Although he only won the silver medal, Zhang Jue lost to Ilya by a narrow margin, and the difference between them wasn’t significant. If Zhang Jue had performed slightly better in the short program, the situation could have been reversed. Therefore, everyone felt some pressure, but it wasn’t too overwhelming, and most just felt regretful.
But that’s how competitions are—anything can happen. At such times, it’s important to maintain a calm mindset, keep looking ahead, and aim to perform better in the next competition.
However, the Chinese athletes participating in the finals were still criticized by ice skating fans.
Zhang Jue took silver, Min Shan also earned silver after failing to perform well against Katerina, Huang Ying and Guan Lin got silver, and in the youth category, Meng Xiaolei also got silver!
This group of people seemed cursed with silver medals this year! Especially Zhang Jue, whose gap with the gold medal was less than three points, losing by just a fraction. That was really hard to accept. If this continued, even Vasily’s future title of GOAT (Greatest of All Time) would be in jeopardy. It might be better to just hand that title to the golden-haired prince who won the gold this time.
Zhang Jue felt helpless. The competition was ever-changing, and his opponents were all top-tier, with no easy wins to be had.
But being an athlete meant this: even if you took second place in the world, if you weren’t first, you’d still be criticized.
Actually, even when Zhang Jue won championships in the past, he would be criticized. People said he became arrogant after winning, looking down on others, being short-tempered, and rude to those around him. They would go on to criticize a career that never had scandals, never missed a podium, and always met technical standards.
When he broke world records, he was still criticized, because he was too handsome. People said Zhang Jue’s high performance scores were due to his looks. Such insults were often followed by complaints about the judges, claiming they couldn’t give high marks just because someone was handsome.
After all, Zhang Jue wasn’t money, he couldn’t please everyone, and in fact, some people didn’t even like money. The truth was, there were no real “heartthrobs” who won over everyone.
Although he was often unrecognized when wearing his disguise, Zhang Jue would still read some of the ridiculous comments online, but he had thick skin, so he would just ignore them and keep a more relaxed attitude than anyone else around him.
After all, people who had time to nitpick someone online usually didn’t have much to do in real life. They probably didn’t have jobs or were not studying, and had a 90% chance of being failures in life. At his level, arguing with such people would only lower his own worth.
“I don’t want to look anymore.” Zhang Jue raised his head and saw his uncle’s concerned eyes. He smiled and put his phone away.
He sighed deeply: “Sigh, now Ilya is the favorite to win the Winter Olympics, right?”
The short program and total score records were still his. Zhang Jue hadn’t been without A-level competition gold medals the previous season. People generally thought highly of Zhang Jue, and since there were no other top male single skaters in China except for him, there was no objection to the team pouring so many resources into him.
Even if some people thought Zhang Jue earned too much money, claiming he only did so because of his looks and couldn’t compare to undefeated athletes or renowned scientists, Zhang Jue simply ignored those remarks.
He earned his living through his skills, and he had no guilt about it. Moreover, he worked hard to donate money to charity, giving away more than half of his annual income, making a greater contribution to society than keyboard warriors.
Zhang Junbao could tell from the expression on his face that his nephew was still affected by the comments.
His uncle, who disliked foolishness, changed the topic: “By the way, Xiaolei’s performance was choreographed by you, right? You should take a good look at it later.”
Mentioning this girl’s performance made both of them worried. Zhang Jue nodded: “Alright.”
Meng Xiaolei was a girl with little spare time outside of skating and studying. She occasionally read novels and watched movies, but she didn’t even have time to watch dramas, as they were too long.
After asking his younger teammate’s opinion, Zhang Jue had choreographed a program for her using the theme song from the 007 series of films. It had a neutral style, with the performer wearing a black suit and wielding a prop gun, aiming for a cool, impressive performance without needing much acting technique.
When they arrived at the rink, Meng Xiaolei had already taken the ice.
Shen Liu commented: “What can I say? Yihong is especially good at portraying complex, tangled characters. He likes these kinds of stories, while Xiaolei is the type who prefers simple, straightforward performances.”
This contrast could already be seen in their song choices.
In comparison, Zhang Jue, who had been able to perform “Goodbye Nonino” as a child, and Lovely Bones and Carnivorous as an adult, yet still mastered classical music effortlessly, had a personality that was harder to figure out. He seemed cheerful on the surface but was actually quite deep. He had good relationships with a wide range of people, showing his ability to observe and coordinate with different personalities.
Shen Liu whispered to Zhang Jue: “When you retire, the team might not pick a new captain. So far, we haven’t found anyone suitable to take your place.”
“I know,” Zhang Jue replied.
As Meng Xiaolei’s performance neared its end, Zhang Jue took off his jacket and stepped onto the ice.
His performance music came from the classic track Shui Long Yin, from the major cultural program National Treasures on CCTV.
For this program, he wore a blue and white costume made from silk, holding a prop pipa as he danced.
Zhang Jue didn’t just choreograph this program to meet the team’s request for a Chinese-style performance; it was also his own creative piece. After all, even a figure skating team captain could be a fan of a show and express their love in their own way.
The final event ended, and the team returned home. Training resumed, and recovery began. About 20 days after this competition, they would be competing at the National Championships, where the top three men would earn spots for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Even if Zhang Jue didn’t compete at the National Championships, the leaders would still give him a Winter Olympics spot. But he had to go.
