Chapter 37 Well, spring is coming.

After finishing rehearsal, Le returned to the room, filled with the sounds of music and running water emanating from the bathroom, mingling with Yuzuru Hanyu's carefree singing along. The bathroom light cast his shadow on the shower curtain, where he tilted his head back, enjoying the comfort of the hot water pouring down his head.

Yuzuru Hanyu was in high spirits. Rehearsals for his performance skate went smoothly, and he was actually proud of Le's work. Furthermore, when he returned, he found a stack of documents next to Le's computer: several job applications and resumes from Japanese ballet companies. The photo on the resume showed Le, wearing a basic leotard, slightly sideways, revealing her long, graceful neck and the beautifully defined muscles of her shoulders and back. If the application hadn't explicitly stated a choreographer position, it could have easily been called a dancer's application.

Le is going back to Japan. This fact is enough to make Yuzuru Hanyu's mouth droop from ear to ear.

When he came out of the bathroom, Le was sitting on the sofa, browsing his iPad with a serious expression, and didn't even notice him approaching.

"What are you looking at?"

When she heard the sound, she noticed that Yuzuru Hanyu was right next to her. She subconsciously wanted to exit the app but instead enlarged the Twitter picture she was currently browsing.

"Huh? What is this? An American TV show?" Yuzuru Hanyu leaned over, tilting his head in confusion. The picture looked like a promotional poster for a TV show or movie.

"Ah... well, yes, it's an American TV series set in a ballet company. I heard about it from a friend a while ago, and just now I just watched it on a whim." Le said, looking down to close the enlarged image, but she swiped her hand across the screen several times without success. Until a slender hand reached out and helped her close the image.

Yuzuru Hanyu bent his knuckles and tapped Le's forehead, mocking her for not being able to even use the iPad today.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow's performance? I'm not nervous at all~"

"Didn't you say you'd cooperate with your positioning today?" Le glanced at him. "If you make another mistake in positioning tomorrow, you'll be ridiculed by your fans for the rest of your life."

“Eh…”

"Also, go dry your hair!" Le said and sent Hanyu Yuzuru back to the bathroom.

While the hair dryer was sounding, Le sat back on the sofa, clicked on the Twitter search box again, and deleted his search records one by one.

Although they said they weren't nervous, they still turned off the lights early to get into bed for Yuzuru Hanyu's performance the next day. The warm blanket and the gentle scent of their beloved's warmth were both excellent sleep aids. Soon, the only sounds in the room were the long, drawn-out breathing of the two as they fell asleep and the occasional rustling of the blanket as they tossed and turned.

The quiet and warmth in the room was broken by a sudden moan in the middle of the night.

Yuzuru Hanyu's eyes fluttered, but he didn't open them. He expertly leaned over and reached out a hand, gently and rhythmically patting the blanket. Her whimpering didn't subside with his embrace; instead, the sobbing grew more pronounced. This somewhat abnormal state of mind made Yuzuru Hanyu dazedly open his eyes.

The room was still dark without any lights on. He propped himself up and half leaned against the headboard, then reached out to the bedside and turned on the sleep light in the hallway.

He rubbed his eyes, and in the soft, yellowish light, he could finally see Le's posture beside him. She had her back to him, curled up in a ball, her shoulders shaking with sobs, and her helpless look was heartbreaking.

What nightmare made her like this?

He lay down again, hugged her from behind, and wrapped her fist clenched on her chest in his palm. His chest was pressed against her back.

Her mumbling in her sleep also became clearer.

"Help me... who can..." (Help me... who can...)

"I don't..." (No...)

"信じて, お愿い..." (Believe me, please...)

A soothing kiss fell through her hair on the back of her neck, which was exposed because she was curled up. He whispered in her ear, responding to her crying mumblings one by one.

"I'm here, I'm here."

"Yeah. It's okay. You were right."

"I trust you."

It seemed the determination in his voice was conveyed to her, or perhaps the sound of his heartbeat gave her a sense of security. Her body slowly relaxed, and her clenched fists loosened, allowing him to slip his fingers through hers, clasping them tightly together.

Her breathing calmed down, and Hanyu Yuzuru breathed a long sigh of relief.

The two of them didn't share a bed together very often, but they'd both fallen asleep happily and restlessly countless times, so much so that he'd become increasingly adept at getting her to sleep in the middle of the night. Most of the time, he'd just hold her and pat her back, and she'd fall back asleep without interrupting him. But today was a first.

What kind of dream could cause this?

Doubts lingered in Yuzuru Hanyu's mind. Suddenly, the woman in his arms turned over, facing him again and snuggling into his embrace. He gently brushed away the hair that was draped over her face with his fingertips and wiped away the tears that still hung in the corners of her eyes.

"I will always believe in you." He kissed her between the eyebrows, as if he was talking to himself or making a solemn promise to her.

In the morning, Yuzuru Hanyu reluctantly opened his eyes only after being urged by Le.

"Come on, it's getting late. Get up! We have a rehearsal this morning." Le shook him awake and hurried to the bathroom to comb his hair. To make it easier to wear a scarf in the winter, Le styled it neatly into a bun. He glanced in the mirror, satisfied. When he emerged from the bathroom, Hanyu Yuzuru was still dazed, leaning against the headboard.

"Oh, why are you still sleepy? You went to bed so early yesterday! What did you do in the middle of the night?"

Yuzuru Hanyu, who was leaning against the headboard, gave her a resentful look and asked, "Don't you remember?"

"I don't remember anything?" Le said, pulling him out of bed and pushing him into the bathroom. He handed him a toothbrush and said, "You were so nervous you couldn't sleep yesterday. Don't blame me. If you blame me again, I'll go back to my room tonight so you don't have to blame me for not sleeping well."

