“We lost.”

“Yeah, if she hadn’t made a mistake in her short program, she could have won this time. After all, she has such a big advantage in both technique and stamina. She had a chance to become the second Asian woman to win an Olympic gold in singles, but in the short program, her second jump in the 3Lz+3Lo combo turned into a 2Lo. What’s the point of having a clean free skate after that?”

“For an Asian athlete, winning silver isn’t bad at all. The judges obviously wanted to push their own skater. The guy in men’s singles who skated clean also ended up as the ‘uncrowned king,’ didn’t he?”

Keiko sat in the kiss and cry, her head lowered, and her tears dripped one by one onto her skirt. Coach Mori Kazumi, who had first mentored Maki and then brought Keiko to the Olympic stage, put her arms around her student.

“Keiko, don’t be sad. Climbing from seventh after the short program to win the silver is already the best possible outcome.”

Shiratsuka Keiko was silent for a few seconds, then she wiped her eyes, lifted her head, and forced a smile. She hugged Coach Mori.

“Sister Kazumi, thank you for bringing me here. You’ve really put up with a lot because of me all this time. Please continue to look after me in the future too.”

The young girl’s eyes were filled with determination: “I’ll keep working hard for the next Winter Olympics!”

Seeing her smile, Maki, who was sitting in the audience wrapped in a scarf and mask, finally let out a sigh of relief.

“You seemed really worried about her, but she’s pretty tough. You can relax.”

Maki jumped, startled, and turned around to find a strange figure sitting behind her. The person wore a red wool hat, a green military coat with the collar pulled up to cover the lower half of his face. Yet even in such unfashionable clothing, his striking handsomeness couldn’t be hidden.

Maki clutched her chest and caught her breath: “You scared me! When did you sit down here?”

Zhang Jue, looking helpless, replied: “I’ve been sitting here since the women’s singles competition started. We’ve been in front and back seats for three days now, and you didn’t even notice?”

Maki pointed across the arena: “But during the ice dance competition, I saw you sitting over there! I even saw you run down to throw flowers to Meijing and the others!”

Zhang Jue explained: “First of all, I need to correct you. Guan Lin was the one who threw the flowers. Secondly, sitting over there makes it too easy to get surrounded by fans, so I switched seats.”

Choi Jung-soo, sitting nearby, raised his hand: “I got the tickets through Salun.”

Maki jumped again: “You’re here too?”

Choi Jung-soo sighed: “…Yes.”

The three young people exchanged glances and eventually decided to go out for a meal. Maki took them to a restaurant next to her hotel and handed the menu to Zhang Jue.

“You order. The food here is pretty good.”

Zhang Jue sniffed the air: “Has this place been renovated recently? The smell is really strong.”

Maki nodded absentmindedly, and Zhang Jue immediately pulled both her and Choi Jung-soo up, saying they should switch restaurants.

“You should be more careful. Environments that have just been renovated have high benzene levels, and if you get chronic benzene poisoning, it’ll affect your blood system. As a former leukemia patient, you really need to watch out.”

Zhang Jue lectured Maki a bit and took her to another restaurant. He ordered dishes made from mushrooms, vegetables, and seafood—ingredients suitable not only for active athletes like himself and Choi Jung-soo, but also rich in anti-cancer properties, vitamins, and sodium alginate, which helps eliminate radioactive strontium from the body. Since Maki had undergone radiation therapy, these foods were good for her too.

Having taken care of a cancer patient in his past life, Zhang Jue had quite a bit of experience in this area.

He didn’t specifically mention that the dishes he ordered were chosen with Maki’s health in mind, but since her family had always taken care of her this way, she naturally understood his intentions.

Resting her chin in her hands, she smiled sweetly: “By the way, with the women’s singles event over, the Sochi cycle of figure skating has ended. The PyeongChang cycle is about to begin. As far as I know, men’s singles skaters peak between 18 and 23, so your peak will come during this next cycle.”

She nodded, thoughtfully. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics had ended, and the four years leading up to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics marked the beginning of the PyeongChang cycle.

Zhang Jue looked puzzled: “Yeah, I feel like my technique is improving, and my body is getting stronger as I grow. So what?”

“I’m just saying, I’m really looking forward to seeing how you perform. Even though people online are calling you the uncrowned king of this Olympics, you’re planning to shed that title by the next Winter Olympics, right?”

Maki smiled, her eyes curving: “Tama-chan, Hayato and Ilya will also be in their prime during the PyeongChang cycle. Even if you become the champion in Sochi, you can’t afford to slack off.”

Competitive sports are always evolving, and new, stronger athletes will constantly emerge. Among Zhang Jue’s juniors were Norway’s Alan Helge, Canada’s Carlson, America’s Arthur Cohen, and Kazakhstan’s Kharhasha. Among his peers, there were still Hayato and Ilya.

As Zhang Jue’s friend, Maiko wanted to remind him not to be complacent. He needed to keep pushing forward. And if it was this “little crocodile,” Maiko believed he would create more legendary performances in figure skating. As a former figure skater and a fan of the sport, she truly looked forward to seeing Zhang Jue bring more surprises to the ice.

