An Athlete Held up by an Entertainment Career

In the system space, Yu Nian was learning figure skating.

The flow of time here was much slower than in the outside world, allowing Yu Nian to master basic steps and spins.

His posture on the ice was already quite natural, displaying calmness and confidence even in the more complex steps.

At this moment, the female coach was holding his hand, skating beside him to help him better understand the posture.

Yu Nian was practicing the forward inside edge half-circle glide, with the coach guiding him to push off with the inside edge of his right foot and arc with the inside edge of his left foot.

Their bodies leaned slightly into the circle, smoothly forming a half-circle arc. During the glide, the coach said, “You have an excellent ballet foundation, which is great.”

“What is the foundation of ballet? It’s control, body posture and center of gravity shifts, dance positions, spatial awareness, lines, and the quality of movements.”

Her voice was pleasant and elegant, her arm extensions and every joint transition made her seem like a true ballet dancer gliding on the ice.

“The core is control and the shift of center of gravity. Familiar, isn’t it? These are also requirements in figure skating, so I said you have a high starting point.”

“Of course, it’s not just the ballet that has helped you, but also the significant improvements brought by longboard training.”

“You have a unique advantage in control and center of gravity shifts. This comes from your talent and repeated intensive training, allowing you to maintain balance during fast glides and amidst constantly shifting centers of gravity.”

With that, she led Yu Nian to increase his gliding speed.

In the system’s utterly professional course, Yu Nian’s ice pushing ability was very standard, enabling him to move on the ice with fewer pushes, and even after accelerating, the transitions looked incredibly smooth.

The coach’s gaze swept over his extended limbs: “As for expressiveness—young man, even if you just raise your arm, doing nothing else, you have the ability to attract everyone’s attention. You know, your limbs, your every expression, already make you a wonderful ice dancer.”

She asked, “You chose ‘Rose Soul,’ didn’t you?”

Yu Nian was somewhat distracted and paused before answering her question, “Yes, ‘Rose Soul.'”

“A wonderful ballet. I will help you arrange a set of movements that match your current skill level.”

“But what are you thinking about right now, young man?”

Yu Nian apologized with a smile, “Sorry, I got distracted.”

The coach shook her head with a smile, slowing down their glide.

Her voice was soft and warm, “I know, I know. When you conquer one limit, you start thinking about the next.”

“Longboarding made your heart beat powerfully. You seem to have fallen in love with that feeling of challenge, haven’t you?”

Yu Nian paused.

The coach continued to slow down until they stopped gliding hand in hand.

“So, do you want to try?”

The beautiful and elegant coach smiled and asked.

Yu Nian remembered the first time he entered the system space, and the strong longboard coach also asked with a smile, “Do you want to try?”

Thus, he experienced the thrill of downhill for the first time, followed by a plunge off a cliff.

The feeling of weightlessness and rapid descent still etched in his mind, making him perfect every action to minimize the chance of mistakes.

“The first lesson is that mistakes cost lives,” the longboard coach’s words seemed to echo again.

Yu Nian looked at the pristine ice below, now understanding the dangerous traps hidden in the coach’s words.

But he indeed wanted to try.

The coach released his hand.

“I’ve explained the six jumps to you.”

During rest intervals in training, the coach had explained the six types of figure skating jumps to him, including the posture for takeoff and blade use.

He had also tried jumping on land.

Ballet is the art of jumping and spinning. After unlocking the dance restriction, Yu Nian felt his flexibility and core strength had improved, allowing him to easily perform ballet jumps he had learned before entering the book.

When he began trying figure skating jumps, regardless of the accuracy of the movements, just the process of running up on land, jumping into the air, and spinning 90 degrees to a half-turn, was indeed not difficult for Yu Nian.

Transitioning from a half-turn to a full turn and then to a one-and-a-half turn was still manageable until increasing to two turns when he felt the strain.

Figure skating jumps are often performed while gliding backward because it’s easier to gain speed in that direction on the ice. Most jumps require speed from a glide, and the direction of takeoff is also backward.

However, the Axel jump is an exception.

The Axel jump, or simply the Axel, is the only one among the six types of jumps that takes off forwards, which is why it has an extra half rotation in the air compared to other jumps.

Therefore, with the same number of rotations, the Axel is the most difficult among the six types of jumps.

Even for top international male figure skaters, performing a triple Axel, or 3A, is a significant challenge.

