Chapter 57 2012 Advance to the Finals
◎Help me get the gold medal◎
Ji Tiantian hugged Xu Chi and couldn't help choking up.
In her previous life, she had experienced many things, but she had rarely experienced the sudden separation from the people around her. She had also never experienced the loss and recovery. Bitterness and sweetness, glory and slander intertwined together, forging her ups and downs in this life.
She hadn't been reborn for long, so she was not qualified to make a conclusion about her current life. But one thing was certain, that was, in this life, she had more people she wanted to protect. For these people, she would fight unwaveringly.
Those beautiful and shining Costumes are her armor against rumors and many storms.
"Don't be sad, don't be sad." Xu Chi gently patted Ji Tiantian's back, "Tiantian, you don't know, you guys are so popular now. Many people saw your free dance on the Internet and came to the national team's ice rink to see you. Unfortunately, you are not here, haha!"
"Don't go anymore..." Ji Tiantian sniffed and spoke to Xu Chi in a soft voice.
"Things are different now! The whole nation is watching you now. The leaders won't dare to do anything to me anymore!" Xu Chi smiled, lowered his head and gently stroked Ji Tiantian's head, with relief in his eyes, "Be happy, Tiantian. You are so young and so dazzling, many people envy you. So you must be happy."
Ji Tiantian nodded, wiped her tears, and tried hard to smile widely.
Jiang Lin walked over, touched Ji Tiantian's head, and then looked at Xu Chi.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Lin asked, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
Although they eventually started their own families, they were once partners in times of difficulty and they experienced many difficulties together.
"Nothing could happen. I'm living well in China, eating much better than here. I also helped Lin Aili and the others watch two shows." Xu Chi looked at Jiang Lin, then at Ji Tiantian, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Don't act like I just got out of the toilet! The results at both events are good. There's no doubt that I'll make it to the finals this time. It's a good thing! Be happy!"
After Xu Chi finished speaking, he saw Tang Yi standing not far away. Tang Yi was unable to join in the touching atmosphere created by Ji Tiantian and Jiang Lin, so he just stood there silently.
"Old Xu." He called in a low voice.
"You naughty kid!" Xu Chi immediately rushed over and slapped Tang Yi hard on the back of his neck, "How did you make Tiantian like that!"
"I was wrong." Tang Yi lowered his eyes and spoke.
"Something happens when I'm not around! You're quite capable!" Xu Chi wanted to fight again, but was stopped by Ji Tiantian and Jiang Lin.
In a lively atmosphere, Xu Chi returned to Ji Tang again.
Xu Chi was like a stabilizing force. With him around, Ji Tiantian immediately felt that their training atmosphere was much better. There was nothing to worry about anymore. She was in high spirits every day.
Of course, because her leg injury has not fully healed, Ji Tiantian's current training volume is not much, and she is still mainly doing basic skating on the ice. But even so, Ji Tiantian's days in the ice dance school are still unprecedentedly busy.
Probably in order to avoid being accused of "racial discrimination", the International Skating Union sent someone to the ice dance school to express their deepest condolences to Ji Tang.
Then, the famous Canadian figure skating magazine "International Figure Skating" also sent reporters to find Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi for an interview.
This is also the first time that an Asian ice dancer has appeared on this internationally renowned figure skating magazine.
"I noticed that in the full interview that was circulated online, an American reporter asked you why you chose such a confusing free dance theme." The magazine reporter asked Ji Tiantian softly, "Your answer at the time was because you are a contestant from China. I wonder if you have noticed that many people have cut out your answer and spread it. Many contestants were moved by your bravery and pride. Many Asian contestants regard you as idols."
"I haven't paid attention to these. There have been a lot of voices coming from all sides recently." Ji Tiantian smiled embarrassedly, "But I am very happy to bring encouragement to everyone. I always believe that ice dance is a way of expression. For me, being able to express my voice and be seen by others is more fulfilling than achieving results."
"I agree." The magazine reporter nodded approvingly, then pointed the microphone at Tang Yi. "Tang, you were really quick to take the microphone away to protect your female companion. But there are still many people on the Internet who don't know the truth and misunderstand your actions and think you are not rational enough. If the same thing happens again, will you take the risk of being misunderstood and take the microphone?"
"Of course." Tang Yi answered without hesitation, "There are always some things that are far more important than reputation."
Ji Tiantian was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but look at Tang Yi who was sitting next to her. Their eyes met, but neither of them spoke.
The magazine reporter nearby quickly pressed the shutter button to take this silent but powerful photo.
"When you suggested using a Chinese-themed free dance, did you think of this moment?" Xu Chi, who was standing on the sidelines and silently watching the interview, asked Clara beside him.
