Chapter 99: Outstanding Performance

The effect of the closed needle was obvious, though her right ankle still ached faintly, it was much better than two days ago. Shu Ran performed as if she had become one with the music and dance. The arrangement of the music and movements may have changed, but the rhythm remained exactly as she remembered it. From the gentle to the fast-paced passion and finally to the calm of dust returning to earth, everything was under her complete control. This piece of music, no matter how altered, was still the interlude from the movie. She had listened to it more than ten times for the official competition alone, let alone the dozens of loops she played every day during training. The emotions she had mastered within the song had become part of her very bones, as if the protagonist of this story was not Yu Jiao Long but Shu Ran herself, or as if Shu Ran had fully stepped into Yu Jiao Long's world, feeling her struggles and heart. With the music shifting, Shu Ran transformed her hands into swords, her eyes suddenly sharpening, her arm movements flowing back and forth in a dizzying display that ultimately struck toward her opponent. This song she had listened to tens of thousands of times, jumped it tens of thousands of times, and fallen tens of thousands of times. So how could she possibly skate poorly? The serpentine twisting steps flowed seamlessly into the next, her body shifting as she glided smoothly across the ice to the northeast corner, launching with her left front outer blade and swinging her right leg forward to gain momentum. In the blink of an eye she had landed on the ice, the knife-tooth steps within the continuation sequence particularly original. The audience's cheers rose in waves, one following another. Amid the crowd's excitement, the protagonist's turbulent fate finally found its resolution, her body slowly descending. On the vast expanse of ice, that green figure spun, sleeves fluttering in the air. Although the program had undergone significant changes, the original "wiping the neck" ending move was still preserved, her expression resolute as she severed all thoughts with her hand sword. Once the ending pose was set, applause surged from every direction like a tidal wave. This was quite rare among the top three groups of competitors. Only the last two death groups had ever stirred such hearts, yet Shu Ran had achieved it. Shu Ran stood on the ice, gazing at the dolls and flowers scattered across the surface from all sides, her face already glowing with smiles. She had truly done it. She had given this program a perfect clean. Recalling the hardships of fourteen years of training and the worries of these past few months, she suddenly felt they were nothing at all, as long as she could receive this moment's applause, what past sufferings could matter? She bit back her tears with all her strength and forced a smile. Shu Ran bowed deeply to the audience from every direction in thanks, picked up a doll and waved at the camera, then skated off the ice. The moment she saw Fu Yiqing, her eyes stung with tears, and she was immediately pulled into his embrace. "Today was really wonderful." This sentence swept away the gloom of the past few days for Shu Ran. She curved her lips, then stepped out of Fu Yiqing's arms and proactively opened hers to hug Qin Liubei instead. She was escorted by Fu Yiqing and Qin Liubei with arms around their shoulders toward the waiting seats. "Don't be nervous," Fu Yiqing said. Qin Liubei countered, "If you don't mention it, it's fine. Once you say something, I start feeling nervous." Shu Ran couldn't help but speak up. "I didn't make any mistakes. What's there to be nervous about?" Qin Liubei whispered, "It's me who's nervous. So many media cameras are focused on me, I don't know which angle to look from to show my best side." Fu Yiqing turned his head away and gave him a silent glance, then turned back. Shu Ran: "..." The host's camera then rose to frame the three of them. They stopped bantering. Shu Ran clutched the doll, offered a gentle smile at the camera, and then looked up at the large screen. "TES: 39.87 points; PCS: 38.71 points, short program final score 78.58 points." The entire arena erupted in cheers. Some spectators looked surprised, while others were dissatisfied with the score, but their discontent wasn't that Shu Ran's performance didn't deserve it. They felt she had been undervalued. In their eyes, Shu Ran's performance was worth a far better mark. You must know that this season the women's short program scores had already been pushed above eighty points by top athletes, including Shu Ran's own, and the moment she broke the world record for short programs she had also performed this exact program. Her showing today was clearly more perfect and fluid than that previous one, yet the score had fallen short by nearly three points. But no one would blame the judges. Because a good starting position was an inherent advantage for the skater. Deductions were inevitable for the early groups. Still, Shu Ran was quite satisfied with the result. This was her best short program score since sustaining her injury. Shu Ran and Fu Yiqing walked backstage to the applause of the live audience. The world around her suddenly fell quiet. Just as she turned the corner she met the eyes of Samantha, who was waiting to take the stage. There was a kind warmth in the latter's gaze, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward. Shu Ran was momentarily stunned and returned an equally puzzled smile. On the way back to