Chapter 66: The Montreal Race Completed...
After finishing the game in Montreal, the entire team rushed to Salt Lake City. They had just arrived at the hotel after landing. Ren Xiyao took a shower, and Lin Shan hadn't said much the whole way, just making light of things. Having been teammates and roommates for so many years, they both knew better than anyone what kind of environment the other needed in different situations. In these moments, Lin Shan fully respected her space.
"Finished?"
"How about it?"
"Can you answer the phone?"
The last message was from ten minutes ago.
She hesitated for a moment, then dialed back. The call was answered almost immediately, and Kwon Ji-yong's voice came through amidst the background noise: "Is it over?"
"Mmm." She sat down on the edge of the bed and draped a towel over her shoulder. "We've arrived in Salt Lake City. Just got back to the hotel."
"What about the results? It was the last day, and I didn't even have time to check them yet."
"I made it to the semifinals in the 1500 meters, but I was eliminated in the 1000-meter preliminaries." She said this calmly, as if she were reporting on her training plan.
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"It's alright," Kwon Ji-yong finally said, lowering his voice. "It's been a long time since I've competed in an international tournament, so fluctuations in my form are normal."
Ren Xiyao hummed in agreement, her fingers unconsciously twirling the edge of the towel.
Someone called "Jiyong-ssi" in the background. Kwon Jiyong responded and then said into the phone, "Wait for me."
Footsteps, the sound of a door closing, and then the noise subsided. He must have found a quiet place.
"Is your knee alright?" he asked.
"fine."
"real?"
“Really.” She paused, then added, “The team doctor checked it out.”
Kwon Ji-yong did not respond immediately.
Ren Xiyao could imagine his expression: a slight frown, his fingers unconsciously tapping something, as he tried to gauge the truth in her words. She understood Quan Zhilong, just as he understood her.
"What time is it where you are?" she changed the subject.
"Three o'clock in the morning."
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Writing a song." His tone became more relaxed. "I suddenly had an inspiration."
What song?
"It's a secret." He smiled. "I'll play it for you when you come back."
Ren Xiyao smiled slightly: "Okay."
Another silence followed.
"Xi Yao." Kwon Ji-yong suddenly called her name.
"Um?"
“If…” He paused, “If anything happens, you must tell me.”
Ren Xiyao tightened her grip on the towel, but her voice remained steady: "What could possibly be wrong?"
"I don't know." His voice lowered. "I just feel like you've been... a little different lately."
She lowered her eyes.
But he loved her enough that he was willing to pretend to believe her.
"Maybe it's jet lag. And you've been away from the international stage for too long. Everyone's improving; who'd wait for you standing still?" But she wasn't lying to him. Who would wait for someone who'd been away for so long? Everyone's improving, they're just hiding a little. She'd mix the truth with a lie. He'd believe her.
"It's okay, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Let's take it one game at a time."
"Hmm." Finally, he followed up on her question: "Is there training tomorrow?"
"I have half a day to adjust to the time difference."
"Then sleep a little longer."
"good."
After exchanging a few more trivial words, someone from Kwon Ji-yong's side urged him to go back and record. Before hanging up, he suddenly said, "I love you."
Ren Xiyao was taken aback: "...Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
"I was afraid you'd forget," he said, half-jokingly.
She smiled silently: "I understand."
After the phone call ended, the room was so quiet that you could hear the hum of the air conditioner running.
Ren Xiyao threw her phone aside, lay back on the bed, and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
She knew Kwon Ji-yong had sensed something, but he chose not to ask. And she chose not to say anything.
Over the next few days of training, she forced herself to simulate competition with Lin Shan and Sister Xu, constantly getting closer and trying to regain the ease she felt gliding through crowds. Every time she skated with Sister Xu, she would constantly skate alongside her and comfort her, saying, "Don't be afraid, take it one step at a time." Lin Shan would also follow along within the marked blocks, cheering her on.
When they got off the ice, the two of them would pat Ren Xiyao on the shoulder and say, "I call this chanting a spell. When you compete in the future, just imagine the people next to you as us."
During the Salt Lake City competition, after discussion among the coaching staff, it was ultimately decided that she would register for three individual events: 1500m(a), 1500m(b), and 1000m. Each event was very difficult from the preliminary rounds. She even had to participate in the repechage for the 1500m(b).
Fortunately, despite the difficulties, they all made it to the semifinals. Ren Xiyao's approach this time was risky. In the previous competition, her performance could only be described as terrible. In several group matches, whenever she encountered situations requiring close-range competition or when a competitor attempted to overtake her from the inside, she would subconsciously tighten her body, instantly reducing her speed and failing to perform at her best.
In this competition, he chose a different tactic than before. Ren Xiyao's previous style was more flexible, primarily relying on following the flow of the game in the early stages, often winning in the chaos. Opportunities arose when everyone was moving. But she used more agile and refined skating to seize opportunities in the chaos and overtake.
This time was different. In the 1000m race, she started trying to take the lead from the third lap. She was more aggressive and proactive. In the 1500m race, she took the lead around the fifth lap. Even if she didn't manage to take the lead, she would try her best to stay in second or third place, securing her position and the course.
