Zhang Jue changed his style every season, so before seeing his new program, no one knew what kind of surprise he would bring. As a result, when he showcased his new season’s short program at a commercial performance, many people were shocked.

The music he chose for this year’s short program, just by listening to it, gave off a youthful romance movie soundtrack vibe. However, until the day before, no one had heard this song except the professionals at Zhuque Recording Studio, Francis, and the national team.

The song, called “You Brought Me a New Life,” had a lively romantic melody, lasting only two and a half minutes, with simple lyrics and a strong rhythm. Zhang Jue performed on the ice wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, with a headband and bracelet. His hairstyle and demeanor exuded pure youthful energy.

Zhang Jue was still a young man, so even when performing a love-themed piece, he radiated sincerity and vitality.

Qin Xuejun couldn’t help but smile. Xuejun felt sweet inside.

However, the jumps Zhang Jue performed in the program weren’t difficult. He only executed 3F, 3A, and 4S+3T, which were the same jumps he used in his first season in the senior group.

Ilya crossed his arms and commented: “The off-season weight loss has affected his abilities, and his 3F and 3A actually went under-rotated. He almost fell. How long has it been since he made a mistake on a triple jump? His 4S also seems unstable.”

Was it that strength-based male singles athletes can’t perform without muscle, or was this a problem caused by Zhang Jue’s unique jumping style?

Figure skating athletes’ techniques also have different schools, like the Japanese, Russian, European, and North American styles. Zhang Jue had his own Chinese style. However, before Zhang Jue, there hadn’t been such an outstanding athlete from this school, so others hadn’t researched their techniques much. The four other schools often looked down on each other on the surface, but secretly studied one another’s methods.

Now, the Chinese figure skating technique had undergone many improvements since the Vancouver period. For example, Zhang Jue alone had developed two different types of four-revolution jumps—spin-based and power-based—as well as unique techniques for landing and hand gestures.

Zhang Jue was a pioneer in this technical revolution. He was the one who crossed the river by feeling the stones. Behind him, coaches built bridges based on the path he had opened up.

But during the exploration of these techniques, Zhang Jue also had to face more risks of injuries. He hurt his abs while practicing 4Lo and twisted his ankle a few times while training 4Iz. If it weren’t for Zhang Jue’s unique way of performing jumps, the Chinese athletes’ path to mastering five types of four-revolution jumps might have been paved by him alone.

Zhang Jue didn’t fall during the performance, but his imperfect jumps made people question the coaching team’s decision to have him lose weight during the off-season.

After all, many fans don’t blame their idols directly when something goes wrong, instead, they tend to question the people around them. Most don’t understand the truth of the matter or have an interest in professional knowledge. They just want to vent their dissatisfaction without aiming their criticism at the person they like.

This kind of venting was childish, and it left Zhang Jue feeling helpless as he scrolled through his phone.

The reason he started under-rotating his 3F was that he was developing a new big move.

Although his jumping quality during the formal performance wasn’t great, true ice fans wouldn’t criticize an athlete for their off-season performance. Moreover, Zhang Jue was a legendary skater who was known for falling during practice but always performing brilliantly in competitions. Even if he fell now, ice fans would just feel sorry for him, but wouldn’t worry about his skill decline.

When he got off the ice, his uncle, wearing a thin black shirt, reminded him: “Your rotation control ability has dropped significantly. I need to adjust your training plan after we go back.”

Zhang Jue wiped the sweat off his forehead and said: “I know. When I was practicing 4S, my 3S control was a bit off for a while. Once the muscle-building is over, my control should come back. By the way, uncle, can you unbutton your shirt?”

Zhang Junbao responded: “Huh? My buttons are fine.”

Zhang Jue went up and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his uncle’s collar. “Alright, now you can go on stage like this.”

The 27-year-old, but actually 37-year-old, uncle, expressionless, was pushed onto the ice by his nephew. He wore a black short-sleeve shirt and black pants, black gloves on his hands, and a black belt around his waist. There were no unnecessary decorations, which perfectly highlighted his good physique.

Because of his high popularity, Zhang Junbao had always received plenty of commercial performance invitations during the off-season. However, he accepted far fewer invitations than Zhang Jue. After joining the national team, his main job was still coaching children. It was only during POI, when Zhang Jue was the main star, that he agreed to make a guest appearance.

Zhang Jue had choreographed his uncle’s program. As a former idol, Zhang Jue knew exactly how to highlight his uncle’s strengths.

So, when Zhang Junbao performed, the screams from the audience never stopped, and the stands turned into a sea of fans.

Francis, the director of POI, also screamed and covered his face with his hands.

