When Zhang Jue returned to school, there was not much time left before the final exams, and the atmosphere was very tense since the senior students were about to take the college entrance exam in a few days.

When Zhang Jue walked into the classroom, many people looked at him with bewildered eyes.

Zhang Jue calmly sat down in his seat. After a while, the homeroom teacher hurried in, saw Zhang Jue, and paused for a moment, pointing to the sixth row.

“Meng Zhen, switch places with Liu Yixuan in the fifth row. Zhang Jue, you sit in Meng Zhen’s seat.”

Someone who was 179 cm tall shouldn’t be sitting in the fourth row.

The three boys quickly packed up their things and switched seats, and the homeroom teacher began handing out test papers.

After just one weekend, the homeroom teacher expressed his longing with test papers, and the students, without complaint, picked up their pens and started writing.

In a key high school, don’t expect an easy life. The teachers’ usual mantra was: “Endure until the college entrance exam, and you’ll have it much easier in college.”

Of course, those who believed this found out in college that they had been fooled. At least Zhang Jue hadn’t found it easy when he studied at the Agricultural University in his past life. Teachers did roll call by recognizing faces, students had to rush to grab limited-edition squirrel mandarin fish in the canteen, and they had to fight for seats in the library during finals.

Most of Zhang Jue’s running skills were honed during his college days. If the teacher didn’t drag the class out, he usually managed to get a portion of the squirrel mandarin fish.

Thanks to the athletic talent his mom gave him, he was grateful.

After a day of studying, everyone was dazed. During evening self-study, Zhang Jue stayed behind, so when Ms. Ying Dongmei came in with a stack of test papers and saw him, she paused.

“Hey, Zhang Jue, aren’t you going to practice today?”

Her eyes showed concern as she spoke. Could Zhang Jue’s injury still be serious? The other students in the class also subtly glanced over.

Actually, when Zhang Jue didn’t prepare to leave with his bag after school that afternoon, everyone already felt a bit uneasy. But since Zhang Jue was wearing headphones and practicing his listening skills, no one disturbed him.

Zhang Jue smiled a bit sadly: “I won’t be missing evening self-study anymore.”

During his recovery, he had gained a lot of weight, now weighing 66 kg, with his shoe size increasing to size 41. He could barely manage a triple jump on the ice, and he had just started walking again, unable even to run. It would take at least a month before he could resume regular exercise.

It was already mid-June, with only about two months left until the new season started, including domestic test competitions. Zhang Jue neither had a prepared program, nor a costume, nor had he regained his technical skills. If he forced himself to recover his skills in his current state, he might end up back with Dr. Chai in a few months.

By the time he fully recovered, the season would have already started.

The injury at the World Championships had already determined that Zhang Jue couldn’t catch up with the new season. He even felt stiffness in his ankle while walking, lacking the stability he once had. Even if he returned to the ice rink and trained hard, it was uncertain if he could regain his triple jumps.

The rotational jump technique he excelled in was not friendly to his current height and weight.

That night, a student from Third High School posted on the Ice and Snow Forum.

[News] Zhang Jue’s classmate here, he might really be retiring.

Hazel Tree, 1L

When I heard that Brother Jue took painkillers and competed, then cried while covering his eyes after cleanly finishing the free skate at the World Championships, I suspected he was seriously injured, possibly to the point of affecting his career. But I still hoped he would recover and make a comeback. Today, seeing him at evening self-study really hit hard…

He used to leave after afternoon classes for training with Coach Zhang, never staying for evening self-study. Today, when the English teacher saw him in the evening study hall, she was startled. Brother Jue said he wouldn’t miss evening self-study anymore.

I held back my tears until I got back to the dorm and broke down!

Oh my god, Brother Jue attended evening self-study. With his brains, even missing so many classes, he kept his grade ranking in the top eighty. Now focusing on studying, he might even aim for top spot, but why does my heart hurt so much!

2L

Crying too, this is the last thing I wanted to hear!

3L

Is Brother Jue really retiring? No way!

4L

Brother Jue has the college entrance exam next year, but the Olympics are in February. It’s good for him to focus on studying, but still…

5L

Why is he quitting right before the Olympics? Little Jin can’t bear this burden alone. If he quits now, he’s a deserter!

