Chapter 127 Darkness: Stop fixating on the song selection.
The short program, tailor-made for the Olympics, placed Feng Simai in second place, with Anthony and Kevin on either side of him, and the three were very close in the score.
After completing the interview and drug test, Feng Simai chatted with the ice fans for a while before returning backstage to pack up his things. He was preparing to sit in the stands with the ice dance athletes who had already finished their competitions when he spotted the leaders of the Skating Association sitting in the aisle.
He didn't know many people, and he was able to recognize them thanks to the few he saw at every meeting, and Li Tan was also there with them.
The ice refrigeration machine is still working on the ice, and the first group of women's singles players are already backstage ready to go. He just passed by the warm-up area and saw two coaches standing guard next to the three Chinese women's singles players.
In the preliminary rounds, the order of appearance is usually determined by world rankings, and Yan Rui was the first to appear.
She missed the B-level competition this season due to a high fever, and neither of her programs has been seen by fans. She has also not posted any photos of herself in the cosplay on social media.
Therefore, the expectations of ice skating fans for her program are no less than those for her seniors.
When Yan Rui entered the ice, the rink was completely dark, and the overhead lights resembled those of a retro dance hall. The athletes had all taken off their coats, so no one could find her at a glance. They could only spot Coach Xia, who was wearing the Chinese national team uniform, next to the barriers.
It's no wonder that fans couldn't find her. Yan Rui's short program costume was predominantly black, almost blending into the ice rink lights. Even Xia Yuezi was chosen from the six based on her height.
Her short program this season was taken from the film "East of Eden," adapted from the American novel of the same name.
Compared to other figure skaters who chose this film, Yan Rui's choice was rather unconventional; she chose to portray the character of Kathy Ames, who is known as a "femme fatale."
Yan Rui skated to the ice rink barrier and stood still, spreading his arms behind him and bracing himself on the barrier, quietly waiting for the music to start.
Her costume features a deep V-neck design, adorned with small green rhinestones that shimmer and sparkle in the light reflected off the ice and lamplight, resembling a venomous snake lurking in a cave, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Xia Yuezi was quite worried about her program. The character was very different from Yan Rui's personality and experience, and was even a bit twisted. Even if a mature female singles player with this track and style performed it, she might not be able to portray it perfectly.
She felt that Cathy was a complete madwoman, a madwoman without any reason. Her life had almost no meaning other than revenge. In addition, due to the cultural differences between the two countries, Xia Yuezi couldn't even understand the movie, let alone the original novel.
But Yan Rui selected this program after listening to nearly a hundred songs abroad. Moreover, this song was accidentally put into the USB drive by the choreographer. It all seemed to be preordained.
As the strings began to play, Yan Rui slowly hugged herself with both hands, her head gradually lowering to about a 45-degree angle in front of the camera. But the next second after the key changed, the corners of her mouth slightly curved upwards, which, combined with her elongated black eyeshadow, sent chills down one's spine. Then she suddenly opened her arms and glided forward on her ice skates.
The show opened with a scene reminiscent of a horror movie. Even though the action sequences weren't as intense as previous episodes, and some parts even felt overdone, Cathy's character was still brought to life.
Kevin was sitting in the USA team's section of the stands, and his teammates had been talking non-stop ever since the program's name was announced.
As a work of pure classical literature, East of Eden is rarely chosen even by Americans themselves.
It's too obscure and difficult to understand, and it's hard to find a suitable segment for performance on ice, let alone a character as complex as Cathy that can't be explained using conventional thinking.
At least that was the case for Kevin. His coach had recommended the movie, but unfortunately, he didn't really connect with Adam.
"You've got guts," Kevin said softly, his gaze never leaving the black figure on the ice.
Although he didn't know much about this player, judging from his age and commentary style, he should still be in the stage of exploring his own style.
If she were to become a female singles player with a darker style, that would be quite an interesting thing.
Yan Rui's first jump was 3LZ+3T, which was also the first time she put this jump into the program and showcased it on the international stage after she mastered it.
The take-off and landing were both quite clean, leaving a long mark on the ice with the skates. After straightening his arms to maintain balance, he pulled them back, put his index finger lightly to his lips, and then turned and left gracefully.
Meng Xin clapped along with the audience and commented, "Her performance seems to be better than before."
Xia Yuezi's eyes never left the contestant as she whispered, "We still can't let our guard down. Her good performance this time is very likely related to her style. If she changed her style, she might not have performed like this."
Although she had a premonition during the off-season reunion, Xia Yuezi still found it hard to accept that this introverted girl would end up suited to a style with a twisted personality.
Meng Xin chuckled softly, "It's good that we've found the style, but the choreographer might have a headache, as this type of music is hard to find."