Zhang Jue rolled his eyes: “Don’t worry, I won’t underestimate anyone. Once Sochi is over, I’ll ask my coach for a new training plan. Now eat! Aren’t you hungry?”

Maiko: True, this little crocodile is always so thorough. He’s probably already started thinking about how to prepare for the next Winter Olympics, even before I reminded him.

She picked up her fork and speared a baked mushroom, popping it into her mouth, only to grimace.

Ugh, she still hated the taste of mushrooms! But with the little crocodile across from her eating with such relish, her appetite, which had decreased since her battle with cancer, returned, and she finished everything except the mushrooms.

The next day, while Zhang Jue was busy studying, the event committee staff came to visit.

“What? You want me to be the lead soloist for the group skate?”

Zhang Jue pointed at himself: “Can’t Ilya or Daria do it?”

The official looked a bit awkward: “Safchenko didn’t win a medal, so even though he’s the host country’s skater, he can’t take on certain roles for now. Serdyakov’s leg injury is too severe, so he’ll only be able to stand on the ice and say a few words. He’ll go back to Moscow for surgery right after the closing ceremony.”

“As for Daria, her anorexia has left her mentally drained. Ever since winning the women’s singles title, she’s been listless, and just getting her to rehearse for the exhibition skate has been a challenge.”

They had tried approaching Ilya, but the guy said he wouldn’t have the face to lead the performance without a medal, and he absolutely refused to cooperate. Vadim wasn’t really up to it either, and as for the champion, Vasily, his injury was too severe for him to skate. So the male lead for the exhibition skate on the 23rd had to be Zhang Jue, the silver medalist.

This had been suggested by old Mr. Boris.

“Since Vasily definitely can’t do it, and if you’re not willing to let the little crocodile lead, are you planning to let Maquen do it?”

Maquen was Vasily’s fierce rival, and every time he competed in Russia, the crowd booed him. If he were really asked to lead the dance, the staff would be the first to protest.

So, they had no choice but to come to Zhang Jue.

Zhang Jue sighed and closed his homework: “Got it.”

He was already supposed to participate in the rehearsal, and now he had to be the lead dancer. It seemed like there was no way he could continue peacefully working on his assignments.

On February 23, the figure skating exhibition at the Sochi Winter Olympics officially began.

The top six athletes from each of the four figure skating events were invited to participate. All they had to do was perform the exhibition programs they had prepared and then join in the group dance at the end.

The exhibition was divided into two halves, each lasting 50 minutes. Zhang Jue was scheduled for the second half.

Although he had only competed in the latter half of the season, Zhang Jue still carefully choreographed a new program. The music for his exhibition skate was from the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice, and this was the first time the program had been performed.

Whether by coincidence or intention, Zhang Jue’s placement in the lineup and the attention he received from the audience were almost on par with the champion.

Sun Qian couldn’t help but sigh: “This kid… except for the lack of a gold medal, everything else about him feels like he’s the champion.”

Zhang Junbao straightened Zhang Jue’s stray hairs: “Alright, enjoy the performance. Go ahead.”

Zhang Jue hugged him and then turned toward the ice.

The young man wore a long-sleeved silk shirt in white, with slightly wide sleeves that puffed gently as he skated, then naturally draped down when he stopped at the center of the rink.

Though the costume seemed to be just plain white, the design, cut, fabric, and intricate details like tiny crystals and beads all hinted at its considerable cost.

Standing still on the ice, Zhang Jue opened his eyes as the music of “Liz On Top of the World” began to play, smiling as he gazed up toward the arena ceiling.

In that moment, he looked like a prince standing at the center of the world.

Zhang Junbao leaned against the rink boards, with Shen Liu standing behind him.

“A new cycle has begun. Zhang Jue said he wants to master more quadruple jumps. Just yesterday, he was discussing with me which quad to tackle next. I’m just the jumping coach. After the athlete’s training plan is drawn up, you’ll need to oversee it. What’s your take?”

Zhang Junbao smiled and looked back: “If Zhang Jue wants to climb higher, let him. No matter how high he aims, our job as coaches is to support him all the way!”

The background music was soft and beautiful, yet a new sense of determination lit up in the coaches’ eyes.

At the end of the exhibition, all the participating skaters came onto the ice, forming two groups of men and women on opposite sides of the rink. As the music from Love Story began to play, Daria led the girls across the ice to the other side, turning around to strike a pose inviting the boys to dance.

Zhang Jue stood in the center of the men’s formation and led them forward.

When they met, Zhang Jue gave Daria a slight bow and extended his hand. Smiling, Daria placed her hand in his, and together with the other pairs, they danced.

The Slavs had a unique sense for artistry, and the group dance made the skaters appear like graceful spirits on the ice.

As the first part of the group dance ended, red lights illuminated the ice, forming a heart shape around them. Then the second half of the dance began, with the music growing more intense. The figure skaters split into four groups, performing jumps, spins, and lifts.

In the final moment, Choi Jung-soo skated to a screen displaying the Korean flag, while the other skaters extended their hands toward him.

The music stopped abruptly, and many athletes who had no intention of retiring smiled.

The next Winter Olympics would be in Pyeongchang!

 

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