Chapter 63: I like it. This is the best compliment I've ever received...
After Davil withdrew from the competition, Feng Simai's order of appearance for the short program rose to third.
As a substitute and the only Russian player to participate in the finals, Andrei scored 4 points in the short program, immediately raising the excitement level of the men's singles competition to its peak.
Fujiwara Yoshino, who followed closely behind, scored 4S in the short program. His performance was still bland and tasteless, but his body movements were not as stiff as before. It was clear that Coach Yamada had put him through a lot of work after he went back.
Wayne, who lost to Yoshino Fujiwara at the Japan Grand Prix, was the fourth to perform with a "2+2" routine. It is said that he has already mastered the quadruple triple jump combination and even launched a satellite. However, he did not take any risks in the short program and, like the first two, performed a quadruple single jump.
All three of them scored above 80 in their short programs. These three numbers weighed heavily on the minds of the contestants who followed. Among them, only Albert had ever scored above 90. Apart from him, no one dared to guarantee that they could surpass him.
The atmosphere around the ice rink suddenly became tense, but upon seeing Feng Simai, shouts erupted from the stands, sounding even louder than the cheers for the first three skaters.
Besides the wealthy female fans who chase after the athletes from all over the world, there were also many spectators in the stands who came specifically for their own country's athletes.
Yang Yiyan's current seat has changed. When she first appeared in the stands, some ice skating fans recognized her and asked her for autographs and photos.
As the crowd grew larger, I quickly made an excuse to change to another spectator area. Along the way, I spotted many fans holding banners of their favorite athletes.
Feng Simai skated towards the center of the ice rink, breathing slightly faster than usual. He lowered his head and looked at the ice, forcing himself to calm down in the gradually quieting environment.
As soon as the music started, he reverted to his old, immature self.
Feng Simai's body swayed to the rhythm, his skates gliding smoothly across the ice, and with that speed, he took his first jump.
Lift your left leg back, then tap the ice, quickly tighten it in mid-air, and land steadily on the ice, the blade making a crisp snapping sound against the ice.
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, almost drowning out the music. Feng Simai was perfectly in sync with the music and was not disturbed. He was even able to judge the next move based on muscle memory.
The two coaches behind the barrier breathed a sigh of relief, but their hands remained on his, constantly reminding him of the next move.
Zhang Mengyi stuffed the hand warmer into her pocket, sat up straight, and turned to look at Yang Yiyan, who was engrossed in the program: "Simai really didn't go to South Korea for further studies?"
Yang Yiyan was taken aback: "No, this program was adapted by himself based on the original program. Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Jiang Shuyu had already understood Zhang Mengyi's implied meaning, and she hid behind him, constantly shaking her shoulders.
Zhang Mengyi chuckled and said, "He wiped his face the same number of times as the Korean contestants did during this performance."
One of the most distinctive features of South Korean athletes' performances is their tendency to touch their faces, especially in women's singles. After the match, their gloves are covered in foundation and sweat.
She also remembered a program by a South Korean skater that was jokingly called "Eighteen Touches" by Chinese ice skating fans. It wasn't that the program was related to a folk song in the minds of Chinese people, but rather it was the literal meaning of the name. The skater touched his face eighteen times in the program.
Feng Simai's show was only in its second half when Zhang Mengyi had already seen him wipe his face or press his hair down to wipe his face many times. Although his expressiveness made people overlook these repetitive actions, it was still a bit funny when you thought about it carefully.
Yang Yiyan had never heard of these things before, and now she blinked, looking at her two senior sisters with eager curiosity.
Seeing her curiosity, Zhang Mengyi couldn't help but lean closer and speak to her in a low voice.
There were few figure skating fans in the seats near them, but some athletes from other countries were gathered there. Hearing the laughter coming from the Chinese athletes, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look.
Canada's top female singles player, Claire, has a gentle smile and a calm demeanor, making her seem quite different from other women's singles players.
She is the oldest female singles player in this year's finals. She was banned for twelve months for failing to participate in the doping test on time and was only released this year.
This also caused her to miss the World Championships last season, and the Canadian Ice Hockey Federation had no choice but to send her second-best player to compete, ultimately only securing one Olympic spot in women's singles.
Claire gently patted the shoulder of the man sitting next to her, her eyes filled with a hint of teasing and amusement, as if recalling the scene of her own youth when she went out to compete with her teammates.
"Blake, the atmosphere in the Chinese team is really good. It seems they are very satisfied with this kid's performance."
Blake, a Canadian choreographer and Claire's fiancé, also had a captivating smile in his eyes: "Feng's program choreography is indeed unique, and his expressiveness is outstanding, but he still had some problems with his stamina in the second half. You see, his speed has slowed down."