the hotel Qin Liubei kept staring at his phone screen, grinning to himself, then turned to the two in the back seat. "Look, the hot search for #Shu Ran returned# is trending." He held up his phone to show the others, his expression boastful. "Want to know how the netizens praised you?" "No." Qin Liubei's face fell instantly. Only Fu Yiqing could be the one to pour cold water on the situation. Seeing that Qin Liubei was being tactless, Fu Yiqing turned his gaze to Shu Ran. "Then I'll tell you." "No need to listen." "Still Fu Yiqing." "Qin Liubei: What exactly is wrong with you?" But Fu Yiqing offered no answer. In the charged silence Shu Ran spoke weakly. "I think he just wants me to stay calm. Not to get too proud and not feel pressured by the netizens' compliments." Qin Liubei's tone turned doubtful as he looked to Fu Yiqing for clarification. "Really?" The latter hummed in agreement. Qin Liubei's gaze toward Shu Ran instantly changed, admiration and ambiguity mingled with respect. He cupped his fists. "I never expected to live to see the day someone could truly read Fu Yiqing's heart, which has lain hidden at the bottom of the sea for twenty thousand fathoms. Admirable. Truly admirable." Shu Ran touched her nose in embarrassment and carefully studied Fu Yiqing's expression, smiling shyly. "He... isn't that hard to understand." The instant Fu Yiqing turned his face to the window his lips curved upward. "Um, not hard to understand." "Qin Liubei: It seems to be about people, not things." "Shu Ran: ..." With that Qin Liubei put his phone away. If Fu Yiqing had not stopped him, he would have forgotten there was even deeper meaning in it. In the end, the netizens' praise hid the same regret: that Shu Ran's performance was worth a better score. Thanks to Shu Ran's words, Qin Liubei had no desire to read the comments. In the first day's short program, besides Shu Ran, Samantha, Chen Yuqi, and Christina had also received good scores and clean programs. The top three were Samantha, Christina, and Chen Yuqi. Although Zhi Yuan Ye Xiang and Gong Jiang Mei Hui had not achieved a clean, their high difficulty, excellent composition, and strong arrangement earned them scores above Shu Ran's, with only a one-point difference between them. The gaps among the three were barely more than 0.1 points. In the end Shu Ran ranked fifth, falling 0.63 points behind Zhi Yuan Ye Xiang. Just as the netizens had said, Shu Ran had suffered from the disadvantage of the starting order. Fortunately the score gaps for the top few in the short program were small, and Shu Ran's real strength lay in free skating, so she quickly adjusted her mindset. Back at the hotel Shu Ran had only sat for a short while when Fu Yiqing arrived, along with Li Doctor. Shu Ran slowly removed her shoes with some unease. The needle's effect had already worn off, so she slowed her movements to lessen the pain. The moment she took off her socks, the three of them, including Shu Ran, could not help frowning. She asked guiltily, "How is it?" In truth she already knew the situation was not good. The swelling at her ankle joint was even more pronounced, and she could feel the pain there reviving, constantly distracting her. "Li Doctor: "It's this serious and you only just told me? I'll have the nurse fetch the medicine box."" With that Li Doctor left the room to find his phone. Silence filled the room. Fu Yiqing simply kept his head lowered and said nothing, which only heightened Shu Ran's inner turmoil. "Coach?" she called out tentatively. Fu Yiqing answered in a low voice. "Um." Shu Ran remained guilty. "Um... Qin Liubei? Why didn't I see him after we got back?" Fu Yiqing said, "Went to pick up Xu Jingyu and the others, and by the way took them sightseeing." Shu Ran was surprised. "It's so cold outside, why go sightseeing?" "They probably just stayed in the car watching." "Then what's there to see? Better to come back to the hotel and rest." "Do you think Qin Liubei brought them around for what reason?" Shu Ran was stunned and did not understand the question's intent, so she guessed aloud. "To let them experience the exotic charm of another country? Or..." She suddenly stopped herself. "Could it be... to avoid me?" After the words hung in the air for a long time, Fu Yiqing finally raised his eyes. "I had him take them around because I know you would never want them to see you like this." The half point of absurd smile that had appeared in Shu Ran's eyes from her earlier guess vanished completely. Unlike Shu Ran's shock, Fu Yiqing's eyes were filled with pain. "Fu..." Fu Yiqing said in a deep voice, "Do you still remember when I promised to help you convince your parents in the hospital, what you promised me?" Shu Ran recalled carefully. "You mean, no matter what you say, I must agree?" Fu Yiqing: "Yes." They looked at each other again. Shu Ran subconsciously sensed something and did not immediately ask what the request was, but in his overly direct gaze she finally spoke. "What is it?" The door was pushed open with a bang. "Wow, I searched everywhere and couldn't find it. Turns out you brought your phone when you got here earlier." Li Doctor found his phone on the cabinet in Shu Ran's room. Looking at the two of them, he suddenly realized the atmosphere felt strange. He was stunned. "Did I... um, I'm going out to make a call." Li Doctor was about to leave when he was stopped. Fu Yiqing took the phone he was still talking into. "I'll help you say it. You first keep an eye on her." With that he continued conversing with the nurse on the other end.