In the cold wind of February in the capital, Zhao Zixuan squatted outside the gymnasium holding his tissue box, and took the chocolate handed to him by his coach with a bitter heart.
"Your Junior Sister Lu gave it to you." Xue Chengze squatted in the corner with his disciples to enjoy the cool breeze. He shivered under his thick scarf. "Go in and warm up after you finish eating. The men's singles competition will start this afternoon. Everyone is waiting for you."
Zhao Zixuan lowered his head and said "hmm".
The thin young man of 22 years old slowly tore open the tin foil and put the dark chocolate into his mouth.
Before long, the men's free skating, which decides life and death in the Winter Olympics team competition, will begin. This is the closest the country has been to a team medal in more than a decade. Everyone has fought for the best result ever, which has given everyone hope, but left Zhao Zixuan with an almost impossible goal.
The medal is within reach, but the road to the podium is destined to be difficult.
Even Zhao Zixuan, who becomes more motivated the more pressure he faces, cannot remain calm in this situation.
…
Before Zhao Zixuan went on the court, Xue Chengze carefully combed his hair. The old coach took out a bottle of hairspray and carefully smoothed up the young man's hair, revealing a smooth and full forehead.
Zhao Yige solemnly took off the silver earring on his left ear. His free skating this year was "Defending the Yellow River", which was not suitable for too many decorations. Too much decoration would lose the original intention of choosing the fourth movement.
At this moment, the door of the preparation room was suddenly pushed open a crack.
Lu Youzhi poked his head in and blinked his black eyes: "Brother Zhao, Xie Yunjun and I bought two bananas on the way here. Do you want some?"
Zhao Zixuan stretched out his hand: "Eat."
Lu You smiled happily: "Okay."
Xie Yunjun, who was standing behind her, helped her female companion to open the door of the room. Lu Youhuai walked in carrying a bunch of bananas. Xue Chengze took a closer look and the corners of his mouth twitched.
My goodness, you northerners call this number two? Did they rob all the bananas from the fruit store? If you don't know, you might think our Rabbit Village contestant is the reincarnation of the Monkey King because he loves eating bananas so much.
"This is a drink prepared by the nutritionist of the provincial team," Xie Yunjun also handed over a cup filled with warm water, "You can drink it while warming up. The ingredients are very safe."
Zhao Zixuan peeled a banana and smiled warmly: "Thank you, little brother and little sister."
It is said that figure skating has always produced beauties. Zhao Zixuan is one of the best-looking Asian athletes. His pair of puppy eyes have charmed countless female fans. However, after looking at Xie Yunjun's face every day, Lu You has automatically become immune to all beauty.
She was not fascinated by the baby face, but was stunned by the way her senior brother warmed up.
Zhao Zixuan's free skating this year included four quadruple jumps, a 3A single jump and a 3A+2T combination jump. There is a reason why the number one in Rabbit Village is called a jumping genius. He did a 3A on dry land, jumped without hesitation, and performed a light spin that stunned people.
"It turns out that doing a quadruple jump while walking is real," Lu You was shocked. "Single skaters are really a group of people who are not controlled by the earth's gravity."
Not to mention that he was wearing sneakers, even if he had no shoes on his feet, Brother Zhao Yi would still fly as he pleased barefoot... no, he would just jump as he pleased.
If Lu You and Xie Yunjun's P scores could not be raised because of their nationality and qualifications, then Zhao Yige's pitifully low program content points are indeed in line with his actual situation in each game.
This is also the reason why the national team never allows him to choose lyrical or ballet music.
Zhao Zixuan is a genius who can turn "Swan Lake" into a military boxing performance, which is similar to Lu Tingsong who danced Chopin with a smile back then.
God opens the door to jump for some people, but also ruthlessly closes the window of expression.
Lu You squatted on the side, occasionally passing his senior brother water or a towel to wipe his sweat. He turned into a praise robot and praised his senior brother's various actions to perfection.
Zhao Zixuan jumped.
