After arriving in Canada, Zhang Jue found himself frequently saying one particular phrase.

Usually, before saying this phrase, he would first see someone looking at him with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, then hear them hesitantly ask: “Excuse me, are you…?”

Then Zhang Jue would have no choice but to put his hands on his hips and make his signature move in a very dramatic way.

“It’s me! Crocodile!”

There was no other way. Compared to the name Zhang Jue, most foreigners called him Crocodile directly. So Zhang Jue could only say he was Crocodile, and then these people would suddenly realize that this handsome guy in front of them was an acquaintance.

“Oh, it’s you… wait, how did you get so big?”

This “Handsome, who are you?” “I’m Zhang Jue!” conversation happened many times. Zhang Jue finally had to admit that there were indeed a lot of people abroad who didn’t remember his name.

Honestly, did you guys really bind me and the word Crocodile together in your minds?

In the Grand Prix final, he was only 1.63 meters tall. Now, he was 1.74 meters tall. His weight had increased from 43 kilograms to 51 kilograms. His hair had been cut from waist-length to shoulder-length, with a middle parting. His face had become increasingly handsome and striking, and every time he went out, he would receive several notes from admirers. Zhang Jue was quite puzzled.

Had he really changed that much?

Hayato Teraoka and Illya, when asked, exchanged helpless glances and replied in English simultaneously: “Yes, your change is that significant.”

The transformation from the cutest figure in figure skating to the most handsome guy in figure skating was indeed a big change. If that wasn’t considered significant, they didn’t know what was.

Zhang Jue even understood Illya’s words at that moment.

At this point, Zhang Jue felt as sad as his uncle’s chest.

By the way, he reunited with Illya and Hayato Teraoka in the hotel lobby this time. Zhang Jue was sitting on the sofa doing his homework when the two of them walked in with their suitcases at a brisk pace. Zhang Jue saw them, and they saw him. They just paused briefly and continued walking.

If Zhang Jue hadn’t called out to them, they might have missed each other.

Before the World Championships began, many people were skeptical about whether Zhang Jue would participate. After all, if he had gone to the Four Continents and performed normally, the champion title would have been his. The only reason for him to give up such a guaranteed A-level event victory would be a severe injury.

Recovering from a severe injury was never easy, so everyone thought Zhang Jue probably hadn’t recovered enough to participate in the World Championships. But when the draw took place, he still showed up.

When the staff called “China Jue Zhang,” Zhang Jue walked onto the stage under the astonished gaze of everyone present.

At that moment, even if Illya couldn’t understand French, he just knew that Maquen in the front row pointed at Zhang Jue and said: “Is he Little Crocodile?”

Belgian number one David Bisoli was also shocked: “He’s so handsome…”

When they saw Zhang Jue’s face, those with sharp eyes realized this kid was bound to become an extraordinary beauty as he grew up. David was one of those sharp-eyed people, but he never expected that the elf-like kid would grow up not into an androgynous beauty, but into a clearly recognizable yet incredibly beautiful male beauty, making both gay and straight people feel overwhelmed.

David, who wasn’t quite straight himself, had already noticed several not-yet-out male skaters staring intently at Zhang Jue.

Zhang Jue still wore his fingerless gloves and had headphones around his neck. He went on stage with a big grin, casually touching his head.

He was the second to perform in the final group.

Wait, what position?

Zhang Jue held the number 2 ball with his mouth agape, while Illya, Shiratsuka Keiko, and Choi Jung-soo got excited in the audience.

It was a miracle!

Zhang Junbao leaned back: “Are the gods from all countries cooperating today?”

As Zhang Jue stepped down the stage, he high-fived people along the way. Occasionally, someone would stand up and shout: “Give me five!”

Keiko didn’t say “Give me five!” Instead, she stretched out her hand and shouted: “Tama-chan, hey~”

Zhang Jue high-fived her and replied cheerfully: “Hey~”

Even though the competition hadn’t started yet, the atmosphere was already as festive as if Zhang Jue had won an award. This was quite amusing, causing many veterans to smile.

