Chapter 102: Understanding Choices and Letting Go

Shu Ran quickly returned backstage with Fu Yiqing to take the painkillers.

The moment she swallowed the pill, half of her anxiety eased, now all she could do was wait for the medicine to take effect.

Feeling the sharp gaze upon her, Shu Ran suddenly realized she had been caught.

Fu Yiqing asked, "Is the pain in your right foot starting again?"

Her asking for painkillers was proof that the pain had returned, meaning the effect of the anesthetic injection was wearing off.

Shu Ran remained silent.

"Shu Ran, I am your coach. If you still hide this from me at a time like this, how can you trust me in future training?" Fu Yiqing’s tone grew firm, his face dark with obvious anger.

Hearing this, Shu Ran only furrowed her brows slightly, still saying nothing.

Even the usually composed Fu Yiqing began to grow anxious. He clenched his right hand into a fist and pressed it against his forehead, closing his eyes tightly as if trying to think of a solution—but to no avail.

"Shu Ran," he said, "If you want figure skating to be your lifelong career, you must never act wilfully and alone at critical moments. This is not just your competition; it’s mine and Quentin’s as well, and a contest among all the competing nations!"

A faint sigh brushed past Fu Yiqing’s ears.

Shu Ran’s tightly knitted brows finally eased a little. “It’s already starting to fail,” she admitted, then looked up at Fu Yiqing. “The anesthetic injection.”

Her confession finally allowed Fu Yiqing to breathe a little easier. The situation was indeed as he feared. Though Shu Ran had relaxed, the current circumstances were far from favorable.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Kristina’s total score currently led the standings. Her short program score exceeded Shu Ran’s by 1.05 points—a small margin—but the free skate remained Shu Ran’s greatest challenge.

At the qualifiers, Shu Ran scored 130.89 points in the free skate. To surpass Kristina, she would need to reach at least 142.44 points in this segment.

The biggest issue on ice was still the jumps; other problems were negligible.

In the past few months, although Shu Ran had regained the stamina and calf muscle strength expected in competition through off-ice training, her time on the ice was scarce. The actual execution might be even worse than anticipated. The six-minute warm-up just now was the best example.

She had attempted a 3-loop jump experimentally but failed every time, further aggravating the pain and diminishing the anesthetic injection’s effect.

Qin Liubei soon arrived. After learning the situation, the three immediately began discussing countermeasures.

Qin Liubei said, “I’ll be brief. I suggest you adjust the difficulty composition by replacing the original loop jump. That jump causes significant harm to your right foot.”

At this point, Shu Ran finally heeded their advice, deciding to change the free skate’s difficulty ratio, focusing on jumps mainly of 3T and 3S.

She also quietly resolved that if the ankle pain was still manageable at the start, she would attempt a 3A jump at the beginning.

Time was tight. After their discussion, Shu Ran chose to take one last moment to feel the balance during jumps. Yet, she was cautious on land training to avoid injury, making her movements hesitant and restrained.

Fu Yiqing encouraged, “Practice, I’ll support you here.”

Shu Ran met his gaze. Their eyes locked, full of mutual trust.

She nodded. “Okay.”

Fu Yiqing’s hands formed a protective circle around her, while Qin Liubei stretched his arms opposite him, their limbs creating an invisible, interconnected safety zone for Shu Ran.

At last, Shu Ran began to practice boldly.

She worked on the 3S jump, a triple salchow, which mainly uses the left back outside edge to launch from the glide, causing little damage to her right foot.

Her left knee bent deeply, her right free leg and arms propelled her body upward to the left, spinning three rotations in the air.

However, Shu Ran overexerted her body, losing balance the moment she began to descend.

Two arms caught her before she landed, but the weight of a falling body plus gravity was heavy. Fu Yiqing furrowed his brows, visibly struggling to hold her, stepping back three paces.

At that moment, Qin Liubei reacted swiftly, bracing behind them to prevent both from falling.

Shu Ran, shaken, whispered, “Coach Fu…”

Qin Liubei maintained his position, elbows pressing against them. “Hey, I contributed too. Don’t I deserve a name?”

Fu Yiqing said, “Thank you.”

Qin Liubei looked surprised, then laughed after a moment, “Rare moment, rare moment. Again!”

Time for Shu Ran’s training was limited. After only three more attempts, she was called to perform.

The three hurried toward the rink.

Fu Yiqing whispered so only she could hear, “If you’re not confident about winning on the ice, then withdraw.”

His tone was calm, and for once, Shu Ran did not feel anger at this.

“A professional athlete must know when to make sacrifices,” Fu Yiqing said. “Do you remember you still owe me a promise?”

Shu Ran lowered her eyes, heart pounding. Was he going to bring it up before the competition?

