The World Championships lasted for three days. On the first day, they held competitions for pairs skating, men’s singles, and ice dancing. Following the idea that “the more popular the event, the later it should be scheduled,” the free skates for pairs and men’s singles were set for the third day.

This was actually a strategic move, designed to give the powerful pairs and men’s singles skaters from China enough time to rest.

Those who take up figure skating tend to be wealthy, and since this year’s World Championships were held domestically, Dong Xiaolong attended the event in person with a few of his students. One of them even became an ice sweeper, tasked with collecting stuffed toys and bouquets thrown onto the ice by the audience after the performances.

After explaining the timing strategy to the children, he sighed: “In the past, the organizers might not have put so much thought into the men’s singles, but times have changed. Our men’s singles skaters have finally risen to prominence.”

Although both the pairs and men’s singles fields were supported by just one top athlete each, things were still different from before. And it wasn’t as though there were no successors—once Cha Hanbuhua and Jiang Xiuling/Luo Mi moved up, the senior team could finally take a breather.

Since he was coaching single skaters, his students couldn’t help but show expressions of admiration when they heard this.

Zhang Jue, the idol of all figure skating kids in China, was either someone they wanted to get close to or someone they wanted to surpass. Either way, he was always their target.

However, due to the sheer number of fans, very few people outside Zhang Jue’s teammates, coaching staff, and competitors had the chance to interact with him up close.

This was because the bodyguards hired by China’s skating federation to protect their top athlete believed such interactions weren’t ideal.

So, Xiao Cun reporter Shu Feng (not Shu Fen, as mistakenly pronounced) became one of the rare journalists to successfully interview Zhang Jue at this World Championships. Two short interviews successfully boosted the viewership ratings and received a high number of likes and shares on social media.

One of the interviews was in Chinese, while the other was in English. In the English video, a group of “mom” fans humorously interrupted, expressing how proud they were of his improved English.

“It’s not easy. This kid, who used to rely on Coach Shen for translation, can finally handle foreign reporters by himself.”

Zhang Jue’s third interview, however, took everyone by surprise—it was a fan-exclusive interview that he managed to squeeze into his busy schedule.

This was suggested by Bai Xiaozhen.

Brother Bai exact words were: “For other athletes, it doesn’t matter, but you should definitely take this opportunity to show some love to your fans. I’m not asking you to flirt with them or sweet-talk the girlfriend fans into unrealistic fantasies, nor should you hug or kiss fans—that would be considered harassment. There are still some boundaries you need to maintain.”

This year’s World Championships were held at the Oriental Sports Center in the magical city of Shanghai, a venue with 18,000 fixed seats, making it one of the top three largest venues in the history of the championships (to be modest). The occupancy rate reached 95%, and the remaining 5% were internal tickets, which had been distributed early in the morning to volunteers and officials.

With such a high attendance rate, at least half of the audience consisted of Zhang Jue’s fans. Ticket prices for this championship went up to 3,000 RMB, and after deducting costs, the International Skating Union still earned 12 million RMB in ticket revenue.

It was thanks to this money, as well as support from sponsors, that China’s skating federation was able to invite a top-tier judging panel, giving Zhang Jue such a fair scoring environment.

All of this was thanks to the fans.

Zhang Jue always listened to Brother Bai, but he still hesitated. “Isn’t it inappropriate for me to meet fans in private?”

Bai Xiaozhen replied: “It’s not in private. Sun Zhihui mentioned it to me—it’s part of a promotional task.”

Zhang Jue felt relieved and nodded seriously. He had originally wanted to invite his old classmate Chen Sijia to join in, but later found out that the official website had already launched a temporary poll, allowing fans with tickets to enter a lottery for the chance to interview their favorite athlete.

Although it was called a fan interview, the location was actually chosen by Zhang Jue. Although he wasn’t familiar with the city, it didn’t matter. He asked Chen Zhu and Shi Mosheng, one the head coach of the local skating team and the other a native skater, and found out there was a great restaurant near the arena.

The food was said to be delicious, the ingredients clean and safe, and most importantly, the location was in a bustling area with excellent access. Although the restaurant had private rooms with good privacy, the lively atmosphere made the women feel safe having a meal with unfamiliar men.

It was a bit pricey, but Zhang Jue didn’t mind.

