Chapter Sixteen: Not Too Bad

Fingers flew across the keyboard, their movements so swift that the keys seemed to blur. On the laptop screen, two sets of line graphs appeared in quick succession.

Qin Liubei pointed to the rink he’d just marked out. “What’s going on with you today? You’ve been out of sorts all day.”

“It’s nothing.”

Shu Ran had barely finished speaking when she turned her head and collided with Fu Yiqing’s gaze. A tremor ran through her, and she quickly averted her eyes, ducking her head and hurrying past him, so distracted she completely overlooked the towel Fu Yiqing offered her.

Qin Liubei raised an eyebrow. “What’s that all about?”

He nudged Fu Yiqing’s arm, his tone enigmatic. “Don’t you think Shu Ran’s acting a bit odd today?”

Fu Yiqing said nothing.

Qin Liubei mused on his own, “No, something’s definitely up. She was acting weird just now. Why do I get the feeling…”

Fu Yiqing unconsciously twisted the towel in his hands, the soft fabric suddenly reminding him of something else.

He glanced up and down at Qin Liubei. “I think you’re the one with the problem.”

With that, he tossed the towel at Qin Liubei, who instinctively caught it, calling after Fu Yiqing’s retreating back, “Hey, don’t go! I’m not finished! All day, every time she—”

But the man had already gone. Qin Liubei finished his sentence to thin air, “Every time she sees you, she avoids your eyes.”

Both of them are acting strange. There’s definitely something going on here.

*

Xu Jingyu had gone to the restroom, asking Shu Ran to order the food for her.

Shu Ran hadn’t reached for the menu yet, glancing at Fu Yiqing and Qin Liubei, who were also silent. Finally, she stretched out her hand, only for Fu Yiqing to do the same at that very moment.

Their fingers brushed. Shu Ran stared, transfixed at his slender hand, then, heat rising to her face, snatched her own hand away.

She realized her reaction was too obvious, but her response was purely instinctive, bypassing her reason. She forced herself to sound calm. “You look at it first.”

Fu Yiqing fell silent.

Qin Liubei took a sip of grapefruit water, eyes narrowing sharply as he watched the two of them.

He set the glass down, looking at Fu Yiqing. “I mean…”

“Shut up,” Fu Yiqing cut him off.

Qin Liubei flashed a mysterious smile tinged with indifference.

As Qin Liubei’s probing gaze turned to her, Shu Ran caught the slight movement of his lips out of the corner of her eye. Instantly, she rose. “I think I’m not hungry after all. I’ll go back to the hotel.”

Before either of them could react, Shu Ran quickly left the restaurant.

Qin Liubei edged closer, teasing, “So, do you still think there’s nothing wrong with Shu Ran, that it’s just me?”

Fu Yiqing arched an eyebrow but didn’t answer, waving a server over to order food.

Xu Jingyu returned to find Shu Ran gone. She was about to ask when she noticed the very different expressions on the two men’s faces.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Jingyu decided to ask her nemesis for help. She lowered her voice to Qin Liubei. “What’s going on?”

Though they bickered constantly, when it came time for answers, Qin Liubei was never evasive.

“Don’t you think Shu Ran’s been acting weird all day? Especially…” He paused, a sudden realization widening his eyes. “Don’t tell me…”

Xu Jingyu said, “You have three seconds to tell me what you just thought of.”

“You didn’t bully Shu Ran, did you?!”

Fu Yiqing’s temple throbbed. “What?”

Xu Jingyu jumped. “What nonsense?”

Qin Liubei analyzed aloud, “Shu Ran’s a mess every time she sees you. There’s only one possible explanation!”

For the first time, Fu Yiqing felt a pang of guilt.

He mimicked Detective Conan’s signature pose, frowning seriously, “You’ve been disciplining Shu Ran in private—secret extra training!”

Xu Jingyu’s tone turned admonishing. “Coach Fu, that’s not fair. Shu Ran trains diligently every day. You can’t preach about balancing work and rest and then pile on extra drills when we’re not around.”

For once, Xu Jingyu and Qin Liubei found common ground, lecturing Fu Yiqing not to subject Shu Ran to more hidden practice.

*

After her shower, Shu Ran lay flat on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in a daze.

Ever since the “thigh incident” last night, she hadn’t been able to meet Fu Yiqing’s gaze all day.

Strange—he’d massaged her thigh muscles before, but it had never been this awkward.

A knock at the door.

Shu Ran sat up, looking toward the entrance. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

His clear voice sent ripples through the calm surface of her heart, making it race once more.

Opening the door to see Fu Yiqing, Shu Ran found herself momentarily stunned.

It had only been since early September last year that they’d met, and yet, at this moment, she realized just how handsome Fu Yiqing truly was.

He waved a hand in front of her face. “What are you daydreaming about?”

She quickly looked away, pressing her hand to her chest as if to steady her pounding heart.

His gaze followed her gesture. “Does your chest hurt?”

Like she’d touched a hot stove, Shu Ran dropped her arm. “No.”

The light in the hallway was dim, so Fu Yiqing didn’t notice the flush on her cheeks.

