I think Chapter 100, with its new style, could be even better.
The enthusiasm from the women's singles competition continued into the men's singles matches that evening. Yang Yiyan did not return to the hotel to rest; after completing her drug test, she went directly to the stands and sat with other Chinese players.
Because China has few strong male singles skaters, and the qualifying competition was disastrous, the Chinese Skating Association swapped one of the men's singles spots with other countries to secure an extra spot for pairs skating.
This year, Coach Lu has promoted two pairs of figure skating partners to the next level. They are the direct juniors of the Cao-Lu pair, and the two of them sometimes train with them.
One pair achieved a Grand Slam in the junior division, and their height difference aligns with the public's impression of pairs skaters. They won two Grand Slam events in their first promotion and recently won a small medal in the short program with their seniors.
The two men were standing in the stands, one holding a corner of the national flag, cheering on the last group of athletes who were about to enter the arena.
Yang Yiyan glanced at the serious-looking coach in the aisle and gossiped with the other provincial team athletes: "Let me tell you, Lao Feng is skating jazz today. I've seen him skating with music in the team before, and he really has that vibe."
He Jiayun, the female partner of Xiao Shuang who was holding the national flag, was also a contestant with fast internet speed. She saw the song selection that Feng Simai revealed in the interview early on.
"I know that. I think he skated 'Singin' in the Rain' in the short program. But I remember that Feng didn't skate many love-themed pieces, but every one of them was pretty good."
From the youth group to the adult group, Feng Simai has only skated two love-themed pieces: "Por Una Cabeza" and "The Phantom of the Opera".
The former was quite young when he skated, but he still managed to bring out the charm of tango. Moreover, he was probably still a bit green, and the two were complete strangers at the ball. Instead, they skated with a cautious and tentative feeling, which was called the "prototype of the artistic jellyfish" by ice skating fans.
As for the latter, love actually plays a very small role. The whole show highlights the Phantom's own dark and crazy nature, as well as the reasons for his twisted personality. Perhaps only when Christine is forced to make a choice at the end and he watches her leave can a little bit of love be seen.
Yang Yiyan immediately gave him a "you know what I mean" look and continued, "Actually, this was a challenge that Lao Feng set for himself. He initially wanted to skate the tango from 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' but Coach Xia and Teacher Mi rejected it after watching his dance. I'm not saying this to be mean, but it wasn't a back-and-forth test; it was like he was about to grab his gear the next second."
Several contestants imagined the scene and burst out laughing. Lu Sheng grinned and looked at Feng Simai on the ice rink, seemingly surprised that there was a program he couldn't handle, and he didn't give him any face.
"So he couldn't skate a romantic love story, and this season he's learned from his mistakes and tried again. Didn't your coach say anything to him?"
Based on the forum and the contestants' evaluations of Xia Yuezi, Lu Sheng has always felt that this coach has a keen eye for selecting songs. At least so far, none of the songs she has chosen for the contestants have turned out badly.
Although the contestants have a veto right when it comes to song selection, Lu Sheng doesn't believe Xia Yuezi will let them do whatever they want.
Yang Yiyan said "Oh": "I don't know about that, but the coach seems to support him trying out a new style."
Xia Yuezi's reason for agreeing to let Feng Simai challenge a new style is actually very simple: he is almost 20 years old, and it is not uncommon for skaters of this age to skate on love themes. He can't just rely on his immaturity like the junior group.
Furthermore, if he can truly grasp this theme, he can expand the range of songs he can choose in the future. If a contestant with a diverse style performs well and catches the judges' tastes, he will have a chance to get more points from them.
Feng Simai's difficulty level wasn't the highest among the players at the China Open, but thanks to his consistency, he became the highest-ranked men's singles player in the world at this event.
The last contestant to perform was under considerable pressure, especially since Andrei and Lin Ye were ranked two ahead of him: one a Russian prodigy, and the other a well-known jumper. If these two performed normally, scoring over 90 in the short program would be no problem at all.
Xia Yuezi turned her gaze away from the big screen, watched Feng Simai finish warming up and slide back to the barrier, patted him on the shoulder, and gave him a few words of advice as usual.
"Whether my wish can come true or not depends on this one shot."
Upon hearing this, Feng Simai smiled bitterly and nodded vigorously, but after standing on the ice rink, he lowered his head slightly, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, and he appeared completely calm again.
The most famous part of "Singin' in the Rain" is undoubtedly the scene where the protagonist, Lockwood, dances alone in the rain, and von Simai's short piece is also excerpted from this piece of music.
The song begins with the patter of rain, accompanied by lighthearted voices. Feng Simai snaps his fingers and sways his hips gently, like a street lad from the last century. His movements are light, natural, and pleasant. He then slides out with a knife-foot step.
He spread his arms slightly, looked up at the sky, and accepted all the rain that was falling on him.
