During the warm-up, Shen Liu, who had been closely following Zhang Jue’s competitors, told him: “The chance of Vasily doing a clean program is actually not that high, and his personality is more introverted and slow to warm up, unlike your more expressive style. That’s why his performance level is slightly below yours and Maquen’s.”

Due to his personality, Vasily couldn’t completely let go of himself, so when he lost to Maquen in past years, it was usually due to performance and consistency, not technical ability.

Zhang Jue, while moving his ankle and lightly tapping his left calf, shook his head and said: “But he won’t be satisfied with that. At his core, Vasily is probably just like me. In recent years, he has been working hard on his performances, and his achievements in both artistry and technique are quite impressive.”

They both had typical athlete personalities—when they stopped progressing for a period, they became confused, uneasy, and anxious. And during such times, they fought even harder against themselves until they reappeared in front of people with a sense of transformation, as if they had shed their skin.

Just like Zhang Jue, who wasn’t just relying on his past performances. His increasing praise in recent years came from genuine improvement.

Vasily was the same. Zhang Jue had a feeling that this blood-pumped guy was probably his biggest rival in this Winter Olympics.

After being in figure skating for so long, Vasily was the only one who constantly gave Zhang Jue the illusion that he was looking at another version of himself—someone just as wounded and quiet.

In terms of both talent and inner determination, they were quite similar.

At that moment, Coach Lu got up, knelt in front of Zhang Jue, and lifted his left foot, squeezing his calf muscle.

“Does it hurt?”

Zhang Jue shook his head: “Not really, I’ve taken care of it for a while, so these old injuries won’t affect my performance.”

Before the competition began, most people assumed the gold and silver medals would go to either Vasily or Zhang Jue, while the bronze would be claimed by either Hayato Teraoka or Ilya.

After those two failed, it seemed Maquen, who was currently ranked first, would likely take the bronze. No one thought Maquen could win the gold, given that he could only fit two quads into his free skate, while both Vasily and Zhang Jue could include three.

For the host country, it was imperative that their local athletes perform well in the most popular events. So, after Ilya’s failure, the pressure on Vasily increased dramatically. If he didn’t perform cleanly in this competition, the Russian Skating Federation might have a hard time explaining things.

But Vasily was no longer the young man who couldn’t handle pressure.

Boris, an old coach who had guided many Olympic champions, was used to such situations.

The old coach extended his hand: “Vasenka, let’s go.”

Vasily removed his jacket, revealing a gray and red costume underneath, and a small smile softened his usually cold face.

At that moment, Boris was reminded of ten years ago, when a young Vasily had knocked on his rink’s door, holding a bouquet of flowers through the snowstorm, and said: “I want to become your student, to be the next Olympic champion under your guidance.”

The boy who had walked through the snowstorm—his gaze had never changed since then, and neither had his immense talent, which was the best Boris had ever seen.

In this moment, it was as if that same boy stood before him again.

Vasily said: “Yes, let’s go.”

Vasily moved his right leg and found that although it wasn’t as responsive as it used to be, the pain was almost nonexistent—enough that it wouldn’t affect his performance.

He murmured softly: “I haven’t felt this light in a long time. No wonder so many athletes rely on pain blockers. Pain really impacts an athlete’s performance.”

Both of Vasily’s knee menisci were almost worn out, his hip bones had erosion, and neither his ankles nor knees had a single ligament that hadn’t been injured. However, the most serious injury was to his right calf muscle.

Before he turned 17, though he had suffered other injuries, he could recover and continue relying on youth to push through. At his peak, he could even perform a 4T+3T+3lo+3T combo jump during exhibitions—an extremely difficult sequence.

Zhang Jue’s combination jump had amazed the audience during the six-minute short program warm-up, but at his peak, Vasily might not have lost to him. After multiple injuries, while his performance, spinning, and skating had improved with age, his jumping ability never progressed further. He once thought he could still conquer the 4F and 4Lz, but now those challenges would have to be left to the next generation.

Who isn’t full of potential before injuries strike? Vasily admitted that Zhang Jue’s presence made him hopeful for the future of figure skating, but he still wasn’t ready to lose now.

