Chapter 127: The Final Battle

Shu Ran ranked first in the short program with a score of 81.74.

However, Soskova, who skated afterward, displayed explosive power. By executing consecutive quad jumps, she immediately pushed her short program score to 83, breaking the world record set by Shu Ran just three months ago and taking the lead in the short program.

The performance of the young Japanese skater, Sayaka, could only be described as "steady"—perhaps too steady. Lacking sufficient technical difficulty in her program, she fell to seventh place.

Kristina was in excellent form today, placing second in the short program. Evelyn came in third, and Shu Ran fourth.

Since the point gap from the short program was narrow, Shu Ran still had a chance. Yet, the results left netizens feeling aggrieved for her; everyone could see that Shu Ran was being held back by her foot injury. The consensus was that if not for the recurrence of her old injury, the outcome of the women's singles event would have been unquestionable. But if one were to calculate it that way, how many great athletes have missed out on medals due to injuries? It was a real-life Schrödinger’s cat.

Six skaters were eliminated after the short program. The remaining 24 were divided into four groups, with Afitinia successfully squeezing out Sayaka to enter the final group.

During the post-program draw, Shu Ran looked at the number she had drawn and helplessly handed it to the broadcast staff.

"Shu Ran, number 24," the staff member announced.

Tomorrow was the women's free skate, and it just happened to be the 24th of the month. Was this a sign from above? A premonition that tomorrow belonged to 24?

On the way back, Fu Yiqing suddenly said, "Strictly speaking, you are 24 years old this year."

Shu Ran was stunned on the spot, looking at him blankly. "So... 24 is a guaranteed win?"

Fu Yiqing wore a faint smile as he reached out his hand, as if for a high-five. Shu Ran instinctively raised her hand and slapped his palm. Fu Yiqing paused for a second, then smiled and patted her head. "Yes, victory belongs to 24. The hint is already very clear."

The two shared a smile.

Before the alarm went off, Shu Ran opened her eyes. Today was the 24th, the final battle. After tossing and turning for a long time, she heard a knock on her door.

"Shu Ran?"

Shu Ran hesitated for half a second before responding, "Yes?"

"Since you're up, let's practice jumps for a while," Fu Yiqing said from outside.

Shu Ran sprang up from her bed. Ideals are always grand, but in reality, two months of inactivity had caused her jump success rate to drop by a certain percentage. Even though she had made up her mind to use the Salchow jump in the free skate, she didn't have much confidence in pulling it off.

With only a few hours left before she had to compete, practicing jumps at this hour gave Shu Ran a sudden sense of "cramming at the last minute." The more nervous she felt, the faster time seemed to slip away.

"Shu Ran, that's enough," Fu Yiqing said.

Shu Ran stopped training and glided off the ice. Fu Yiqing asked, "Are you ready?"

Shu Ran took a deep breath and nodded firmly. Even though she still wasn't very confident about landing the Salchow, she had to be there now.

While the first three groups competed, Shu Ran grasped at the last straw, continuing to practice her jumps with the help of Fu Yiqing and the others. Finally, the last moment arrived. During the six-minute warm-up, Shu Ran decided to take one last chance to practice her jumps.

She quietly slowed down, using the rotation of her arms and body to generate momentum, spiraling into the air before landing.

The audience let out a collective "Ah!"

Shu Ran had fallen.

She scrambled to get up and continue warming up, maintaining a calm expression on the surface, but her heart was in a panic. As she glided off the rink, Fu Yiqing put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Don't worry."

Shu Ran nodded.

As the first skater of the group, all eyes were on Evelyn’s opening quad jump. She leaped with all her might and landed steadily. Her free skate music was from the *007* film franchise; the familiar melody prompted the audience to clap along rhythmically. Being of a similar age and on the same team as Soskova, she was naturally compared to her often.

Soskova was a power-based skater, while Evelyn was more elegant. In truth, Evelyn’s technical strength was lower than Soskova’s, but she had a major advantage: consistency. She rarely made mistakes in competition. However, today, her jumps were under-rotated, and her free foot touched the ice early.

After her performance, Evelyn’s free skate score, combined with her short program, gave her a total of 217.37 points.

Next was Kristina. Her pink costume made her look soft and delicate. She performed to *Sleeping Beauty* with an innocent smile on her face; all the beautiful words in the world could be applied to her. Like the others, her opening jump was successful, but she fell on the two simple jump combinations that followed. Although she managed to recover later, it didn't help her score much, and she ranked second with a total of 209.14.

Soskova wore a black costume, and her performance was fierce and resolute, making it hard to believe she was only 16. The speed of her quad jumps created a blur in the air, but she crashed hard upon landing. The crowd gasped, but Soskova quickly rose and continued her performance. The second half of her program was packed with jumps to a dizzying degree, with almost no time to rest. Even with her opening fall, the bonus points from the second half of her routine made up for it, and Soskova comfortably took the top spot with 235.21 points.

