Zhang Men was not the only one like Zhang Jue and Min Shan, who dared to challenge high-difficulty moves. Therefore, Yang Zhiyuan also had considerable experience in handling sports injuries.

He quickly assessed Teraoka Hayato’s condition.

“There’s a mild concussion, multiple soft tissue bruises, and the wound on your arm has reopened. Even though we disinfected it at the time, you refused to take anti-inflammatory medication, so it has become slightly inflamed. From a doctor’s perspective, I advise you to withdraw from the competition and go to the hospital for treatment. Then, rest in bed for a few days.”

“It’s better not to move for two weeks.”

Chiba Takeshi urgently said: “Senior, withdraw from the competition. I’ve already made it into the top twelve. We already have two spots secured!”

Anyway, Japan didn’t have any other male singles skaters capable of competing at this level. It was fine to give up the upcoming competitions and save energy for the Winter Olympics!

Hayato immediately slammed the table with determination. “We’re at this point, how can you ask me to withdraw now?”

Not to mention how much pressure Coach Mori Kumimi was under when she took them in, the Japan Ice Skating Federation was also eager to push them into the abyss. Considering Hayato’s personality, he wasn’t the type to back out.

It was no joke—no matter how many spots they secured, the spots for Japanese athletes at the Winter Olympics were generally decided by the Japan Ice Skating Federation! If the higher-ups decided to sabotage him, it wasn’t impossible that they could ruin his chances of going to the Winter Olympics.

Ilya understood this very well. The Russian Ice Skating Federation also had control over the Winter Olympics and World Championship spots or could interfere to a certain extent. Unless an athlete was in such a dominant position that they were a clear national champion and highly stable, the federation wouldn’t dare to tamper with their spot, but it wasn’t surprising if someone’s spot got sabotaged.

Hayato’s injuries were already too many. If he didn’t show a strong “I’ll never quit even if I die” attitude, who knew how they might handle him later?

On the other hand, perhaps due to luck, Arthur Cohen unexpectedly didn’t suffer any serious injuries. After a while, he was able to run—literally run.

While Teraoka Hayato could only sit there and cry in pain, the young man had already run up to him to apologize.

Arthur bowed deeply to Teraoka Hayato. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Teraoka. The pressure today was overwhelming, and I was too scared of falling out of the top twelve, losing our two spots. That’s why I wasn’t paying attention to what was behind me during my practice.”

The young man said a long string of words but didn’t dare to look at Hayato’s expression. He knew that the fault for the collision lay with him, and with all the rumors about Hayato’s injuries, this collision might shorten his career even further.

At only 17 and a half years old, the young man didn’t know how to deal with such a situation. Simply mustering the courage to apologize was already his limit.

It wasn’t until Hayato spoke: “Look up, I don’t blame you.”

Arthur, nervous, lifted his head to look at Hayato.

The senior looked at him gently.

Although the “Three Musketeers” had been recognized by fans as the three toughest male singles skaters for their outstanding skills, determination, and above-average height, Hayato himself was actually a very patient person.

He wasn’t like Zhang Jue, whose antics drove the coach crazy, nor was he like the battle-hardened national athletes who took things like alcohol from the medical room. Hayato had spent a lot of time helping his younger teammates and had developed considerable patience. He was also pleased to see talented juniors rise up.

Even though he was suffering from an unexpected disaster, he didn’t scold the exhausted young man. Instead, he comforted him, telling him to go and prepare for the free skate.

He was only four and a half years older than Arthur.

But since Arthur had confirmed he would compete, Hayato knew he couldn’t withdraw. After all, if there had been a collision, why should athletes from other countries be able to push through, but not him, Teraoka Hayato?

Keyboard warriors existed everywhere, and Hayato wasn’t naive enough to bet on human nature, but he understood that this year’s World Championships might be beyond his reach.

He said to Zhang Jue and Ilya: “Sorry, I won’t be able to compete fully with you this time. Let’s give it our all next season.”

