An Athlete Held up by an Entertainment Career

“Have the songs been decided?” asked the program assistant as he approached.

Teacher Yu Zhi nodded, handing over the confirmed list of songs to him.

The assistant glanced at the list and said to the artists, “The selection of songs and everyone’s measurements will be reported, and the designers brought in by the program team will design costumes based on the style of the songs.”

“Anyone who doesn’t need a costume provided by the program team should speak up.”

The artists present, having done their homework in advance, understood that the “costumes” referred to figure skating competition attire.

Professional athletes’ costumes are expensive because they need to be comfortable for jumping, spinning, and other movements, requiring high functionality in terms of fabric, cut, and other aspects.

Moreover, hiring professional designers to design and make them also costs a significant amount of money.

Since the artists present were not professionals, they did not need to be as particular about functionality but aimed for visually appealing costumes for the variety show.

Leaving the design to an unknown level of designer hired by the program team for a one-off creation of over a dozen costumes, it was clear the outcomes might not be outstanding.

Ji Yu Heng was the first to speak up, “I can prepare my own.”

The assistant nodded and made a note next to Ji Yu Heng’s name, marking “will provide their own.”

Following him, two other artists also decided to provide their own costumes.

Yu Nian considered his savings; a custom longboard had emptied his wallet, and he had made some money from painting at Wenxi Mountain, followed by a competition at Tianmen Mountain, which nearly depleted his funds for travel and accommodation.

Fortunately, winning the championship earned him a $5,000 check, but that was all he had.

Thus, he did not choose to provide his own costume.

Other less-known artists did the same, silently accepting the arrangements made by the program team and hoping the designer would be reliable.

After the assistant left with the song list, Yu Zhi announced the start of today’s lesson.

The feeling of instability and the possibility of falling at any moment made the artists grip the inside railing of the ice rink, slowly trying to move their skates.

Seeing this, Yu Zhi smirked, “You’re all grown men; why so timid? Kids much younger than you dare to skate without holding on.”

“Just move a little away from the railing, let go of one hand, and try. Overcoming the fear is all it takes. It’s not much different from rollerblading; once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”

He demonstrated his own skating posture: “Like this, bend your knees slightly, and keep your hands and arms from swinging.”

Ji Yu Heng had previous experience on the ice, now skating a large circle around the spacious rink with graceful movements, in stark contrast to the other artists who struggled to step away from the railing.

Yu Zhi pointed at Ji Yu Heng, “Look at Yu Heng, relax a bit, don’t be so tense.”

“You’re far from being ready to perform. First, you need to develop a feel for the ice.”

“Your sense of the ice and control of your center of gravity are what need the most practice. Being able to accelerate and decelerate on the ice with your blades, and keeping your balance stable, means you’re halfway there.”

Yu Nian, stepping on the skates, listened to the sound of the blades scraping against the ice.

Like all beginners, he initially relied on the railing to get a feel for the ice.

This control over his body and the central axis of balance felt familiar to Yu Nian, similar to when he was learning to skateboard.

This allowed him to be less awkward than others when first stepping onto the ice and quickly find the key to maintaining balance.

Watching a group of awkwardly moving artists on the ice, Yu Zhi sighed, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

When his gaze landed on Yu Nian, he paused for a moment.

Yu Nian was skating around casually, with no choreographed steps, but his movements were steady and smooth, his limbs relaxed and not stiff, making even his unchoreographed skating naturally graceful.

It seemed he had previous experience on the ice, Yu Zhi noted internally.

Yu Zhi, who was related to Liu Chuan by marriage, was not a coach from the provincial team but a skating instructor from a nearby rink. This time, he had pulled some strings to help out at the provincial team.

Remembering the heads-up Liu Chuan had given him earlier, Yu Zhi shifted his gaze to Ji Yu Heng and began giving him one-on-one instruction: “Your sense of balance is good; let’s try learning some basic steps, like the forward and backward crossovers and the serpentine step.”

“For the forward crossover, your weight should be on the front leg. Look, like this, drawing arcs from both sides to transition into crossing in front and behind.”

As he spoke, Yu Zhi demonstrated several times.

His favoritism was so obvious that the other artists felt somewhat dissatisfied.

Noticing their emotions, Yu Zhi explained, “You can’t even stand steady yet. First, master balance on the ice as I’ve told you, then we can continue with the rest.”

“Yu Heng is progressing faster, so I’ll teach him a bit more.”

