Chapter Fifty-Two An Old Married Couple

Spinning, spinning.

Shuran had long lost count of the number of rotations she’d completed, yet she continued undeterred.

Midway through the afternoon, Qin Liubei left to pick up Xu Jingyu. On returning, he found Shuran still practicing her spins and asked Fu Yiqing, “Did she take a break this morning?”

Fu Yiqing shook his head.

It was a casual question, but he hadn’t expected Shuran truly hadn’t rested.

Qin Liubei scratched his head in confusion. “Most girls get moody once a month, but with her, it feels like every few days she drags us into her gloom.”

Xu Jingyu punched him hard in the chest and shot him a sharp glare, forcing Qin Liubei to shrink back. “My fault, my fault.”

Xu Jingyu was at a loss for words, then said, “Could it be related to Kristina’s score yesterday?”

Fu Yiqing turned to look at them. “That’s likely it.”

Yesterday, the free program at the Grand Prix Canada leg had concluded. Kristina ranked second, claiming the silver medal for that stage.

Although Shuran had also placed second at the American leg, this competition was markedly different—drastically so. First, more renowned skaters competed in Canada, and most delivered flawless routines. Achieving second place in such circumstances was no small feat.

That was why Shuran’s confidence wavered.

At midday, Fu Yiqing called Shuran aside for a private talk, finally helping her adjust her mindset.

Yesterday, Fu Yiqing had brought her back, intending to discuss ways to further enhance her artistic expression, but her attention wandered, and even today, she seemed absent-minded. After a moment’s thought, Fu Yiqing decided to take her back to the team’s rink to train.

“Why are we suddenly back training?” Shuran asked, puzzled.

Fu Yiqing looked at her gravely, as if annoyed. “You need to interact more with your teammates. Training alone just makes you overthink.”

Shuran lowered her head in guilt, but he was right.

When she skated alone on the ice, the rasp of the blades against the surface only made her thoughts more chaotic. The quieter her surroundings, the more restless she became, her heart unsettled.

Her teammates were already used to how often she came and went. Now, seeing her at the rink, no one was surprised, and they greeted her cheerfully, “Senior!”

Shuran nodded slightly.

There was a certain magic in the smiles of others, a power to dispel the sorrow festering in one’s heart.

She bent down to tie her laces.

Fu Yiqing stood over her. “Stop thinking about Kristina all the time.”

At the mention of that name, Shuran’s eyes widened, her heart giving a jolt.

“Forget what I’ve said before. Your goal has always been the world championship—or has reality changed your ambition?”

World champion.

Shuran silently mouthed those words, then finished tying her laces, lifting her head, her gaze as calm and clear as a mountain spring.

I will win for the whole world to see.

Fu Yiqing saw the unwavering resolve in her eyes, and waved a hand in front of her. “What are you thinking?”

Her eyes regained focus, and she smiled, relaxed. “Nothing much. I’m off to train.”

Training with her teammates was far better than being alone. By the end of the afternoon, Shuran’s taut nerves had finally relaxed. She often laughed and joked with the younger skaters and even helped guide their training during breaks.

Coach He Ming regarded her with approval. “Yes, Shuran has grown.”

The others quickly chimed in.

Liang Yue kept her distance, skating far from the group. From afar, she watched as Shuran was surrounded like a star at the center of a galaxy and recalled that she herself had once basked in such attention. When had Shuran replaced her? Liang Yue could not understand and so, unable to resolve this bitterness and sense of injustice, she directed it all toward Shuran.

At dinner, Fu Yiqing, Qin Liubei, and Xu Jingyu went to the cafeteria together.

Shuran walked ahead, chatting with the younger skaters, and bumped into Zhu Hongzhe and three others, making their group even larger. Their laughter and youthful exuberance could be heard from behind.

After getting her meal, Shuran wanted to join Fu Yiqing and the other two, but Fu Yiqing signaled her to sit with her teammates.

Without hesitation, Shuran turned and returned to her group.

Qin Liubei glanced at Fu Yiqing. “So you’re not bothered by that men’s singles skater today?”

Fu Yiqing quietly ate as if nothing bothered him, as though he’d never minded the men’s singles skater at all.

“Shuran is happy with them.”

Qin Liubei said, “So you mean she’s not happy with us.”

Xu Jingyu spooned a bite of food toward Qin Liubei’s mouth. “Eat your meal and stop talking so much.”

Fu Yiqing added, “The fact is, she really can’t spend too much time with us lately.”

Xu Jingyu and Qin Liubei exchanged glances, puzzled.

What Fu Yiqing didn’t say was that being with them put pressure on Shuran—so much so that the strain outweighed any happiness. He would rather she be a little happier.

Qin Liubei let out a long sigh. “If we can’t eat with Shuran, what’s the point of us being here? What’s the point of you staying here?”

Fu Yiqing looked up, his gaze landing on Shuran’s beaming face in the large group. She happened to look back, their eyes met, and she smiled at him, her brows arching sweetly.

