Chapter Ninety: Rival

Fu Yiqing turned to glance at Shu Ran, who lay on the hospital bed behind him, his expression grave. "How is she?"

Dr. He was somewhat irritated. "I warned you before, and now things are even more serious. Last time, two months of recovery; this time, it will take at least half a year!"

The Winter Olympics were in early February, and now it was mid-September—less than five months remained.

Shu Ran immediately sat up, looking at her leg newly encased in plaster, worries flooding her mind.

"What about the Winter Olympics…?"

Dr. He’s gaze held a touch of sympathy. "My advice hasn’t changed since before, and it won’t change now. You can’t participate."

Shu Ran’s eyes dimmed, her heart swirling with complicated emotions.

"But that’s advice from a doctor’s perspective," Dr. He added.

Shu Ran looked up in surprise, beginning to understand his meaning.

Dr. He saw her lost and adrift, as if she’d lost her anchor, and sighed. "I know how much this competition means to you. So, from your perspective, my advice is to focus on recovery first. Decide about the rest when the time comes."

With that, Dr. He left the room.

Shu Ran sat on the bed, still somewhat stunned.

Just hours ago, the world around her had been noisy, but now everything was so quiet.

The edge of the bed sank as Fu Yiqing sat down. "What are you thinking?"

She met his gaze directly, cutting to the chase. "I’m wondering if I’ll be able to compete at the Winter Olympics in five months."

"You’ll be fine."

Fu Yiqing’s tone was calm, his expression earnest and serious, as if he were stating a fact.

This was Fu Yiqing’s charm—he had a way of inspiring confidence.

Shu Ran blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Fu Yiqing gently patted her head, smiling softly. "You don’t believe me?"

Impossible.

He was the person she trusted most in the world, and she was least able to pretend in front of him.

In truth, at the Olympic qualifiers, Shu Ran had already reached her limit, but she forced herself to hold on until she reached backstage, where at last she sobbed in pain.

Pain.

That was the only word and sensation in her mind.

She didn’t want her parents, watching from afar, to worry, so she endured it until only Fu Yiqing remained with her—then she finally collapsed.

Her trust in him had become second nature.

But even so, Shu Ran knew her own situation better than anyone.

She lowered her head with a bitter smile. "Coach, don’t try to comfort me. I know how things stand."

Fu Yiqing said, "I will make sure you stand on the Olympic stage! Shu Ran, believe me."

Her heart trembled; she stared at him for a long time. "Coach?"

"I’ll find the best doctors for you. Trust me—I’ll make sure you return to the rink healthy, absolutely!"

Fu Yiqing was not a man of many words, yet he kept repeating the same promise.

It was as if he’d become someone else.

Shu Ran’s parents soon called to ask about her condition, saying they had already bought tickets to come to B City.

Shu Ran, afraid the previous incident would repeat itself, hurried to reassure them. "I’m really fine, already recovered. It’s just that I took a bad fall that day—Coach Fu was worried, so he had me come for a check-up, and somehow the media caught it and made a fuss."

"Really?" Shao Anhong still didn’t believe her. "If you’re fine, how come you fell twice in a row?"

Shu Ran grew anxious, her mind racing for explanations, and caught Fu Yiqing trying not to laugh out of the corner of her eye.

She quickly said, "If you don’t believe me, I’ll let Coach Fu talk to you."

Shao Anhong agreed. "Alright."

Fu Yiqing looked at the phone handed to him, then met Shu Ran’s pleading gaze. He raised his brows, covered the receiver, and murmured, "I’ll help you this time. How will you repay me?"

Shu Ran was baffled. "I have to repay you?" Seeing his attitude—if she didn’t answer, he wouldn’t help—she quickly agreed. "What do you want me to do?"

Fu Yiqing replied airily, "Promise me one thing."

She grew wary. "What thing? Not… something indecent, is it?"

Fu Yiqing laughed, shaking his head. "Don’t worry, it won’t be. I haven’t decided what it is yet, but when I do, you must agree."

Worry filled Shu Ran’s eyes, but with her mother still waiting for an answer, she quickly nodded.

Only then did Fu Yiqing leisurely pick up the phone and walk to the window.

"Auntie, it’s me." There was a faint, elusive smile on his lips. "Yes, she’s fine. The falls were because after six months of recovery, she’s been out of training too long—the physical condition isn’t up to par."

Shu Ran listened to his plausible explanation and calm tone, feeling a sudden admiration.

So even the cleverest people are convincing liars!

With Fu Yiqing’s "testimony," Shao Anhong finally believed Shu Ran was uninjured.

The very next day, Fu Yiqing brought in two orthopedic specialists to examine Shu Ran’s injury.

Back at the hospital, Shu Ran’s mood was difficult to calm.

She logged into her long-neglected Instagram account, posting an update to reassure her fans.

Just as she was about to log out, she received a message from someone unexpected.

"I apologize for what I said before. Your performance absolutely deserves a near-perfect PSC score."

