An Athlete Held up by an Entertainment Career

As the music played, the first group of athletes successively entered the ice rink.

Before the official competition, each group of athletes had six minutes of on-ice practice time. During these six minutes, snippets of each athlete’s chosen music were played in turn to facilitate individual practice with the music.

The condition of the ice does not remain constant throughout; the temperature affects the hardness of the ice surface, making the actual ice conditions different for each competition.

In this context, the six-minute practice session before the competition becomes particularly important.

Athletes can use this time to familiarize themselves with the ice conditions of the current competition and adjust their physical condition accordingly.

However, the six athletes of the first group seemed to ignore this point, treating the precious six minutes as a fan meet-and-greet. After entering the ice, they skated in large circles, continuously waving to the audience in the stands.

Qiu Zhengqing showed an amused expression, glancing at his disciple with an inquiring look, as if to say, “Is this it?”

Chen Hua felt a bit embarrassed, scratching his nose and complaining, “This isn’t my training, you know. I train the kids from the provincial team every day. These are teachers hired by the program team.”

Saying so, Chen Hua glanced at Yu Zhi standing not far away.

Yu Zhi, seeing him look over, immediately approached as if receiving a signal, trying to ingratiate himself: “Coach Chen.”

Chen Hua nodded to him.

Yu Zhi noticed the unfamiliar person standing next to Chen Hua and couldn’t help but ask, “Who is this…?”

Chen Hua vaguely answered, “A senior.”

With his mentor visiting incognito, Chen Hua did not feel it was appropriate to introduce him freely.

Seeing that Chen Hua had no intention of introducing him, Yu Zhi chuckled awkwardly, guessing the visitor might also be a coach.

Soon after the six-minute practice ended, the first athlete to perform stayed on the ice, while the other five waved to the audience and temporarily left.

The music started, and his performance began.

Compared to the struggle of moving on the ice during the training camp, this performance was much improved, at least to the layman, it seemed to be somewhat credible.

However, having been accustomed to watching the smooth skating and decent technical moves of the provincial team’s kids, and with his own teacher standing beside him, Chen Hua started to feel uneasy.

Qiu Zhengqing, noticing his constipated expression, laughed, “It’s fine. They’re not professionals. It’s good that they’re enthusiastic about getting on the ice.”

Chen Hua forced a smile.

The national team coach didn’t mind, so what was there for him, a provincial team coach, to complain about?

The music and ice performances dispelled the last of the summer heat, and as the first group of six athletes finished, the atmosphere on site grew increasingly lively.

When Ji Yu Heng entered the ice, this liveliness reached its peak, with cheers erupting continuously.

“The next performer is the last athlete of the second group, Ji Yu Heng. His music selection is adapted from the classical ballet — ‘Rose Soul.'”

Banners featuring Ji Yu Heng’s face and name were raised high by fans.

Ji Yu Heng approached the entrance to the ice, removed the guards from his skates, and stepped onto the ice.

He looked around at the audience, and under their gaze, he took off his training jacket to reveal the fitted red costume underneath.

The fans immediately became excited.

“Ah Ah Ah Ah Yu Heng!!”

“Mommy loves you! Woo, baby, your figure is too good!”

His costume, primarily in a darker shade of rose red, featured lively and bold rose embroidery around the neckline, making him look like a noble youth amidst a rose garden.

Ji Yu Heng skated half a circle on the ice, smiling and waving in the direction of the banners, eliciting another round of screams.

His gaze swept over the audience, then over Yu Nian backstage. Yu Nian was wearing headphones with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware that his performance was about to start.

Was he afraid of being influenced by him?

For a moment, Ji Yu Heng thought about going easy on Yu Nian to not make the comparison between the two “Rose Souls” too unfavorable for him.

But once he stood on his stage, his desire to win surged. Hidden beneath his gentle exterior was an indomitable pride.

He couldn’t go easy on anyone; he wanted to perfectly showcase this performance.

Ji Yu Heng’s focus returned to the vast ice beneath him, fully concentrated.

