Chapter 5: Guest Invitation

The morning light poured through the curtains from the window onto the bed. The sunlight was like a naughty little feather, teasing her closed eyes, causing her eyelashes to tremble slightly and her brows to frown slightly.

Drawing the curtains only once was her secret to overcoming jet lag; it was much more effective than an alarm clock. Le rubbed her face against the pillow and reached for her phone. She squinted and glanced at the time: 6:30…

Well, the little secret doesn’t work, it’s summer now.

She rolled over in bed and continued to sleep.

At 7:00, the Do Not Disturb mode on the phone is turned off.

At 7:30, Hanyu arrived at the cricket club to prepare for practice. Remembering his mother's promise to invite Le home for dinner, he pulled out his phone and sent him a Line message before warming up.

bite--

"Ah~~~~" The beauty of my nap was just broken when it happened. I felt a little annoyed and put my phone in front of me.

Yuzu: When will you return to China?

She sighed and replied truthfully, "I'm on a flight tomorrow morning. To be more precise, it's midnight today. After all, she's broke, and connecting flights departing at midnight are cheaper." After replying, she tucked her phone into the corner of her pillow and closed her eyes, hoping to get some more sleep.

7:50, finished warming up, started changing skates, took a look at my phone, typed a few words and sent them out.

bite--

The man with his eyes closed frowned.

bite--

Bury your face in the pillow.

bite--

"Tsk!" So annoying! I reached for my phone, turned it on, and saw three messages, and soon the fourth and fifth popped up.

Yuzu: You're up! It's quite early!

Yuzu: My mom said it's a rare opportunity for you to come to Canada, so she wants you to come over for dinner.

Yuzu: But my training schedule for today is quite full, and all classes won't be over until 4 PM.

Yuzu: So, can you come to my house for dinner tonight?

Yuzu: I'm going to class first.

The phone calmed down, but Le's sleepiness was completely awakened. Resigned to his fate, he stared at the ceiling, raised his phone, typed, and pressed send. His hand slipped, and with a loud snap, the phone hit his face. "Oh my god!" Le thought as he got up, covering his face.

At 8:45, after finishing his skating lesson, Hanyu opened his phone and saw a message that puzzled him.

【Raku: Yuzuru Hanyu, you hate me. 】

The original purpose of this trip to Toronto was just to attend a wedding. Suginohara Raku had no intention of staying longer and did not contact Hanyu in advance.

If it weren't for Plus One's blunder, she would have slept until she woke up naturally, packed her bags, and headed to the airport early to find a good place to rest, waiting for her midnight flight. Now she suddenly had to go to Hanyu's house for dinner, and she didn't bring any souvenirs.

After much thought, I decided to go to the cake shop, pick out a strawberry cake, and go to Hanyu's house in advance.

"Xiao Le, you're here. Why did you bring a cake?" Yumi Hanyu opened the door and welcomed Le into the house, then took the cake from her hand.

"I came here in such a hurry this time. I should have brought you some Chinese souvenirs." Le said embarrassedly.

"You said so, you didn't even tell us you were coming to Toronto. I'm going to have a good talk with Feng about you. This isn't nice." Yumi-san pretended to be angry. "But considering this beautiful cake, I'll forgive you."

"Aunt Yumi is the best~"

"You're just sweet-talking," Yumi-san scratched Le's nose, "Sit down for a while, Yuzuru will be back soon, I'll go prepare dinner first."

Le Xiaobu followed Yumi-san and said he wanted to help her. Yumi-san did not refuse, and the two of them entered the kitchen one after the other.

Judging from the situation in the kitchen, the dinner was very sumptuous, with Yuzuru's favorite fried meat and Raku's favorite tempura.

Le rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and skillfully began to help process the shrimp. Yumi Hanyu had seen Le cooking. Every time Yuzuru Hanyu went to Helsinki to compete, if Kaede Suginohara was not there, it was Le who would help Yuzuru prepare a lunch box that suited his taste.

At first, Hanyu Yumi felt that it was too much trouble for Suginohara and her daughter, but Suginohara Kaede said that when she was not in Japan, her parents were taken care of thanks to the Hanyu family. Why is it that when she arrived in Helsinki, just cooking a few meals is a hassle?

Looking at Le, Yumi couldn't help but think of her mother. Le looked somewhat similar to Suginohara Kaede. Although not the type with stunning facial features, his eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, which made him look very majestic. In addition, he had practiced ballet since childhood, so his neck was slender and his body was thin, which made him a very attractive type.

When she was in high school, Suginohara Kaede was a girl with strong opinions, and her parents were also open-minded, so Kaede has always been easy-going and generous.

