Until the plane landed at the airport in the Tibetan region, Zhang Jue finally realized that he seemed to have been an unintentional troublemaker and a childhood bully.

However, while Zhang Jue’s nickname “Big Fatty” came from his love of eating, Jiang Xiuling’s nickname “Second Fatty” came from his easy-going nature and chubby figure. So, even though he had been tricked countless times as a child, he still continued to run after Zhang Jue.

In any case, Jiang Xiuling honestly admitted that playing with Big Fatty was fun, and every day was full of new surprises. So, Big Fatty was indeed his best friend from childhood.

Zhang Jue was moved: “Second Fatty!”

Jiang Xiuling pulled out a piece of winter melon candy: “Want some?”

Just as Zhang Jue was about to reach for it, someone patted him on the back. A passing cafeteria auntie smiled and said: “Zhang Jue, no sneaking candy!”

Zhang Jue: Failed again.

High-altitude training before the Olympics was never exclusive to China. According to the autobiographies of famous figure skaters, the legendary Russian pair skating duo who won two Olympic gold medals also trained at Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, before their first Winter Olympics in 1987, back when they were still competing for the Soviet Union.

Generally speaking, all skating federations strive to provide the best possible environment for their top athletes during the Olympic season. This includes elite coaches, top nutritionists, high-quality food, and more.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that many athletes experience the peak of their physical condition during their Olympic years, thanks to the support they receive. Some even push themselves with overtraining during this time to ensure they perform at their best in the Olympics.

Zhang Jue was no different. Every day, he trained hard for the Olympics, eating and exercising to build a stronger physique. In doing so, he felt like an animal being carefully fed and raised by a zookeeper.

It’s worth mentioning that the shoulders and back of a person typically get broader with age. That’s why many people try to slim down those areas during workouts to appear younger. Many male celebrities also maintain this slim, youthful look. Zhang Jue had done the same in his past life, eating salad every day to stay thin.

But as an athlete who needed strong muscles, especially in his legs Zhang Jue couldn’t neglect other areas either.

His abdominal, hip, and pelvic muscles, which make up his core, were crucial for stabilizing his jumps and enhancing his overall coordination. Strengthening his upper body also helped him tighten his torso during rotations, speeding up his spins.

Everything had to be trained—just to different degrees. However, a proper amount of muscle also made him look more toned and balanced.

Building muscle was already a thing of the past for Zhang Jue; his strength was now enough to support him in landing quadruple jumps. The coaching team had shifted focus to reducing his body fat.

From January until the start of the Olympics, Zhang Jue wasn’t allowed to eat sugar. His dairy intake was limited to one 180ml cup of low-fat milk per day, supplemented with protein powder and vitamins. His meals mainly consisted of boiled chicken breast, beef, small amounts of buckwheat noodles, whole-wheat bread, and purple sweet potatoes.

As for fats, he was only given the bare minimum required by the human body, and it was always olive oil. Salt intake was also kept low.

There was no pork or snacks. Barring any surprises, Zhang Jue might not have the chance to eat pork again until he retired.

Zhang Jue: I started my pork-free life even before the price surge.

Living life over again, even though he had successfully bought a house in Beijing and owned 10,000 bitcoins, he now spent his days eating bland, tasteless meals. As he ate, he felt like throwing up, constantly wondering what he was doing it all for.

Once his body fat dropped back below 10%, Zhang Jue’s physique looked even better.

When it came time to fine-tune his routines, Zhang Jue started obsessively digging into his emotions, analyzing every detail of the program just to make it more emotionally impactful.

For the short program of two and a half minutes and the free skate of four and a half minutes, Zhang Jue meticulously recorded every second of what movement he needed to do, what each move represented, and how to convey the right emotion—all in a notebook.

As Zhang Juebao said, this was similar to how actors write tens of thousands of words of character background before filming. Zhang Jue may not have written as much, but the effort he put into his two performances, totaling just seven minutes, was no less than what actors put into their roles.

At the training base, there was a large blackboard where a team leader would write “X days left until the Winter Olympics” every day, creating a sense of urgency for everyone.