After hearing Zhang Jue’s arrangements, Bai Xiaozhen was very satisfied and joked: “With that level of thoughtfulness, I’m no longer worried about you handling fan interactions. Hey, I bet you’d be even more successful if you joined me in the entertainment industry!”

To be honest, this level of caution and maintaining a proper distance was something many young men lacked.

Zhang Jue: … Uh, after comparing two lifetimes, I’m pretty sure I’m more successful as an athlete, and besides, you’re the one who taught me this caution.

In fact, before meeting Bai Xiaozhen, Zhang Jue had been called a clueless “straight guy.”

At the same time, Zhang Junbao, who was sitting to the side, perked up his ears and turned his head sharply. “Our Xiao Yu is a rising figure skating star. If he quits now to join the entertainment industry, do you think Sun Zhihui would faint on the spot?”

Bai Xiaozhen eyed Zhang Junbao’s muscular arms and swallowed nervously. “I-I was just joking… Don’t worry, Brother Bao. Little Jue is your nephew, and even if I had a golden shovel, I wouldn’t be able to dig up your wall.”

Zhang Junbao thought to himself: “That might not be true. This silly kid once talked about wanting to become an idol. If I hadn’t coaxed him back onto the ice rink, he might have gone off to participate in some talent show by now.”

The interview was scheduled for 1 PM, but the lucky fans could arrive as early as 11:30 AM, as they were invited to have lunch.

The girls had planned to take a taxi to the location themselves, carrying the professional camera equipment they had scrambled to gather. However, Zhang Jue had already arranged two private cars to pick them up from a nearby street corner, and they didn’t even need to bring the equipment—Bai Xiaozhen would handle everything.

A girl dressed in Hanfu, panting under the weight of her bag, asked: “I really appreciate that Brothers arranged cars for us, but why didn’t he have them pick us up directly from the hotel?”

The leader of the group, a professional-looking woman effortlessly carrying a high-definition camera, laughed when she heard this. “It means you’re still young. Silly girl, when you get a little older, you’ll understand what this kind of gesture from Zhang Jue really represents.”

Another tall, athletic woman sighed as she kept pace with the group. “Ah, it’s a shame I already have a boyfriend. Who knows which lucky girl will end up with such a great guy.”

At the back of the group was a slightly plump woman, not carrying anything, with a small but visible baby bump—she was pregnant.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Bai Xiaozhen welcomed them into the private room, and Zhang Jue immediately came over to help with their things.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Inside the private room, a professional filming crew had already set up the equipment and prepared the space. The girls only needed to chat with him, and the staff would review their questions in advance. While it was considered a fan-exclusive interview, it was professionally organized.

So yes, although it was a fan event, it wasn’t something Zhang Jue had arranged purely on his own—it was officially supported. And there was one reason for that: Zhang Jue was the image ambassador for the 2025 Shanghai World Championships.

If Zhang Jue had not still been active, the higher-ups almost wanted to pull him in as an ambassador for the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Olympic bid. However, in the end, the retired athletes Jin Meng and Yao Lan took on this responsibility.

It was actually just an official promotional task, but the publicity department wanted to cater to the tastes of young people by being trendy, so they put on this show.

Zhang Jue put his things away and asked the girls what kind of juice they wanted. They all shook their heads, saying no need. Zhang Jue glanced at the pregnant sister.

“Does anyone here have lactose intolerance?”

The girls said no, so Zhang Jue ordered hot milk for them, then bowed slightly, about 15 degrees, and said: “Thank you for your support.”

The girls quickly stood up to return the courtesy: “No, no, thank you for bringing us so many exciting competitions.”

As the girl in the traditional Chinese dress returned the courtesy, she was silently freaking out. Before she came, she never imagined Zhang Jue would be so polite and courteous. This was completely different from the image she had of other 17-year-old boys!

Oh my goodness, the idol is like this, being his fan is so overwhelming!

Then, a menu without prices was passed over. The girl in the traditional dress felt it would be very expensive, while the office lady and the fit sister discussed what to order. Zhang Jue pushed a fruit plate towards them. “When my mom was pregnant with my brother, she ate a lot of grapes and starfruit. The doctor said grapes are rich in nutrients, and starfruit helps lower blood fat and cholesterol, but I just don’t like eating grapes.”