But it varies from person to person.

Yu Nian, without having skated on ice and only trying a few single jumps on land, found the Axel, the only forward jump, to be easier, possibly due to his long-term ballet training and bodily habits.

Of course, this feeling quickly diminished after progressing to double jumps.

The coach said, “We’ve been very conservative with our jump training on ice, focusing on gliding steps and spins considering your performance task.”

“But there’s a young wolf in your heart, howling softly. You always want to do your best.”

“Your land trials went smoothly, so how about on ice?”

The coach left the ice, leaving the space to Yu Nian.

“Your greatest advantage is always being fearless in your attempts.”

Unreserved attempts, thus firmly remembering the cost of errors.

Yu Nian heard her distant yet seemingly close voice, “Glide, cushion, takeoff, aerial, and landing. Let’s see what level you can achieve.”

He looked at the white ice, marked with the arcs of his glides.

The ice blade engraved his footprints on the surface, but something was missing.

Missing were the ice flowers that burst forth during a jump and the moment of landing, reflecting sunlight, vibrant with life.

This is the art of ice and snow, the cold yet pure beauty.

Yu Nian took a deep breath, knowing the cost of adventurous attempts.

But as the coach said, his greatest advantage is always being fearless in his attempts.

Like when he first learned to longboard, falling into an abyss, but still waking from the depths.

He lifted his lashes, his body moved.

Gaining speed from the glide, after a long assist glide, he took off forward with the outside edge of his left foot and the outside edge of his right foot, tucking his arms in front of his chest to spin in the air.

“Greedy little guy,” the coach chuckled softly, shaking her head as he took off.

From the takeoff, she could tell Yu Nian was attempting a 2A.

However, Yu Nian realized during takeoff that his left blade severely slipped, misjudging the timing of the jump. The moment he was in the air, he sensed his axis was off, followed by a hard fall onto

the ice.

Intense pain emanated from his ankle.

This turned Yu Nian’s face pale, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, nose, and back, quickly soaking his hair and training clothes.

He knew his tendons and ligaments must have been torn.

“Poor takeoff, poor aerial phase, poor landing,” the coach critically commented.

“Do you feel the difference between land and ice? You could successfully perform an Axel jump on land, thanks to your excellent physical condition and deep ballet foundation.”

“But land and ice are entirely different. The demands and stress on the knees, ankles, and hips during jumps are immense.”

“A normal-height triple Axel, or other triple and quadruple jumps, place a shock on your knees and ankles at the moment of landing equivalent to about seven to eight times your body weight. If a 2A does this to you, what about later?”

She asked with a warning tone, “Does it hurt? So, will you try again?”

“It hurts,” Yu Nian murmured, never hiding his sensation of pain.

Then he looked up at the coach’s serious face.

“But you were hoping I’d say ‘yes,’ weren’t you?”

Sweat also gathered on his lashes, mist-like.

The coach looked at him, slightly surprised.

At that moment, Yu Nian felt the system-simulated pain in his ankle slowly fade until it completely disappeared.

He blinked, and the sweat gathered on his lashes dropped onto the ice.

The pain had receded, but his brain seemed to still remember that bone-deep sensation, as if some of the pain lingered.

After a while, the coach finally spoke, “You know, figure skating, like ballet, relies on childhood training. You’re grown up, so even if you work hard, your limit is a 2A.”

She looked at Yu Nian and suddenly smiled, “But what is a limit? Limits exist to be broken.”

“Are you ready to take on new tasks and face new challenges?”

At that moment, the coach’s voice overlapped with the strong longboard coach’s voice.

“Yes, I’m ready,” Yu Nian wiped the sweat from his lashes.

The costume designer delivered Yu Nian’s costume the day before the official recording of the All-Star Sports Meet.

Seeing the red costume, Yu Nian knew he had perfectly recreated his sketch.

The designer’s eyes were shadowed with fatigue, “Honestly, I don’t know how you’ll perform in the competition, but seeing you, I can imagine what the essence of ‘Rose Soul’ should be.”

“Following your sketch, I stayed up several nights to sew the beadwork and pink diamonds onto it. The original red was too saturated, so I added layers of chiffon white tulle—how beautiful is it now?”

The costume he showed Yu Nian was no longer the simple look of thermal clothing but featured extensive beadwork and pink diamonds forming rose patterns from the shoulders and neckline downward.

