Here’s an explanation: Zhang Jue’s crocodile onesie not only has a tail but also features a light yellow circle on the belly, indicating that it represents the crocodile’s little tummy.

Since the outfit was oversized, when Zhang Jue makes an effort to puff up his belly while being cute, even if he doesn’t have much fat on his own belly, it still looks adorable with this onesie.

To enhance the cuteness effect, he even wears a bib to strengthen the visual effect, going all out for maximum impact.

When Zhang Jue puffed up his belly and skated around, the audience couldn’t stop screaming. Laughter echoed from everywhere, filled with uncles and aunties enjoying the spectacle.

To be fair, since Zhang Jue entered the figure skating scene, he has garnered the most attention from fans, especially from moms and older sisters. When the little crocodile raised his big tail and executed a 3S with a raised hand, the applause from the audience reached its peak.

Zhang Jue was proud; he wasn’t just a pretty face. As the top figure skater in the H province, he effortlessly amazed the audience.

Originally, there was also a program for Bellman, but Zhang Jue, being carefree, added two extra jumps to the program. One was a 3T immediately after a spread-eagle, and the other was a bowtie jump followed by a 2A, both moves appreciated by knowledgeable spectators

He avoided attempting the 3lo because, although Zhang Jue was nicknamed “Blade Jump Bug,” he relied on waist strength specifically for the 3lo. Attempting it with an injured waist was definitely a challenge.

When the performance concluded, Zhang Jue bowed to the audience on all sides, gracefully skated off the rink, lightly panting, and wiped his forehead with a thin layer of sweat.

Sun Qian immediately came over, rubbing the crocodile.

“This program was quite interesting. Did your uncle choreograph it? I didn’t expect him to have this talent.”

Zhang Junbao grinned: “Of course, I didn’t expect this program to be so popular. It’s all thanks to little Jue excellent performance.”

Sun Qian chuckled, saying: “Zhang Jue also skated the right program at the right age.”

“The Nutcracker” and “Little Crocodile” are both programs that Zhang Jue, with his youthful and playful demeanor, can interpret without feeling out of place. However, as the child matures, these programs may no longer be as suitable for him.

Some programs are only perfect when performed by a specific person at a particular age.

Squatting down, Shen Liu asked Zhang Jue: “Tired?”

Zhang Jue shook his head: “Not tired. Performing doesn’t take much effort.”

To be precise, whether in competition or exhibition skating, the energy he expended was only physical. He knew he was in a relatively fair environment, and when it came to competition, he had the strength.

Moreover, figure skating audiences are more forgiving. Even if they see an athlete’s facial expression on the big screen during a jump, they won’t mind. It’s much better than when he participated in talent shows, where any flaw in his expression could turn into a meme for haters to mock.

Yes, during jumps, the whole body needs to tense up and rotate rapidly, and high-speed rotation can easily lead to a loss of control over facial expressions. So, even though the facial expressions of figure skaters during jumps are hard to describe, Zhang Jue considers himself lucky. At most, he clenches his teeth and widens his eyes during jumps. Shinya Teraoka’s expression during jumps is like a goldfish blowing bubbles, and his fans still praise him as cute.

Shen Liu keenly noticed one thing – Zhang Jue’s smile on the competition stage seems particularly bright and healing. His performance skating is lovable, and it has a lot to do with the smile of the little crocodile.

What he didn’t know was that Zhang Jue’s smile was something he practiced. Since his manager discovered that his genuine smile could boost his appearance to 120% of normal, she specifically placed “Tokyo Love Story” in front of him, asking him to imitate the expression of the female lead, Rika Akana, during her scenes. A smile should be enchanting, and tears should be heartbreaking.

Including eye gaze, posture, turning around, and all aspects – everything needed practice. This way, they could capture those widely circulated moments and seemingly casual beautiful pictures.

After giving his all on stage, Zhang Jue returned to his usual appearance, found a place to drink water, and as his hand reached for a cookie, Zhang Junbao slapped the back of his hand.

The elder uncle scolded him: “Eat after it’s over!”

Zhang Jue sheepishly withdrew his hand, offering an apologetic smile.

After the exhibition skating program, all athletes had to perform a group dance together. After the dance, they could interact with the audience or do some additional jumps on the ice, just to add more fun to the show and make the audience feel that the exhibition skating was worth it.

Zhang Jue mainly showcased the dazzling 3lz during his jumps. His outer edge was pressed beautifully and precisely, and the hand gestures were unique, making him highly recognizable. Apart from the height, he didn’t lose to older skaters in any aspect.

But the most eye-catching was the ladies’ singles champion, Daria.