PSC refers to Program Components Score; the maximum for free skate is eighty points.

At this qualifier, Shu Ran's PSC was seventy-nine point one—the highest in history.

What surprised Shu Ran was not the message, but the sender: Samantha.

To confirm it was really her, Shu Ran checked the profile. Once she was sure, she recalled Samantha’s past harsh criticism—that her programs lacked soul.

So Samantha must have watched Shu Ran’s performance at the qualifiers.

This person was truly odd—she spoke her mind, and admitted mistakes without hesitation.

A very genuine person.

Dazed for a while, Shu Ran finally began to type.

Shu Ran: "It’s alright."

Samantha replied promptly, "Your performance this time was excellent and moving. Let’s compete again next Winter Olympics! [smiley face]"

Shu Ran: "Alright."

Soon after, she received messages from Zhu Hongzhe and others, all expressing concern. Shu Ran replied to each.

Seeing her absorbed in her phone, Fu Yiqing couldn’t help but remind her, "Don’t you get tired staring at the screen?"

At his words, Shu Ran obediently put her phone away.

Only then did Fu Yiqing smile in satisfaction. "What fruit would you like? Aunt Zhang is almost at the hospital—I’ll go buy some."

Shu Ran tilted her head. "I looked it up yesterday—apples, oranges, strawberries, they supplement trace elements."

"Alright, I’ll be back soon."

Shu Ran nodded vigorously, her eyes wide. "Okay!"

Fu Yiqing strode briskly, pressing the elevator button as he was about to enter.

The elevator doors slowly opened, revealing the face of the person inside. The smile vanished from Fu Yiqing’s face instantly; his expression turned guarded and cautious.

The person inside looked up and, recognizing Fu Yiqing, was surprised, then exited the elevator.

She hesitated, uncertain, and called his name in English, "Barrow… Coach?"

"Sorry, I have only one student."

His reply was in flawless French; the other was stunned again.

Fu Yiqing’s voice was placid, as calm as still water, but icy cold. "Where’s your coach, Quentin?"

It was Christina standing before him. Unlike her tightly pulled hair at competitions, her golden corn-silk hair now hung loose, her face bare but still captivating. Yet Fu Yiqing’s expression was utterly impassive, even a little cold.

At the mention of "Quentin," Christina’s face fell; she lowered her gaze, and her disappointment was tinged with irritation and anger, as if the name stirred some unpleasant memory.

"I have nothing to do with him. I came alone."

Fu Yiqing’s vigilance relaxed slightly; he eyed her suspiciously. "Alone? You came all the way from France to B City?"

Christina replied, "We had some disagreements. Where’s Shu Ran? I’m here to see her—can you take me?"

Fu Yiqing scrutinized her for a long time, his gaze penetrating.

Then he said, "Sorry, but right now…"

"If you have concerns, I can tell you…" Christina suddenly stopped, glanced around, waited for the passersby to enter the elevator, then tiptoed close and whispered something secretive.

Whatever she said, it startled Fu Yiqing, whose serene expression finally betrayed surprise.

Shu Ran waited in the hospital room, tempted to reach for her phone, but feeling she’d spent too much time on it lately, and her neck was starting to ache, she hesitated.

Her hand touched the remote, about to turn on the TV, when she heard the door open.

Seeing Fu Yiqing return, she smiled; noticing his empty hands, she was about to ask when he stepped aside, and a slender, attractive girl appeared from behind him.

Shu Ran knew this girl.

Stunned, she blurted out the name instinctively, "Christina…"

Christina walked over to Shu Ran’s bedside, studied her face for a moment, then glanced at her plastered leg, and finally looked up, smiling as she offered her hand. "At last, we meet, Shu Ran!"

Shu Ran was frozen, unable to respond for a while.

She cast a questioning look at Fu Yiqing, wondering how he’d gone out for fruit and returned instead with her competitor.

Christina raised her voice, pulling Shu Ran back to reality.

Shu Ran glanced at Fu Yiqing, then grasped Christina’s hand. "Hello, it’s good to finally meet."

Christina’s English wasn’t great, nor was Shu Ran’s, so Fu Yiqing naturally acted as their interpreter.

Christina asked, "Will your injury heal? It looks serious. Will you still compete?"

Fu Yiqing didn’t stop Shu Ran from answering.

Seeing that he wasn’t wary of Christina, Shu Ran nodded. "Whether healed or not, the Olympics come only once. I will compete."

Christina let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping. "You must really love figure skating."

Shu Ran’s eyes shifted, catching the underlying meaning. "You don’t?"

Christina replied in French—Shu Ran saw her eyebrows shoot up, anger flashing in her eyes.

Shu Ran quickly looked to Fu Yiqing for translation.

Fu Yiqing paused. "She says she won’t compete in the Winter Olympics."

Shu Ran’s mouth fell open in shock. That was what Christina had whispered to Fu Yiqing earlier; it explained why he had brought her to see Shu Ran.