Zhang Jue was the type of person who, once making a decision, would take action immediately. It just so happened that his uncle was also like this. In fact, Zhang Jue was quite similar to his uncle in this regard. In short, they swiftly completed the physical examination and, the next morning, Zhang Jue received a painkiller injection. After resting, he directly headed to the competition venue like a lightning strike.

If the Huang-Guang combination made an entrance that overwhelmed the other competitors with their powerful presence, Zhang Jue’s aura was so bright that, even among the shining stars, it was more dazzling than the sun.

As the focus of countless cameras and everyone’s attention, he looked incredibly confident. Although no one knew to what extent he could perform once on the rink, one thing could be certain: Zhang Jue himself was full of confidence.

He seemed to have never lacked confidence.

After the events of the previous night, Zhang Junbao had completely come to terms with everything. He now maintained an attitude that seemed unreasonable to ordinary people: no one could defeat his nephew, who was always ready to soar to the heavens.

The head coach had been charmed into losing his mind by his nephew, but the others still maintained their composure. Although Coach Lu and Coach Shen, experienced in leading teams in competitions, could tell from Zhang Jue’s warm-up state that Zhang Jue would likely perform at an extraordinary level today, the ice rink held infinite possibilities—both good and bad.

Zhang Jue’s opponents were also incredibly strong. Many of them were king-level athletes whose skills could dominate an entire era. Whether it was a blessing or a curse that these athletes were in the same era, one thing was certain: the audience was about to enjoy a figure skating feast.

Looking through the history of the Olympics, scenes like this—where a group of athletes with exceptional overall abilities, both technical and artistic—gathered to compete, were rare.

Zhang Jue was the uncrowned king, Ilya was the Prince of the Goose, Hayato was the Prince of the Foot Basin, Chiba Takashi was known as the Great-Grandson, and Carlson and Arthur, because of their crying scenes after losing competitions, were nicknamed the North American Princess and Second Princess.

This competition was like a battle for the same throne, with everyone fighting to see who would ultimately claim the Olympic gold medal.

Zhang Jue: “Of course, it’s me, the little crocodile!” (with a proud expression)

Cha Hanbuhua and Jin Zixuan had already finished their competitions, and their total scores were decent. After the final group, Jin Zixuan should end up in ninth place, while rookie Cha Hanbuhua, making his first appearance at the Winter Olympics, was likely to finish in fifteenth.

He wasn’t satisfied with this result, so Cha Hanbuhua secretly made up his mind to work hard on mastering the 4S jump and bring the practice of the third quadruple jump to the forefront as soon as possible!

Most athletes who make it to the world’s top six are somewhat ambitious. Arthur, Chiba Takashi, and Carlson were no exception. Though the three of them were strong, they all wanted to win a competition while the other three were still in good form.

Otherwise, they might be forced to kneel before these three for over twenty years. When the Three Musketeers retired due to injuries and age, they might finally win gold, but such a throne would feel somewhat unjust.

A real man should challenge past kings like Vasily and Maquen at fifteen or sixteen! No matter how impressive their predecessors were, they couldn’t back down!

With this mentality, the young athletes all decided to compete against the three towering figures above them!

Arthur Cohen attempted six quadruple jumps in his free skate, but he fell on five of them. He stumbled off the ice, his mind fuzzy. His coach asked him.

“Arthur, are you okay?”

Arthur replied: “Who’s Arthur? Hahahaha…”

Chiba Takashi immediately learned his lesson, performing only five quadruple jumps, three of which were basic 4T and 4S, while he failed two higher-level quadruple jumps, one slipping on the landing and the other falling on a combination jump. Despite this, his performance was decent. A couple of years ago, this level of performance would have been enough to land him on the podium of an A-level competition.

Newcomers in important competitions always faced more difficulties.

Despite being able to match Arthur Cohen, Carlson, who often got nervous and failed his 3A in major events, managed to avoid mistakes this time. He only attempted four quadruple jumps, and although the program was far from perfect, the choreography was reasonable, and the performance was smooth. He climbed to the top spot in the rankings.

As the oldest of the new generation’s men’s singles top three, Carlson had managed to maintain his position!

But when he left the ice, his walking posture was slightly limping. Yang Zhiyuan whispered to Zhang Jue: “He used an injection for pain relief.”

Zhang Jue: “I can tell.”

In this final group of the men’s singles, besides the young Chiba Takashi and Arthur, the other four competitors all had pain relief injections. After all, Carlson, theoretically, was from the same generation as Arthur and Chiba but was only one month younger than Zhang Jue.

And in Zhang Jue’s memory, Carlson’s highest difficulty quadruple jump before retirement was only the 4S. After all those injuries, it wasn’t surprising that he was forced to attempt the 4F, given the circumstances.

Next came Teraoka Hayato, performing a free skate to Schubert’s Impromptu in G Major. This was a very gentle piece, and paired with Hayato’s graceful style, just standing on the ice gave him a soft, smooth feel.

