Chapter 32 Occasionally Willful
The bright light in the room made the fluorescent light of the TV less noticeable. It was playing a mystery drama recommended by Le. Although it was in Chinese, which he couldn't understand, the Japanese subtitles she had found were more than enough for Yuzuru Hanyu to follow the plot. Unfortunately, his attention kept drifting away, to his ankle, which was no longer swollen but still painful, or to the desk by the window, where a stack of documents from the day's delivery lay quietly.
Every time he briefly looked away, he couldn't keep up with the plot when he turned back. He couldn't figure out how many times the male and female protagonists had appeared on this bus. Looking at Le who was watching the TV beside him with full concentration, he didn't want to interrupt her viewing experience with questions about the plot, so he simply leaned back on the sofa and continued to daydream.
As his thoughts drifted, he suddenly felt Le's arm tightly grasped. "Yabai, Yabai!" she muttered. On the TV screen, the protagonists seemed to be fighting a murderer. The male protagonist was already injured, and the female protagonist was about to escape when the murderer grabbed her. Seeing her nervous expression, Yuzuru Hanyu pulled his arm away, put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into his arms. The music on the TV suddenly faded, leaving only the actors' breathing and cries for help. The tension in the atmosphere increased sharply, and Le's breathing became tense as well.
The moment the murderer raised the knife, he subconsciously covered Le's head in his arms. The picture suddenly lost its color, leaving only the silent sound of a blunt object piercing flesh, the sound of blood gushing out, and the sound of life slipping away.
"Yuzuru... I can't see anymore..." Her protest was muffled in her chest.
He loosened his grip and let Le slip out of his arms. She looked at him innocently with her messy hair.
"I thought you were scared..." He scratched his head apologetically. Before he could finish his words, Le pulled his arm and leaned into his arms again, letting his arms hug him.
"That's good~" She adjusted herself to a comfortable position, leaning against his chest. She raised her head and playfully kissed his chin, then turned back to watching TV. On the TV, the hero, after dealing with the murderer, took the heroine with him and resolutely left the scene. The bus was burning behind them, making their steps seem even more resolute and decisive.
"So handsome~" Le exclaimed, but before she could finish her words, the TV screen disappeared from her sight again, but this time it was not blocked. Yuzuru Hanyu pulled her wrist and pressed her into the sofa.
He bit her lips lightly as punishment.
"How can you praise someone for being handsome?"
Le stared with disbelief. She was praising the picture, what kind of excuse was this guy making?
No one had set up a skip to the next episode, and the ending theme finally played in the room. As the ending theme's gentle voice played, Yuzuru Hanyu's gentle eyes carefully traced her features, raising his hand to caress her cheek. She leaned in slightly, nuzzling his palm. Their hearts beat in time with the music, as they clung to each other.
Before the next episode was aired, the TV was turned off by the remote control, and only the lingering lyrics of "You Are My Only" continued to echo in the room, lingering for a long time.
The constant flashes of light and pointed questions made Yuzuru Hanyu feel suffocated. He tried to find a reassuring figure among the reporters, but he couldn't find one. Breathing rapidly, he opened his eyes, and the moonlight filtering through the curtains was quiet.
"Hmm..." The person next to him seemed to be awakened by his movement. He hugged his arm and rubbed his head in a daze, then reached out and patted his chest gently as if to comfort him.
Looking at Le's dazed sleeping face, Yuzuru Hanyu suddenly felt relieved. He kissed the tip of her nose and hugged her to continue sleeping.
----
The Olympic Village gift shop is probably one of the most popular areas outside of the major competition venues, with numerous volunteers, staff, and athletes frequenting it daily. However, few people consistently come every two days. Aside from the renowned Yidundun reporter, Chen Yiyi is definitely a frequent visitor. As the sole volunteer in the dormitory, she shoulders the responsibility of ensuring the perfect bed-to-bedroom plan. She's not afraid of purchase restrictions; she'll just have to make a few extra trips.
However, what she didn't expect was that when she sneaked into the store during her break today, she actually saw a familiar person in front of the Bing Dwen Dwen shelf.
"Teacher Lele?"
The person whose shoulder was tapped was startled and was clearly lost in thought, not noticing Chen Yiyi's approach. Seeing a puzzled look in her eyes, Chen Yiyi took off her mask to reveal her face.
"Teacher Lele, weren't you here for the opening ceremony? Why are you in the closed loop now?"
"The performance skating team." Le Jiang waved his work ID on his chest, but he didn't expect the little girl in front of him to suddenly shout out excitedly.