Zhang Jue and Illya exchanged a glance and then fist-bumped him.

“It’s fine. Just focus on recovering,” Zhang Jue said.

Ilya dryly said: “Get well soon.”

As rivals for years, they couldn’t bring themselves to say soft words, so they were polite but distant. However, Hayato didn’t give Ilya the cold shoulder, an unusual show of understanding.

When Hayato was injured, it was Ilya’s anxious voice that had roused him from his daze. Hayato remembered that kindness, so he took the painkillers and water Zhang Jue offered.

“I usually take this brand. It’s safe for drug testing, and the pain relief is effective. It works quickly. The only downside is that the powder tastes worse than the pills.”

Six minutes into the practice, Keiko squatted down to tie Hayato’s skates.

“Is this tight enough? Do you want it tighter or looser?”

A faint blush appeared on Hayato’s pale face. “T-this is fine, thank you.”

Keiko pouted and tried to help him up, but a 1.6-meter girl helping a 1.77-meter man… well, she couldn’t lift him.

Zhang Jue, who was 1.83 meters tall, yawned, then easily lifted the Japanese skater. He placed one of Hayato’s hands on his shoulder and carried him off backstage.

At that moment, Hayato felt very weak, pitiful, and helpless. Coach Lu watched with a satisfied nod.

Hmm, Junbao’s strength training for Little Jue was working really well. Seeing him lift a grown man so easily was impressive.

Zhang Jue said to his friend: “Actually, with my strength and size, carrying you on the princess carry to the stage wouldn’t be a problem.”

Hayato’s face turned pale with fear. “Please don’t do that!”

Keiko was still watching!

As soon as Hayato and Arthur returned to the ice, applause erupted from the crowd.

Arthur’s face was scraped up and covered with bandages, but otherwise, he was fine. The injuries were mostly superficial. Hayato, however, had a bandage on his forehead, and he looked significantly weaker.

Their reactions on the ice were different. Arthur did his thing, while Hayato was observing the ice rink, reassessing his jump positions and silently adjusting his plans, wondering how much he should reduce the difficulty to maintain a decent score without worsening his injuries.

Being able to adjust your technical setup during a competition wasn’t exclusive to Zhang Jue—most male singles skaters at their level could do it.

He was in second place for the short program, with 112 points already in hand. Except for Illya, every other athlete was at least 10 points behind Hayato, which gave him an advantage.

This year, Arthur Cohen performed very well. During the free skate, he not only completed a 4T and 4S but even attempted a somewhat awkward 4F, for which the judges immediately gave him a 2 for the GOE. Given that the GOE was an average score, it was likely that some judges had given his 4F a 3 for the GOE.

Zhang Jue thought Arthur’s use of the blade was decent this time. As a kid without the advantage of early training, it wasn’t easy for him to land a 4F, so he clapped along with the others. But Shen Liu frowned when he saw the scores.

“Isn’t the referee’s biological son treated just like this?”

Coach Lu said: “What do you mean by ‘biological son’? That person is his real father!”

Zhang Junbao and Zhang Jue exchanged a glance, thinking that these two had quite sharp tongues.

Next up was Carlson, who also received great treatment. He only had two basic quadruple jumps, but his connecting steps were full of GOE, making him the second male singles skater after Teraoka Hayato to achieve a GOE of 3 for his step sequence.

Just by looking at the scores, it really seemed like a golden age of figure skating, with all the hidden undercurrents and dark secrets beneath the surface—only those with experience could truly understand it.

It was only when Ilya took the stage that the ice fans became truly enthusiastic. They clapped loudly, shouted Ilya’s name, and held up their support banners and bear toys.

To the tune of “Spanish Dance,” a classical and joyful piece, his jumps were very powerful, the takeoff crisp and decisive. Just watching it was a pleasure. After a whole season of refinement, Ilya’s performance had reached 100% compatibility with the music.

