Chapter 87 Three days on Jeju Island, like a…

The three days on Jeju Island felt like an unreal dream, enveloped in sunshine and waves. The beauty of utopia always has its limits, and time is the most merciless dividing line. When the roar of the engine replaced the cries of the seagulls, and when the clouds outside the porthole blocked out that azure expanse, Ren Xiyao knew that her "exclusive kingdom," which belonged only to her and Kwon Ji-yong, where they could breathe freely and without pretense, had temporarily come to an end.

The plane landed in Beijing, and the familiar dryness of the air and the hustle and bustle of traffic instantly pulled her back to reality from the lazy comfort of Jeju Island. Her short vacation was over, and what awaited her was the upcoming, even more rigorous high-altitude training camp. But before that, she had asked for a day off. She wanted to go back to her school to take a graduation photo. She had gained a lot as an athlete, but also missed out on a lot. The day she graduated from high school... she was so busy preparing for the Solomon Islands Winter Olympics that she didn't have time to go back. But now that she had some free time, she wanted to leave something behind.

Ren Xiyao stood before the stone monument at the school gate, the tassels of her graduation cap swaying gently in the wind. She lowered her head to adjust her collar, the black graduation gown making her skin appear even whiter. Her phone vibrated in her pocket; she knew it must be Quan Zhilong. Sure enough, it was a message from him: "Turn around."

Ren Xiyao paused for two seconds, then frowned and quickly walked over: "Aren't you afraid of getting caught by being so conspicuous?"

Kwon Ji-yong stuffed the flowers into her arms: "Happy graduation."

The sweet fragrance of daisies wafted through the air, their petals still glistening with dew. Ren Xiyao glanced down at them, then looked up at him glaringly: "Isn't it true that there are rehearsals for the concert these next few days?"

“There’s enough time, they’re all experienced.” He smiled, his eyes crinkling, and gently fiddled with the tassel on her graduation cap. “They can handle this.”

Ren Xiyao opened her mouth, but in the end only managed to utter one sentence: "...What kind of outfit is this?"

"Like, like, like the art school next door."

He laughed and casually put his arm around her shoulder, leading her into the campus: "Let's take pictures, I brought my camera."

Ren Xiyao was pulled by her classmates to take a group photo, while Quan Zhilong stood not far away, snapping photos with a camera. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, falling on his shoulders in dappled patterns like an oil painting.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Chen Yu, a classmate, asked in a low voice, "He looks so familiar..."

"Hmm." Ren Xiyao replied without changing her expression, "Someone involved in music."

Chen Yu's eyes widened: "The South Korean musician isn't some kind of K-pop idol, is he?"

"Underground rapper".

"Wow...wow, you're quite the opposite."

Kwon Ji-yong heard this and his shoulders trembled as he tried to suppress his laughter. Once the crowd had dispersed a bit, he leaned in and whispered in his ear, "When did I become an underground rapper?"

Ren Xiyao nudged him away with her elbow: "Quiet down, GDxi."

He magically pulled a small box out of his pocket: "A graduation gift."

"Yes, the first finished product." Kwon Ji-yong bent down to help her fasten it to the collar of her graduation gown: "It won't be officially released until next month, you're the first one to wear it."

Ren Xiyao recalled the bonfire on Jeju Island that night, and the earnest look in his eyes when he said "I love you," and suddenly asked, "Why daisies?"

“Many reasons.” He adjusted the angle of the brooch. “But part of it is because…you said it brought the gold medal back to you.”

Last year, Su Junhe from Nagoya sent her a bouquet of daisies and the daisy crown that won her the championship. At that time, the joy of returning to the top filled her heart, and she believed in the power of belief.

"Ren Xiyao!" a classmate called from afar, "The college leaders are here! Let's take a group photo!"

She responded, and Kwon Ji-yong pushed her back: "Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

Around noon, Ren Xiyao took Quan Zhilong to the school cafeteria; the food at R University was quite good. Carrying their trays through the noisy crowd, Quan Zhilong sat in a corner, head down, replying to emails. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a fuzzy golden edge on his hair.

"Eat up." She pushed the beef noodles towards me: "There's no cilantro in it."

Kwon Ji-yong put away his phone and broke apart disposable chopsticks: "Finished filming?"

"Hmm." She took a sip of her chilled plum juice. "I have a class meeting this afternoon."

My flight is at four o'clock.

Ren Xiyao paused for a moment with her chopsticks: "Hmm."

The ceiling fans in the cafeteria creaked and groaned, and the laughter and chatter of the graduates filled the air.

"You look like you're here on vacation," Ren Xiyao retorted.

“This is where you’ve spent four years. And you’ll be staying here for another three.” He turned to her and pressed the shutter: “I have to remember this.”

In the photo, Ren Xiyao's brows were slightly furrowed, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled patterns on her face. Quan Zhilong looked at the screen and suddenly said, "You had the same expression when I first met you."

What expression?

