After the flag-raising ceremony ended, suddenly, a group of people rushed over to take pictures with Zhang Jue.

It was only then that Zhang Jue realized he had made quite a lot of friends in figure skating. His teammates from the same country aside, there were also plenty from other countries.

Among the men’s singles skaters, there was Maquen, who won the bronze medal; David, who came in fourth; Ilya, in fifth; Hayato Teraoka, in sixth, Kharhasha, in sixteenth; and Choi Jung-soo, in seventeenth. In fact, from first to the twenty-fourth, Zhang Jue realized he knew everyone who made it into the free skate.

Moreover, all of them spoke English with different accents. Zhang Jue had only a 5 in foreign language skills, so when surrounded by various accents, he quickly started to feel confused.

Some spoke with trilled R’s, others with Japanese-style English where R was pronounced as L, and there were other flavors of English mixed in. He couldn’t make sense of any of it.

When you can’t understand, just smile.

Zhang Jue couldn’t remember how many people he had taken photos with or how many times he smiled. All he knew was that his face was getting stiff from all the grinning.

Due to his immense popularity, Shen Liu, standing on the outskirts of the crowd, couldn’t make his way in. Zhang Junbao stayed by his nephew’s side, but even he was popular, getting pulled away for photos by other coaches. Soon, Coach Lu and Shen Liu weren’t spared either, as Boris dragged them in for a group shot.

In the end, Liu Mengcheng carried Zhang Jue, while Yin Meijing held up a selfie stick and smiled brightly.

“Smile!”

Everyone smiled together.

Zhang Jue thought to himself, I never expected that a few years after Liu Mengcheng grew into a tall guy at 186 cm, he would slowly grow another 2 cm to 188 cm.

As a singles skater needing to maintain weight control, Zhang Jue couldn’t bulk up past 70 kg, lest it hinder his ability to land quadruple jumps. So there was no way he could lift Liu Mengcheng.

He could only let himself be lifted by this guy.

When Liu Mengcheng finally put him down, Zhang Jue’s feet slipped again, causing him to stumble forward. Liu Mengcheng caught him, and Zhang Jue’s hand brushed against the pocket of his jacket.

Huh, what was that boxy thing in his pocket?

A bit dazed, Zhang Jue looked up, and Liu Mengcheng quickly signaled him to keep quiet with a “shush” gesture.

Zhang Jue understood instantly, responding with a knowing look.

With the competition finally over, Zhang Jue felt a sense of relief.

He slung his bag over his shoulder, rubbing his temples as he slowly walked away with the coaching team. As they passed the Russian team’s area, Boris called out to him.

“Little Crocodile.”

Zhang Jue stopped in his tracks and turned around, only to see the Russian figure skating head coach looking at him with a complicated expression.

“Thank you.”

Sun Qian stepped forward, interjecting: “There’s nothing to thank. We didn’t succeed with our appeal this time, but it will only happen once. This kind of thing won’t happen again in the future!”

On the bus, Zhang Jue leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. Zhang Junbao moved aside to let Sun Qian sit next to him.

The old coach sighed: “When I saw those scores, I was really afraid you would lose your temper. The scores were infuriating, but it was good you kept your emotions in check.”

Their behavior abroad would indirectly affect the international image of their country. So even if their opponents acted unfairly, they had to maintain composure and dignity. Athletes should focus on competing and avoid causing trouble. If faced with injustice, they couldn’t lose their temper but had to let the higher-ups handle the situation.

This was a tough expectation for passionate young athletes, but Zhang Jue had handled it well. In this scoring scandal, he was the most composed one. Sun Qian felt bad for him and wanted to comfort him.

Zhang Jue covered his eyes and said: “I haven’t given up.”

“What?”

“In the future, I won’t let anyone have the chance to rob me of my gold medal again.”

Zhang Jue lowered his hand, his face showing no trace of a smile.

“I will become so strong that I can shatter any unfairness, whether it’s score suppression or other tactics. I won’t let the gold slip away from me again.”

Sun Qian was taken aback for a moment, but then he felt a sense of relief: “So you’ve been holding onto this fire inside.”

Zhang Jue glanced at him, puzzled.

What’s so surprising? How could anyone not feel anger in such a situation?

He had just learned how to stay calm in the face of injustice and understood that getting angry wouldn’t help. Instead, he silently gathered strength, waiting for the right moment to break through the unfairness.

Zhang Junbao reached out, and Shen Liu silently handed him a hundred yuan, mumbling: “Something doesn’t feel right. He acted so well, I thought he was okay with Vasily winning.”

His uncle chuckled: “He respects Vasily. Respect and winning are two different things. You have no idea. When he saw those scores, if his mother had seen his expression, she’d have known immediately that he wanted to beat up the judges. He just held back.”

Zhang Junbao knew his own kid’s personality well. Zhang Jue’s extreme competitiveness meant he would never willingly accept defeat.

But somewhere along the line, Zhang Jue had developed a rational side to his personality. It made him refuse to let any emotion linger for too long. He allowed himself to be sad, but when that time was over, Zhang Jue would move on and start thinking about how to change the situation.

