Since Min Shan’s victory, the domestic figure skating online community was filled with joy, with headlines everywhere saying: “Breaking news, our young talent Min Shan wins the World Championship,” and even trending on social media.

Many casual figure skating fans had only followed the sport because of Zhang Jue’s good looks, and they were confused when they heard the name Min Shan.

They asked: “Who is Min Shan?”

The figure skating fans replied: “She’s a junior from the same coach as Zhang Jue. At just 15 years old, in her first season in the senior category, she won the World Championship! Our girl is truly impressive, balabala…”

As everyone knows, casual fans usually don’t understand much about figure skating, like the six types of jumps or the scoring system. Many are just happy about athletes achieving good results or admire their physiques and looks

Zhang’s disciples had often been criticized with comments like “Wasn’t the coach considering looks when choosing athletes?” So, Min Shan’s looks were also quite good. The young girl had a round face and eyes, looking cute, and instantly attracted a batch of fans for her appearance.

The performance of the women’s singles raised expectations for the theoretically stronger men’s singles Zhang Jue.

This was not necessarily a good thing, because before the competition, the coach and some senior domestic fans had already mentally prepared themselves for the possibility that Zhang Jue might not win the championship.

After all, Zhang Jue’s right ankle had just suffered a stress fracture in December of the previous year!

Casual fans, who didn’t fully understand the situation, had set their expectations and pressure too high, which wasn’t helpful at all.

After the excitement died down, the coaching staff began to worry about whether Zhang Jue would feel the pressure. But when they found him, he was busy reporting offensive comments on a video-sharing platform.

Zhang Jue had been a lifelong figure skating fan, and in his past life, he had seen some morally corrupt individuals posting comments like “I’ll marry her,” “I’m going for it,” and “Not that impressive” on the videos of underage female competitors.

Admiring beauty is natural, but treating sleaze as humor and posting these ugly comments was too much. This incident sparked outrage among figure skating fans, and a group of them, including many male fans, reported the comments overnight, cleaning up the video quite a bit.

Zhang Jue was very clear that Min Shan was a good-looking girl, and as her senior, he couldn’t tolerate his underage junior being “objectified” or having inappropriate comments posted about her.

So, he used a secondary account to clean up the comments for her and privately messaged the video uploader to remind them.

Once that was done, he went to eat. After Min Shan won the competition, Zhang Juebao specially borrowed the hotel kitchen to make her some noodles for dinner, adding shrimp, chicken meatballs, eggs, and vegetables. The dish smelled delicious.

Zhang Jue had a small bowl, while in the background, Zhang Juebao was giving a post-competition lecture to Zhang’s “flower” of the team.

Zhang Juebao objectively analyzed: “You won this because Keiko made a mistake, and the two Russians either collapsed or skated too conservatively. If one of them had performed well, their nationality alone would have easily beaten you.”

Min Shan nodded repeatedly, very clear-headed: “I know, my skills are not strong enough. Against any one of them, it wouldn’t be a guaranteed win.”

If the coaching staff hadn’t kept her from watching her competitors’ performances before the competition, Min Shan felt she might not have won the gold medal.

Shen Liu smiled and said: “But the gold medal is yours now. After all, no one else skated well, but you did. That medal is well-deserved, with no hint of luck.”

Even if some people said Min Shan won the World Championship by chance, her scores in GOE and performance were solid, and the points were very real.

When Zhang Jue finished his late-night snack and was about to leave, Shen Liu pulled him aside and whispered: “Zhang Jue, don’t feel pressured tomorrow. With your ankle, don’t push yourself too hard. We can save our energy for next year or the year after.”

“I understand,” Zhang Jue patted Shen Liu: “Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

He had always been someone who could accept both victory and defeat. Entering competitive sports meant facing ups and downs. Zhang Jue was prepared to accept failure, but he would give his all to fight. That was his attitude toward the competition.

The men’s singles free skate competition began.

Whether it was Zhang Juebao’s motivational talk or something else, Cha Hanbuhua, who had placed 17th in the short program, suddenly found his form. He landed a 4T and a 4T3T in the free skate and, with the last two groups yet to skate, managed to claim first place in total score.

After the second-to-last group skated, Cha Hanbuhua’s ranking remained in third, meaning that no matter how well the final group skated, he would at least secure ninth place.

This was already a very good result, and both the coaching staff and Sun Qian, who had stayed up late in China to watch the competition, were very pleased.

