The men’s short program and free skate were separated by a day. Many athletes used this day for final training on the ice, improving their familiarity with the venue and making final adjustments to their free skate.

Zhang Jue used to do this as well, but that was before he suffered such a severe ligament injury.

Now, he couldn’t train, and there was nothing to do in the hotel. He had already completed all his practice books for the semester and had nearly finished Qin Xuejun’s “Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations.” He had also made good progress on other materials like Wang Houxiong’s books and the national papers.

Zhang Jue realized that it was probably because he spent so little time in school and had to rely on self-study, which made him put in excessive effort on practice papers. He had already worked through many well-known practice papers.

Well, even though he had realized in his past life that he couldn’t continue wasting time and had started working hard, it was normal for him to be more skilled at solving papers this time around.

Given his growth trend, the chances of continuing skating after he finished growing were very low. If he focused on reviewing next year, he might even touch the edge of the Top 2 in his new life. Even if he didn’t get into those two prestigious schools, the hope for a C9 university should be quite significant.

After all, he was originally very smart. He also had to thank his biological mother, Ms. Zhang, for her genes. As the saying goes, a child’s intelligence has more than a 60% chance of resembling the mother’s. So if the father was not smart, marrying a clever wife could help the next generation succeed.

It was said that Zhang Jue’s biological father, if not for bening a sports student, wouldn’t even be able to get into any university in Beijing. So Zhang Jue was a typical example of being uplifted because of his smart mother.

Zhang Junbao was also smart. Although he studied at a sports university, it was a proper 211 institution. Zhang Junbao’s achievements as an athlete were not outstanding, and he got into the university by pushing hard in his last two years of high school.

Their batch’s score line in H Province was not low, and Zhang Junbao’s 580 points were just on the edge of getting into Beijing Sport University.

So, if they didn’t push hard this season, it would be too late next season.

The child sat on the bed thinking for a while and then remembered how much he cared about his height in his past life. Although 1.79 meters sounded good, he always stubbornly claimed he was 1.80 meters. He really cared about that 1 cm.

But now, he found himself feeling an impulse not to sleep well and to hinder his body’s growth.

No, no, figure skating was no good if it led to this.

Zhang Jue closed his eyes to sleep but opened them again, struggling for 10 minutes before finally succumbing to his young body’s craving for sleep.

The next day, at 4 a.m., with no homework to do and books that he rarely wanted to read, Zhang Jue turned on the TV in his room and found that Russian was more incomprehensible to him than ancient texts.

It seemed that the TV was replaying this season’s Psychic Battle?

After thinking for a while, Zhang Jue suddenly realized that he rarely went shopping during competitions.

He wasn’t a particularly quiet child, but once a competition started, Zhang Jue would focus most of his energy on it due to his strong competitive spirit. He only went to places recommended by the organizers during commercial events.

So, the child decisively called Ms. Zhang Qingyan. It was 11 p.m. in China, and he wasn’t sure if his family was asleep. When the call connected, it was Xu’s dad who answered.

He panted: “Little Jue, what’s up? It’s 4 a.m. there. Why aren’t you sleeping?”

After a round of concern, Zhang Jue replied: “Dad, I don’t have a competition today. I’m planning to go out and walk around. Do you need me to bring anything?”

Xu Yan was silent for a moment and then listed a bunch of items.

He took out a notebook and wrote down: “Hand cream, face masks, topical hyaluronic acid…”

Oh, it turned out Dad Xu knew about skincare products in Russia, but it was understandable. After all, he had always bought the family’s skincare products, including Ms. Zhang’s lotions, night creams, eye creams, and toner. Since her health was excellent and her complexion rosy, she didn’t use much makeup, including blush and lipstick.

“Do you want me to bring some rye bread or Russian sausage?”

Dad Xu replied: “No need, no need. You’ve worked hard. Mom still needs to do extra lessons for Dad, so we’ll hang up first. Bye-bye.”