All along, the ladies’ singles event has been the most popular in figure skating, overshadowing men’s singles, pairs, and ice dance. During the Winter Olympics, people even directly referred to ladies’ singles as the “pearl on the crown” of the Winter Olympics!

Daria, 17 years old this year, once dominated the ladies’ singles field before puberty. At under 15, she won the European Championship, but in her first year after moving up an age group, puberty began to assert its presence. Daria grew 9 centimeters taller, gained 6 kilograms, and her world ranking plummeted, failing to secure a spot in the Vancouver Winter Olympics for two consecutive seasons.

However, in this season, Daria experienced a phoenix-like rebirth, successfully landing the most difficult single jump in the current ladies’ singles – the 3A, breaking the free skate record and winning the Grand Prix Final.

The competition stage is the most realistic place. If your results are good, all eyes will be on you, with stars surrounding you. But if your results aren’t good, no matter how brilliant your past achievements were, fans will still focus on the new champions.

During the group dance, Daria always stood in the center. When she started performing the 3A, everyone cleared the area, allowing her to showcase her skills freely.

Guan Lin and Zhang Jue chatted: “Daria performed a beautiful comeback. Our coach said that just by relying on her willpower to climb out after sinking to the bottom, she has earned the admiration of many.”

Huang Ying agreed: “Yeah, the coach also told me to learn from Daria’s never-give-up spirit. We can’t be timid even when facing puberty in the future.”

The risk level for female figure skaters passing through puberty is more than twice that of males. It was reasonable for Coach Ma to teach Huang Ying in this way.

Zhang Jue, standing on the side, observed for a while and noticed one thing – as world champions in figure skating, they seem to attract as much attention as some celebrities.

Although they certainly can’t compete with Hollywood superstars, compared to some so-called internet celebrities, the champions’ fans are genuine, and they don’t need to create drama or sell relationships. As long as they have skill, they can earn admiration.

This environment makes people feel relaxed.

Someone called out to him: “Zhang Jun, can you take a photo with me?”

Zhang Jue turned around and saw a girl with a doll-like appearance holding a camera, smiling at him. She looked about two centimeters shorter than Zhang Jue, with a dimple on her left cheek.

She was the Youth Division ladies’ singles champion, Maiko Shirayama. In the following decade, she and her younger sister, Keiko Shirayama, would be praised as the most outstanding ladies’ singles duo in Japan for nearly two decades.

In figure skating, there are often brothers and sisters training together, and pairs and ice dance events also feature sibling pairs. However, figure skating has a notorious rumor that “at least half of the world champions have an older brother or sister who didn’t make it.”

There are various reasons for this phenomenon. Either they lack innate talent and were eliminated during coach selection, or they spent years trying to master certain jumps but couldn’t progress beyond a certain level. Some didn’t have the skill level to compete, or it could be that the family could only afford to support one child in figure skating.

Maiko Shirayama was supposed to break this curse but retired two years later for unknown reasons. Her sister, Keiko Shirayama, urgently advanced to the senior level during the Sochi Winter Olympics season and eventually won the Olympic silver medal.

As for where Maiko Shirayama went after retiring, it became the number one mystery in the figure skating world. However, many speculated that it was due to injuries.

Based on the known information, Maiko Shirayama had been troubled by scoliosis since the age of 13. Otherwise, she could have been one of the hopeful ladies’ singles skaters to master the 3A jump.

Zhang Jue nodded, and Maiko Shirayama called Hayato Teraoka over for a photo. When they stood together, Maiko Shirayama placed her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly at the camera. When they parted ways, she pointed to Zhang Jue’s waist.

“If it hurts, you can use a hot compress with a salt bag. I often use this.”

Hayato Teraoka translated, looking at Zhang Jue unexpectedly: “Is his waist injured?”

Maiko Shirayama gently said: “I just feel that when he performs Beillmann, he gives off the same vibe as when I did Beillmann with a waist injury.”

“He’s just too good-looking, like a fairy descending from the heavens. I can’t help but want to talk to him.”

In Japanese, the term for fairy is essentially the same as elf.

Hayato Teraoka and Maiko Shirayama naturally conversed in Japanese, and since Zhang Jue couldn’t understand English, let alone Japanese, he just tilted his head, waiting for them to finish the conversation. When they were done, he awkwardly replied with a simple “Arigato” (thank you).

Later, Jin Meng and Yao Lan led Zhang Jue, Huang Ying, and Guan Lin to meet other well-known figure skaters.

The goodwill of the two seniors was evident. Although they retired in the past two years, they hoped that even when they left, their children could communicate and build friendships with other colleagues in the skating world.

