Chapter 95 Appointment Successful

At 11:30 pm, Suginohara Kaede turned over in her bed, alone in the hotel. When Marrku had left, she had been facing the door with her eyes closed, but she still heard him quietly close it. After the click, she tried to hold on for a moment, but with no desire to sleep and a mind full of thoughts, she finally resigned herself to opening her eyes.

The room was so quiet that only the sound of the air conditioner could be heard, making it even harder to fall asleep. Feng stared at the ceiling in thought for a moment, then simply sat up and dialed the number in the next room.

After a while, the room became a little more lively because of the phone invitation.

"Is this all you bought?" Feng rummaged through the shopping bag that Yumi placed on the table for a while, then leaned back in the chair with a beer in his arms, looking disgusted. He even curled up his feet on the chair, as if he was protesting with his whole body.

"These are all the snacks we have at the convenience store. You're going to blame me if you get fat again." Yumi Hanyu rolled her eyes at Feng across from her and took out the edamame, cashews, and other snacks from the bag. Her movements were quick and decisive, but she placed them all to her side. "Then don't eat them. They're all mine."

“I want to eat!”

Feng said as he got down from his chair and went over to grab a few items. After some tugging, the snacks were evenly distributed in the center of the small round table.

childish--

Yumi Hanyu couldn't help but grumble inwardly. She opened a can of beer, took a long swig, and silently turned to look out the window. The hotel's large floor-to-ceiling windows reflected their two figures, each dressed in a simple T-shirt and pajamas, their long hair casually tied. The warm, dim light of dusk blurred the fine lines on their faces, and for a moment, they felt as if they had returned to their teenage years.

"Does this count as fulfilling our old wish?" Feng seemed to hear Yumei's sigh and shook the beer in his hand. "Back then, we said we would still sit together and drink when we were old."

"Yeah, that's right." Yumi also recalled.

It was graduation year. Having received their acceptance letters, the two girls secretly brought their fathers' beer and snacks from home and sat by the river at night, leaving behind a rare moment of rebellion and aspiration. The two girls, tasting beer for the first time, frowned at the bitter taste.

"At that time, we couldn't really accept the taste of beer." Feng tilted his head back, took a big sip, and recalled with a smile.

"Yeah, we said back then that one day we'd understand this kind of taste that only adults like, and we'd wait for that day to sit down and drink together." Yumi said, clinking the beer can in Feng's hand with hers, the aluminum cans making a crisp sound. "Now it's like that. Not only us, but even our children have become adults."

At the mention of children, Feng was silent for a few seconds, then tilted her head back and took another long sip. It still had the bitter taste she disliked back then, but now she could also taste a hint of malt. She curled her lips, looked at the beer can in her hand, and gently ran her fingers over the water droplets on it.

"Besides agreeing to drink together, do you remember what we talked about before?"

"That's a lot, like what?"

"For example, when I was pregnant, we joked about whether our future children would be together..." She slowly took another sip of wine and peeled a cashew nut, eating it. "Another example, when Yuzuru grew up, I said I definitely didn't want Raku to be with Yuzuru."

The sudden turn of events caught Yumi off guard. Seeing Feng's expression remained unchanged, as she calmly peeled another cashew, she decided not to respond, hoping to hear her next words. But after a while, she didn't hear her next words. The only sound in the room was the quiet chewing of nuts.

"Why don't you defend your kid?"

Feng's relaxed attitude made Yumi relax as well, and she lowered her head and chuckled.

"What am I supposed to argue with? I have a daughter too, so I understand what you're saying. Yuzuru has been very competitive and stubborn since he was young. He wants to win at everything, and he doesn't know how to be diplomatic. I used to worry that he'd be so obsessed with figure skating that he wouldn't know how to live his life or be a normal person," Yumi said, while Kaede nodded across from him. "But then I noticed that after he met Le, he seemed to have changed a bit. That stubborn, solitary struggle he had faded. Also, after the two kids got to know each other, I discovered that he loves life far more than I imagined..."

"Yeah, I also noticed it today." Feng lowered his eyes and looked at the crumbs in his hand, patting them, "The two children's homes are decorated very carefully."

"So...what's your attitude now?"

"What kind of attitude can I have? Didn't you see how our Le protected Yuzuru? What's the point of my attitude?" Feng sighed, "Le has dated so many boyfriends, and this is the first time I've seen her like this. I can only say that since it's my daughter's choice, I can only support it. However, if Yuzuru makes Le sad..."

"I'll take care of him."

Yumi took over the conversation seriously, with a selfless look on her face, which made Feng couldn't help laughing.

"You're worried about your son and afraid that I'm too harsh, right?"

"Yeah, when you get angry, you won't show any mercy to Le either, right?"

"Am I that scary?" Feng frowned, turning to glance at his reflection in the window. He looked so casual sitting cross-legged in a chair, not as fierce as Yumi said. "I'm obviously very easygoing, and I don't usually interfere with Le... Sometimes I even feel that I don't interfere enough..."

"Have you told Le about the support you just mentioned?"

Silence was the silent answer to this question. Feng avoided Yumei's gaze guiltily, grabbed the beer, bit the can mouth and took small sips.

"Suddenly saying they support something is so weird..." He muttered against the mouth of the can, "And Marrku said he would go talk to the kids."

"How can this be the same?" Yumi was a little amused. With her hesitant look, who could believe that she was the same Suginohara Kaede who was so decisive in work and ruthless in love?

"Hey, Le has loved Marrku since he was little, just leave it to him! Besides, whether I support it or not depends mainly on your boy!"