A faint smile touched his lips. “At the very least, when she needs me…us, she’ll see us right away.”

At that moment, the group was discussing the rivals Shuran was about to face, but the mood was light and filled with laughter.

Chen Lecheng volunteered as narrator. “In this world, mighty contenders reign and the ladies’ singles division is in full bloom—a garden of dazzling flowers. Amidst them, an unknown underdog suddenly emerges and is nicknamed the ‘Ice Enchantress.’ That’s right, you heard me. In a world obsessed with titles like ‘Ice Queen’ and ‘Ice Snow White,’ a ‘fairy’ has appeared! The spirit world is in an uproar, and now, let’s hear what news our informants have brought!”

The others laughed silently, and Wu Xincheng quickly spoke up, “Let me go first.”

Shen Yu’s laughter rang out.

She was about to scold Shen Yu for distracting her when, half a second later, she realized Chen Lecheng had set a trap with his words.

A second later, Wu Xincheng smacked him across the table. “I’ll go first. I watched the Canada Grand Prix yesterday, and I found there’s a skater similar to Shuran!”

Shuran’s heart gave a little jump, but her face remained serene.

“Who?” the others asked, curious.

“I think her name is something like Christine—she’s French. She had a sudden rise more than two years ago, about six months before Shuran did. Yesterday she also placed second, and her technical score was super high—over 75, I think? Anyway, it was the highest in the entire event.”

“All right, let’s list this Christine from France as one of Shuran’s main competitors,” Chen Lecheng said, pointing to a younger teammate. “Remember that, girl.”

The little skater giggled and really did jot down the name in her notes.

With Wu Xincheng’s lead, the rest followed easily.

A few of the junior skaters mentioned strong rivals they’d encountered in last year’s Challenger Series.

Several of them Shuran had already faced, and some of the ones her juniors considered formidable were not nearly as much a threat as Kristina was to Shuran.

“I met a skater in juniors who I thought was really good—she’s just turned sixteen, so she can compete in both junior and senior divisions this year.”

“Let’s not discuss the juniors for now; they still have to get through puberty!” another skater called out.

Everyone agreed.

After all, there were already plenty of strong contenders in seniors, and focusing on juniors would only make them anxious instead of helping Shuran gather useful information.

The meal lasted a full hour.

Everyone felt time had flown by too quickly and regretted not having done more with their break, but the lively conversation cheered them up, and they agreed to eat together again the next day.

With a wave, they all went about their business.

The pairs skaters and men’s singles had their own training and classes to get to, so the group dispersed, leaving only Shuran and her junior Wu Huihui.

Wu Huihui noticed Fu Yiqing waiting outside and whispered, “Senior, are you going to train again later?”

Shuran nodded.

“Will you go with me or with your coach? He’s been waiting for you for ages.”

Shuran turned and saw Fu Yiqing tightening his open jacket against the cold, rubbing his hands, looking in but not calling her.

“We’ll go together. My coach is very nice.”

Wu Huihui thought “together” meant just the two of them. She didn’t expect that “together” actually meant three.

Fu Yiqing’s hair was tousled by the wind, giving him a touch of rugged charm.

“Coach Fu, this is my junior, Wu Huihui.”

Wu Huihui had never before been face-to-face with someone as handsome as a celebrity. Her palms grew sweaty. “Um… Hello, Coach. I’m Wu Huihui.”

Fu Yiqing nodded politely but without warmth, his gaze cool—so different from the way he looked at Shuran.

Wu Huihui looked at her senior with admiration. As expected, Senior Shuran was special—she could melt a block of ice.

“Where are Jingyu and the others?” Shuran asked.

“They left. Said they’re going to the mall to decorate their new home,” Fu Yiqing replied. “Let’s go.”

Shuran fell in step beside him, pulling Wu Huihui along.

“Jingyu came especially to see me today, but I spent the whole time training and didn’t even say a word to her,” Shuran said, sounding guilty. “Maybe when their new place is ready, I’ll give her a housewarming gift. What do you think I should get?”

Not wanting Wu Huihui to feel left out, Shuran pulled her into the conversation. “What would you want if you’d just bought a new place?”

Wu Huihui thought for a second. “Money.”

Shuran blinked. “Are kids these days all this practical? Anything else?”

“If it were me, I’d want a princess-style vanity table, something medieval, in ivory white.”

Shuran’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea! Coach, what do you think about giving her a dressing table?”

Fu Yiqing said simply, “Anything is fine.”

After that, Shuran and Wu Huihui chatted non-stop. Fu Yiqing spoke little, responding softly only when Shuran asked him a question.

Along the way, Wu Huihui realized there was something ordinary yet extraordinary about the way Shuran and Fu Yiqing interacted.

They were like an old married couple.

Not as affectionate as newlyweds, but a single glance and they understood each other perfectly.

An old married couple?!

Wu Huihui was startled by her own thought, shook her head to dismiss it, and years later, recalling that plane-tree-lined path at sunset, she would realize that although she’d kept talking that day, not for one second did she truly grasp the language spoken between them.