Chapter 69 Not long after the end of the Beijing station...

Shortly after finishing the Beijing leg of the competition, the team took a brief day to rest before flying directly to Nagoya, Japan. This was the venue for the fourth leg of the short track speed skating competition.

Ren Xiyao's right-angle change of direction has generated considerable discussion in domestic short track speed skating technical forums, and expectations for her have been unconsciously raised significantly. However, this hasn't affected Ren Xiyao at all, because she simply doesn't watch them.

The advantage of competing in Asia is that we don't have to deal with jet lag. Everyone's training is proceeding smoothly, and we're adjusting our form step by step. The fourth leg of the competition will officially begin the next day, and everyone is getting ready to get off the ice after finishing today's session.

"Xi Yao!"

A clear voice came from behind.

Ren Xiyao turned around, and in the light of the ice rink corridor, Su Junhe stood there holding a bouquet of white daisies. She was wearing a light gray down jacket for the Chinese national team, her hair was loosely tied back, and she had a familiar smile on her face.

“...Junhe?” Ren Xiyao was stunned.

Lin Shan and her teammates wisely left first, while Ren Xiyao stood still, watching her former figure skating friends walk towards her.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" Su Junhe handed over the bouquet of flowers: "It just so happens to coincide with the Grand Prix. I heard you were also competing in the World Cup here, so I came to see you."

The daisies had a faint fragrance, and dewdrops still clung to their petals. Ren Xiyao accepted the flowers, the rustling sound of her fingertips touching the wrapping paper reminding her of ten years ago when they first participated in a youth competition. Su Junhe had done the same, always giving her a bouquet of flowers before the competition. She had always been curious, given their young age and the strict coaching back then. And in winter, where did he conjure these flowers from? At that time, they were among the few players on the Chinese youth team who could compete together, close in age and with compatible personalities.

"Why all of a sudden..."

"When you were injured last year, I wanted to come see you," Su Junhe's voice softened, "but at that time, my own condition was also..."

Ren Xiyao actually knew all this; as someone who had once worked in figure skating, she had some understanding of it. But all she could ask was, "Is it alright now?"

Su Junhe shrugged: "It'll do, at least it'll be good enough for the competition." She pointed to the flowers: "Daisies, their flower language is hope." She paused, then laughed: "Of course, mainly because these are all the flowers the florist has left."

Ren Xiyao smiled and said, "Still so bad at talking."

"Better than you." Su Junhe sized her up: "I heard you did terribly in the first two rounds?"

"...The third stop was better."

"Afraid of collisions?"

Ren Xiyao remained silent.

Su Junhe suddenly reached out and poked her right knee: "Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

“Lying.” Su Junhe withdrew his hand: “You used to be like this when you were on the figure skating team, you would purse your lips whenever you lied.”

Ren Xiyao subconsciously loosened her grip on her lower lip. Actually, regarding her knee injury, well, this wasn't the first time she'd suffered such a pain. She'd had a previous injury to her right leg during her figure skating days. Even after that major injury last year, she would still experience a dull ache after intense training. Sometimes during high-intensity competitions, like after overtaking on a curve, she would instinctively feel pain. She'd asked the team doctor then, but the doctor said it wasn't a big problem. Later, when she talked to the psychologist, they said it might be somatic symptoms of PTSD. Now, sometimes she couldn't quite distinguish between them. However, as her performance improved, whether the pain was from an injury or from physical pain became less important, and she didn't really take the advice from the team doctor and coach to heart.

Footsteps of staff members could be heard at the end of the corridor. Su Junhe glanced at his watch and said, "I should go back now. There's a short program tomorrow."

"Um."

"Xi Yao." Su Jun suddenly became serious: "Don't back out of the competition tomorrow."

Ren Xiyao gripped the bouquet tightly: "...I didn't return it."

“I watched the video of the Montreal match.” Su Jun looked directly into her eyes: “The way you dodged was exactly the same as when you were twelve and didn’t dare to jump 3lz.”

These words hit Ren Xiyao like a straight ball, striking her hard in the chest. At twelve, she was still practicing figure skating. A fall once instilled in her a fear of the triple Lutz, and she preferred to practice the more difficult triple Axel rather than attempt it. But the truth is, the triple Lutz is arguably the most rewarding of the five triple jump types. It's also a very cost-effective jump. Coach Ivanov didn't care. She was forced to jump it, and ultimately, her desire for gold overcame her fear. At the World Junior Championships, she completed a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, winning the gold medal. Ultimately, this left her with no regrets in her figure skating career.

"Take it." Su Jun patted the daisy. "It symbolizes hope, so it will definitely bring you good luck. You're sure to win the gold medal this time."

She turned to leave, but Ren Xiyao suddenly called out to her, "Wait a minute."

