Chapter 122 Coincidence

The temperature in Toronto was still a bit chilly, and the wind that blew around the street corners carried a hint of winter's lingering warmth. But the sun shone brightly outside the window, the kind of warmth and brightness you only find in cold regions in late spring, like a reward after a whole winter. Sunlight slanted in through the large glass windows, casting a delicate, gentle, golden glow on the wooden table beside her.

Le sat by the window, leaning sideways against the chair, her fingertips unconsciously turning the handle of her coffee cup. The warmth from the window filtered through the glass, giving her a momentary, slightly tipsy, languid feeling. Her gaze passed through the glass and fell on the path that stretched out across the street—the path that ended in the direction Hanyu Yuzuru had pointed her out a few minutes ago.

"Just follow this road a little further over there and you'll reach CC. Come here early."

That's what he said then, with his usual understatement. Le tried hard to peer over, and in the gaps between the city lights and the scattered street lights, she could actually see the top of the building's corner. The grayish-white exterior was washed by slanting sunlight, quietly and subduedly hidden at the end of the street.

It turns out that this coffee shop is so close to the Cricket Club... She thought, and a hint of gentle surprise unconsciously appeared in her eyes.

She chuckled softly, lowered her head to push the hair scattered on her shoulders behind her ears, and unconsciously smoothed the loose hair at her temples with her thumb. Then she picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. The temperature had dropped a little, and the Americano tasted lighter than she expected, like an understatement that couldn't hide her anxiety.

The coffee in this shop is still... not strong enough.

She tilted her head and looked at the table she had sat at a few years ago. The seat near the counter had a slightly worn finish from age, but it still retained the outline she remembered. It was there that Gabriella angrily accused her of not bringing her extra person as promised. Gabriella was barely able to control her emotions, her speech surging at an alarming rate: "You can't ruin the seating logic I set up like this! Every couple must be a pair!"

She even made the ridiculous request that even if we could find a date at the last minute, we still had to bring a plus-one. At that time, Le was only thinking about how to appease this "Crazy Bride" who was overly anxious and irritable because of the wedding preparations, and didn't think about how ridiculous and unreasonable this request was.

Just like that day, she didn't even think about why Yuzuru Hanyu appeared at the cashier counter.

She didn't pay much attention to the probability of that moment. She just thought it was a coincidence. If she had to find an explanation for that coincidence now, it would probably be fate.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her fingertips were still slowly moving along the edge of the cup.

"Hey! Sorry to have kept you waiting, dear!"

Gabriella's voice came from the doorway, as if she were wrapped in sunshine and spring breeze. She hadn't taken a few steps when she opened her arms and gave Le a warm hug without warning, her arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders. The perfume was light, the familiar woody scent.

Before Le could fully respond to this enthusiasm, Gabriella had already set her sights on the coffee on the table.

"Did you only order American coffee? It's not tasty. Their latte is the best!" Gab wrinkled his nose and criticized as if he had found something wrong on the menu.

"You didn't introduce me to him the last time I came here..." Le replied with a smile, a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Oh, that's how it is for every wedding," Gabriella quickly excused herself, shoving the menu back into the waiter's hands and confidently defending the past chaos. "I was completely frazzled back then. I doubt you won't be anxious when you get married in the future."

As she spoke, she took a seat, her long hair casually pushed aside, as if nothing had changed.

"I definitely won't be like you." Le smiled and raised his eyebrows, his tone a little teasing and slightly provocative.

"Oh? Aren't you the one who still says 'I don't want to get married' every day?" Gabriella immediately caught the flaw in her tone, crossing her arms with a smug look on her face that said, "I knew it!" "That's right—running across the Atlantic for your boyfriend, to be honest, that's really not like you."

Hearing this, Le's ears blushed unconsciously. She lowered her head, picked up the coffee cup and took a sip, but said nothing.

"I didn't...I didn't come here specially to accompany him," she said, trying to control the guilt in her tone, "It's just...a coincidence."

When she said these two words, even she felt a little lacking in confidence.

The so-called "coincidence" was that the dance troupe exchange project she had originally planned fell on the week after Yuzuru Hanyu returned to Canada. But strangely enough, he never took the initiative to invite her to join him on this trip to Canada.

Until one night.

Yuzuru Hanyu went to the training ground as usual, while Le stayed at home to edit the choreography video. Just before eleven o'clock, his phone rang. A call from "Hanyu Yumi" popped up on the screen.

"Xiao Le," the voice on the other end was as gentle as ever, but the first sentence made her heart skip a beat. "Although it may seem presumptuous for me to say this...but this time when we return to Canada, I would like to invite you to go with us."