Xia Yuezi glanced at her sideways: "Don't make it sound so easy. If we can't find a choreographer, won't the two of us have to look for one too?"
Amid the banter between the two coaches, the show had entered its second half. Yan Rui completed her second 3F jump, and her hand movements became more varied than before.
The petite girl in black stood on the ice, her makeup so glamorous that she looked several years older than her actual age, like a child secretly playing with her mother's cosmetics, but the coldness in her eyes made it easy to overlook this fact.
She raised one hand to cover half of her face, then raised the other hand above her head, her eyes following the movement upwards. She then clenched her fist and swung it down hard, instantly intensifying the music's rhythm.
It wasn't until they entered the footwork that the ice fans seemed to realize that the woman standing before them was a veritable demon.
John Steinbeck explains Cathy's character as follows—
“I believe that Cathy was born with certain traits, or rather, lacked certain traits, which drove or compelled her throughout her life.”
Even so, or by explaining it as "a lack of kindness from birth," it is impossible to rationalize some of Cathy's behaviors.
In other words, John himself wanted to create a character who was "born evil," but why would such a person choose to commit suicide in the end?
After all, according to the book, there was nothing in this world that could make her reflect or stop in her tracks, not even her own child.
She already has everything, yet she still racks her brains to scheme and plot. Why does she do this? And what will she gain?
There is no logic to anything.
Yan Rui provided his own answer in this performance.
Cathy wasn't blind to what she wanted; rather, she was too clear about it, which made her a sophisticated egoist.
She had also confided in others about what she wanted, saying that she didn't want to go to school or go to California, but no one asked why, and no one who claimed to love her bothered to find out the reasons behind it.
Since that's the case, there's no need for her to waste her breath talking about feelings with them anymore; she should just focus on satisfying her own needs and interests.
Anyway, nobody in this world really cares about her.
"Wow, she dares to perform this style during the Olympic season? Didn't her coach get scolded?"
"I don't know, but I heard from my coach that during the last meeting about selecting music for the Olympics, Coach Xia and Coach Zhang almost got into a fight, and in the end Coach Li had to act as a peacemaker."
As Feng Simai twisted his neck, he listened to the discussions among the ice dancers and men's singles athletes in the back row, his eyes unconsciously drifting towards the leadership seats below.
There seemed to be some people talking over there. Li Tan sat among them, his fingers tapping on his phone.
Feng Simai was aware of the argument between Xia Yuezi and Coach Zhang.
Coach Zhang was very satisfied with Yan Rui's free skate, but the short program style was indeed too dark, and the athletes were too young. If they were led astray, they could not bear the responsibility.
She also subtly indicated that the Beijing-Zhangjiakou cycle is approaching again, and preparations for the "Beijing Eight Minutes" segment are underway. The higher authorities are paying increasing attention to ice and snow sports, and the selection of music for athletes should be appropriately controlled.
As a result, Xia Yuezi directly shut them down with her achievements, and even brought up Yang Yiyan as an example. She also had a lot of melancholic songs analyzing herself back then, but now she's fine, and has even found a new path that few people can imitate.
Although Feng Simai was not present, the tense atmosphere could be felt from some of the more outspoken coaches.
After all, Xia Yuezi already has a relatively mature method for selecting songs, and she also helps other contestants in other projects to choose songs. In all her years of coaching, she has never made a mistake, even if she is not a perfect fit.
Li Tan also used this as an excuse to calm Zhang down.
The scores came out shortly afterward.
With a technical score of 37.31, a program content score of 30.11, and a short program score of 67.42, it is currently ranked first.
The three, master and apprentice, sat on the sofa looking at their scores, their expressions unchanged.
Yan Rui's performance last season was decent, the quality of this program was also good, and with the added advantage of playing at home and a newly signed brand, all these factors combined mean that his treatment this season should be increased.
Moreover, the referees were strict with the scoring at the beginning of the season, so the score might actually go up later.
Xia Yuezi patted her shoulder: "Go back and get some rest. There's another tough battle tomorrow."
Seeing the score, Feng Simai glanced at the leaders in the stands and, seeing the still-enthusiastic discussion, a helpless smile appeared on his face.
Now that the results are clear, let's stop dwelling on the song selection.
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The author's note: The article's evaluation of Cathy in "East of Eden" is based on what the author, Mr. John, mentioned in an interview; the latter part is my own interpretation.
Cathy's "bad girl" image is indeed deeply ingrained in people's minds. When I read this book, it was on the teacher's list of required reading, and I was forced to finish it. The first time I read it, I felt that it didn't make much sense. But putting aside the evil, her life also had a certain tragedy (but I don't mean to defend her; she did make many unforgivable mistakes in the story).
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