Children bodies ware flexible so even a few falls ware unlikely to cause major problems. Zhang Jue was also lucky, he didn’t really hurt his muscles and bones. After getting medicine from the doctor, he was carried back home by his dad.

Because they went to the best hospital in the city, the pediatric emergency room was crowded. They spent an hour just waiting in line. So, on that day, not only did Zhang Jue miss his ballet class, but Xu Dela also missed his violin class since their whole family ended up in the hospital.

Zhang Qingyan and Xu Yan didn’t have any particular thoughts about their eldest son rolling down the stairs. They found it amusing and frustrating at the same time. However, they thought that a few bumps and falls during a child’s growth were nothing special; when they grow up, they’ll have more childhood memories.

They took it lightly so after seeing the doctor, they took both children out for fried chicken.

For some reason, since Zhang Jue could remember, KFC and McDonald’s were always located together. But Zhang Jue was a staunch supporter of KFC because he liked the mashed potatoes they made

In the delicious mashed potatoes, black pepper chicken sauce was mixed in. Taking a spoonful and putting it in the mouth, the fragrance of pepper seized the senses, and the salty and fresh taste quickly unfolded on the tip of the tongue. It was also delicious to dip the hamburger bun in it. Even the body felt instinctively delighted because these carbohydrates were about to be converted into liver glycogen.

As an idol with a tendency to gain weight easily, during his trainee days, he almost had to eat grass to maintain a “youthful” slender figure. He was absolutely not eligible to enjoy mashed potatoes.

Zhang Jue squinted his eyes, revealing an intoxicated expression. Xu Dela sat beside him, drinking cola, while the straw made a gurgling sound as he sucked it.

At this moment, they were far away from the car accident, far from death and they would continue to live together for many, many years.

Realizing this, Zhang Jue felt a deep satisfaction.

…

Xu Yan and Zhang Qingyan were about to open a restaurant. After New Year’s Day, Xu Dela would continue going to school but the one lying in bed still needed someone to take care of him.

After thinking it over, the couple decided to invite Zhang Jue’s uncle, Zhang Junbao, who was Zhang Qingyan’s younger cousin, to come and cook for Zhang Jue.

In his previous life, Zhang Jue had a good relationship with his uncle. After his parents passed away, he was adopted by his grandmother. However, during his teenage years, Zhang Junbao played the role of a father figure.

His uncle used to be a figure skater in men’s singles.

Unfortunately, after retiring and becoming a coach, the most popular figure skating discipline domestically was pairs skating. Men’s singles, women’s singles, and ice dancing were always in a declining state. Zhang Junbao, as a coach in men’s singles just felt frustrated. Eventually, he developed the habit of drinking and passed away in his forties due to liver cancer.

Around this time Zhang Junbao had officially joined the provincial team and had been a coach for less than three months. He was busy adapting to the new job every day until mealtime, when he hurriedly arrived at Zhang Jue’s home.

Figure skating was an artistic competitive sport, and coaches prefeed good-looking athletes. Naturally, it was easier to find handsome men and beautiful women.

Zhang Junbao had a handsome baby-ish face, and just by looking at his face, he could pretend to be a college student. According to Zhang Qingyan, her youngest brother spent his days on the ice, keeping himself fresh, so it was normal for him to age slowly.

Seeing Zhang Jue’s legs, which were wrapped up like zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), Uncle Zhang Junbao immediately made clucking sounds, teasing his big nephew in northeastern accent.

“Tsk tsk, such a bad luck. You managed to turn yourself into this just from going downstairs. You’re really something, huh? Have you remembered what your old uncle told you? You can’t walk carelessly, or else something bad will happen!”

Even though he said that, Zhang Junbao loved his eldest nephew. He bought red-braised pig’s trotters, saying he wanted to use the same method to make up for what had happened. He then fried the marinated black pepper beef in the pan, and the whole house was filled with the fragrance of meat. In another pot, he boiled spinach in clear water. In the steamer, he steamed purple sweet potatoes and carrots.

He was a disciplined person so he still maintained his dietary habits from his active days. After the meal, he completely ignored the pig’s trotters and rice, restraining himself to eat only beef, vegetables, and sweet potatoes.

Uncle Zhang Junbao was skilled. Not only did he marinate the pig’s trotters in advance, but he also intentionally pressure-cooked them, making them soft and delicious. Zhang Jue buried his head in the rice, eating until his belly was round. But when he wanted to have a second bowl, he was stopped.

“Don’t eat anymore. Don’t you want to be a ballet dancer in the future? If you eat too much, you won’t be able to jump.”

Then he handed Zhang Jue a pack of Sunshine Seaweed, to be used as a snack while doing homework.

Zhang Jue suddenly realized, oh, he was supposed to do homework.

According to the regulations issued by the education bureau, children who turn six before September can become elementary school students. Zhang Jue’s birthday was on June 29. With the addition of skipping a grade in elementary school, he was now in the second year of junior high school.

His grades were good. When his parents passed away, his grades remained in the top twenty of the whole grade. Even though he went through a downturn for the next two years, he still made a comeback in the second year of high school and eventually earned a spot at China Agricultural University. After graduation, he planned to contribute to solving the world’s food shortage problems.

He admired his uncle very much.

