up first,” Xie Jing said and slipped away quickly.

________________________________________

University days always seemed to fly by, and before they knew it, the sports meet day had arrived.

The November autumn in the north was crisp and clear—perfect weather for the event, neither too cold nor too hot.

Xie Jing wore a blue tracksuit. She tied her hair up into a fluffy bun at the back of her head, revealing her delicate, pale ears and slender neck.

Her skin, unused to the sun, was unusually sensitive. Qin Ning glanced lightly, and Xie Jing’s neck flushed pink instantly.

“Let’s go,” Qin Ning said, leading the way out of the dorm.

Xie Jing clenched her fists and followed closely.

Zhou Yan had already gone ahead to warm up. She was registered for the 3000 meters, which was the first event on the morning of the third day.

By the time Xie Jing and Qin Ning arrived, Zhou Yan was already running. She had trained in high school and was used to the 40-kilometer running requirement each semester at Jinghai University, so she handled the 3000 meters with ease.

“Too bad the 3000 meters doesn’t count for the fun run,” Xie Jing lamented.

“Have you finished your campus run yet?” Qin Ning suddenly asked.

“No,” Xie Jing said in shock, looking at her. “Don’t tell me you’ve already completed your 40 kilometers this semester?”

Qin Ning said nothing, simply watching her quietly.

Damn it! She’d been caught pretending!

Xie Jing had been busy since the semester started, leaving no time to run or clock her miles. She swore she wasn’t addicted to games.

At the beginning of the semester, she suffered from severe homesickness and physical discomfort—a pure southern girl suddenly studying in the north. She had nosebleeds for a week, then acute gastroenteritis from the unfamiliar cafeteria food that kept her hospitalized for a week. She always caught a fever when traveling far.

That first month, she was basically useless—her legs trembled just going to class, let alone running.

Eventually, she adapted. No more homesickness. Then came the seven-day National Day holiday.

She returned home in the south, then came back to the north, needing time to readjust again. Before she knew it, it was November. The seasonal change hit her hard again. After recovering from a cold and fever, she spent a week working as a model. She felt that these few months had been the busiest and most fulfilling of her life so far.

“We can run together next time,” Qin Ning said, patting Xie Jing on the shoulder and pulling her away from the edge of the track to avoid being hit by passing runners.

“But haven’t you already finished your run?” Xie Jing was so close to Qin Ning that she was almost leaning against her.

“Even if I finished, I can still run. I can supervise you,” Qin Ning’s voice sounded right above Xie Jing’s head. Then she let go of the shoulder and grabbed Xie Jing’s wrist, leading her through the cheering squad and the crowd.

The long jump and high jump arenas were at the far edge of the field, so they had to cross the entire stadium. Qin Ning walked in front, her hand firmly clasping Xie Jing’s wrist behind her back.

Xie Jing stared at her hand absentmindedly, a flicker of envy in her eyes.

Qin Ning’s hands were not only beautiful but slender and fair, with defined knuckles from gripping tightly. Her nails were neatly trimmed and lightly pink, tidy and precise—just like her personality, meticulous and exacting.

Xie Jing had a bit of a hand fetish and loved watching beautiful hands typing on keyboards. She thought her own hands were quite nice but hadn’t expected Qin Ning’s to be even more beautiful.

As Qin Ning led her through the crowd holding her wrist, despite the noisy voices around them, Xie Jing felt calm inside, only hearing the pounding of her own heart.

She covered her heart with her free hand and looked up at Qin Ning’s back, puzzled—why did her heart always race when she was with her?

“Qin Ning.”

Hearing her name, Qin Ning glanced back.

Xie Jing moved her lips but said nothing.

She moved the hand being held, and Qin Ning noticed, looking down again to make sure Xie Jing hadn’t lost her before finally letting go.

“Keep up.”

“Okay.”

For some reason, Xie Jing’s heartbeat suddenly steadied. She watched Qin Ning’s retreating figure, her eyes filled with inner turmoil.

“Here we are.”

Qin Ning brought her to the long jump pit, gave her a quick “Good luck,” and then left.

Xie Jing arrived early. There were still over ten people ahead of her. She warmed up nearby and went up only when it was her turn.

