Chapter 66 Ultimate Audience Approval

There was a day between the men's singles short program and free skate. Like most skaters, Feng Simai trained on the ice during the non-competition period of that day. During the competition, he stayed in the hotel to do practice tests and didn't even go to his senior's competition.

It wasn't that I didn't care about Yang Yiyan's competition, but rather that my mother's orders were more terrifying.

After the finals, the National Championships and the final exams will be held one after the other.

Feng's mother's original words were that if his final exam results fell behind, he should obediently go back to school for winter break tutoring until the high-altitude training camp.

For junior high school students taking extra classes, parents can find a reason to complain to the education bureau; for high school students taking extra classes, it's something parents across the country tacitly agree on, and they'd love to have their children take extra classes until the day before Chinese New Year's Eve, especially for high school seniors preparing for the college entrance exam.

Therefore, when Xia Yuezi came to call Feng Simai to set off, the young man still had fresh red marks on his middle finger from being pressed by a ballpoint pen. He tidied up the test papers spread out on the table, picked up his ice skate bag, and headed to the ice rink.

Feng Simai opened the window of the competition vehicle a crack and rested his head against the window frame. The two coaches sitting behind him were also exposed to the cold wind, but they didn't tell him to close it.

When you concentrate on a problem, your body temperature will rise and your mind will be in a state of confusion for a while. Getting him to clear his head as quickly as possible during this time will also be beneficial for the rest of the competition.

As soon as the group entered the room, they saw Andrei jump off the land-based 4T and crash to the ground like a bomb, the sound carrying into the corridor.

Xia Yuezi felt the gaze coming from above her head, turned her head slightly, opened her mouth slightly, and silently said something.

"You dare."

Feng Simai understood the coach's lip movements, nodded resignedly, and found a corner to start warming up.

Meng Xin stood to the side and asked softly, "Do you think he will listen to you?"

Xia Yuezi glanced at Feng Simai, who was diligently stretching his legs in the corner, and smiled slightly: "If he were healthy, he might secretly increase the difficulty, but he has seen the medical report. This child can still distinguish between what is important and what is not."

Meng Xin nodded, her gaze returning to the child.

In the publicly released free skate lineups, all six male skaters are scheduled to land at least two quadruple jumps. Xia Yuezi didn't reveal Feng Simai's actual lineup, instead providing a smokescreen.

Even if their current difficulty level isn't as high as before, they can't admit defeat in terms of appearances and can still put some pressure on their opponents.

As expected, the men's singles free skate was just as exciting as the short program from the very beginning.

Fujiwara Yoshino, who ranked last in the short program, had two quadruple jumps and a quadruple double jump combination in his first three jumps, along with a 3A+2T.

Meng Xin clicked her tongue in surprise. Why are there so many jumpers on the men's singles stage now? They don't even care about those little show points.

The senior men's singles free skate has one more single jump than the junior men's singles free skate. Fujiwara Yoshino included five jumps in the first half, four of which were super Cs. It was clear that he wanted to use his stamina in the first half to ensure the technical score of the whole program.

Xia Yuezi saw further ahead; Fujiwara Yoshino was using this setup to test the referee.

The Four Continents Championships are too close to the Olympics, which is too physically demanding for athletes. As a medal contender for the men's singles event, Yoshino Fujiwara may not participate in the Four Continents Championships. Therefore, the finals are the only opportunity for him to use this high-difficulty setup to test the judges' scoring limits.

However, it must be said that Japan has become one of the major financial backers of the International Skating Union, and its athletes have also received VIP cards. Even if the judges want to lower the score to favor European and American athletes, they still have to give them some leeway.

Fujiwara Yoshino's total score reached 249.12. His program component score was not high, but the two coaches believed that this was also due to the fact that the contestant's performance was not very outstanding.

As soon as the score was announced, the atmosphere in the backstage preparation area became noticeably more tense.

Andrei, who was scheduled to perform last, was the most affected. Before going on stage, he glanced at the photographers' seats and saw a cluster of dark cameras pointed at one spot, which sent a chill down his spine.

Xia Yuezi was also standing near the entrance and clearly saw Andrei rubbing his hands together before going on stage, struggling to adjust his breathing.

She guessed that it was probably Darville, who hadn't even participated in the finals, watching his performance on TV.

If he doesn't skate well in this competition, what awaits this Slavic young man when he gets back might be a mixed doubles match between his coach and senior teammates.

After all, Davey had previously been exposed for fighting with the head of the ice hockey team and was not at a disadvantage. Even those who tried to break up the fight couldn't stop him. If the two of them weren't the pillars of the team, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation would probably have imposed a ban.

Andrei started with a 4T+3T jump, but it was obvious that his axis was off when he took off in the second half. However, he learned from his senior's technique and managed to avoid falling by relying on his core strength and golden knees. He just flipped over on the ice.

"He's too hasty," Meng Xin said, frowning as she stood off the field.

