Zhang Jue boarded the plane with high spirits, silently vowing to outshine everyone at the U.S. stage. However, when it was time to embark, the determined Zhang nearly tripped and fell, startling Huang Ying, Guan Lin, Song Cheng, and even the coach from J Province.
In a daze, he felt himself being lifted by his uncle, while Shen Liu squatted down to comfort him: “Little Jue, walk on your own. You can sleep when we get to the hotel.”
With a bitter face, Zhang Jue, who experienced his first international trip, almost succumbed to jet lag. The biggest challenge in international competitions isn’t just the language barrier but also adjusting to the time difference. Shen Liu insisted that Zhang Jue shouldn’t sleep on the plane, knowing that his body couldn’t handle it despite his previous experience of staying up late dancing.
Due to the time difference, Zhang Jue didn’t get a chance to appreciate the scenery of Lake Placid. The car ride was the most challenging, feeling increasingly drowsy but not allowed to sleep. Zhang resorted to pinching his earlobes to stay awake.
When he collapsed onto the bed with a thud, Zhang Jue imme
Fortunately, children recover quickly from sleep deprivation. Zhang Jue slept for 12 hours, woke up refreshed, and headed to the buffet.
American breakfast didn’t quite suit his taste, so Zhang Jue chose hash browns bread, boiled eggs, corn dogs, and avocado salad. After a while, coaches and athletes joined him.
His only regret was the absence of soy milk; Zhang Jue complained, and Shen Liu comforted him, saying: “Even if they provided soy milk, you can’t drink it abroad. What if they didn’t boil the soy milk properly? You might get diarrhea. As an athlete, you can’t be too cautious about what you consume.”
Coach Ma nodded in agreement and shared his experience: “In 2004, when I went to South Korea for the Four Continents Championships, I had the yogurt provided by the organizers, and boy, I got a stomach ache right away.”
Coach Ma, a former national figure skating pairs champion, Sun Qian’s senior disciple, had rich international competition experience. Yet, over the years, the most memorable incident was still the yogurt in South Korea.
Zhang Junbao chuckled: “Yes, if it weren’t for Dr. Qin in the team using acupuncture to help him, he would have had issues even going on the ice. A Filipino athlete collapsed and fell like a dog during the free skate.”
Dr. Qin mentioned by Zhang Junbao was Qin Tang, who hadn’t retired in 2004.
Zhang Junbao continued teasing his nephew: “Zhang Jue, your jet lag might not be over yet. Adjust well and don’t forget, if you don’t perform well this time, you’ll be wasting the Grand Prix spot they secured for you. Others in the test event will surely think they’re better than you.”
Zhang Jue with mouth full of food, mumbled: “I earned this spot fair and square, right? If they’re not satisfied, they can compete with me in the test event. Isn’t sports about proving yourself on the ice?”
Okay, the young man seemed quite confident. Although Coach Shen was initially worried that he might experience a performance breakdown like he did in his first year on the international stage due to excessive nervousness, he now felt a bit relieved.
Next, during the draw, Zhang Jue drew the first slot in the third group.
As per tradition, athletes with good past performances ware usually placed in the last group. Additionally, the first athlete in each group often has their scores intentionally lowered by judges to maintain fairness. Zhang Jue’s luck wasn’t bad at all. Everyone else was envious, but he glanced at his drawn lot and felt a bit embarrassed. In his past life, he never had luck with draws. Over time, he developed a habit of relying on skill rather than luck in everything.
After a while, Guan Lin and Huang Ying also finished drawing lots. Huang Ying happily announced: “We drew the fifth slot in the next-to-last group.”
Zhang Jue fell silent. Darn it, he also wanted to experience being the “King of Draws.”
Although the competition was the next day, athletes had to attend a joint training session at the venue before the event to familiarize themselves with the ice.
In the eyes of others, the Chinese athletes’ style was unusual this year. In the past, chubby coaches would lead little kids onto the ice, offering some earnest advice on the sidelines before the nervous kids took the ice…
This year, the Chinese team’s entrance was led by a short, baby-faced young man who looked no older than 20. Despite his short stature, he had well-defined muscles, and his shirt clung to his bulging chest. He carried a sports bag that was even more robust than his chest.
What a perfect combination of a youthful face and a well-developed chest!
