Chapter 56 Recreating the same program will yield different insights.

When the plane landed in St. Petersburg, it was drizzling outside the window. Even though it was only November, Russia was bitterly cold.

Alongside them competing in the Russian leg were pairs figure skaters Lu Sheng and Cao Jinhui. The three children stood beside their coach, dragging their suitcases, waiting for them to talk to the people who were picking them up at the airport.

Yang Yiyan zipped her down jacket all the way up, put her hands in her pockets, let her hair down to minimize contact with the cold wind, shrugged her shoulders, and buried her head in her scarf.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but even though it was a month earlier, the temperature was lower than when she came to participate in the finals.

Yang Yiyan has been exercising ever since she finished her middle school entrance exam. Every morning, as long as it doesn't rain, she runs 15 kilometers in a nearby park. In addition to land-based aerobic and weight training, as well as dance classes every few days, her body fat percentage has rapidly dropped to the level it was in during the competition, even a fraction of a second less than last season.

Yang Yiyan shrank her neck, her breath condensing and dissipating in the air. She looked up at the coaches and the ruddy-faced uncle in front of them, hoping that these adults could finish their conversation soon.

After finally getting on the bus to the hotel and spending a long time in the heated environment, Yang Yiyan felt like she had come back to life.

She reached out to take off the scarf around her neck, but Xia Yuezi, who was sitting next to her, stopped her: "It's easy to catch a cold from such a sudden change in temperature. We'll be there soon."

The previous stop before the Russian leg was the Chinese leg. Since the two legs were close together, the two coaches discussed it and decided that each coach would take one athlete to avoid overworking them.

Yang Yiyan had improved her jet lag skills, but she still couldn't overcome her body's instincts. After packing her luggage, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Xia Yuezi was already immune to this scene. She skillfully covered her with the blanket, checked the air conditioner temperature, and then quietly withdrew.

Seeing this, Cao Jinhui, who shared a room with Xia Yuezi, didn't want to disturb her rest, so she took her phone and followed Xia Yuezi away.

When Yang Yiyan woke up the next day, Xia Yuezi took her directly to the lottery venue organized by the organizers, where a row of reporters holding cameras were already standing behind her.

The contestants who participated in the draw sat in the first row. Almost everyone had arrived. Polina was sitting near the middle. When she saw Polina come in, she greeted her.

Yang Yiyan was still a little dazed, but when she saw Polina's smile, she subconsciously raised the corners of her mouth in response.

The lights at the draw site were very bright, almost blinding. All around were athletes and coaches from various countries talking in hushed tones, with Russian, Japanese and English mixed in the background.

Sitting in the very center is last year's World Championship winner, Lyubov. This girl, who is about to turn eighteen, has long, golden French curls. As she has grown up, her features have become more delicate, and she has also put on a glamorous makeup look with a Western style.

Her outstanding academic performance and striking appearance quickly made her a favorite of major brands, and it is said that she has already purchased a property in Moscow this year.

If we're talking about women's singles athletes, the only ones who can rival her in terms of commercial endorsements are probably Nina from the United States and Sung Eun-hee from South Korea.

Besides the two local players, Lyubov and Polina, the next player to watch is France's Alisa. However, she probably isn't good at adjusting to time differences, as even with makeup on, her eyes revealed a hint of fatigue.

Xia Yuezi placed the umbrella at the door and stood with Ms. Qiandao. She rubbed her hands together, her fingertips still slightly damp.

The indoor heating had fogged up the windows, and even though you couldn't see the rain outside, you could hear the pattering of raindrops hitting the windowpane, and it seemed like it was going to get even heavier.

Yang Yiyan drew the second-to-last spot in the last group, which should have been a good draw. However, the person before her was Lyubov, and the person after her was Alisa.

Ms. Chishima patted Xia Yuezi on the shoulder and smiled knowingly: "This isn't exactly a good spot."

Being sandwiched between two European and American players, coupled with the debuff of just being promoted to a higher group, means the treatment won't be too good.

Xia Yuezi spread her hands, revealing a helpless smile.

On the day of the competition, the rain in St. Petersburg finally stopped, which was good news for the athletes who had been cooped up in their hotel for the past few days.

Figure skating is a popular sport in Russia, and with Lyubov in the spotlight, the audience attendance was extremely high.

Yang Yiyan was doing her final warm-up exercises backstage, while Polina next to her did a land 3A. Xia Yuezi stood by and watched, while Liu Bofu didn't seem relaxed.

Of all the women's singles players at the Russian Open, only Yang Yiyan and Polina can perform a triple A, which is a very powerful and lethal move. Moreover, she and Polina have a much fiercer competitive relationship.

Just like Davell and Andrei, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation also hopes that Lyubov and Polina can form a double insurance for winning gold.

Before the official start of the competition, there was an unannounced selection competition within Russia. Even though Polina had just been promoted to a higher group, Lyubov could tell that the referee was intentionally favoring her junior.