He skated to the center of the rink, assuming a starting pose with one arm across his chest and the other touching his forehead.

The arena quieted down, and the next moment, the music began.

In the camera’s view, Ji Yu Heng looked up with a lively smile, his body leaning forward, his arms naturally extending to both sides, his blades carving an arc on the ice to the left.

Qiu Zhengqing slightly raised his eyebrows, commenting, “Not bad.”

His “not bad” was relative to the athletes who had performed earlier.

Ji Yu Heng’s movements and limb extensions were noticeably more fluid, his facial expressions and smiles in sync with the music, capable of lifting the mood on site.

It was evident he had a desire to perform and possessed a certain level of ability.

Chen Hua explained, “This kid has learned modern dance, has a foundation in dancing, good flexibility, and can let go on the ice.”

Yu Zhi also chimed in, “Yes, during training, Yu Heng was always the most standout.”

From the audience’s reaction, it was clear they were pleasantly surprised by Ji Yu Heng’s performance.

His performance indeed overshadowed all previous performers.

Compared to other athletes with stiff ice-pushing and connections, his glide across the ice felt much smoother, and his smile had a good infectiousness.

The audience couldn’t help but clap along with the rhythm of the music.

Ji Yu Heng’s arm movements and step choreography borrowed from the male dancer’s performance in the “Rose Soul” ballet. At this moment, skating and turning on the ice, he seemed like a lively, budding youth.

When he made a small jump on the ice, the audience gasped.

This was the first time in the competition that an athlete dared to leave the ice with both feet simultaneously.

Ji Yu Heng, feeling the coolness of the ice beneath his feet and the warm atmosphere around him, had a proud and intoxicated smile on his face.

His costume was designed by a renowned designer, and his movements were choreographed by his mother, who came from an artistic background. He was in perfect condition today.

No matter how you looked at it, this was a masterpiece on ice.

He spun and concluded his performance with the music’s final note, extending his arms for the finishing pose.

The “Rose Soul” had drifted away from the maiden.

Qiu Zhengqing commented, “The steps are quite basic, but the skating is alright. Having a dance background helps with expressiveness and engaging the audience, making it a good performance.”

Yu Zhi, somewhat proudly, added, “Yes, presenting it this well is indeed commendable.”

For this entirely amateur figure skating competition, Qiu Zhengqing did not criticize the athletes harshly

. His comments were positive and affirming.

But Chen Hua knew his former teacher and coach well enough to understand that such lukewarm tones and unexcited expressions meant the performances hadn’t truly impressed him.

Ji Yu Heng, with sweat on his face, listened to the thunderous applause around him, bowed repeatedly in thanks, and left the ice amidst the clapping.

After putting the guards back on his skates, Ji Yu Heng couldn’t help but look towards Yu Nian’s position, only to find him still with his eyes closed and headphones on, relaxing his muscles.

He hadn’t watched his performance at all.

This realization made Ji Yu Heng frown slightly, feeling somewhat displeased.

Ji Yu Heng was the last to perform in the second group. After his program ended, it was time for the last group.

The third group’s six-minute practice session began, and Yu Nian opened his eyes, removing his headphones.

He approached the entrance to the ice, removed the guards, and confidently stepped onto the pristine ice surface.

He would be the first to perform in the third group.

As the music started, according to the performance order, Yu Nian’s chosen music was the first to play.

The music sounded familiar to the audience, who paused for a moment, recognizing it as the same music Ji Yu Heng had selected.

It was also “Rose Soul.”

Had there been a song collision? To collide one after the other was quite a coincidence.

Qiu Zhengqing casually laughed, “Two ‘Rose Souls’?”

Two “Rose Souls.”

Amidst the music, Yu Nian skated half a circle on the ice, casually unzipping his training jacket and taking it off to leave at the entrance.

As his magnificent costume was revealed, the audience’s eyes widened, holding their breath.

The well-tailored costume perfectly showcased his lean and flexible figure, with impeccable proportions.

The costume was a vibrant, bold red, covered with layers of pleated, ethereal white tulle, adding a sense of elegance and dreaminess.

