Chapter 57 Three-in-One Russian Station
In the audience, two young Chinese pairs skaters, dressed in casual clothes, were sitting in an area with a wide view. Before they could recover from the shock of Lyubov's program, they heard Yang Yiyan's name being called over the loudspeaker.
Lu Sheng pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, which were gradually slipping down his nose, and asked, "Do you think Xiao Yan has a good chance of getting on your podium?"
Cao Jinhui sat beside him, her eyes fixed on the ice rink, her fingers unconsciously starting to pick at themselves.
"It's hard to say. Although the first game makes an impression and the first season earns you treatment, that's what European and American players are talking about. For people like us who spend our entire careers earning treatment, the only way to get some points from the referees is through badges."
The difficulty lies in the fact that the youth group's brand carries less weight in the adult group.
Even for European and American players, the best they can hope for in their first year after promotion is second-tier treatment, unless a player shows overwhelming strength in the youth group, or their own interests are involved, making those old guys shamelessly support them.
But if the competitors are from outside Europe and America, they'll just tell you to go somewhere cool and stay there.
Lu Sheng glanced at her, slapped her busy hands away, and said in a harsher tone, "You need to change this habit. If you keep picking at your nails, you'll ruin them. No wonder nail technicians won't take your business."
Since being designated as the successors to the pairs figure skating team, both of them have been under considerable mental pressure. Cao Jinhui has even developed a habit of biting her hands at the slightest disagreement, and her nails are always pitted and uneven whenever you see her.
After discovering this problem, Lu Sheng kept an eye on her to correct it. In the end, the pressure did not decrease, and instead, she went from biting her hands to picking at them.
"I've told you so many times, it's not that I didn't want to answer, it's that I picked it off."
As soon as she said it, Cao Jinhui realized something was wrong. She looked up and saw her partner staring at her with a "I've caught you" expression, which made her shudder.
Cao Jinhui immediately changed her tune, pointing to the ice rink and saying, "The show is starting."
Then he immediately sat up straight, looking like he wouldn't listen to anything she said anymore.
Lu Sheng glanced at her guilty look and snorted, but didn't say anything, continuing to watch the ice rink.
As soon as the music of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" begins, the long and deep piano notes intertwine with the strings, sketching out a gradually unfolding ink-wash world of martial arts.
Yang Yiyan stepped lightly on the ice, using the blades as footsteps, adding many martial arts hand movements often seen in movies and TV dramas, exuding the dashing and unrestrained spirit of someone just starting out in the martial arts world.
Her first jump was a 3A.
At the beginning of the season, most of the athletes had not yet recovered to their peak condition. Xia Yuezi had also advised her that the debut of the adult group was very important and that she should not put a 3A on the first jump in the first program.
But just like Yu Jiaolong, she was rebellious and insisted on putting this most difficult solo jump first.
A clear triangle appeared on the ice, followed by the sound of toe-to-toe, and 3A foot landed.
Xia Yuezi nodded and clapped gently from the sidelines, giving the program a good start.
As the strings played, Yang Yiyan entered the first set of rotations.
Enter with a butterfly jump, then quickly reach out and grab the floating foot to form a donut shape. After spinning eight times, pull your legs up to change from a backflip swallow to a frontflip swallow, while increasing the speed of the spin.
As Yang Yiyan finished her spin, the music tempo quickened, and the sound changed from orchestral music to a burst of drums.
Instead of slowing down, she turned and spun half a circle, pressing the edge of her left foot inward, and timed her touch down on the ice.
The sound of ice blades hitting the ice surface rang out. Yang Yiyan quickly tightened her body. From a distance, her axis appeared straight and slender. After landing on the ice for 3F, she used her waist to exert force and continued to rise for another 3L using the momentum of the movement.
During her time in the youth group, her single jump was 2A, so she didn't have to worry about stamina distribution. She then moved on to the 3LZ+3LO combination jump. However, after moving up a group, the introduction of 3A made this problem more prominent. Yang Yiyan then changed the combination jump to the 3F+3LO, which she was more proficient in. In order to ensure stability, Yang Yiyan moved this combination jump to the front.
The second half of the music is followed closely by a footwork sequence.
