Chapter Sixty-Eight: Arrangements After the Injury

Xu Jingyu stood in the corridor, gazing absentmindedly at the door to the hospital room.

Upon learning from Qin Liubei that Shu Ran had been injured, she had dropped everything and rushed to the hospital without pause. When she saw Shu Ran crying incessantly because of her injured foot, Xu Jingyu’s heart trembled, and all courage to enter the room and listen to the doctor’s words deserted her. She stopped outside the office, watching as Fu Yiqing closed the door.

Qin Liubei, noticing her distress, stayed with her outside, waiting for news.

Xu Jingyu leaned her head against the wall, silent.

Qin Liubei glanced at her now and then, worry written all over his face.

“She’ll be okay, won’t she?” His voice was faint.

Though Qin Liubei was always adept at coaxing Xu Jingyu into a good mood, this time he could find no words to comfort her. He sighed, “I don’t know. For something to happen at this time… I really don’t know what to say.”

Xu Jingyu was no stranger to figure skating. Though she herself wasn’t much of a skater, her mother was a figure skating coach, so she understood the sport well.

If Shu Ran’s injury could be healed, then it would be fine. But if it couldn’t…

A defeat at the World Championships, and whether she could participate in next year’s Winter Olympics was still uncertain. If she had to wait for the next Winter Olympics, that would mean another five years. By then, Shu Ran would be twenty-five.

In the women’s singles discipline, where age is decisive, could a twenty-five-year-old Shu Ran really surpass younger competitors?

That’s why this World Championship was crucial.

Xu Jingyu turned her gaze away, unable to bear it. Qin Liubei hugged her.

She was startled, “Qin Liubei…”

“Don’t worry. Shu Ran is far stronger than we imagine. But, little Goldfish,” Qin Liubei’s voice was exceptionally warm, “she needs her friends right now. Go in and see her, but promise me—when you see her injury, you won’t cry.”

A lump rose in Xu Jingyu’s throat, and she felt an overwhelming urge to weep.

Then she turned away, her shoulders trembling.

“No one understands better than I how much she has sacrificed for figure skating.”

Her voice choked, and she sniffled.

Suddenly, darkness fell before her eyes—warmth, but no light. Qin Liubei’s left hand covered her eyes.

Feeling the dampness in his palm, he understood.

Xu Jingyu was always strong—no matter how troubled, she rarely showed her true emotions. Had it not been for her mother’s accident and hospitalization, he might never have seen her cry in his lifetime.

So Qin Liubei knew that Xu Jingyu only allowed herself to cry when sadness became unbearable.

She and Shu Ran weren’t merely friends.

In their childhood, without other companions, they became friends mostly for the sake of companionship.

Xu Jingyu could no longer restrain herself and turned, throwing herself into Qin Liubei’s arms.

No one heard her sobs; a passing nurse only smiled secretly at the embracing couple, curious what kind of woman such a handsome man was holding.

After venting her emotions, Xu Jingyu wiped away her tears and returned to her usual composure, as if nothing had happened.

Qin Liubei didn’t mention the episode again; the two knocked on the door and finally went in to check on Shu Ran’s injury.

Doctor He sighed repeatedly, “Why don’t you ever try to dissuade her? She’s still so young—what if she regrets it later?”

With that single sentence, Qin Liubei and Xu Jingyu exchanged a glance, more or less understanding Shu Ran’s situation.

Fu Yiqing said, “I’ll take responsibility for all consequences.”

Everyone was startled. Huoguang assumed Fu Yiqing meant he would use his resources to ensure Shu Ran would never want for anything, but Qin Liubei sensed there was another meaning, though he couldn’t quite discern what Fu Yiqing intended.

Shu Ran bit her lip, head bowed in silence.

Doctor He shook his head as he wrote in the medical record, then spoke solemnly, looking at Shu Ran, “You can’t use your right foot for a month. Forget training—even walking is out of the question. Remember?”

Shu Ran nodded vigorously.

“As for whether you can resume training after a month, it depends on your recovery. I’ll be honest—if your recovery isn’t good, you absolutely cannot train, or you’ll not only perform poorly, you’ll worsen your injury.”

Shu Ran asked anxiously, “What should I do to recover well?”

“Follow medical advice.” Doctor He then looked at Fu Yiqing, “What’s your relationship to her?”

“I’m her coach.”

Doctor He considered this and said, “That’s not very convenient.”

Xu Jingyu quickly raised her hand, “I’m her friend.”

Doctor He asked, “Are you sure you can stay with her and care for her for a whole month?”

Shu Ran felt Xu Jingyu’s hand tighten around hers, and then heard Xu Jingyu reply, “I’m certain.” Her tone was firm, without a trace of hesitation.

Shu Ran’s eyes reddened again, “You don’t have to stay for a whole month. You’ve been in City B for so long—Coach Zhu needs someone to look after her as well.”

Reminded, Xu Jingyu recalled she had promised her mother, Zhu Xinhui, just yesterday to return to City D soon.

Seeing her hesitation, Shu Ran comforted her, “It’s alright, I can take care of myself.”

“No worries, I’m here,” Fu Yiqing said.

So Doctor He explained all the precautions to Fu Yiqing.

When they left the hospital, it was already nine at night.

Huoguang offered Shu Ran some words of comfort, then prepared to leave.

Fu Yiqing called after him, “Coach Huo.”

Huoguang stopped, “Yes?”