Why didn’t he mention that Yu Nian was also skating well? Some wondered internally but didn’t dare to speak up.

Yu Zhi, however, did try to offer guidance to everyone now and then, noticing the overall atmosphere.

Yu Nian, listening to his teaching, requested, “Could you demonstrate the forward two-foot serpentine step again?”

Yu Zhi glanced at him and nodded, “Sure, in a bit.”

Yu Nian quietly watched him continue to teach Ji Yu Heng, then looked away.

That “in a bit” lasted the entire morning.

Tired from teaching, Yu Zhi called out to Ji Yu Heng, “Yu Heng, practice on your own for a bit; I’m going to get some water.”

He walked off the ice, covering his skates with guards.

Looking at the small pits carved out by the artists’ skates on the ice, he signaled to a staff member, “Practice for another ten minutes, then let’s have the ice resurfaced.”

Nearby, Ji Yu Heng continued practicing, recalling the steps Yu Zhi had taught. As he skated towards Yu Nian, his skate caught on a rut, losing his balance and falling forward.

Yu Nian looked up, reached out to catch him, but was pulled down onto the ice by Ji Yu Heng’s weight.

Ji Yu Heng felt a whirlwind of confusion before realizing he was pressing down on Yu Nian, his hands propping next to Yu Nian’s head, pinning him underneath.

Somewhat stunned, Ji Yu Heng looked down at Yu Nian beneath him.

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his features strikingly beautiful.

Lying on the ice, his black hair contrasted against the white surface, creating a vivid image.

Moving his fingers, Ji Yu Heng noticed a streak of red and saw that Yu Nian’s palm was cut by the ice, blood seeping out, stark against the white ice.

“You—”

Yu Nian, uncomfortable under him, lowered his lashes, his voice tinged with impatience

, “Get up.”

Ji Yu Heng awkwardly rose, “Thank you…”

He then noticed besides the fresh cut, Yu Nian’s wrist bore a large, unhealed scab, wondering where he had been injured.

Yu Zhi, noticing the commotion, rushed over, “Are you alright?”

Yu Nian knew the question wasn’t really directed at him. He stood up, shaking his hand, removing his half-glove.

Ji Yu Heng’s hands fell to his sides, clenched and then relaxed, ultimately saying nothing.

Yu Zhi’s gaze shifted, noticing the cut on Yu Nian’s hand, “Take a break, put a band-aid on that.”

Then, looking at everyone else, he called for a halt, “Stop practicing for now, take a break until the ice is resurfaced.”

As the staff started the ice resurfacer, Yu Zhi turned to Yu Nian, now off the ice and applying a band-aid, “Did you sprain your foot? Are you okay?”

Yu Nian, after applying the band-aid, slightly moved his eyelashes, “I did sprain it.”

Yu Zhi was taken aback, having expected a stoic denial.

Seeing Yu Nian admit it, he responded, “Then take it easy, don’t push yourself. That’s enough for today.”

Yu Nian nodded, asking, “Can I see a doctor?”

“Go ahead,” Yu Zhi waved him off.

Yu Nian changed out of his skates and into his shoes, walking awkwardly out.

Ji Yu Heng watched him leave.

Once outside the rink, Yu Nian’s walk returned to normal.

His foot was fine; it seemed the coach wasn’t really interested in teaching him.

Yu Nian remembered the reward for exceeding the task by winning the Tianmen Mountain longboard downhill race: in addition to lifting the restriction on dance, he was granted an in-depth learning session in any discipline of his choice.

He didn’t head towards the team doctor but towards his apartment instead.

Upon arriving, Yu Nian summoned the system.

A semi-transparent system panel appeared before him, and he selected the reward for an experience course in figure skating.

【Experience Course Activated — Figure Skating】

As the bold, emerging text appeared, Yu Nian leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.

In an instant, he entered the system space.

The chill surrounded him, the lush green mountains replaced by a vast white ice rink.

In the center of the rink stood an elegantly postured lady with her hair pinned up, wearing skates.

The coach was no longer the muscular man.

She smiled at Yu Nian, “Welcome. I am your coach for this course. I look forward to spending a pleasant time together.”

Yu Nian “rested” at home for two days until Yu Zhi called to say the costumes were ready and asked him to come for a fitting.

Upon his arrival, Yu Zhi seemed displeased, “Such a delicate one, taking two days to recover from a sprained foot.”

“I still have to arrange your routine; we need to hurry.”

Yu Nian glanced at him, a smile tugging at his lips, “No need to trouble yourself; I can manage on my own.”

