Lippmann was silent. His understanding was that Lin Yifei used to have it, but now he might not have it for some reason.
"Obviously you are very capable, and you have already been selected for the lineup of the youth fencing team. The training of the youth fencing team will be one month later, which is almost after your middle school starts. But this month I will guide Reed There are a few other athletes who are going to participate in the round robin in Italy. I will try to find you a good personal trainer."
"You're busy, I can be with him for half a month and act as his coach." Kevin patted Lin Yifei's shoulder.
This made Lippmann look surprised.
"I can't believe that the lazy Kevin Phil actually said that he wants to be a coach! Last year I asked you to guide and train for the American Junior Team, but you looked like you couldn't find time to come."
"Lin was recommended by me. If he can't behave well, wouldn't I be ashamed?"
Two days later, Lin Yifei received the admission notice from the American Junior Fencing Team. This surprised Lin's father and Lin's mother. They knew that Lin Yifei's fencing was good, but they only stayed in the knowledge of hobbies. They never thought that their son might represent the United States in the World Junior Fencing Championships. If you really want to develop into a professional athlete, this will be a crucial step.
This incident made both Catherine and Ivy envious. Rex also specially came to congratulate Lin Yifei.
"You're really amazing." Rex looked at the admission letter and admired it sincerely.
"Why didn't you sign up?" Lin Yifei asked, if his level could be recognized, then Rex, whose level was comparable to his own, should be able to do the same.
"Fool, I'm still a French citizen." Rex sat by Lin Yifei's bed, "If you want to talk about the American Junior Fencing Team, that guy might also participate. After all, he is the champion of the National High School Fencing League."
"… Um."
Being reminded by Rex, Lin Yifei faintly felt some anticipation.
"At that time, I'm afraid you will be the opponents competing for the seat." Rex stretched his waist, "How funny, it seems that yesterday that guy was still fussing about me because I looked at you more, but how can I look at you now? You can't control him anymore."
"Then I must win." Lin Yifei raised the corners of his lips.
"That's right. So I decided to be your sparring partner." Rex lay on Lin Yifei's bed with his arms pillowed on his head. "Where's the coach? Have you chosen one? If not, the Junior Fencing Team should assign one to you." you."
"No, but for the time being, a friend is willing to be my personal trainer."
"A friend? Who?"
"Kevin Phil." After Lin Yifei said the name, he began to pay attention to Rex's expression.
The guy thought for a second, then frowned, "Could you be talking about the two-time world saber champion and the glory of British fencing—Kevin Phil?"
"Ah, that's Kevin Phil." Lin Yifei smiled slightly, and Rex suddenly got up and began to rub Lin Yifei's hair.
"Good boy! You actually know such a powerful person! But you haven't introduced me to him once!"
The two fell on the bed and started laughing, Lin Yifei's waist was ticklish, and was quickly shrunk into the shape of a shrimp by Rex.
"Stop playing... stop playing... I'm going to die..." Lin Yifei giggled, and suddenly Rex stopped.
Lin Yifei opened his eyes, and saw Rex covering his body with deep eyes.
"Always smile, Lin. No matter if you lose the game or the person you like leaves, no matter where you stand, I will look at you, as your friend, and as a person who admires you people."
I don't know when, Rex took off his frivolous mask in front of Lin Yifei. This guy was originally serious and introverted. His parents' divorce made him put on a mask that didn't seem to care about anything in order to hide his emotions, but in fact, he cared, he cared too much.
"I will." Lin Yifei reached out and hugged him, which was a friend's hug.
At this time in New York, Chris was practicing in the fencing room. The sparring partner invited was from the New York University fencing team, but Chris felt a little boring.
The door was pushed open, and Elizabeth walked in with a courier folder, "Chris! Congratulations! You have been admitted to the American Junior Fencing Team!"
Chris stopped what he was doing, looked at Elizabeth and said coldly: "If I remember correctly, my name should be written on the courier. When will you have the right to open and read my courier without permission?"
Elizabeth was stunned. Since they came to New York together, Chris's attitude towards her has become more and more icy.
She knew that she would not be able to hide from Chris the photos she took on her mobile phone to De Niro, so he didn't feel surprised by her indifference to Elizabeth. It is absolutely impossible for Chris and Lin Yifei to have a future. They are still young, and Chris has many opportunities to look back, so Elizabeth is willing to wait.
She remembered what De Niro had said to her that time.
"If you want to be Mistress of the Ozburns, the first lesson you have to learn is to learn 'patience.'"