Even if she couldn't do a quadruple jump, she could tell that Andrei's quadruple jump combination wasn't very skilled, and he even had a slight underrotation on the second jump.

Xia Yuezi had a longer-term vision. The most difficult parts of jumping are the foot loops and the landing. Although Andrei's combination jump still had many flaws, the fact that he dared to use it showed that he had already achieved a certain success rate during practice.

As for the other flaws...

Xia Yuezi glanced at the boy on the ice. Andrei was only eighteen years old this year, nearing the end of his developmental stage. His center of gravity and axis would basically stop changing, and he still had plenty of time to grow muscles and gradually eliminate his shortcomings.

The pressure must have really worked. Except for his first jump, which was a mistake, Andrei kept his jumps steady. As soon as the performance ended, he grinned on the ice, radiating the joy of surviving a close call.

Sidorov clapped behind the barrier, his face also crinkling with laughter. It seemed the kid would get away with a beating when he got home.

Feng Simai stood in front of the two coaches, separated by a partition, his expression serious.

Xia Yuezi didn't say much, turned him around, and then pushed him forward with force.

Meng Xin stood beside her and asked softly, "Why didn't you say anything when you went on stage this time?"

"What should we say to him? Tell him to keep a calm mind? We've said that many times already. This environment is already putting him under pressure, and on top of that, he's at a disadvantage in terms of difficulty. If we keep bringing this up, it might backfire. We should just trust him."

Feng Simai skated to the center of the ice rink, took a deep breath, and the familiar cold air filled his lungs, allowing him to regain the feeling of each training session, and his overall demeanor gradually calmed down.

With a crisp tapping sound, Feng Simai completed a full 4T, giving himself a good start to his free skate.

Next is the second jump. Feng Simai's entry method is to slide sideways with both feet, spread out with both hands one in front and one behind, and look back with his head. This is a typical A jump entry method.

Feng Simai did not take any risks.

This realization brought smiles to the faces of both coaches. What surprised them even more was that Feng Simai channeled some of the energy she had saved into her performance.

His performance remained dashing, but now it also contained a touch of gentleness, carrying a tranquil and profound atmosphere and artistic conception. As he entered the choreography, he changed his temperament to follow the gradually escalating musical moments.

The movements became increasingly exaggerated, as if they had entered a fight scene from a movie, filled with passion and a reckless determination.

He was no longer performing a cold, impersonal piece of music, but rather the life of a character in a movie, a passionate anime he brought back to the ice rink.

Feng Simai's every movement is precisely timed to the beat, and every hand gesture is extended to the extreme, conveying emotions through his body.

The gliding speed underfoot did not slow down. After several rounds of practice, the use of the blades became clearer, and he looked relaxed and at ease.

"He's even better at managing himself than we imagined," Xia Yuezi said softly, pausing her hand gestures.

Since he had no advantage in terms of difficulty, he tried his best to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, striving to make every jump as perfect as possible, and polishing the performances that other competitors didn't care about to the extreme.

The music hadn't even finished when the ice skating fans in the audience spontaneously stood up and applauded. Feng Simai's spin increased rapidly, like a spinning top on ice; under these circumstances, he probably couldn't see or hear the enthusiasm from the fans.

"You skated beautifully."

Xia Yuezi and Meng Xin hugged each other, and both coaches showed approval and pride on their faces.

Feng Simai squatted with his hands on his knees, panting as he slowly stood up. His hair, which hadn't been held in place by the spray, was a bit frizzy after spinning at high speed, and some of it was soaked with sweat and stuck to his flushed face, but he looked very energetic.

The cameraman stood by the entrance with his equipment, waiting. His close-up shots clearly captured the smiles of the three people, and you could even hear them talking in Chinese.

Feng Simai sat on the bench in the waiting area, his breathing gradually becoming steady. He took the tissue Meng Xin handed him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then picked up the thermos Xia Yuezi handed him and took a sip of water.

The cheers inside the ice rink had not yet stopped. This time, the waiting area was set up quite high, so that the audience could be seen at eye level.

He saw many ice skating fans waving national flags, and some holding up support banners with his Costen from one of his shows printed on them.

Feng Simai smiled sincerely and waved to the camera to greet the ice skating fans.

The scores were distributed very quickly this time.

Technical score 83.52, program component score 75.97, free skate score 159.49, total score 244.07 including short program score.

Although this result meant they were out of contention for the podium, the three players waiting in their respective divisions showed no dissatisfaction, but rather a hint of surprise.

Perhaps the judges felt that Feng Simai was not competitive for the podium this time, or perhaps the fans outside the rink were already expressing their love for the program, because the program component score was close to 76. Usually, a score of 72 is considered generous by the judges.

Feng Simai's smile was even brighter than before. Regardless of the reason, this score was already a significant breakthrough for him.

Especially considering that the difficulty level was not as high as others, it won the audience's approval.