Chapter Forty-Three: A Place to Go

"Fu Yiqing, you really have surprised me."
"Mm."
"You’re absolutely insane."
"Mm."
Lin Jiahui leaned on the railing, letting out a sardonic laugh, caught between speechlessness and astonishment, her mood on the verge of unraveling. Fu Yiqing rarely joked, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of it.
But at this moment, Lin Jiahui realized that Fu Yiqing had meant every word he’d just said.
He truly liked Shu Ran.
"No coach is ever permitted to be with an athlete," Lin Jiahui began, though she left the rest unsaid—such a thing would never be allowed.
"I know." A trace of sorrow flickered through the calm depths of Fu Yiqing’s eyes.
He knew, and yet he still dared to admit he liked Shu Ran?!
He really was mad.
Fu Yiqing’s face remained composed; in contrast, Lin Jiahui, an outsider, was the one growing anxious. She took a drag from her cigarette and forced herself to calm down.
She leaned slantwise against the railing, turning to look at him, "What exactly are you thinking?"
Fu Yiqing didn’t answer right away. His gaze drifted absently over the distant landscape, as if his mind were somewhere far away. Only after a long while did he speak. "I don’t want anything. I just hope she can go further down this path. That’s all."
"Liar," Lin Jiahui shook her head with a smile. "I think you want to stay with her until she retires, and only then make your move… If that's your plan, you’d better start preparing your parents now."
Fu Yiqing turned toward her, only getting out the word "I" before, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shu Ran entering the living room. Their eyes met, and Fu Yiqing’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
Noticing the silent exchange, Lin Jiahui let out a sigh, "You’ve really fallen, haven’t you?"
Considering how intense Shu Ran’s training had been that day, after dessert, Fu Yiqing took her home from Lin Jiahui’s place.
Lin Jiahui handed Shu Ran a stack of rare photos of Yuan Cangyu. Shu Ran was overjoyed, clutching them to her chest as she left. Even when Fu Yiqing offered to help her carry them, she wouldn’t let go, insisting on holding them herself.
Fu Yiqing could only leave her to it.
The night was tranquil. Shu Ran held her idol’s merchandise as if she possessed the whole world. Seeing her so happy, Fu Yiqing’s lips softened into a smile, his eyes gentle.
The moonlight stretched their shadows. The closer they got to the streetlights, the more their shadows overlapped—one large, one small—walking side by side, then merging, as if the world were holding its breath.
"How did I never know you liked Yuan Cangyu?" Fu Yiqing asked quietly.
Shu Ran blushed and answered shyly, "Actually, I don’t like him that much. I don’t know why, but seeing someone from TV suddenly appearing in real life just makes him feel so much closer, so I couldn’t help but develop a bit of fondness."
Fu Yiqing responded in a soft, even tone.
The image of Lin Jiahui and Fu Yiqing talking on the balcony flashed through Shu Ran’s mind.
She saw a different Lin Jiahui from the one she knew—no longer dignified, but rather rebellious, cigarette in hand, blowing smoke rings into the night.
And at that moment, there was something off about Fu Yiqing’s expression.
"Coach," she said, eyes lowered, thoughts adrift, tilting her head up to look at him, "What did Jiahui just talk to you about? You seemed a little down afterward."
The light in Fu Yiqing’s eyes stilled; he suddenly stopped walking.
A few seconds later, Shu Ran realized he hadn’t kept up and turned to look back at him.
The streetlight shone directly above him, and he stood backlit so that his face was swallowed by darkness, making it impossible for Shu Ran to see his expression. Yet, an inexplicable heaviness radiated from his whole body.
It was a weight, a pressure.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze as distant as if separated by mountains and rivers. "Do you trust me?"
Shu Ran was caught off guard by the question. "Ah? Uh, of course I do." Why ask that out of the blue?
Fu Yiqing walked toward her, each step slow and measured. He looked down at her innocent face, her eyes untainted by the world, black and shining.