Everyone says the Japanese hate to cause trouble for others, but perhaps Suginohara Kaede never believes that. She believes that it's by bothering and caring for each other that people stay together. Le's personality is somewhat similar to her mother's. Having known her for a few years, she's a determined young woman. She's been on her own since she entered the Boston Ballet School at 16, and now she's studying in China. She's experienced a lot.

"How is Xiaole doing in China now?"

"It's pretty good. I feel like I'm pretty lucky. I can always find some good internship opportunities and some good projects."

"That's great. How long do you plan to stay in China?"

"I haven't really thought about it yet. I'll see as I go. The great director I've always admired is directing the opening and closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics. I'm trying to see if I can be selected for the project team for the Winter Olympics."

"Winter Olympics, you have to do your best."

"Well, Yuzuru will also participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics."

Yumi paused and thought for two seconds. "Honestly, I don't know. This kid is very competitive and will definitely go to any competition. But I don't know how far he can go in figure skating."

Yumi Hanyu's voice was calm, but she didn't stop using her chopsticks. She dipped the marinated meat into the egg liquid, then coated it evenly with fried flour and placed it on a plate.

Le continued preparing the other ingredients for the tempura, and the two of them were silent for a while. After a long while, Le was the first to speak, "Aunt Yumi, I've been watching Yuzuru's matches."

"Well, what do you think?"

“The new show is great.”

"Yes, it's a big challenge."

"Well, it's quite difficult, but I think he's in pretty good shape. As long as he doesn't get injured, he should be able to maintain this condition for quite a while. Aunt Yumi, don't worry too much." Just pray that he doesn't get injured, and pray that the referee will be nice to him, Le thought so, but didn't say it out loud.

Although she has become quite familiar with figure skating due to Yuzuru Hanyu over the years, the scores of recent competitions have always been incomprehensible to her.

At first, she thought the broadcast hadn't made it clear how she jumped and landed, or that she'd missed some footage. But no matter how much she checked, something just didn't seem right. The ominous feeling she'd had with the scoring update slowly solidified as she became increasingly suspicious of the scores. The uglier side of fairness became increasingly apparent.

But perhaps she wasn't professional enough, that there were still some things she misunderstood. She often told herself that maybe it was because she was Hanyu's biggest fan that she felt something was wrong. Or maybe he wasn't? Was it all just her imagination?

"Yeah, I can only pray for him," Hanyu Yumi said, not looking up as she gently placed the battered meat from the plate back into the pot. "Actually, I've become increasingly greedy these past few years. At first, I hoped the God of Luck would bless him with a place and give him a chance to move forward. Later, I also hoped the gods would protect him from being distracted by the outside world so he could focus on the competition."

"Of course, I've always hoped for his health. Maybe there are so many things to pray for that the gods are too busy to prioritize. He's so determined and practices so hard, I don't have the heart to tell him to stop. But every time he gets hurt, it really breaks my heart. I don't know who he inherited this unyielding streak from."

Yumi Hanyu's voice was slightly choked. She took a deep breath through her nose and adjusted her voice, "Xiao Le, I shouldn't say this to you."

"Well, that's not the case," he shook his head. "I think it's great that Auntie told me this. Yuzuru has his own pressures, and Auntie is helping him share them. You telling me this makes me feel that maybe I can help share a little bit, even if it's only a little bit."

She winked slyly, her playful expression making Hanyu Yumi laugh. "How can it be so little? Xiaole's support is very important. It's very important to me, to Feng, and to Yuzuru."

The two chatted and laughed as dinner was almost ready. When Yuzuru Hanyu returned home, the house was already filled with the aroma of rice.

"I'm back!" She threw her bag on the ground, changed into slippers, and trotted all the way to the kitchen. She rubbed against Yumi Hanyu and acted coquettishly, "It smells so good! Is that fried meat?"

"I don't usually see you so interested in food," Yumi-san complained, "You're such an adult and still acting like a spoiled brat. Aren't you afraid that Xiaole will laugh at you if he sees you?"

"I'm used to it, you childish boy~" Le stuck out his tongue and made a face at Yuzuru Hanyu. He expected to hear a rebuttal, but he unexpectedly shut up obediently, scratched his head awkwardly, said he was going to wash his hands first, and ran away.

This unusual scene was not only noticed by her, but also by Yumi-san, and the two exchanged a strange look. In the past, this guy would have actively refuted what Le said. Yumi-san even wiped her hands, ready to kick Yuzuru out of the kitchen as soon as the two childish guys started making trouble.

What's going on today? Has your personality changed?

When the food was served, Yuzuru Hanyu had already packed his training bag and put his sweaty training clothes into the washing machine.

He quickly took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and came out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck. He saw Le coming out of the kitchen with dishes. He ran over and took the plate from her hand, "Let me help~"

Yumi Hanyu, who was holding the dishes in her hands but was avoided by her son, felt that something was wrong.