As an athlete, he wanted to compete with Zhang Jue to the very end, and he was determined to do so.

Vasily believed this was the greatest respect he could show to that young man. If he wanted to take the crown from him, he would have to face him head-on in a real battle!

Zhao Ning cleared his throat and said: “Next up is Russia’s top men’s skater, Vasily Sergeyev, who ranked second in the short program. He is the first skater in the world to successfully land both a quadruple toe loop (4T) and a quadruple Salchow (4S) in official competition, earning him the nickname ‘Jumping Machine’ and ‘No. 1 Jumper.'”

His free skate was set to Schindler’s List, the program that had won him both the Grand Prix Final and the Russian Nationals this season.

The young man, around 176 cm tall, was strikingly handsome. Red silk threads wrapped around his arms, and a gray belt encircled his waist. He looked slimmer than in any previous season.

As a child, Vasily had been called “Caramel Rose” for his delicate and sweet appearance. But as he grew, his features and face became sharper, turning him into the cold and handsome man he was now. Unlike those with a calm exterior but fiery temper, he was genuinely quiet and stubborn.

Though his demeanor was restrained, there was a solemnity about him, as if he were calmly facing his fate.

At that moment, Zhang Jue realized that Vasily had already entered performance mode.

In later years, people would call the free skate duel between Vasily and Zhang Jue at the Sochi Winter Olympics the “Battle of the Two Kings.” It was a showdown between the old king and the new king on the highest stage, with both delivering classic performances of legendary quality.

And that god-like state they reached was inspired by each other.

The mournful sound of the violin echoed through the arena as Vasily glanced back at the sidelines, locking eyes with Zhang Jue.

The next moment, the piano joined in, and the blonde youth glided across the ice, his movements smooth like silk, his skating tracing ripples as if on water.

Zhang Jue widened his eyes in disbelief. On such ice, Vasily was still able to skate at such a level.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of his toe-pick, Vasily landed a high-quality 4T, followed by a 3T with a raised arm.

4T+3T

Base Value (BV): 14.6 GOE (Grade of Execution): +3

CURRENT Skater’s Technical Score: 17.6 [RUS]

LEADER’s Technical Score: 97.23 [ITA]

When this GOE appeared, many people showed surprise.

Even if a skater performed perfectly, judges rarely gave +3 GOEs. But Vasily truly deserved this score.

So, they applauded.

Zhang Jue clapped as well.

Vasily’s second jump combination was 3A+1lo+3S, just as spectacular, earning him another high GOE of 2.67.

The China delegation felt tense as they looked at the GOE. Vasily certainly deserved such a GOE, and the judges weren’t favoring him—just giving him the score he deserved. But would Zhang Jue receive the same treatment later?

No one knew.

Zhang Jue was the only one without any worries in his heart. He watched Vasily’s figure without any expression. When Vasily successfully completed technical moves, Zhang Jue showed neither joy nor displeasure. He simply stood there.

He understood that this would be a classic performance that had never existed in the previous timeline. Because of his presence, Vasily could reach this level. However, if the curtain call could reach such a degree, Vasily was likely feeling happy inside as he performed now.

There were no flashy, showy elements in the choreography—no overt displays of sadness. All the unnecessary flourishes were stripped away. Zhang Jue’s opponent was fully immersed in the world of Schindler’s List, almost forgetting the outside world and delivering a classic performance.

It was as if he was smiling at God, a smile filled with greed, introspection, repentance, and redemption.

In this free skate, Vasily completed three quadruple jumps, including a 4T among three solo jumps placed in the second half of the program. And as a 25-year-old veteran with severe back injuries, he even performed a knife-grab camel spin, known as the “half Biellmann.”

This man, disregarding his future health, gave everything in the final stage of his career, offering a masterpiece that would forever be etched in the figure skating hall of fame.

As the program ended, the entire audience stood up and applauded. Vasily knelt on the ice, bent down, kissed the ice, and then stood up, raising his fist in triumph.

Technical score: 103.9

Performance score: 97.18

Free skate total: 201.08 (WR)

Combined with his short program score of 97.17, Vasily’s total score was 298.25.