Because it would be a stupid thing to do to bring out the photo, and it would only lead to a dead end in her relationship with Chris, which would never be repaired. The only lucky thing for her is that she is the daughter of the Taylor family, and De Niro has promised to make her Chris's fiancée.
"If you can't learn to be patient, no one can help you."
When De Niro said this, Elizabeth understood that it was an order and a condition.
"I'm sorry, I won't do this again next time." Elizabeth put down the file and walked out. She never said she was sorry to anyone except Chris.
Back in New York for more than two months, she had to say "I'm sorry" to him almost every day, and the gentle tone of Chris's treatment of Lin Yifei would never appear in the conversation between him and her.
Taking off his mask, Chris walked over to pick up the document.
The training camp a month later was in Washington, and he knew that De Niro's people would be watching him all the time. If he had any contact with Lin Yifei, it would undoubtedly be an excuse for De Niro.
He misses him very much, every time he swings his sword, every time he breathes, he misses him.
If the only interaction between them is nine minutes on the court, he will cherish it as a lifetime.
The day's practice was over, and George slowly put dinner on the table. There was only one cutlery, and it was for Elizabeth.
"Is Chris still eating in his room today?"
"Yes, Miss Elizabeth." George's answer was mechanical.
Then George came upstairs with a lion's head and boiled vegetables. He ate Chinese food every day, as if even if he left Lin Yifei, he still insisted on living the same life as Lin Yifei.
Elizabeth looked at the steak in front of her, and suddenly went crazy and cut it fiercely with a knife. She didn't know how much she wanted to cut Lin Yifei's throat, causing him great pain. But De Niro's words kept ringing in her ears.
"If Chris has never crossed the line, then Elizabeth, you have crossed the line, which is a violation of the rules. Not only will I not help you, but I will also not help the Taylor family."
Chris sat at the table, holding the phone in his hand, all the photos and phone numbers belonging to Lin Yifei were deleted. But that number, even if Chris has Alzheimer's, it is impossible to forget it. Every time his finger touched the last digit, he froze there. He wanted to hear his voice, and thought he was going crazy.
Every night in the past, that guy was lying not far from him. He always fell asleep very quickly, one second he was still complaining about why he had to log off and turn off the computer so early, and the next second he let out a soft snoring sound. Chris loves that sound so softly that he wants to grab it with his hands, but it will only be lost between his fingers, and he can only listen to it with his ears. It was his sound sleeping peacefully beside him, and it was all his.
But now, he lay in the room every night, staring at the darkness with his eyes open, and there was no sound around him that made his heart sway.
Every morning at nine o'clock, Lin Yifei would go to a fencing club in Washington. There, Kevin specially registered him as a member, and he has the right to use the private fencing room rented by Kevin there.
Rex is a sparring partner, while Kevin stands on the sidelines to analyze his skills and tactics.
Kevin as a coach is completely different than Kevin as a friend. His expression became indifferent, and his voice dropped from the original gentleness to freezing point.
"Rhythm Rhythm! Lin! Rhythm is not only controlled by your footwork! Your wrist! Your percussion! Your flying lunge! All can change the rhythm to control the rhythm!"
"The transfer and counterattack just now was a failure! Didn't you think that Rex would counterattack at the angle of the slash? You have to remember that there is no so-called 'last sword' before the end of the game. Every sword falls. Get ready for the next strike!"
"Don't let your opponent's feint interfere with your sword control!"
As a sparring partner, Rex felt the pressure.
Not everyone has Kevin Phil's extraordinary judgment, but it is obvious that Kevin completely regards Lin Yifei as himself. It is unavoidably too much for a world champion number one seed to make such demands on a kid who has not yet entered the professional fencing world.
But Lin Yifei was very calm, occasionally stopped to listen to Kevin's reprimand, and moved his ankles with his toes on the ground. When he started again, he was still calm, but his performance must be better than before.
At the end of the morning training, both Rex and Lin Yifei were exhausted.
"It seems that the level of fencing in the United States is really not to be underestimated. I thought it would be very difficult to find a kid like Lin or Chris. I didn't expect Rex Gray, you also opened my eyes. I have always been I was thinking that it would be difficult for me to give Lin an objective guidance if I was the training partner in person, and you still need a high-level training partner, but why didn't you participate in this selection?"
Rex wiped his sweat and said with a smile: "Don't use me to praise the level of fencing in the United States, because I am French."
After hearing this answer, Kevin also smiled, "It seems that I still have to worry about a French fencing master pulling me down in a few years."
The three went to lunch, and it wasn't long before Rex got a call.
"Aha, my sister is coming from France. I have to pick her up. You may have to practice by yourself this afternoon." Rex made a gesture of apology.