After training for over half a month, Zhang Jue successfully landed his quadruple toe loop again and even managed to add the 4T+3T combination. He could even jump the quadruple with a raised arm, and his jump axis was more stable than ever.

One day before training, when Zhang Jue took off his jacket in the locker room, everyone glanced at him. It wasn’t that body fat in the single digits was rare—athletes were used to it—but Zhang Jue’s physique, which was both powerful and lean, stood out.

Jin Zixuan admired his arms: “Coach Zhang trained you well.”

Zhang Jue shrugged, his muscles rippling with his breath and movement. He put on a tight-fitting black short-sleeve athletic shirt over his vest, covering his defined abs, then layered on a long-sleeve athletic shirt, followed by a jacket.

He casually replied: “You’re not bad either.”

Jin Zixuan smiled shyly: “Although Auntie Ning’s food isn’t tasty, it’s effective. I’ve gained four pounds this month, but my body fat hasn’t increased. It’s the first time I’ve gained muscle so fast after all these years of training.”

There’s a common saying in fitness: 30% of your progress comes from training, 70% from diet. This shows how important nutrition is. Some NBA stars even spend millions each year on maintaining their bodies, sticking to low-sugar, low-carb diets for decades. The result? They continue to play at a high level even at 37.

The team leaders knew what they were doing. Even though Zhang Jue had grown 20 cm in six months, his nutritionist played a vital role in keeping him in top condition.

As expected, after the cafeteria auntie joined the training base in the Tibetan region, many athletes initially complained about the food. But combined with strict training and rest, the results quickly became apparent.

It was hard to imagine that Zhang Jue had been eating this bland food long before coming to the base. No wonder his physique was so strong—he had been doing quadruple jumps since he was 13, yet his injuries were far fewer than other athletes of his level.

Dong Xiaolong, who was plagued by injuries, looked enviously at Zhang Jue.

To monitor the athletes’ physical conditions, they underwent medical exams every day, including regular blood tests.

Those in the same discipline also participated in fitness training prepared by the coach, who timed and ranked them. Zhang Jue, with his long legs and explosive power, dominated both short and long-distance runs, often finishing first in 100m, 800m, and 10,000m races, just shy of elite track and field standards.

Not only was he excelling in figure skating, but his stats were good enough for track and field! Unlike figure skating, which produced results early, track and field athletes typically peaked after age 20. If Zhang Jue had switched sports earlier, he might have had a promising career there too.

Many coaches who saw Zhang Jue’s physical stats were filled with envy and couldn’t resist asking his uncle how he trained him.

Zhang Juebao said: “Uh, based on the child’s natural talents, we should tailor a training plan for them, as everyone’s situation is different.”

Zhang Jue was the type who gained weight easily, whether it was fat or muscle, so he had to be careful with his strength training. If he bulked up too much, it wouldn’t be good for his jumping.

After several days of tough training, Zhang Jue missed the Four Continents Championships again that year.

This year, the Four Continents was held at the Taipei Arena from January 20 to January 25. Although there was no time zone difference, Zhang Jue and his coaching team believed he was in the critical phase of preparing for the Olympics. Competing in the Four Continents wouldn’t help him, so he stayed back to continue training.

Jin Zixuan went to compete but was beaten again by Hayato Teraoka, returning with red eyes and a silver medal. Zhang Jue, who had never won a medal at the Four Continents, comforted him.

“It’s okay. Know your shame, and you’ll become braver. You lost this year, but you’ll win next year.”

Jin Zixuan responded: “…But I lost last year too.”

Zhang Jue looked at him with sympathy, which only made Jin Zixuan feel worse.

At that time, a gossip news story shocked the figure skating world, especially the popular ladies’ singles event—Daria, the acknowledged top Russian skater and favorite to win gold at the Sochi Winter Olympics, had developed anorexia due to excessive dieting.

Diet-related illnesses in the ladies’ singles event were not uncommon, but falling ill during the Olympic season was especially unlucky. Though Daria didn’t plan to withdraw from the Winter Olympics, hiring a doctor to stay by her side and continuing to train, the competition in the ladies’ singles became much more unpredictable.

