He drew the position for the last group, first to perform. Since the China station was his home turf, and his luck was this bad even at home, it left both the organizers and his competitors speechless.

However, David had a special fondness for Zhang Jue. He thought the boy was both talented and strong, with a likable and upright character. David had planned to invite Zhang Jue for a meal, but the girls beat him to it.

Serena, who had performed with Zhang Jue in a group skating performance in Sochi, came over to greet him.

“Hi, Tama-chan, you look more handsome than last season. I watched your last two performances, and they were fantastic.”

She was followed by a beautiful girl with light blue eyes, a slim and petite figure. After Zhang Jue and Serena exchanged pleasantries, the girl immediately handed over a small notebook.

“Jue, I really like your program. Could you give me an autograph?”

This girl was not only beautiful but had a clever look in her eyes and a bold, lively personality.

No wonder she was one of Qingzi’s toughest competitors during the Pyeongchang cycle.

Zhang Jue signed the autograph and handed it back, saying: “Thank you for your support. I wish you great results in the competition.”

Kateryna confidently replied: “Of course, I will see you again in the finals.”

She looked at Zhang Jue with an appreciative tone, then turned to talk to Serena in Russian. Zhang Jue didn’t understand, but Sergei, sitting not far away, did.

They were saying that Zhang Jue was 6.5 times more handsome than the well-known figure skater, Bobov, from the Great Goose skating team. If Zhang Jue were to ask Kateryna out, she would definitely accept.

Well, Bobov, the top male skater from Great Goose was at the age where he could get married, while Kateryna, at 15, was already at an age where she could start dating. Bobov had once asked her out but was ruthlessly rejected.

At this point, Qingzi’s voice sounded behind Zhang Jue.

“Tama-chan, long time no see.”

Zhang Jue turned around to see Keiko jogging over to him: “My sister came to Shanghai too. She said she wanted to eat the old duck vermicelli soup here, but she’s unsure of how to get there. Do you know where the shop is?”

Zhang Jue had already planned to eat vermicelli soup before coming to Shanghai.

He immediately replied: “I have a friend who also wants to go there for soup. How about this: you all can come with us.”

Keiko happily smiled, adjusted the creases on his sleeve, and immediately pulled him over to Zhang Junbao to tell him they were going out. Uncle Zhang was always supportive of young people going out, so he waved his hand and agreed.

Watching them leave, Carlson sighed: “His charm with the opposite sex is really something.”

“Indeed,” David said, leaning back in his chair, tilting his head and sighing.

Carlson’s expression became subtle.

Yes, Zhang Jue not only had good relationships with the opposite sex, but within the figure skating community, he was also considered a dream lover.

It was hard to believe that the handsome guy was once a small and cute figure just three years ago; his development had been truly remarkable.

When the four young people sat down at the Old Duck Vermicelli Soup shop, they arranged themselves at a square table. Zhang Jue sat directly opposite the door, with Qin Xuejun to his left and Keiko to his right. Maiko sat across from him.

At first, Maiko propped her head with her hands, talking to Zhang Jue about the new competition program. When the vermicelli soup was served, Maiko stopped talking and began to enjoy her meal. Since Zhang Jue and Keiko were athletes, they couldn’t eat the soup, so Qingzi changed the topic.

She playfully complained about how she was scolded by her coach for not handling the emotional aspects of the program well, and Zhang Jue gave her some advice. The conversation became more lively.

Qin Xuejun didn’t speak much, only focusing on his soup.

When the drinks arrived, he opened a bottle of soy milk for Zhang Jue with his big hand and pushed it over to him.

After chatting for so long, Zhang Jue must have been thirsty, so it was a nice gesture to hydrate him.

At this point, Qin Xuejun and most of Zhang Jue’s old friends, who hadn’t seen him during the break, just thought Zhang Jue was liked by his friends because of his looks and personality. It was only natural that they enjoyed his company.

However, when the warm-up session before the competition began, everyone realized that Zhang Jue’s popularity seemed to be… quite extraordinary.

The pre-competition warm-up was meant for the athletes to familiarize themselves with the venue. The organizers played the athletes’ program music in turn, and they could use this time to practice their routines, usually two days before the competition started.

Because there were no actual competitions, fans wouldn’t typically come to watch the warm-up, but the venue didn’t forbid them from entering early to watch their favorite athletes practice.

Unexpectedly, many more fans showed up than expected, with people of all ages and some even from the older generation—uncles, aunts, and grandmothers attending. There were also quite a few young women.

When Zhang Jue didn’t have his program music played, he habitually did a set of warm-up skating moves taught by Coach Lu, including the swan-style skating.

Although the swan-style was commonly seen in women’s singles, Zhang Jue’s swan-style skating was among the top in figure skating.

So when he began to do the swan-style, the audience let out a collective “Wow—.”

Bai Xiaozhen, following the reporter Shufen (not to be confused with Shufeng), murmured: “Shufen, my father always says the photographer working with you is very good. Could you ask your colleague to share a video of Zhang Jue’s warm-up? I’d like to post it online and share it with the fans…”

Zhang Jue glided smoothly on the ice, the wind lifting his hair and his white-and-red jacket fluttering, creating a refreshing and elegant look. It was truly amazing.