After she said that, she stuck out her tongue and walked out.

After a while, she dressed neatly and squeezed into the bathroom, leaving a crimson lip print on Yuzuru Hanyu's cheek as he brushed his teeth in a bad mood, in exchange for a refreshing mint scent lingering around his nose.

"I'm going to the venue first. Hurry up and pack up and leave. See you later."

Yuzuru Hanyu wiped the lipstick marks off his face with his fingers in front of the mirror, mumbling to himself with a mouth full of foam, "There's really nothing I can do..."

------

"The rehearsal is over! Thank you everyone. Please go back to the rest area to rest. We will arrange for the audience to enter in 30 minutes." The broadcast announced the end of the last rehearsal. Everyone returned the luminous glasses in their hands and left the venue.

The announcements were thoughtfully in several languages, but Hanyu Yuzuru didn't hear a familiar voice. He searched everywhere for Le, but he couldn't find him. They'd agreed to meet him later, but he hadn't seen him since he arrived at the venue.

Maybe he's busy... Yuzuru Hanyu thought so, and kindly responded to the invitations of athletes from various countries to take photos backstage. He is also quite busy.

"You don't have to worry about those little rascals today?" The first half of the skating performance finally ended. Yin Xiao leaned back in his chair, kicked off, and came out from the control console.

"I originally went to make the arrangements just to help Sister Xiaoxiao. Now everything has been arranged and we'll be on stage soon. Sister Xiaoxiao can handle it herself. You also know that I'm in the execution team, so I'll go wherever I'm needed~" Le sat nearby and stared intently at the monitors of each camera position.

"I didn't say I needed anyone here~"

"Then no one needs me. You have a place to sit here. I'll be on standby here~"

"You go to the stands..."

There's also the risk of being photographed in the stands, so it's safer here. Le curled her lips and said nothing. Yin Xiao was just joking, and when she didn't respond, he stopped pestering her.

Yin Xiao was drafted into the project team after the opening ceremony. He'd initially hoped to meet more familiar comrades, but instead, he'd encountered Suginohara Raku, a person he'd barely spoken to. Although they were on a different team, he still had some impression of Raku. He'd often seen this striking young woman sitting quietly in the conference room, diligently taking notes. She'd rarely spoken during the few large gatherings. Before coming to the performance skating team, he'd assumed Suginohara Raku was someone to be approached with.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the exhibition skating project team, Suginohara Raku actually took the initiative to ask him about the lighting design. Gradually, he also found that Raku was not as high-ranking as she looked.

The second half of the warm-up performance ended, and Yin Xiao's part of the performance was officially complete. He adjusted his sitting position, stretched his neck, and began to watch the contestants' performances on the monitor with ease.

"The fourth-place finisher in the men's singles skater is Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan." The announcement echoed with cheers, and Hanyu, clad in a light pink cherry blossom-colored kilt, gracefully entered the arena. Yin Xiao couldn't help but turn to glance at Suginohara Raku beside him. Their cool, awe-inspiring auras were unmistakable.

Le leaned back in her chair, her eyes fixed on the various camera screens. She'd said Hanyu's springtime vitality was strong, but this time, she felt a power she'd never felt before, a desire to break free from constraints and shatter the cold of winter, spilling out from the screen.

As Yuzuru Hanyu thanked him for his farewell performance, Le unconsciously tightened the golden feather hanging around his neck.

The cold winter must be broken before spring can come. She also has to go back to rewrite her own "Spring Comes".

-----

The Beijing Winter Olympics is really over...

Yuzuru Hanyu looked at the ice rink which had already been cleared and only a few cleaning staff were cleaning.

"Thank you for your care~" He leaned over and touched the ice again, muttering. The Olympic staff responsible for his schedule followed him in, but didn't interrupt him as he bid farewell to the ice. They simply stood quietly at the door, waiting for him, nodding in greeting when he turned around.

"Let's go. I'm sorry to bother you." He nodded to the staff to apologize and pushed open the heavy door of the ice rink neatly.

Back at the hotel, Le waited until evening after finishing his final meeting and returned to the hotel. She did not attend the closing ceremony, but instead came back to curl up on the sofa with him to watch the live broadcast on TV.

"Look, Niko and his team won the championship! It's the first time in Finnish history! That's awesome! I'm going to call him and congratulate him later!" Le said excitedly while watching the live broadcast.

"I have so many firsts in history, but I've never seen you so excited." Yuzuru Hanyu pouted and said dissatisfiedly.

"When have I ever been excited about you breaking a record? Don't talk nonsense," Le retorted, hands on her hips. Looking at Yuzuru Hanyu's obedient round head, she suddenly remembered that she had brought him a small souvenir. She turned around and pulled out a pair of glowing glasses from her bag and put them on him. "Oh, I asked the props team for one too~"

"Hey, why did you bring this to me?"

"It's because I saw some of the children on the surveillance screen looking reluctant to leave. From where I am, I can see you from all angles."

Le's smug look made Yuzuru Hanyu instantly forget the anxiety and helplessness she had felt in her sleep last night. He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her head fiercely. "Who's a child? I'm giving you a chance to talk it over."

The two of them quarreled for a while, and it finally ended with Le surrendering. She leaned into his arms, calmed her rapid breathing from the quarrel, and listened to his heartbeat.

"Spring is almost here, isn't it?"

She spoke without thinking, and Yuzuru Hanyu looked down at the head resting on his chest, which was furry from being rubbed by him. He ran his fingertips through her hair to help her smooth it out, and he answered her with a hum.

The sound traveled from his chest to his eardrums.

"Well, spring is coming."