A few days later, it was reported that Vasily’s old back injury had flared up again, and his junior Ilya sprained his ankle during training. Although the injury wasn’t severe, getting hurt so close to the Winter Olympics was unfortunate.

Suddenly, the winning chances of Boris, a prominent Russian figure skating coach, and his students dropped significantly. Meanwhile, Vadim, who had secured the third spot for the Sochi men’s singles, started gaining popularity.

In any case, a country could only send three athletes per event. In figure skating powerhouse Russia, the competition for these Olympic spots was fierce. Sergey, the second-best skater, injured his spine while practicing new jumps and had just undergone surgery two months prior, making him unable to compete in the Russian Nationals. As a result, Vadim benefited from this.

At the same time, Coach Sun gathered all the figure skating athletes in the conference room.

He said seriously: “The Winter Olympics added a new team event for figure skating this year. This is a first, and China has a chance to participate.”

Coach Sun then explained the rules of the team event.

“The team event is points-based. First, the men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pairs, and ice dance teams compete in the short program. Points are awarded based on rankings in the short program. The top five teams advance to the finals, where the teams will compete in the free skate. The team’s overall score will be based on their free skate rankings.”

In summary, it wasn’t about the points but about ranking higher than other countries to advance.

Coach Sun continued: “You’re all adults, so I won’t sugarcoat this. If this were a previous Winter Olympics, none of us, including the higher-ups, would expect much from the team event. After all, we only have one spot in each event, except for pairs.”

Countries that had two or three athletes per event had the advantage of switching competitors between the short program and free skate. This allowed them to better manage their schedules. Plus, the countries capable of sending multiple athletes were already quite strong.

But for China to enter the team event, one athlete might have to compete in the short program, free skate, and then go all out in the individual event as well. It would be too much pressure. Skating in the team event could lead to burnout, which might affect the individual event performance.

However, this year was different. China pairs and men’s singles had full quotas. Although the ice dance and ladies’ singles were a bit weaker, the athletes were still ranked within the world’s top 15, creating some room for strategic maneuvering.

Coach Sun coughed and said: “The higher-ups expect you to make it to the finals, meaning you should try your best during the short program to place in the top five. If you can make it to the podium, that would be even better. That way, even our ice dancers would make history.”

The ice dancers, who had never won an Olympic medal, were moved to tears.

Miyuan Yuan, the ladies’ singles skater, looked up at the sky, thinking that her only chance of winning an Olympic medal might be in the team event, where she could rely on her teammates. As for the individual event… better not to think about it.

Zhang Jue wasn’t too interested in the team event. All he knew was that he had to compete in an additional event besides the singles. Unexpectedly, Coach Sun called his name at that moment.

“Zhang Jue, you’ll be the team captain for the team event.”

Zhang Jue was stunned. He pointed to himself: “Me?”

Coach Sun nodded: “Yes, you.”

“Don’t worry, the responsibilities aren’t heavy. If the team ranks in the top five after the short program, you just need to finalize the list of free skate participants within ten minutes and submit it to the committee.”

Whether China made it to the finals depended on the athletes’ performance and their competitors’ mistakes. This was a bit of a gamble. But with Zhang Jue on the team, Coach Sun wasn’t expecting much luck in the team event. Making Zhang Jue the captain was purely because he had the best competition results, the highest international profile, the tallest stature, and the best looks—he was just there to look good.

After hearing Coach Sun’s explanation, Zhang Jue felt a bit down: “It sounds like I’m just here for show.”

Coach Sun replied: “Take out the word ‘sounds.’ You are just for show. You’re the best-looking one!”

Everyone burst into laughter, and the conference room was filled with joy.

And so, Zhang Jue became the captain of China figure skating team for the first-ever Olympic team event.

Then Coach Sun made an announcement: “The opening ceremony for the Sochi Winter Olympics is on February 7, but the first event of the team competition, the men’s short program, will be on February 6.”

“Kids, you need to leave for Sochi early.”

Coach Sun coughed and continued: “Now, Director Bai has a few words to say. Some of the discussions we planned to have on the way will be held now since the figure skating team needs to leave early.”

