Before taking the stage, whether it was Zhang Junbao or Shen Liu, they both advised Zhang Jue not to feel pressured. They reminded him that they were newcomers to the adult group, and there was no need to rush into challenging the big boss right from the start.

This was to mentally prepare Zhang Jue, avoiding a situation where he might face a significant psychological gap if he lost to Maquen, who had swept through major competitions, including the Grand Prix, the European Championships, and the World Championships in the previous season.

Zhang Jue had a strong desire to win, especially after losing to Martin at the Autumn Cup before, despite being accustomed to winning in the junior group. Those close to him knew that he had a strong will.

Sun Qian, when Zhang Jue won against Hayato Teraoka and Ilya for the first time in the junior group, commented: “Zhang Jue is not the kind of person who gets intimidated by opponents with world champion titles. He dares to fight, and he has the strength and confidence to back it up.”

Shen Liu stood at the sidelines with a hot water bottle labeled “Learn from the Women’s Volleyball Spirit” a crocodile cartoon towel, and Heart to Heart tissues. Despite that, he still had some concerns.

Has this kid adjusted his mentality? Is everything really okay now? He won’t impulsively use moves with a success rate of less than fifty percent just to win, right?

On the other hand, Zhang Junbao was criticizing Zhang Jue’s Kostorna outfit for the year: “His outfit is too flashy, and the colors are not right. What’s with the purple and black? It’s too old-fashioned. I told him to continue wearing red, but he refused.”

Shen Liu replied: “No, senior brother, I think little Jue taste in clothes is much better than yours. Your Kostorna style with bright red, purple, green, plus autumn patterns would only waste little Jue fairy-like appearance.”

Meanwhile, because two famous Italian athletes were competing in the American stop, the Italian sports channel, abbreviated as “ItaSport,” began to provide commentary on the competition.

Their star commentator, Pino, spoke in a calm tone: ” ‘Adios Nonino’ is a classic tango, interpreted many times in figure skating, including the ice dance TP combination’s performance at the ’95 World Championships, Canadian ice dance duo Stephanie/Julien’s free skate in the junior group, and Chinese women’s singles Chen Zhu’s short program in ’98…”

He listed a series of names, emphasizing that even though Zhang Jue didn’t collide with others this season, there were still many skaters who performed “Adios Nonino” in the figure skating circle.

More accurately, people who skated to the works of the old master Piazzolla were not few. As the father of tango music, he single-handedly elevated tango to the level of serious music. Piazzolla, a national treasure of Argentina, had admirers of his work worldwide.

Chen Sijia, now a mature figure skating fan, sat in front of the TV, feeling puzzled: “Why did he choose to skate tango this year? Isn’t tango supposed to be better performed by mature individuals?”

She couldn’t imagine what this kid, who was once called “Brother Jue” at school and was praised by teachers for ranking in the top fifty in monthly exams, would look like when he matured.

To be honest, in the eyes of many figure skating fans, Zhang Jue’s image was similar to Nezha, fierce, vengeful, with explosive combat power. The mop was his fiery spear, and the ice skate was his wind and fire wheel. He was an eternal young hero who refused to grow up.

Unaware of the thoughts of his figure skating fans, Zhang Jue focused on pounding his thighs and glutes. Taking a deep breath, he lightly lifted his right hand, adorned with a black veil glove, to support his left shoulder, while the left hand rested behind his back. His gaze remained forward.

At this moment, Crocodile suddenly disappeared.

From the outside, he still looked childish, with baby fat on his face. However, at this moment, his temperament transformed into maturity, not like a performance but a glimpse of an adult living in a child’s body.

Mature and aloof, combined with Zhang Jue’s innate ethereal appearance, it was beautiful to the point of melancholy, causing a momentary pause in the hearts of the viewers.

The accordion music began, surprising many, as Zhang Jue chose the original version of “Adios Nonino” interpreted by Piazzolla. It was also the saddest and most restrained version.

“Adios Nonino,” in its original form “Adiós Nonino,” did not accurately translate to “goodbye.” In fact: “adios” means farewell, and Piazzolla composed this piece when he learned of his father’s sudden death.

It was a farewell to his father, and some fans believed that while it might not be Piazzolla’s best work, it was undoubtedly one of the best. Piazzolla himself admitted that when creating this piece, he felt surrounded by angels.

It’s worth mentioning that during the wedding of Queen Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti of the Netherlands, her father couldn’t attend due to legal issues. When the band played “Adios Nonino” during the wedding, the queen cried while listening.

Women’s singles skater Helena leaned against her coach, smiling as she commented: “Bold choice. He seems very confident in his expressive abilities.”

Her coach shook his head: “But so far, he hasn’t made anyone feel uncomfortable. It’s already surprising. His appearance doesn’t match this song at all.”

They had no idea that Zhang Jue had experienced the profound sadness of losing a father not once but twice.

His first jump was a 3Lz+3Lo.

With a crisp sound of blades hitting the ice, the young skater leaped with a deep outside edge, completing a 3Lz with raised hands. Then, he directly performed a 3Lo with a single-foot takeoff from his right foot.