Yang Yiyan was like a lost child; in this vast world, she could not find a place to belong, nor could she find anyone who could understand her.
She wanted to leave this place and see the beautiful landscapes outside, to venture into the martial world, but her parents, sisters, and even famous martial arts masters all tried to dissuade her from staying in this area.
But she didn't want to give in; she wanted to stay true to herself.
Yang Yiyan's skating speed increased, and her expression became more strained. If someone could meet her gaze at this moment, they would surely see the pain and questioning hidden in her eyes.
Everyone present was captivated by Yang Yiyan's footwork and silently followed the drumbeats.
Xia Yuezi smiled and waved her hands incessantly, trying to remind Yang Yiyan what the next move was.
Among the athletes she had seen, Yang Yiyan's skating was only at an average level. However, what was interesting was that as long as it was a program she wanted to skate and the style was suitable, she could resonate with the program and show extraordinary expressiveness.
It was as if she didn't choose the show, but rather that the show had somehow chosen her.
The sound of ice being thawed rang out again.
Yang Yiyan jumped again with all her might. This was her last single jump, leaving a beautiful arc on the ice before she glided out in a split.
The girl on the ice spread her arms, her expression becoming contemptuous and arrogant, as if she had figured things out and returned to the naive and ignorant girl she was when she first entered the world of martial arts.
Looking at Yang Yiyan at this moment, Xia Yuezi thought of herself at 15 years old—a rebellious teenage girl.
On the ice rink, she conquered many difficult jumps and won numerous medals.
During the training camp, he hung out with teammates from other sports and even learned a few sets of boxing techniques, which he then used on a group of boys at school who couldn't utter a single nice word.
Although she was eventually caught and forced to apologize and write a self-criticism in the dean's office, and was not pursued too much in the end because of her status as an athlete, Xia Yuezi remembers that during that time, the words "I am the best in the world" were still written on her face.
Yang Yiyan was no less impressive at this moment.
She leans her upper body back, raises her hands, and enters a bent-over spin. Then she grabs her skates and keeps them almost level with her head. After maintaining this position for a number of spins, she gradually pulls them upward to form a Bellman.
Yang Yiyan was still turning around when applause erupted all around her.
She let go, knelt on one knee, and spun around a few times using the momentum, stopping on the last beat, like a female knight-errant who had experienced a battle in the martial arts world, bringing the performance to a complete end.
Xia Yuezi walked to the exit to wait for her, and the coaches around her applauded, their gazes toward the ice rink filled with a mixture of admiration and apprehension.
Yang Yiyan's chest heaved violently as she slid to the sidelines, supporting her back. Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at the coach, like a child coming to ask for a reward.
Ignoring the sweat on her body, Xia Yuezi picked up her child, spun her around, and placed her on the inside of the aisle.
Although he didn't say anything, Yang Yiyan could feel the coach's excitement from the force he exerted.
The two walked towards the waiting area, where Yang Yiyan's technical moves were being replayed on the large screen.
Cao Jinhui propped her head up, carefully judging each jump. She couldn't help but discuss with Lu Sheng, "This 3A is of pretty high quality. Do you think she has a chance of getting over 70?"
Lu Sheng adjusted his glasses and looked at the large screen, his posture so serious that it seemed he was about to attend some kind of seminar.
"It's not that I'm badmouthing Lyubov, but at the beginning of the season, the scores were tight, and Russia was promoting Lyubov. Even so, her score was just over 70. Polina only moved up a group this year, and she also got a 3A in her short program, but I didn't see the judges elevate her above Lyubov."
The implication is that it will only become more difficult for Yang Yiyan to reach the age of seventy.
Yang Yiyan's scores were displayed on the big screen.
With a technical score of 42.45, a program component score of 27.51, and a short program score of 69.96, she is currently in second place, 0.18 points behind Polina.
Yang Yiyan almost lost her smile. This result was exactly the legendary case of someone who could have gotten a perfect score but was penalized one point by the teacher for poor presentation.
Xia Yuezi quickly put her arm around her and whispered reassuringly, "There's still room for this score to improve; seventy points is no problem."
