Chapter Six: There’s Something Wrong with Him

Shu Ran wished she could find a hole to hide in; she simply couldn't believe the words that had just escaped her lips.
World champion?
It had to be the result of Fu Yiqing repeating those four words to her every day over the past month—she was practically brainwashed.
She braced herself, expecting Fu Yiqing to mock her, when instead his tone grew firm: "It's not that you can, it's that you must."
"Huh?"
"You will definitely become world champion."
Shu Ran swallowed, gazing at the man's solemn and unwavering expression. At last, she understood why he could speak with such confidence—it was because he himself stood at the pinnacle of the figure skating world. He possessed the certainty that he could lead her to victory.
Clearly, his rival was also a top authority in the sport, yet he remained so assured.
His confidence was contagious. Suddenly, Shu Ran felt that in the not-so-distant future, she really could stand atop the highest podium.
Fu Yiqing instructed Shu Ran to keep watching, and while he was at it, he listed all the upcoming films she should watch in a neat table.
As he turned to leave, closing the door behind him, the corners of Fu Yiqing's lips lifted slightly into a subtle smile.
He then took out his phone.
On the other end, Qin Liubei answered excitedly, "Hello? Not angry anymore? I know what I said wasn't very gentlemanly, but it was all true. She doesn't know it now, but she will in the future, and by then it won't do her any good. When are you leaving? Want me to buy your ticket?"
Qin Liubei spoke in rapid-fire, not even giving him a chance to interject.
"I'm not leaving, and you don't need to leave either."
"What? You're still trying to persuade her?"
"She said that one day she will win the world championship and prove herself to those who look down on her."
There was a long silence on the other end before Qin Liubei suddenly became intrigued and laughed, "Not bad! I always thought this girl was so dull, but turns out she's got some fire in her. Fine, for your sake, I'll stay—reluctantly."
Shu Ran had no idea what had transpired, but that evening, when she came downstairs for dinner and found Qin Liubei at the table, her legs nearly gave out.
What puzzled her more was Qin Liubei's demeanor.
It was a complete transformation.
She couldn't believe the beaming, almost lecherous man staring at her was the same Qin Liubei who'd always treated her coldly.
Shu Ran gripped the edge of the table nervously and sat across from him, only for him to move to her side and serve her a bowl of rice. "Ran Ran, time to eat."
Her shoulders twitched, goosebumps prickling all over her skin.
"If you don't want to be kicked out, just act normal."
It was, of course, Fu Yiqing who spoke, his eyes straight ahead, his expression unreadable.
Qin Liubei grudgingly muttered an "oh" and stopped his overly attentive behavior.
That night, Shu Ran still had to train—on the ice.
Although the bet focused on artistic training, she couldn't neglect her fundamentals. After all, the purpose of artistic training was to express it on the ice; without a solid technical foundation, no matter how high her artistic marks, her technical scores would drag her down.
Although Shu Ran's technical level wasn't bad, compared to top international skaters, the gap was enormous. Fu Yiqing had always intended to use these three years to elevate her skills.
So, she had to devote part of each morning and evening to on-ice training, to cement the feeling of the ice before sleep and to regain it immediately upon waking.
The next morning, after completing several sets of flexibility exercises, Shu Ran saw Fu Yiqing and Qin Liubei walk in one after the other. Qin Liubei moved slowly, his eyelids half-closed with sleep, yawning as he walked, tears streaming from his eyes with exhaustion visible from afar.
His voice, altered by a yawn, complained, "I mean, I can't help with land training anyway. Why do I have to get up this early?"
"Training progress may change. You might be needed for data analysis at any time."
Qin Liubei yawned again, covering his mouth. "Alright, fine, I'll just sleep on this mat from now on."
He fetched an extra yoga mat from the back of the dance room and lay down. His six-foot frame matched the mat's length, though he seemed to spill over, looking rather pitiful.
Fu Yiqing remarked, "You'd be better off pitying yourself than him. Your training is far more grueling."
Shu Ran withdrew her gaze and resumed her exercises.
Land training finished, it was time to hit the ice.
By then, Qin Liubei was fully awake, immediately opening his laptop and taking his position, ready to assist.
As Shu Ran laced her skates, she heard Qin Liubei ask Fu Yiqing, "By the way, which two Grand Prix events are you entering Shu Ran in?"
The Grand Prix series comprised six qualifying events held in different countries, plus a final. Each qualifier hosted up to twelve skaters, with the top eight earning points. Skaters with strong results from the previous year could select two events, and the six highest scorers across their two events would advance to the Grand Prix Final.
