However, the first thing Ji He Yu noticed wasn’t the figure of the man jogging in the morning, but rather the weights strapped to the man’s arms, waist, stomach and thighs, which were visibly heavy.
Ji He Yu’s first reaction wasn’t to apologise to the man but to feel envy.
Yes, envy.
Even though Ji He Yu had already reached the top of the figure skating circle in his “past life”, his stamina had always been a weakness “criticised” by the industry.
Although he could still perform perfect combination spins near the end of his routine through his sheer willpower, the sharp-eyed critics and judges could see the slight tremor of his slender waist during the spins.
Not only was it not ugly, but on the contrary it also had a seductive, fragile beauty.
His fans often made good-natured jokes about his trembling waist, saying things like “so beautiful I want to lick it” or “so soft I want to pinch it.”
But whether it looks good is one thing; whether it can cleanly and decisively earn technical points is another. The reason he could only barely perform cleanly was because of this.
Even though he had trained for a long time, if he ran a bit faster he would be left breathless and struggling to keep up. Running while carrying weights was simply a pipe dream for him.
Although figure skaters like him didn’t need to build bulky muscles, who wouldn’t want to have the stamina to handle an entire free skate easily?
“Are you okay?” “Sorry”— Ji He Yu and the man who turned around spoke simultaneously. Ji He Yu shook his head.
“It’s you?” The man’s tone was still flat, but Ji He Yu could barely detect a hint of mild surprise.
Ji He Yu had a good memory and quickly realised that the man wearing a mask in front of him seemed to be the same person he had bumped into before entering the ice rink yesterday.
It was indeed a bit embarrassing to bump into the same person two days in a row.
Ji He Yu touched his nose in a not-so-good-natured manner
and explained, “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
The man nodded slightly, without much expression.
The man was tall and well-built, with muscles faintly visible under his sportswear, showing no signs of breathlessness even while running with weights, in stark contrast to Ji He Yu, who was sweating profusely.
Ji He Yu’s envy intensified a little more.
Since he had apologised, it was time to continue the morning run. It’s just that the man was still standing there, making Ji He Yu feel somewhat awkward.
—I can’t run with him, right?
The man seemed to sense what he was thinking and stepped aside to make way for the pavement, saying lightly, “You go first.” Ji He Yu nodded gratefully.
The little interruption didn’t trouble Ji He Yu much, and his interrupted thoughts soon returned to “Wild Rose”
This piece was composed of several excerpts from MacDowell’s piano suite “Woodland Sketches.”
“Woodland Sketches” depicted many beautiful scenes in the forest—sunset, trickling streams, soft moonlight, budding water lilies, and wild roses blooming freely…
Among them, Ji He Yu’s favourite was the piece “To a Wild Rose,”1 so in the choreography of “Wild Rose,” apart from the opening atmosphere, most of the time was spent portraying a gorgeous and dazzling wild rose.
The choreographers back then said that besides him, no one else in the figure skating world could perform this piece—
The rose, passionate and beautiful, charming and emotional, required both flexibility and strength, and only Ji He Yu could skate with such unique charm in the men’s singles category.
And now, this body was only fifteen years old, without needing those exaggerated allurements and flamboyance; just showcasing the passion and vigour of youth would already be an unparalleled visual and auditory feast!
The seed sprouting in the harsh winter broke through the soil with difficulty, bathed in the early spring sunshine, and would bloom in mid-spring, becoming a fervent and passionate rose!
The “Wild Rose” of that year conveyed his unwavering belief and love for figure skating.
The rose would eventually shine brightly on the ice.
Already feeling his heartbeat quicken from running, Ji He Yu’s blood rushed to his cheeks, making his brain feel hot.
An indescribable excitement swirled in his mind.
“New Sprout” and “Wild Rose,” two programs with completely different styles, would surely bring a refreshing experience to the audience and judges.
Although red might seem cliché to the public, its contrast on the ice was the most striking and passionate.
The newly born rose was a tender and soft burgundy, with a few dewdrops sparkling on it.
Morning light shone on the dewdrops, reflecting a dazzling glow.
This was his exclusive costume!
Ji He Yu was lost in thought, simulating the scenes on the ice repeatedly in his mind, thinking about how to modify the choreography.
“Be careful.” A calm male voice came to his ear.
Although the tone was very calm, Ji He Yu could still hear a hint of helplessness in it.
Ji He Yu snapped back to his senses and hastily stopped his steps, and only then did he realise that he had unknowingly run to a corner, almost running off the sidewalk onto the road. Behind him, the man in sportswear was calmly watching him.
He had set off first, but now the man had already caught up.
Such good stamina…
Ji He Yu was momentarily stunned before realising his attention had strayed again.
“Thank you.” Ji He Yu nodded awkwardly.
“Next time, keep an eye on the road,” the man hesitated for a moment before finally reminding him, “This isn’t a dedicated sports field, if you fall it can be very dangerous.”
Yun Che rarely spoke such a long sentence to anyone, but the figure of the boy in front of him who was eager to get on the ice yesterday, vaguely overlapped with the impatient figure of his good friend when he was practising speed skating, which made Yun Che say a few more words.
“Thanks a lot, I will.” Ji He Yu said sincerely.
Since he had figured out the most important thing now, he didn’t have anything to distract him.
Ji He Yu ran slowly for two more laps until he had covered enough kilometres before he strolled back home.
The lung capacity and stamina of this body were significant weaknesses; his lungs felt like they were about to explode, and it took a lot of effort for Ji He Yu to breathe deeply and recover a bit.
Having stayed up all night and just exercised intensely, Ji He Yu felt a little dizzy, but to not lose his inspiration, he forced himself to jot down the design of “Wild Rose.”