"It's okay, the afternoon is not the time for guidance."
"What time was that?" Rex was a little curious.
"Wheel battle." Kevin's inscrutable look aroused Rex's interest, but he stopped talking.
After Rex left, Lin Yifei asked, "What kind of wheel battle?"
Kevin stretched out his hand to brush Lin Yifei's forehead hair, and flicked his forehead lightly, "You will know in the afternoon, take a good nap between two o'clock. Whether you remember what I told you in the morning Let's see how you perform this afternoon."
Lin Yifei stretched out his hand and touched his forehead. Kevin always treated him like a child, and there was even a bit of the elder's love for the younger generation in it, even though Kevin was only five years older than him. But as a coach, his strictness on technique and tactics is very different from that favor.
The fencing club arranged a resting room for platinum VIPs, and Lin Yifei took a nice nap.
When Kevin woke him up, Lin Yifei couldn't help but sat up when he saw the guy standing with Kevin.
"Ah! Rhett? Munsai!" Lin Yifei's eyes lit up.
The guy in front of him with slightly downcast eyes, light chestnut hair, and long bangs is Kevin's teammate in the team competition, the second number in the British Saber, Rhett Munsey.
He let out a breath, and there were marks on his cheeks from what he had pressed while sleeping. There are faint freckles on the face, and the whole facial features look a bit childish.
"Long time no see, Lin."
"Long time no see? Have we met?" Lin Yifei opened his eyes wide.
"Oh..." Reid spread his hands, "Every time I stand with Kevin, I am easily ignored. How many times I was dragged by Kevin to watch your middle school league games... That guy's obsession with you is about to It's getting to the point of sickness, but it's not enough for me to drag me."
Knowing that Ruide had paid attention to him, Lin Yifei felt embarrassed.
"Where's Michelle?" Kevin asked.
"That guy is going to be late. How can he give you face like I do?" Rhett shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
"Michelle White will come too?" Lin Yifei suddenly wondered if he could see the entire Olympic lineup of the British Saber team today.
"Yeah, Kevin made a bet with us, saying that if we play against you, the score will not be higher than 15 to 10, which means that we can win you by 5 swords at most." Reid rubbed his nose and looked at Kai with a smile. Wen glanced, "Only that guy Michelle would be fooled. I know Kevin just wants to find some professional athletes to practice with you."
"So can you practice with me now?" Lin Yifei looked excited.
"Of course." Reid moved his wrist, and the lazy look just now disappeared suddenly, "Little devil, I will let you lose and go back to find your mother."
Lin Yifei quickly changed his protective gear and came to the fencing hall.
Reid was fiddling with the saber in his hand, when he saw Lin Yifei walking in, he raised his chin at Kevin, "Referee, remember to be fair and just. Don't be biased just because you like this kid."
"Next month's team qualifying match, it looks like I'm going to fix you up, Rhett." Kevin came to the sideline with a smile, holding the timer in his hand.
The two put on a posture to prepare for the battle. After Kevin's voice started, Reid stormed over.
Lin Yifei didn't panic in response. Reid is good at attacking, especially his side-changing attack and sword-controlling sword. Lin Yifei immediately understood Kevin's good intentions. The purpose of Lin Yifei's practice was not to really control the gap to less than five points, but to learn the opponent's good attack style.
Reid's wrapped sword is very delicate, especially the flexibility of his wrist.
After losing two or three points, Lin Yifei gradually got used to it. The moment Rhett struck the sword with him, Lin Yifei also subconsciously used the twisted sword to attack. Although he was not as dexterous as Rhett, he escaped at the right time, lunged and stabbed long, the speed of that sword was like a flying star, and Rhett was stabbed Sometimes a little distracted.
At this moment, the door of the fencing room was pushed open, and a young man in leather pants came in, with long golden hair tied behind his head. Lin Yifei's stabbing just now made people tremble, and the blond man even kept pushing the door for two seconds before walking to Kevin's side.
"Did I read it right just now, that guy Rhett was deflated by his own good trick?"
"Yeah, Michelle." Kevin chuckled.
"You have a good vision, this kid is quite interesting." Michelle leaned against the wall, staring at Lin Yifei.
At the end of the three rounds, Reid won. The score was as Kevin said, 15 to 11, and the gap was within 5 points.
Reid took off his mask, exhaled, and pushed Lin Yifei jokingly, "I said boy, don't go to the Junior World Championships, just sign up for the US Qualifying Tournament and then go to the World Championships!"