Pino praised: “Perfect jumping rhythm.”

This commentator, known for his meticulous style, praised with words while feeling surprised inside. Zhang Jue’s jumps were undoubtedly low-altitude, with height not standing out compared to other male skaters. However, his technique was not as rough as other low-altitude skaters. Instead, it was standard, clean, and flawless.

He liked skaters with clean techniques who didn’t play with wrong edge mistakes, and Zhang Jue’s rhythmic sense for the combination jump was indeed good. Just with this jump, Pino developed a favorable impression of this young skater.

When he saw Zhang Jue’s second jump, the 3A, Pino’s impression of Zhang Jue became even better.

Zhang Jue’s 3A quality was even better than his combination jump!

In this young skater, he saw a kind of solid strength. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was stable enough. With the music playing, the young skater entered a crouch spin. He held his head as if crying in pain or avoiding reality. It wasn’t until the violin joined the music that he slowly stood up.

A fluent step sequence unfolded on the ice. Even without words, the audience could feel something through the music and the young skater’s body language.

He was like a child who had just lost his father, standing in the places where he had lived during his childhood, reminiscing about the past with a heart full of sorrow, recalling the person he had lost.

Farewell, Father. From now on, I will walk alone, carrying the memories of you.

In the figure skating world, Zhang Jue’s blade work was far from the best, not even considered top-tier. However, he was a rare athlete who captivated the audience with his footwork performances.

Because when he performed, it was as if he poured his soul into it. Coupled with his supple body movements, his dance moves were pleasing to the eye, combining beauty and emotion. Leaving aside skating technique, no one could argue that Zhang Jue’s performances lacked artistry.

For Zhang Jue himself, this was his farewell song dedicated to the past.

He didn’t know why he had returned to the age of 12 after the sudden death on the stage. At times, he even doubted whether he was just a brain in a jar, and everything around him was a beautifully crafted world programmed by a computer.

So, he could only seek a sense of reality through rigorous training.

Until now, he felt that everything was real. Perhaps he accidentally traveled back in time, or maybe he fell into some parallel world.

But figure skating was real. Competing in foreign lands that he had never visited in his past life was real. Growing up Xu Dela, his gradually aging parents were also real.

Yeah, his uncle looked completely unchanged, and this morning, he was even mistaken for a high school student by the convenience store owner. But his uncle, with a spirit entirely different from his past life, was, of course, real too.

Memories of the past flooded in as the performance continued.

Zhang Jue knew he would always remember the moment when his uncle passed away. The funeral home quickly sent someone to take away the body, and he left the hospital carrying a basin, hanger, and a kettle that he would no longer use. Hungry on the way home, he bought a corn and nibbled on it.

Then he heard a few students from the nearby art college performing on the roadside, playing the song “Adiós Nonino.”

And there he was, holding the corn, watching them while munching, and eventually crying. One of the girls in the performance saw him crying so much that she interrupted the show and came over with a tissue.

Although it sounds a bit funny, it was also real.

Zhang Jue was not a professional tango dancer. In “Adiós Nonino,” he did not show any emotions related to passion or excitement. Even compared to his past performances, this time he seemed more rational and calm, but he was indeed expressing emotion.

As the steps progressed, the sadness in the performance diminished, leaving only warm affection flowing along with the music on the ice.

This was Zhang Jue’s intention for this program. He would forever remember the past, but he would also look towards the future.

Swish.

The blade left the ice, and the young skater jumped again, this time executing his signature move — a single-handed 4S.

The astonishing spin speed made countless first-time live viewers of Zhang Jue’s competition gasp.

Maquen, who was watching, widened his eyes: “His spin speed is even higher than last year.”

To be precise, the young skater seemed to have lost a bit of weight compared to last year as if deliberately controlling his weight. Therefore, his body’s center of rotation was finer, and the spin speed was even higher. This 4S was executed with more ease.

“He should be the best 4S performer in the world right now.”

Until Zhang Jue landed on the ice, and the blade scraped across the surface, sending ice chips flying and drawing an elliptical line on the ice.

The young skater entered a bow spin, followed by eight rotations. Then, he lifted a floating foot, grabbed the ice skate above his head with one hand, and finally stopped, arms outstretched.

After about two seconds, scattered applause rang out, followed by more and more intense applause.

David stared blankly at Zhang Jue’s figure. After a while, he turned to his companion: “Is the program over? Is it really over?”

The companion, with a satisfied expression: said: “Yes, it’s over. How did he manage to end it like this?”

David blinked, showing agreement: “Yeah if this wasn’t the short program but the free skate, it would be perfect. God, he performed so brilliantly! I actually got lost in it!”

This program wasn’t the type that was particularly passionate, able to carry the audience along with its rhythm. However, the more you appreciated it, the more flavorful it became — truly a masterpiece.

As Zhang Jue got off the ice, he heard Maquen talking to his coach: “Is his choreographer Francis Miller? Can I also hire Miller for next year?”

Shen Liu threw a towel on Zhang Jue’s head and teased: “Congratulations, you’ve given Francis another business.”

 

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