Chapter 121: The Masquerade

Although Qin Liubei had been busy with wedding preparations recently, he had not forgotten to expand his data database. After familiarizing himself with the new season's competitors, he promptly analyzed the current situation for Shu Ran and Fu Yiqing.

Excluding Shu Ran and Christina, there were 32 remaining skaters, nine of whom required special attention. Qin Liubei’s screening criteria were: physical explosiveness, overall strength, and program difficulty composition. Only nine skaters met at least one of these three criteria. If Nadirova were also participating, that number would be ten.

Along with Reina Jo, who was in the same group as Shu Ran, and the American skater Zhang Ziqing, the list included two Russian skaters, two Japanese skaters, one Canadian, one British, and Aifitiniya, a Belgian skater one year younger than Shu Ran. Before arriving in Finland, Qin Liubei and Fu Yiqing had already studied all ten skaters, including Nadirova.

"But I just need to do my best," Shu Ran said, her gaze shifting between Qin Liubei and Fu Yiqing. "Isn't that right?"

Qin Liubei lowered his eyes. "That's true." After all, the performance was something only Shu Ran could complete. Knowing the characteristics of other opponents offered her neither benefit nor harm; it was merely meant to give her a better sense of the competition, which in turn would boost her confidence.

Hearing this, Shu Ran felt more at ease and smiled contentedly. "In that case, there’s nothing left to analyze."

Qin Liubei was stunned. It sounded logical, but if that were the case, why did Fu Yiqing make him spend so much time collecting data? He turned to Fu Yiqing, seeking his opinion.

Fu Yiqing replied, "Then let's leave it at that."

Shu Ran was oblivious, and Qin Liubei could not blame her. However, toward the culprit himself, Qin Liubei offered a mysterious smile, one laced with a hint of gnashing teeth. Fu Yiqing remained indifferent, leaving Qin Liubei feeling deeply frustrated.

The opening skate began at 3:00 PM. Amidst the tense atmosphere, the men's short program commenced first. Compared to the women's event, which focused on flexibility and aesthetics, the collective quadruple jumps of the men became a major highlight.

Zhu Hongzhe and Chen Lecheng performed quite well today. Especially Zhu Hongzhe, who was only one point behind Genkura Yu in the short program. This gave the Chinese audience on-site a glimmer of hope. Facing a formidable opponent like Genkura Yu, as long as Zhu Hongzhe performed well in tomorrow's free skate, perhaps a World Championship gold medal was not entirely out of reach.

The women's short program followed the men's. Shu Ran slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled, her mind settling into a state of tranquility. Originally, Shu Ran had planned to use all her energy to compete with the newly choreographed, high-difficulty program, but a remark from Dr. He had given her second thoughts.

Her foot injury could recur at any time. Was it necessary to put herself in danger just to compete with technical skaters? Shu Ran was unsure.

Suddenly, a hand waved in front of her. "Daydreaming again?"

Seeing it was Fu Yiqing, she returned to her calm demeanor. "Do you think it's necessary for me to use the new, high-difficulty program for this competition?"

Fu Yiqing understood her meaning immediately. Without hesitation, he replied, "Follow your own instincts. My advice is that the short program doesn't require the new difficulty composition. Even if you take first place, the point gap won't be significant. Just like Genkura Yu and Zhu Hongzhe; their gap today was only one point, but after tomorrow's free skate, assuming no accidents, the gap will certainly widen to over ten."

Shu Ran instinctively asked, "And what if there is an accident?"

Fu Yiqing answered, "Then Zhu Hongzhe's silver medal would be at risk; he might be pushed down to third by the American skater."

Third. If she remembered correctly, Zhu Hongzhe had taken third place in the previous two Winter Olympics. If he took third again, he would surely be dissatisfied. Wait, why was she worrying about others when her own problems were still unresolved?

Fu Yiqing did not notice her internal struggle and continued, "So, there's no need for the short program. See how others perform in tomorrow's free skate, and watch Chen Jiahe's ranking. If her ranking is decent, then give it your all. If it's too low, there's no need to push yourself."

"Giving it her all" meant helping the Chinese team secure two spots for the Winter Olympics. If the combined points of the two best skaters from the same country were 28 or less, there was still a chance. Fu Yiqing meant that it was fine to push within her capabilities, but it would be a loss if trying too hard triggered an old injury.

Shu Ran understood his meaning and nodded, agreeing to decide based on the situation in tomorrow's free skate. While waiting for her turn, Shu Ran watched the skaters training in the background. Soon, it was the final group's turn to warm up.

