Ice-Tipped Jade Beauty Chapter 7

The word “certainty” sounds like big talk.

Lin An Ran tried to find even a hint of a joke on the boy’s face, but Ji He Yu’s expression was too serious as if he considered this matter to be of great importance.

Through the boy’s calm yet earnest gaze, Lin An Ran could faintly see a reflection of his younger self.

“Do you want to become a professional athlete?” Lin An Ran asked.

The boy responded with a firm nod.

“Then let’s try it on the ice.” As he said this, the seriousness Lin An Ran had accumulated earlier suddenly disappeared, almost making Ji He Yu think that his previous “difficulties” were just a figment of his imagination.

“I,” Ji He Yu hesitantly requested, “I want to use the training room to stretch a bit before getting on the ice.”

“Quite professional. I mean, of course, you can.” Lin An Ran smiled.

When they arrived at the training room, Yun Che was exercising with equipment. Seeing his friend unexpectedly come here with this “Kid” who didn’t watch where he was going, he was slightly surprised.

But he had always been indifferent to people who had nothing to do with him, so he didn’t ask much, just nodded to Lin An Ran and continued his training.

The equipment in the gym was much more complete than what Ji He Yu had at home.

Ji He Yu casually placed his legs on the bar, then straightened up and leaned slightly against the wall. He forcefully kicked his left leg back, gripping it as his ankle rose above his head.

This was a Biellmann stretch.

Lin An Ran’s gaze which was somewhat playful suddenly turned serious. 

Although he wasn’t a figure skater, he had spent many years with the national team. Although he couldn’t perform figure skating routines himself, he could understand them well.

From the side, the boy’s upper body and the high-raised left leg formed an almost perfect teardrop shape. Although he was slightly leaning against the wall, his entire weight was supported by his straight right leg, without any aid from the wall.

How many people, when doing a Biellmann, even if their flexibility meets the requirement, still cannot support themselves with one leg if their whole body coordination is insufficient overall coordination, often wobbling in the air—

But the boy in front of him, with his long but thin supporting leg, stood straight without the slightest tremble, like a stubborn and resolute bamboo!

The whole posture was quite painful, and if Ji He Yu relaxed a bit, he could fall at any moment. But Ji He Yu wouldn’t relax. He silently counted the time in his heart, only switching legs when one leg was fully stretched, and then repeated the process.

Ji He Yu had his own little thoughts. If it was just for stretching, he had many methods to choose from, especially with all the equipment here, and the Biellmann didn’t need any equipment; he could do it at home.

But the Biellmann is the most visually striking.

The exaggerated teardrop shape could even make viewers instinctively feel an illusory tearing sensation in the root of their legs.

If this were an ordinary ice rink, Ji He Yu wouldn’t need to do so much.

But the owner here was Lin An Ran.

His status inherently meant connections.

Why were the ice skates here more professional? 

 Why was the thickness of the ice in this rink so good? 

Obviously, all these were related to Lin An Ran.

Ji He Yu was not just a fifteen-year-old boy on the surface.

Since it was a “show of skill”  that was beneficial to him and harmless to others, there was no reason not to seize the opportunity.

Sure enough, Lin An Ran was slightly stunned and said, “Indeed impressive, but I wonder if you can manage on the ice.”

Lin An Ran’s close friend, China’s top male figure skater Jiang Yiqing, could also perform a Biellmann spin, but he rarely used it in major competitions. There were very few male singles skaters who could execute this move cleanly and beautifully.

Lin An Ran had also seen Jiang Yiqing’s stretches.

Although his flexibility far exceeded others, it seemed not as good as the boy in front of him.

Ji He Yu didn’t respond to his words.

Some things need not be said; only strength can speak for itself.

Then Ji He Yu did a few more soft opening exercises until he felt slightly warm, then said to Lin An Ran, “Mr. Lin, I’m ready.”

“Oh, okay, then go change your shoes, I’ll be right there.” Lin An Ran smiled. He planned to drag his friend along to watch the fun.

Ji He Yu politely said goodbye before going to the changing room, intending to get on the ice and get a feel before Lin An Ran arrived.

The flag had been planted; if he fell, it would indeed be troublesome.

After trying a few basic spins and steps, Ji Heyu started thinking about how to “showcase himself” later.

Brackets,¹ inside hooks,² outside hooks,³ Choctaws,⁴ he should be able to do them all. Even the Ina Bauer with not that much of a bend and crab step⁵ should be manageable for a short while.

As for the A jump, he failed to land yesterday and the Biellmann spin he hadn’t tried, Ji He Yu was still hesitant.

But he didn’t have much time to think. Soon, two figures appeared at the edge of the rink.

Hey, two people? Lin An Ran’s friend was here too?

Ji He Yu didn’t mind having one more person watching his “performance,” so he nodded to the two and prepared to start.

Gliding, drag picks, change of edge, three-turn. His figure in training clothes drew a perfect curve on the ice.

Lin An Ran had a strange feeling; even though there was no music, and the boy was only performing the most basic elements—

He felt that every glide and turn of the boy was precisely timed with an imaginary rhythm. The boy’s movements were incredibly musical.

But just this wasn’t enough to make Lin An Ran and Yun Che’s eyes light up.

On the ice, Ji He Yu quickly got into the groove. His skating speed was very fast.

Currently, there is a bad trend in the figure skating circle where jumps and difficulty are overly emphasised, while skating skills are relatively neglected. But Ji He Yu was different.

While others could glide two or three meters with one push-off, Ji He Yu’s precise use of the blade and leg muscles allowed him to glide exceptionally fast, covering six or seven meters in one stride. Additionally, his posture was graceful and elegant, with his straight back and long legs carving beautiful arcs on the ice.