Of course, not all qualifiers were equally competitive—events held in figure skating powerhouses like Canada and Japan drew more top skaters and enthusiastic crowds, so the stars often chose those. The remaining events, such as the China Cup and France Cup, were less popular with the big names and generally chosen by up-and-comers, as the local audiences were less passionate.
Still, even these supposedly less competitive events weren't as easy as they seemed. Young skaters were often inconsistent, and with new talent constantly emerging, dark horses appeared frequently.
Last year, Shu Ran had competed in the China event.
Among the twelve skaters, her total points ranked her 51st out of 70 in the overall standings; China's best result was Liang Yue, in 18th place.
Kristina, a year younger than Shu Ran, had only competed in the Junior Worlds last year, so there was no comparison yet.
Qin Liubei couldn't quite read Fu Yiqing's intentions. With Shu Ran's current ability, it was inevitable she'd be outperformed by Kristina, yet Fu Yiqing seemed completely unruffled, continuing Shu Ran's training at a steady, unhurried pace.
"I'm not planning to enter her in the Grand Prix."
Qin Liubei had just turned, leaning against the wall, when the words nearly made him slip. He barely managed to steady himself, swallowing so abruptly he began coughing violently. "W-what?"
"I'm not planning for her to compete in any event this entire season."
Shu Ran was equally stunned.
Fu Yiqing must think her results weren't good enough for international points.
But even if she couldn't score at the Grand Prix, she could still collect points at Challenger Series and B-level events—and points determined next season's starting order.
In figure skating, order mattered. For both men and women, every season aged them a year. Shu Ran would be eighteen next year; if she waited until then to start earning points, it might be too late.
Qin Liubei forced a laugh, patting his chest. "You're joking, right?"
But seeing that Fu Yiqing offered no explanation, he realized the man was serious and grasped the gravity of the situation. "Seriously? Even if she can't make a mark at the Grand Prix, at least let her compete in a couple Challenger Series to get some points."
"If she starts competing now, it will disrupt the training schedule I have planned for her. Her progress hasn't met my standards yet, and artistic expression requires time to mature. Chasing short-term results will only erode her confidence. Besides, our goal isn't points in international events—it's the Winter Olympics."
Fu Yiqing was always a man of vision. Hearing his calm tone, Qin Liubei understood that every scenario had already been considered, every plan laid. Disrupting it would do more harm than good.
He relented, his tone lightening. "Honestly, even if Kristina is progressing rapidly, she still won't make the final—at best she'll just score some points."
Kristina.
Ever since Qin Liubei had moved into the villa, Shu Ran heard that name every day. She couldn't help but grow curious about what her rival with a similar background looked like.
"How much longer are you going to dawdle before getting on the ice?"
Fu Yiqing's words were a bucket of cold water—refreshing in the late summer heat.
Shu Ran immediately complied.
Qin Liubei couldn't help himself, "Why so fierce? Be a little gentler with the girl."
Shu Ran glanced at him briefly, but in that fleeting look, her thoughts were clear.
Qin Liubei frowned, pouting in mock grievance. "Little Shu Ran, don't look at me like that. I didn't know you were such a spirited girl."
What kind of description was that?
Silently, Shu Ran dug her blades into the ice to begin today's data test.
Now that she and Qin Liubei had grown closer, he was willing to tell her everything, even explaining the principles behind the data testing.
For example: Qin Liubei had recorded every move of the world's top skaters, using their performances as the highest standard. He’d categorized the world's ranked skaters by ability, assigning each a score tier—ten points for the top level, and so on down the rankings.
Every point represented a different tier, and each meant facing competitors of an entirely different standard.
In other words, this data test placed Shu Ran on the world ranking scale, as if she'd just competed against them all.
But data was just data. Even the best skaters couldn't guarantee consistent progress, nor could anyone avoid injury—these benchmarks were for reference only. In actual competition, anything could happen.
It had only been half a month since her last data test, and as Fu Yiqing had said, artistic growth took time; her progress wasn't dramatic.
But after this run, Shu Ran noticed Fu Yiqing frowning.
"Coach Fu, was there a problem with my skating?"
He parted his lips as if to speak, but in the end said nothing, turning and walking off the ice.
Shu Ran frowned, unable to understand where she had gone wrong or why Fu Yiqing said nothing.
Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder—Qin Liubei's elbow resting there, his tall frame leaning on her until she tilted sideways. She quietly stepped aside, but he followed, pressing in again. "Do you think Fu Yiqing's habit of keeping everything to himself is just distrust, or is he just suspicious by nature?"
"Maybe..." Shu Ran stepped further away, "it's just his way."
"Yeah—just means he's got issues," Qin Liubei muttered.