“Did I… did I lose?”

Jin Zixuan had given it his all and performed his best, yet he still lost to Zhang Jue by ten points when Zhang Jue’s score appeared on the screen, a deep sense of disappointment and confusion washed over Jin Zixuan.

He looked at his coach and asked: “Why did I lose? I only fell on a 3S in the second half, but he fell on a 4T at the beginning. How could his technical score still be three points higher than mine?”

Jin Zixuan accepted that his performance score was lower, but he couldn’t understand why his technical score was as well.
Coach Qiao shook his head: “A loss is a loss. You were not wronged. Now, Xiao Xuan, change your expression. This is your best result in a domestic competition. Try to look happy.”

He meant that even if Jin Zixuan was disappointed about not winning the championship, he shouldn’t lose his composure on camera.

But despite these words, when the award ceremony began, Jin Zixuan’s eyes were still red.

Zhang Jue glanced at him. Fan Zhaoying, who took the bronze medal, almost thought Zhang Jue was going to comfort Jin Zixuan. However, Zhang Jue once again chose to ignore him completely.

In the eyes of the iron-willed Zhang Jue, just getting second place was not something to be overly upset about. He believed that harnessing this dissatisfaction could push an athlete to greater heights in the future, so it was better for Jin Zixuan to process his emotions on his own.

Zhang Jue stretched his leg and frowned slightly. Tsk, although he had planned for that fall, it still seemed to have some negative consequences. He wobbled slightly as he stepped onto the podium.

Fan Zhaoying quickly supported him, and Jin Zixuan also reached out, though not as fast as Fan Zhaoying. Zhang Jue smiled at them, using Fan Zhaoying’s support to get on the podium.

A male skating fan watching this scene clicked his tongue: “Truly the best. Even when he was injured and performed poorly, the judges still backed him. From today, I’m calling him ‘Emperor Jue’.”

A nearby girl, confused, asked: “The judges were unfair? I thought Zhang Jue skated much better than Jin Zixuan.”

The male fan, shaking his head smugly, replied: “You don’t get it, do you? It’s true that Emperor Jue’s performance score was high, but he fell on the highest-value jump at the start. Yet he still had a technical score three points higher than Jin Zixuan’s. The judges must have been pressing the calculator like crazy. Unfortunately, with Emperor Jue growing so much, he might not get past this growth spurt. In the end, Jin might be the one to carry this event forward.”

He then moved closer to the girl, trying to impress her. As a man, he couldn’t stand Zhang Jue’s pretty boy looks. He had managed to ask out this 17-year-old freshman, hoping to charm her by offering his jacket in the cold arena. But she had only been fixated on Zhang Jue. Women are so shallow, just caring about looks, he thought.

Little did he know, this 17-year-old freshman had been a devoted fan of Zhang Jue since high school. She was there to support her idol, and the guy’s constant closeness felt like harassment, making her physically uncomfortable.

Just then, an embroidered shoe hit the back of the guy’s head. A girl in a hanfu came over to pick it up, smiling apologetically.

“Oh dear, I heard a frog croaking here and got startled. My hand slipped, and the shoe flew out. Sorry about that.”

She then pushed the guy aside and said to the girl: “Some people, they just don’t know anything and make baseless accusations. Let me explain why Zhang Jue’s technical score was so high.”

She gestured: “In figure skating, there’s a rule that jumps performed in the second half of the program get a 1.1 multiplier. Did you notice that Zhang Jue placed all his jumps, including combinations, in the second half, while Jin Zixuan put his hardest single jumps and combinations in the first half?”

The girl nodded enthusiastically: “Yes! I know, that’s how Zhang Jue widened the base score gap, right?”

The hanfu girl nodded approvingly: “Exactly. Zhang Jue has always been a strategic master, the best at calculating scores in our country. In the December finals, he changed to a higher base jump structure on the spot and won silver. Experts analyzed all this on the Ice and Snow Forum.”

“Moreover, Zhang Jue delays his rotations and raises his arms, both of which increase the GOE for jumps. So, adding it all up, his high technical score is within the rules.”

The hanfu girl glanced contemptuously at the male fan: “Zhang Jue skates smart. Only those without brains can’t see it and spread false rumors, being both dumb and malicious.”