In the early stages of practice, they were also worried about what would happen if this free dance was not accepted.
Fortunately, despite the ups and downs, they were still accepted.
As the head coach, Xu Chi was still a little worried. He didn't know how high this unique free dance would take Ji Tang, and whether he could break through his best performance of the season.
But, as Ji Tiantian said, what is more fulfilling than grades is the voice of expression, being heard. That's enough. Xu Chi took a deep breath and slowly smiled.
"Of course I didn't expect Tang Yi and Tian Tian to make it this far." Clara also smiled with satisfaction. "It's rare for me to see such a talented pair of ice dancers. What's even more incredible is that they have received such high international attention. Many people like their show and themselves. Their future is immeasurable."
The interview ended soon, and Ji Tiantian unexpectedly received a sudden interview fee.
In the past few days, Ji Tiantian has often received condolences from relatives and friends at home and abroad. Zhang Lilian and Ji Ze in China, needless to say, often call Ji Tiantian and want to fly over to see her.
"Mom, I'm really fine. Don't waste money. It's better to save it and buy a bigger house in the future." Ji Tiantian said to her mother, "I will go home to see you after the finals."
"But Mom is really upset." Zhang Lilian's voice choked up unconsciously on the phone, "You have to be well... Mom will support you from now on, don't work so hard, do you hear me..."
"Mom, you see Tang Yi's mom has been working hard to open a store recently. Everyone is working hard, and I don't want to be a drag." Ji Tiantian smiled sweetly on the other end of the phone, "Besides, I am really happy to be able to do what I like."
"Then you have to come back soon. Mom misses you so much. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo..."
"Okay, okay, I'll be right back!"
After comforting Zhang Lilian, Ji Tiantian logged into the Weibo account she created, "the dedicated account for Chinese ice dance group Ji Tang's speeches."
Because so many things happened, she didn't post much on Weibo this season. Now that Xu Chi is back and the situation is stable, she has the leisure to go to Weibo to weed.
This account was shared by Tang Yi and her. When she logged in, she found that Tang Yi had collected many photos of the competition from various places, as well as some emoticons.
Some ice hockey fans used the sweet goose cartoon image designed by Feifei to create secondary works, and drew expressions such as "Sweet goose working hard", "Sweet goose learning", and "Sweet goose going for it", which were also recognized by the original creator Feifei.
Before Ji Tiantian logged in, she didn't know that Tang Yi was quite diligent in surfing the Internet. She looked around and found that she liked all the photos and emoticons collected by Tang Yi, so she quietly downloaded and saved them.
Then, Ji Tiantian took a photo of the medals she won at each race and uploaded it to Weibo. It was still her medal and Tang Yi's medal together, with two medals for each race.
"A lot of things really happened this season, but the dark clouds will eventually dissipate, and we will keep working hard!" Ji Tiantian was filled with emotion when typing this caption.
After she posted on Weibo, she switched off and looked at the topic forum. The Internet was calm, without the bloody storm of the day.
The Internet is updating very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, those who supported them, or those who were misled and scolded them, disappeared in the vast sea of people. It was as if nothing had happened.
But everything has happened. Ji Tiantian has accounts on Weibo and foreign social platforms. Currently, her domestic Weibo has 300,000 followers, and her foreign social accounts have 600,000 followers.
If she was just an ice dancer who wasn't at the center of attention, it would certainly be impossible for her to have so many fans in such a short period of time.
Because of the turmoil caused by the misleading video, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi left the small circle of ice and snow sports, and little by little, they came into the spotlight and were scrutinized by more people.
It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, only time will tell.
"Wow, double medals! The doubles event is more impressive than the singles event. The number of medals is shocking!" Soon a message came that Ning Huai, the men's singles player who had been promoted to a higher group, left a comment under Ji Tiantian's Weibo.
Women's singles player Ye Yidong came over and gave a thumbs up.
"Come on, after going through the storm, you will definitely see the rainbow!" Yu Sha Gaozhe, who has been promoted to the pair skating group, also left a comment. The ice dance group and Lin Aili's group also liked it.
Although they are no longer in the same group and do not practice together, they still care about each other because they are all figure skaters on the national team.
"Tiantang! I saw a lot of foreigners praising you guys on the Internet! They said your ice dance is very layered! It has tension and depth! Don't pay attention to what those blind people say!"
"Right! No matter what others say, you must stay calm!"
"Tiantian, how's your leg? Woohoo! I'd rather it was my leg that was injured!"
"Ahhh yes sweetie, are your legs okay?"
Only then did Ji Tiantian remember that she had to talk about her leg injury, so she immediately reported that she was resting, but it was not serious, and thanked everyone for their concern.