"Ahh~~~! Teacher Lele, will you meet Hanyu Yuzuru? I love him so much!" Her voice attracted a lot of onlookers. Noticing that she had lost her composure, she pulled Le's arm and lowered her voice to continue, "Teacher, can you meet him?"
Perhaps it was Yiyi's sincere gaze, or perhaps it was her rapid movements that confused Le, but she inexplicably nodded. Anyway, she could always see them during rehearsals, so it wasn't too revealing.
Yiyi's eyes suddenly lit up, "If possible, please bring him a Bing Dwen Dwen for me. I'm really upset that he got fourth place this time. He can't live without Bing Dwen Dwen. How can my brother Niu live without Bing Dwen Dwen!" As she said that, she picked out a few Bing Dwen Dwens from the shelf and pulled Le to the checkout counter.
Chen Yiyi didn't have much time to slip out. She stuffed a Bing Dwen Dwen into Le's hand and hurried off, leaving Le staring at the Bing Dwen Dwen in his hand. The phone in his pocket vibrated several times in succession. It was a WeChat message from Chen Yiyi.
[Yiyi-xx classroom student: I just forgot to say it]
Yiyi-xx classroom student: Didn't Teacher Lele get enough rest? She seems so dazed today.
[Yiyi-xx classroom students: stagnant jpg.]
[Yiyi-xx classroom students: You should have a good rest! ]
Yiyi-xx classroom student: "Teacher, please make sure to bring Bing Dwen Dwen to Brother Niu! A photo would be great, but it's okay if you don't have one!"
Messages flashed across the screen one by one, the next popping up before I'd even finished typing my reply. After deleting the message twice and retyping it, Le gave up on the idea of replying immediately. He unscrewed the bottle of mineral water from his shopping bag, removed one of the ear loops from his mask, and drank a few sips. After a while, the phone seemed to calm down. He stuffed the bottle back into the bag and lowered his head to reply.
After thinking about it, I replied with two words - OK.
She really hadn't had much rest recently, and she was indeed in a daze just now.
But these are not suitable to explain to Yiyi.
The shuttle bus back to the hotel had not arrived yet, so Le took his shopping bags and sat down in the corner of the rest area. Looking at the snow scene outside the glass wall, his thoughts drifted away again.
On the evening of the day after the free skate, the two were awakened by a knock on the door from the doctor and nutritionist. Le rubbed his neck, sore from sleeping awkwardly, and watched Yuzuru Hanyu receive treatment. Once everyone had left and the room was quiet, Hanyu obediently began to eat his nutritious dinner. His foot, freshly treated, rested on the armrest of the sofa. He ate calmly, his emotions completely gone. To be more precise, his emotions had subsided since the knock on the door.
The last time I was there to greet him after a game was four years ago.
That evening four years ago, Yuzuru Hanyu was surrounded by a crowd. After the crowd dispersed, he excitedly pulled her aside and asked where she wanted to go. The winter night in Gangneung was quiet and chilly, the white mist from his breath lingering in the air. Hanyu excitedly recounted how nervous he was going on stage, then how confident he felt in the second half. Although it was a bit noisy, his cheerful demeanor made the noise seem bearable.
He was already 23 years old that year, but he still looked like a child. The nervousness before the game was written all over his face, and the joy and pride after winning the championship were also unconcealed and unrestrained. Le could easily share his emotions.
And now, at 27, he sat on the sofa that night beside her, quietly and diligently eating his meal.
It's just... he would be dazed from time to time.
It has been like this for the past two days.
While writing his figure skating notes, he'd look up at the desk lamp, dazed, then suddenly wake up and return to writing. When they watched the new season of Demon Slayer together, he'd often miss scenes because of his daze, then pull Le aside to ask where they were. He'd even become distracted while playing games, accidentally running into the water while controlling his character and nearly drowning. Even intense suspense dramas couldn't hold his attention.
Watching Yuzuru Hanyu like this, Le felt a little powerless for the first time. She wondered if she should give him some time to process his emotions, but he kept acting like a spoiled child, saying his feet hurt, and wouldn't let her go.
Thinking of this, Le couldn't help but sigh, taking the Bing Dwen Dwen beside her and examining it. Yuzuru Hanyu always liked mascots, so she wanted to buy a Bing Dwen Dwen, but she was worried that it would remind him of something unhappy, so she was already struggling. Now this is good...
"Can you save me a seat at the press conference tomorrow night?"
"It's Yuzuru Hanyu's press conference!"
"Yes, yes, it's a Q&A session. I made a mistake. Please save me a seat."