Ren Xiyao pulled out an adorable elephant badge from her gear bag and pinned it to Su Junhe's team uniform collar: "The elephant brings you strength. Don't fall during the competition tomorrow."

Su Junhe laughed: "You too, don't be a coward."

Ren Xiyao carried the flowers all the way back to the hotel. After finishing a bottle of mineral water, she put the flowers in the bottle and placed it on the windowsill. The night view of Nagoya shone through the glass, making the white daisies stand out vividly in the darkness.

My phone vibrated. Kwon Ji-yong had sent me a message: "It snowed in Nagoya today."

She walked to the window and saw fine snowflakes drifting on the glass: "Hmm, not much."

"Did Su Junhe come to see you?"

Ren Xiyao raised an eyebrow: "How did you know?"

"Instagram Stories"

She opened social media and, sure enough, saw that Su Junhe had posted a photo of daisies with the caption "Cheer on an old friend." The comment section exploded; some recognized the hotel background, and others dug up a photo of her and Ren Xiyao skating together in their youth.

Kwon Ji-yong sent another message: "The flowers suit you very well."

Ren Xiyao: "?"

"Clean, pure, stubborn, and seemingly fragile, but actually very difficult to raise and kill."

She laughed out loud: "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

"I'm praising you." Immediately following was another message: "I'll be watching the live stream of the match tomorrow."

Ren Xiyao paused for a moment: "Don't look, focus on your concert. It's the last one this year, so do it well."

“It won’t be a problem. In fact, I’d rather see you in person than watch the live stream. This is the closest we’ve been in months. It’s less than an hour’s drive.”

"......what ever."

Putting down her phone, Ren Xiyao looked at the bouquet of flowers again. Su Junhe was right; she was indeed afraid, because her situation had been improving day by day. She had even managed to deceive herself of her deepest fears. She had given herself a lot of breathing room lately. Things like taking it slow, taking it one game at a time, but it was time for a strong dose of medicine.

Tomorrow, she doesn't want to leave herself any way out.

Before the preliminary rounds on the second day, Ren Xiyao was stretching her legs in the warm-up area. Lin Shan suddenly nudged her: "Look at the big screen!"

A commotion broke out as many spectators turned their attention to the short track team's area.

Ren Xiyao bent down to tie her ice skates, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

The coach frowned beside him: "You know her?"

"We used to practice figure skating together."

"Coach," Ren Xiyao suddenly looked up, "I'd like to change the tactics for the 500 meters today."

The coach raised an eyebrow: "How should I change it?"

"Start the race, get into position."

The coach stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Okay, you've finally figured it out. Give it a try, but be careful not to push yourself too hard. If you feel you can't do it, don't force it. You're only just getting started."

Ren Xiyao held the line firmly, making the gap completely impenetrable. Park Hye-yeon was forced to slow down. The 500-meter distance was short, and in the following laps, Ren Xiyao pushed her speed to the maximum, while maintaining extremely precise control over the line. She refused to give Park Hye-yeon any chance. In the end, Ren Xiyao crossed the finish line first in her group, almost a second faster than Salt Lake City. She skated under 43 seconds. It was a long-lost control of the wind.

As she left the field, she glanced up at the audience. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw Su Junhe, wearing a Chinese national team jacket, clapping.

Ren Xiyao had just finished dealing with reporters in the mixed zone after the competition when she turned around and bumped into Su Junhe, who was leaning against the wall waiting for her. Speaking of mixed zones and team reporters, even though the sport is less popular, it certainly has its share of reporters. It's just that winter sports generally receive less attention, so both team reporters and those in the mixed zone usually gather material from several events before publishing a single report, unlike other popular sports where there's almost always coverage of every competition. Moreover, some countries still maintain a significant level of interest in winter sports. For example, South Korea receives a lot of attention because it's a traditionally strong sport for them. Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Russia, and Canada also enjoy a certain level of interest.

"Not bad." Su Junhe handed her a bottle of water: "Finally, it looks decent."

Ren Xiyao took the water: "Are you done?"

"Fifth in the short program." Su Jun pursed his lips: "We'll catch up in the free skate."

The two walked out side by side, and Su Junhe suddenly said, "Actually, I've always felt that you were right to switch to short track."

"Um?"

“Figure skating is all about perfection.” Su Junhe looked at the maintenance workers tidying up the ice in the distance. “One mistake can ruin the whole program. But short track…”

"Short track allows for mistakes," Ren Xiyao continued. "As long as the last bend isn't over, there's still a chance."

Su Junhe smiled: "So, don't let your choice down."

Ren Xiyao looked down at the water bottle in her hand, and it seemed that the fragrance of the daisies on the windowsill lingered on her collar.

“You make your way through life. Tomorrow is the final,” she said softly. “I will win.”