Shu Ran glanced at the current short program rankings; the top two flags were Russia and Belgium. There were three Russian skaters, so the first place must be either Soskova or Evelyn, but there was only one Belgian skater: Aifitiniya.

For the rest of the time, Shu Ran focused on her warm-up, feeling the ice beneath her. The sound of blades cutting the ice echoed—the pre-competition warm-up lasted only six minutes. At 22, Shu Ran had spent her last sixteen years of training on the ice. Countless six-minute sessions made up her monotonous life, yet these six minutes always ended too quickly.

Finally, the short program, which would determine Olympic qualification, began. In major international competitions, the last two groups are known as the "Groups of Death," attracting the most attention, as the top three usually emerge from them.

Christina performed to *The Phantom of the Opera*. Almost everyone skated to this piece every season. For artistic skaters like Shu Ran, making it stand out was extremely difficult, but for technical skaters like Christina, it didn't matter if the music was overused. Her costume, a mix of black and red, seemed to tell of her passion. As she spun, the colors merged, drawing people in, while the dazzling black also inspired a sense of awe.

Christina's leg strength was as explosive as ever. In the first climax, she launched into a jump and landed the triple Axel steadily. The movements in the short program were compulsory, so the point gap remained small. Christina finished with 79.76 points, surpassing Soskova by 0.86. The short program had once been Christina's weakness, but after three years of training, she had overcome it.

Reina Jo, who performed next, skated to Tchaikovsky's *June: Barcarolle*. Perhaps pressured by Christina's score, her performance seemed lackluster with many errors, resulting in a score of 68.32, placing her eighth. Shu Ran had watched Zhang Ziqing's performance; she was usually consistent and rarely made mistakes, but she lacked impact. Choosing a double Axel over a triple, her base score was low, placing her outside the top five.

During the interval while waiting for Zhang Ziqing's scores, Shu Ran saw the real-time ranking on the big screen. Chen Jiahe was in 26th place. Shu Ran was shocked—Chen Jiahe hadn't made it to the free skate!

Shu Ran made a quick decision. The moment she stepped onto the ice and settled in the center, she decided not to use the new high-difficulty program.

The announcer introduced her: "Shu Ran, from China, *Masquerade Waltz*."

Unlike her usual style, the fast-paced music and her dark red costume—less vibrant than bright red but imbued with a sense of darkness—added a mysterious quality to her presence. Each of her steps was grand and perfectly timed to the music. She opened with a triple Axel, but unlike Christina's, it was clearly superior in height and effortless grace.

Fu Yiqing, watching from the sidelines, clenched his fist. His tense heart relaxed after her perfect landing, and a smile tugged at the corner of his eyes. Moments later, his emotions shifted again, mirroring her movements. His smile grew wider as he watched her.

The audience was swept up in the performance, spontaneously clapping to the rhythm. This season, Shu Ran's choreography had undergone a major transformation. Every part of the routine was a highlight. During her spins, the dark red skirt formed a phantom-like blur, the color and speed combining into a dazzling display. Her footwork transitions were as smooth as flowing water, and the patterns carved into the ice utilized the entire rink.

The entire piece remained at a climax, starting with unpredictable step sequences and ending in high-speed combination spins. As the spin concluded, Shu Ran held her final pose.

Clean!

Shu Ran finished without a single error. The arena erupted in thunderous cheers. The audience stood up to applaud, and many fans tossed plush toys onto the ice. Shu Ran, breathing heavily, smiled broadly, bowing to the crowd while helping the flower girls collect the toys. She hadn't planned on picking up any, but a popular koi fish plush caught her eye, and she couldn't resist.

Fu Yiqing waited at the entrance as she collected her blade covers from the staff. He opened his arms and hugged her, chuckling, "Good performance."

A skater always knows how they performed. Shu Ran joked, "Can I have extra chicken legs tonight?"

"When we get back, sure."

Fu Yiqing patted her head and put an arm around her shoulder. Qin Liubei walked on her other side, and the three headed toward the "Kiss and Cry" area. Shu Ran sat down, wiped the sweat with a tissue, and took a large gulp of water, her racing heart slowly returning to a normal rhythm.

She heard the audience's cheers suddenly intensify. Realizing the camera was on her, Shu Ran clutched her water bottle and waved vigorously at the lens with a bright smile. Everyone turned their attention to the big screen, waiting for her final short program score.

A series of numbers appeared. Shu Ran covered her mouth, her eyes filled with surprise. The announcer declared, "Shu Ran's short program score is 82.86."

The crowd gasped, followed by deafening cheers of joy—a sign of both blessing and approval. Media from other countries quickly turned their cameras toward Shu Ran—the girl who had once broken the world record and had now broken it again.