Chapter 126: Slightly Nearsighted

The Winter Olympics were just around the corner, only half a month away. Shu Ran had paused her medical treatment, and her training intensity naturally could not compare to Kristina, who was fully healthy. Although Shu Ran was capable of performing all six types of triple jumps, the triple Salchow (S) caused significant damage to her right ankle; therefore, as long as she could make up for the points elsewhere, she would avoid using it.

Since she had lowered her technical base value, Shu Ran considered the program component scores (PCS). She wanted to raise her PCS, but the problem was that her current PCS was already at a world-class level. Even if she made a breakthrough, the score wouldn't increase by much. Rather than wasting energy on that, it was better to focus on her combination jumps, carefully calculating their base values before deciding which ones to use.

Throughout the morning training session, Fu Yiqing did not appear once. After stepping off the ice, Shu Ran couldn't help but ask Qin Liubei. She had barely opened her mouth when he frowned, glanced down at the time in the bottom right corner of his laptop, and gritted his teeth. "This guy! He told me to come early, but he’s the one who’s late. You wait here; I’m going to see what he’s doing. This is the third day he’s been late."

Shu Ran grabbed him. "I'm coming too."

This was Shu Ran's first time visiting the dormitory building where Fu Yiqing stayed. On the way, she even ran into the two coaches who used to train her. Qin Liubei pulled a room key card from his pocket with a mysterious air. "Heh heh, let’s go for a surprise inspection."

Moving like a thief, he swiped the card. With a "beep," he turned the handle and pushed the door open. The room was well-lit, but the bed was messy, and the hallway was in disarray. In Shu Ran’s impression, Fu Yiqing had always been meticulous in everything he did, including keeping his room tidy. She thought they must have entered the wrong room, but the next second, she saw Qin Liubei walk into the study as if he owned the place, shouting, "Well, well! So you’re still sleeping."

Shu Ran followed him inside and confirmed that this was indeed Fu Yiqing’s room. Fu Yiqing was sitting at his desk, slumped over it to rest. Startled by Qin Liubei, he lifted his head. His eyes were weary, with dark circles framed by rimless glasses. He looked bleary-eyed, lazily and elegantly raising a hand to rub his brow. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Shu Ran and his expression softened. "What time is it?"

Qin Liubei was full of displeasure. "It’s nine o'clock! Can you be a little more professional? Who is actually Shu Ran’s coach?"

Fu Yiqing didn't answer, only tidying up the documents on his desk. "Take these."

Shu Ran was stunned. She pointed to herself. "For me?"

Fu Yiqing replied, "This is the training plan for the next stage."

Qin Liubei’s intended lecture died on his lips. He scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish laugh. "Ahem—so you were busy with real work. Why didn't you say so earlier... wait, why are you wearing glasses?"

Qin Liubei snatched the glasses away to examine them. Feeling Fu Yiqing’s piercing gaze, he sheepishly returned them and quickly made an excuse about "leaving something at the training rink," hurrying away.

When the door closed, only the two of them remained in the study. Fu Yiqing put his glasses back on, calm and unhurried. As his gaze focused and he saw Shu Ran staring at him, he smiled. "What's wrong?"

Shu Ran looked away and shook her head, glancing at the materials in her hands. Most of them were related to off-ice training. A suspicion began to surface in her mind. She knit her brows. "Your glasses..."

Fu Yiqing subconsciously avoided her gaze. "Oh, I'm a bit nearsighted." His tone was as casual as if he were discussing something unimportant.

She held up the materials. "Is it because of this?"

Fu Yiqing looked back at her, frowning in a troubled way, and hesitated for a few seconds. "What, do I not look good in glasses?"

Shu Ran walked closer, stared at him intently for a long moment, and smiled. "They look quite good." Though she was smiling, her heart overflowed with heartache. Her hand clutching the documents slowly tightened.

*

The highly anticipated Winter Olympics finally arrived. During this year's Nagano Winter Games, the Lunar New Year had already passed in China. Everyone was busy visiting relatives and friends, but in between conversations, they kept a close eye on figure skating, the highlight of the Winter Olympics.

On the morning of the 19th, the men's short program took place as scheduled. Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Kurami had a minor error but still relied on his technical superiority to temporarily rank first by a margin of 0.43 points. Zhu Hongzhe remained in third place, seemingly unable to escape his fate as the eternal bronze medalist.

In the men's free skate the following day, Kurami again made a mistake, but his exceptional performance helped him successfully defend his title as World Champion. He was a miracle! But everyone understood that this would be his final Winter Olympics.

The final group, the "Group of Death," all had more or less significant errors. On the contrary, Zhu Hongzhe performed well and went clean, but because of his deficit in the short program, he didn't win; however, he surpassed Wells and achieved his personal best—an Olympic silver medal. Chen Lecheng’s performance was neither good nor bad, resulting in eighth place.

Next came the pairs skating, where the duo of Wu Xincheng and Shen Yu took the gold without question; their overwhelming strength was no longer a surprise.