The boy’s answer was absolute strength. Zhang Junbao guessed that once they got home, his son would probably ask for more training.

Shen Liu couldn’t help but chuckle: “So, by your logic, he’s actually quite considerate. Even when he’s angry enough to want to hit someone, he manages to control his emotions so no one gets embarrassed.”

Coach Lu suddenly spoke up: “That’s because he sees things clearly.”

People who could remain calm in awful situations, keeping both themselves and those around them composed, had often been through tough experiences. They had faced many challenges, which gave them such clarity.

Coach Lu had seen people like this before, but they were usually much older. Seeing such maturity in someone as young as Zhang Jue seemed incredible to him.

The plump coach threw a piece of chocolate forward, which Zhang Jue caught mid-air and started eating.

Coach Lu sighed quietly to Shen Liu and Zhang Junbao: “He wasn’t like this as a kid. I haven’t seen him in a few years, and I never expected him to change so much. To be honest, when I saw the scores, I kind of wished he still had that temper from when he was younger. It wouldn’t have been bad if he’d just blown up right there. After all, there are people to back him up.”

It seemed to him that Zhang Jue had grown too rational, to the point where he could suppress his emotions and accept injustice for the sake of the bigger picture. For someone so young, this maturity felt almost too much.

He had so many people who loved and cared for him; he could have been more reckless.

After all, people who are naturally wise only exist in legends. Traits like patience, rationality, self-restraint, and consideration often come from the scars left by a harsh world.

When they returned to the Olympic Village, away from the watchful eyes of the coaches, Zhang Jue pulled out his silver medal from his bag and casually tossed it onto the table. He then threw himself onto the bed and closed his eyes.

After a while, the theme song of Piggy Hero rang out in the room. Zhang Jue picked up his phone.

“Hello?”

“Guess you’re not in a good mood right now?”

Zhang Jue turned over and lay on his stomach, grumbling: “Not only is my mood bad, my legs and feet aren’t doing well either. After the group and individual competitions, I’m exhausted.”

Qin Xuejun: “How about I give you a foot massage when you get back?”

A PhD in medicine from a top university offering a foot massage? That would be a treat for both the body and mind!

Zhang Jue politely declined: “Oh, I couldn’t possibly.”

Qin Xuejun: “Do you want it or not?”

Zhang Jue: “I do!”

He hesitated for a moment and lowered his gaze: “Thank you for calling just to comfort me.”

Qin Xuejun was flipping through a book, a slight smile on her lips.

“Well, you’re the father of my child. Want to see a picture of her?”

Zhang Jue: “Of course, of course!”

…

Although he only won a silver medal, Vasily posted on Twitter that night, instantly giving Zhang Jue the title of “Uncrowned King.” Suddenly, Zhang Jue, who had always thought of himself as a small fry in a niche sport, found that no matter where he went, people could recognize him as the “Little Crocodile from China.”

Still, no one could correctly pronounce his name. Everyone just called him “Crocodile,” likely because of that group photo Vasily posted on Twitter, where Zhang Jue was wearing a crocodile onesie.

It was around this time that the China Ice and Snow Center discovered that besides the Winter Olympics’ pre-sale for his free skate, Zhang Jue’s best-selling poster was from his youth — the one where he’s in a crocodile onesie, particularly a version where he’s puffing out his belly. That poster had already been reprinted 15 times, and fans were still clamoring for more on the official website.

Director Bai Suqing was utterly confused by this. Sure, Zhang Jue had been super cute as a kid, but wasn’t everyone into pretty boys these days? How could that little crocodile, puffing out his belly, outsell the top-selling “April Spring God”?

Even the sales of Piggy Knight hats had multiplied, simply because it was the mascot of their team… none of it made any sense.

As for other top-selling items, they included all sorts of funny “blackmail” material from Zhang Jue’s childhood, and some famous moments from his “revenge tour” as he grew up.

Bai Xiaozhen, who had recently started working as an agent at Fengming Company thanks to her father’s connections, glanced at her father’s work files and sighed from the bottom of her heart: “Dad, this Zhang Jue is a big money tree for China figure skating. You have to nurture him well.”

Not only was he good-looking, but he also had the skills of a world champion. He was a top student at H City’s Third High School, and it seemed that wherever he went, he was very popular. His emotional intelligence must be high, too, and as an athlete, he had an edge in the public eye compared to celebrities from the entertainment industry.

Bai Xiaozhen believed that if given the right resources, Zhang Jue could become the next top star in less than a year. Unfortunately, looking at his current achievements, if she dared to compete with the national team for him, her father would be the first to knock her out with a pot.

The men’s singles free skate ended on the 15th, and on the 16th, the ice dance competition officially began.

At this point, Zhang Jue had no more events to compete in. All he had to do was stay in his room and do his homework, and when his teammates competed, sit in the audience and wave his little red flag.