“I think we need to talk about what happened yesterday and today,” he said, his expression serious.

“Okay,” she replied, barely above a whisper.

“I apologize for last night. But I want you to understand, to me, you’re a figure skater—gender doesn’t enter into it. But you can rest assured, it won’t happen again. So from tomorrow, just be yourself. Can you do that?”

She nodded.

“Then why are you still looking down?”

After a moment’s inner struggle, Shu Ran forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. She realized it wasn’t as hard as she’d imagined.

“This is for you.”

She took the paper bag from his hand, puzzled. “What is it?”

“You didn’t eat dinner. And with your current training intensity, you need to keep your energy up every day.”

So that’s what it was.

In an instant, her confusion cleared away.

She suddenly realized that the awkwardness between them had dissipated—this was the real Fu Yiqing, whose focus was always on her performance on the ice.

A sincere smile curved her lips as she nodded. “Okay.”

*

After clearing the air, the awkwardness vanished, and training returned to normal.

This left Qin Liubei and Xu Jingyu, who had planned to catch them in the act, completely bewildered.

Xu Jingyu smacked Qin Liubei on the shoulder. “Hey, didn’t you say there was more going on than just extra training?”

Qin Liubei glared. “Aren’t you a woman? Isn’t a woman’s intuition supposed to be sharp? How come you’re slower than I am?”

Xu Jingyu conceded, “I admit, you’re more of a woman than I am.”

Qin Liubei ground his teeth.

“But from what I’ve seen, you’re overthinking it. Fu Yiqing only cares about improving Shu Ran’s figure skating skills. He doesn’t even see her as a girl.”

Qin Liubei snorted. “On that point, I agree with him. I don’t see you as a woman either.”

They were about to argue again when Shu Ran and Fu Yiqing shook their heads in unison.

*

The new free skate program incorporated ballet elements, the music slow and graceful. With Xu Jingyu’s nearly two weeks of guidance, Shu Ran had nearly mastered the new routine.

She was about to remove her skate guards when Fu Yiqing called her name.

She turned to look at him. He raised his hand toward her cheek, stopping just short of tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Frowning, he called to Xu Jingyu, “Could you fix her hair?”

As Xu Jingyu fished a black hairpin from her bag, she teased, “Afraid to do it yourself?”

Fu Yiqing coughed lightly, saying nothing.

Shu Ran’s hair was full of stray wisps, so Xu Jingyu quickly retied her ponytail. Pin held between her teeth, she was about to finish when her phone rang unexpectedly.

“You do it yourself,” Xu Jingyu said, answering the call. Whatever she heard drained the color from her face, her expression swept by a sudden storm. Covering her mouth, she choked out, “I understand. I’ll come back right away.”

Everyone turned to her at the sound of tears in her voice.

She hung up, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My mother was in a car accident. I have to go back.”

Fu Yiqing’s brow furrowed, but he nodded. “Stay safe. If you need anything, call us.”

Xu Jingyu turned and hurried away.

“Xu Jingyu.” For once, Qin Liubei didn’t call her by his usual teasing nickname. He said calmly, “I’ll go with you.”

One more person meant more support, and once they returned home, who knew when they’d be able to come back. Xu Jingyu hesitated, not wanting to disrupt Shu Ran’s training, and looked to Fu Yiqing for guidance.

“Right. Qin Liubei isn’t much help here anyway. Let him go with you.”

The two of them nearly ran out of the rink.

Watching their retreating backs, Shu Ran’s skate blades touched the hard ice, and she thought of training at the D City rink, with Coach Zhu Xinhui always guiding them from beyond the barrier.

“Shu Ran.”

Yes, that was how Zhu Xinhui used to call her.

Wait—this wasn’t Zhu Xinhui’s voice.

Shu Ran snapped out of her reverie, focusing her blurred vision on Fu Yiqing.

“Do you want to go back too?”

She didn’t nod, but her reddened eyes betrayed her true feelings.

In the past, Fu Yiqing would have scolded her for spacing out. But this time, his gaze was uncharacteristically gentle.

She felt unsteady on the ice, all her pent-up worry, frustration, and exhaustion from tackling difficult moves surging up at once.

Fu Yiqing pressed his lips together, reaching out to pat her head in comfort. Remembering their agreed boundaries, he paused, his hand hovering a centimeter above her hair.

He stepped closer, about to speak, when he noticed her shoulders trembling.

She was crying. “She’s such a good person.”

Fu Yiqing sighed, and in the end, he let his hand rest gently on her head, softly ruffling her hair.

He had never been good at comforting others, always preferring bluntness.

“Don’t be so pessimistic. At least the news isn’t the worst it could be.”

Shu Ran swiped at her tears, lifting her wet lashes. “Her greatest wish is to see our national flag rise above the ice rink…”

Her lips parted, and for a long moment she said nothing more. Then she glided back onto the ice.

Watching her work harder than ever, Fu Yiqing was momentarily lost in thought.

She was always so unpredictable—sometimes heartbreakingly fragile, other times displaying a strength beyond her years.

A gentle smile touched his lips, and his gaze softened as he watched her.