Those were the roses Yu Nian had drawn, in the twilight, vibrant and splendid.

And the originally saturated red, covered by layers of pleated white tulle, added a hazy and elegant appearance.

Yu Nian sincerely thanked the designer for the costume, “Thank you very much.”

The designer shook his head, “No, it was just a mundane task at first, but your talent and charisma turned those sleepless nights into pleasant and romantic ones.”

“He is a spirit, a dream. I look forward to seeing you in this costume on the ice.”

That would be the most eye-catching presence on the white ice surface.

The next day, the figure skating event of the All-Star Sports Meet officially began recording.

The recording took place at an ice rink booked by the program team.

After changing into his costume and putting on a training jacket over it, Yu Nian left the changing room, coincidentally bumping into Ji Yu Heng.

Ji Yu Heng had also changed into his costume, reportedly designed by his mother, a former artistic troupe member with excellent dance skills.

Also primarily red, its sleek design fully showcased his good physique.

Yu Nian passed by him, and Ji Yu Heng turned to watch his retreating figure in the training jacket.

Two “Rose Souls.”

Ji Yu Heng remembered the scene when he fell and Yu Nian helped him up.

The person beneath him had black hair, pale skin, and a strong impact when lying on the ice.

Maybe he should hold back during his performance? At least Yu Nian wouldn’t be too embarrassed.

Ji Yu Heng entertained this thought.

Outside the ice rink, the audience for the recording was gradually entering, surrendering their phones and other electronic recording devices at the staff’s request.

The rink wasn’t large, barely fitting less than two hundred spectators, and the number of people coming wasn’t high, with the two hundred seats not even being fully occupied.

With popular track and field and swimming events being recorded at the same time in a larger venue, those attracted more audience members.

Compared to those, this ice rink seemed quite bleak.

Being a niche event with mostly unknown participants, it naturally didn’t draw much attention.

If it weren’t for Ji Yu Heng’s recent popularity and his fans coming to support him, there would be even fewer people.

Coach Chen Hua saw groups of young girls with banners and support items taking their seats and shook his head.

He now understood and didn’t bother arguing with the program team about his sportsmanship theories anymore.

Let it be. Let these celebrities play to their artist effect, even if it only serves a little to promote awareness.

The young girls sat down with their support items, and at a glance, these items were concentrated on a few artists, with Ji Yu Heng having the most banners.

With over two hundred celebrities participating in the All-Star Sports Meet, recognizing everyone was difficult.

Many lesser-known artists hoped to make a name for themselves through this variety show, but in reality, they were destined to be background characters from the start. The show had a few key artists to promote, and winning a competition wouldn’t necessarily lead to fame if the camera didn’t capture their highlights.

It’s a sports meet, but still a celebrity sports meet, following the entertainment industry’s norms.

It’s called a competition, but it’s actually a variety show. The audience knows this; they’re not really there to watch a competition. If they wanted to see real sports, they’d watch professional athletes.

They’re here to see their idols, making this place a gathering spot for fans. If they wanted to see true sportsmanship, why wouldn’t they go elsewhere?

Coach Chen Hua watched as the artists warmed up in their costumes backstage and was about to check on them when his phone buzzed.

He pulled out his phone, his eyes lighting up at the message, and quickly left the ice rink.

At the entrance, a man in his forties greeted Coach Chen Hua.

Coach Chen Hua hurried over, “Coach, what brings you here?”

This was his mentor, Coach Qiu Zhengqing, currently working with the national team.

Coach Qiu said, “I was in S City for a meeting and heard you were here, so I thought I’d come and see you.”

Coach Chen Hua smiled, “I’m recording a show here, but I’m not on camera. Just keeping an eye on things to prevent accidents. Interested in watching?”

“The show? That sports meet? I know.”

Coach Chen Hua quickly

explained, “It’s just a bunch of kids, not a serious competition. Just having fun.”

Coach Qiu nodded, “Alright, let’s take a look. I happen to have some free time today.”

Coach Chen Hua led Coach Qiu into the ice rink. When program staff asked, he simply said it was a friend.

The provincial team coach bringing a friend wasn’t a big deal, so the staff didn’t ask further and focused on checking equipment and machines.

The artists’ groups and order of appearance had been determined by drawing lots the previous day. Six artists per group, divided into three groups.

Yu Nian drew to be the first in the third group.

Once all the audience members arrived and all equipment was ready, the competition officially began.