Chapter 34: I Caught You~
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the heavy hotel curtains. The room was so quiet he could hear the person next to him breathing clearly, their rhythm so slow and drawn out that Le unconsciously calmed down from the anxiety he'd felt in his sleep. He reached for his phone on the bedside table and checked the time. It was still early, but he wasn't sleepy anymore.
She rolled over. Yuzuru Hanyu was a deep sleeper, unawakened by her movements. He simply patted her back, his hand on her body, as if to soothe her to sleep. In the faint morning light filtering through the gaps in the curtains, she looked up at his sleeping face. Everyone said his hair was soft and docile, but in reality, it was as stubborn as his personality. The side of his hair had already wrinkled noticeably against the pillow, and it would probably curl up again when he woke up.
He smiled and used his fingers to free the strands of hair that were trapped. He rubbed the pillow obediently, and the strand of hair was pushed back under his head, saving Le's combing efforts from being in vain. He touched his face. Although he no longer had the chubby cheeks like SpongeBob SquarePants when he was young, Le still couldn't help but bend his fingers and pinch it. He didn't use any force, just pouting, still sleeping soundly.
Instead, she became playful, poking his nose and fiddling with his eyelashes.
"Hmm..." He finally hummed with his eyes closed, held her naughty hand, hugged her arm and held her in his arms, "Sleep a little longer..." he murmured.
With him holding her against his chest, she had lost the opportunity to continue disturbing his sleep. When Le looked up, she could only see his fleshy chin and the shallow scar across his jaw.
That year he proudly boasted about going to her favorite country to compete, and she responded by saying that SP was not clean.
[Hmph! Just wait and see! I'll definitely win in the free skate! And my new coat is super cool!]
Accustomed to Yuzuru Hanyu's announcements, Le agreed to go see it. But that Saturday was the group's performance, so it would probably be difficult to watch live. So, Le figured, let it be.
Unexpectedly, the theater's cafeteria was broadcasting the match, allowing Le to look up and see a young man in a handsome new coat, seemingly determined to win, taking to the ice. She chatted with her colleagues over her lunch salad, occasionally glancing at Liu Lian, who she wasn't particularly interested in, until several people in the cafeteria exclaimed simultaneously.
The man who had left her a message a few hours earlier promising to win back now lay on the ice, his blood splattered across his handsome new coat and the pristine white surface, a shocking sight. It was her first time watching a Yuzuru Hanyu competition broadcast in public. From the moment he returned to the ice, the people in the bar gasped in surprise at every jump. Only when he bowed and bowed, the applause from the crowd finally brought Le back to her senses. She took a sip of her slightly cold coffee, trying to soothe her overly tight and cramped stomach.
Yuzu: Wow, I thought I was going to get scolded again...
It was only after the performance that day that Le received a response to his compliments.
[Raku: Again? 】
Yuzu: It's Mom and the coach... and Grandpa Kikuchi too. Everyone's scolding me... [feeling wronged.jpg]
[Raku: Then please don’t tell them. I think if it were me, I would make the same choice [covering my face.jpg]]
Raku: Once you're on the battlefield, you have to fight until the very end! So cool!
Since then, she no longer missed any of his matches. If he said she had to watch, she would watch carefully, and he would always fight until the very end. Sometimes, his stubbornness was so strong that Le couldn't help but blame himself, wondering if his words back then were too passionate and manga-like, which had led this veteran of the Chuunibyou syndrome to embark on such a path of competition with him.
Although, he was originally such a person.
Gently stroking the scar on his chin that had faded to the point where it was only slightly noticeable, Le sighed.
Fortunately, I can be with him this time.
His even breathing seemed to have some hypnotic effect on his ears. As Le listened, his thoughts became intermittent and he soon fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, Yuzuru Hanyu was already up, stretching by the window. The curtains were half-drawn, letting in a light that wasn't glaring. Le stretched comfortably, only to be immediately noticed.
"Good morning~" He leaned over with a smiling face and kissed her on the cheek, "I was going to call you too. Is it almost time for work today?"
I took the phone and took a look, and it was true.
"What are you going to do today?" Le stood up and went to the bathroom while tying up her long hair.
"I still want to go train."
Hanyu Yuzuru said as he trudged to the bathroom door, leaned against the door frame, and stretched out his fingers. He added cautiously, "Just one hour. Just one hour on the ice. Is that okay?"
"Why are you asking me?" He wiped the water off his face with a towel, looked up and saw Yuzuru Hanyu clinging to the door frame with a look of anticipation in the mirror. He couldn't help laughing, turned around and splashed the water droplets on his hand on his face.
Yuzuru Hanyu opened his mouth in a daze, momentarily at a loss for words, and scratched the back of his head. Le went over and wiped the water droplets off his face with his palm, laughing at his daze.
"Go ahead, but don't put too much pressure on your ankle so you can skate again in the future."
Yuzuru Hanyu was training at the secondary venue again, skating The Phantom of the Opera, and he was in good shape. Volunteers and other staff members could often be heard discussing this information throughout the rehearsal room. Le didn't have the opportunity to be there, but his smile, promising to take good care of his ankle, reassured her.
Before returning to the hotel, Le was looking at the piles of white meatballs placed behind the food stall in the restaurant of the Olympic Village and felt a little worried. He lowered his head and took out his mobile phone to ask Guan Yue for help.