Even though he no longer had the appearance of the cutest skater, Zhang Jue still seemed very popular.

The staff filming couldn’t help but shake their heads and smile: “It’s hard to say if Little Crocodile is the leader of the younger generation, but he is definitely the best at attracting fans among them.”

Glancing around, he confidently added: “If he wants, many people would accept his invitation.”

Many people at the scene had a high degree of goodwill towards Zhang Jue. If he were to seriously pursue someone, there would be no one he couldn’t win over.

However, it seemed that this 15-year-old, who had just grown into a young man, wasn’t interested in romance yet.

Zhang Jue could confidently say that he came to the World Championships to win.

Seeing his height, everyone knew that his jump stability was destroyed this season. Zhang Jue admitted it himself. In fact, for excellent skaters, their body axis from takeoff to landing was stable and unchanged. Zhang Jue’s jumping axis was now off by several degrees from takeoff to landing.

But he could still land.

Disregarding his knee health, Zhang Jue could use his extraordinary coordination to forcefully twist his body into a stable landing position at the moment of landing.

No matter how skewed the axis was, as long as the jump was successful, it was enough.

This was Zhang Jue’s approach. He ignored his uncle’s advice and used his self-created landing method to win the domestic test event, planning to use the same method to compete in the World Championships.

Zhang Junbao didn’t scold him but looked at him with a mixture of understanding and heartache, then silently handled the logistics.

They were all athletes. How could they not understand each other? Zhang Junbao was the same in his younger days.

Song Cheng, standing by the rink, teased: “Now you know how I felt as your coach, right?”

Zhang Junbao sighed: “Heaven’s justice prevails, it’s just a matter of time.”

How he troubled Coach Song back then, now Zhang Jue was returning the favor in spades, causing Shen Liu and Coach Song to worry together, and Coach Sun couldn’t escape either.

Shen Liu sighed: “With Zhang Jue’s temperament, no coach can handle him. Since coaching him, I’ve lost hair and spent thousands on hair growth products. I wonder who can manage him.”

Balding Song Cheng felt that this brat was implying something about him.

After the synchronized practice, Zhang Jue sat on the bench with ice on his knees and then went out for a stroll.

Zhang Junbao called after him: “Remember to come back early! Don’t wander off! If you get lost, call the police!”

Zhang Jue waved without looking back.

Possibly out of habit since childhood, Zhang Jue preferred taking the stairs over the elevator as long as it wasn’t higher than the third floor.

He naturally hated cramped spaces.

In the stairwell, Zhang Jue bumped into a blonde little girl who, based on her age, could not possibly be a staff member for the event. Moreover, it was the time for the men’s singles practice, so the women’s singles skaters were either resting in the hotel or out shopping.

He crouched down and asked: “Are you an athlete competing in the event?”

The little girl hesitated for a moment and then timidly shook her head: “I, I came to find Maquen. Is he here?”

Zhang Jue replied: “His practice ended 30 minutes ago.”

He had left the venue with a lady he had just hooked up with after the practice ended.

Ah, this must be what nightlife in Europe and America was like… Wait, it was still afternoon, what kind of nightlife had Maquen experienced?

The little girl looked very disappointed, but in less than two seconds, she returned to her usual carefree expression: “I twisted my ankle. Can you help me get my friend in here?”

Zhang Jue asked: “Can your friend carry or support you?”

Unable to carry or support her, the little girl realized with regret that her friend was a frail girl.

Zhang Jue helplessly squatted in front of her: “Get on. I’ll carry you down.”

It was a matter of convenience. As a man, he couldn’t just leave a girl there. But calling someone to come and scold her seemed a bit excessive. Zhang Jue carried her downstairs, had her call her friend to pick her up, and was about to leave.

Unexpectedly, the girl called out to him.

“Hey, wait a moment. Could you sign something for me?”

She pulled out a notebook from her backpack and handed it to him, saying earnestly: “I’ll cheer for you during the competition too. What’s your name? Which country are you from?”