Lu You applauded: "Listen to the sound of the landing, it's like thunder in my ears, look at the jumping posture, it's graceful and agile, GOE plus! You can add it all! Full!"
Zhao Zixuan began to practice spinning.
Lu You gave a thumbs up: "Brother, you are like a dragon exploring the sea, your momentum is amazing. Even when I'm sitting here, I can feel an invisible force spreading over me!"
Zhao Zixuan: “…”
Brother Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, until Xue Chengze took out the Costen from his pocket. Only then did Lu You pat his butt and take Xie Yunjun to the stands to grab a good seat.
Even Zhao Zixuan himself didn't realize that the surging emotions in his heart had unconsciously disappeared for the most part amidst Lu You's chattering.
Half an hour later.
"On the ice, from China, Zixuan Zhao."
Zhao Zixuan, wearing a kurtis decorated with ink-and-wash landscapes, stepped onto the ice and looked at his comrades sitting in a row in the audience.
The women's singles, ice dance, and two pairs of team members were all wearing red and white team uniforms, holding national flags in their hands, and their eyes were on him.
Zhao Zixuan remembered what his teammates told him: Everyone has tried their best, and no matter what the final result is, there will be no regrets.
A single star may not be able to light up the night sky, but when all the stars come together to weave the Milky Way, every ray of light they emit will have meaning, regardless of success or failure.
The moment he met his teammates' eyes, Zhao Zixuan seemed to have an epiphany. His tense chest suddenly felt relaxed. The young man let out a long breath, waved to his teammates with a smile, and the little fangs on his cheek were faintly visible.
The prelude to "Defend the Yellow River" sounded.
Accompanied by the melodious violin and cello duet, the ice skates under Zhao Zixuan's feet spun, the young man raised his face, closed his eyes slightly, and his palm slowly slid across his heart.
Xue Chengze covered his eyes and said, "Such a beautiful move, how could Zhao Zixuan, such an idiot, turn it into a heart attack?"
The national team's choreographer said as if it was normal: "Hold it in. The beginning of the whole piece of music is the only part that is a little soothing. Just bear with it and it will pass."
Sure enough, when the military drum sounded, Zhao Zixuan retracted his gaze, and with unparalleled momentum, he rose from the ground.
Xue Chengze slapped the baffle in front of him and said, "Well done!"
All the athletes in Rabbit Village took the lead and applauded this beautiful 4Lo.
Zhao Zixuan quickly followed up with a 3Lo, followed by two sets of jumps: 4S and 4T+1Eu+3S. Less than a minute into the free skating, Zhao Zixuan completed four difficult jumps without any mistakes.
Jiang Ran murmured, "Boss Xuan is in a very good state today."
Lu You looked puzzled: "Boss Xuan?"
"You two probably don't know yet," Jiang Ran lowered his voice mysteriously, "Your Senior Brother Zhao's family is in the steel business, supplying the automotive and aerospace manufacturing industries. Moreover, his family has only one son for three generations. If he doesn't do well in figure skating, he will be arrested and taken back to inherit the family business."
Yu Botao added: "Maybe one of the beams in our training base belongs to him."
Lu You: “…” I’m sorry.
"Then can I get a discount if I mention Brother Zhao's name when buying a car in the future?" Lu You asked.
Lu You recalled the savings in her own piggy bank. She didn't want to buy herself a car. After all, she was the person who could drive a toy car overturned when she was a child. But Xie Yunjun would be 18 years old and could take a driver's license test when he graduates next year.
"Lu Xiaoyou, you've made it to the national team now, so open up a little!" Jiang Ran patted Lu You's head in frustration, "If we can really win a brand in this team competition, the relevant companies will fulfill their promise to reward each of us with a car when we return."
Lu You's eyes lit up: "There is such a good thing!"
After being briefed on the various benefits linked to performance, Lu You immediately pulled Xie Yunjun along and cheered even harder for Zhao Zixuan.
The naive Lu You didn't know that the rewards for winter athletes are at the bottom level. For example, the strongest table tennis team in the world would receive a seven-figure bonus and a detached courtyard house and other similar rewards for the champion and runner-up, not to mention the salaries for various endorsements and commercial cooperation.