Though Little Crocodile was great, the charm of a mature man was simply overwhelming.

Ilya’s mouth fell open in awe. “No wonder he’s called handsome baby coach! He’s so powerful on the ice!”

It made Ilya think that if Russian head coach Boris lost some weight, got a doll face, and looked forty years younger, his aura on the ice should resemble that of Zhang Junbao.

Katerina and Serena unconsciously followed Ilya’s thoughts and both shivered at the same time.

Boris had indeed been a handsome man in his youth, but now, at seventy, he had already deteriorated.

After all, the cost of coaching a group of Slavic bears was enormous. Since Boris stepped down and Vasily took over the Yubileny rink’s head coach position, his hairline had receded at a rate of one centimeter per year.

The ice show ended with a group of athletes showcasing their jumps. Zhang Jue was no exception. Monica, a young female skater from the junior group, ran up to him and asked to do a 3Iz+3Lo jump together. She then tried to connect even more 3Lo jumps.

Zhang Jue nodded enthusiastically, and they went on the ice. In the end, Monica fell after connecting five 3Lo jumps, while Zhang Jue managed to connect six in a row.

Actually, after losing weight, it was much easier for him to add 3Lo into the jump combination. By the time the season started, he would regain weight to 69 kg, which would add more burden to his abs during the 3Lo jumps. But by then, he would have better control over his body.

Figure skating was a very delicate sport, where even a slight change in balance could take an athlete a long time to adapt to. Fortunately, Zhang Jue had already become very accustomed to it.

During this off-season, Zhang Jue didn’t get injured or sick. With his project Sweet Corn No. 2 finally concluding, he entered a more relaxed period. So, he decided to go on a six-city tour. Not only did he visit Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, but also cities like Chongqing, Changsha, and Shenzhen.

The income from commercial performances was still in the eight-figure range, but it had doubled compared to the previous year. Zhang Jue divided the money into three parts and donated them to the country’s first free girls’ high school, the cancer children’s relief fund, and ocean conservation projects.

When Bai Xiaozhen found out about his decision, she was shocked. “Zhang, Zhang Jue, are you sure you want to donate such a large amount of money?”

Zhang Jue shrugged. “I’ve already donated it. Just letting you know.”

Bai Xiaozhen remained silent for a long time, then gave Zhang Jue a thumbs up: “You’re amazing, you’re the most amazing! Never mind, you’re still young, you can still earn money. It’s just a few tens of millions, right? It’s your money, not mine, do whatever you want…”

The manager muttered to herself, swaying her body in a daze, preparing to leave the room. Zhang Jue couldn’t help but laugh. Actually, it was already 2017, and Bitcoin had reached its first peak this year. Zhang Jue didn’t expect that, after becoming a top figure in figure skating, he would make so much money. He just decided to hold onto the coins without selling them, planning to sell them at the end of 2020. So, he wasn’t lacking money.

Zhang had money! A lot of money!

Bai Xiaozhen, halfway out of the door, suddenly rushed back.

“I almost got distracted by you! I came to find you because I have something to tell you!”

Zhang Jue was confused: “What is it?”

In Bai Xiaozhen’s animated explanation, Zhang Jue suddenly remembered something. The next Winter Olympics would be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, so during the closing ceremony of the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the host country for the next Winter Olympics would need to send someone to perform the 8-minute flag handover ceremony.

The director for this ceremony had already been chosen, and preparations had begun. But they still needed someone who could skate, sing, and dance to complete the act. So, to select this person and promote figure skating, the director was planning to create a variety show.

Zhang Jue was puzzled: “An ice-skating variety show? Is this show going to be like Russia’s Ice Age Kids? Our talent pool isn’t enough, is it?”

Russia’s Ice Age Kids brought together young children who weren’t yet old enough for the youth category, and had them compete under the guidance of mentors. Because Russia had a vast talent pool and figure skating was very popular there, the show was a huge success. Even Vasilie’s little Lysha participated and won the women’s singles championship after the selection rounds.

However, China’s figure skating talent pool was much smaller, and just recently, Uncle Zhang had been urged to recruit new students. As a result, he had agreed to visit the competition venue after the club league started.

Zhang Junbao also wanted to contribute to growing China’s figure skating talent, but he couldn’t find good candidates. It was like drawing cards—only by luck had he managed to land two SSR cards, Zha Han and Jiang Yihong. And even their stats weren’t the best in the international SSR pool. As for Zhang Jue’s rare card, well, no one else had managed to pull it—only Uncle Zhang had ever gotten it.

