Chapter 55: A crushing defeat

"Sister Le!" Baiyin ran over from under a lush cherry tree. Upon seeing Hejiu, she froze in place, her cheeks visibly red. She clasped her hands together awkwardly and greeted him, "Ah, Hejiu-san... hello..."

"Hello." He Jiu put on his usual business attitude again. His expression changed so quickly that Le couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Baiyin, you're back?"

"Yeah, I came back last night. Today I'm here to enjoy the flowers with my friends. Are you here with Kazuki-san as well? That's right... Yuzuru-san might not be able to come. It's such a pity, the cherry blossoms are blooming so beautifully this year..." She said with regret. Yuzuru-san loves the hustle and bustle, but he rarely has the opportunity to enjoy it.

Le gently raised his hand to take off the petals that fell on Baiyin's head, opened his phone case, and carefully flattened the petals and put them in to fasten it.

"It's okay, I'll take this back to him so he can see it." Suddenly she remembered something important, "By the way, Baiyin, I've watched your competition too, and I think it's great. But I'm going to Tokyo for work, so it might be difficult for me to come back to Sendai to help you with your dance moves. If you need anything, you can contact me on Line anytime, and we can also video chat."

He Jiu was stunned listening to her words. It turned out that she had already made up her mind. Suddenly, he felt like a clown for saying so much.

"So, did you pass the interview? Congratulations!" Baiyin's energetic voice broke the awkwardness between her and Jiu. She turned around and responded to her friends' calls, "I'll still record a video for Sister Le. Don't think I'm annoying, sister. I'll go over first. Bye Jiu-san~"

Just as she was about to leave, Le pulled her back.

"Let me take a picture of you." She winked slyly and pulled Baiyin to stand next to Hejiu. She winked at Hejiu again, and he half-knelt down helplessly, approached Baiyin and put on his business smile.

Feeling the approach of her idol, Baiyin froze up and forgot to smile for a moment.

"Smile, Miss Baiyin~" He Jiu's pleasant voice reminded her in her ear.

"Oh, okay..." She quickly grinned.

The group photo under the cherry blossom tree became Baiyin’s new phone lock screen wallpaper.

The person who was just pitied by Baiyin is now really pitiful and suffering torture at home.

The words GAME OVER appeared on the screen. Yuzuru Hanyu clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw the controller aside.

After Tohara and Jiu left last night, Le didn't explain anything to him. It seemed that the sudden appearance of this childhood sweetheart with a provocative attitude was a reasonable thing. If Yuzuru Hanyu had any emotions, it was just because he was petty.

Even though he was supposed to stay the night, he still went to the rink alone for practice last night. After finishing practice at 3 a.m., as his mind shifted from skating to daily life, the frustration caused by the "one-on-one chat" began to rise again.

"Hanyu Yuzuru, be more generous!" I warned myself mentally. That guy wasn't worth worrying about at all. He was just my childhood ballet partner, I had known him since I was seven, and he was just tall and handsome...

…

Otherwise, why not meet alone?

Although he thought so, he couldn't say it out loud. Finally, he gave up on catching up on his sleep, got up and made a video call to Le. He hesitated and refused to hang up, trying to make Le late and cancel the date.

Obviously, it didn't work either.

I picked up the controller I'd just thrown away in anger and, filled with resentment, challenged the boss once again. The digital clock on my desk kept flipping, its number ticking steadily increasing along with Yuzuru Hanyu's Game Overs. Finally, after being slaughtered by the boss for the 26th time, I heard some movement downstairs. I dropped the controller, climbed up, ran to the door, remembered something, and turned back to turn off the TV screen that displayed the word GAME OVER. Then, I slipped downstairs.

I heard my mother's voice while I was still on the stairs.

"Hey, isn't this a dessert from the shop near West Park? I was thinking of buying it there in a few days." Yumi-san took the dessert from Le and welcomed her in. "Xiao Le, did you go to West Park today? The cherry blossoms should be in full bloom right now. I heard Mrs. Ikeda from next door talking about going there to see the flowers the other day."

"Well, I met up with a friend nearby, so I stopped by for a look. There were quite a few people queuing up at this store, and it looked pretty good, so I wanted to buy some for everyone to try." Le took off his windbreaker and hung it on the hook in the entrance, then walked into the house and looked towards the stairs where he had clearly heard footsteps just now, but there was no one there.

"Yuzuru is upstairs, you go find him. I'll bring you some snacks later." Yumi-san patted Le's arm and the two exchanged glances.

Knock knock knock——

There was no answer after knocking on the door.

Carefully turning the doorknob, Le pushed it open a crack and poked his head in. Yuzuru Hanyu was sitting cross-legged in front of the pitch-black TV screen, his back to the door so that only his erect back could be seen, unmoved by the noise at the door.

What a childish ghost.

He walked over and turned on the TV screen for him. The bright red words "GAME OVER" soon appeared, but Yuzuru Hanyu quickly turned off the power.