The pregnant sister was curious: “Why not?”

Zhang Jue sighed: “Because you have to peel the grapes.”

So unless his uncle or Xue’er peeled the grapes for him, he was too lazy to eat them.

The pregnant sister laughed. In any case, the atmosphere during the meal was unexpectedly good. Zhang Jue was great at conversation, so there was no need to worry about awkward silences.

Everyone introduced where they were fans from. The office lady claimed to be the top fan from Hubei Province, while the fit lady was the number one fan from Henan Province. They all had supported Zhang Jue since his youth team days.

The fit sister laughed and said: “Actually, I’m an athlete too, but I do Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), so we’re not in the same field.”

Zhang Jue let out a “wow” and showed an envious expression. “That’s great! When I was little, I wanted to learn Sanda too, but my mom said I was already too mischievous, and learning Sanda would make it even worse, so she never signed me up for any martial arts classes.”

The girl in traditional Chinese dress blinked: “Brother Jue, were you very naughty when you were a kid?”

Zhang Jue gave a thumbs up: “Absolutely, I was the naughtiest kid within a hundred-meter radius.”

The girl in the traditional dress quoted a famous TV host: “Really? I don’t believe it!”

Zhang Jue said: “It’s true! When I was little, I once stole my mom’s tiger-print skirt, pretended to be the Monkey King, and broke the TV while playing with the clothesline as the Monkey King’s staff. Oh, and at the time, fatty—oh no, Jiang Xiuling was there too. I even forced him to play Pigsy, and my younger brother, who was still a baby at the time, I used my mom’s blue eyeshadow to draw a mustache on his face to represent Sha Monk.”

The four women were speechless: “…”

Although fatty had mentioned in interviews that Zhang Jue often tricked him, they never expected that this was one of those times.

It seemed fatty was everywhere when it came to being tricked.

After hearing about the idol’s mischievous past, the atmosphere relaxed. The meal went smoothly, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Afterward, the others set up the equipment while the pregnant sister sat down as the interviewer.

The questions were all carefully chosen by the fans in a late-night vote, with anything too sensitive already filtered out. These were the ones fans most wanted to know.

“Brother Jue, how long will you keep skating?”

Zhang Jue: “I’ll skate until I can’t anymore.”

“Brother Jue, you’ll be 18 next year, reaching the legal age for dating. Could you tell us what type of person you like?”

Zhang Jue: “Until I meet the right person, I can’t say what type I like because independent and strong girls are all admirable. But personally, I prefer someone who enjoys eating, loves small animals, and doesn’t mind that I grow vegetables and raise chickens on my balcony. Also, I probably won’t date before I retire.”

The girls thought: At first glance, it seems like we all meet your requirements, but do you really raise chickens on your balcony?

“Brother Jue, have you considered performing in an ice show in the future? Russia has ice shows like ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘The Nutcracker,’ and Japan has ‘The Tale of Genji.’ When will we have one in our country?”

Zhang Jue: “That’s a great idea. I’ll consider it.”

In the end, he politely sent everyone off with a stack of handwritten thank-you postcards, then sighed and turned to complain to Bai Xiaozhen.

“To be honest, seeing how seriously they prepared for this interview, even though you said it’s a fan benefit, it gave me a lot of pressure. Brother Bai, about that official fan club organization you mentioned earlier, I think we should skip it.”

Bai Xiaozhen was surprised: “Why not? Do you know how much benefit a professional fan team can bring?”

Zhang Jue shook his head firmly: “I don’t need that. Brother Bai, I’m really grateful for their support, but if I spend time managing fan activities and getting close to them, I’ll inevitably be surrounded by praise. I must always stay humble.”

He smiled peacefully: “Only this way can I keep moving forward. I’m not at my limit yet; I can still go higher. Fans are adorable, but I think they’d prefer I give them more great performances and medals, rather than this… this kind of interview, which we’re not really comfortable with. And the image they have of their idol is probably different from my real personality. I think I just surprised them.”

Bai Xiaozhen looked at him thoughtfully, thinking to himself, this boy has no idea that his personality is what’s really winning fans over. Especially that office lady and the fit athlete—they clearly admired Zhang Jue’s personality and respected him as an athlete.