The handsome guy with the big chest was accompanied by none other than Shen Liu, who had impressed the world in Vancouver by landing a quadruple jump. These two were walking alongside a grade schooler, who attracted attention due to his petite, slender figure. This little one walked with hands in his pockets, wearing sunglasses, and suddenly pulled out a chocolate bar, holding it in his mouth like a cigarette, exuding a very casual air.
As soon as the handsome guy with big cheast put the bag away, he saw the snack in Zhang Jue’s mouth. He immediately stole the chocolate bar from his mouth and slapped child butt twice.
“Where did you get the chocolate? Huh?”
Zhang Jue covered his butt and jumped to the side. He took off his sunglasses to reveal his innocent little face like a fairy, and shouted angrily: “This is a low-fat dark chocolate bar! I got it in the cafeteria. ! What’s wrong with eating only one?”
Zhang Junbao scolded him: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and fat doesn’t accumulate overnight. You just can’t control your mouth;, that’s why your body fat hasn’t been going down!”
Shen Liu rolled his eyes, grabbed Zhang Jue’s ice skates, and went up to mediate: “Senior brother, let it go, let it go. This is a foreign country, give little Jue some face.”
Zhang Junbao pointed at Zhang Jue, complaining to Shen Liu: “Look at this troublesome kid. He started eating right away without even looking around. His mouth never stops.”
Shen Liu continued to pacify him: “Alright, senior brother, when we go back, let’s buy konjac noodles from Southwest University for him as a meal replacement. After a few days of zero fat, his body fat will naturally go down. Little Jue needs to be happy, so let’s not scold the kid for now.”
Cui Zhengshu looked over there and whispered: “Why does the Chinese team’s quarrel look strangely familiar?”
The familiarity of this mischievous child causing trouble, the father scolding, and the mother mediating was too strong. Coach Song Cheng wore an expression of unbearable misery.
Just then, everyone heard a loud sound of ice skates clashing with the ice.
Zhang Jue turned his head and saw Angus Joe using the toe of his right foot to heavily hit the ice surface, propelling himself into a 3F jump.
This jump was quite impressive. Zhang Jue was still rubbing his buttocks, completely unaffected, but Shen Liu narrowed his eyes.
“The toe pick takeoff is quite severe” Shen Liu remarked.
A toe pick takeoff refers to when a skater, during takeoff, doesn’t extend their leg straight enough for the toe pick to properly engage, resulting in a heavy and noisy takeoff similar to pounding on the ice.
Apart from the potential harm to the toe pick, judges generally appreciate skaters with lighter and more elegant jump techniques.
Coach Song Cheng observed keenly: “It’s not just the toe pick takeoff, he has a habit of pre-rotation. He twists half a turn on the ice before taking off.”
Usually, skaters start rotating during takeoff, which is acceptable. However, if the body has already twisted significantly on the ice before the point of takeoff, it can be considered excessive pre-rotation, a form of cheating.
No wonder Angus Joe consistently lost to Safoshenko and even struggled against Asian skater Hayato Teraoka without the advantage of nationality.
But being the top skater in the North American division’s junior category, he wasn’t afraid of judges nitpicking these minor issues.
Shen Liu turned around and saw Zhang Jue eagerly putting on his ice skates and swiftly gliding onto the ice.
The speed at which kids put on ice skates was getting faster.
Zhang Jue, with his bold spirit, showed no hesitation on the competitive ice, immediately starting to practice assisted jumps. He attempted a 3F jump, landing with an expected but harmless tumble.
“Sigh…”
The three coaches sighed in unison, feeling that they had let their guard down too early. Zhang Jue’s attitude was fine, even more daring than his uncle in his youth, but he hadn’t had enough time to correct the issues with the 3F jump.
Zhang Jue, accustomed to falling, didn’t find it embarrassing. He patted his butt, ready to climb back up and continue practicing.
Then he heard a mocking “little girl.”
Zhang Jue turned around to see Angus Joe extending his hand to him, asking in somewhat awkward Chinese: “Are you okay?” It looked quite friendly, as if the earlier “little girl” comment was a mirage.
Without hesitation, Zhang Jue pulled the other’s hand, stood up, and gave a bright smile: “Thanks.”
Then he started gliding again for the second time. This time, he attempted a 3Lz jump, incorporating a noticeably delayed rotation.
Suddenly, Alex, drinking water by the boards, burst into laughter, spraying water onto the ice.