Her overtaking strategy has shifted towards using the outside lane, despite the significant physical exertion. However, compared to the increased risk of collisions and fouls associated with inside lane overtaking, she's hesitant to attempt it unless she's absolutely certain of success. Two fouls in a race result in a yellow card, and two yellow cards disqualify her from future races. Furthermore, a yellow card can inadvertently lead to stricter scrutiny from the referee. Given her current inconsistent form, she needs more races to regain it and cannot afford to gamble.
The second day of the second leg of the World Cup was even more intense and exciting than the first leg. Ren Xiyao warmed up on the ice rink, feeling the familiar yet daunting chill emanating from the ice.
Now, she stands on the ice for the women's 1500m(a) semifinals, the event she's most confident of winning in this competition. Her opponents in the same group are all very strong, including Dutch skater Van der Szcze, known for her aggressive skating style.
The race began. At first, everyone was controlling the pace and finding their position. Ren Xiyao tried hard to stay focused, sticking to her previous strategy of overtaking from the fourth lap onwards, preparing to take the lead. She felt each push of her skates. With everyone conserving energy, overtaking at this time would reduce resistance considerably. However, this group also included the equally aggressive and forceful Dutch skater, Van der S.
Her skating style was already showing signs of a powerful, aggressive approach. Using sheer physical superiority to compensate for technical deficiencies was a common tactic among European and American skaters in long-distance races. Therefore, Van der Si was unwilling to easily relinquish the lead, and before entering the turn, Ren Xiyao chose to temporarily move to second place to follow.
As the competition entered its final stage, the speed increased dramatically, and the battle intensified. The competition for position among the skaters was fierce. Ren Xiyao held the inside lane tightly, but she saw an opportunity. Van der Si's lead was waning, his technique was slightly flawed, and his entry angle was too wide, leaving a significant gap upon exiting the corner. This presented a good chance for Ren Xiyao. She decided to try and overtake him from the inside, but the experienced Van der Si closed in almost instantly upon exiting the corner, attempting to block her. The straightaway was short, and the two skated nearly side-by-side. Even on the final lap, Van der Si didn't give up on securing his position.
In the narrow bend, the two were almost shoulder to shoulder, their skates frighteningly close. This close physical contact instantly triggered an alarm deep within Ren Xiyao's brain. Her right knee muscles reflexively tensed, the spot where she had been injured before, the place where she was most prone to a withdrawal reaction. An instinct to dodge surged up, as if pulling her off course.
But this time, she didn't back down. The constant nagging from Sister Zhou and the others seemed to finally have some effect at this moment; the words of comfort they had given her while practicing the curves flashed through her mind. She gritted her teeth, her body tense, but she didn't flinch; instead, she maintained her original gliding trajectory and tilt angle.
The moment the skates clashed, a piercing metallic scraping sound rang out, followed by a dull "bang!" Van der's skate had snagged hers, and both of them lost their balance, falling heavily off the track and crashing into the safety mats. Ren Xiyao managed to retract her skate in time, the blade scraping across the ice, creating dazzling icicles, and her body slid a considerable distance before coming to a stop.
A gasp rang out in the stadium. It was the last bend, so the instant they fell, they both scrambled and rolled toward the finish line at top speed.
Her form wasn't great, but at least she crossed the finish line third and fourth respectively. Ren Xiyao climbed off the ice, her eyes glued to the big screen, waiting for verification. Her mind and body were pounding with tension. She kept praying. The coaches on the sidelines and the team members waiting on the ice were also watching the screen nervously.
Finally, the big screen quickly displayed the ruling: Dutch athlete Van der Szczek committed a blocking foul. Ren Xiyao was placed third in the rankings. Now she needed to wait for all the third-place finishers from each group to have their times combined, and the fastest one would advance to the 1500m(a) final. But for Ren Xiyao, the moment she saw the ruling, she instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. An undisguised joy welled up from the bottom of her heart, not because of her opponent's foul, but because she felt relaxed—a relaxation of both body and mind.
Once off the ice, she could barely contain her smile. The team doctor quickly came over, knelt down, and checked on her. He gently moved her right knee joint: "Are you alright? Are you injured?"
Ren Xiyao shook her head, flicking the ice shards off her gloves. The fall hurt, but her knees didn't have that familiar, heart-wrenching throbbing pain. "I'm not hurt." She stared at the ice, suddenly realizing her hands were trembling slightly.
But that trembling wasn't from fear. It was a feeling of exhaustion after a competition, but also...excitement.
Sister Xu walked over to her and tossed her a bottle of water. She didn't ask about the injuries, but looked at Ren Xiyao with a knowing and admiring look in her eyes.
"That was a brilliant snatch," Xu Qinghe said.
Ren Xiyao unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip of water, and the icy feeling made her a little more awake. She looked at Sister Xu: "Pretty? Sister Xu, I almost fell out of the game again."
Xu Qinghe smiled, her eyes shining. She held up two fingers and waved them in front of Ren Xiyao: "But you didn't dodge." She withdrew her hand, her tone certain: "Two stops, the first time in 16 games."
Ren Xiyao tightened her grip on the water bottle. She understood Xu Qinghe's meaning. She had fallen, but she hadn't instinctively retreated before the collision. She faced it head-on. Although she was knocked down by her opponent, that moment of "not dodging" was more important to her than advancing to the finals itself. This was her first victory against her psychological shadow.
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone! [Hands clasped in prayer][ ...]
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