This year, Ji Tang's second stop was the fourth stop of the youth group. A few days later, in mid-October, the seven stops of the youth group of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating came to an end one after another.
The rankings of the top six pairs of combinations in the four figure skating events that advanced to the finals were finally announced.
The ranking is based on the number of points, which are linked to the players' rankings in the races. The better the ranking, the more points.
The youth group ice dancers who advanced to the finals are:
First place: Katerin Ilyich of Russia, first in two races, 30 points
2nd place: Mia Lucas of Canada, first in two races, 30 points
Third place: China's Ji Tiantian Tang Yi, first in one station, second in one station, 28 points
Fourth place: Analei, Spain, one first place, one second place, 28 points
Ranked fifth and sixth are new groups from the United States and France.
If the points are the same, the total points of the two stations will be added together, and the one with the higher score will be ranked higher. This is why the Russian group is ahead of the Canadian group, and why Ji Tang is ahead of the Spanish group.
The points of the old rivals are very close, so it is conceivable that the finals will be a fierce battle.
Ji Tiantian looked at the list of finalists and couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.
There are still nearly two months until the finals in December. It's not too long, but it's not too short either. In order not to delay practice time, Ji Tang basically stayed in Montreal for the second half of the year and didn't return to China.
Although she already had experience from last season, Ji Tiantian feels that her mood in preparing for the finals this time is completely different from last season.
The attention from all over the world is obviously much more than last season. Many people are looking forward to the rare Asian combination to achieve more success. This is a kind of pressure, but also a motivation.
In this situation, Ji Tiantian clearly felt that normal performance was not enough, and they had to perform beyond their normal level.
After recovering from her injury, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi quickly started sprint training for the finals.
But they soon discovered a problem: they just couldn't do the quintuple twist well.
To be precise, it was Tang Yi who did not do well.
Tang Yi couldn't spin as fast and recklessly as he did in the past. In the fifth week, the synchronization rate with Ji Tiantian was terrible.
"Tang Yi, do you have any psychological burden?" Clara, who was standing aside supervising the practice, asked anxiously.
At this time, Clara, Xu Chi and Jiang Lin looked at Tang Yi with a little anxiety.
The finals were approaching, but Ji Tang's best skill, a move that he had never made a mistake in, suddenly had problems. No matter how many times he practiced, it didn't work. Nothing could be more worrying than this.
The students from the ice dance school who were practicing nearby also looked at Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi with worried expressions.
"I'm sorry." Tang Yi spoke in a low voice facing everyone's gaze.
"I've said it many times, injuries on the court are very common, and Tiantian knows it. You can't always think about it." Clara looked at Tang Yi and said.
"The time is almost up, let's arrange a synchronized twist with fewer circles. Add a few more moves before the twist, step on the drums, and don't leave any gaps in the music." Xu Chi said at this time, "If you work harder on your performance, you are not completely uncompetitive."
The competitiveness that Xu Chi mentioned is naturally the competitiveness in competing for gold medals.
Ji Tiantian has not forgotten that their season goal is to win the finals or the gold medal in the World Youth Championship.
Only in this way will leaders not interfere with their external training.
Ji Tiantian knew very well that changing the five-week twist was not as simple as Xu Chi said. The technical movements of ice dance are closely linked to the rhythm of music and dance expression. Once changed, the pulling strength between Taiping and Xue Shao would be weakened, and the presentation effect of the whole program would plummet. Not to mention that the five-week twist has been their group's signature move since last season.
With such a change, the competitiveness will be greatly reduced.
Ji Tiantian certainly doesn't want to do that.
"Coach, I want to talk to Tang Yi alone." Ji Tiantian pulled Tang Yi away from the ice without waiting for him to react.
Tang Yi let Ji Tiantian pull him along, put on the hard blade sheath with her, stepped on the ice skates and went to the ground. The two of them came to the corner of the empty corridor.
Tang Yi leaned against the wall, standing face to face with Ji Tiantian. He was speechless for a moment.
Ji Tiantian pursed her lips. She had heard from other contestants that increasing the number of circles in the synchronized twist was troublesome and risky, and it would be a thankless task in terms of technical points. However, they still decided to increase the number of circles because they felt that doing so could appropriately improve the program content points that were difficult for them to improve. It would allow the judges to see their solid skills and excellent coordination.
Last season, when they first started practicing the five-week synchronized twist, although they encountered difficulties, it was still smooth overall. There was no pain, no collision, and Ji Tiantian found it incredible.
However, the risks of twisting have only slowly become apparent this season. Accidental injuries on the field, and the subsequent sudden drop in synchronization, each accident is frightening.
