Chapter 62 Kwon Ji-yong wore that brand new…

When Kwon Ji-yong appeared in the banquet hall wearing that brand-new jadeite ring and went to cut the birthday cake, he immediately attracted the attention of his friends.

Loud and sharp-eyed, she was the first to notice the anomaly. She moved closer to him, lowered her voice, and winked, "Bro! Is that ring on your hand new? When did you buy it? It's pretty cool!"

Kwon Ji-yong pretended not to hear, wearing his standard idol smile, and focused on cutting the cake with the knife.

The sun also came closer, its gaze falling on the deep black mark on the ring finger of his left hand, as if deep in thought: "New jewelry?"

"Mmm." Kwon Ji-yong couldn't hide his excitement and his lips curled into a smile, his mood soaring. "A gift."

"Oh? A gift from a fan?" he asked loudly and curiously. The gifts from fans were all sorts of things, and rings were quite common.

"No." Kwon Ji-yong denied it decisively, with a hint of barely perceptible smugness in his tone.

Taeyang and Daesung exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other. For Kwon Ji-yong to wear it at this moment, and to explicitly state it wasn't a gift from a fan, there must be only one source.

The sun nudged him with its shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Where are they? Have they arrived?"

"Okay, let's rest in the back." Kwon Ji-yong nodded, the smile in his eyes impossible to hide.

"Why don't you bring it along to say hello to everyone?" Sun suggested.

Kwon Ji-yong immediately shook his head: "She doesn't like crowds, and she's tired. Let her rest." The protectiveness and tenderness in his tone gave the two people next to him goosebumps.

Looking intently at the understated and elegant dark jade ring on Kwon Ji-yong's hand, and recalling their encounter with Ren Xiyao, Da Sheng couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined, hyung, that you'd end up falling for this type of guy..."

Kwon Ji-yong raised an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways: "Which type?"

"It's...it's very special." She spoke loudly, carefully choosing her words: "It feels completely different from the ones you used to like...very calm, very...um...serious?"

Upon hearing this, Kwon Ji-yong smiled. That smile was different from his usual flamboyant stage presence or his playful antics in private; it carried an unprecedented, resolute gentleness.

“Quite the opposite,” he said.

"Huh?" Both Dasheng and Taiyang were puzzled.

“She’s not someone I wouldn’t like,” Kwon Ji-yong’s gaze seemed to pierce through the bustling crowd before him, landing on a quiet corner, his voice clear and firm: “She is the only person I have ever truly and seriously liked.”

In the backstage lounge, Ren Xiyao wasn't actually resting. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, a tablet on her lap displaying densely packed training plans and technical analysis charts. She was frowning, her fingertips swiping across the screen, completely absorbed.

The door clicked open softly, and Kwon Ji-yong slipped in like a cat, locking the door behind him.

Ren Xiyao looked up, saw it was him, and put down her tablet: "Is it over?"

"Not yet." He walked over in a few steps, sat down next to her, stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms, rubbing his chin against the top of her head: "During the break, I sneaked out to see you."

Ren Xiyao frowned: "You are the main character today."

“You are the protagonist in my story.” Kwon Ji-yong grasped her hand resting on his lap, his fingertips tracing the scars she had made while sharpening her ice skates. Then he raised his left hand, showing her the dark jade ring on her ring finger: “Look, don’t we look good together?”

Ren Xiyao looked at the ring radiating a calm luster on his slender, fair fingers, perfectly complementing his overall demeanor, and nodded: "Yes, it suits you well."

Kwon Ji-yong smiled contentedly, lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then hugged her tighter, saying nothing more. He knew that this ring was not just a piece of jade, but also carried her sweat on the plateau, her feelings, her worries, and her deep and intense love, though not good with words, just like black jade.

The lounge was quiet, with only the sound of each other's steady breathing. Faint party music and laughter drifted in from outside the window, but it felt like they came from another world.

Ren Xiyao leaned against him, inhaling his familiar scent and feeling his steady heartbeat. Her nerves, which had been tense for so long, finally began to relax. A weariness seeped from the depths of her soul, and her eyelids began to grow heavy. At that moment, she felt as if she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, she knew who she was and never forgot it; she knew exactly what she was doing. Long-distance skaters awaited their results, short-distance skaters awaited the next generation of leaders after the captain; all eyes were on her. Skating had once been a passion, but it had become an unwavering responsibility.

She skated so many perfect lines on the ice. But it's the erratic arc of her heartbeat when it comes to emotions that's so moving. After all, we're only human; how can we always be calm and rational?

Perhaps Lin Shan is right. The significance of this ring may indeed be much greater than she imagined.

But so what?

She simply did what she wanted to do and came to the person she wanted to see. And coincidentally, the person she loved only had eyes for her.

August in Seoul, carrying the lingering warmth and sweet aftertaste of late summer, was ultimately replaced by the cool morning air of Harbin and the familiar smell of disinfectant at the training base.

Two days was the maximum amount of indulgence she could control. When Ren Xiyao dragged her luggage into the training camp, the sweetness and beauty seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, quickly settling into her heart.

The reality is the lingering chill on the ice rink, the familiar cold touch of the weight room equipment, the upcoming qualifying rounds, and the upcoming World Cup series.

"You're back? Did you have fun, birthday girl's 'mystery girlfriend'?" Lin Shan approached her as soon as she put down her luggage, a mischievous smile on his face. He had obviously learned some "insider information" from Li Enjing or some other source.

Ren Xiyao glanced at her, didn't reply, but took out toiletries and a change of training clothes and went straight to the bathroom: "I'm tired, I'll take a shower first."

"Tsk tsk, crossing the river and then burning the bridge," Lin Shan muttered softly behind her, but didn't press the matter further. She knew that once Ren Xiyao entered training mode, she would be like a different person, and all emotions unrelated to the ice rink would be temporarily sealed away.

On the training field, Ren Xiyao quickly switched back to her rigorous, self-disciplined, and single-minded athlete mode. Her biological clock was frighteningly precise; every day, before dawn, she was already on the track and field at the base, starting her morning run and basic physical training.

The air was slightly cool. On the track, besides her, there were a few teammates who had also gotten up early. No one spoke; only the rhythmic footsteps and steady breathing echoed in the empty field. Ren Xiyao's steps were steady and powerful, her gaze focused on the front. Sweat quickly soaked the stray hairs on her forehead and slid down her cheeks.

On the ice rink, Ren Xiyao's entire aura changed. The softness and relaxation that occasionally surfaced in her daily life vanished, replaced by extreme focus and an almost sharp edge. She put on a helmet, goggles covering most of her face, revealing only her tightly pursed lips and smooth jawline.

The effects of the high-altitude training were significant. Her cardiopulmonary function reached a new peak, and her physical reserves were much more abundant. However, returning to the plains from the high altitude required her body to readjust, and her technical details needed to be refined and adjusted. More importantly, she needed to be mentally prepared again, perhaps even more so than before.

The sound of the skates gliding across the ice was crisp and rhythmic. Warm-up gliding, stepping, pushing off... every movement was textbook perfect. She had excellent control over the small muscles in her body, kept her center of gravity extremely low, and when cornering, her body tilted almost parallel to the ice, the skates carving smooth and precise arcs across the surface.

The coach stood on the sidelines, stopwatch and tactical board in hand, his sharp eyes scanning each player on the ice. The effects of the high-altitude training were remarkable; the players' physical reserves and cardiopulmonary function had significantly improved.

"Step on the ice more decisively! Increase your speed as you exit the corner!"

"Pay attention to your arm swing! Avoid any unnecessary movements!"

"Gliding route! Route! Circle back!"

The coach's voice echoed clearly through the ice rink, reaching her ears distinctly. With continuous adjustments, her speed exiting the corner noticeably improved, and her gliding path became much closer to the inner lane markers.

Two years of injury and absence from international competition caused Ren Xiyao to miss out on a great deal. Although she still maintains a top-level performance in domestic competitions, the competitive landscape on the international stage is constantly changing. More than a year has passed since the Solskjaer Winter Olympics, and many veterans who chose to rest after the Winter Olympics have now adjusted their form and returned to the competition.

Russia, South Korea, Canada, the Netherlands… those familiar names, with even stronger capabilities and a greater desire for the new Olympic cycle, are eyeing the competition with fierce determination. Even some rapidly rising European talents… after a period of dormancy, they are returning to the court with even greater strength. It is foreseeable that the competition in the new season will be an unprecedentedly fierce battleground.

This year's World Cup series is bound to be more competitive than last season. The national qualifiers at the end of September will be crucial in determining whether she secures a spot in the new season's World Cup. The competition within the team is equally fierce, with veterans returning and young players showing great potential and eager to prove themselves. This former "prodigy," now basking in the glow of her injury recovery, also carries immense pressure.

The days flew by amidst the relentless, high-intensity, and high-pressure training. With the selection trials drawing ever closer at the end of September, the atmosphere at the training base grew increasingly tense. On the ice rink, the competition among the athletes intensified, each simulated match brimming with tension.

Ren Xiyao's performance is steadily improving. Her speed is increasing, and her technique is becoming more stable. The coaching staff acknowledges her progress but also reminds her not to let her guard down.

This invisible pressure was incredibly intense. Every single second, it never stopped. It came not only from her opponents, but also from the deep-seated desire for victory and the unwavering determination to return to the top. Every time she stood on the starting line, she could hear her heart pounding like a drum.

In terms of academics, Ren Xiyao returned to her university in September to submit her application for postgraduate recommendation and academic transcripts. Her undergraduate grades and World Championship gold medal are her biggest sources of confidence. Everything is proceeding smoothly.

In the dead of night, she would sometimes stand by the window of her dormitory, gazing at the deep darkness outside and the lights still shining in the training hall in the distance.

Two years. She told herself. Two years since she'd properly stood on the World Cup stage.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled all her distracting thoughts and stress. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was filled with only icy calmness and steely resolve.

Summer in Seoul has passed, and autumn is approaching in the capital. Her battlefield awaits her reconquest. The new season will be tough, but that's okay. She thinks she's ready.