Yu Zhi wanted to say something but held back.

He seemed uncomfortable under Yu Nian’s gaze, perhaps sensing his own neglect.

Yu Nian looked away from the coach and towards the artists practicing energetically on the ice.

Their performance had improved significantly after a few days of training.

Once they could skate on the ice, Yu Zhi began basic exercises, incorporating some off-ice training.

After mastering the double-foot gliding, they practiced forward and backward crossovers, sawtooth steps, left and right forward presses, and single-foot gliding, as much as Yu Zhi figured he could teach. The rest depended on each artist’s talent and effort.

Off-ice, the artists were less fearful and more active, encouraging Yu Zhi to teach 90-degree and half-turn jumps.

Such jumps were manageable off-ice, giving everyone a bit of confidence.

However, the ice presented a different challenge. Even a small jump was difficult, let alone adding spins.

The provincial team coach, Chen Hua, observed and expected these challenges. He focused on smooth skating and step learning rather than jumps.

Even without jumps, the young, good-looking artists could still appear decent on camera if they skated smoothly and with good posture.

Figure skating scores are divided into technical and program components. Technical scores are based on the difficulty and execution of technical elements, while program components evaluate skating skills, transitions, performance, choreography, and music interpretation.

In the All-Star Sports Meet, ice sports were a marginal, experiential event with little popularity or audience, hinting at a “perfunctory” approach.

The competition format was significantly adjusted to accommodate the artists’ level, reducing the usual short program and free skate to a single three-minute performance with almost no technical requirements.

Given the brief learning period, expecting artists to perform difficult jumps, steps, and spins was nearly impossible.

However, since the competition needed criteria, performance ability, judged by program components, determined the winners.

Thus, after a few days of training and being able to skate, the artists hurriedly moved into program choreography, trying to match their performances with their music to impress the audience and judges.

Yu Nian looked away, noticing a middle-aged man with a fashionable look standing nearby, a rack of colorful costumes beside him.

This man was likely the costume designer.

Approaching him, Yu Nian greeted the designer, who scanned him, his eyebrows raising in approval, “Yu Nian, you chose ‘Rose Soul’?”

“Hello.”

The designer continued to examine him, expressing surprise, “You don’t look much like your photos.”

The program team had provided earlier photos of Yu Nian, which showcased his striking features but gave off an overly flamboyant vibe. Although attractive, he lacked a certain presence.

The person standing before the designer, however, had a different aura. Despite the same features, he radiated an indescribable quality.

“Everyone else has tried on their costumes and given me a load of feedback, some of which I’ve already adjusted.”

He took a red costume from the rack, “Rose Soul… here, this was tailored to your measurements.”

Yu Nian examined the costume handed to him. It was simple, with some ruffles and rose elements, resembling an outdated thermal shirt at first glance.

The designer hesitated, “I think it might need some changes.”

Yu Nian smiled at him, “I think so too.”

The designer coughed lightly, “If I had seen you in person earlier, I would have been inspired. You really don’t look like your photos. If I had met you face-to-face, I would have had many ideas.”

He somewhat reluctantly took back the costume, which seemed inadequate.

Continuing, the designer explained, “In competitions, decorations like beads, sequins, and rhinestones are strictly regulated. If they fall off, points are deducted, so they must be sewn on by hand, which is time-consuming.”

He attributed the costume’s simplicity to the lack of time to secure decorations properly.

Pausing, the designer looked at Yu Nian, “But I think ‘Rose Soul’ deserves the effort. Once I add the beautiful

beadwork and rhinestones, I’ll get the costume to you, okay?”

Yu Nian imagined the effect of adding beads and rhinestones to the thermal-like costume.

His polite smile remained, “Do you have any ideas for the modifications? The designs for beadwork and rhinestones, as well as other colors and decorations?”

The designer thought for a moment and honestly replied, “Vaguely. ‘Rose Soul’s choreography is by Fook Kim, a truly talented artist. He described ‘Rose Soul’ as a spirit, a dream, the scent of roses, the caress of petals—absolutely brilliant.”

Listening intently, Yu Nian noticed a pen and paper nearby and looked at them questioningly.

The designer smiled, “Feel free to use them.”

Yu Nian picked up the pen and began sketching on the paper.

The designer was initially indifferent, but as the design took shape, he was impressed, “Your approach to expressing the rose motif is clever, creating a textured pattern.”

“I promise, the beadwork and rhinestones will follow your design.”