The rose embroidery and pink diamonds extending from the neckline and shoulders were so lifelike, like roses swaying gently in the twilight breeze, beautiful and lively.

His striking features and cool demeanor blended into an irresistible charm, with the costume further highlighting his physical advantages.

All eyes were captivated by the red figure on the white ice, leaving no attention for the other five athletes practicing.

“Stunning, who is this?”

“It’s Yu Nian! I voted for him during his audition. Back then, I thought he was just pretty, but now I’m thinking, was I blind? How can this be just pretty?”

“I’m wondering if I was blind too. I used to think his looks were too flamboyant, almost tacky. Wow, he’s actually got such a good vibe.”

“Those legs, that waist…”

“Absolutely incredible, I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of switching allegiances.”

“But wasn’t he pretty bad at singing and dancing? Didn’t have much talent to show during the audition, and also seemed quite wooden, lacking variety show charisma.”

“I remember there was a video leak of him being scolded by a teacher in the company’s training room for not answering a question, right?”

“To be honest, who cares about talent when you have a face like that…”

Qiu Zhengqing shifted his stance, leaning forward slightly.

Chen Hua knew that when the national team coach adopted this posture, it meant he was intrigued.

Qiu Zhengqing exclaimed, “This young man has perfect proportions, just a bit tall for a figure skater, he looks about 180cm, doesn’t he?”

Figure skaters’ physiques must balance mechanical and aesthetic requirements, with a thin upper body, long lower limbs, an overall slender but muscular build.

There are specific quantitative standards for arm length, shoulder width, and hip width. With his extensive experience, Qiu Zhengqing could tell at a glance that Yu Nian’s physique perfectly met these proportions.

The only drawback was his height. Figure skaters are generally shorter to better maintain their center of gravity. However, this wasn’t a significant issue, as there are male single skaters over 180cm on the international stage.

Hearing his assessment, Yu Zhi couldn’t help but complain, “He hardly ever came to train, too delicate for my taste, took many days off just for a sprained foot. I don’t even know if he’s practiced skating properly, let alone discussed his routine with me.”

Chen Hua frowned slightly, “So uncooperative?”

Yu Zhi nodded, about to add more when Yu Nian had already skated a large circle on the ice.

His posture appeared too relaxed, his blade gliding smoothly over the ice.

Qiu Zhengqing glanced at Yu Zhi, “His skating looks pretty good.”

Chen Hua’s brows relaxed, nodding, “The blade use is standard, and just by looking at this skating posture, he’s good. I wonder about his steps.”

Yu Zhi also noticed Yu Nian’s effortless skating and shut his mouth in embarrassment.

The sound system announced, “Yu Nian. His music selection for this competition is from the ballet ‘Rose Soul.’ He will be the first to perform in this group.”

Yu Nian skated on the ice, along with the other five athletes adapting to the ice and interacting with the audience.

Yu Nian’s focus was solely on the ice beneath his feet and the music in his ears, making his figure seem somewhat aloof.

As his minute of combined music practice was about to end, Yu Nian looked up.

He had already assessed the ice conditions.

The ice was in good shape, with suitable hardness.

Qiu Zhengqing and Chen Hua quietly discussed, keeping an eye on Yu Nian, just as he, after a glide, launched into the air.

What is a limit? Limits exist to be broken.

Glide, cushion, takeoff, aerial phase, and landing.

Gliding on the right back outside edge, taking off with the left front outside edge, arms tightly wrapped in front of the chest to spin.

As Yu Nian’s music ended, his skate blades firmly landed on the ice, spraying ice flowers.

Chen Hua and Qiu Zhengqing stood up in shock.

The audience was stunned, most not being ice skating fans and not understanding the significance of the jump, just finding it cool, impressive, and beautiful.

But Yu Zhi lost his voice the moment Yu Nian jumped, suspecting he was hallucinating.

An Axel jump… How many rotations?

“3A!” Qiu Zhengqing breathed heavily, his chest heaving, “It’s a 3A!”