The adult group is different from the youth group; they must be careful with every step they take. They are not yet qualified to show their displeasure with the results in the waiting area. As for the youth group's actions of making faces and intimidating the referees, they are even less allowed to do so.
Cao Jinhui sighed deeply and slumped into her chair, wanting to curse but not knowing what to say: "The scoring is so meaningless. I thought about lowering the score, but what's the difference between this P score and the youth group score? Xiaoyan's program has improved a lot compared to last season."
"It's not that it's meaningless, it's selective blindness." Lu Sheng sneered, his words almost overflowing with sharpness.
Cao Jinhui looked towards the waiting area and saw the master and apprentice packing up their things and preparing to leave. Her fingers unconsciously started picking at themselves again.
On the ranking board on the wall, Liu Bofu's name was at the top, followed closely by Yang Yiyan's name, but there seemed to be an invisible wall between them.
“Let’s go backstage. Xiaoyan must be feeling really bad right now,” Lu Sheng picked up his bag and glanced at his female companion. He couldn’t help but frown and raised his voice a few decibels, “Why are you picking at your fingers again when I haven’t been watching you for a while?”
Lu Sheng reached out and pried Cao Jinhui's hand open, then grabbed her forearm to prevent her from making any more moves.
Cao Jinhui hissed, but did not actively try to break free.
After the women's singles short program comes the rhythm dance ice dance. The pairs skating competition starts at 9 p.m., and the three skaters still have time to get together for a meal. However, the two young pairs skaters didn't eat much, fearing they might throw up on the ice later.
Xia Yuezi sat with Coach Lu, holding a cup of coffee, and chatted with him about the recent situation of the children.
"I heard that Xiaohui twisted her ankle while practicing 3F throws. How is her recovery going?"
Coach Lu glanced at the two children, his eyes revealing his exhaustion: "We've recovered 3T and 3S, but the doctor said the training volume still needs to be controlled; we can't train them too hard all at once."
The two children were hardworking. In order not to break up the pair, they mastered both the 3L and 3F throws before the promotion. Their performance in the first year of promotion met the expectations of most of the leaders, so they agreed to let them continue training.
As a result, Cao Jinhui reached puberty and tried to lose weight by following Zhang Mengyi's example, eating only two salads and a few fruits a day. This led to a decrease in bone density, and her knees could not withstand the impact of the jumps. Her immunity also decreased, and she even contracted pneumonia during the off-season.
“Xiao Hui is too competitive. She wanted to pick up the difficult game again before her foot injury was fully healed. Her parents and I were afraid of upsetting her, so we gently persuaded her to stop.”
Xia Yuezi took a sip of coffee and glanced at Cao Jinhui, who was chatting and laughing with Yang Yiyan not far away. The girl smiled and her eyes crinkled, showing no sign of the gloom brought on by her injuries.
"The young athletes nowadays are all competitive and eager to prove themselves. To be honest, the ice dance pair didn't even have a moment of rest during the off-season; they went to Canada for training for over a month."
After being discharged from the hospital, the top-ranked male ice dancer in China still wants to compete for an Olympic spot. During the off-season, they are working on their physical fitness to get back to their competitive level.
An You and Qiao Wen didn't want to give up the spots they had fought for. They heard from their coach in Canada that their pattern dance was improving rapidly.
Coach Lu seemed surprised that ice dance in his country would one day be so competitive. He picked up the water glass that was placed to the side and shook his head helplessly.
The Grand Prix stages are short, with all or most events concluding on the second day.
Perhaps out of consideration for Cao Jinhui's foot injury, the two skaters deliberately lowered the difficulty of their free skate after making it into the final group in their short program.
In their words, they have already competed in the senior group for a while and have made their mark. Now, the more important thing is to get in good physical condition before the Olympics. However, Yang Yiyan, who has no such experience, can only give it her all at the beginning of the season.
Yang Yiyan was eating a banana in the backstage corridor when she noticed two young pairs skaters who had come to visit her. She raised her hand to them.
Cao Jinhui jogged over, patted Yang Yiyan on the shoulder, and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't be nervous, just pretend the referee isn't there."
"Slow down," Yang Yiyan reached out to steady her, noticing the bandages on her index finger and thumb, and asked, "Are you hurt? You weren't last night."