Mei Chunguo and Hua Taishi’s ice dance skills were ranked second in Asia, just behind the Kazakhtan duo known as “Dreams Come True.” However, on the global stage, they could barely rank in the top fifteen, and cracking the top ten was difficult, let alone competing for the podium.

Unlike the men’s singles, which was a battle between two kings, and the pairs skating, which was a three-way competition, this year’s ice dance event was jokingly referred to by China ice fans as “Another Nagano Remake.”

In the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, four top-tier ice dance pairs competed, each delivering a classic performance. The level of competition was so intense that it’s still a hot topic among ice skating fans. Just before the men’s singles free skate at Sochi, people were saying it would be another fierce showdown like Nagano.

But then both Ilia and Hayato Teraoka fell on the slippery ice, and among the new generation of skaters, only Zhang Jue performed steadily. Thus, the competition became a battle between the old and new kings.

In Sochi’s ice dance event, the favorites were naturally the Russian home team. Second were the Vancouver Olympic champions, the famous Canadian duo Stephanie and Julien, who were known for their romantic performances. Third were the American veterans, who had been on a roll this year, followed by the youngest pair, the Kazakhtan “Dreams Come True” team.

Zhang Jue understood ice dance, as Coach Lu’s skating drills had always pushed him to “aim for the standards of top ice dancers.” So, he often trained with the ice dance pairs from his team.

He was particularly envious of one aspect of ice dance: they could use music with vocals during competitions, while the other figure skating categories, including men’s singles, still couldn’t.

Zhang Jue: “Musicals, rock, pop—only they can skate to it. Hmph!”

The ice dance competition lasted three days, from the 16th to the 18th, with the champions decided on the 18th.

The fierce competition was exciting to watch, and Zhang Jue thoroughly enjoyed the event.

But Zhang Jue wasn’t just there to cheer for his teammates; he was also waiting to see when Liu Mengcheng would make his move. After finding that box, Zhang Jue knew it would be a moment to remember.

Zhang Youbai: “If I miss this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Kids’ Mom: “Why are you so sure Liu Mengcheng will act now?”

Zhang Youbai: “Because Meijing has already reached the legal marriage age! And really, what better place for an athlete to propose than at the Winter Olympics? This is their sacred ground! If I ever propose to someone, even if I’m retired, I’m dragging them to an Olympic venue. Oh, Meijing and Mengcheng are about to go on, chat later!”

Kids’ Mom: “Go ahead~ (￣︶￣) “*

Zhang Jue could tell that Meijing and Mengcheng had reached a peak in both their program and technique this year. Their choreography was full of clever elements, including a lift where Meijing, at 1.7 meters, lifted Mengcheng, who was 18 cm taller, while continuing to skate.

Their long limbs and beautiful faces were a win in themselves, but the American ice dance pair was on fire this year. Their program: “Arabian Nights,” was so brilliantly choreographed and performed that it exceeded everyone’s expectations—even their own fans were stunned.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” was an outstanding program, but “Arabian Nights” was a masterpiece. It was like Meijing and Mengcheng brought two great swords to the competition, only to face a cannon from the Americans. So, despite being the fan favorites, the young Kazakhtan pair had to settle for second place, with the Russian team taking third.

During the award ceremony, Liu Mengcheng looked visibly anxious, glancing around, his hand sometimes in his pocket, sometimes around Yin Meijing.

Zhang Jue was getting anxious just watching. Not far away, a reporter from China held up a bird-shaped microphone, filming the scene. Sitting next to Zhang Jue, Cui Zhengshu muttered: “Why hasn’t he acted yet? I’ve been waiting forever!”

The Kazakhtan coach Ayala, watching from the sidelines, clenched her fists, eager to see what would happen next. It seemed if Liu Mengcheng didn’t make a move soon, she might go over and kick him.

“Go on! Don’t chicken out!”

Kharhasha swallowed nervously, quietly cheering on his teammate: “Mengcheng, you can do it!”

It wasn’t just the fans who shipped the ambiguous pairs in ice dance and pairs skating—there were plenty of people within the figure skating world rooting for these couples too. And unlike the fleeting relationships that faded after retirement, the “Dreams Come True” ship seemed ready to sail into the sunset. How could CP fans not be excited?

Finally, after the silver medal was placed around Liu Mengcheng’s neck, he clutched it, took a deep breath, and jumped off the podium, turning around to kneel on one knee.

He pulled out a small, square box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a sparkling diamond ring on a velvet cushion.

Meijing immediately covered her mouth to stifle a scream before leaping into Liu Mengcheng’s arms.

“Finally, you did it!”

Zhang Jue, holding a bouquet of roses and lilies, jumped up and rushed down from the stands.

Guan Lin was waiting at the entrance, reaching out and shouting: “Give it to me! I’ve got a strong arm! I throw accurately!”

So the roses ended up in the hands of China’s top pairs skater, Guan Lin. With a low shout, he threw them over.

They hit Liu Mengcheng’s head just as he was about to kiss his girlfriend.

Amid the laughter of the crowd, Meijing picked up the bouquet, held it beside her and Liu Mengcheng’s faces, looked up, and stood on her tiptoes.

 

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