The sound of a reporter sitting in the back making a phone call came over, and a few key words immediately caught Le's attention.
Press conference?! How come she didn’t know?
What happened to Yuzuru Hanyu?
----
The person asking the question was unaware that he was being talked about and was still sleeping.
Thick curtains almost perfectly blocked out the sunlight from the window. The occupants were completely unaware it was already afternoon, still sound asleep. Yuzuru Hanyu rolled over, the discomfort in his right foot gradually waking him from his slumber. Alone in the dim room, he fumbled on the bed for his phone and checked the time.
February 13, 2022, 3:26 PM
He'd been letting himself go for the past couple of days. He hadn't gotten up early, hadn't done his imagery training, and hadn't strictly followed his nutritionist's instructions for meals. He'd been playing games until midnight and sleeping until he woke naturally. This had been going on for almost two days.
The curtains were opened, and the afternoon sun poured in. Hanyu squinted his eyes before gradually adapting to the light.
He went to the bathroom in his slippers. On the hotel's large washbasin, next to his toothbrush stood a purple electric toothbrush, as well as a set of women's facial cleanser and skin care products.
He'd been letting himself go a bit these past couple of days. Even though he knew Le still had work to do, he still dragged her to stay with him. They stayed up late playing games and catching up on anime. Now he could still stay in his room to catch up on sleep, but Le still had to go to work. It must be very tiring.
The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow, and it’s time to return to normal life, although there are still many things I haven’t thought through.
He lowered his head and poured a handful of water onto his face, rinsing off the foam. The sound of running water masked the sound of the door opening. When he looked up, he saw someone standing at the bathroom door, leaning against the door frame and looking at him.
The uncleaned razor was still hanging on the washbasin, and the stubble that had grown rampantly for two days was shaved off. It seemed that what happened at the press conference was true.
"Are you up?"
"Are you back?"
The two of them looked at each other in the mirror, making simultaneous sounds and then a simultaneous "hmm." The water had just been wiped off Hanyu's face in the mirror, and drops of water from his wet bangs fell back onto his face, soaking his collar. Le pulled a towel from the rack and placed it on his head, wiping his hair, which had been dampened by the rough washing.
"Le, is your work not going well today?"
"No, why do you ask?"
With his head covered in a towel, Yuzuru Hanyu couldn't clearly see Le's expression when he answered.
"You seem unhappy." The way he wiped her hair was a little... rough. But Hanyu didn't dare to say anything.
"Doesn't someone have anything to confess?"
The towel was removed, and Hanyu, finally seeing the light again, his hair tangled into a mess, looked bewildered at Le's seemingly calm expression. This expression must have indicated anger, but did he have something to confess?
Sighing, he gave him a hint.
"You're going to hold a press conference tomorrow, aren't you?"
Nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew." The answer that came out of his mouth choked Le.
She'd considered some ridiculous excuse, like he was afraid she'd worry, but she hadn't expected him to be so honest. It seemed like the assistant had mentioned it the day the free skating ended, and the press conference materials were clearly placed on the desk, but Le hadn't even noticed.
It seemed like it was actually my fault for a moment.
Seeing her stunned expression was a little funny, Yuzuru Hanyu pinched her face and said, "Is it because of this?"
His expression was relaxed, as if this was really just a trivial matter. But she didn't think so.
Le disliked reporters, and even more so, press conferences. She never watched Yuzuru Hanyu's interviews, not even the ones after the competition. He stood there alone, a sea of people holding microphones and cameras focused on him, flashes flashing, shutters clicking. Just thinking about it made Le feel suffocated.
What's more, there are questions with traps one after another.
"Are you worried about me, Le? It's okay, I'm used to it. Reporters are not that scary." As if seeing the uneasiness in her heart, Yuzuru Hanyu patted her head.
"Are you really ready?"
"Um."
"Even if I ask you if you want to retire?" She heard several reporters discussing this after his free skate last time.
This time, it was Hanyu's turn to be stunned. He looked up at the ceiling, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "To be honest, I don't know. These past few days, I've even been wondering if I should continue skating. Last year, a kid asked me what I would do if I didn't skate. Maybe now's the time to start thinking about that."
He looked at Le, and the bitter smile in his eyes made people feel sad.
Le didn't respond. She walked straight to the bedside, found the painkillers the doctor had given her among the bottles on the bedside table, and took them. She took Yuzuru Hanyu's hand and placed the bottle in his.
"Whether you want to break up with Bingmian or not, you have to discuss it with Bingmian yourself."
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