Click—

He hurriedly hung up, leaving Zhang Jue feeling puzzled. Zhang Jue shook his head and sighed: “Luckily, Xu Dela inherited Mom’s intelligence.”

If Xu Dela had been like Dad, needing supplementary exams to get into college, Ms. Zhang would have used the drying rack on his small butt.

The child packed his things and waited for the coaches to get up. He stood at the door with his little backpack, asking to go out and play.

He didn’t want to go out alone, but as a foreigner, it wasn’t suitable to wander around Russia by himself. Just the hassle of having patrol police check his passport was annoying, and in case of a robbery, Zhang Jue, with his limp leg, wouldn’t be able to fight back.

He wasn’t interested in shouting “White Emperor Sacred Sword, the number one sword in China” right now.

Most importantly, he needed a ride. Zhang Jue couldn’t walk far on his own.

Zhang Junbao said: “You want to go out now? Have you had breakfast? If not, let’s eat first and then go.”

Zhang Little Jue said he had already eaten and just wanted to go out now.

Shen Liu resignedly carried the child to a nearby KFC. Zhang Jue had already eaten, but they hadn’t. Uncle ordered some mashed potatoes and ate them deliciously in front of Zhang Jue. Zhang Jue wasn’t annoyed; he took out his phone and snapped pictures of Uncle eating.

Since he had some spare money, he had upgraded to a new phone with a higher resolution. Zhang Jue even complained that the network was too slow.
5G, come soon. Zhang Little Jue was already used to a world with you.

“Uncle, this photo looks good. Do you want me to post it on your Weibo?”

Zhang Jue had applied for Weibo accounts for the whole family, including both a major and a minor account. Since he discovered that Uncle could also do endorsements, Zhang Jue saw business opportunities and thought he could promote Uncle a bit.

Uncle had always been single and stubborn, never admitting he would rely on Zhang Little Jue for support in the future. Yet, he wasn’t good at financial management and spent money on Zhang Jue, buying an 800-yuan body lotion without hesitation. Zhang Jue planned to help him earn more for retirement. When Bitcoin came through, Zhang Jue’s first task would be to buy Uncle a new house and storefront in a good location, giving him more stable assets.

Sigh, since adults don’t understand, the child had to bear more.

Zhang Junbao didn’t lift his head: “Don’t you know my Weibo password? You can post it for me.”

Zhang Jue said: “Okay,” and used Uncle’s account to post a Weibo.

Zhang Junbao V

H Province Men’s Singles Coach

#Breakfast#

Breakfast Photo

In the comments, a group of fans shouted for Coach Zhang to post selfies, but Zhang Jue didn’t post them.

Shen Liu couldn’t understand: “Little Jue, didn’t you take a photo of your uncle? Why don’t you post it?”

Zhang Jue shook his head: “I’m doing some hunger marketing. I’ll post the photo with my account in the evening. Fans will be happier.”

Although Zhang Jue’s business skills were average and couldn’t compare to those who posted pouty selfies with their mentors while eating out, he had learned from Shiratsuka Keiko and understood that some things couldn’t be released all at once to satisfy fans. If something was too easy to obtain, it would seem cheap, even if Uncle’s eating looked appetizing.

Shen Liu suddenly realized and felt that he had learned something.

Zhang Junbao’s main job was not being a social media expert but a figure skating coach. Although Zhang Jue used some small tricks, he did not overly promote him. Typically, he posted on social media every three days, with some posts being Zhang Junbao’s own videos on strength training and education. The image conveyed was of a coach who took his job seriously and rarely engaged in promotional activities, only playing with some youthful trends because he was young.

If Zhang Jue really wanted to turn his uncle into an internet celebrity, he would have already started a Twitter account for him. In figure skating, Twitter was the mainstream platform, not social media.

What he did not know was that while he and his uncle did not use Twitter, Shen Liu had both a Weibo and Twitter account.