The 17-year-old girl nodded vigorously: “Yes, you’re right.”

With that, the two girls exchanged contact information, something the male fan had longed for but couldn’t achieve, and they joined the group of Zhang Jue’s supporters.

At the press conference afterward, Zhang Jue candidly admitted that his win was due to strategy.

He smiled slightly: “Because of my ankle injury, I knew my quadruple jumps might be unstable. Jin Zixuan and Fan Zhaoying are both very strong skaters. To beat them, I had to use my brains.”

Jin Zixuan, flattered, turned to look at him. Did Zhang Jue really think he was strong?

In reality, they were all from the same country and competed fairly. Zhang Jue despised Angus Joe, but he didn’t look down on his compatriots. After being scolded by his manager Brother many times in his past life, Zhang Jue knew that as long as his opponents had no moral issues, it was best to speak well of them to the media.

It wouldn’t necessarily make them friends, but it wouldn’t make enemies either.

Jin Zixuan, who admired and envied Zhang Jue’s global success, yet felt inferior for achieving so much less despite being three years older, couldn’t help but overanalyze Zhang Jue’s every reaction. This complicated mindset made him obsess over Zhang Jue’s every move like a drama heroine.

But now, Zhang Jue praised his opponents sincerely and methodically, making Jin Zixuan blush with happiness and a genuine, albeit foolish, smile.

Coach Qiao sighed, covering his face. Shen Liu patted his shoulder sympathetically.

He had thought Zhang Jue, the sly and clever crocodile, was hard to handle. But now he realized Jin Zixuan, so pure and naïve, was even harder.

Coach Qiao smiled bitterly: “Shen Liu, how do these boys developmentally? Zhang Jue is only 15 but acts like an adult. My kid is just full of silly ideas.”

He felt like he was raising a child who constantly caused him endless worry.

Shen Liu replied: “I don’t know how he turned out this way either.”

When Zhang Junbao was 18, he was always getting into fights and causing trouble. A typical scene at the provincial team was Zhang Qingyan receiving a call from Coach Song and coming over with a clothes rack to deal with her troublesome younger brother. As for Shen Liu, in his memory, at 18, he had just mastered the quadruple jump and became the new top skater of China. However, it was a dark time for him, marked by the stress that caused him to have diarrhea before every competition.

Although Zhang Jue wasn’t 18 yet, as long as he didn’t blurt out random things and straightforwardly said something that gave people headaches, he could handle the media. Shen Liu thought about it and concluded that Zhang Jue’s emotional intelligence was high.

In fact, he didn’t really know how high Zhang Jue’s emotional intelligence was, but he had no other explanation for it at the moment.

The real MVP, Bai Xiaozhen, sneezed.

Jin Zixuan was still very young, so it was understandable that he lacked a mature mindset. Zhang Jue’s composure under pressure was an exception.

With the conclusion of the National Championships, several posts appeared on the Ice and Snow Forum.

The first post was naturally from the Fish Fry Squad, a fan group, praising Zhang Jue’s increasingly handsome face and sharing various photos of him. The post eventually included a pre-sale link for Zhang Jue’s national competition poster.

The second post analyzed Zhang Jue’s strategy and tactics in the competition. Several experts posted Zhang Jue’s detailed score sheets and highlighted the brilliance of his jump composition, praising his intelligence.

The third post was opened by Zhang Jue’s haters, titled “Why does that damned croc look so handsome? I just called him a pretty boy, and my girlfriend broke up with me. Isn’t she supposed to be a mother fan? How could her maternal love be corrupted?”

This post took a bizarre turn. Initially, it garnered sympathy from many, but then it became a venting ground for Zhang Jue’s haters. Soon, Zhang Jue’s fans joined the battle, leading to a chaotic debate about who had the highest combat ability in men’s figure skating.

Straight guys loved to argue about combat abilities.

Although Zhang Jue had many skills, his health bar was small. With the additional debuff of developmental issues and injuries, many male fans believed that while Zhang Jue was impressive until his developmental and injury issues were resolved, his combat ability was probably less than two-thirds of his peak, making him a potential top-tier skater rather than a current one. Jin Zixuan, on the other hand, had the potential to reach the top tier due to his quadruple jumps.