Bai Xiaozhen shook her head repeatedly: “No, the director knows about the domestic figure skating situation. He won’t do something so reckless. He said he’s going to invite younger celebrities with a background in sports and dance, and find retired ice dancers, pairs skaters, and second-tier athletes from provincial teams and clubs to be the stars’ mentors. Then, they’ll compete.”

Zhang Jue’s corner of his mouth twitched: “But figure skating requires a foundation in childhood training. If they practice in a variety show, just getting them to complete basic moves like the swan pose, knee skating, three-turns, and double axle will be an achievement, right?”

Even five-year-old Zhang Jue could do better than that. Would the show even be watchable?

Bai Xiaozhen chuckled: “You don’t get it. Celebrities bring their own audience. As long as the right people are chosen, there’s no fear of low ratings. Didn’t I tell you? The show is looking for ice dance and pairs skaters too. They can guide the beginners, especially the female celebrities—they can be lifted by their male partners.”

This way, the visual effects would improve, right?

Zhang Jue understood.

However, Bai Xiaozhen didn’t tell Zhang Jue about this so that he could participate in the variety show. After all, the show would begin in January and end in April, right during Zhang Jue’s busy season with the National Championships, Four Continents, and World Championships. There was no way he’d have time to be a background performer for the celebrities.

Moreover, the leaders wouldn’t want Zhang Jue, their precious asset, to be affected by the entertainment industry. Zhang Jue’s mission for the new season had only two objectives: one, win more gold medals, and two, bring home three Winter Olympic spots at the World Championships. Anything else wasn’t his concern.

So, Bai Xiaozhen was just there to gossip with Zhang Jue.

He told him: “They’ve already confirmed that Yuan Qin, Mo Qian, Jiang Xuewen, and Li Lanyi will participate. Four others haven’t been decided yet. Jin Meng and Yao Lanyi are going to be mentors. Coach Jiang Chaosheng is going to be the chief referee. Originally, Coach Shen was going to do it, but it’s a job that gets a lot of criticism. Even a slightly lower score could get people accused of bad judging. One mistake, and the fans of the celebrities could cause a huge uproar. So, Coach Jiang is going to take his place.”

Yuan Qin was the rival of the Zhuque band, and Zhang Jue didn’t have a good impression of him. He had worked with him in the past, but only saw him as a stranger, not holding any grudges from their previous lives.

Jiang Xuewen was the leader and lead singer of the Dulong band, and the son of a martial arts schoolmaster. He was a senior to Xu Dela and had worked with Zhang Jue in commercial performances before. He looked like a punk but was actually quite calm.

Zhang Jue immediately took out his wallet: “I remember Coach Jiang likes Huadiao wine, and his wife has been coughing a bit lately. Bai Ge, buy him some good wine for me. I’ll go to the pharmacy and buy a box of bird’s nest to send to his house. It’s good for the lungs.”

As an athlete, Zhang Jue knew how much the coaches had contributed to his success. The coaches were like his treasure. Anyone who treated the coaches well was Zhang Jue’s long-lost close friend.

Coach Jiang Chaosheng, upon receiving the gift: crying and laughing emoji

In September 2016, the Grand Prix schedule was set.

This year, the sequence of the events was: Russia, Canada, China, Japan, France, and the US, with the final in Nagoya, Japan.

It was worth mentioning that the rankings at the Grand Prix Final would determine the number of spots for the team event at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The National Skating Federation would calculate the points based on how many people each country sent to the final and their rankings. The top ten countries in the points standings would be eligible for the team event.

As long as Zhang Jue, Huang Ying, and Guan Lin were in good health, China’s men’s singles and pairs skating teams would be secure in the final. Min Shan had already passed her developmental stage in the youth category and was now in her prime, a strong contender for the podium. Ice dance… let’s skip that part.

The leaders weren’t worried that China wouldn’t get a spot in the Winter Olympics team event, they just hoped everyone stayed healthy and performed well this season so they could bring home gold medals next year.

After discussing it, Zhang Jue decided to participate in the Finland Fogdi Cup as a practice event at the start of the season, then chose the Russia and Japan Grand Prix events.

Although competing in Russia would probably mean facing off against Ilya, and in Japan he might meet Hayato Teraoka, both friends called to ask why he had chosen those events.

Zhang Jue felt embarrassed: “These two events are closer to China, so it’ll be easier to adjust to the time zone. I could have chosen the China event, but the leaders said there are already several domestic male singles skaters registered. It would be a bit too much for me to go.”

Ilya: “…I’ll just go to the Canada and France events.”

Hayato: “Then I’ll go to China and the US events.”

None of them really wanted to compete against this monster early on, so they all stepped aside.

For some reason, Zhang Jue had a subtle feeling that he was being avoided.

 

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