While eating a burger, Shen Liu took the opportunity during his free time to check both social media accounts. On Weibo, there was news from Xu Chuo’s mother about Xu Chuo’s stable performance in competitions. Overseas, a coach from the Russian men’s singles team, Vadim, who had transitioned from relying on strength jumps to achieving quadruple jumps with rotational speed, criticized the practice of Vadim’s fans giving expensive gifts.

Vadim’s fans had even edited Sergey’s head onto a dog, expressing dissatisfaction with the way Sergey treated Vadim.

This was exactly why Shen Liu followed all Russian figure skaters and coaches. The rivalries and dramas in Russian figure skating had been captivating since the 1980s and never failed to disappoint. Just the gossip alone was enough to keep ice skating fans entertained, especially since Russian fans were straightforward, making conflicts even more interesting.

In Russia, English was not widely spoken. Speaking English while trying to hail a cab was ineffective, using gestures was much more efficient. Fortunately, Shen Liu spoke Russian, and when his fluent, rolling R’s came out, the cab driver’s friendliness immediately increased, and he even gave Shen Liu a thumbs-up.
They went to Korchagin Street, the street where the author of “How the Steel Was Tempered,” who created the immortal image of Pavel Korchagin, had once lived. Zhang Jue had written at least three essays on this book in middle school, so his feelings about it were very deep.

Besides that, the view from the Akhmed Tower in Sochi was also nice. Most importantly, Zhang Jue was with his caring uncle and Shen Liu. Being with family always made it easier to create wonderful memories.

But since the Akhmed Tower was 3 kilometers from the city center, the day was essentially over once they returned. They hurried to buy things they wanted to take back home, and on the way, they encountered Shiratsuka Keiko, who was also shopping.

The young girl, while shopping, regretfully told them: “It’s a pity we didn’t come here in the fourth week of November. We would have caught Black Friday, with big discounts everywhere. Many items were half off! My sister once experienced Black Friday and bought all the family year worth of cosmetics in one day!”

Zhang Jue was impressed: “How did she manage to bring all that back?”

Shiratsuka Keiko replied: “Of course, she mailed them. However, Russian mail can be quite unreliable. Sometimes it’s very efficient, like with the cosmetics she sent, which arrived at our home in just a month. I don’t know how the logistics staff understood my sister’s poorly translated address. But she also sent a set of tinware, and it still hasn’t arrived after two years.”

“Two whole years, and no sign of it. When we called to complain, the mix of Russian and Japanese English was a disaster. My sister eventually gave up on claiming compensation, saying further pursuit would shorten her life.”

Shiratsuka Keiko sighed: “Their postal service is even less reliable than our tama sauce-free skating.”

Zhang Jue said: “Let’s communicate properly and avoid any implied criticism.

But Shiratsuka Keiko’s presence still made their shopping trip more enjoyable. She had inherited a rich international shopping experience from her sister and knew various tips and tricks. In places without English signs, she skillfully used body language to convey her meaning, and everyone enjoyed the discounts.

Most importantly, Shiratsuka Keiko reminded them that in Russia, it was okay to use foreign currencies for purchases.

For example, RMB and USD were popular because the ruble had experienced significant devaluation due to certain reasons, and some merchants preferred more stable currencies.

With mobile payments not yet widespread, Zhang Jue always carried 1000 RMB in cash, which he managed to spend entirely that day, proving that even men had considerable shopping desires.

Spending money was one of the most relieving things in the world. Regardless of whether one would regret it later, spending money always felt satisfying. Zhang Jue spent the whole day playing and buying things, which eased the considerable stress he had been under.

While passing by a street shop that seemed to be a boutique, Zhang Jue saw some beautiful nesting dolls in the window. One had a red cross on its chest, indicating it was a doctor, and there was also a doll in a kimono.

He climbed down from Yang Zhiyuan’s back and limped inside, picking up two nesting dolls and handing one to Shiratsuka Keiko.

“Here, this is for you.”