Such fan behavior was actually quite endearing. It showed that the girl was not a toxic fan, she sincerely loved the sport and was willing to support the athletes who worked hard for it.

But Little Crocodile wasn’t an unknown in men’s figure skating, was he? Zhang Jue realized again how significant his change must be to others, especially to Europeans and Americans who might have face blindness when it came to Asians.

He wrote “Wishing you health and happiness” in English in the notebook.

“No need to cheer for me. I’ve been in poor form recently, and if I mess up, it will disappoint a lot of people. Also, don’t sneak into the venue again. If others find out, they’ll just say Maquen’s fans lack manners, which would only bring negative attention to your idol, you know?”

He gave her a kind reminder. The girl pouted, and Zhang Jue turned his gaze away, standing with his hands behind his back. He only relaxed when the girl’s friend, a Latina with black curly hair, came to pick her up. Zhang Jue then turned and walked away, only to bump into David Bisoli.

David was still the same brown-haired, freckled guy, sitting on a bench with his legs crossed, propping his chin on one hand and looking at Zhang Jue with a smile. He had no idea how long David had been watching.

Zhang Jue glanced around, walked over, and awkwardly greeted: “Hi, good morning.”

“Good morning.”

David showed a curious expression: “You’re very nice to girls. That girl is very pretty. If you asked her for her phone number, she would definitely give it to you.”

Zhang Jue quickly shook his head and denied: “I didn’t help her because she’s pretty, and I would never ask her for her phone number.”

“Why not?” David seemed very interested and eagerly asked: “You’re a great guy, and that girl looked about your age. Your romance would fit perfectly with the Romeo and Juliet Act, there’s no legal issue.”

No, there was an issue. Zhang Jue thought to himself.

Even though he was young in appearance, Zhang Jue was very aware of his actual age. He wouldn’t take advantage of looking young to pursue a minor girl. Using his mature experience to deceive an innocent girl was disgraceful to him and against his own conscience. He had long prepared himself to avoid dating before his sophomore year.

He adhered to the law and his principles. A good man shouldn’t make advances towards a young girl, let alone one who looked like a middle school student. Even if she were a high school student, Zhang Jue resolutely had no such thoughts.

Then David asked again: “Or do you prefer boys?”

Zhang Jue was taken aback and quickly denied: “I’m not interested in boys either. Why would you think that?”

David stood up and moved closer to Zhang Jue.

His eyes had a honey-like sheen, but after a while, they always had a deep, enigmatic quality: “Whether you realize it or not, Jue, you are very attractive to men.”

After David said this, he left, leaving Zhang Jue standing there, feeling the winter wind, cold and damp, as if under a magical attack, with a chilling sense that seemed to seep into his bones.

He shivered and felt very puzzled.

“Is it strange for a handsome man like me to attract other men? I knew this in my past life. I’ve even dealt with sleazy rich kids who tried to pull tricks on me.”

What exactly was this person here for?

David was gay, so out of curiosity, he wanted to test if Zhang Jue was the same.

“But he was even straighter than my great-grandmother’s table leg.”

David, with his hands in his pockets, couldn’t help but wonder: “But he was so gentlemanly and polite to women. If he were a boy of this age, no matter how polite, he would be curious about the female body, right?”

But Zhang Jue? When he carried a girl, he used his wrist to support her thigh instead of his palm. When fans called out their affection for him, he never hugged or kissed minors, the opposite sex, or children. He maintained a respectful distance even with friends like Zhuang, Qingyan, and Meijing, which meant that even if those girls had feelings for him, they never thought about further development.

Zhang Jue had a strong sense of propriety when interacting with the opposite sex. In David’s view, this wasn’t just a facade but a result of his upbringing, good enough to make many parents seek advice.

It seemed that Zhang Jue was most likely the latter.

Good upbringing was indeed a form of charm, but it was a pity that he was a minor and straight.

David felt a deep sense of regret.

 

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