To better showcase the contestants' feelings at that moment, the program included many small jumps and twists, with high gliding speeds and hands mostly raised upwards, replacing the black umbrellas in the movie and instantly transporting the audience to that rainy night.
His first jump was a 4T+3T, landing precisely at the beginning and end of a lyric. He maintained a smile throughout, and after gliding out, he took an outside hook turn.
Xia Yuezi stood on the sidelines, observing the players' movements. Feng Simai's body language clearly showed his joy, but it was hard to tell that this emotion was related to love.
However, the show has only just begun, and the protagonist is still in the stage of smug delight, so it's okay to be a little reserved.
Feng Simai hopped into a side swallow, his body spread out in a "big" shape, his gliding speed gradually increased, showing clear acceleration, and his free leg was pulled up by his hands, forming a sword-wielding swallow style, which is also the softest rotation he can do.
The subsequent jumps seemed like a very natural leap in the air during the dance. Perhaps due to increased muscle mass, the height of the triple jumps also increased compared to before, and the 3A showed a very obvious sense of hang time.
The first move in the second half was footwork. Feng Simai put down the non-existent umbrella in his hand, made a hat-removing gesture, and danced a jazz dance on the ice. His ice skates quickly stepped on the ice, and he took small, quick steps forward, as if stepping in several puddles, splashing water.
At this moment, Xia Yuezi noticed a hint of affection in his eyes, and he had entered a state of joy and love.
The Chinese team members could see more clearly through the large screen on the ice rink. He Jiayun whispered, "Their performance is pretty good, and there's a kind of lazy feeling to it, but I always feel it could be even better."
As someone who had used this piece before, and one of the few Chinese contestants with dating experience, Lu Sheng propped his head up and immediately knew what He Jiayun wanted to say.
"It's probably feelings. He's just dancing a cheerful dance right now. Even though his expression is very vivid and his eyes are full of affection, it's just liking someone. To put it in perspective, it's probably a crush or unrequited love. It hasn't reached the point where he can't live without Casey."
To be honest, if other contestants were to perform this show, they would already be doing well at this level, but if Feng Simai were to perform it, it would be quite a distance from his usual performance level.
It's not that his short program was bad, but compared to his previous programs, it didn't seem as outstanding.
He Jiayun's male companion, Qi Ran, also understood how men would express themselves on this theme. He nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed, if I were to portray it, my gaze might be more infatuated, like a sudden heartbeat, a feeling of love at first sight."
During their discussion, Feng Simai completed his final jump, leaving a long arc on the ice. He then pushed off and glided away, his expression becoming increasingly absorbed, but he still hadn't reached the state that Lu Sheng and Qi Ran had described.
Xia Yuezi crossed her arms and watched Feng Simai stand on the ice with his legs crossed after finishing his upright spin. He placed one hand on his neck as if holding an umbrella, and stretched out the other hand as if inviting someone. His eyes were filled with tenderness and lingering affection, and his smile was very faint.
She slowly walked to the entrance, waiting for the contestants who had finished their performances and were bowing to return.
"He held back his performance. He didn't look like someone who had just successfully confessed his feelings. Instead, he looked like a college student in a movie who had to ask someone else to deliver love letters to a girl he was pursuing. But his skating is getting better and better."
These words struck a nerve with Feng Simai. He put on his coat and walked towards the waiting area, a bitter smile appearing on his face again: "I said I tried my best, do you believe me?"
In order to find a relationship that resonated with the show, he watched romantic movies for a week straight, both domestic and international ones with high ratings. In the end, they all became his bedtime stories.
He even found an acting teacher, who had him stand in front of a mirror and fine-tune his expressions and demeanor to find the point he wanted. The result was an eye expression that made him want to vomit.
Xia Yuezi nodded, but what she said was heartbreaking: "I not only believe you, but I also know that in your condition, you probably won't be able to skate 'Killer Tango' next season. Just stick to the original plan and skate some programs that you can handle and that are more grand."
Fans watching on the screen couldn't hear the announcements from the waiting area; they could only see Feng Simai frowning, seemingly lost in thought, after the two finished their conversation.
He wanted to beg his coach for forgiveness, but when he thought about the other singles skaters who had skated this piece before, he didn't know what to say.
Before long, Feng Simai's score appeared on the screen in front of him.
With a technical score of 47.82 and a program content score of 40.64, the total score is 88.39, placing it third on the list.
On camera, both of them wore smiles that seemed somewhat helpless. The score wasn't bad, but for Feng Simai, the content of the program was a bit low.
The European and American players who had played earlier and received slightly better treatment scored about the same as him, with Andre even scoring 41 points.
He sat in the chair, shrugged, and for the first time began to doubt his acting skills.
Xia Yuezi patted him reassuringly: "Let's go back and rest up. There's a free skate tomorrow."
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