However, for the gold medal, she must deal with these accidents.
Ji Tiantian came back to her senses and looked at Tang Yi who was lowering his head in front of her.
Ever since he accidentally hurt her on the field, his synchronized twists have not been going well. She knew he had a knot in his heart and was afraid that the injury would happen again.
But for a professional athlete, especially one with a lifetime of experience like him, such an injury should not be uncommon. He shouldn't have such a knot in his heart.
"Tang Yi." Ji Tiantian couldn't help but call his name.
In an instant, she thought of many things, the sunflowers at the entrance of the theater, the rose-red bracelet, his quick reaction to snatch the reporter's microphone, and his swift fist when they first met in this life...
"Do you like me?" She looked straight into his dark eyes and asked.
Tang Yi raised his head quickly, looked into her eyes, and knitted his eyebrows tightly. Intense emotions were brewing in his eyes.
"Yes." He closed his eyes, "I'm sorry."
Ji Tiantian looked at Tang Yi with a pair of bright eyes. She felt somewhat relieved and her heart was very calm.
She suddenly asked the question that she didn't dare to ask in her previous life.
In her previous life, if she knew that Tang Yi liked her, she would definitely want to know how much he liked her and when it started. After all, she couldn't really feel his feelings.
However, she is no longer the follower who anxiously longed for love in her previous life. Now, she is full of thoughts about ice dancing and competitions, and has no time to care about personal feelings.
To her, Tang Yi was just a partner on the road to success. As for his feelings for her, she didn't care, and they seemed insignificant in front of her grand goal.
"We are now partners. Partners should cooperate with each other and complete the prescribed actions." Ji Tiantian stared at Tang Yi intently, "Accidents are bound to happen, and we have to overcome them."
"I understand." Tang Yi turned his head to avoid Ji Tiantian's overly scorching gaze, his chest heaving due to the intense emotions, "I will try my best to overcome..."
"No, you don't understand." Ji Tiantian suddenly reached out and held Tang Yi's face, forcing him to lower his head and stare into her eyes.
Tang Yi widened his eyes slightly and looked at Ji Tiantian with some surprise.
"Tang Yi, if what you said is true, if you really care about me, then help me get the gold medal." Ji Tiantian looked at Tang Yi, tears gradually accumulated in her eyes, but her eyes were still bright.
"I've never been successful in my previous life, and I've never experienced this feeling... I'm filled with hope and want to fight desperately. I don't want to lose. I don't want to lose again."
She took a deep breath, stared at Tang Yi closely, and said slowly: "Tang Yi, help me, okay?"
Her request was soft and gentle, but to him, it sounded like a sacred command.
He had no choice but to do as he was told.
"Okay." He clenched his fists tightly, and his arms and body were shaking slightly.
After the conversation, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi continued to practice as they did in the past, and their relationship did not change much.
Tang Yi struggled through a day of training.
That night he was a little sleepless, so he sat on the long corridor of the hall of the boys' dormitory of the ice dance school, watching the heavy snow falling outside the closed glass door. Canada is a country of ice and snow, and it snows half of the year. If you want, you can watch the snow until you vomit.
Tang Yi has always loved ice and snow. When he was tired from practicing, he would just stare at the ice and let his mind wander.
"Are you worried about twisting?" A voice came from behind. Tang Yi didn't even need to turn around to know that the voice came from Lucas.
Lucas and Mia were also at the ice dance school these days, preparing for the finals. The two groups practiced skating at the same ice rink, and often heard each other's coaches yelling, so they knew each other's training progress very well.
When Tang Yi heard Lucas' question, he didn't answer for a while.
It was almost his instinct to prevent Ji Tiantian from getting hurt. As an athlete and a qualified partner, it was also his instinct to complete the movements according to the regulations. It was difficult for him to explain the feeling of this fierce battle between instincts in his body.
But he knew that this was not what Ji Tiantian wanted. What she wanted was a partner who could help her win the gold medal. He had to give it to her.
He closed his eyes, and the violent struggle in his eyes faded away like the tide, and his dark eyes became firm again.
"My father told me that he was there when my mother gave birth to me. The scene at that time left a huge psychological trauma on him." Lucas sat next to Tang Yi and looked at the snow scene with him. "It was then that my father realized that he was the one who caused the greatest harm to my mother. It is always easy for us to hurt the people around us. Sometimes the more we care, the deeper the hurt."
"You know a lot." Tang Yi looked at Lucas deeply. No wonder he and Lucas were both enemies and friends in their previous lives. There were indeed some similarities between them, and they also had a common language.
"There are many people in the family, and I have been exposed to a lot of things." Lucas turned to look at Tang Yi, "Tang, hurt is inevitable. Many people choose to ignore it because it is not something that everyone can do to face it and make up for it. But I believe you can do it, because I regard you as my strongest opponent."
"Thank you." Tang Yi nodded.
"I found that I still like Tiantian very much." Lucas' next sentence made Tang Yi pause slightly.
"Tiantian has become even more dazzling this season. I still want to try to pursue her. You won't object, will you?" Lucas looked at Tang Yi, who had an expressionless face, and spoke in his usual domineering tone.
Lucas could feel Tang Yi's love for Ji Tiantian, and he also knew that this was an unrequited love. If there was a response, Tang Yi would not stay here alone.
"I thought about it and decided to give it another try to let Tiantian feel my sincerity. What's the name of that brick-like book you gave me last time? Five-year college entrance examination and three-year simulation, right? I heard that you Chinese like people who study well, so I decided to give it a try." Lucas looked at Tang Yi with a determined smile on his face, "Do you think I can succeed?"
"I don't know." Tang Yi said expressionlessly, "Why don't you finish one first?"
He and Lucas were rivals in the arena, and the same was true in the love field. As they fought more, they naturally developed a friendship of mutual respect. But this did not change the fact that they were rivals. Tang Yi paused, and his eyes became colder as he looked at Lucas.
Lucas was still smiling, and then he stuffed a soft thing into Tang Yi's hand, "Then I'll leave first, this will stay with you. I got it from Mia, she has a lot, you're welcome." After saying that, he walked away.
Tang Yi looked down and saw that it was a cotton doll designed in the image of Ji Tiantian, Tian Goose.
Tang Yi sighed silently. Although he knew that Lucas might want to laugh at his loneliness, his eyes softened involuntarily when he looked at the soft little swan doll in his arms.
In the quiet night, Tang Yi held the sweet goose and sat for a long time, looking at the heavy snow falling outside the door.
In the next three days, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi followed the coach's arrangements and ignored the free dance and focused on practicing the short dance.
Ji Tang, Mia and Lucas, who were practicing at the same ice rink, would often watch each other's practice.
"What do you think of our short dance?" Ji Tiantian asked Mia during a break.
Their short dance was not like their free dance, and their step sequence had not yet reached level 3. She also wanted to know what other professional players thought of it.
"Hmm... I think your short dance may not be as entertaining as your free dance." Mia looked thoughtful.
"Really?" Ji Tiantian was a little distressed, "But our short dance also has a lot of choreography."
"How should I put it? You don't look as relaxed as in freestyle dancing. Especially the upper body posture and the connection between the steps." Mia said while gesturing, "I don't think it's because you don't have a solid foundation in social dancing, but because you're a little bit constrained by yourselves."
Listening to Mia's words, Ji Tiantian suddenly vaguely felt where the problem between her and Tang Yi came from.
The reason why their step sequence was so easy to get to level three was because Tang Yi was a good leader. He had experience from his previous life, was flexible and powerful, and his skills were not bad. Under his guidance, she was not likely to go astray. By practicing to improve her footwork and adding performance and dance postures, she could easily get good results.
But short dance is different from free dance, it has a certain framework. Tang Yi, who started out as a free artist, has never been good at gliding within the framework.
Tang Yi is better at and prefers free free dance, which is what Ji Tiantian has personally felt after countless days of cooperation.
Tang Yi was restrained in his short dance, unable to move freely, as if there were chains around his ankles. Ji Tiantian herself had little background in social dancing, so when she was doing the short dance, she always unconsciously followed the more experienced Tang Yi.
However, following Tang Yi in handcuffs, the two of them were like being handcuffed together. They were tied up together and could not get high scores.
"Thank you, Mia. I think I know how to improve it." Ji Tiantian quickly came back to her senses and gave Mia a grateful smile.
"You're welcome!" Mia paused and looked at Ji Tiantian expectantly, "Tiantian, do you know how to improve Lucas's emotional expression?"
Ji Tiantian turned her head to look at Lucas beside her, and Lucas happened to look at her with a stern expression, still looking like a young and domineering boss.
"I'm sorry... I really can't help you." Ji Tiantian apologized sincerely.
Afterwards, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi practiced short dance and free dance alternately.
Ji Tiantian adjusted the short dance according to her own understanding, and received praise from Clara and the coaches.
Tang Yi also adjusted himself quickly, and the free dance practice did not disappoint. Before the Grand Prix Finals, they all reached their best condition.
In the blink of an eye, the 2012 Grand Prix Finals arrived amid intensive training and everyone's anticipation.
-over-
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