Afitinia had performed well this season, but she made frequent errors today. Shu Ran guessed that Soskova’s high score had placed too much psychological pressure on her.

Nadirova had spent this season recovering from injuries and had no results. Last season, the sudden rise of her two younger teammates had overshadowed her own brilliance as a world champion. Her performance was set to music from the musical *Madame Butterfly*. Like *The Phantom of the Opera*, it was a global classic, so someone skated to it every season. Her lavender costume added a touch of melancholy to her performance. Even without the bonus of a quad jump, Shu Ran felt that Nadirova had improved; her emotional connection was very strong.

Human emotions are universal; what differs is the interpretation. This is why skaters choose world classics every season—they come with a built-in audience, making emotional expression easier, though they often lack novelty. It was like performing someone else's life, a stereotypical soul. Watching Nadirova, Shu Ran believed her free skate score would surpass her junior, Soskova.

Sure enough, Nadirova’s scores appeared on the big screen: 78.15 in the short program and 157.31 in the free skate, for a total of 233.46.

The result was within Shu Ran’s expectations. Although Nadirova performed well in the free skate, it was only a narrow lead over Soskova, and Soskova had been about five points ahead from the short program the day before.

Now, only Shu Ran was left to skate. This meant that if she didn't surpass Soskova, the world champion of the 2026 Winter Olympics would be Soskova. It would be the third consecutive time the title went to a skater from the same country.

The situation was dire.

The audience turned their eyes to the girl on the ice who remained unfazed by favor or humiliation. A red performance dress made her impossible to look away from; despite wearing heavy stage makeup, a faint smile hung on her lips. The audience had only two words in their minds: enchanting and dignified.

Two contradictory words, yet they were presented simultaneously only in her. Only Shu Ran could tug at the hearts of every spectator; even with different languages and different backgrounds, the emotions were shared. Everyone knew how difficult it had been for Shu Ran to reach this point. But only she knew just how difficult.

At the beginning, she competed just to give herself an answer, but having reached this stage, the title of champion was now tied to so many others. In this moment, those who had helped Shu Ran throughout her journey surfaced in her mind: friends, family, and Fu Yiqing, who had accompanied her for eight years.

Shu Ran stood in the center of the rink, looking up and scanning every direction of the arena. Samantha clenched her fists, her eyes firm and determined, silently mouthing two words: "Go for it."

Laurine was in the stands as well, and Shu Ran could even hear her familiar voice shouting, "Believe in yourself!"

Outside the rink, Kristina and Quentin, who had already finished their competitions, both smiled at her.

And then there was Fu Yiqing...

"Shu Ran, representing China," the announcer called out.

The moment she closed her eyes, her chaotic thoughts were cleared away. "China"—the word was deeply imprinted in Shu Ran’s heart, and as the music began, she started to dance.

The first half of the music was soothing, but as the tight, intense cello notes of *Libertango* kicked in, Shu Ran instantly transformed into a tango dancer. Her sharp and dangerous expression drew a clear boundary between her and the gentle, lovely Shu Ran of before. The wind brushed her cheeks, lifting the hem of her red skirt.

As she glided past the judges' table in a spiral, she glanced sideways, a faint smile dancing on her lips. Her gaze was as bewitching as the music. Though she moved away from the judges, her electrifying eyes had already captured their souls. A tango dancer who can steal souls needs not only charm but also courage.

With a change in footwork, she glided into a spread eagle. Her gaze sharpened, her body launched into the air, rotated, and she landed her triple Axel perfectly.

The audience was completely swept up, clapping in rhythm to the performance.

She successfully completed a jump combination. Qin Liubei couldn't help but clench his fists and cheer, "Yes!"

Fu Yiqing gripped the railing, the smile on his face deepening, his eyes filled with relief.

But in the next second, he saw the skater on the ice fall. The smile in his eyes froze instantly. Everyone could clearly see her pale face, and their hearts tightened.

Yet, Shu Ran immediately rose and continued her performance. Her pale complexion only made the red of her dress look even more striking. She transformed again into an emissary from hell, drawing people into the abyss, then lifting them into heaven.

Shu Ran went all out, performing jump after jump as if she were wound up. Her triple Salchow combination landed smoothly, followed by a one-loop turn into a double toe loop, with an execution score reaching as high as 2.15. She leaped tirelessly, her footwork dizzying. If Soskova’s jumps were dense, Shu Ran had always been the master of footwork that others could only look up to.

The music stopped. Shu Ran held her final pose for nearly a second without moving. Upon closer inspection, the audience realized her eyes were filled with tears.

Perhaps knowing she could no longer hold back the bitterness in her heart, she finally bowed her head. Tears streamed down her face, yet she smiled as she bowed to the crowd. Amidst the thunderous applause, Shu Ran knelt down to kiss the ice beneath her—the place she both loved and hated.