Zhang Jue was actually quite aware of his beauty. Unlike those beautiful yet shy and introverted people, Zhang Jue fully understood his physical advantages and had no hesitation in using them when necessary.

During styling, he applied lip gloss when needed and wore earrings when appropriate. While making his costume, he showed off his shoulders and butterfly bones as required.

He was willing to do it—all for the sake of art.

The boy wasn’t deliberately flaunting his sex appeal, but from the way his eyes moved and how his makeup and costume were paired, the audience felt there was something subtly enticing that made their hearts flutter.

Having stayed for long periods in the ice rink, away from the sun, combined with constant sweating from exercise and youthfulness, Zhang Jue’s skin was often described by fans as “glowing white” and “flawless even when the camera zoomed in.”

There was a faint touch of purple at the corner of his eyes, and when he looked up from below, his gaze instantly became sharp.

Francis Miller sat in the audience with a satisfied expression, holding a bucket of popcorn.

Moulin Rouge was one of the classic figure skating pieces. Since the 2002 season, countless skaters had performed to this song. When Francis first heard Zhang Jue had chosen it, he worried that Zhang Jue might clash with others performing the same piece this season.

As the season began, indeed, there were many others skating to Moulin Rouge. There was a pair in ice dance, a pair in pairs skating, a woman in the ladies’ singles, and Zhang Jue in the men’s singles—so many overlaps.

Starting this season, the skating federation had changed the rules to allow music with vocals for all events except ice dance, so aside from Zhang Jue’s instrumental version of Moulin Rouge, all the others featured vocals.

Strangely enough, despite all the versions, Zhang Jue’s interpretation of Moulin Rouge was the most well-received this season.

That was because his tango was the most authentic.

Whether it was ballet, tango, or even club dancing, Zhang Jue’s performances always hit the mark, not because of pure expressive ability, but due to his outstanding dance training as an athlete.

The music began with a rhythm. The boy twisted his waist, and the fringes on his costume lifted with his spin. His gloved hand rose, and his palm slowly closed.

Even though there was no singing in the background, anyone watching would instinctively understand that he was trying to seduce someone—but not them.

Zhang Jue’s well-proportioned waist-to-hip ratio, accentuated by his under-70 cm waist, made his movements irresistibly eye-catching, particularly when he twisted his waist like a water snake, drawing all attention to that part of his body.

A crisp sound of blades on ice echoed.

Top male singles skaters had incredible jumping abilities, and Zhang Jue’s 4T+3T combination was so high and far that it left the reporter on the sidelines speechless.

“Incredible. When he jumped that 4T, it looked like he covered nearly nine seats in distance. It was visually stunning.”

The quality of Zhang Jue’s jumps was so high that some judges likely awarded him a GOE of +3.

The reporter muttered to himself, torn between checking if he had captured the moment on camera and not wanting to take his eyes off Zhang Jue.

As the violin music crescendoed, the tango rhythm picked up, and Zhang Jue’s gaze became provocatively teasing.

It had only been one off-season, but the boy who was once known for his fresh and lyrical style had completely transformed. There was no shyness in his expression, only the confident knowledge that he was beautiful and that others would undoubtedly be enchanted by him.

The tango, with its inherent seductiveness, could captivate souls when the dancer intentionally showcased their sensuality through their movements.

In truth, Zhang Jue was holding back. His ideal dance would have been like the scene in the movie, where the weary yet sultry dancer entwines herself around her partner the moment the music starts.

But if he had danced like that, Zhang Jue felt his elders might not accept it, and his fans, who were used to his ethereal “northeastern masculine” image, might not handle such a drastic change. So Zhang Jue focused on using the tango’s poses to convey a seductive beauty.

He successfully achieved a balance of sensuality without being vulgar. Except for the staunch technical purists, no one cared when Zhang Jue executed a level 4 spin or performed a 4S with his arm raised.

Figure skaters, after all, perform on a vast rink. Unless a camera zooms in, even the judges might not clearly see the details of a skater’s expressions. To demonstrate expressiveness, it’s all about body language—whether the upper body is flexible enough to create gestures while moving at high speeds and if the motions sync with the music’s rhythm.

Zhang Jue moved like a dancer strolling through the nightlife, each fingertip exuding playful flirtation.

It wasn’t until the music’s final note that the teasing atmosphere faded. He completed his last spin, turned his back to the judges, and suddenly looked back. His gaze remained seductive and aggressive, but now there was a complex fatigue in his eyes.

This final look elevated the performance from a mere dance of seduction to a story that invited deeper exploration.

A reporter known for zoomed-in shots sighed softly.

“Oh my, Venus must have loved him dearly to give him such beautiful eyes.”

That face seemed naturally suited for conveying rich, layered emotions. Zhang Jue’s performance was sophisticated enough to stand up to scrutiny and would look great even on the big screen.

It was truly a face blessed by the heavens.