Cao Jinhui glanced casually at her hand and leaned on Yang Yiyan's shoulder: "You mean this? You'll have to ask someone else, someone who meddles more than my dad."
Yang Yiyan glanced at the person she mentioned, smiled but didn't say anything. Whenever they competed, the pairs skating and ice dance partners were always the most boisterous.
Before long, the commentator's voice could be heard throughout the stadium.
The top four in the short program were separated by no more than one point. Both the Russian and European judges were protecting their own people, except for Yang Yiyan, who squeezed into the middle and climbed up by her difficult routine.
To put it bluntly, if Yang Yiyan made even the slightest mistake in her free skate, the group of watchful judges on the bench would magnify that tiny error and award her a score that was completely illogical.
That's why Xia Yuezi had been paying close attention to Yang Yiyan's condition since last night. She found that the girl was sad for a while at the beginning, but after returning to the hotel and having a meal, she was back to normal.
Just as Xia Yuezi guessed, many skaters brought their well-rehearsed pieces from last season to the Olympic season. For example, Alisa was performing "The Legend of 1900," which was also her free skate piece in the junior group. Unfortunately, she and Nina had the same piece.
The contestant chose to perform the role of the girl that 1900 fell in love with at first sight, carrying the fantasy of this love in 1900's compositions.
Alisa wasn't wearing heavy makeup today; instead, she had a natural, fresh look, which made her seem more like the character in the movie. Her every move exuded a sense of simplicity and aloofness.
Ms. Chishima walked over to Xia Yuezi. She had just finished a post-match interview with the Japanese women's singles team and only now had time to come and watch the next match.
"I feel like Alisa's ankles are getting smoother and smoother the more I twist them."
Generally speaking, skaters who don't twist their ankles will fall when they miss a turn. Even if they are lucky enough to land, their bodies will shake violently, and they will glide in a crooked and unsteady manner.
However, there are also some golden ankles that not only save up for weeks but also land on the ice with silky smoothness, sometimes even fooling everyone without replay.
Xia Yuezi crossed her arms and carefully considered her words: "I guess my technique has improved."
Ms. Chishima shook her head repeatedly, disapproving of this inappropriate method: "Then she'll have a lot to suffer in the future."
The ankle is the most important weapon for figure skaters. This kind of improper technique will accelerate the depletion of an athlete's professional lifespan. In more serious cases, it may even be difficult to return to a normal life.
After her came Polina. Xia Yuezi noticed that Lyubov, who had been raising her leg high, stopped.
According to the official free skate program, Polina needs to continue with two triple Aces in her free skate, completing three triple Aces in two programs over two consecutive days. This is a significant challenge for her physical fitness, but the rewards are also substantial.
If it succeeds, not only will Lyubov be wary, but all the female singles players in the world who have a chance to compete for the podium will be on guard.
Polina learned from last season's experience and chose a piece that better suited her style.
As soon as the music started, Xia Yuezi recognized it as Tchaikovsky's ballet "Sleeping Beauty".
The ballet has three acts, each an independent movement of a symphony, but Polina edited these three segments together to create a complete story of about four minutes, making the theme of the performance more complete.
Her first two jumps were 3A+2T and 3A, which were technically sound. However, in the latter half of the program, her skating speed gradually slowed down, and even the commentators pointed out that she looked very tired.
Polina's next jump was clearly unsteady on the ice, and she fell over.
Many coaches secretly glanced at Seedorov, worried that the old Slavic man might lose his temper and embarrass the children in front of so many people.
Fortunately, Sidorov seemed relatively calm, though he was staring at the ice rink with a furrowed brow.
Xia Yuezi looked at Yang Yiyan, who was warming up, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, she had persuaded Yang Yiyan to stop when she was choreographing the program, and in the end, Yang Yiyan only managed to do a 3A in the free skate.
Even if you want to get some points, you should consider your own circumstances.
Although Polina's jumps in the second half of the jump were not enough to cause Goe to lose too many points, these, combined with the mistakes in the rotation, amounted to a considerable number of points.
The Russian judges gave her a slight advantage with a P-point, and Polina's final score was 209.09, securing her a podium spot.