"Oh, was this a complete failure this morning?" she teased, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, this whole morning was completely different from the joy of a pleasant date. There were no internet celebrity desserts to eat, no cherry blossoms to admire, and only the boss's ravages. Tsk." He pressed the buttons on the controller in his hand twice viciously as if to vent his anger.

"I knew you, a stingy person, would be unhappy. Didn't I pack you some internet-famous desserts? And," Le opened his phone case, took out a few cherry blossom petals that were neatly laid out in the silicone shell, placed them in his palm, and handed them to Yuzuru Hanyu, "Here, cherry blossoms."

When Baiyin said it was a pity, the thought of "I want to watch it with Yuzuru" spread uncontrollably in Le's mind, filling her heart. At that moment, she felt that her decision to accept the new job was absolutely correct.

I'm not good at facing the media, or public opinion. But before I appear in public as "Yuzuru Hanyu's girlfriend," let me first learn to face this chaotic world of rumors with dignity as a ballet choreographer.

"Also, next year, let's go see the cherry blossoms together. As expected, I still want to see the cherry blossoms with Yuzuru~"

Yuzuru Hanyu didn't delve into the reason why it was next year, because Le was so adorable when she threw herself into his arms and acted coquettishly, like a kitten.

But he soon found out why it was next year.

Because Le had made an appointment with Tohara and Jiu that night and left for Tokyo the next day.

The next morning at 10:00, a dark blue SUV pulled up in front of Suginohara's house. Kazuto Tohara, wearing sunglasses, stood in front of his car with his arms folded, looking at the two people in front of him with an unhappy expression.

"You didn't tell me yesterday that you were going to take this big star with you."

"It's not like there's not enough room for three of us, so I didn't tell you." Actually, it was because some childish guy heard that they were going to Tokyo by car with Tohara and Jiu, and he got so excited that he insisted on following them.

"There's no room."

“??? This is a 5-seater SUV.” Le asked in confusion.

"The trunk is filled with props, so your luggage can only go in the back seat. If the celebrity doesn't mind sitting with the luggage, that's fine." He Jiu said, opening his own back door and inviting him in. "Of course, if the celebrity feels wronged, you can let Le sit in the back with the luggage. That's not impossible."

Although the boy was wearing sunglasses, Yuzuru Hanyu could still feel the provocative gaze he was casting at him.

"The back seat is so spacious, I'll sit there." The atmosphere was awkward, and Le decided to be the first to resolve the situation. Just as he was about to get in the car, Yuzuru Hanyu grabbed him.

"You sit in the front. It's a five-hour drive. If you sit in the back, you'll get carsick and it will be uncomfortable." He said softly to Le and got into the car himself.

I don't get carsick... Le silently defended himself in his heart. But no matter what, it's okay to set off, so I'll just pretend I get carsick!

The sun was shining brightly along the way, and the music selection in the car was given to Le, who was sitting in the passenger seat. She selected a few frequently listened to songs and played them randomly. In the activity of guessing the origin of the songs, all three of them enjoyed it, and there was no awkward atmosphere before departure at all.

Lunch was bought at a convenience store at the gas station. Le went to take care of the shopping, leaving Yuzuru Hanyu and Kazuki Tohara to wait quietly in the car. Without Le's presence, the car fell into an awkward silence.

"Tohara, I have a question for you." Yuzuru Hanyu broke the silence first, "Do you like music?"

Tohara Kazuki didn't turn around, but raised his chin and looked at Hanyu Yuzuru through the rearview mirror. "What do you think?"

"You like me, right? Otherwise you wouldn't be so hostile towards me."

"National contestants really think differently. Can't I just not like you?" He Jiu curled his lips and smiled a little roguely. "Besides, you're right. I really don't plan to be friends with you. To be more precise, I would never be friends with Le's boyfriend. Do you know why?"

This answer made Yuzuru Hanyu clench his fists and look at the person in front of him vigilantly.

Is this guy about to make a hostile declaration?

Yuzuru Hanyu didn't rush to speak. He stared solemnly at Tohara Kazukyu's face reflected in the rearview mirror, waiting for the other person to finish his words. He was wearing sunglasses, and Yuzuru Hanyu couldn't see his expression clearly through the rearview mirror.

"Because it changed too quickly." He Jiu turned around, put his arm on the back of his chair, and raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru Hanyu. As if to say, I'm waiting to see how long you can hold on.

"Then you might be disappointed." Hanyu Yuzuru sat up straight and looked at Tohara Kazuki seriously. "I know she's had many boyfriends before, but I will be her last boyfriend. You don't have a chance. Give up."

Contrary to expectations, Yuzuru Hanyu did not get angry, but instead he took the initiative.

Tohara Kazuki whistled, "Is this the arrogance of a world champion? Well, once you're sure you're her last boyfriend, we can be friends again. I'm looking forward to it, big star."