Most importantly, she clearly felt that jumping was very difficult last season, and her weight continued to increase, which made her have to strengthen her physical fitness and aerobic training.

This season, it's hard for her to guarantee that she won't continue to be affected by the developmental barrier.

After six practice sessions, Yang Yiyan sat on a bench, checking her shoelaces one last time. Xia Yuezi stood by the field and saw Liu Bofu standing behind the barrier, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

She looked at the girl on the ice rink. Polina landed a 3A jump cleanly and crisply, which drew cheers from the sidelines.

Xia Yuezi turned her gaze back to Yang Yiyan behind her. The little girl was pounding her thigh muscles, seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere on the field.

Before setting off, Xia Yuezi gave Yang Yiyan a heads-up by telling her about Zhang Mengyi and Jiang Shuyu's experiences of being promoted to higher groups.

Although women's singles and men's singles are different, Xia Yuezi was worried that the young girl was too ambitious after sweeping the junior group. If she didn't stand on the podium in her first match in the senior group, it would affect her performance later.

The commentator for this match was from Russia, and he spared no effort in praising the two sisters, listing Lyubov's record at length, which made the cheers in the arena even more enthusiastic.

Lyubov's short program was a lyrical song. She gracefully skated to the center of the ice, adjusted the light gauze on her shoulders, got into position, and as the music started, she cast a charming glance at the audience.

This player was recently exposed to be dating an ice hockey player, and photos of them kissing were even taken.

Neither party has responded to this, as admitting to a relationship before the Olympics is not a good thing, and if the team fails to perform well at the Olympics, the media will likely make a big deal out of it.

Unlike other sports, figure skating emphasizes not only difficulty but also artistic expression. Therefore, at the right age, as long as it doesn't affect performance, most coaches turn a blind eye to relationships.

Perhaps this relationship truly made her feel happy, because Lyubov's body language and emotional expression were significantly better than last season. Even the smile on her face wasn't a fake smile for scoring points, but rather a genuine smile from the heart.

Many coaches stood in the aisle, their smiles a mix of goodwill and gossip. Some of those who were close to Lyubov had already started discussing the relationship.

Xia Yuezi stood in the corridor, rubbing her arms, trying to pull herself out of the romantic atmosphere.

Lyubov's short program consisted of 3F, 2A, 3LZ + 3T, and even her spins and footwork were performed almost perfectly, showing a better form than most skaters at the beginning of the season.

After finishing her last set of spins, Lyubov skated forward a short distance back to the center of the rink. She stood sideways, put her index finger to her lips, lowered her head slightly, glanced upwards, and gave the audience an elegant and alluring look.

After the show ended, she seemed pleased with herself for cleaning up the program, flashing her signature eight-tooth smile, which made her look even more charming.

Besides applause, there were also bursts of screams from the audience, but the girls' voices seemed to be louder than the boys'.

A photographer captured this moment and uploaded it to his Twitter account. After being discovered by figure skating fans, the photo was dubbed "Lymbov's life photo."

Xia Yuezi raised her hand and clapped along with them, deeply feeling the high compatibility between the lyrical song and Lyubov.

Lyubov scored 70.57 in her short program, becoming the first female singles player this season to reach 70 points in her short program.

Not to mention Yang Yiyan standing on the ice rink, even Nina, who also enjoys international benefits, gasped when she saw this score.

Xia Yuezi held Yang Yiyan's hand tightly with one hand and placed the other on her back, her forehead pressed against hers, just like when she competed in the youth group competition for the first time.

"Relax, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do what you did before and enjoy this piece of ice."

Yang Yiyan listened quietly, then hugged her coach before turning and rushing towards the ice rink.

She crouched down, her palms touching the ice. The chill traveled up through her warm palms. She closed her eyes and waited quietly. The surrounding sounds gradually quieted down, replaced by the music of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The choreography of this short program is also different from last season, which has also changed Yang Yiyan's performance style.

Unlike Lyubov's enthusiasm, Yang Yiyan's program carries a unique youthful arrogance and carefree spirit.

The martial arts world in China is mostly about a sword and a passionate heart. It seems that no amount of words can compare to the word "righteousness". Yang Yiyan's impetuousness when she first entered the martial arts world actually matched her age and temperament.

Xia Yuezi once asked her why she suddenly wanted to change her original style. Yang Yiyan scratched her head at the time, with a comic book she had borrowed from somewhere in front of her.

She still remembered what Yang Yiyan said.

"When I first watched the film, I only felt that the character of Yu Jiaolong was very tragic. But this year I felt that she was just a girl who was constantly pursuing what she wanted in her life. Such a character should not have the love and romance aspects emphasized too much in the performance. I want her to be herself again."

Xia Yuezi rubbed her fingers together, the deep and long sound of the piano reaching her ears. She looked up at the ice, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Perhaps this time, she will recreate Yu Jiaolong on the ice.