[Raku Lele: Yueyue, should we eat tangyuan or yuanxiao? ]
While waiting for a reply, she gave up her place in the queue. Le only realized today was Lantern Festival after a colleague reminded her. Guan Yue had once prepared a special Lantern Festival snack for her, soft and delicious. This was a rare opportunity, so she had to bring it to Yuzuru Hanyu to try. But she couldn't remember whether it was tangyuan or yuanxiao.
"Mika tuo on" (Finnish: What is that?)
"En tieda." (Finnish: I don't know.)
Finnish is rarely heard in China, and the familiarity made Le turn his head. Several tall, blond, blue-eyed men in blue Finnish team uniforms were curiously discussing the food at the food stall. One of them looked familiar, but with a mask on, he couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was his puzzled gaze that caught his attention, for he looked over, his eyes filled with surprise.
"Raku? Is that you?" the man said as he left the team and strode towards Le.
Le raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, her mask hiding her shy smile, "Long time no see, Niko."
"It's been a long time, six years, right? Why are you here? Are you a volunteer?"
"I'm a staff member."
The bustle in the restaurant drowned out her small reply. Niko moved closer and asked again. Le lowered her eyes and replied again.
"Wow! So amazing? But didn't you continue to dance ballet?" Jian Le shook her head. He smiled and raised his hand to rub the top of her head. "That's great too. Your current job must be very impressive too!"
She straightened her messed up hair and smiled happily, "You're pretty good too. I heard everyone performed really well."
"Not bad, the quarterfinals are tomorrow afternoon."
The phone in my hand vibrated. It was Guan Yue's reply, asking about her personal preference for Yuanxiao or Tangyuan.
"Are you planning to order this snack? My Chinese friend recommended Tangyuan." Le said and helped Niko's teammates translate and order the food.
The hot dumplings were quickly packed, and just as Le was about to say goodbye and leave, he was stopped by Niko.
"Thank you for ordering for us. I remember you like pandas very much..." He fumbled in his pockets and finally lowered his head to take a Bing Dwen Dwen badge from his badge and put it into Le's hand. His green eyes were full of gentle smiles. "I still have some for now. I'll give them to you later."
"No, no, it's too much trouble."
"It's okay. We are having a game tomorrow. If you are free, come and watch. After the game, come find me and I will give you the badge~" He waved his hand and went to the table of his teammates with the meal in his hand. The noises of several people merged into the already bustling restaurant.
------
On February 16, a reporter from Nikkan Sport tweeted: Yuzuru Hanyu is resting today.
Everyone thought he was staying in the hotel to rest, and no one knew that he was wrapped up tightly and went to another venue.
The game on the ice hockey rink was intense. The puck clanged against the backboard, the sticks clashed fiercely, and the athletes in protective gear squeezed each other. From a distance, it looked like a group brawl. Compared to the intense atmosphere on the field, the audience seemed much calmer. They were all watching the game intently, and no one noticed a couple quietly watching the game from the back row.
Yuzuru Hanyu put his hands in his pockets, huddled in his seat, and watched the fierce conflict on the ice rink with a frown.
He doesn't like ice hockey, not at all.
A group of people holding golf clubs crowded in front of the goal and hitting the ball. What's so interesting about that?
He really wanted to ask this, but a video call last night brought him here.
"Our Finnish team performed really well at this year's Winter Olympics! Raku, if it's convenient for you, please go cheer for me there tomorrow. And if you can, please get me a signed jersey from Filppula."
This was a request from Marrku-san, so it was hard to refuse. But I couldn't let Le come to the hockey game alone, absolutely not!
The moment the Swiss team shot, Hanyu's arm was pinched hard by Le, who was standing next to him. The ball was safely caught by the goalkeeper, and Le cheered. The sound was particularly loud in the calm stands, and she quickly retreated into her chair and covered her mouth.
"The atmosphere here is too bad." Le grumbled, "If this were in Finland, the atmosphere for watching a game would be great."
She gestured towards the stands and described to Hanyu how, as a child, she used to go to soccer games with Marrku-san. Every goal would be met with excitement, and beer and popcorn would often fly everywhere. She never wore hooded clothing to games, otherwise she would take home a bag of popcorn.
"And during halftime, the screen in the middle will play the Kiss Cam. Can you believe it? The shy Finns can also play the Kiss Cam."
"What is that?" Yuzuru Hanyu certainly knew, but compared to the competition, the story Le told was obviously much more interesting.
"The camera randomly captures a man and woman on the scene, and they have to kiss, regardless of their relationship. Generally speaking, in Finland, the director will pick a few people who look like couples, and won't choose anyone too strange. But there are still some interesting things happening, so it's an interesting segment."
"Is that so? Then if we sit here like this, won't we be discovered by the director?" Yuzuru Hanyu hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees, and looking at her sideways with his face in his hands.
"That's true~ But I've never been caught on camera~"
Le shrugged, sounding somewhat proud. As soon as she finished speaking, her chin was pinched by Yuzuru Hanyu's slender fingers, and his enlarged face leaned forward. Through the mask, he tilted his head and kissed Le's lips.
"I got you~" Yuzuru Hanyu said happily, his mask and hat almost covering his entire face, leaving only a pair of narrow eyes that smiled like a fox.
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