As for figure skating, probably only top athletes from Japan, which has a well-developed figure skating industry, can enjoy such treatment.
Brother Zhao, who carries the dream of eight people and eight cars for the national team, has completed the first half of the performance and entered the choreographed transition steps.
Maybe it was because his emotions were accumulated enough, or maybe it was because this was a program dedicated to the motherland, Zhao Zixuan rarely performed the 16 moves of military boxing in the connecting steps.
The young man, wearing clothes painted with light Chinese ink landscapes, began with a twisting step. As the short and passionate piano sounds came, the ice blades under his feet flew and his body posture was full of masculine power.
Zhao Zixuan was alone, but he used complex and powerful steps to skate out the momentum of thousands of troops. In the green tent and among the mountains, the magnificent scene of fighting to defend the Yellow River and the whole of China was outlined by his ice skates.
A series of piano glissandos passed by.
The sound of a military bugle call was followed by the main melody of "The East is Red" familiar to all Chinese people. Zhao Zixuan raised his floating leg, spread his arms, and started a swallow-style skate that stretched across half the ice rink.
The wind gently lifted the fabric of his coat.
Then--
Pull in your legs, touch the ice, and jump!
4T+3T!
At the same time, the military drums that appeared at the beginning of the show were beaten again intensively, and the clanging sound ignited the blood of all the Chinese people present!
The chorus of the National Grand Theater's version of "The wind is roaring, the horses are neighing, the Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring" was faintly heard. Although it was suppressed to a low voice in the editing, it is a melody that every Chinese son and daughter has sung since childhood and will never forget.
Lu You felt his blood beating and couldn't help but stand up and applaud.
Zhao Zixuan quickly completed another triple Axel jump. So far, six out of the seven jumps have been completed without any mistakes!
Xue Chengze stared at the ice surface closely: "There is one last set of jumps, 3A+2T."
The black-haired young man took a deep breath, stepped to the rhythm of the drum, raised his feet and swung his arms backward with all his strength.
It is true that the first jump was a triple Axel, but no one noticed that Zhao Zixuan’s movement was a bit icy. Instead, Zhao Zixuan suddenly turned over!
Lu You felt like his heart was about to jump out. He grabbed Xie Yunjun's hand and even his breathing stopped.
Did you make a mistake, brother?
No.
After the young man turned over, he pulled his body out of the ice and quickly followed up with a blade jump! Triple Salchow!
In the last set of 1.1 times score jumps in the free skating, Zhao Zixuan increased the difficulty and successfully stood firm!
"Beautiful!" Xue Chengze waved his fist in the air, "Zixuan, well done!"
After the joint spin and the song ended, applause resounded throughout the venue like thunder.
Zhao Zixuan was half-kneeling in the middle of the ice rink, sweating profusely. The last 3S had exhausted all his strength. The young man's lips turned pale due to exhaustion, but he still raised his head stubbornly.
He looked in the direction of his teammates. The athletes sitting there had tears in their eyes and the Chinese flag fluttering in their hands represented their common belief.
Just like the opening words of "Yellow River Cantata", as sons and daughters of China, he and his teammates will be determined to win, defend the Yellow River and defend their honor.
…
On February 7, 2022, the brilliant evening glow shone on the flag-raising platform in front of the Capital Gymnasium.
At the team competition where the men's singles free skating competition had just ended, deafening cheers were heard from Chinese girls and boys. Eight black-haired and yellow-skinned athletes of different ages and heights hugged each other and wiped the tears of excitement from each other's faces.
Copper-brown medals gleamed on their chests.
The commentator's voice rang out through the broadcast channels and echoed in every corner of the motherland: "The original intention of establishing the figure skating team competition is to test the overall level of a country's figure skating. Perhaps every player in our national team has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, but when they work together and become a team, they can create miracles."
“Cohesion creates strength, unity gives birth to hope, and a single spark can start a prairie fire.”
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