Delayed rotation, compared to pre-rotation, was a move that people in the industry found amusing. Zhang Jue’s jump seemed to be a direct mockery of Angus Joe.
After completing the jump, Zhang Jue deliberately smiled at Angus Joe. His picturesque face, coupled with the innocent and sweet smile, could melt anyone’s heart.

…

In the pleasant September temperature of Northeast China, at four in the morning, Liang Yeming got up, went to the cafeteria, turned on the television, and caught the broadcast.
“Representative China, Ying Huang (Huang Ying) and Lin Guan (Guan Lin).”
He mumbled: “It’s the pairs figure skating first.”
Coach Ming Jia sat down beside him, saying: “Yes, Shen Liu mentioned in the call that the pairs figure skating starts at two in the afternoon, and men’s singles short program begins at four.”
As J Province’s ace and the most promising young pairs figure skating duo in the country, Huang Ying and Guan Lin displayed remarkable strength, starting with a triple flip.
Notably, when Huang Ying was thrown into the air,s he deliberately raised her right arm.
The graceful aerial posture earned them applause from the audience.
Liang Yeming covered his face: “Since when did even the pairs start practicing waving hands.”
Ming Jia chuckled: “When a new technique emerges that can score more points, more people will naturally study it. They probably haven’t practiced this move for long, but it takes courage to use it directly in a competition.”
After Shen Liu’s retirement, many thought Jin Zixuan would be the next leading figure of the younger generation. Many coaches criticized the instability of his mentality even after two consecutive generations of leading figures.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jue rose abruptly later, his heart even more audacious than his uncle’s. The younger generation in pairs figure skating was equally bold.
Indeed, the world is ever-changing.
Ming Jia sighed inwardly, watching the TV screen attentively. In his view, Huang Ying and Guan Lin’s skating wasn’t perfect—slow, weak single jumps, and numerous flaws in the spiral lines. However, these shortcomings couldn’t conceal their synergy and the spirit of their performance.
These are the saplings of Chinese figure skating, full of vitality.
As expected, Huang Ying and Guan Lin secured the first place in the short program of the U.S. stop of the Grand Prix.
Another hour passed, and the men’s singles competition officially began. Liang Yeming checked the time: “If each program is two and a half minutes, including 30 seconds before the competition and 30 seconds for the post-performance salute, it’s about 20 minutes for each group. Zhang Jue is the first in the third group.”
Still about 40 minutes to wait.
After all, the competitors were all young skaters, and not every young skater could perform advanced triple jumps like 3Lz+3T or 3F+3T, which scored over 9 points in base value.
Most used simple and basic double jumps like 3T+3T, 3S+2T, or 3Lo+2Lo. However, as long as the performance was smooth, the audience was generous with applause.
Of course, women’s singles figure skating is the most popular discipline, and the adult competitions are more anticipated. The audience attendance for youth men’s singles competitions was considered good if it reached fifty percent. Therefore, the applause in the venue was sporadic.
In the first two groups, the highest score was only 65.8 points, achieved by a Latin American boy.
Until 5:45 in the morning, a few more people entered the cafeteria, and they finally heard a familiar voice.
A slender, stunningly handsome boy stood in front of the boards, listening to his coach’s pre-competition instructions. He wore an outfit with a white base and a deep V embellished with black rhinestones on the back, revealing a butterfly bone one-shoulder costume. He also wore a pair of pure white gauze gloves.
The venue was probably cold; he took a tissue to wipe his nose, and his nose tip was slightly red. Even so, Zhang Jue’s small face had no flaws. The director was probably a fan of aesthetics, so the camera was now focusing on Zhang Jue’s face.

The boy’s appearance was truly too beautiful. He had black feather-shaped earrings on his ears, and there was a black feather-woven ornament tied around his forehead. Just from the appearance, he looked like a prince of swans running out of the jungle.
Zhang Jue turned around, and Zhang Junbao gave him a push on his back, shouting: “Go for it!” Zhang Jue used this force to glide towards the center of the ice.
“China Representative, Jue Zhang (Zhang Jue).”
Shen Liu watched the silhouette of his disciple, his eyes revealing a complex emotion, seeming both expectant and content.
He silently recited: “Go, Zhang Jue, amaze this sport, amaze this world.”
I know you can do it!

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