A man who seemed oddly familiar to Zhang Jue took the lead and began his lecture in a tone that sent shivers down the athletes’ spines.

Although the Olympics was known as a big gathering of athletes, with many fit young people, the athletes from China were expected to behave themselves. They were reminded to be mindful of their conduct.

It was fine to bring back souvenirs, like condoms from the Olympic Village, as keepsakes or gifts. But they absolutely must not engage in any inappropriate behavior. The younger athletes were instructed to listen to their coaches and not be led astray by any wild foreigners. The adults were told to set a good example for the younger ones.

Zhang Jue summarized Director Bai’s speech in his mind: If you misbehave, you’re doomed.

On February 3, 2014, just a few days after the Lunar New Year, Zhang Jue sat at Beijing Airport in the China team uniform, waiting to board a plane with his teammates. Passersby took pictures and excitedly pointed at them, saying: “These are the athletes going to the Olympics!”

China Olympic uniforms this year were bright red with yellow collars, making them look like tomatoes wrapped in eggs. It was cute and made their complexion look good. Zhang Jue, with his fair skin, looked even more radiant in the outfit.

It was said that because Zhang Jue was so handsome, he was almost selected to be the flag bearer for the delegation. However, since he had never participated in the Olympics before and lacked seniority, the job went to a veteran speed skater who happened to be Zhang Juebao’s friend.

Zhang Juebao, also looking radiant, sat next to him, holding a box of instant noodles. This was a tip from Shen Liu, who had told them that you couldn’t always find good or safe food while competing abroad. In fact, Japan’s Ajinomoto Company even set up support stations near the Olympic Village to provide safe and delicious meals for athletes.

As for China, experienced Olympians would bring instant noodles or other convenient meals. Some even had retired champions cooking for the current athletes, preparing snacks like cucumber salad and tomato-egg soup when they returned from competition.

It wasn’t just Zhang Juebao who brought food. Even Coach Lu had a bag of compressed biscuits, and half of Shen Liu’s backpack was filled with pickled mustard.

They were all in a good mood. Despite being older men, they were as excited as kids.

Shen Liu said: “I never expected that in my lifetime, I would have a second chance to go to the Olympics, and this time as a coach.”

Zhang Juebao slapped his thigh and said: “Exactly! A few years ago, I never thought I’d get to take students to the Olympics.”

Coach Lu, who rarely smiled, said with a grin: “Me too. I’ve been an athlete and a coach for so many years, but I’ve never been to the Olympics. Now, at over seventy years old, I’ve finally gotten an Olympic ticket.”

Listening to their conversation, a small smile crossed Zhang Jue’s face.

He suddenly recalled when he had first decided to compete in figure skating. He hadn’t been that passionate about it yet, he just wanted to take his uncle to a bigger stage and show the world his uncle’s talent as a coach.

Now, they were about to compete on the biggest stage, and Zhang Jue had become completely absorbed in figure skating.

Beep, beep. His phone rang—it was a video call.

On the screen, Qin Xuejun asked: “Are you about to board?”

Zhang Jue replied: “Almost. Are you not home right now?”

The grey-eyed young man answered: “I went back to my hometown in Northeast China for the New Year. Right now, I’m visiting your house.”

He turned and held up a small hamster: “Saori and I wish you good luck in Sochi.”

That soft, glossy fur, those shiny black eyes, and those twitching round ears—wasn’t that Zhang Jue’s beloved daughter, Saori?

Zhang Jue’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he was speechless.

Just as Qin Xuejun looked puzzled, Zhang Jue suddenly kissed the screen hard.

A soft, pink lip print appeared on the camera, looking tender and sweet, making Qin Xuejun’s heart inexplicably skip a beat.

Holding his phone, Zhang Jue’s face was full of longing, and his voice was filled with deep affection.

“Saori, Daddy misses you. Do you miss Daddy? Daddy’s going to Sochi for the Olympics. Wait for me to bring back a medal…”

It was strange. During training, Zhang Jue’s mind had been focused solely on improving himself. He thought he had gotten used to life without Saori. But just now, seeing that little fluffy figure, an overwhelming sense of longing instantly flooded his heart.

 

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