“Like a wary cat.” He gestured with a smile: “You look like you’re spacing out at the bathroom door, but you snap and become alert the moment someone speaks to you.”

Ren Xiyao kicked a pebble by the roadside: "That's because you're too flamboyant. Like a delinquent."

"And now?" He leaned closer. "Still think I'm like a delinquent?"

She reached out and plucked a ginkgo leaf from his hair: "Like a college student skipping art school."

Kwon Ji-yong suddenly grabbed her wrist and lowered his head to kiss her. The kiss was very light, like a daisy petal falling on her lips, touching and then leaving.

"Kwon Ji-yong!"

"Don't worry, nobody's watching us." He smiled and let go of her hand: "Everyone's busy taking graduation photos."

Indeed, surrounded by graduates hugging and taking photos, no one noticed this "ordinary couple" in the corner. Ren Xiyao glared at him, but her ears secretly turned red.

The taxi stopped by the roadside, and Kwon Ji-yong stuffed his camera into his backpack: "Message me when you get to Xinjiang."

"Um."

"Don't push yourself too hard during high-altitude training."

"Know."

Seeing his hesitant expression, Ren Xiyao suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. Quan Zhilong froze for a second, then tightened his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I'll miss you," he said sullenly.

Ren Xiyao buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and said softly, "...Me too."

The taxi driver honked impatiently. Kwon Ji-yong let go of her hand, then helped her straighten her graduation cap one last time: "Go on, happy graduation."

She turned and got into the car. Through the car window, she saw him standing there waving. His figure grew smaller and smaller until he finally disappeared into the green shade of the sycamore trees.

Ren Xiyao looked down at the daisy brooch on her chest and let out a soft breath.

Life at the base was monotonous, routine, and even somewhat tedious, with everything revolving around the word "training." After a long period of adjustment...

Ren Xiyao's cornering technique has become even more refined. Whether it's a small-radius glide that requires using the inside lane to hug the apex, or a large-radius glide that requires maintaining speed and using the outside lane to find overtaking opportunities, she handles it with ease. Crucially, her tactical awareness is also excellent. She demonstrates a strong ability to adapt to changing circumstances on the track.

Overtaking on the inside lane is the most common and technically demanding aspect of short track speed skating. It requires athletes to accurately judge their opponent's gliding trajectory and speed changes within a confined space, seizing fleeting opportunities. Ren Xiyao now displays greater patience and intelligence when overtaking on the inside lane. She no longer relies solely on speed and explosiveness, or waits for her opponent to make a mistake before forcing an overtake. Instead, she skillfully utilizes changes in rhythm and line control to lure her opponent into openings, or, in the instant her opponent's center of gravity is unstable and their speed slightly decreases, she slips silently through the inside lane like a slippery fish. Her overtaking maneuvers are clean and crisp, with minimal unnecessary physical contact, resulting in an extremely high success rate.

Overtaking on the outside lane further showcases her improved fundamental abilities. This technique requires a longer skating distance and demands exceptional speed maintenance and acceleration from the athlete. With increased push-off efficiency and absolute speed, overtaking on the outside lane has become a powerful weapon in her arsenal. In simulated races, she is frequently seen starting her surge at the end of the straight, utilizing her superior momentum to maintain high speed on the outside of the curve, and then using her superior speed to overtake her opponent as she exits the corner. The visual impact of that power and speed is extremely captivating.

It can be said that Ren Xiyao has mastered both the inside-out attack, which requires skill and courage, and the outside-out attack, which requires speed and endurance. Now, she can flexibly adapt her tactics to different opponents and battle situations in the face of fierce competition.

Of course, such mastery doesn't happen overnight. Every day of summer training was filled with sweat and repetition. Countless practice runs on the ice, countless cornering maneuvers, countless overtaking and counter-overtaking drills, countless falls and rises. What remained on the ice was not just the marks left by the skates, but also the hard work she and her teammates poured into it.

The coaching staff was very satisfied with Ren Xiyao's performance. At the debriefing meeting, they said, "Ren Xiyao's performance this summer training can be described as phenomenal. Her physique, technique, and mentality are all at an ideal point of combination. If she can maintain this, she will definitely have the ability to achieve even better results in the new season, and even... break some records."

This optimism is not unfounded. Everyone who has seen Ren Xiyao train can feel the vibrant energy and powerful aura emanating from her. The graceful, fluid, and powerful beauty of her skating on the ice is itself a display of confidence.

In the evening, after a day of intense training, Ren Xiyao went alone to the deserted ice rink to stretch. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the high windows, casting long shadows on the pristine white ice. The chill emanating from the ice gave her bare arms goosebumps, but she felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and tranquility.

She could clearly feel the soreness in her muscles as she stretched, hear her own steady and powerful heartbeat, and recall the subtle pleasure she felt from every successful technical movement during the day's training. Her body was full of strength, and her mind was full of anticipation.

What will the new season be like? She doesn't know. But she has a strong feeling that it will be a season that belongs to her. She is ready to face all challenges and opportunities in her best condition.