Hands in his pockets, Zhang Jue nodded slowly: “Alright, I’ll respect your wishes. Zhang Jue, I’m sorry. If I’d known you didn’t like this, I would’ve blocked all these things. I never expected your mindset to be at this level at 17. You’re really impressive.”

Zhang Jue: “Level? What level am I at?”

It’s a level of respectability.

As a minor, this boy wasn’t blinded by what he currently had, nor was he intoxicated by fan adoration. Instead, he was clear-headed, even teaching Bai Xiaozhen, an adult, a lesson.

Bai Xiaozhen thought, this boy has reached his position at such a young age for a reason. His mentality is extraordinary, far beyond his years.

As his agent, Bai Xiaozhen was a little conflicted. He always believed that Zhang Jue’s current scoring environment was good due to his commercial value, which is why he had agreed to this interview. If possible, he’d like to further enhance Zhang Jue’s marketability, maybe by cultivating a fanbase.

Not that every future competition will have this kind of scoring environment, but as long as the Pyeongchang and Beijing-Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics maintain this standard… But Zhang Jue had clearly chosen the more “athlete-like” path, rejecting that option instinctively before any further actions could be taken. It showed that he had a strong, upright nature deep down. Bai Xiaozhen respected that and was more than willing to support his wishes

He pondered, how can I help Zhang Jue earn more money while persuading sponsors to support the ISU, so we can gain more influence? Not to say there will always be biased judging, but at least he shouldn’t be underscored all the time.

Bai Xiaozhen fell into deep thought. If Zhang Jue could break a few more records, it would make it easier for him to attract investments. But for an athlete to reach that level, the toll on his body would be significant. As an agent, he wanted Zhang Jue to achieve more and earn more, but from a personal standpoint, he hoped Zhang Jue could skate for many more years, ideally until the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics if their bid was successful…

Actually, Bai Xiaozhen wasn’t the upright person Zhang Jue imagined. He was well-versed in all the ways to “harvest fans,” but whether by coincidence or fate, in both this life and the previous one, he had always respected Zhang Jue’s true nature and accompanied him down the harder path.

In a way, he treated Zhang Jue like a little sun, giving him all the purity and goodness left in him as a human.

He reminded Zhang Jue: “By the way, after the competition, you still have to shoot a promotional video with a few speed skating stars.”

Zhang Jue’s face dropped: “Huh? It’s still not over?”

Bai Xiaozhen replied: “What do you mean it’s not over? Do you have any idea how much effort the higher-ups are putting into the Olympic bid? It’s your duty to cooperate with their work! Duty! But don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on the promotional team to make sure you don’t waste time on any unnecessary shows during the offseason.”

On the third day, the competition order was ice dance free skate, pairs free skate, and men’s singles free skate.

This meant that Zhang Jue wouldn’t start his competition until 7 PM, so before that, he only needed to do some light practice in the secondary arena to maintain his form.

While drinking water, Vasily came over and leaned next to him: “Hey, are you an Olympic bid ambassador now?”

Zhang Jue choked a bit and waved his hands quickly: “No, no, I’m just playing a supporting role. The ambassadors are Sister Jin Meng and Brother Yao Lan.”

“Really?” Vasily showed him his phone. “But from what I’m seeing on social media, the skating fans are more focused on whether you’ll help with the Olympic bid.”

“Whether or not you have an official title, with this kind of attention, you’re bound to get more work.”

Vasily smiled, his delicate face looking as gentle as a rose. “Good luck. I went through something similar before. At first, it felt like a hassle, interfering with training, and some people’s antics will drive you crazy. You have to learn to say no… but in the end, watching your country win the Olympic hosting rights is a pretty great feeling.”

He patted Zhang Jue on the shoulder, and Zhang Jue shrugged, pulling out a chocolate bar from his pocket.

“Want some?”

“Sure.”

Not far away, Sergey scoffed and said to Ilya: “Look at Vasily, he’s never been that gentle with us!”

Vasily had always been strict and disciplinary with his junior teammates, and now that he was promoted to coach, Sergey wasn’t bitter—just a little jealous. He thought, if Vasily could be this kind, why couldn’t he show them the same friendliness? Two-faced!

Ilya said: “Sergei, as Hayato Teraoka once said, a man’s jealous face is very ugly, you know.”

 

 

 

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