6L

Is Brother Jue good at studying? I’ve seen many athletes struggle after retirement. If he’s good at studying, it’s a wise choice not to be an athlete.

7L

How can he quit? We’re all waiting for him to come back!

…

 

The forum was in an uproar. No one wanted the brightest star in Chinese men’s figure skating to leave the sport, but Zhang Jue indeed did not return to training.

The forum user “Hazel Tree” posted Zhang Jue’s test scores every time, and everyone was stunned to see that his grade ranking improved by five to ten places with each test. By the final exam, he was already in the top thirty.

In Third High School, even though there weren’t many academic prodigies in Zhang Jue’s cohort, his ranking and scores ensured a spot in a top university like 985, and he could even aim for C9 if he chose a less competitive major. With a bit more effort, he could reach top one.

Zhang Jue showed through his scores that he was not only the most handsome and strongest single skater in Chinese men’s figure skating history but also the best academically.

This guy was actually a top student!

Looking at his scores, the forum users finally accepted it.

With such good grades, what more could we say?

Fortunately, Zhang Jue’s family conditions were good, supporting his education well, and he was determined and strong in his studies. Even if he retired, his future wouldn’t be bad.

After crying for a while, many fans came to terms with it, even feeling somewhat relieved.

They had no choice but to accept it. After all, it had been a month since Zhang Jue announced he wouldn’t miss evening self-study anymore. Figure skating was still a niche sport in China. The number of people who liked the sport and, subsequently, Zhang Jue was limited. It couldn’t compare to other sports where an idol’s retirement would cause a huge outcry. Zhang Jue’s retirement caused only a small stir.

Even in popular sports like table tennis, a month was enough for people to move on after a Grand Slam athlete retired.

Many fans were initially drawn to Zhang Jue because of his looks. Some hadn’t even been fans for a few months, having been attracted by his performance at the World Championships. They wiped their tears and started planning to make tribute videos for Zhang Jue, commemorating his career.

This was a tribute to the strongest single skater who won a silver medal at the World Championships despite his injury, securing three Olympic spots.

No matter how short Zhang Jue’s career was, his achievements were impressive. At least for the Chinese figure skating fans, his peak performance, skills, and numerous comebacks would be memorable.

Zhang Jue’s World Championship poster saw a sales peak, with several reprints, and fans still flocking to buy it. They even sought out his limited-edition posters from his rookie days.

The official didn’t know why, despite knowing Zhang Jue’s height had gained him a strong fanbase, they didn’t plan a second print run. Only the World Championship posters were reprinted several times. The affordable price and free shipping made many fans buy the posters as a memento of their brief love for figure skating in their youth.

Zhang Jue was unaware of the fans’ actions because, as any high school student knows, the pressure to study intensifies as you approach senior year. Since Zhang Jue decided not to participate in the next Olympic season, he focused entirely on studying.

If he couldn’t win gold medals anymore, at least he could aim for better academic achievements than in his past life.

Even after the final exams, with significant improvement, Zhang Qingyan rewarded him with a 1,000 yuan red envelope and allowed him to enjoy a relaxed summer vacation. But Zhang Jue didn’t relax, he bought 1,000 yuan worth of study materials and buried himself in books at home.

Putting the effort he once used to win world-class medals into studying, there was no subject he couldn’t conquer.

Zhang Jue felt that his experience as a professional athlete had greatly enhanced his willpower and concentration.

During this time, Zhang Junbao visited him and asked: “Liu Yeming has mastered the 3A. His results in the internal test competition were good, and he got a spot for the China competition. Do you want to see his program?”

Zhang Jue replied: “No time, got to study.”

Later, Shen Liu also visited, bringing a bunch of health supplements. He said: “Cha Hanbuhua and Min Shan want to thank you for taking the time to edit their competition music. They’re moving up to the junior group this year and want you to look at their programs and give some feedback.”

Zhang Jue said: “You guys can handle it. I’ll be in my final year next semester, no time.”

Whether he was genuinely busy or just avoiding it, only Zhang Jue knew. Perhaps he appeared to have accepted his retirement, but seeing the ice rink still hurt, so he avoided such situations.

But he couldn’t refuse Zhang Junbao’s repeated requests and his own concern for his junior teammates. So, one afternoon, he took a bus to the provincial team.

Zhang Jue thought: “I’ll just take a quick look, not disturb anyone, and go home to study.”

 

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