The “Little White Ox” had reached the top ten in his first World Championship. If he could maintain this level and continue improving, even if one day Zhang Jue couldn’t compete due to injury, Cha Hanbuhua could still secure a top ten finish and earn two spots for China in important events. Plus, with his strong physical foundation, if he maintained his stability, he could serve as a solid backup for Zhang Jue.

Of course, if Zhang Jue could continue to perform at the top level, that would be the best scenario. After all, in competitive sports, no number of top athletes could compare to one world champion capable of contending for the title of GOAT.

As for Jin Zixuan, unless something unexpected happened, he would finish in 13th place. The unexpected situation referred to a sudden collapse of a competitor in the last group, pushing Jin Zixuan’s ranking up.

Unfortunately, there were no men’s singles competitors to warm up Jin Zixuan this time, and the ice rink in Boston was decent. After all, they were athletes, not there for charity.

David, ranked seventh in the short program and one of the three injured men’s singles skaters this season, also had a solid free skate. He was the last to skate in the penultimate group. After he landed three quadruple jumps cleanly, his total score shot to the top.

Shen Liu sighed: “It’s a pity David’s height has reached a point where it limits his potential. Just landing a 4T and a 4S is already impressive.”

But with better financial conditions and no longer needing to rely on extreme sports live streams to fund his training, David had also improved his consistency. If he avoided dating in strange places like parking lots, he could become a stable top-tier male skater.

Ilya, ranked sixth in the short program, was the last to skate, while Kharhasha, ranked fifth, was the first.

His program was a classical march with a masculine style, which earned him the title of the most masculine man in men’s singles.

Hayato, who skated second, captured everyone’s attention, including Zhang Jue’s and Ilya’s. In the short program, Hayato defeated Zhang Jue, who had the nickname “King of Short Program,” with his performance to the tango piece “Saraya Gojo.”

His free skate, choreographed by Miyamoto, was the only one this season with a difficulty level that included five quadruple jumps, to the song “Jin Yi.”

“Dr. Jin” was a Japanese drama that achieved remarkable success when it aired. Although its main plot was about a brain surgeon who time-traveled to the Edo period, which seemed like a sci-fi setting, its quality as a historical drama was equally high.

Teraoka Hayato’s expressiveness was always strong, but injuries and bad luck had always hindered his performance. However, during the Sochi cycle, Zhang Jue rose to prominence only after he passed through his developmental phase in the Olympic season. Before Zhang Jue made his comeback, Teraoka Hayato even managed to surpass Ilya and was considered the strongest among the new generation of male singles.

Like Zhang Jue, he also had four types of quadruple jumps: 4T, 4S, 4F, 4Lz.

No one knew exactly what Teraoka Hayato had gone through during the off-season in terms of self-reflection and hard work to come up with this program and even land a 4Lz.

What people did know was that he seemed to have lost weight compared to the previous season, with a body fat percentage possibly lower than Zhang Jue’s. It was as though he had forced himself to shed a layer of skin without shedding it normally, just to bring a brand new version of himself to the world.

That must have hurt.

Although she knew she shouldn’t, Min Shan, who hoped her senior could win, quietly prayed with her hands together after Teraoka Hayato’s performance began.

She didn’t ask for much, just for him to fall. After all, her senior had won two consecutive world championships. If he won again this year, it would be his third consecutive victory.

At that moment, the sound of the blade hitting the ice reached their ears.

A back inside edge quadruple flip (4F).

Zhang Jue muttered: “You really want to win the championship.”

Min Shan froze for a moment, looked up at her senior, and saw the smile on his face.

Wasn’t that strange? They were clearly competitors, but at that moment, Min Shan saw nothing but pure blessing and expectation in her senior’s eyes. It was like a beam of light shining into her heart, warming her entire body, and the memory of her senior’s gaze stayed with her for a long time.

It was the gaze of someone moved by a great performance, eager to beat the opponent, a gaze from an athlete who loved figure skating and embodied the spirit of sport, and also the gaze of a king who could always appreciate and respect a powerful opponent.

Another blade on the ice. Teraoka Hayato completed the 4Lz. The number of rotations was a bit insufficient, but the edge was correct, and the judges gave him a -2. This didn’t affect the quality of his program.

His performance of “Dr. Jin” felt as if he had brought a breeze from the Edo period into the 21st century, and he was the simple doctor walking through time and space.

If actors sometimes become one with their characters, then at this moment, Teraoka Hayato must have truly become the character of Nankata Rin from the drama.

Vasily’s performance of “Schindler’s List” was a soul-level performance, and Teraoka Hayato’s “Dr. Jin” was the same.