“No one besides us must know about her injury.”

Huoguang paused, then nodded with solemnity, “Understood.”

Fu Yiqing repeated the same to Qin Liubei and the others, including Doctor He.

Doctor He replied that as a physician he was already bound to keep patients’ conditions confidential—no reminder was needed.

Considering Shu Ran’s bathing difficulties, the three decided Xu Jingyu should stay for now.

Shu Ran asked Xu Jingyu, “What about Coach Zhu?”

Xu Jingyu said, “I’ll tell her I’m here with you.”

“That won’t work,” Fu Yiqing immediately objected. “Staying a few days is fine, but if you stay too long, your mother will grow suspicious. She knows Shu Ran’s parents, and if they find out, they won’t allow her to continue competing.”

Shu Ran realized this, “Jingyu, don’t worry, I can bathe myself.”

“You? You can’t use your right foot—how will you manage?” Xu Jingyu retorted.

“Isn’t Aunt Zhang still here?”

The three were struck by the idea. Qin Liubei’s eyes lit up, “That’s right, Aunt Zhang. Problem solved.”

Fu Yiqing nodded, “From now on, Aunt Zhang and I will take care of Shu Ran. You two can go about your business. But tonight, Xu Jingyu will need to help.”

Xu Jingyu nodded, moving to assist Shu Ran.

The next moment, Shu Ran was swept up in Fu Yiqing’s arms.

Though it wasn’t the first time he had carried her, it was the first time he did so in front of others. Shu Ran couldn’t help blushing, burying her face in his chest to avoid the embarrassment of being teased by Qin Liubei.

Xu Jingyu was stunned for a few seconds before following.

Without a word, Fu Yiqing carried Shu Ran into the bathroom of her room. “Hold tight.”

Shu Ran instinctively obeyed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Fu Yiqing almost smiled, but seeing the tear stains on her cheeks, a heaviness spread through him.

He closed the toilet lid and let Shu Ran sit.

“All done,” Fu Yiqing looked at Xu Jingyu, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Xu Jingyu was momentarily overwhelmed by Fu Yiqing’s presence, “Not a bother, not at all.”

Once Fu Yiqing had left and closed the bathroom door, Xu Jingyu realized she was the one who had known Shu Ran for years; Fu Yiqing was just her coach—how had she ended up being the one inconvenienced?

Xu Jingyu shook her head, glanced around, and helped Shu Ran onto a chair.

Both being from the south, neither Shu Ran nor Xu Jingyu was comfortable being seen or seeing others in such situations, but at this moment, Xu Jingyu’s mood was so heavy she paid no mind.

Instead, Shu Ran seemed embarrassed, “Jingyu, maybe I should do it myself. I’m sitting anyway.”

Seeing Shu Ran’s bashful smile, Xu Jingyu understood, “Alright, then take off your pants first and wash yourself sitting down.”

Just those words made Shu Ran blush even more.

Water trickled softly.

They sat back to back.

“Shu Ran, aren’t you scared?” Xu Jingyu asked.

Shu Ran let the towel wander over her body, then paused.

Xu Jingyu continued, “Is the competition really more important than your leg? I shouldn’t try to persuade you, but I’m just afraid you’ll regret it later.”

After a while, the sound of Shu Ran wringing the towel was heard.

“I don’t know if I’ll regret it in the future,” Shu Ran’s voice was uncertain, “but I do know if I give up now, I’ll regret it immediately.”

After a long silence, Xu Jingyu sighed, then laughed, “You’re still the same. You seem easy-going, but you’re the most stubborn.”

“Jingyu, thank you.”

“What are you saying? Fu Yiqing treats me like an outsider, and now you do too?”

“Oh, I was wrong.”

The bathroom was quiet for a moment, and both laughed knowingly.

Meanwhile, in the study.

Qin Liubei looked surprised, “I still have to go to the rink? Shu Ran can’t train for a month, what’s the point?”

Fu Yiqing replied, “Not just you, I’ll go too.”

His expression was serious.

Seeing Qin Liubei still puzzled, Fu Yiqing patiently explained, “The World Championships are only two months away. All the media are watching Shu Ran. If they notice she’s not at the rink, what do you think they’ll write?”

Qin Liubei’s eyes darted, speculating, “Suspect she’s injured?”

Fu Yiqing said, “There’s another possibility. Recently, someone online accused Shu Ran of slacking off. If news breaks now that she’s not training, and she loses at the World Championships, how do you think the netizens will react?”

If it’s confirmed that Shu Ran slacked off at the Grand Prix Final, it could damage her reputation online and even influence the authorities’ opinion of her.

Qin Liubei’s brow furrowed deeper, his fists clenched in frustration.

“We only need to visit the rink occasionally. Even if they can’t catch Shu Ran’s image, at least they’ll see us.”

Qin Liubei sighed, “The media is truly despicable.”

“A double-edged sword,” Fu Yiqing remarked.

“I understand.”

Fu Yiqing withdrew his gaze, walked to the desk, and sat, his posture upright, fingers interlaced atop the table. There was a sharp gleam in his hawk-like eyes. “From here on, every step must be taken with utmost caution.”

He suddenly looked up, “Liubei, you and Jingyu go watch the Four Continents and European Championships.”

Qin Liubei was a bit surprised, “At this point, you’re still gathering data?”

Fu Yiqing said, “Shu Ran’s free skate will need to be changed.”