Xia Yuezi looked at the next skater to come on stage. Before she could even remind her, Yang Yiyan had already handed her the jacket she had taken off, and then the coach pushed her onto the ice rink.
There were still ice children tidying up the remaining dolls on the ice. Yang Yiyan slowly skated around the outer edge of the ice rink, checking for any ice holes.
Yang Yiyan's Costum is predominantly black, with the front designed as a tangled pattern of red vines, adorned with transparent or black rhinestones for a sparkly look. The back, from the spine down, is designed as an open back, rendered with red rhinestones.
The ice skating fans who had been waiting in front of their screens for a long time were filled with questions when they saw their favorite skater take the stage. Before they could even get ready, a string of questions appeared in their minds.
Who did Yang Yiyan's makeup? The eyeliner is so thick it's almost like dark circles. Especially with Yang Yiyan's lowered gaze, it's like she's hallucinating some kind of national treasure. But they remember Coach Xia's makeup skills were pretty good, weren't they?
Xia Yuezi was quite wronged in this matter.
Yang Yiyan's eyes were a bit puffy, and the eyeliner was too thin, so she simply used eyeshadow to create a base and blend it. She then used gray eyeshadow to outline the double eyelids to enhance the misty and classic feel. Little did she know that this preparatory step would ruin everything.
As the applause rang out, Yang Yiyan slid backward with the ferocity and decisiveness of a tango move, her eyes filled with aggression.
She gradually reduced her skating speed, performed a short side slide, turned her back to the audience, jumped off her right foot, and landed with a 3A foot loop.
Then came the second jump, 3lz+3lo.
A round of applause erupted from the surrounding audience seats. Yang Yiyan continued to glide outwards. After a set of spins, her aura gradually cooled down, giving off a sharpened feeling.
She looked up at her surroundings, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Traditional tango is characterized by intense emotions, but "Libertango" breaks down these boundaries, making the expression of emotions more diverse and emphasizing this "freedom."
Xia Yuezi had a new insight based on Yang Yiyan's understanding of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which is also a sentence often mentioned in ideological and political textbooks—freedom is relative, there is no absolute freedom.
Absolute freedom means disorder, which is the amplification of negative emotions and events. So, in what kind of emotions or states can such an effect be achieved?
Loneliness, especially in the dead of night when no one is around, is the perfect time to let loose and vent.
Even the smallest thing that would seem like a fuss over is magnified at this time, not to mention the hurdles that you've been holding in and can't get over.
Only you truly know yourself. When you're alone, negative emotions are amplified, and these emotions naturally encompass the core feelings in "Jealousy Tango."
She was all alone on the ice rink. In this one-woman show, Yang Yiyan laid bare her inner monologue to everyone. Even though she hadn't experienced the latter's almost fiery love and hate, she still had her own emotions hidden deep within her heart.
Resentment, pride, fear, ambition, grievance...
She transformed this intense love and longing into her complex feelings for figure skating. Even though her expression still carried a hint of awkwardness that didn't match her emotions, Yang Yiyan used the techniques she learned in tango class to directly convey her innermost feelings with crisp and clean movements.
Yang Yiyan's gliding speed increased, and the emotions placed in the container gradually overflowed. Every movement of hers was full of power, but also concealed a trace of indescribable vulnerability.
The triple jump of 3F+2T+2lo pushed her emotions to a breaking point.
Nina stood on the sidelines and almost instinctively exclaimed, "God, although her performance is a bit different from the regular shows, it's just as wonderful."
Sidorov stood next to Lyubov and began to speak with a heavy trilled "r": "Her expression is not yet mature, but she has begun to use techniques to make up for this deficiency. Similarly, her upper body posture is better than her lower body posture. The program's arrangement has amplified this advantage, making the audience more engaged."
Yang Yiyan's last jump was 3F. Compared to LZ, she is better at F jumps, and she got more GOE on this jump.
After the violin music stopped, a deafening roar of cheers and applause erupted around the ice rink. Kuromi dolls were thrown onto the ice, and fans who had come specifically for her waved their support signs, jumping excitedly in front of their seats. Some were even crying with excitement.