Zhao Ning didn’t hold back in praising Ilya, saying: “Safchenko is truly one of the highest quality jumpers in the world. We can see that every jump of his lands perfectly, from takeoff to landing, it all flows seamlessly.”

Her commentator partner agreed: “Yes, the sound of his blades landing is so smooth, everything about his performance shows ease and grace.”

Ilya’s condition was visibly good, and Zhang Jue sighed as he leaned against the board.

Shen Liu asked: “What’s wrong? Don’t you have confidence in beating him?”

Zhang Jue was momentarily taken aback. He felt his mood wasn’t off. The sigh earlier was simply due to a lack of breath, a tightness in his chest, an exhaustion from the climate that hadn’t yet worn off, making his breathing a bit labored.

Old Uncle sensed something and gently patted Zhang Jue’s back, saying: “Take a deep breath. It’s normal for your condition to fluctuate. Just focus on getting your breathing right, and recall the rhythm you used when running the half marathon.”

Zhang Jue responded with an “Mm.”

In contrast to Ilya, Teraoka Hayato, who performed after him, appeared much more disheveled.

This was perhaps the worst fall he had experienced since entering the senior category. Of the eight jumps in his free program, he fell on six of them. However, no matter how badly he fell, each of his jumps was executed with full rotations, and the edges were flawless.

He preferred falling rather than leaving a jump incomplete, which ensured he didn’t lose the base value of his jumps. Even with a -3 GOE and additional deductions for the falls, he could still retain the base score.

This was a strategy, as well as the athlete’s refusal to yield to any setbacks.

By the end of the program, Teraoka Hayato felt completely dazed.

He knelt on the ice, panting heavily, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He didn’t know when it started, but the applause began to surge through the arena like a wave.

Teraoka Hayato was not the best male skater of the day, but he was a determined athlete, with a spirit that refused to admit defeat. The audience expressed their respect for him with their applause.

“Hayato!”

Amidst the applause, he heard Keiko’s shout. He looked up and saw the young girl waving at him. He smiled and rushed to the exit of the ice rink. The two young people embraced in front of the cheering crowd.

Of course, because Keiko was so petite, it was Ilya, who had already finished, that helped carry him to the Kiss & Cry area.

Before leaving, he gave Zhang Jue, who was removing his blade covers, a thumbs up.

“Good luck, Tama-chan.”

Zhang Jue winked at him: “Got it.”

With a snap, a reporter from Komura captured the moment when Ilya carried Teraoka Hayato, who was giving a thumbs-up while Zhang Jue winked.

That day, Ilya won the World Championship gold medal with his perfect free skate, while Zhang Jue had to settle for silver after a mistake in the second half of his program. Both of them successfully secured three Olympic spots for their country.

Carlson took the bronze, Arthur Cohen was fourth, and Teraoka Hayato placed thirteenth. However, it wasn’t too bad for him, as it seemed he had finally caught a glimpse of hope for marrying Keiko.

Because he had hugged Keiko in front of the cameras, the moment was captured by viewers in Japan, and Masako, watching at home, was so shocked that she spat out her milk tea, immediately running to grab a baseball bat, ready to teach this boy who wanted to date her sister a lesson.

The eventful 2016-2017 season came to an end, and the next season would be the Olympic year!

On the way back, Zhang Jue looked at the silver medal in his hand and smiled slightly.

Min Shan leaned against her senior and asked: “Senior, you only need one more Olympic gold medal to complete your Grand Slam, right?”

Zhang Jue put the medal away: “Yeah, just that one piece left.”

 

 

Author’s note: Little Theater

While Masako was unaware, Hayato had already begun thinking about marrying her younger sister.

While Masako was unaware, her younger sister and Hayato seemed to have discussed marriage.

While Masako was unaware, her younger sister tied Hayato’s shoelaces.

When Masako finally knew, Hayato and her sister embraced on camera in front of the entire arena.

Masako: Searching for the baseball bat…

The Komura reporter captured the classic moment, but even now, he, like Ning Ayi, still only had a surname but no first name. Cough cough.

 

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