As Feng T.S.'s program drew to a close, the speed of his final spin noticeably decreased, and he even shifted his position. Immediately afterward, he released his free legs and glided back to the center of the rink on a kneeling motion, ending with a knight's salute.
Many spectators in the stands stood up, waving national flags and cheering for the home team.
Feng Simai maintained this posture, slowly moved his palm to his chest, exhaled, and couldn't hide his excitement with a smile on his face.
The two coaches were already waiting at the ice rink exit. When they saw him coming, they immediately hugged him and Xia Yuezi patted his back: "Well done, you performed even better than before."
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled groan came from beside him, sounding somewhat aggrieved: "Coach, I know you're excited, but could you please not hit me so hard next time? With that kind of force, I can't even tell if I did it right or wrong."
Xia Yuezi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and released the brat from her arms: "Okay, be careful next time."
Feng Simai grimaced and stretched his shoulders, then took the knife sheath from Meng Xin and bent down to put it on.
Wayne, sitting in the first seat, propped his head up and whistled to the side. Xia Yuezi and her group turned to look when they heard the sound.
The Canadian of Chinese descent was giving a thumbs-up, his eyes showing a hint of appreciation, seemingly praising Feng Simai's performance.
Feng Simai sat on the sofa, nodded slightly to him, and returned a thumbs-up and a smile.
He turned around to look at the coach, and just as he was about to say something, he heard the broadcast begin in English.
All eyes on the ice rink were focused on the big screen.
With a technical score of 46.72, a program component score of 37.86, and a short program score of 84.58, he is currently in second place, less than one point behind Wayne.
Xia Yuezi looked up at the screen and silently recalled her previous score: "It's not bad, my P score has improved compared to before."
Feng Simai's previous clean program received scores between 37 and 38, and that was in the second half of the season. The same program in the first half of the season or when faced with stingy judges could have received scores as low as 36.
Most people would consider this score embarrassing if it were achieved by European or American players, let alone the top players from various countries, whose P-scores are all above 43. But for a country like theirs that is just starting out, this little bit of progress is already very good.
Feng Simai also stared at the big screen for a few seconds, then relaxed, his smile deepened, and his tone carried a hint of narcissism, but his eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions.
"Looks like the referee has finally discovered my artistic talent."
The two coaches froze upon hearing this, unsure of what to say. However, the contestant herself seemed to be more open-minded than they were. In the short time it took for Feng Simai to stand up and walk backstage.
Meng Xin followed him, while Xia Yuezi stood still and continued to watch the performances of the contestants behind her.
Backstage, besides the next group of adult doubles competitors, there were also some youth competitors who had just finished their interviews.
Feng Simai sat on the bench, took off his ice skates, and carefully put them in his skate bag. Meng Xin stood next to him, holding an unopened bottle of mineral water, waiting for him to go for a drug test. Suddenly, she felt her clothes being tugged.
She looked down and saw that it was a boy with some Slavic features, but upon closer inspection, she noticed that his team uniform was embroidered with the Kazakhstani flag.
Meng Xin recalled the youth group athletes she had recently noticed. There seemed to be a boy named Diaz who had just been promoted to the next group this year. He seemed to be a junior disciple of the current number one athlete in Kazakhstan, Sainimu, and was said to already be able to jump 3A.
She glanced around the child but didn't see anyone wearing a Kazakhstan team uniform, so she assumed the child had gotten lost from the team.
She crouched down to be at eye level with Diaz and asked in English, "Can't you find a coach?"
Diaz shook his head, took a piece of white paper and a pen from his pocket, and pointed into the room.
Meng Xin immediately understood: "You want an autograph?"
The child in front of me nodded and whispered in accented English, "Is it okay?"
When Feng Simai heard the coach call his name, he looked up and met Diaz's bright eyes. Meng Xin told him what had happened. Feng Simai was stunned for a moment, then took the paper and pen and drew a heart next to it.
When he returned the autograph to Diaz, he casually asked, "Why do you like me?"
This is a question reporters ask contestants when they ask if they have idols. Most people ask this question simply to satisfy their own curiosity.
Feng Simai is the same.
Kazakhstan has some very strong male singles players. As a senior and legend, Sainimu should be an idol in the hearts of many Kazakhstani players, just like that legendary Chinese female singles player.
So he really couldn't figure out what the child liked about him.
Not only Feng Simai wanted to know, but even Meng Xin, who was standing next to her, quietly pricked up her ears.
Diaz accepted the autograph with both hands, looked up at him, and said, "Because you are so free on the ice, my senior once said that figure skating should be a sport that brings joy. I felt that from your performance. I think you must also enjoy skating."
The child's English wasn't very good; in fact, many of his grammatical points were reversed or incorrect. But Feng Simai still understood.
He was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting such an answer, then squatted down, suppressing the bitterness in his heart, and patted Diaz's head.
"Thank you, this is the best compliment I've ever received."
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