The final “gaze of death” left the audience in silence. Qin Xuejun held his breath.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with ice sports; he had watched figure skating and speed skating before. But he had never seen a performance of this caliber from anyone else.

It was a performance that not only seduced but also won hearts with sheer skill. Qin Xuejun felt he had been both enchanted and awed by Zhang Jue’s abilities.

Italy’s premier figure skating commentator, a long-time admirer of Zhang Jue, remarked: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve witnessed history once again. There’s an athlete who not only delivers the world’s highest-quality skating performances but also showcases the highest level of difficulty!”

“Incredible. He’s only 17!”

Zhang Jue closed his eyes and flicked his head back. He took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, the seductive dancer from Moulin Rouge had disappeared, leaving behind the cheerful, sunny young man known as “Little Crocodile.”

It was only then that the audience seemed to wake from their dream. The prepared fans rushed to the front row with their toys and bouquets, while the rest of the spectators showered Zhang Jue with applause and cheers.

As Zhang Jue skated back, a girl with perfect aim threw a crocodile plush straight at his forehead, startling him. He caught the toy and, amused, looked toward the girl, who now seemed teary-eyed, shocked by her own accuracy.

Zhang Jue waved at her and bowed before calmly continuing his way back.

Off the ice, he placed one hand on his hip and let out a long breath.

“Whew, I’ve never shaken my hips in front of so many people before. How embarrassing.”

Yes: “embarrassing” was a clumsy word he had learned from Keiko in Japanese.

His uncle pressed down on his lower back.

“Stop rambling, hurry and get dressed! Ugh, I got sweat all over my hand.”

Zhang Jue’s short program outfit this year was thin, with exposed shoulders, and the waist was only wrapped with fringes embroidered with beads. The rest was made of semi-transparent nude-colored spandex, making it look cool. The boy had just finished exercising and was covered in sweat but didn’t seem afraid of catching a cold.

Coach Lu looked at his child’s face with disdain.

“You have this ridiculous tendency to sweat so much. Fortunately, the makeup Francis recommended was high-quality, or else your face would’ve been ruined already.”

Shen Liu, on the other hand, asked with concern: “I noticed your balance was a bit off when you did the Biellmann spin. Is your waist feeling alright?”

The three ironclad straight male coaches didn’t care at all about how beautiful and flamboyant their little crocodile had been on the ice, seducing everyone. They only cared about his physical condition.

Zhang Jue answered each of his coaches in turn: “Sweating is good, it’s detoxifying. But yeah, my eyeshadow did get a bit smudged from the sweat. Could someone hand me a towel? I need to wipe it off before it gets into my eyes. My waist isn’t injured, but I didn’t use enough force at the start, so my axis was unstable.”

He put on his skate guards and walked over to sit at the Kiss & Cry, grabbing a towel and wiping his face forcefully, smudging his purple eyeshadow all over his forehead without a care.

Francis Miller couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He turned to a girl, bundled up, and complained: “If this little crocodile keeps being coached by these three straight guys, he’ll end up turning into a rough old man who doesn’t care about his appearance.”

The girl shook her head with a smile: “No, he won’t. Not long ago, he asked me to help him buy some good skincare products and send them to him. Haven’t you noticed how his coaches always have clean-shaven faces and look well-groomed? Tama-chan not only takes care of his own appearance but occasionally manages his coaches’ appearances too.”

Francis was surprised: “Wait—he’s not a totally straight guy?”

The girl sighed awkwardly: “Being straight doesn’t stop someone from caring about their looks. Don’t you know the more handsome someone is, the more they care about their face?”

For someone as good-looking as Zhang Jue, it was perfectly normal to do face masks daily and apply night cream every night!

Just as they finished chatting, they saw Zhang Jue stretching the towel he had used on his face to clean the ice residue from his skates. Then, he got smacked on the back of the head by his coach, who seemed to scold him.

Alright, Francis, who had just doubted Zhang Jue’s orientation, immediately relaxed his anxious heart.

He knew it—little crocodile was straight after all.

At that moment, Zhang Jue’s scores came out.

Technical score: 58.65

Performance score: 47.31

Short program score: 105.96 (World Record)

Zhao Ning, watching the score, excitedly said: “It’s 105.96! Ladies and gentlemen, at this very moment, our country’s famous skater Zhang Jue has set a new world record for the men’s figure skating short program. He is also the first skater in the world to complete both a quadruple toe loop (4T) and a quadruple Salchow (4S) in the short program!”

“As expected of Zhang Jue, he’s truly incredible!”

Everyone cheered, but Zhang Jue remained calm, simply high-fiving his coaches, who also showed no signs of excitement.

It wasn’t that they weren’t happy, but the first and second times this happened, they could still feel a bit surprised. However, Zhang Jue had broken records so many times, and his performance continued to improve. They knew he would break even more records in the future… so they had simply gotten used to it.

 

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