Why is the contradiction back here? Can Marrku really work?

Yumi complained silently in her heart while calmly changing the subject. Feng was also happy with this, and the two of them returned to their previous state and continued their conversation on all sorts of topics.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere in this room, the atmosphere in the ice rink is a bit subtle.

Yuzuru Hanyu and Marrku sat side by side on a bench at the edge of the ice rink. The music playing on the speakers had been muted, and the rink was completely silent at midnight, a silence that made Hanyu uneasy. The pleasantries were over, and he had already slipped off his skates and changed into regular sneakers. According to his usual routine, the next step would be to pack his suitcase, but leaving his seat seemed disrespectful...

He held the phone in his hand, silently turned on the screen, and glanced down. A big, pouty face on the screen looked at him with a smile, as if reminding him: Are you really not going to tell your girlfriend about this?

Before leaving, he solemnly promised Le that he would tell her in time and would not face it alone.

But now, we were attacked by surprise...so it shouldn't count, right?

He thought, his hand rubbing gently along the seam of his pants on the right side of his buttocks. The bruise's pain reminded him of the embarrassing moment. As the most experienced figure skater in the world, undergoing the most rigorous training and maintaining professional performance regardless of the number of spectators or the most discerning judges, Yuzuru Hanyu had suffered a most embarrassing fall today.

He had just been enjoying the cool breeze of Cool Down skating on the ice when he heard a noise at the door. He figured Hasegawa was coming to pick him up, so he slowed down and headed for the exit. But when he looked up, he met Marrku-san's emerald eyes, tripped over his left foot, and fell flat on his face.

"Yuzu."

"Yes!" Yuzuru Hanyu straightened his back immediately and responded with full energy. Then he immediately remembered that he shouldn't speak Japanese. He hurriedly tried to correct himself, but for a moment he didn't know what to say in English, so he said "yes" again.

"You don't need to be so nervous." Marrku-san laughed and patted Yuzuru Hanyu on the back.

A broad palm patted his back, reminding him of the comforting pats Coach White Bear gave him every time. It would have been fine if he hadn't thought about it, but remembering Coach White Bear made him even more nervous.

[Remember to have a good chat with Raku's father, or else don't even think about kidnapping his precious daughter.]

My back is stiffer.

Marrku also clearly felt his stiff back and laughed even louder.

"Am I that scary? Why do I scare others every time I talk to Raku's boyfriend?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they successfully diverted Yuzuru Hanyu's attention. The inexplicable competitive spirit mixed with nervousness instantly raised his adrenaline, and his whole body became tense.

"No," he argued for himself, but before he could finish his rebuttal, the more important point slipped out of his mouth. "Who else have you met?"

Ha ha ha ha--

Hearty laughter echoed in the empty ice rink, and the sound of a thick slap on the back, the dull sound of "pa pa", passed from the chest to the ears.

"Yuzu, it's not good to be so jealous. After all, Raku is a very lovable girl, and many people have pursued her." Marrku reminded with a smile. However, although the young man's ears were red, the stubbornness in his eyes did not change. He lowered his voice and squeezed Hanyu Yuzuru's shoulder. "But, you are probably the only one who Raku cares about and likes so much."

Yuzuru Hanyu is innocent, at least that's what Marrku has already concluded. The word "only" has made it impossible to hide the joy in his eyes, and it also makes Marrku understand his feelings for Le.

But just liking someone is not enough...

"Come to think of it, I sat and chatted with Raku's boyfriend at the ice rink once before." Marrku looked into Hanyu Yuzuru's eyes, observing his reaction. "Did she tell you that her first love was Niko, who's now on the Finnish ice hockey team?"

"Yes, we have met." He said calmly.

"Oh? Yeah, you guys probably met in Beijing. I remember back then, the two kids really liked each other, so much so that Feng was really nervous, and she even arranged for me to secretly follow their date. I couldn't do that kind of thing, so I went straight to the ice rink to find that guy."

He paused deliberately, observing the man before him again. Unlike the impulsive, jealous teenager he'd been acting just now, Hanyu Yuzuru probably understood his story had a deeper purpose. He looked at him calmly, awaiting his next words.

"When I met that boy, I knew he really liked Raku. I felt relieved then. For a 15-year-old, nothing is more important than love. But now it's different. Life is concrete, and you have the most important figure skating career, and Raku has the ballet career she loves. Whether you can still face the concreteness of life together is a huge challenge."

"I understand your and Aunt Feng's concerns," Hanyu Yuzuru cleared his throat and said seriously, "Actually, I've known Le for a long time. She entered my life very early on, but I used to think my life was all about competition and winning and losing, so I didn't notice that she had always been a different kind of person in my life." He struggled to find words to describe his feelings, frowning all the time. "But then I noticed, and then I realized that she would never be ignored. She will always be an important part of my life. Just like figure skating, there will be many challenges and obstacles, but there will never be giving up or forgetting."

With a scorching gaze, he read out his feelings to Marrku word by word in a language he was not familiar with, like a vow.

"Although I haven't told Le yet, I think I should tell her first. So, I'll make an appointment with you first. I will definitely ask for your consent to marry me. I believe it will be in the near future."

After Hanyu Yuzuru finished speaking, he quickly replayed what he had just said in his mind. His stuttering tone made him feel a little embarrassed, and he frowned and smiled awkwardly.

This dialogue with wonderful wording was the best answer Marrku had been expecting tonight.

He patted Hanyu Yuzuru's head with relief.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."