Zhang Jue couldn’t communicate verbally, but his advantage was his cuteness, a gentle personality. He just needed to follow the seniors with a smile.

However, even such a smile required effort. After the performance, when Zhang Jue left the ice rink, he immediately took off the crocodile onesie, breathing a sigh of relief.

Shu Feng had been focusing on watching Zhang Jue. At this moment, he happened to see the boy casually brushing his dark hair back, revealing a slightly tired side profile with an indescribable sense of cold detachment and strong world-weariness.

He subconsciously instructed the photographer to capture this scene, internally praising the boy’s exceptional appearance.

Even in the shadows, the boy still looked radiant, like a delicate and fragile porcelain doll capable of emitting light. He seemed innocent and ignorant yet carried an ethereal and indifferent aura, akin to a fairy on a snowy mountain.

The photographer held the camera and sighed: “This kid’s appearance is comparable to few in the entertainment industry. He would definitely make good money if he goes into acting.”

Shu Feng disagreed: “Entering the entertainment industry would be wasting his talent.”

The photographer argued: “But athletes don’t earn as much as celebrities. Figure skating is still a niche sport in the country, and he’s in the men’s singles category, which is less popular than pairs and ladies’ singles. Even if he reaches the top, he might only earn a few million.”

Shu Feng chuckled: “You’re mistaken. Athletes can make a lot of money. Look at Forbes’ list of athlete incomes; top athletes earn as much as Hollywood superstars, and it’s clean money. Glancing at it, Zhang Jue’s personality is more suitable for an athlete – daring, resilient, competitive, yet stable. He’s a promising candidate for winning gold.”

“Moreover, men’s singles in figure skating is not popular domestically because there hasn’t been a recognizable male singles athlete yet. If Zhang Jue can stand out…”

If he can stand out, the future is limitless.

The highly anticipated young talent, Zhang Jue, who carried many hopes, yawned and, led by Jin Meng and Yao Lan, boarded the warm bus. On the way back to the hotel, he kept nibbling on chocolate. As he continued, his small head tilted, and he fell asleep on his uncle’s shoulder.

Shu Feng sighed and carefully took away the half-eaten chocolate that Zhang Jue was holding, covering him with a blanket.

Uncle patted Zhang Jue’s cheek gently: “After eating and drinking, it’s time to sleep. Who wouldn’t gain weight after that?”

The promising young talent entrusted with many hopes, Zhang Jue, yawned. He was led onto a warm bus and, during the journey back to the hotel, continued nibbling on chocolate. As he nibbled away, his small head tilted, and he fell asleep leaning against his uncle’s shoulder.

Shen Liu sighed and, with care, took the half-eaten piece of chocolate from his hand, covering him with a blanket. The uncle gently pinched Zhang Jue’s cheek, saying: “After eating and drinking enough, it’s time to sleep. If you don’t gain weight, who will?”

Shen Liu indulgently said: “Actually, it’s fine if he gains some weight now. The Grand Prix Final has just finished, and there are still three months until the World Junior Championships. We can use this time to help him put on some weight.”

Perhaps sensing something intuitively, Zhang Jue, who was kissing a strawberry cake in his dream, unconsciously shivered.

In the following period, nobody knew exactly what Zhang Jue had experienced. However, when he returned to Beijing to participate in the National Championships in early January, everyone who knew him was taken aback.

Qin Xuejun, who picked him up, instinctively pinched the soft flesh on the child’s face: “What have you been eating lately?”

Zhang Jue dryly chuckled: “Um, just some meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates. But the portions are quite generous. I’ve been eating really full every day recently.”

Qin Xuejun rubbed his shoulder: “I can tell you’ve been eating a lot lately.”

Oh my, the child’s face is visibly rounder. How did he manage to eat this much?

Zhang Jue cleared his throat, looked around warily, and grabbed Qin Xuejun’s sleeve: “Brother Qin, do you have water? Let me have a sip.”

Just as Qin Xuejun was about to open the mineral water bottle to hand it over, Shen Liu intercepted him.

“Don’t let him drink water. Zhang Jue, it’s almost lunchtime. If you drink water now, will there be room for the main course in your stomach later? The chef auntie prepared so much beef stew for you before leaving. You have to finish it for me.”

Zhang Junbao took out a cup: “Feeling thirsty, huh? Here, Uncle has freshly squeezed banana dragon fruit juice. Drink this so you don’t get constipated from eating too much meat.”

Zhang Jue: “…”

Athletes’ weight gain involves initially gaining fat and then converting all the gained weight into muscle. Especially if there’s not enough time, coaches try to expedite the weight gain process, adopting a force-feeding approach for athletes.

Therefore, gaining weight was an extremely challenging process.

 

 

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