His costume wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t prevent him from conveying the confusion, thinking, transformation, emotions, and his respect and longing for history through this 4.5-minute free skate.

He performed a free skate program with five quadruple jumps. Although the 4Lz had a deduction and one of the jump combinations slipped during the landing, all other jumps were completed excellently, and his skating was flawless. His jumps were connected with his step sequences.

This wasn’t a program filled only with jumps and glide assistance. There was no doubt that Teraoka Hayato gave everything in this performance—both technically and artistically.

The TV drama “Dr. Jin” created a viewership miracle, and the figure skating program “Dr. Jin” was a masterpiece that could rival any classic!

Zhang Jue felt this. At the end of the program, Teraoka Hayato happened to look at Zhang Jue, who gave him a thumbs-up. Teraoka Hayato paused for a moment, lifted his chin, and smiled.

“My program is over, now it’s your turn, rival!”

Zhang Jue received the challenge from Teraoka Hayato.

When Teraoka Hayato’s score came out, Zhang Jue was preparing to take the ice.

Due to mistakes, Teraoka Hayato’s free skate with a configuration of five quadruple jumps earned him a technical score of 117.09, which was lower than Zhang Jue’s world-record-breaking score from last season, but it was the highest of the day. Adding his program component score of 95.6, his free skate score was 212.69, and with his short program score of 108.15, his total was 320.84, placing him in first.

Even without injuries, this score would be difficult for Zhang Jue to beat.

When Zhang Jue went on the ice, Zhang Juebao’s face seemed calm, but inside, he was very nervous. He could remain calm when watching his other students compete, but Zhang Jue was different. He had invested too much in this child, and Zhang Jue had received too much.

“Zhang Jue…”

Zhang Jue interrupted what he was about to say, turned around, and gave a confident smile: “I’m fine!”

Zhang Juebao froze.

This kid, even if he had to take painkillers to skate, even though he had never cleaned his program in practice, when facing the challenge from Teraoka Hayato and the pressure of everyone expecting him to win, he still had this fighting spirit.

It seemed that Zhang Jue had always been this way. Even if injured, with the pressure on his shoulders, he would still be excited when seeing a good opponent.

Rather than calling him a warrior, it would be better to say that he was a born fighter because just stepping onto the battlefield was enough to make him happy. Therefore, difficulties and obstacles didn’t seem significant in his eyes.

Coach Lu smiled and said: “Zhang Jue loves figure skating with all his heart, enjoying everything on the ice.”

It was this kind of character that earned Zhang Jue the respect of all his opponents. These outstanding young athletes admired each other and competed fiercely. Before they retired, they would surely face each other many more times and deliver one great competition after another.

Everyone was watching Zhang Jue, and at least 70% of the audience were either his die-hard fans or casual fans. More than half of the crowd was there for him and hoped for his victory.

This included his choreographer, Darya Sorinkova whose phone camera was on, live-streaming Zhang Jue’s performance to her parents on the other side of the world. Her parents were the former ice dance duo Sorinkov/Kshatova, who had brought “Adagio for Strings” to the top of ice dance at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

If those two weren’t busy raising their second child at home at the ages of 48 and 44, Darya was certain they would have come to the competition.

Darya quietly asked: “How do you plan to interpret this song, which has already been elevated to a divine status?”

Was it going to be like her father suggested, showcasing a sacred and majestic archangel, or something else?

Zhang Jue knelt on the ice, his hand gently touching the surface, head lowered.

When the music started, he slowly stood up and raised his eyes.

At that moment, Darya realized that while Zhang Jue used her elegant and sacred movements, he had also infused his own emotions into the performance.

Whether a performer connects emotionally, whether they are moved, can always be seen with the naked eye.

In this young athlete, there was an absolute confidence based on his strength, an aura of nobility, and a powerful king-like presence.

Although it was said that one couldn’t claim to have successfully ascended the throne without winning an Olympic gold, Zhang Jue was already the de facto king of the sport, having constantly dethroned the older generation since the Sochi cycle.

A king naturally exuded great power, and with the grand and tragic music, it felt like stepping into the ice-skating hall to witness a divine dance.

As the ice scattered, the 4Lo, which had never been executed since his right ankle injury healed, was perfectly displayed in front of everyone.

Next, he completed the 4Lz, a jump he had never succeeded at during warm-ups or six minutes of pre-competition practice.

He hadn’t fully recovered to his optimal condition. At that moment, executing those moves was only possible through muscle memory and the boost from his fighting spirit.

At 18, Zhang Jue was young and full of vigor, not shy at all about showcasing his dominance on the ice, like a quiet, yet fiery flame burning through everyone’s heart.