Shufen, feeling bothered by the request, replied: “But this is our own footage, junior Bai. It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but this really isn’t possible.”

He had planned to use the video to praise Zhang Jue for his significant progress in skating this year, while Bai Xiaozhen’s request to post it just for looks seemed trivial.

Compared to praising Zhang Jue’s face, Shufen was more willing to praise his skills, even his Greek statue-like physique.

Bai Xiaozhen still planned to keep saying good things to persuade Shufen to share the video footage with him.

In his view, as an agent, it was important to share his athlete’s beautiful posture, even if it wasn’t for hype, as it could help retain fans and attract new ones, especially those who were drawn in by his looks.

In this era, with more fans, it became easier to monetize, and his commission would increase. Even a conscientious agent had to make a living.

Even athletes who relied on their skills wouldn’t mind earning some extra money through their looks, right? After all, fashion brands were very picky, and they often wouldn’t be moved unless they saw truly stunning visuals.

At that moment, the crowd in the arena erupted into applause. Bai Xiaozhen, confused, turned around and saw Zhang Jue jump a 4S followed by a 3T.

Then he heard Shufen’s excited voice.

“Hey, Zhang Jue has mastered this combination jump? If so, with 4T+1Lo+3S and 4T, 4S single jumps, he could totally handle more difficult free skate configurations.”

And it didn’t end there. When Zhang Jue performed the 4S, his feet were positioned in a V-shape.

Next, he performed a glide, then jumped from a crossed-leg position. Judging by his jump height, it was a quadruple jump. Zhang Jue completed a full rotation but fell awkwardly when landing. However, he didn’t seem discouraged. Instead, he pushed himself up with one hand and smiled regretfully at the ice.

Honestly, that seated posture was quite feminine, with crossed legs and one hand propped up on the ice. But Zhang Jue exuded an authenticity that made it charming.

Many people gasped in amazement.

“It’s a new jump!”

“Zhang Jue is practicing new moves!”

“Wow, could he be the first person in the world to complete this jump?”

Various voices filled Bai Xiaozhen’s ears. People were passionately discussing the new jump, and even the fan girls, who appeared to be pure “appearance fans,” were asking those around them what the jump meant.

Their excitement about Zhang Jue’s new technique far exceeded their admiration for his looks.

Bai Xiaozhen paused for a moment, and unexpectedly, his initial urgency to generate more income for Zhang Jue due to the high commission melted away.

Oh yes, Zhang Jue was an athlete.

Was Zhang Jue shining now? Of course, he was. The previous world No. 1 male skater, Vasily, had high expectations for him. Moreover, Zhang Jue had performed numerous spectacular routines in competitions.

As the undisputed king of men’s singles, his title was never fabricated or related to the number of fans; it was because he was so talented that even a former champion like Vasily believed he would become the GOAT. Therefore, Zhang Jue earned his crown and was now sitting on the throne.

Everything Zhang Jue had was because of his strength.

And he was still on the rise. Bai Xiaozhen didn’t need to worry about this kid not reaching even greater heights, achieving more honors, and receiving everything he deserved.

For someone like him, there was no need to hype his looks. All he needed was for people to recognize his talent because good-looking people were everywhere in the entertainment industry, but there could only be one champion.

That night, a topic quickly made its way to hot search on Baidu, Weibo, and Tieba.

“Famous athlete Zhang Jue attempts new quadruple jump, 4Lo.”

Based on the slow-motion footage, he had completed the full rotation.

This news instantly exploded among domestic figure skating fans. They eagerly discussed how long Zhang Jue had been practicing the new jump and why he chose to master the 4Lo first instead of the 4F or 4Lz, which were more suited to power-based male skaters

Although Zhang Jue wasn’t good at the Philippe jump (F), his Lz jump had always been strong—both standard and high-flying.

In the end, a veteran fan who had followed Zhang Jue for four years brought up something.

“Didn’t you guys forget? Last season, Zhang Jue focused on edge jumps for his main scoring points because he had only just finished his growth spurt, so his coordination wasn’t fully restored. But before his growth spurt, he was a master of the edge jump!”

Now that he had passed his growth spurt for a year, he could easily bring back his edge jump. After all, Coach Shen had posted on Weibo in May, saying Zhang Jue’s skills had returned, and the coaching team was thrilled. Coach Lu was praised for his incredible guidance.

Even those who didn’t understand figure skating began to realize they had a world-class figure skater who was the best at edge jumps.

By the way, he had a particularly impressive mentor, a chubby old man surnamed Lu, who was the master of all his coaches, including his head coach and jumping coach.

Interestingly, although Bai Xiaozhen gave up on hyping Zhang Jue’s looks, the next morning, Zhang Jue’s beautiful warm-up video still quietly stayed on the trending list for a while.

Even if it wasn’t for hype, many still admired his stunning appearance.

 

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