Fans of Zhang Jue retorted: “Our little crocodile is the best!”

The two sides waged a fierce battle, causing a bloody storm on the forum. The admin had to swiftly lock more than a dozen posts to calm things down.

Meanwhile, a controversy also erupted among figure skating officials.

The debate centered on two main points:

First, Zhang Jue won the National Championships, so according to convention, he should have the slots for the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships in the latter half of the season. However, Zhang Junbao had already submitted documents stating that his ligament injury had recurred due to the National Championships. Thus, he hoped Zhang Jue would forgo the Four Continents to focus on healing. The question was whether they should let him rest or push him to compete.

Second, Zhang Jue’s developmental issues were severe, and his injuries were not minor. Although he won the National Championships, he failed to land a quadruple jump in the competition. With his declining performance, his ability to regain form for the World Championships was uncertain. Officials were divided.
One side argued that Zhang Jue should rest through the Four Continents but still compete in the World Championships. After all, Zhang Jue was the only skater who could reliably secure a top-ten finish and ensure two Winter Olympic spots for the team.

The other side suggested that Jin Zixuan should compete in all events for the latter half of the season. He had quadruple jumps and the ability to perform clean programs, as evidenced by his performance at the National Championships. Even Zhang Jue praised him in the press conference.

Surprisingly, Sun Qian supported the idea of Jin Zixuan competing throughout the season. He believed that even if Jin Zixuan only secured one spot at the World Championships, Zhang Jue’s injuries and developmental issues should be resolved by the following year, allowing him to compete at full strength in the Winter Olympics without risking his health prematurely.

The officials had their considerations. Sports, like war, involved athletes fighting not just for themselves but for national honor. Zhang Jue was a precious asset, but his fragile health required careful management.

After hours of discussion, Zhang Junbao received a text from Sun Qian: “The higher-ups agreed to let Zhang Jue skip the Four Continents and decide on the World Championships based on Jin Zixuan’s performance.”

Zhang Junbao looked at the phone screen with a wry smile.

At that moment, Zhang Jue, sitting in a wheelchair, exited the MRI room with Shen Liu pushing him.

They headed to see Dr. Chai.

Dr. Chai adjusted his glasses and, looking at the examination results, showed a troubled expression: “Your little friend here is really unlucky. The injury hasn’t healed yet, and he’s already back to training. The ligament needs a solid month of rest. Also, due to too many falls recently, he has acute myofascial inflammation on his left back. He needs physical therapy.”

Zhang Jue sighed: “In a month, I’ll need new skates again. These ones are already getting tight.”

This was one reason he couldn’t complete the quadruple jump at the National Championships—who could perform world-class jumps in ill-fitting skates? He wasn’t a miracle worker!

Given his sensitivity, where even ill-fitting socks bothered him, changing skates would likely pose another injury risk during the adjustment period.

Zhang Junbao ruffled his head: “Rest means rest. Ligaments can half an athlete’s life. I’d rather you give up this season than let you train injured.”

Zhang Jue lowered his head slightly, rubbing against his uncle’s warm hand, and softly replied: “Okay.”

“Then let’s go back.”

Then, the always-composed Zhang Jue made a statement that alarmed his coaches: “If I don’t get back to preparing for final exams, I won’t be able to get on the ice because my mom won’t let me.”

Zhang Junbao froze: Right… his sister had said that if Zhang Jue’s grades dropped, he’d have to stop training and attend remedial classes.

Shen Liu exclaimed in horror: “Oh no! I forgot to prepare Zhang Jue’s English exam review materials!”

Although Zhang Jue was smart, he wasn’t a natural top student. In their highly competitive school, any drop in his grades could plummet his ranking.

Zhang Junbao stammered: “C-calm down. I’ll get Young Qin’s high school math notes before we go. Dr. Chai, if there’s nothing else, we’ll take the kid home to study.”

Dr. Chai watched them hurry away and couldn’t help but remark to a nurse in the same office.