Shiratsuka Keiko smiled as she held the doll and nodded: “Yes, I’ll give it to my sister.”

“This isn’t for your sister; this is for her.”

Zhang Jue gave Shiratsuka Keiko a string of amber necklaces: “The nesting doll is for you. Your performance has been excellent. You should be moving up to the Sochi group next year, right? Let’s work hard together.”

He and Shiratsuka Keiko were good friends, but Zhang Jue deeply admired this girl who had maintained her position as the top Japanese single skater for eight years despite developmental challenges and injuries.

After all, he was in a developmental phase himself, carrying injuries, and was the only top skater in his country. He knew how tough it was. This girl had managed to continue for seven years alone, and despite her sister’s hereditary leukemia, Shiratsuka Keiko had persevered until her injury was severe enough to prevent her from skating.

Shiratsuka Keiko blinked, covered her mouth, smiled, and nodded vigorously, her voice sweet.

“Yes! I also wish you to overcome your developmental stage soon!”

In the end, Shiratsuka Keiko treated them to onsen eggs she had brought along. Although raw eggs weren’t allowed on planes, cooked ones were. The onsen eggs, which tasted like soft-boiled eggs, were successfully brought along, and Zhang Jue found them quite tasty.

For some reason, his uncle patted his shoulder and said with a pained expression: “From now on, I won’t worry about you finding a partner anymore.”

Shen Liu agreed: “Yes, Little Jue might even find a partner before us, but as your coach, I still can’t allow you to date early. Otherwise, not only will your mom scold you, but she’ll also scold us for inadequate supervision.”

Yang Zhiyuan said: “The kid naturally has a face that won’t stay single. After growing up, he should be quite popular.”

Zhang Jue was puzzled. He was already very popular. The nickname “Dream Boy 307” was not self-proclaimed but voted by fans online. Even haters couldn’t deny he had a great face.

After living two lifetimes, Zhang Jue could doubt his height, his ability to get into a top university, or his chances at the Olympics, but he never doubted his looks.

As his manager Brother Bai said, even though Zhang Jue was a straight man who made people question life and his rhetoric was only passable, as long as he was on stage, he was the most handsome person in the room!

He knelt on the bed, opened the box containing his free skating costume, took out the clothes, and stood in front of the mirror to model. He nodded in satisfaction.

Very good. With my handsomeness, I will definitely be the most handsome man on the ice tomorrow. Not competing would be a loss for all the ice fans in the world. I should compete and showcase more impressive performances before my skills deteriorate, so I won’t regret the tears and blood I’ve shed on the ice these three years!

He found many reasons to withdraw from the competition and many reasons to continue, with the latter prevailing. He also came up with many reasons to compete despite the pain, even foolishly thinking that not showing up would be a loss for the public.

Ultimately, it was just that he was infatuated with figure skating. Zhang Jue was determined and knocked on the coach’s door once more.

Zhang Junbao opened the door and saw his nephew, with a determined expression, say: “Coach, let me compete.”

Before this day, Zhang Junbao had imagined countless times that Zhang Jue would mature and display the determination to face all challenges for his beloved sport.

It would mean Zhang Jue had truly fallen in love with figure skating and would no longer talk about being an idol or becoming a big star. Vocal music and ballet would no longer take him away from figure skating.

But he never expected that this day would come, accompanied by another challenge almost every athlete faced—injury.

He opened his mouth and struggled to reply: “Zhang Jue, once you start injections, there will be a second one.”

“I know.”

“You’re only 15.”

“Is being 15 a reason not to risk everything for victory?”

“But this is Russia, Sochi. You will face Vasily, Sergey, who are playing on home turf, and also Maquen and Martin, who have advantages over you. Even if you get the injection, do you think you can make a comeback against these people if you fall behind in the short program?”

Zhang Jue looked at him seriously: “Let me try, I can afford to lose if I fight, but if I don’t, I’ll regret it.”

 

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