Yang Yiyan knelt on the ice, slightly out of breath, still caught in her emotions, her face devoid of a smile. After a while, she finally got up from the ice and bowed to the audience in thanks.
Xia Yuezi stood on the sidelines clapping, her eyes slightly red. She had created the first draft of this program, witnessed Yang Yiyan's sweat and tears during training, and understood even more clearly everything this program carried.
The moment she saw the coach, the little girl rushed into his arms, and the tears she had been holding back fell onto Xia Yuezi's shoulder.
As soon as the performance ended, Yang Yiyan felt a tingling sensation in her heart, as if a piece of her heart was empty. Looking at the ice, she felt a little ridiculous, wondering what she was competing with. Wasn't she the only opponent in figure skating?
The moment I saw the coach, the deep-seated sense of unease within me seemed to find an outlet, gushing out like a flood.
Xia Yuezi let her hug her, gently patting her back. Her heart ached, and she silently thought that she couldn't do this kind of performance too often, as it was too harmful to her health.
She initially wanted to go for this style because she was afraid that Yang Yiyan wouldn't be able to grasp the core of these two tangos. Unexpectedly, changing to a more appropriate performance style made the young girl lose control.
After tidying up, the master and apprentice sat on the sofa in the waiting area. Xia Yuezi took a tissue to wipe away the smudged eye makeup for her. Just then, the loudspeaker came on.
With a technical score of 77.83, a program component score of 62.46, a free skate score of 140.29, and a total score of 210.25, he is currently in first place.
This score made Yang Yiyan close her eyes briefly; she had lost again due to the program's content score.
Xia Yuezi put her arm around her shoulder and whispered, "You've done very well."
Yang Yiyan took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Coach, I understand. The adult group is different from the youth group. Being able to stand on the podium is already a big breakthrough."
Her voice was very soft, as if she was trying to convince herself. Xia Yuezi stared at her slightly trembling eyelashes and felt a pang of heartache.
On the other side of the ice rink, Lyubov had already begun her performance.
She wasn't a top performer either, and her program setup was similar to Nina's, but her attitude was much better.
Even though her body is no longer as light, Lyubov's footwork and spins are not significantly flawed, and she still demonstrates the level expected of a world-class athlete.
Xia Yuezi looked towards the referee's table. Most of the referees were taking notes on paper, and several elderly white men sitting close together were nodding and talking to each other from time to time.
Seeing this, Coach Xia knew it was all over.
Lyubofu's results came out quickly; her P score was as high as 66, creating a score difference between her and Yang Yiyan's P score for a basic triple jump.
Yang Yiyan felt a tightness in her throat. She was sitting next to the waiting area, and she could see Liu Bofu with just a slight turn of her head, but she didn't want to look at her and just sat there in a daze.
Xia Yuezi, standing below the stage, called out to her, "Xiao Yan, it's time to come down. Let's go back and have dinner."
It was already 10 p.m. when all the events were over. The podium was set up on the ice rink, and the awards were presented in the order of the events.
Lu Sheng and Cao Jinhui ranked fourth and missed the podium. After their performance, they took their lunch boxes from their coach and found a seat in the stands.
Yang Yiyan changed into her team uniform, tidied her hair and makeup in front of the mirror, and her mood had calmed down.
"Are you ready? The staff just came over to remind you," Xia Yuezi asked, standing at the door.
Yang Yiyan nodded and followed the coach out the door. Sidorov, along with Lyubov and Polina, were already standing at the backstage entrance, removing their scabbards.
As the announcer spoke, Yang Yiyan glided skillfully to the podium, waving to everyone with a standard smile, and hugged Polina.
Lyubov was the last to skate. She first skated towards the bronze medalist, hugged Polina, and then walked over.
Yang Yiyan seemed to hear Lyubov whisper in her ear, "Good girl, I love so much."
Yang Yiyan was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, Liu Bofu had already stood on the highest podium.
She glanced sideways and saw Lyubov smiling brightly and blowing a kiss to the camera. Seemingly noticing the gaze beside her, she gave her a kind smile.
Xia Yuezi ignored the changing situation on the field and discussed the score table with Coach Lu on their phones.