In the end, Zhang Jue’s cheerful and smiling personality off the ice was just a facade. Like a calm ocean, no one could see what lay beneath the surface. Once he started competing, he transformed his full emotions into a sharp sword of calm precision, cutting through any obstacle on the path to victory, like a storm sweeping the ocean into towering waves.

Kings could also be categorized by temperament. Vasily appeared to be cold but was actually benevolent, while Zhang Jue made his opponents feel a tyrannical aura that was free-spirited and unyielding.

He had faced the hardships and磨难 of life at an early age, even challenging the old king at a young age. Time and again, these battles made him more determined, unbreakable, and gradually unbeatable.

“No… No, this is not just a tyrant showing power. There’s a deeper emotion.”

Beneath the tyrant’s appearance was a young man who fought recklessly for his dreams.

At the end of the performance, Zhang Jue ran toward the front, finally kneeling and sliding on the ice, ending with a kneeling glide. His head was held high, sweat dripping from his forehead, his lips pale, arms wide open, as if embracing fate.

Darya was stunned. She believed that nearly every audience member in the arena shared the same amazement.

Zhang Jue’s free skate only included four quadruple jumps, which was his current physical limit, but he flawlessly expressed this program both technically and emotionally.

It was hard to imagine that this male skater, recovering from a serious injury, continuously making mistakes during training, and not in his best shape, had successfully completed his free skate under immense pressure.

Anyone with a keen eye knew that no matter how Zhang Jue’s short program scored, after this free skate comeback, he was absolutely guaranteed a spot on the podium.

Breathing heavily, Zhang Jue returned to the side of the rink, his upper body hunched deeply when wearing his blade covers, as if he was enduring something. Zhang Juebao patted his back and helped him walk to the kiss-and-cry area.

He wiped his sweat with a few tissues and whispered: “I did my best.”

Coach Lu patted his thigh: “Yes, we saw it. You skated really well.”

It could be said that if Zhang Jue hadn’t made mistakes in his short program, he would have already been the champion the moment his free skate ended. But now, they had to wait for the scores.

At this moment, many people clasped their hands in prayer, fervently hoping that the little crocodile, who had given his all to clean the program, would win the three consecutive championships.

Zhang Jue’s short program score was 102.15, and when his free skate score came out, many people with good math skills let out disappointed exclamations.

His free skate score was 217.45, and with his short program score of 102.15, his total score was 319.6, which was 1.24 points lower than Hayato Teraoka’s.

Zhang Jue sighed: “I still didn’t win. This is the first time I’ve lost because my short program score wasn’t high enough.”

Shen Liu hugged his beloved disciple.

“The obstacle to your victory isn’t your opponent, it’s your injuries. Silly boy, you must be in pain now, huh? You’ve really persevered until now. Once we get back, make sure to properly recover from your injury.”

They were already very satisfied with Zhang Jue’s performance. The boy had displayed his incredible dominance on the ice through one perfect free skate.

In the previous two cycles, Maquen had beaten Vasily during his peak many times, making the big goose ice fans want to spit when watching him. But with Zhang Jue, even when severely injured, Hayato Teraoka almost couldn’t beat him. It showed that as long as he recovered, Zhang Jue would have countless victories ahead.

Keiko looked at Hayato Teraoka, confused, and called: “Hayato?”

Why did he still look so happy despite winning the gold?

Hayato Teraoka snapped back to reality and smiled bitterly: “No, I was just thinking that next season I’ll challenge Tama-chan in full health, so I feel uncertain about the future. Don’t worry, I’m not scared of him, just feeling the pressure…”

Clearly, although both of them had four types of quadruple jumps, Zhang Jue had a limited chance of developing a fifth type of quad, and Hayato Teraoka still had the upper hand in skating. But Zhang Jue had a certain magic—no opponent could see him and not feel the pressure.

As soon as he showed any flaw, Zhang Jue would seize the opportunity to catch up. No one dared to say they were certain to beat him in a competition, because Zhang Jue might seem carefree, but he was obsessively persistent in chasing victory. For that, he would risk everything and fight to the end against any opponent.

It always felt like, if it were that guy, he could create any miracle to win.

At this moment, while three other skaters had yet to compete, Zhang Jue sat down to have his foot examined by the team doctor, muttering as he rubbed his chin: “I think I still need to practice another quad.”

Zhang Juebao, Shen Liu, Coach Lu, and Yang Zhiyuan all shouted in unison: “You need to heal your foot first!”

 

Support translation: