Chapter 68. When Ren Xiyao left the scene, her face showed…

As Ren Xiyao left the track, her face was covered in sweat and ice crystals, but her eyes shone brightly. Lin Shan walked over and playfully bumped her shoulder: "Not bad! Ren Xiyao, when did you learn to change lanes at a right angle? Your entry into the corner was textbook perfect!"

Ren Xiyao took off her goggles and exhaled a puff of white breath. She didn't have any other thoughts, but simply pointed to Kim Su-yeon not far away: "This time it was really a fluke. This move is really difficult, how can you use it so freely? Just last year at the World Championships, Kim Su-yeon used this move to eliminate the veteran from Canada in the same position."

Lin Shan was taken aback: "You studied the video recording?"

“Of course.” Ren Xiyao smiled, not saying much, but simply pointing to her temple with her finger, her tone carrying a hint of confidence: “Here, I’ve recorded the fouling habits and technical characteristics of most players.” For the past two years, Ren Xiyao had spent almost every sleepless night watching these technical videos repeatedly, over and over again. It was to make up for the regret of not being able to play, and also to alleviate the anxiety of not being able to compete.

Lin Shan looked at her and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. She knew how much effort Ren Xiyao had put in to return to the competition, not only in physical training but also in studying her opponents and mastering the details of the game.

The coach, who had just walked over, was also delighted to hear this. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, whether it was a fluke or not. But you're almost the first athlete since Victor to use this kind of change of direction on the field. You still have a lot of room for improvement in the future. Take a good rest and prepare for the next match."

Although Ren Xiyao didn't win the gold medal in the subsequent final, she ultimately didn't let her efforts go to waste, taking home the bronze medal in the women's 1500 meters. Three events, 28 races. This is her first medal since her comeback, and also this World Cup season.

At the awards ceremony, Ren Xiyao wore a heavy bronze medal around her neck. Looking at the cheering audience below, and at her teammates and coaches beside her, she was filled with mixed emotions. This bronze medal was more than just a trophy; it was proof of her overcoming difficulties and conquering herself.

She was acutely aware that she hadn't fully returned to her peak, but she had taken the most difficult step. Now it was only a matter of time. At this moment, she no longer doubted herself.

In a post-competition interview, a reporter asked her how she would evaluate her performance at this event. Ren Xiyao thought for a moment and calmly replied, "More than the results, I'm happier that I rediscovered something during the competition. I rediscovered the feeling of daring to compete and charge forward on the ice."

At the same moment, Kwon Ji-yong was sitting in front of the makeup mirror. His hairstylist was using hairspray to fix the stray hairs on his forehead, while his makeup artist was bending down to adjust the details of his eyeliner. The red carpet for the MAMA Awards ceremony had ended, and there were still forty minutes before the official start. People were coming and going in the waiting room. Managers, assistants, and stylists were shuttling back and forth, checking the process, confirming the movement, and checking the headset equipment.

He looked down and swiped his phone. The lock screen was still showing a push notification from Naver Sports from three minutes ago: "Short Track Speed ​​Skating World Cup Beijing Station: Chinese athlete Ren Xiyao wins bronze medal in 1500m, right-angle change of direction sparks heated discussion."

Upon opening the news, a high-definition screenshot of the race popped up the instant the page loaded. Ren Xiyao, with a larger, almost right-angled entry angle, avoided Jin Shuyan, who had forcefully cut inside before entering the turn. The two figures formed a sharp angle as they slid at high speed. Her expression was calm and focused, and her eyes behind her goggles were like a drawn sword.

Kwon Ji-yong unconsciously rubbed his thumb against the screen.

"GDxi, tilt your head up a little," the makeup artist whispered, a brush covered in loose powder hovering above his cheekbone.

"Hmm," he responded, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen.

Below the news article are real-time updated comments from netizens, with the comment section refreshing at a rate of dozens of comments per second:

"That lane-changing angle is incredible! It's Victor-level skill!"

"She probably tore her ligaments last year, right? It's really brave of her to do something like that."

"The clash with Shuyan in the semi-final was also very tough, completely unlike her previous evasive behavior."

"That angle of change of direction! This is the first time I've seen a player use it since Victor, and it's a female player no less!"

"She was injured in last year's World Cup due to a collision, how dare she play so hard today?"

"Technical analysis is here! A right-angle change in the 'long chart' requires explosive power from the core muscles..."

"Didn't she have a knee injury? This kind of movement puts a lot of pressure on her joints!"

Kwon Ji-yong opened the analysis chart, where densely packed data curves were labeled with "peak knee joint pressure" and "centrifugal force distribution." He frowned and scrolled to the bottom, where he saw the conclusion: "This move has an extremely high risk factor, and so far only Victor and Ren Xiyao (in this competition) have successfully used it."

He opened the accompanying match video, turned down the volume, and silently watched Ren Xiyao's final replay in the noisy waiting room. At the moment she crossed the finish line, she staggered slightly, but quickly regained her balance, and her eyes shone brightly as she looked up at the big screen.

"Jiyong, rehearse your blocking in five minutes!" the manager called out from the doorway.

Kwon Ji-yong locked the screen, looked up at the makeup artist and smiled: "Is it done?"

"Just touch up your lip makeup."

He obediently parted his lips slightly, but his right hand quietly unlocked his phone and quickly took a screenshot of a news article showing Ren Xiyao wearing a bronze medal on the podium with a restrained smile on her lips.

During the halftime performance of the MAMA awards ceremony, PSY's "Gangnam Style" began, the lights dimmed, and a deafening roar erupted from the audience. By the second half, almost the entire venue was buzzing with excitement.

PSY came down to interact with the guests. The camera panned across the screen, showing the reactions of popular celebrities one by one. Almost everyone stood up and danced. When it was Kwon Ji-yong's turn, he made a token interaction. When the camera zoomed out to a wide shot, his body was moving rhythmically unconsciously, but his gaze was fixed on the phone screen in his hand. His thumbs were rapidly typing on the keyboard, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

The director mischievously lingered on this shot for three seconds.

The screams from the fans at the scene immediately rose an octave, mixed with shouts of "Ah!" and "What are you looking at so seriously!"

Kwon Ji-yong was completely unaware that he was being filmed until Taeyang nudged him with his elbow. He looked up blankly and realized that everyone's eyes were on him on the big screen. Only then did he belatedly realize what was happening and gave the camera a friendly smile. He quickly switched his phone back to the camera app, pretending that he was recording a scene from an interactive segment on stage.

But it was too late.

The MAMA live stream chat exploded.

"Help! Brother Long is playing on his phone during Gangnam Style!!"

"Director, you deserve a bonus! That close-up was amazing!"

"He was definitely laughing just now! I took a screenshot!"

"Are you replying to your girlfriend's messages? Right, right?"

"He's definitely dating someone!?"

In fact, his chat interface was still showing Ren Xiyao's last reply: "Just a bronze medal, still a long way off."

What he just sent was:

"A right-angle change of direction is way cooler than a gold medal."

"Korean online forums are all praising you."

"You're all over the sports pages."

After saying that, he sent several screenshots.

My phone vibrated again: "Shouldn't you be at the awards ceremony?"

He glanced at PSY, who was performing the Gangnam Style dance on stage, and replied with his head down:

"Yes, we're filming the audience's reaction now."

"But I think I've been caught."

Ren Xiyao replied quickly: "?"

Kwon Ji-yong pointed his phone camera at the big screen, took a picture of the "evidence" of his crime that had just been shown in close-up, and sent it over.

Three seconds later, a chat window popped up: "...Serves you right."

He couldn't help but laugh out loud, and the director caught him on camera a second time. This time, on the big screen, he had his head down and his shoulders were shaking slightly, clearly trying to suppress his laughter.

The fan section completely exploded:

"Ugh, what is he looking at?!"

I bet ten packs of spicy strips that I'm in a relationship!

"Who is it with? He even remembered to reply to messages during the awards ceremony."

Less than half an hour after the ceremony ended, the hashtag #GD playing on his phone at the awards ceremony# trended on Twitter worldwide, and there were also many related hashtags on domestic social media platforms.

In the high-resolution screenshots zoomed in by fans:

1. His slightly furrowed brow as he looked down at his phone (in a serious expression).

2. The bewildered expression on his face as he hastily looked up after being reminded by his teammate.

3. The moment when he tried to suppress his laughter when he was caught on camera for the second time.

The most amazing thing is that someone started a thread analyzing the images frame by frame using a "microscope":

"Notice how he's holding his phone! His thumb is in the bottom right corner, which means he's typing, not browsing!"

"If you zoom in and look at the screen reflection, the interface is clearly a chat application!"

"Judging from the button layout, he probably typed Korean last (laughter)!"

Meanwhile, the other party involved in the incident was lying on their dormitory bed in Beijing, scrolling through trending topics and feeling both amused and exasperated.

Lin Shan kicked open the door, holding up her tablet and shouting, "Ren Xiyao! Your boyfriend is trending!"

The screen is showing the entire process of Kwon Ji-yong being filmed.

"..." Ren Xiyao buried her face in the pillow: "I don't know him."

However, the matter was not over yet.

[Hot Post] Technical Analysis: Suspected Engraving on the Inside of GD Ring (High-Resolution Restored Version)

The images are a collection of adjusted and restored photos.

After adjusting the brightness, the letters "R" and "2013" are faintly visible.

The comments section was buzzing:

Who is R???

"You met in 2013?"

"Wait a minute, wasn't he incredibly busy with his solo activities in 2013?"

Upon seeing this, Ren Xiyao's hand trembled, and she knocked over the water glass.

My phone vibrated at just the right moment, and the culprit sent a message: "Looks like I've gotten into trouble."

Ren Xiyao took a deep breath and replied, "You're finished."

Kwon Ji-yong replied quickly:

"Anyway, they'll never guess it was you."

"Short track speed skaters and idols? That's a plot from a novel."

As Ren Xiyao looked at this sentence, she suddenly remembered the first time she secretly went to his concert, her slightly bewildered self and his dazzling presence on stage.

And now, he wears a ring engraved with her name, hiding a secret about her from the whole world.

She typed slowly: "Remember to concentrate at the next awards ceremony."

He replied instantly: "Unless you stand next to me."