It seemed destined to be a figure skating feast. Vasily’s exceptional score did not affect Zhang Jue’s entry. As Zhang stepped onto the ice, he slipped slightly but quickly regained his balance.

Everyone understood that this would be a tough battle.

Shen Liu wanted to offer some encouraging words, but when he saw Zhang Jue’s gaze, he was momentarily stunned.

That look in Zhang’s eyes was so familiar—it was just like during last year’s World Championships, when he had cleanly completed his free skate, delivering the best performance since his debut. Although he had already surpassed that performance in the team event’s free skate, that intense state between serenity and explosion, with all emotions compressed into the soul, had not been awakened again.

Until now.

The dark-haired youth shed his usual arrogance and laziness. As he skated toward the center of the ice, he raised his right hand and gazed at his palm. Seemingly casual, his dark eyes were deep, like the night settled in his pupils. His indifferent expression felt distant, as if the darkness of the past became fuel, burning his soul and providing endless energy.

If Zhang Jue was normally like a happy little crocodile living in a new life, now he had shed that skin, revealing his true self.

If Vasily’s performance was the final note of an ending, then Zhang Jue’s performance was the prelude to him climbing to the summit, constantly challenging the limits of humanity.

The youth was like the eye of a storm on the ice, sweeping away everything, yet he himself remained calm.

Vasily’s 4T had height, but Zhang Jue’s 4T had more distance, effortlessly spanning 3.2 meters.

4T

BV (Base Value): 10.3 GOE (Grade of Execution): +1.05

CURRENT (Current technical score): 11.35 【CHN】

LEADER (Current leading technical score): 103.9 【RUS】

In previous competitions, Zhang Jue hadn’t fully immersed himself in the music often. After all, he was a skater who calculated his scores during the performance. If he messed up a jump, he needed to immediately adjust the elements, perhaps moving a jump to the second half or increasing the difficulty to ensure his technical score. Consequently, he always had to spare some focus for this.

But today, Zhang Jue had a strange feeling. He felt that he could immerse himself completely in the performance without worrying because he wouldn’t make any mistakes.

Even though the ice was slippery, with just three quads in the program, he knew that in this state, he wouldn’t fail.

So he abandoned everything—the spectators’ hopeful or doubtful gazes, the coaching staff’s nervous pressure—and left only the music for himself.

No matter the adversities he faced, Zhang Jue had always been someone who looked upward.

In the abyss, he looked toward the sky; on level ground, he gazed at the mountain peaks; even in despair, he would reach for hope.

At this moment, it was the same. Humanity’s dream of reaching closer to the heavens would always arrive unexpectedly, compelling him to extend his hand upward and walk toward that goal.

In the limited span of life, he burned brightly, and even as rain fell constantly, it could not stop him from shining. This was the message Zhang Jue wanted to convey.

Vasily stood, watching in a daze, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

What a brilliant performance. To have such a great competition with the little crocodile at the end—it felt like a blessing from the heavens for a figure skating dreamer.

Was Zhang Jue’s performance in the team event good enough? Of course, it was. He had even broken a world record. But the Zhang Jue of this event had achieved something even better.

He hadn’t increased the technical difficulty, but the emotional interpretation had reached new heights. Despite the standing ovation for Schindler’s List, which should have exhausted the audience’s emotions, Zhang Jue’s Rain, Falling in Your Dark Eyes calmed everyone in the first half, only to overwhelm them with his emotional intensity in the second half.

When the program ended, the rain sounds stopped. Zhang Jue stood still on the ice, closed his eyes, and smiled as if in enjoyment.

The smile of Schindler’s List faced death, while Rain, Falling in Your Dark Eyes burned like fire.

On the same rink, these two athletes had performed their century-defining classics.

Zhang Jue looked to the sidelines, locking eyes with Vasily. Vasily placed his left hand behind his back, his right hand on his heart, and bowed like a gentleman. Zhang Jue opened his arms, his right hand across his chest, performing a figure skater’s bow to the audience.

Putting aside the scores and the victory, both figure skating kings paid each other the highest respect.

The China reporter, famous for capturing iconic moments, instinctively raised their camera and recorded this scene as well.

 

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