The words used on the phone sounded particularly serious, even a little cautious, unlike Aunt Yumei's usual casual greetings. Le was stunned where he was, a little caught off guard. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond, and only let out a few soft "ah... eh..."

Instead, it was Yumi on the other end of the phone who started explaining first.

"You know, Yuzuru is a very sentimental child... Canada is a place filled with many memories for him." She paused, her tone gentle but clearly concealing a hint of sob. "For him, this farewell... is probably second only to his retirement."

The voice on the other end of the line was thick with worry. Sitting in the dim light, Le could only hear the slow tones of her voice, yet he could almost see a layer of worry shrouding those eyes and brows that bore a striking resemblance to Yuzuru Hanyu's. That familiar look, when it fell upon his mother's face, stirred an indescribable pang of sadness. His voice softened unconsciously, "Okay... I'll go."

Even more coincidental was that the next day, before she had the chance to mention this to Yuzuru Hanyu, he actually took the initiative to ask about her Boston itinerary, saying, "Would you like to accompany me on a trip before you go to the United States?"

It was natural for her to follow him to Canada.

"Oh~ So, you are here on a business trip and you can spend time with your boyfriend." Gabriella looked as if she had suddenly realized something, her eyes narrowed and she dragged out the words. As she spoke, she tapped the table with her fingers, her tone full of gloating as if "I caught you".

"I flew over two weeks in advance to adjust to the time difference and go on a business trip..." She shook her head, looking as if she was serious about "preserving her image". "It sounds like you can indeed preserve your image of 'efficiency first'." After she finished speaking, she winked at Chao Le mischievously.

"You're really not done yet." Le was left in tears and amused by her exaggerated expression.

"No, I have to see with my own eyes how this figure skating legend has fascinated our talented Suginohara so much." Gabriella put down her coffee cup and grabbed her coat with such a quick movement that it seemed as if she was about to leave on a whim to discuss a Hollywood merger and acquisition.

"Didn't you meet him before? At your own wedding." Le reminded her slowly.

Gabriella glanced back at her with a "are you kidding me" expression. "On my wedding day, my mind was completely focused on the schedule. I didn't even have time to check if my husband was walking down the right path. Who would have the energy to pay attention to someone else's plus-one?"

Before she could finish her words, she had already pulled Le to her feet and said, "Come on, come on, I have to see him in person today."

The interior of the cricket club was completely different from the relaxed atmosphere in the cafe.

The lighting was soft and the space was quiet. From the lobby to the members' area, every inch exuded a sense of history. Passing through a corridor covered in dark red carpet, a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows appeared before them—that was TCC's main ice rink.

Gabriella slowed down.

Le, standing next to her, couldn't help but stop his movements.

On the ice rink, Yuzuru Hanyu was leading a group of young figure skaters in the final exercises of their skating lesson. He was at the front, his movements like a knife cutting through the snow, his trajectory steady and clear, like the natural extension of years of breathing and bones. The young men and women behind him followed closely, but they lacked his sense of freedom and ease.

The ice flew by under his feet, and everything around him - Tracy's whistle, the people standing on the sidelines, the water bottles and towels on the guardrail, and even the world champion nameplate with his own name on it - all became familiar shadows in his eyes.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his eye sockets were already filled with heat.

But he didn't stop. He stood firm until the last move was over, and his skates landed gently on the ground.

"...I don't actually have a prepared speech." He turned to look at the young students and coaches surrounding him, forcing a smile, "But thank you for staying here with me for the last skating class."

At that moment, his tears fell without any defense, and the sound was as light as the thinnest surface of water before it froze.

“This has always felt like home… Thank you.”

Tracy patted his shoulder gently, and he lowered his head, trying to hold back his tears. Then, he quickly turned around and put on his skates, as if he was afraid that if he stopped for another second, he would lose control of his emotions.

But as soon as he turned around, he saw a figure on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling glass.

The light in the members' restaurant was slightly warmer than that in the ice rink. Le stood at the other end, looking at him through the glass, his eyes soft and worried, as if he was silently guarding something for him.

He instinctively raised his hand, wiped his face with his sleeve, sniffed, adjusted his coat, and walked quickly towards the exit.

It was not until he pushed the door open that he realized there was someone standing next to Le - a woman with golden brown curly hair, neat eyeliner, and a clean-cut long coat. She was looking him up and down with the look of "evaluating the male lead of a new play".

Yuzuru Hanyu was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was the bride he had met a few years ago. He immediately smiled shyly and nodded politely, "Hello, long time no see."

"Hello," Gabriella raised the corner of her mouth, but didn't say anything more. Instead, she glanced at Le beside her and called out a name that made several people stunned, "Long time no see, Kevin."