Knowing they couldn't keep their mouths shut, the two found a quiet place to avoid being overheard and having a bad influence.
As Xia Yuezi expected, the scores given by the judges under the Russian flag were utterly unacceptable. In terms of program content scores, very few were above 60, and one particularly ruthless judge even managed to lower the score below 60.
No wonder Yang Yiyan's program received such a low score. After removing the lowest and highest scores, the remaining scores weren't very good either.
Yang Yiyan's short program could be attributed to a slight deduction in the score, but her free skate was completely nitpicking.
On the contrary, the judge, perhaps feeling that Nina had no hope of reaching the podium, unusually gave her a relatively acceptable score, although it wasn't much higher.
The most conscientious ones are the judicial and additional rulings; whether it's a GOE or P score, the points awarded are quite reasonable.
Xia Yuezi was furious. Afraid that she would start a fight at the referee's table if she continued watching, she turned off her phone and stuffed it into her pocket.
Seeing that Coach Lu was still looking, she stretched her head forward again to look at the pairs skating scoreboard. Before she could even see the names of the first few technical moves, she saw the row of "goe" starting with zero and immediately gave up the idea of continuing to look.
This is because they saw that others had deliberately lowered the difficulty level, so they seized the opportunity not to give high scores.
The International Skating Union should just rename it the ICU. With so many patients waiting for corneal transplants, Xia Yuezi has to praise them for their "strong will despite physical disabilities."
She patted her chest and kept telling herself "it's not worth it," forcibly suppressing her anger, but Xia Yuezi's face remained gloomy until the interviews for the top three began.
Several coaches who had previously coached children at the same competition with her avoided her. They had all seen Xia Yuezi's outbursts when disciplining children, and their expressions were not much different now.
At the interview area, flashbulbs were constantly going off as reporters, armed with their cameras and microphones, waited for the three athletes to take their seats on the podium.
Yang Yiyan sat to the right of Lyubov, her smile polite and restrained. The first to ask a question was a Russian journalist. Although the question was asked in English, the occasional trilled "r" sounds made it difficult for Yang Yiyan to understand, so she had to rely on a simultaneous interpreter.
Xia Yuezi wasn't so angry that she lost her mind; she stood beside her, ready to respond at any moment.
Most reporters are straightforward and ask rather pointed questions. A few unscrupulous reporters even set traps for the contestants, but fortunately, most of their questions were directed at Lyubov.
Yang Yiyan, on the other hand, asked mostly trivial questions, which were basically covered in the interview outline provided by the coaching staff. She could just answer the questions directly using the template.
After the interview, Yang Yiyan returned backstage. Before she could even sit down to rest, Cao Jinhui suddenly hugged her so tightly that she almost fell to the ground.
"That was amazing! I knew you could do it, especially the second half of the free skate. I almost cried watching it."
Lu Sheng stood aside, said congratulations, and silently pulled Cao Jinhui off Yang Yiyan: "Okay, Xiaohui, Xiaoyan is very tired."
The two coaches followed slowly over, and the gloom on their faces gradually dissipated upon seeing this scene.
"Alright, it's getting late. Go back and get some rest tonight. There's a performance skiing tomorrow."
The contestants, who had been exhausted for two days, relaxed a bit after hearing this.
The venue for the exhibition skating was more lively than usual, with Lyubov and Daville both invited to participate, and the attendance was almost the same as during the previous two days of competition.
All three athletes woke up naturally and were in high spirits. They are also athletes who have participated in many exhibition skating and ice shows and have accumulated a number of ice skating fans.
Yang Yiyan stood backstage, peering through the gaps at the ice rink. The top two skaters from Russia were opening the show, performing a pairs skating routine without a throw jump.
Xia Yuezi walked behind her, holding a lipstick in her hand. Yang Yiyan was about to go on stage, and she hadn't applied any lipstick to her beforehand because she was worried it would be inconvenient for her to eat.
"Enjoy the ice, treat it as a vacation."
When Yang Yiyan appeared on stage in a white flowing dress, many Chinese figure skating fans were pleasantly surprised.
As the music started, many Chinese ice hockey fans found it familiar and hummed along softly.
