Chapter 87 He will offer the highest level of resources for the two available spots, dedicating them to himself...
Yang Yiyan's withdrawal notice immediately caused a huge uproar on domestic forums, and international social media was not spared either; she also received condolences from other international contestants.
Her surgery was scheduled for late October. Before the Score Station competition, Feng Simai even took time to visit her on behalf of the team members.
Xia Yuezi didn't accompany him abroad. She followed Yang Yiyan's follow-up treatment, wrote a report and submitted it, and also took some time to watch the China Cup.
The order of figure skating competitions is generally arranged from lowest to highest popularity, with ice dance starting first, followed by men's singles, women's singles, and pairs.
Even though most of China's top athletes didn't participate, the star-studded lineup ensured that tickets sold out quickly.
After the veterans retired, An You and Qiao Wen became the new top male and female ice dancers in China. They have signed contracts with Canadian clubs for long-term cooperation.
The two finished seventh and achieved their highest scores of their careers at the China leg of the tournament.
After Cao Jinhui recovered, the two returned to training and improved their stability of the quad twist. After the Russian pair retired, they became the only pair of pairs skaters in the world to master the quad twist.
As their star athletes, they undoubtedly won the gold medal and also broke the world record in the free skate.
On the women's singles side, Zhang Mengyi's highest difficulty level was 3S+3T, but she was able to complete the entire program smoothly and ultimately finished sixth.
The smell of disinfectant filled the hospital. Yang Yiyan leaned against the headboard, watching Feng Simai's race in France on a tablet, while her mother took care of her.
Xia Yuezi stood at the door carrying a bag of fruit, looking travel-worn, with an unyielding weariness in her eyes.
Yang Yiyan had just undergone surgery, and her right leg was still immobilized with a brace and bandages. Xia Yuezi asked the doctor, who said that after ligament surgery, she didn't need to lie down for a long time. Starting rehabilitation as soon as possible could also prevent blood clots, and she could get rid of crutches in about a month, but the specific situation depended on the individual.
The Skating Association still hopes that Yang Yiyan can participate in the World Championships held in her home country, but there are only five months left until the World Championships.
Even if Yang Yiyan recovers in a month, it will take four months to fully recover to her pre-injury condition.
Under these circumstances, even Xia Yuezi was unsure whether participating in the World Championships on her home turf would be a brilliant comeback or a devastating experience that would crush her to the bottom.
"Coach Xia is here." Yang's mother was the first to notice her.
Xia Yuezi forced a smile, trying to appear as relaxed as possible: "Yes, I came to let you know that the matter with the Skating Association has been resolved. However, I will be leading the team to competitions later, so I may not be able to come as often."
Meng Xin and other coaches led the team in these competitions, and there were other children in the group, so the coaches were a bit overwhelmed.
It was understandable that Xia Yuezi accompanied Yang Yiyan during her surgery, but now that the surgery is over, if Xia Yuezi continues to accompany her, she will be accused of favoritism.
Both expressed their understanding. Yang's mother left the room under the pretext of fetching water, giving the two some space.
Xia Yuezi sat down by Yang Yiyan's bedside, placed the fruit on the table, picked up an apple, washed it, and then used a small knife to peel it for her.
“After rehabilitation, I probably won’t have much time to spend with you. Just listen to what your mother and the doctor say and don’t keep thinking about the competition.”
Yang Yiyan lowered the volume of the tablet and listened quietly to the coach's instructions. She took the apple, and as she chewed, her cheeks twitched. Xia Yuezi felt a little itchy and reached out to pinch her cheeks. Then she moved her hand down to feel her biceps.
"This is probably the only time you can pinch the flesh on your body. After that, you'll either lose all the fat or it will all turn into muscle, and you won't be able to pinch it anymore."
Yang Yiyan also felt her own flesh, pouted, and was quite unhappy: "I don't have to move at all now, and I drink bone broth every day. It's no wonder I'm fat. When I put ice on the ice, I'll have to find my center of gravity again."
For a delicate sport like figure skating, even a one-centimeter increase in height or a one-kilogram increase in weight can shift the center of gravity during a jump, making it more likely that the athlete will make a mistake when taking off.
Xia Yuezi chuckled and patted Yang Yiyan's head: "It's okay, you still have rehabilitation. You need to train your atrophied leg muscles back to normal. You can take this opportunity to build muscle and improve your technique as well."
During this time, Xia Yuezi never mentioned the Skating Association's demands, only telling her to take good care of herself and to say goodbye after Yang's mother returned.
Around early December, when the Grand Prix Finals began, Yang Yiyan had removed the brace from her leg and was even able to start jogging.
She sat on the sofa in a "人" shape, with her temporarily recovered right leg resting on the sofa, holding a Kuromi in her arms, watching the finals live on television.
She had watched the women's singles competition in the youth group. None of the six players were above the center, and their lineups were similar. In the end, it all came down to who was more consistent.
Yan Rui's 3LO is unstable, so she can only use 2A to fill in, which means she has almost two fewer base points than other contestants. Moreover, her nationality is not an advantage, so it will be quite difficult for her to get on the podium.
However, ice skating fans have always been lenient with the junior group kids, especially those competing for the first time. It's rare for China to produce a skater who makes it to the Grand Prix Finals. In addition, Yan Rui didn't make any major mistakes in either of her programs. After the scores were released, the forums were full of praise for her.