From the first time Zhang Jue saw Hayato skate in person, he knew that he and Schubert’s music were a perfect match.

Schubert, born in Vienna in 1797 and passing away at thirty-one, had a short life, but he left behind many classic works. Given that he began creating mature works at just seventeen, it was no exaggeration to call him a genius. His compositions were always full of brilliant inspiration, natural, smooth, and seamless.

The most important thing was that this musician lived in poverty throughout his life and remained unmarried. For many, this life might not seem like a success, but his works were filled with a kind of gentle sentiment throughout.

Zhang Jue tilted his head: “Hayato and Schubert are actually quite alike.”

“Alike? Have you ever met Schubert?” Shen Liu asked, surprised by Zhang Jue’s comment.

Zhang Jue scratched his head: “I don’t know. It’s just that Schubert’s music has a certain feeling, and it’s the same as Hayato.”

It sounded as though Zhang Jue was saying that Teraoka Hayato was like Schubert’s music—a man with a similar spirit, even though it was abstract. It was definitely a compliment.

Teraoka Hayato was two years older than Zhang Jue, born in Kanagawa, Japan, in the 1990s. His father was a businessman, and his mother was a housewife. Their marriage was not harmonious, with his father having many affairs, but as long as he brought home money, his mother pretended not to notice, continuing to live the life of a dutiful wife.

Because she didn’t work, she couldn’t resist her husband’s infidelity.

The disharmony between his parents ultimately made Hayato determined that he would never hurt his wife with cold expressions like his father did, nor would he neglect his children for work.

He wanted to be a kind, gentle person and had always worked hard to do so. He participated in many charity events and worked hard to fulfill his coach’s expectations, ultimately falling in love with figure skating in the process.

Yes, his and Zhang Jue’s paths to figure skating were quite similar. Neither of them initially planned to pursue it as a career. Zhang Jue originally wanted to be an idol, while Hayato hoped to become a music teacher, but they both ended up falling in love with the sport.

He knew his injuries were serious. Of the Three Musketeers, he was the one with the most severe injuries. For years, he couldn’t break into the top ranks due to his injuries. Later, he managed to beat Zhang Jue once or twice, but his injuries kept worsening.

He didn’t know how much longer he could skate, so he treasured every opportunity to perform, using his soul to interpret his love for classical music.

Schubert was his favorite composer. This Austrian man, who lived almost two hundred years before him, had a life full of hardship, but his music remained gentle and full of feeling.

Having listened to Schubert’s works for so long, Hayato felt as if he had communicated with someone living in a distant time. That must have been a kind and brilliant person. As a teenager, Teraoka Hayato had such thoughts. So this time, he wanted to use figure skating to once again touch Schubert’s soul.

Due to his injuries, Teraoka Hayato’s limit was five quadruple jumps in his free skate. Any more would have been impossible. After finishing his program, he knelt on the ice, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped from him onto the ice, and as he lowered his head, he saw the Olympic rings beneath his palms.

Hayato gently touched the red ring, wiped his eyes, stood up, and bowed to the audience.

He had completed the work of his dreams, and no matter what the result of the competition was, he had no regrets.

The current world record for free skate was held by Russian athlete Ilya with a score of 224.13. When the score came out, the crowd erupted in surprise, as Hayato had broken Ilya’s record.

He scored 224.66! With his short program score of 113.9, his total score was 338.56, just 1.02 points short of Zhang Jue’s total record of 339.68.

Such a high score immediately placed Teraoka Hayato in the running for the gold medal. He was sweating heavily, bowing to Coach Mori and the cameras, thanking everyone.

Having come this far, he was deeply grateful for his coach’s guidance and the support of his fans. Hayato was someone who knew how to appreciate the people around him.

At the same time, Zhang Jue stepped onto the ice. His left calf and right hip were numb from the painkiller injection, but without the pain, and with the painkillers he took before the competition, he felt as if he was in a pseudo-healthy state.

He wore a black skating costume, with golden rose patterns embroidered on it, making him look luxurious and stunning. His black hair was tied into a high ponytail, and he looked beautiful in a striking, seductive, and powerful way.

The young man turned skillfully, his back to his uncle. Zhang Junbao and Shen Liuxiu exchanged a glance, each giving him a push on the back.

Go ahead, kid, and fight for the throne you want.

The announcer’s voice rang out, announcing Zhang Jue’s nationality and name.

“Representing China, Jue Zhang.”

The next moment, figure skating commentators from around the world began their work.

“Dear audience, now taking the ice is the Sochi silver medalist, Jue. He is the current holder of the total score record.”

“Teraoka delivered a flawless performance, but Jue is a strong young man. He’s only twenty, yet he’s already created miracles in many major competitions.”

“I believe this will be one of the most exciting performances of this Winter Olympics. Let’s wait and see.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the finest ice dancer of the 21st century is about to begin his performance!”

 

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