This is a recently released Chinese-style pop song. Since the old men at the International Skating Union can't appreciate Chinese music in the main competition, she'll bring it to the exhibition skating. She doesn't believe those old men can have any objections.
Yang Yiyan gracefully danced with her flowing sleeves, the sleeves fluttering like splashes of ink. Her ice skates glided smoothly on the ice, accompanied by melodious vocals and background music dominated by flute sounds, perfectly combining the grace of classical dance with the agility of figure skating.
She grabbed her water sleeves and did three consecutive triple jumps on the ice, leaving Polina, who was standing next to her, wide-eyed in astonishment: "No way, is she a spring?"
What she didn't know was that if it weren't for the excessive air resistance of the water sleeves, Yang Yiyan could have continued the movement.
Then Yang Yiyan lifted her floating foot, opened her arms, and circled the stage in a swallow-like posture, stretching her body as much as possible, with her water sleeves swaying accordingly.
Xia Yuezi leaned against the advertising wall backstage and chuckled, watching Yang Yiyan charm the group of foreigners on the ice.
Yang Yiyan learned classical dance when she was a child, and now she only has the basic skills she learned as a child. However, this performance does not have high requirements, and the remaining skills are enough.
"Coach Xia, Xiaoyan's water sleeves are so beautiful, I want to learn them too."
Cao Jinhui walked over at some point, her eyes shining as she looked at the ice rink.
"You should focus on healing your injuries first, my dear aunt."
Lu Sheng, who followed behind, was also wearing denim overalls and holding a cowboy hat, making his performance style quite distinctive.
"Xiao Lu is right. There's no rush with the water sleeves. You should finish the Olympic season first, and then you can learn from Xiao Yan slowly."
After the performance, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. Yang Yiyan bowed to those around her in thanks, her face finally displaying the most relaxed smile she had shown in the past two days. As she glided towards the exit, she saw Liu Bofu standing at the sidelines, giving her a thumbs-up.
“Beautiful!” Lyubov’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
Yang Yiyan was taken aback for a moment, then returned a bright smile: "Thank you."
Shortly after the Russian Grand Prix, the results of the American Grand Prix were announced. Albert stumbled, losing to France's top player, Antoni, thus securing his place in the Grand Prix Final.
In the women's singles, world number five Claire of Canada upset Nanako Shirai to secure a spot in the finals.
Xia Yuezi sat in her office, flipping through the current finals standings, and suddenly felt that the situation was not very optimistic.
Feng Simai is doing better. He ranked first in the China leg, and his only strong rivals in the Japan leg are Fujiwara Yoshino and Wayne. Even if he ranks last, he can still make it to the finals.
However, Yang Yiyan will face Shirai Nanako and Yumikawa Ria directly in the next stop. All three are Asian athletes who can perform triple A. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it shouldn't be a problem for them to reach the podium. It's just that their order of play is hard to predict.
Yumikawa Ria won the gold medal in the last stop, and like Feng Simai, she should have no problem standing on the podium in this stop.
However, Shirai Nanako and Yang Yiyan have both won a silver medal so far, but the chances of "2+3" advancing to the finals are too small. Only "2+2" is more secure. As for "1+2", it would be possible if both Japanese athletes win.
This is still in Japan's home stadium. Although it's unknown how the referees will score, Xia Yuezi doesn't think Yang Yiyan's treatment will be better than Shirai Nanako's.
No matter what, she is a three-time World Championship gold medalist and an Olympic silver medalist. It would be one thing if she made a mistake and couldn't get past the mark, but to be outdone by a newcomer when both of them were clean is really a slap in the face to the Japanese Ice Hockey Association.
Xia Yuezi rubbed her temples, closed her laptop, and looked out the window to relax her eyes.
The first snow began to fall outside the window sometime earlier. She stood up, opened the window, and reached out to catch the snowflakes, which quickly melted and settled in her palm.
She let out a long sigh of relief, and feeling refreshed, she turned and walked out of the office. On the training field, a group of newly joined children were practicing on the ice, and Meng Xin mingled among them, teaching them footwork.
Xia Yuezi suddenly felt that in this era where Japan and South Korea have reaped all the benefits, they now seem to be entitled to a share of the pie.
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