The women's singles short program and the men's singles short program in the senior category are on the same day, but the competition time is earlier.
In addition to several familiar skaters, two newcomers made their debut at the Women's Singles Grand Prix Final: Vivian from Canada and Park Young-rye from South Korea.
Xia Yuezi was warming up Feng Simai backstage, and nearby was an acquaintance, Lin Ye, who was being pulled by Song Qiao to practice footwork.
For the first time ever, two Chinese men's singles players have advanced to the finals, much to the delight of ice hockey fans who have been celebrating on forums for two or three days straight.
Lin Ye's ticket was hard-won. He fell on a quadruple jump in the first event and ranked fourth. In the second event, he risked everything and pulled out all the stops, managing to get a quadruple jump on his free skate after a clean short program.
Although he had to catch his breath while landing, his high-difficulty technique still earned him a gold medal, and he ultimately secured a spot by just barely making the cut.
After this stop, Lin Ye has also attracted the attention of many figure skating fans and athletes because of his highly inconsistent performance. If he succeeds, he will most likely stand on the podium and might even bring home a gold medal, but if he fails, he could very well finish last.
Therefore, when Lin Ye appeared on the ice rink, many people's hearts were in their throats.
Feng Simai was still warming up backstage with a jump rope, moving to the rhythm of the music in his headphones. He was the fourth to go on stage, and he still had time to do one more set of high knees.
Before Lin Ye took the stage, they made an agreement that no matter how the other party performed, they should not let it affect their own performance and should fight for the honor of China.
Xia Yuezi also didn't go to the aisle to watch the game; instead, she focused on Feng Simai's muscles and breathing rhythm.
Cheers could be faintly heard from inside the stadium, probably because Lin Ye had performed quite well. Xia Yuezi patted his shoulder and reminded him, "Get ready, we're going on stage."
As Feng Simai put down the jump rope, took off his headphones, and walked out of the backstage door, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at Lin Ye, who was in the distance, across the sofa in the waiting area.
Xia Yuezi took Feng Simai's coat, and as usual, gave him a fist bump, silently seeing him off.
As soon as she reached the aisle, Xia Yuezi looked at the large screen at the other end of the ice rink, which displayed the scores of the skaters who had already competed. Lin Ye was currently ranked first with 88.21.
His chestpiece was predominantly black, with white rhinestones arranged regularly on his chest, making him look from a distance like a skeleton lying in a corner in the shadows.
The piano began, a single note followed by the deep sound of the violin mingling with the piano, like a low, mournful call in the dead of night.
"Dance of the Skeletons" is a work by the French composer Saint-Saëns. The melody adopts the tune of medieval hymns and depicts the scene of Death playing the violin for a group of skeletons in a cemetery.
This piece has a distinct rhythm, which easily attracts the audience's attention, and it is also a favorite piece for many figure skaters.
Feng Simai slightly raised his hand, seemingly tuning his instrument, and then quickly glided out to the rhythm.
The music gradually builds in volume, and Feng Simai's gliding is fluid yet powerful, as if a skeleton is slowly awakening, clumsily and excitedly crawling out of the graveyard, standing around Death, silently waiting for this concert.
Feng Simai maintained a high skating speed, found the right moment to land, landed a 4T, followed by a 3T, and then skated out in a split, spreading his arms, gradually opening the curtain on the performance amidst the applause of the audience.
The contestant on stage was not swayed by the music or the audience; he remained gloomy and lacked empathy. He was like a puppet being manipulated, simply going through the motions to complete a performance.
For a performer like Feng Simai, who is skilled at acting, there is little room for innovation in "Dance of the Skeletons," and even less room for him to improvise.
But he was able to maximize the tension of the show in this environment. Like a magician on ice, he transformed ordinary orchestral music into the sound of bones colliding during a dance of skeletons, yet no one could take their eyes off the performer at this ball.
The violin music gradually faded away, replaced by oboe sounds, signaling the end of the concert.
Feng Simai spread his arms to form a side swallow shape and slowly rotated to the rhythm, but his expression was very tense. He seemed to have no lingering feelings or reminiscence for the show. From beginning to end, he was just a cold-blooded grim reaper.
At the moment the performance ended, for reasons unknown, the cameraman pointed the lens at Lin Ye on the stage.
The other person seemed to ignore him, instead lowering his head slightly, smiling, and raising his left hand to his forehead, mimicking Feng Simai's closing gesture.
He looked at the waiting area on his left, where Xia Yuezi and Feng Simai were sitting next to him, both smiling at him.
With a technical score of 47.14, a program content score of 42.81, and a short program score of 89.95, it is currently ranked first.
Looking at the score, Lin Ye didn't feel any pressure. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile in his eyes solidified into a tangible expression.
The men's short program never determines the final rankings; he will bring his best to the free skate and dedicate it to his opponents.
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The author says: I fell on the first day of school and got two coin-sized bruises on my knees. There was no mercurochrome in the dorm yet, so I ended up spending half a day at the school hospital.
Little Goose, tell me, is this a coincidence?
I was wrong. You'll be back to training in a couple of days, please let me go. [Pleading face] I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning with my knee so swollen I can't get out of bed. [Pleading face]
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