Then, Ji He Yu made some breakfast and quickly ordered muscle-building protein powder and energy bars online.
If you wanted to improve your stamina, training was one thing, but nutrition also had to keep up.
The home equipment was too rudimentary, so after some simple stretching, Ji He Yu headed to the ice rink.
The ice skates at the ice rink were much more professional than the varied quality ice skates that were available online. Ji He Yu intended to order a few custom pairs from the owner for the time being. Additionally, he wanted to ask about the gym, and how to register for the club league with the figure skating club at the ice rink.
—
The ice skates at the ice rink are far more professional than the varied quality of skates available online. Ji Heyu intended to custom order a few pairs from the owner as a temporary solution. Additionally, he wanted to inquire about the gym and how to ask the ice rink’s figure skating club for help with registering for the club league.
Therefore, when he arrived at the ice rink today, Ji He Yu did not rush to the ice but instead asked the staff and found the owner’s office. Ji He Yu knocked on the door, and upon hearing “Come in,” he pushed the door open and entered.
As soon as he entered, he saw a familiar figure. Although familiar, it wasn’t so; they had only run into each other two or three times in laughable circumstances.
But…
Did this mean he bumped into the ice rink owner yesterday and even rushed in ahead of him?
Before Ji He Yu could gather his thoughts, he heard the man’s cold voice ring out, “An Ran, it seems someone is here for you. I’ll head to training first.” The man casually grabbed the coat hanging on the back of the chair and walked past Ji He Yu, bringing a gust of cold air with him.
“Hello, is there something I can help you with?” A cheerful voice came from the office chair, making Ji He Yu realise he had been staring at the ” familiar” masked man and had ignored the other person in the room!
“Hello, are you the owner of the ice rink?” Ji He Yu came back to his senses and covered up embarrassment.
Ji He Yu’s gaze fell on the face of the man at the desk, finding his face somewhat familiar but couldn’t place it immediately.
“Yes, that’s me. My surname is Lin,” the man smiled, “Please have a seat.”
Surname Lin?
This surname as well as the first name the man just called out immediately made Ji He Yu lock on to a name from his memory—Lin An Ran.
Lin An Ran, once won a gold medal for China in the men’s 1000m short track speed skating but had to retire early due to an accidental injury during training!
Ice and snow sports are a family, and even more so for speed skating and figure skating which both compete on a ice rink. Ji He Yu couldn’t help but feel more goodwill towards the cheerful and generous man before him.
Ji He Yu bowed to Lin An Ran and sincerely said, “Hello, Mr. Lin!”
After speaking, he then sat down on the chair.
Lin An Ran was slightly stunned, not expecting a young boy of this age to pay attention to ice and snow sports. He said with a smile, “I’m so glad you still remember me.”
Ji He Yu was always respectful to his seniors: “How could we forget your contributions to China’s ice and snow sports?”
“Stop it, I am just an ordinary ice rink owner now. What do you need from me?” Lin An Ran waved his hand.
Noticing the faint burning passion in the other’s eyes, Lin An Ran straightened up, growing a bit more interested in the boy.
“My name is Ji He Yu…” Ji He Yu settled down and introduced himself calmly.
Ji He Yu thought that with their shared love for ice sports, Lin An Ran would readily agree to his request. But, he didn’t expect that the more Lin An Ran listened the deeper his brows furrowed, his expression becoming hesitant—
“You mean, you want to participate in the elite division figure skating league?” Lin An Ran quickly grasped the main point.
Ji He Yu nodded.
Although Lin An Ran wasn’t involved in figure skating, he was well aware of the developments in the neighbouring figure skating field, as ice and snow sports are closely related. Compared to speed skating, which occasionally brought back medals and sometimes even gold, the figure skating team was struggling. The men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dancing were almost unheard of in China, were all facing difficulties, failing to win any medals in recent years.
Even his friend, the current top male singles figure skater in China, Jiang Yiqing, couldn’t even break into the world’s top ten and failed to win medals in major competitions. Lin An Ran, who was of similar age to Jiang Yiqing, had a good relationship with him before retiring. This male singles top skater had often expressed his pain and the heavy burden he felt, especially after Lin An Ran won a gold medal in short-track speed skating.
Therefore, hearing Ji He Yu’s request, Lin An Ran felt a bit uncomfortable, reminded of his old friend.
“The elite division is very professional. Do you have any experience? The club league registration is usually for club members in training,” Lin An Ran said with a frown. “If you are just starting figure skating, participating in the elite division is risky. Our club needs to be responsible for you.”
So Lin An Ran’s concern was here. Ji He Yu breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes raised a bit, the gentle light sweeping across the tear mole at the corner of his eye, making him look even more elegant with a gender-ambiguous beauty.
The young man spoke seriously, his tone firm and mature beyond his age—
“What I have is not experience, but certainty.”
“If Mr. Lin is willing to give me a chance.”
—
The author has something to say:
Ji Baobei: Great stamina, so envious
Someone: Great stamina, huh?
Ji Baobei: …???
Once again, all athletes in this story have no prototypes!
Speed skating won’t be written in detail, so you can rest assured QAQ.
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(sxhbyc ᥫ᭡ footnotes:)
- “To a Wild Rose” is a song composed by the American pianist and composer Edward MacDowell – It’s part of the collection “Woodland Sketches” and is one of the most popular pieces of the collection (To A Wild Rose). ↩︎
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(sxhbyc ᥫ᭡ note: I’m not an expert at some of these figure skating terms – so if there’s any mistake please tell me ᯓᡣ𐭩)
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If you like this please consider buying me a ko-fi✧₊⁺ or getting the raws to support the author. Thank You (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
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