"Red, your affirmation of him is so high, it seems that I will use all my strength for a while or I will lose my life." Michelle went out, "I'm going to change the protective gear, kid, I'll give you ten minutes to breathe."
Lin Yifei also took off his mask. The nine minutes of practice just now made him somewhat exhausted, but when he thought of Michelle's going to play, Lin Yifei's fingers started to feel hot.
"Michel is good at flying stabs. His slashing and stabbing angles are very delicate." Reid walked to the sidelines and sat on the ground, but he did not forget to remind Lin Yifei.
"There are also defensive and counterattack skills." Kevin reached out and wiped the sweat from Lin Yifei's forehead with a towel, "Sometimes you clearly take the initiative in attacking, and it is common for you to switch positions instantly in front of Michelle."
At this moment, Michel came in with a sword in hand. He bought a can of Coke from the vending machine and threw it at Lin Yifei.
"Give you another five minutes to rest, I want to warm up."
Michelle began to move the joints of the whole body on the spot.
Lin Yifei opened the Coca-Cola, and a crisp sound echoed in the fencing room. Gulu Gulu drank two or three sips, and it was really refreshing.
After warming up, Michelle walked to the preparation line and made a "come here" gesture to Lin Yifei, "Boy, I won't let you down just because Kevin loves you so much."
Michelle's moves are crisp, each sword is full of strength, and even a feint is full of momentum. Lin Yifei managed to regain the right to attack, but Michelle was able to regain the initiative in an instant through the deployment of footwork and positional attack. At the end of the first inning, the score was already 5-2.
After a one-minute intermission, Michelle looked at Kevin, "Why don't you guide him?"
"No need." Kevin's smile was calm and composed, "His absorption ability is beyond your expectation."
Standing on the sidelines, Lin Yifei flexed his ankles, occasionally swinging two swords as if he was simulating something in his mind.
At the beginning of the second round, Lin Yifei originally planned to take the initiative to attack, but he didn't expect that Michelle had already attacked with a sword. There were actually two feints within two or three seconds, and his sword swing speed and quick reaction forced Lin Yifei to retreat steadily. Reid on the sidelines covered his eyes with his hands, and half-jokingly said: "Michelle is playing hard, I'm afraid he'll wipe out Lin's self-esteem."
"When you lost to Michelle 15-6, I didn't see your self-esteem being frustrated." Kevin was still leaning against the wall, watching Lin Yifei's silhouette.
"Is it because my skin is thicker than the city wall?" Rhett pouted, not understanding why Kevin insisted on bringing up that gloomy past.
The score in the second game was indeed bleak, it was already 13 to 5, and the victory of the game might be decided in the first 30 seconds of the third game.
Lin Yifei walked to the sidelines, took off his mask, licked his lips, picked up the half can of Coke and took a few sips.
Michelle on the side frowned, "Little devil, don't drink water so fast after exercising."
"Ah... thank you." Lin Yifei paused.
At the beginning of the game again, Michelle still took the initiative to attack, as if to make Lin Yifei give up early. His slashing was decisive, Lin Yifei twisted his sword away, lunged sideways and lowered his center of gravity, and then stabbed out suddenly. Although it was not stabbed, it was full of threats. After a full six seconds, Lin Yifei launched an attack on Michelle. Steady footwork, two side-change attacks followed by a feint that swung past Michele and hit him in the arm.
Michelle, who was hit, shook the sword in his hand, signaling Lin Yifei to come again.
Michelle is good at controlling the details, so Lin Yifei's every sword is carefully but at will. For twelve seconds in a row, Michel couldn't find a chance to cut in, and the initiative was always in Lin Yifei's hands. It was another slash, Michel swung his sword to resist, Lin Yifei pressed his sword and stabbed him on the left shoulder, this sword was so wonderful that Reid applauded.
As if the first two rounds were just the history of Lin Yifei's growth, his ability to quickly organize and change attacks was fully reflected in this round. Michel, who has experienced big and small events, rarely encounters such a watertight opponent. Lin Yifei recovered the lost points again and again. When the score became 13-8, Michel took back the initiative with a slanted sword and slammed on Lin Yifei's head.
"Oh, mom!" Rhett stretched out his hand to hold his head, as if he was the one who was hit.
Lin Yifei took two steps back, Michelle stretched his wrist and returned to the preparation line. The two continued to fight.
With one sword left, Michele wins. Just when Michelle's sword slashed across his cheek and was about to slash off, Lin Yifei slammed sideways to block it, then the blade of the sword slashed across the opponent's sword tip, struck the sword to block, and then stabbed Michelle's Shoulder.