Unfortunately, Zhang Junbao got cancer, and the family lost its source of income. Treating his illness was expensive, and Zhang Jue borrowed money from relatives. In the end, he decided to drop out of school and work to make ends meet, but it still wasn’t enough. The family ended up in debt.

In a moment of despair, while sitting on the roadside, a talent scout handed him a business card. As long as he signed that demanding contract, he could clear the debts. What other choice did he have?

Zhang Jue thus transitioned from an agricultural researcher to an idol trainee.

The company he signed with was not large so the resources his boss could provide were limited. However, Zhang Jue remembered the boss saving him in his most difficult times, and he couldn’t bear to break the contract and switch companies. So, in “Dream Boy 307,” he relied entirely on his own efforts.

Regardless of how he would pursue the path to becoming an idol in the future, Zhang Jue felt that he needed to find a way to keep his uncle away from alcoholism.

Liver protection should start with staying away from alcohol.

After a while, Zhang Junbao received a phone call. He entered the house and greeted Zhang Jue: “Little Jue, one of my students got injured. I need to check on her. Do your homework.”

Zhang Jue, buried in his workbook becomes confused: “Is it another injury from practicing jumps?”

Zhang Junbao made a pained expression: “No, that girl has just entered puberty. She gained weight rapidly, and her center of gravity is off during jumps. She just entered the junior group (ages 13-19) this year and wants to compete for a spot in the World Junior Championships with the girl from the neighboring province, Lu Xiaorong. She got anxious, wanted extra training, and during lunch break today, she climbed through the window to practice, ending up with a bone fracture.”

Puberty was a significant factor affecting the technical skills of figure skaters, especially for females. During puberty, as fat increases, body curves become more prominent, but muscle mass doesn’t increase as much as in males, leading to a greater impact.

Don’t ask why Zhang Jue was so knowledgeable about figure skating, his uncle was a figure skating veteran. Besides, Zhang Jue himself, with his superior looks, body proportions from ballet training, perfectly meets the figure skating selection criteria. How could he not have practiced before?

He not only practiced it but also started martial arts at the age of 5. At 8, he collected six different double jumps and began conquering his first triple jump. Unfortunately, he accidentally broke two teeth, and coupled with the serious and controlling nature of his coach at the time, who allowed little freedom to athletes, his interest in the sport was extinguished. Eventually, he gave up figure skating for dance.

The final exams came early this year. With Zhang Jue’s injuries not fully healed, he had to enter the exam room with crutches. He couldn’t remember the names of his middle school classmates very well, so he lowered his head and focused on the test papers.

Middle school exams were naturally not difficult, but next semester’s final exams would be tougher. Fortunately, biology had always been Zhang Jue’s strength, and with diligent memorization, geography wouldn’t be a problem. When he came out of the exam room, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After the exam, Zhang Jue was carried home again by his uncle, Zhang Junbao. There was no other choice; Zhang Jue’s parents ran a restaurant, and lunch and dinner hours were the busiest. At this time, they could only ask Uncle Zhang to pick him up.

Uncle spoiled his nephew and bought candied hawthorns for him to eat on the way home. Zhang Jue squinted his eyes from the sourness of the hawthorns, revealing a satisfied expression, like a cat that had slept well in the sun.

Zhang Junbao laughed: “Hey, Little Yue, have you noticed that you’ve gained quite a bit of weight recently?”

With only crutches to move around, Zhang Jue naturally couldn’t exercise. But his loving parents put only nutritious dishes on the table. Combined with Zhang Jue’s predisposition to gain weight easily, the recovery from the injury resulted in a visible belly.

Zhang Jue, after all, was someone destined to become an idol in the future, so he still had a sense of body management. When he touched his stomach, he subconsciously felt that he needed to start dieting when he got home. Then, he recalled the cause of his death in his previous life.

Before participating in the final, he dieted every day to maintain his physique. The combination of physical fatigue and psychological pressure from various sources became unbearable, and he eventually collapsed on stage.

No matter the industry, a good physique was essential. Without a healthy body, even if you have the talent to debut, it might not be your destiny to debut.

Moreover, Zhang Jue’s adult height in his previous life was only 1.79 meters. If he lived this life eating well, sleeping well, and indulging, he might just surpass 1.80 meters.

With determination, Zhang Jue said: “Uncle, I have something to ask you.”

Zhang Junbao replied concisely: “Go ahead.”

Zhang Jue asked: “Do you know of any exercises that can shape the body, improve cardiovascular function, enhance posture, and elevate artistic temperament?”

His uncle, still enjoying a string of candied hawthorns, asked in return: “Isn’t ballet keeping you busy enough? Speak up, how much do you want to sculpt your body?”

Zhang Jue responded cleverly: “Full muscles but with smooth lines. Not like those bodybuilders, too bulky, but it would be great to have an eight-pack.”

The child’s expression was quite serious, and Zhang Junbao thought this was just a whim of a child. He lifted the corner of his shirt, revealing his well-defined abdominal muscles.

“Are you looking for muscles with low body fat, practical for exercise? Is that what you want?”

Zhang Jue nodded repeatedly: “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

His uncle finished the last candied hawthorn, picked up a bamboo stick, and casually said: “Alright then, come and practice figure skating with me.”

 

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