Led by staff, Shu Ran stepped onto the ice, gliding to the barrier.

Fu Yiqing continued what he had left unsaid, “If your right foot can’t take it, I want you to promise me you’ll withdraw immediately. Understand?”

At that moment, Chen Yuqi’s score flashed on the big screen.

So far, Samantha held first place with a total score of 223.32, Kristina second, and Chen Yuqi third.

Shu Ran stared blankly at the screen for a moment, then withdrew her hand from the barrier.

“No, coach. I will never quit,” she said firmly and resolutely, then without looking back, she glided toward the center of the ice.

In this short distance, Shu Ran waved to the fans in the stands.

The announcer introduced Shu Ran, but her gaze began to drift.

In her mind, she saw the scene of Fu Yiqing’s words earlier.

His eyes were filled with worry and fear barely concealed.

That expression was all too familiar.

In her memory, her parents had said the same countless times, their expressions gradually overlapping with the man before her.

She unconsciously raised her eyes, scanning the crowd in one direction.

Her gaze swept through the spectators until it found Xu Jingyu and the others in the front row.

Her parents were clearly among them.

The crowd buzzed with excitement at Shu Ran’s attention, but what about her friends and family?

Her parents’ hands were tightly clenched, brows deeply furrowed, full of concern.

Concern…

Shu Ran’s heart sank.

Meanwhile, the announcement had finished.

Snapping out of her daze, Shu Ran assumed her starting pose, as violin notes poured forth.

The audience emitted a faint, surprised murmur.

Not astonishment at the performance’s brilliance, but puzzlement over the skater’s behavior.

Four seconds passed since the music began, yet the figure on the ice had not started.

Such a program arrangement had never appeared in previous competitions.

In truth, it was not a planned routine; Shu Ran had simply lost focus.

Regaining herself, she had no choice but to simplify the choreography.

Outside the rink, Qin Liubei’s expression had darkened. Leaning against the barrier, he looked grim. Fu Yiqing clenched his fists, expression blank, eyes fixed on Shu Ran’s right foot.

His lips whispered, “Shu Ran…”

On the ice, Shu Ran seemed to sense something, a tremor in her heart. The painkillers had begun to work, but on ice, pain was magnified. Moreover, the swelling on her right foot made her old skates feel tight. The anesthetic injection only blocked pain from the injury itself, and now its effect had mostly worn off.

Shu Ran finally realized the plan to administer the anesthetic in the car had failed.

Today’s injection didn’t last two hours.

Now, with the pain surging, every passing second stabbed her nerves like a vise, nearly causing her to faint.

Chaos swirled in her mind, but before the jump, she still maintained a semblance of calm.

The jump was imminent.

For the opening 3S, Shu Ran bent her left leg slightly during the glide, tightly closing her eyes…

A person only becomes known to the world once their light begins to flicker; then, personal affection and support seem insignificant. But when one is small and helpless, the presence of others becomes all the more precious.

Fu Yiqing was just that presence. Since her injury, Shu Ran had feared her dream would be blocked by those around her, but only now did she truly understand the tears her parents shed in the hospital.

She wanted to fulfill her dream. She didn’t care if her body was incomplete in the future, but for her family, seeing her fall over and over must be like knives and fire tearing their hearts apart.

In a flash, Shu Ran suddenly stopped. Her bent knee slowly straightened. Opening her eyes, they were bloodshot.

The music continued, but her figure on the ice had ceased performing.

Amid the crowd’s confusion, Shu Ran summoned her last strength, gently raised her right leg, and glided toward the exit.

There, someone was waiting for her.

Seeing the relief on that person’s face, she realized she had finally done the right thing.

But something inside her was being pulled away bit by bit. The foot pain was unbearable, and her heart ached as well.

Stopping at the exit, meeting those reassuring eyes, she whispered with reddened eyes, “Because I wanted so badly for everyone to see me win the gold with a smile, I came back.”

Everyone finally understood what had happened.

Shu Ran had withdrawn from the competition.

The music abruptly stopped.

Fu Yiqing’s gentle voice, as always, enveloped Shu Ran’s shattered self, “We still have a chance.”

Among layers of confused gasps from the audience, Shu Ran slipped covers over her skate blades, sat in the wheelchair Qin Liubei pushed over, and Fu Yiqing slowly wheeled her away, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

Not only the audience was bewildered; the other competitors were equally puzzled.

The judges seemed to have never encountered such a situation before, exchanging glances in disbelief.

Only Qin Liubei remained on the scene. He spoke briefly to the technical panel.

Soon after, a formal, emotionless female voice came over the speakers: “Chinese skater Shu Ran has withdrawn from the competition.”