The simpler the basic movements, the harder it is to execute them beautifully and cleanly. Without decades of basic training on the ice, it is difficult to achieve this. But Ji He Yu managed to do it. Yun Che and Lin An Ran’s gazes deepened.

Ji He Yu felt he was in good shape and thought that although he might not land an A-jump perfectly, he could attempt an Lz, which was second in difficulty to the A-jump. He could even add a bit more difficulty.

For figure skaters, condition and inspiration are important. Sometimes, movements with low success rates just need an emotional anchor and a chance to succeed.

Ji He Yu seemed to skate casually, but he had found his rhythm. As an athlete once known for “mastering musicality,” Ji He Yu had a melody in his mind guiding his movements. He performed a Choctaw to the melody.

No, it was a double Choctaw. This was a difficult step sequence.

The young skater’s feet naturally twisted two and a half turns, then his right toe lightly tapped the ice, and he jumped, rotating twice in the air with a slight pause. The right toe pick touched the ice, followed by the right back outside edge, resulting in a 2Lz⁶ with a sense of suspension! Moreover, it was a 2Lz entered from a difficult step sequence!

Yun Che and Lin Anran are not ignorant of the value of things. 

Lin An Ran smiled and said, “He has some skills. Even though it’s just a simple jump, isn’t it quite good?”

Yun Che frowned, nodded, and then shook his head. Lin An Ran understood his meaning and helplessly said, “It’s true that it’s far from enough, but it has nothing to do with us. Watching him is like seeing my past self, so lending a hand is no big deal.”

“It’s still far from enough,” Yun Che briefly commented. However, it was indeed beautiful. — Yun Che added in his heart for no reason.

Since this wasn’t their main event, they didn’t dwell on it too much and continued to appreciate the youth’s movements on the ice.

After skating for over a minute, Ji He Yu’s stamina started to decline rapidly. Lactic acid was building up in his slender body, and every muscle seemed to be telling him to stop.

Although it wasn’t an official performance, and there was no music to time him, Ji He Yu could stop at any time. But he was reluctant to stop.

On the ice, he was passionately in love with, and he was unwilling to stop. This was what he pursued all his life, and he still hadn’t achieved enough, needing another lifetime to continue pursuing it!

The young boy on the ice performed a beautiful swallow-style glide.⁷ If anyone who saw Ji He Yu fall because of a swallow-style glide yesterday was present, they would be surprised to see how he was a completely different skater today!

His right leg was raised at such an exaggerated but graceful angle, and the curve between his thigh and calf was almost straight. His backward-leaning waist seemed precarious, making one instinctively want to support him, but it was very resilient. It was an extremely beautiful swallow.

The boy maintained this posture, like a newborn swift, with ignorance and curiosity about the world, gliding freely on the ice against the cold, strong wind.

Lin An Ran was slightly stunned, wanting to turn his head to ask Yun Che’s opinion. But he saw his usually cold friend with a somewhat unfocused gaze.

Lin An Ran’s lips curved slightly and didn’t disturb Yun Che, returning his gaze to the ice rink. He never knew that such basic skating could be so moving and expressive without music.

Even the technically impressive double Choctaw into 2Lz couldn’t compare to this simple swallow-style glide in terms of touching the heart.

At this moment, Ji He Yu on the ice was unaware of the “audience’s” evaluation of him. The rising cool breeze brushed against his face, giving him endless gentleness and peace.

Instead of “designing” his performance, it was more like Ji He Yu skated the way he felt, completely immersed in his “programme.” Initially, he thought about which techniques to use, but later, he skated freely, guided by the melody in his mind.

When he finally had to stop to rest due to exhaustion, Ji He Yu couldn’t even recall what moves he had “performed.” The accumulated soreness hit him all at once, and he staggered on the ice, barely making it to the rink’s exit.

But Ji He Yu didn’t care about this. He looked at the two “judges” with an involuntary glimmer of hope in his eyes. He even seemed like a child seeking praise.

Lin An Ran knew his friend’s personality, and was about to speak in affirmation when he heard Yun Che unexpectedly whisper, “Not bad skating.”

—

The author has something to say

Ji Baobei: Skating

Someone: Still far from it.

Ji Baobei: Skating

Someone: … still, still okay.

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(sxhbyc ᥫ᭡ footnotes:)

1. The bracket turn is a one-foot turn with a change of the skater’s edge creating a { shape (0:35-0:38 ) ↩︎
2. inside hooks known as the forward inside rocker, is a one-foot turn with entry and exit on the same edge but it results in a change of lobe (semi-circle) with the turn inside the original lobe (semi-circle). (55. Turns: Forward Inside Rocker) ↩︎
3. The outside hook also known as the Counter turn is a one-foot turn with its entry and exit on the same edge of the blade. This results in the change of lobe (semi-circle made by skater’s blade) with the turn outside the original lobe (0:04-0:08). ↩︎
4. Choctaw is a two-foot turn with a change of edge that results in a change of lobe (0:21-0:27) ↩︎
5. Crab step/walk by Alexandra Trusova (2:43-2:46) ↩︎
6. Double Lutz (2Lz) is a toe-pick-assisted marvel. It begins on the back outside edge and lands on the opposite foot’s outside edge. This jump consists of one and a half rotations. ↩︎
7. Swallow glide but it’s more known as a spiral. A move where the skater extends their free leg behind them during a long glide to demonstrate both flexibility and fluidity. Spiral by Yuna Kim (0:53-1:01). ↩︎

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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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