The highly anticipated women's singles event was scheduled for the 23rd. Netizens were sweating for Shu Ran. Everyone knew her old injury had flared up three months ago. No one knew the true extent of her current condition, but there had been leaked photos—over a month ago, someone had snapped a picture of Shu Ran attending a friend's wedding in a wheelchair. Clearly, the injury was serious.

Although Song Ziren was in good health, he was nearly ninety years old, and running around after the young people wasn't exactly his preference. However, he couldn't resist his beloved granddaughter’s persistence and had accompanied her to Nagano. During the open training sessions, after Shu Ran returned to her lodging, Song Ziren and several other team doctors would examine her and perform acupuncture. Her condition was indeed not good.

Song Ziren’s expression was grim. "The wound is slightly infected. We'll have to use a nerve block." Shu Ran was suddenly grateful for her past experience; hearing that she would receive a nerve block actually gave her a sense of reassurance.

There were 30 competitors in total. The starting order for the final group: Nadirova, Shu Ran, Soskova, Evelyn, Sayaka, and Kristina. Among the six, three were Russian, meaning there was a fifty percent chance their country would take the gold—a terrifying reality.

By the time the second group had finished, the nerve block had taken effect. Shu Ran wore her headphones, walking back and forth backstage, practicing her arm movements and rotations. After the fourth group finished at 13:53, the six-minute warm-up for the fifth group began. Since the fifth group was composed of the absolute elite, the fans in the stands began shouting the names of their favorite skaters to cheer them on.

Nadirova was scheduled to skate before Shu Ran. Shu Ran’s gaze couldn't help but fixate on her waist. The scene of Nadirova’s injury during the Grand Prix series was still fresh in her mind; after more than a year of treatment, her condition was surely much better than her own. But every athlete competing today was undoubtedly carrying various injuries. This was the life of a figure skater—only through enduring countless hardships could one stand on this ice.

Shu Ran pushed aside her lingering thoughts, focused her mind, and used these final moments to feel the ice. Before the competition, she had calculated the permutations for her combination jumps. An S-jump would give her a better chance at gold, but if the medication wore off, even taking a step would be excruciating, let alone performing an S-jump. In the end, Shu Ran decided to decide based on how she felt in the moment. If things looked bad, she would switch to an F-jump.

The fifth group competition officially began. Nadirova’s performance costume was ice-blue; with her fair skin and beige hair, she looked like an elf who had fallen to earth. The announcer said, "Nadirova, from Russia." Her performance music was from "Cinema Paradiso." The intricate footwork combined with the beautiful, nostalgic music drew the audience’s thoughts into the past. After a three-turn, she landed a beautiful 3A with stability.

Although Soskova and Evelyn could both perform quadruple jumps, their senior, Nadirova, could not. This was because young girls had light bodies that hadn't fully developed yet; once they hit puberty, the success rate of quadruple jumps would plummet. Thus, the so-called "skating machine" training method was only suitable for very young girls, making it unsuitable for the wider promotion of figure skating. Nadirova’s jumps were somewhat forced, and her skating speed noticeably slowed in the latter half. She scored 78.15 in the short program. It seemed the back injury still had a lingering effect on her.

Shu Ran entered the rink from the opposite side; people in the audience were calling her name. Standing in the center of the rink, she closed her eyes, and her heart gradually stilled. She felt as if she could hear the words of the ice. Yes, the ice beneath her feet had a soul and a voice. The cold air swirled, nearly silent. In her ears, the announcer was introducing her.

The audience fell silent. Deep, classical cello notes poured out, washing away all pretense. Shu Ran tilted her head slowly and opened her eyes, her elegant arm movements shifting in sync with her footwork. In the past, Shu Ran relied on her jumping advantage to catch people’s eyes; now, she could win with her ever-changing, sophisticated footwork. True art must leave a deep impression and strike the heart; even the same performance must possess a unique soul.

The opening was still Shu Ran’s signature 3A. Even though the 3A was no longer a "killer move" exclusive to a select few, Shu Ran was undoubtedly the most graceful, with the most unique entry. She skated into a spread eagle, transitioning into a twizzle, and landed without a single deviation.

Suddenly, Shu Ran felt as light as a swallow. Every note flowed into her heart, and she poured her entire understanding into her movements. Spins, arm changes—the deep blue costume seemed to be infused with life as she whirled. If pain could be considered art, she had infused this performance with the raw, visceral pain unique to a living body.

The audience couldn't help but cheer loudly for Shu Ran. Outside the rink, Fu Yiqing’s clenched fist relaxed, and a faint, gentle smile touched his lips when he saw the relaxation in Shu Ran’s brow. This was the true strength of Shu Ran.

Shu Ran pulled herself out of the ever-changing spins. As all the musical notes converged into a single point, she reached out toward the distance, and the performance ended. Shu Ran’s chest heaved. She returned to reality, her eyes smiling as she bowed to the audience, "Thank you." The camera captured the shape of her lips.