As the top athlete, he carried his own pressure. It was like when Vasily returned from Vancouver with only a silver medal, facing injuries and younger competitors. By the time of Sochi, he had to handle both national pressure and injuries. That was tough.
Zhang Jue’s chances of winning the gold were still high, but there were more critics online than anything else, and the pressure was building up.
Fortunately, Zhang Jue was very good at adjusting his mindset. So, one week before the National Championships, unable to bear the tense atmosphere at the rink any longer, he handed in his leave request.
“I need a break!”
When his uncle saw the request, he knew it wasn’t ideal to let an athlete take time off during the Olympic year, especially considering Zhang Jue’s past history of running away to relax when he felt down.
At this point, his uncle stepped in: “Let him go. If he doesn’t find a place to relax for a few days, he won’t be in the right state for the Olympics. I’ll vouch for him. Let him take a break.”
This kid only asked for 3 days off, so it should be fine… right?
Sun Qian and Coach Lu exchanged looks but reluctantly approved the leave.
After getting the time off, Zhang Jue thought for a moment and decided to call Erde, knowing that Xuejun was busy with work and didn’t even have time to cook. He then sat on the steps behind the training venue, waiting.
Soon, Xu Dela arrived to pick him up, with Lan Run following behind him, driving a Land Rover.
Erde jogged up to Zhang Jue: “Bro, what’s going on?”
Zhang Jue reached out, making a gesture like he wanted a hug. Erde immediately crouched down to hug him.
“Erde, I’m so tired preparing for the Winter Olympics. I want to go home and eat mom’s cooking.”
As the older brother, Zhang Jue naturally acted a bit childish, and even though he didn’t need to, Xu Dela always followed his wishes.
Xu Dela quickly helped his exhausted brother into the car. Lan Run looked at the scene in the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but feel that, compared to his own older brother who always played tricks on him, Erde and Little Jue truly acted like real siblings.
Lan Run asked: “Are we going to your uncle’s house, right?”
Xu Dela nodded, and Lan Run started the car, driving the three brothers home.
Zhang Jue, who was used to being taken care of, laid down on the bed at home without even taking off his jacket. Xu Dela took off his jacket, shoes, and socks for him.
While the brothers were busy inside, Lan Run sat in the living room with a drink, waiting. After a while, Zhang Junbao’s message came through, and Mrs. Zhang rushed home. She opened the door and saw a tall, familiar-looking young man sitting on the couch.
She paused and furrowed her brows: “Who are you?”
Lan Run quickly sat up and greeted her politely: “Hello, Auntie. I’m Xu Dela’s colleague at Fengming Company. I helped drive his brother home today.”
Upon hearing this, Mother Zhang’s expression immediately became more friendly. She politely welcomed the young man, and Lan Run, knowing the right moment to leave, bid his farewell. As he stood at the door and looked back, he saw the legendary woman, known for her strong and brave character that no one could dislike, gently tidying her eldest son’s hair while he slept.
Despite all the suffering her husband had endured, she never took it out on her husband’s son. Instead, she had raised that child to be the outstanding individual everyone praised today.
She was indeed an extraordinary woman.
After Lan Run left, Zhang Qingyan adjusted the blanket for Zhang Jue and asked Xu Dela: “Erde, is that person outside your friend? What’s his name?”
Xu Dela honestly answered his mother’s question and then added: “Mom, Brother Lan is really nice. He takes good care of me at work. He was originally rehearsing with us today, but as soon as he heard my brother needed me, he immediately said he would drive us. But what exactly happened to my brother?”
Zhang Qingyan paused for a moment before patting her younger son’s head. “Your brother is fine. He just wanted to relax, so he went home.”
“He’s about to compete in the Olympics, and everyone is hoping he wins. He wants to win, but he’s afraid not to.”
She glanced at her elder son’s sleeping face. “It’s good he didn’t go abroad this time; otherwise, it would have been troublesome.”
That kid could run around the world even with a crutch, claiming to be the top runner in figure skating events. No one doubted his speed and energy.
But… that tall guy’s last name was Lan?
Zhang Qingyan fell into thought.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jue recovered quickly. He slept for nearly 18 hours, only getting up when his head ached from lying down too long. After eating the heartfelt breakfast his father made, he took a jar of homemade pickled bamboo shoots and duck soup and ran out the door.
He had already gotten his driver’s license, so he borrowed his mother’s car and drove to the hospital where Qin Xuejun worked. He went to the orthopedic department and just happened to see Xuejun diagnosing a child with a broken bone.
Zhang Jue watched for a while, seeing that Qin Xuejun was completely focused on her work and didn’t notice him. He sat quietly in the hallway, holding the thermos, waiting.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily, and the light outside gradually turned yellow as evening approached. The number of patients in the hospital didn’t seem to decrease, and the minute hand moved from 2 to 7.
He waited patiently without any impatience.
Qin Xuejun had been busy for most of the day and finally had some time to peel a banana for a quick snack before continuing her work. But when she looked up, she saw a handsome face peeking from the door.
The person mouthed to her: “Are you busy?”
In that instant, the room had no flowers, and it was winter, but Qin Xuejun strangely heard the sound of spring blooming.
Support translation:
