Chapter 30: Covered Up Success
January 31st is only 5 days away from the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. The excitement brought by the Spring Festival makes the actors in rehearsal very good. Although the director who strives for perfection still makes various adjustment requests, the overall rehearsal is still quite smooth.
"Hey~ Teacher Lele, where are you going?" Aunt Sun grabbed Lele who was about to go home from get off work, "It's Chinese New Year, didn't you say that your roommates all went to their boyfriends' houses to celebrate the New Year? It must be so lonely to be alone. Come on, let's go to Auntie's house to celebrate the New Year."
Aunt Sun’s enthusiasm was unbearable, so she had to obey.
Since the official live rehearsal, Le has been assigned to the warm-up group, serving as assistant director. Unexpectedly, Le, with her gentle words and beautiful dance demonstrations, has captivated Aunt Sun and the other square dancers. As soon as rehearsal ends, the dancers gather around Le, asking her for help correcting their moves.
After a few visits, they became familiar with each other, and the enthusiastic aunts even arranged a blind date for Le.
"Hey, you're such a great dumpling-maker! It would be great if you could stay in China. It's a shame our Chinese guys aren't that lucky." Aunt Sun sat in the living room, skillfully wrapping dumplings while sighing to Le, who was helping her. "You really have a boyfriend? You didn't lie to me, did you?"
"Then I wouldn't dare lie to you."
"You said last time that your boyfriend is an athlete? So is he coming this time?"
"Here I am."
"Wow, it seems he's a celebrity then. No wonder he refused to show me a photo." Aunt Sun clapped her hands and waved, motioning for her husband to help cook the dumplings. "In previous years, Auntie took care of everything, but this year she's busy, and your uncle is useless. We'll just have some simple dumplings for the New Year."
Le looked at the table full of fish and meat and was a little stunned. Is this just the simple food that Chinese people eat during the Chinese New Year?
After the dumplings were served, Aunt Sun's children called in from abroad. Standing at a distance, they watched their family's joyful moments together. To ensure everyone on the video chat could hear clearly, Aunt Sun spoke in a powerful, high-pitched voice. The Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV, and the house was bustling with activity.
This was Le's first time experiencing such a lively Spring Festival. While he was still sighing with emotion, he was suddenly pushed behind Aunt Sun by Uncle Bai.
"Teacher Lele, please don't stand alone." Auntie pulled Lele to sit on the stool beside her. "Look at you, a bunch of unfilial people. If it weren't for Teacher Lele to accompany us two old people to celebrate the New Year, this house would be so deserted."
In the video, Aunt Sun’s children were not angry. They all smiled and responded, saying yes, and thanked Teacher Lele.
"Come on, let's raise a toast. We're going to watch the Spring Festival Gala." Auntie interrupted the lively atmosphere and raised her cup towards the screen. Uncle Le and Uncle Bai also picked up the drinks at hand. "First of all, I hope everything goes well for our Winter Olympics!"
"Okay!" Responses came one after another.
"Then, let's wish Teacher Lele's boyfriend good results in the competition! Win a gold medal!" Aunt Sun looked at Le, "When the time comes, you must tell me who the boy is, so that I can be proud of myself in front of the TV too."
"Okay." Le answered with a smile.
"Finally, to all of us, Happy New Year, all the best, and may all your wishes come true!"
"Great!!!" They raised their glasses together and drank it all down with full blessings.
Yuzuru Hanyu, who was far away in Japan, received a message and a photo from Le.
In the photo, Le is wearing a festive red floral vest that looks a bit too big, as if it's someone else's rather than her own. She's holding a Chinese knot and smiling broadly, and the wall doesn't look like Le's home.
Raku: Happy Chinese New Year, Hanyu! Aunt Sun took me home for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Do I look like a Chinese girl today?
Soon the second photo was sent, showing steaming dumplings and a table full of sumptuous dishes.
[Raku: I also learned a new way to make dumplings. Are you craving them?]
Le has been in great shape lately, her daily calls, video chats, and messages all filled with joy and energy. Each of her messages has been the most relaxing comfort for Yuzuru Hanyu these days.
He replied to the message with a smile, put his phone on the fence of the ice rink, took a long breath, and started skating while muttering to himself again.
"It's okay, it's okay, believe in yourself, believe in yourself."
The sound of skates sliding across the ice, the whoosh of a jump, the thud of a landing. It was a pity there were no cameras in the empty rink, otherwise they would have seen a perfect quadruple Axel landing, and this wasn't the first time he had landed it successfully in practice.
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Every time she watched the official group rehearsal, Le would get goosebumps. She sat alone in the corner of the auditorium, clutching a small notebook and taking notes, completely unaware that Director Meng was approaching her with a folder.
"You're all alone here, making it hard for me to find you." Director Meng handed her the folder. "Your application has been approved. A little girl broke her foot and has gone home to recover. The performance skating team just happened to have a vacancy. You got what you wanted."
"Really? That's great! Thank you."
Pulling out the folder, Le quickly flipped through it. Inside was a staff name tag with his own photo printed on it. Great! Now the surprise was complete.
"After the opening ceremony, you can prepare to stay at the Closed Loop Hotel." Director Meng sat down next to Le. "You girls are really desperate to chase after celebrities."
"Star chasing?"
Meng tapped Le's phone, which had been set aside. The lock screen lit up, and Yuzuru Hanyu's smiling face appeared. "Hey, isn't this considered star-chasing? You're going to the performance skating team just to see him, right? What's his name? Yuzuru Hanyu, right?"
He froze in place, not daring to move or speak for fear that Director Meng would notice something.
"There's nothing wrong with you joining the exhibition skating team to gain some experience. After all, you need to learn more about working with others. But I heard you skipped the documentary filming and interviews. What happened?"
What should I do? My boss kept asking me questions. How should I respond? Le was frantically seeking help, but no one could help her. She swallowed, thought for a moment, and said, "I just wasn't feeling well that day..."
"Your physical condition is unstable. I need to talk to Director Wang. You may not be able to join the performance skating team."
"No, no! Director Meng, I just don't like being on camera."
Director Meng frowned at Le's response. Did this girl really not know what was a waste? She was clearly a promising ballet dancer with a solid foundation. If she'd been in the troupe, she'd have been at least the top soloist by now, right? And yet she chose to be a choreographer. Over the past three years, he'd watched her grow in choreographing skills, wanting to nurture her and give her more exposure. And she said she didn't want to be on camera?
"Are you going to stay behind the scenes forever?"
"Yeah, I think it's pretty good~"
She sighed. She had seen Le's stubborn temper before, and since she was just a senior at work, there was no point in saying anything more. "Just make up your mind."
Le watched Director Meng leave, lowered his head and flipped through the inspiration notebook in his hand, sighed softly, sorted out his emotions, and continued his recording.
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February 6
After donning her mask and the work crew uniform, she double-checked in front of the mirror to ensure she looked no different from the other Olympic staff members before leaving the room with peace of mind. Le had made every possible preparation, even hiring her informant, Guan Yue. This time, she'd pretend to be a fan and then make a surprise appearance at the end. After all, Director Meng had already deemed her a fangirl, so it would be a shame not to give her some attention.
This closed-loop hotel, reserved for late-arriving athletes and staff, wasn't particularly bustling. Le, clutching his phone, leaned over the second-floor railing, staring at the revolving glass doors below.
I looked at the time. It had been more than two hours since Yuzuru Hanyu sent the news that he had landed safely. He should be arriving soon.
Soon, a bus pulled up to the main entrance. Yuzuru Hanyu, wearing a dark blue suit, a red tie, and carrying a large backpack, jumped off the bus like a high school student. Following the staff's guidance, he obediently removed his backpack, passed through the security checkpoint, lifted his hair for a temperature check, and nodded in thanks to the surrounding staff. He completely failed to notice a small head perched on the railing in the corner of the second floor, happily bobbing from side to side.
It was not until Hanyu and Aunt Yumi disappeared from sight that Le received the message from Hanyu.
Yuzu: I'm at the hotel~
【Raku: Yeah! Have a good rest~】
She suppressed her longing for him, not wanting to disturb him from preparing for the competition even though they lived under the same roof. This was something Le Zai had decided from the beginning. Although, looking back on it much later, she still didn't know if it was the right choice.
During the Winter Olympics, Beijing's weather was beautiful and sunny, and everything went smoothly. I finished the opening ceremony smoothly, successfully approved the working group's application, checked into the same closed-loop hotel, successfully watched his pre-game practice without telling him, and successfully found the best viewing spot for the short program.
From that position, you can clearly see Hanyu's condition before he came on the court, the JSF staff's deliberate avoidance, and... the hole on the ice.
An accident tore apart all the peace that was covered up by "smoothness".
On the night of February 8th, Rao Yu, somewhat helplessly, texted his friend about leaving work early. As a closed-loop hotel, the rooftop bar had few guests at night, so the bartenders took turns covering the shift. When no one was around, they would close early and go back to their rooms to play games. It was his turn today, but a woman arrived at 1 a.m., ordered a gin and tonic, and then quietly sat down by the window.
The girl had no makeup on when she arrived, a down jacket over her pajamas, and slippers on her feet. She looked like she hadn't been able to sleep and had come up to get a drink. But she'd been sitting there for over an hour and wasn't ready to leave. It was really annoying.
The wine on the table had long since lost its icy coolness when it was first served. The ice cubes in the glass continued to melt, making crisp clinking sounds as they broke. Le took another sip of the wine, continuing to let his thoughts drift.
2106 was his room number, she knew it.
Not knocking on the door had taken all her self-control, and now she had no energy left to control her overflowing emotions.
Reason still allowed her to fall asleep briefly that night, and in her dream she returned to the stage when she was 17 years old.
Under the dazzling stage lights, she spun to the rhythm of the music, then glissade and jump. She'd practiced this move countless times, but her pointe shoes slipped as she landed, sending her sprawling onto the stage. She woke with a start, the numbness from the fall still fresh in her memory. She grabbed a coat and headed to the rooftop lounge.
She turned on her phone again. She didn't know how many times she had read these few short sentences tonight.
Yuzu: It seems Bing really hates me.
[Raku: Adversity is what made Yuzuru Hanyu what he is, isn't it? The ice is helping you.]
【Yuzu: Regret】
【Raku: Then win it back, like we did in Helsinki. 负けないで！ 】
When she uttered those words, she hesitated for a moment, and an inexplicable uneasiness enveloped her.
In that year's performance, no matter how she relied on muscle memory to mobilize her numb body to complete the entire performance, she was still forced to rest for two months because of a fractured toe. Those two months changed her dance career.
So...what will happen to Yuzuru Hanyu's accident this time? What can she do for him?
"Is that Xiaole?" Aunt Yumi's voice pulled Le out of her thoughts. She turned around in surprise, and the face that looked too similar to Hanyu Yuzuru was smiling gently. "I didn't expect to see you here. Does Yuzuru know you're here?"
Le shook his head, stood up and pulled out a chair for Aunt Yumei and asked her to sit down.
"Want to keep it a secret for you?"
"Please, Auntie." Seeing the surprise in Auntie Yumi's eyes, she smiled bitterly and lowered her head to stir the straw in the cup. "Since he said it's good, then it must be good."
Yumi Hanyu quickly put away the surprise in her eyes, ordered a beer and sat quietly opposite her.
The silence between the two was broken by the bartender who brought the drinks. After nodding to thank the bartender, Yumi Hanyu took a big sip of beer and spoke slowly.
"This is the battle he chose. No matter the outcome, we must let him fight to his heart's content in the way he chose without any regrets, right?"
"Yeah. I believe him."
Yumi Hanyu smiled with relief and reached out to pat the top of Le's head. "It's great that Yuzuru likes you."
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