"Then just trust me."
Shu Ran felt a little dazed, but when his large hand rested gently on her head, she unexpectedly felt her heart settle.
Judging by his words, perhaps he thought her ability was being underestimated; Fu Yiqing must be reassuring her, telling her to believe that he could lead her to success, right?
The confusion faded from her face. She smiled brightly, her lips curving upward as she nodded hard, "Mm."
Berus arrived the next day, just as Lin Jiahui was finishing her corrections for Shu Ran.
Shu Ran’s forehead was beaded with sweat. Her breathing was ragged, and she couldn’t even straighten her back, gasping out, "Teacher, can I rest a bit before class?"
Berus was usually quite understanding, but this time he refused her request, "It’s all right, let’s start now."
Shu Ran looked pleadingly at Fu Yiqing, who only gave her a reassuring look, signaling her to get on the ice.
She had no choice but to take off her skate guards and follow Berus onto the rink.
The echoes in the rink mixed with the scraping of other skaters’ blades on the ice.
Shu Ran’s cheeks were flushed, her heart still pounding from the intense workout.
Berus smiled at her. "Last season, you brought in a lot of ballet elements for your free skate. This season, I want something different for you. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found inspiration to unlock your full physical potential."
Shu Ran nodded, but at the last part, couldn’t help but blurt out, "Eh?"
They were about to start choreographing, and Berus said he had no ideas?
What was she supposed to do this season?
Noticing her panic, Berus chuckled. "Don’t worry. I have some backup music for you. But I thought your exhibition piece last season was a great choice, and judging by the audience and online reaction, your inspiration was a big success. So this season, I’d like to hear your own thoughts about the new program first."
When he finished, the only answer was the sound of skate blades landing on the ice.
Berus reassured her, "It’s fine. For the next few days, just focus on your movement work with Coach Lin. In your spare time, give it a good think. In a week, tell me your ideas for the new season’s program. If you really can’t think of anything, we’ll use my backup music to rehearse something new."
After saying this, Berus watched Shu Ran train for a while but really didn’t teach her anything new.
Panic began to rise in Shu Ran.
Last season’s “Serpent Spirit” theme had only come about because she’d been obsessed with Wang Zuxian’s beauty at the time and casually mentioned it while Berus was planning the new program. After watching the movie, Berus became interested in the novel theme and started work on adapting the choreography and content.
Now, with Berus bringing it up, Shu Ran realized her mind was a total blank—there was no inspiration at all.
This state lasted the entire day and even affected Lin Jiahui’s class.
Unsurprisingly, Lin Jiahui gave her a scolding.
Shu Ran was used to it by now; she used the time being lectured to think about ideas for her program.
She picked up a piece of vegetable, chewing it slowly, her mind wandering far away.
Fu Yiqing, seeing her like this, couldn’t help but tap her on the forehead.
Shu Ran, spinach between her teeth, snapped back to reality, looking at him in a daze.
"You’ve been distracted all afternoon," Fu Yiqing said. "Do you want to keep getting scolded by Lin Jiahui tomorrow?"
For once, Shu Ran didn’t look afraid—just weary. She let out a long sigh, picking up another piece of food. "Berus told me to come up with ideas for my new program and let him know in a week. What ideas could I possibly have?"
Fu Yiqing laughed. "Actually, a lot of skaters come up with their own programs. Choreography might be guided by experts, but if you want to truly express your understanding of your program, the best way is to create something that is uniquely yours."
"Easy to say, hard to do," Shu Ran replied.
Worry suddenly creased her brow.
The Olympics would be in mid-February next year. Whether she could get a ticket to next year’s Games depended on how she did at the World Championships this season.
The Worlds were only about nine months away. With her current ability, could she beat Kristina? She had no confidence at all.
"Focus on your food," Fu Yiqing reminded her.

"Okay."
Shu Ran bent her head and kept eating.
Fu Yiqing said, "When you’re done, I’ll take you somewhere."
Shu Ran looked up. "Where?"
Fu Yiqing just smiled mysteriously. "Eat first, then you’ll see."
All the way there, Shu Ran kept pestering Fu Yiqing about where they were going, but he wouldn’t say a word, only kept smiling.
After a while, she realized they had arrived at the theater.
A sign at the entrance displayed the program for tonight’s performance.
The poster showed nothing but a pair of eyes.
Thankfully, the title was also written in Chinese—"Madame Butterfly."
Shu Ran had only ever read a summary of the opera online. The story was simple: a woman waits for her husband for years, only to be betrayed in the end.
She looked at Fu Yiqing. "So you brought me to see an opera?"
Fu Yiqing replied, "You haven’t had any art training classes these last few days. Did you forget I’m your art coach?"
If he hadn’t mentioned it, Shu Ran might really have forgotten.
She’d thought there would be no more specialized art training.
Fu Yiqing handed over two pre-purchased tickets and led her to their seats.
There were few audience members; most of the seats were empty.
Shu Ran and Fu Yiqing had the best seats in the house—comfortable and with a perfect view. That was Shu Ran’s most immediate impression before the show began.
Shu Ran was easily moved to tears. The plot of the opera was nothing new, but when the heroine committed suicide, she still couldn’t stop herself from crying.
She was about to wipe her tears with her sleeve when a tissue appeared in front of her. She took it and dabbed her eyes, then blew her nose.
After the curtain fell, scattered applause rose from the audience.
Shu Ran stood up, clapping, and saw that Fu Yiqing still had tissues in hand, quietly helping her clean up the mess.
She hurried to take the tissues from him, embarrassed. "Let me do it."
Fu Yiqing just smiled, letting her take over.
Seeing the opera meant they got home much later than usual.
On the way back, Shu Ran chattered on about the plot of "Madame Butterfly."
"I really think the captain was a jerk," she said. "But then again, what he did was pretty normal. They said at the start that his marriage to Madame Butterfly was only temporary. Still, I can’t help but feel more sympathy for Madame Butterfly..."
As she got more passionate, she launched into a whole dissection of love between men and women.
Suddenly, a soft laugh sounded beside her.
She turned and saw Fu Yiqing’s faint smile as he listened quietly. Something in her heart stirred. "What are you laughing at?"
Fu Yiqing’s smile deepened. "You talk like you’re some kind of relationship expert, when you really know nothing at all."
Shu Ran pouted in protest. "A lot of romance writers have never been in love! Doesn’t stop them from teaching people how to date."
Fu Yiqing couldn’t help laughing again, his smile full of helpless affection.