Three attempts, best score counts. Despite her best effort, Xie Jing only managed 1.8 meters.

A short southern girl with short legs—she didn’t expect to place. She was just happy to participate.

Afterwards, she headed to the high jump arena, where Qin Ning was still warming up. Xie Jing cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Good luck!”

Qin Ning smiled slightly, did some high-knee stretches, and gave her an “OK” sign.

When Qin Ning went up to jump, Xie Jing suddenly felt more nervous than if she were the one competing. Her fingers clenched tightly as she stared unwaveringly at Qin Ning’s figure.

Qin Ning leapt lightly, her waist tight and strong, her slender back perfectly arched over the bar.

Xie Jing held her breath until Qin Ning landed securely on the mat before exhaling.

That was incredible! The height made Qin Ning look even taller. She jumped over it so effortlessly.

After the score was recorded, Qin Ning walked straight over, tiny beads of sweat on her forehead but her complexion still as pale as usual, no post-exercise flush at all.

“Done. Going back to the dorm?”

“Zhou Yan’s still running. Let’s wait for her,” Xie Jing plopped down on the soft grass nearby.

Qin Ning glanced up at the sun breaking through the clouds, then nodded. “Okay, I’ll go buy water.”

After Qin Ning left, Xie Jing pulled out her phone and took a few pictures of the track. One shot caught Qin Ning’s departing figure perfectly.

She moved that photo into the “University Life” album, then searched the track for Zhou Yan and snapped several dynamic shots of her running.

Click. Send.

In their dorm group chat, “The Loving Family,” Xie Jing suddenly popped up.

Third Sister: [pictures][pictures][pictures]

Third Sister: A woman like the wind @Big Sister (Zhou Yan)

Second Sister (Chen Yuan): Xiao Jing, you’re the Fourth Sister now.

Xie Jing glanced at her phone, checked Qin Ning’s profile, and—oh! Taurus, a few months older than her.

Muttering, “No wonder she’s so quiet,” she changed her dorm chat nickname to “Fourth Sister.”

Their dorm ranked seniority by age, so even with Qin Ning around, Xie Jing was still the youngest.

But soon she would be an adult—her birthday was just two weeks away.

She raised her phone and took a few more photos. When she looked down to check them, she suddenly saw a familiar face on the screen.

Sure enough, she looked up just in time to see Qin Ning returning, carrying a large red plastic bag stuffed with things.

“Water, chips, and… candy,” Qin Ning said awkwardly as she handed over the snacks, then looked toward the nearby track.

“Wow! My favorite cucumber and lemon flavored chips, and Fujiya’s milk-flavored lollipops!” Xie Jing was thrilled. “Qin Ning, you’re too good. I thought you were just going to buy water, but you brought so much!”

“Just a quick errand,” Qin Ning said, looking away.

“Oh… well, thanks for your hands then~”

Xie Jing washed her hands with bottled water and tore open a bag of chips.

The sun was warm but gentle—perfectly comfortable. Xie Jing felt like leaning back on the grass, but Qin Ning was right there, so she held herself back.

Qin Ning sat beside her. Xie Jing offered her the chips, but Qin Ning didn’t take any.

“I didn’t wash my hands,” Qin Ning said.

“Then I’ll feed you,” Xie Jing said, holding a perfect chip to Qin Ning’s mouth.

Qin Ning opened her mouth to accept it, and Xie Jing fed herself one too.

Back and forth, chip after chip, the bag emptied quickly. Xie Jing licked her fingers reflexively and offered the last chip to Qin Ning.

Qin Ning was speechless.

“What’s wrong? Eat it! My arm’s getting tired,” Xie Jing urged, eager to open another bag.

Qin Ning took the last chip, and Xie Jing instinctively went to lick her fingers—then suddenly remembered what she’d just done.

“Oh no!!!”

She hadn’t meant to!

Xie Jing looked at Qin Ning apologetically, her face turning redder by the second.

“Hot?” Qin Ning just turned around and saw Xie Jing’s face flushed like a tomato. She paused, then took off her thin jacket and draped it over Xie Jing’s head.

Xie Jing faintly smelled the gentle fragrance of soap from Qin Ning’s clothes, and her face blushed even more.