“Being an athlete nowadays isn’t easy. Look at Zhang Jue. He won medals in world-class competitions, yet he still had to worry about exams after the competition.”
In the winter, the streets of Northeast China were always swept by bone-chilling winds, while indoors with the heater on, it was extremely dry. Zhang Jue, embodying the spirit of “hanging one’s head and stabbing one’s thigh” for motivation, studied hard under the watchful eyes of his strict mother. He studied tirelessly alongside his rock-obsessed younger brother, Xu Dela, who neglected his studies due to his passion for rock music.

This was the most exhausting final exam period Zhang Jue had ever experienced. He didn’t need to attend training, but balancing his studies while tutoring his brother left him with dark circles under his eyes during the exams.

Oh, and he took the exams in a wheelchair. Before the exams started, his homeroom teacher praised Zhang Jue for his “perseverance despite physical difficulties,” encouraging classmates to learn from his spirit.

Zhang Jue thought: “Wait a minute, is ‘perseverance despite physical difficulties’ even used like this? Even if you’re a math teacher, you shouldn’t misuse idioms!”

He turned to his deskmate and asked: “I don’t think I’m disabled yet, right, Hou Tianfeng?”

To his surprise, his deskmate looked at him with a subtle expression and asked: “Actually, I’ve had a question for a long time.”

“Are you really Zhang Jue?”

Zhang Jue replied: “Huh?”

It was then he realized that even his classmates were not obligated to watch his competitions. Not everyone saw his changes, so when he entered the classroom in a wheelchair, many were looking at him with puzzled eyes, wondering who this familiar-looking guy was and why he was sitting in the class beauty’s seat.
“During the midterms, you ranked fifty-seventh in the grade. This time you ranked fifty-sixth, but your total score in the midterms was 649 points, and the finals were only 635 points…”

Zhang Qingyan looked through Zhang Jue’s report card, her brows relaxing: “I originally thought your grades would slip significantly, but you did well.”
Zhang Jue sat in the wheelchair nervously, thinking he had to give it his all in the exams. Otherwise, his mother would come at him with a clothes hanger, and it wouldn’t be easy to escape in a wheelchair.

He glanced at Xu Dela. The younger brother, who was in his first year of junior high, had ranked fifty-first in the grade during midterms but dropped to ninetieth in the finals. He was currently standing as punishment, holding two small dumbbells, with several band members with dyed blue, red, and purple hair standing behind him. The coffee table was covered with exam papers.

Zhang Jue sighed internally. He really tried to help Xu Dela with his studies, but the young boy was too distracted by practicing “Tonight There Are Stars” with his band, unlike Zhang Jue, who had a solid foundation from his previous life. The result was a poor performance in the exams.

Xu Dela attended the same middle school that Zhang Jue attended. Ranking in the top 100 was pretty good, but their mother never compared her children to others. She only looked at their progress over time, comparing their current performance to their past.

After reviewing her sons’ exam papers, their mother concluded: “Little Jue, rest well and train after you recover. In the meantime, attend vocal lessons. I paid for the classes, and you’ve already missed so many. Even if you focus on figure skating, you should finish the remaining 96 sessions.”

“Dela, attend the remedial classes. If you score over 600 points on the set of papers I’ll get from the teacher before the New Year, I’ll consider letting you return to the band.”

Xu Dela whimpered.

Next year, Cha Hanbuhua and Min Shan, who were entering the youth group, respectively ranked seventh and sixth in the National Championships. Their final exams went smoothly, creating a great atmosphere in the provincial team. Song Cheng even told the cafeteria staff to prepare more dumplings for the kids to take home for the New Year.

Regardless, because of his good grades, Zhang Jue could finally rest and have a good New Year.

On February 6, the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships officially opened in Osaka, Japan.

With three days left until New Year’s Eve, Zhang Jue lounged on the sofa with a chubby milk tea-colored hamster on his stomach, leisurely watching TV while munching on taro sticks.

He mumbled: “Vasily, Sergey, Ilya, Maquen, and Martin can only compete in the European Championships. There’s only one strong competitor, Hayato, in the Four Continents.”

As long as Jin Zixuan performed normally, he should at least make it to the podium, if not win.

“Considering how well he did at the National Championships, his condition this year seems good too, right, Saori?”

He stroked the soft fur of the hamster, Saori, who lazily lay on his abs, her round ears twitching.

 

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