With Yu Jinghui taking the championship at the first stop and Xi Ming delivering an impressive performance at the just-concluded second stop, it seemed that their youth category, which had always appeared precarious, had finally pulled itself together this year. Optimistic skating fans allowed themselves to dream of both of them making the final it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
However, the lingering excitement over the domestic junior skaters’ results at the JGP hadn’t even faded when this brief joy, like a balloon inflated to the brim, was pricked by a needle after the Czech stop concluded and burst in an instant.
“Yu Jinghui lost at the Czech stop?!”
On the day after the Czech stop ended, Xi Ming had barely arrived at the training rink when he learned the news from Zhao Zhengchang. For a moment, Xi Ming stared at Zhao Zhengchang in disbelief and confirmed again, “He only got eighth place?”
“Mm.” Zhao Zhengchang nodded.
There was no denying it this result truly exceeded Xi Ming’s expectations.
If asked which of the two of them had a better shot at the final at this stage, even Xi Ming himself would believe that person was Yu Jinghui. It wasn’t out of some modest character; it was simply that Xi Ming hadn’t fully shaken off the troubles his height had brought him.
Don’t be fooled by how confident he’d looked at the last competition in reality, crashing and burning on the ice like fireworks was well within his expectations. It just so happened that he got excited when facing formidable opponents, and luckily, he usually managed to find a decent state.
But Yu Jinghui was indeed relatively more stable. As unbelievable as it sounded, this stop’s loss was probably the first defeat Yu Jinghui had experienced since he started learning figure skating.
Lately, Xi Ming had been so exhausted after each day’s training during this preparation period that he hadn’t paid any attention to the Czech stop he’d just collapse into bed the moment training ended. He’d planned to congratulate Yu Jinghui once he heard the results from Zhao Zhengchang after the Czech stop concluded.
Because Xi Ming had assumed Yu Jinghui would take second place, or third if he didn’t perform well. With Lancik at the Czech stop, it wouldn’t be easy for Yu Jinghui to take the title.
“In any case, just pretend you don’t know about it.” Zhao Zhengchang meant no harm he simply felt that at this stage, Xi Ming and Yu Jinghui were rivals, especially since the selection competition, when outsiders had taken to constantly comparing the two. If Xi Ming showed up in front of Yu Jinghui at a time like this, who could say whether it might provoke him.
“Let him adjust on his own.”
Was that so?
Xi Ming understood Zhao Zhengchang’s reasoning, but thinking of Yu Jinghui, who always walked with him from school to training with a joyful smile, and the trust and faint dependence hidden beneath that smile, he felt he shouldn’t just stay silent and uninvolved.
But no matter what, today’s training came first.
Because the end of the Czech stop also meant that the second leg of Xi Ming’s Junior Grand Prix journey the Japan stop was about to begin.
In the end, Xi Ming couldn’t shake his worry for Yu Jinghui, so he ended his training earlier than usual and went to find him. Fortunately, Yu Jinghui had flown back home the very night his competition ended had he waited until the next day like Xi Ming usually did, he’d still be on the plane right now.
Though they’d known each other for quite a while, this was Xi Ming’s first time at Yu Jinghui’s home. Seeing him, Yu Jinghui’s parents were delighted, and in the end, unable to withstand their enthusiasm, Xi Ming simply escaped with Yu Jinghui to a nearby park.
They wandered aimlessly along the park’s paths, with the faint sound of an elderly person singing opera in the distance. For a moment, the atmosphere between Xi Ming and Yu Jinghui felt heavy with silence.
Truth be told, Xi Ming didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t good at comforting people, and he didn’t think Yu Jinghui needed comforting either.
“When I was in Czech, I suddenly got stomach trouble on the day of the free skate.” Before Xi Ming could ask, Yu Jinghui brought up the Czech stop himself he naturally knew why Xi Ming had set aside training to come find him.
Yu Jinghui gave an embarrassed smile and continued, “I didn’t fall to the pressure Lancik brought, but I got taken down by an upset stomach. It’s honestly a bit embarrassing to tell people.”
In reality, the situation had been far worse than Yu Jinghui’s casual tone suggested. During the free skate, his limbs had gone weak, and for the first time, he’d felt how heavy his body could be so his 4T had popped into a 2T, and his 3A had crumbled into a 1A.
Though Yu Jinghui spoke to Xi Ming as if he didn’t care, when they sat down on a park bench, his noticeably quieter demeanor than usual revealed that he wasn’t taking this failure as calmly as he appeared.
But Yu Jinghui didn’t say much more. After sitting in silence for a while, he smiled at Xi Ming. “Thanks for coming to see me. I feel a lot better. You might find this strange, but after you came to find me, my bad mood just flew away.”
Xi Ming wasn’t surprised, because Yu Jinghui’s personality was exactly as he had imagined he wouldn’t dwell on a momentary failure. He was a gentle person, but as an athlete, he also had his resilient side.
Today, Yu Jinghui seemed to have more to say to Xi Ming than usual. “Come to think of it, every time I fail, you’re there with me.”
Xi Ming indicated he had no memory of that. Watching Xi Ming’s head full of question marks, Yu Jinghui found it both amusing and helpless. “You really forgot, didn’t you? So you must have thought it was strange when I suddenly approached you at school and liked walking with you, even though we didn’t know each other before.”
“It wasn’t that strange, and besides, we weren’t strangers just unfamiliar.” As mentioned before, he and Yu Jinghui had only ever crossed paths at competitions without ever speaking.
Now it seemed things weren’t as Xi Ming remembered. Looking at Yu Jinghui, he finally asked, “So, we’ve talked before?”
“Yeah.” Yu Jinghui nodded, finally clearing up the confusion that had been nagging at Xi Ming all this time.
“It was when we were about eight, when I first participated in the junior series.” Yu Jinghui started the story, then looked at Xi Ming, who was listening attentively.
Xi Ming always said he was scattered and lazy when not training, but what Xi Ming didn’t know was that when he was serious, he had a uniquely compelling, trustworthy aura. So when Yu Jinghui, having transferred alone to an unfamiliar school to join the national team, passed by Xi Ming’s classroom and saw the boy at the podium, he recognized him at a glance.
Whether at eight, thirteen, or now, Xi Ming always looked the same.
Seeing Xi Ming look over with confusion because of his overly long pause, Yu Jinghui continued, “But someone cut the laces on my skates.”
Yu Jinghui truly made his mark at age ten, when he displayed difficulty beyond his years in the junior figure skating series. But before that, most people only knew he trained at a club in Heilongjiang; little else was clear, and there seemed to be scant competition records.
But in fact, Yu Jinghui had first participated in the junior series at age eight only, there was competition on the ice, and there were disputes off it too.
Perhaps because his coach, while chatting with acquaintances, had praised Yu Jinghui as the most talented child he’d ever coached, the inexperienced Yu Jinghui and his parents ended up with skates whose laces had been cut.
Actually, eight-year-old Yu Jinghui hadn’t been that fond of figure skating to begin with. It was only because of his talent that his parents felt he’d regret giving up while still so young and unaware, so he kept skating.
Then the cruelty of competitive sports made little Yu Jinghui cry. He sobbed loudly, clutching the skates with the cut laces, saying he didn’t want to compete at all. His heartbroken parents, shocked by the situation, went to discuss withdrawing from the competition with his coach.
That was when little Xi Ming appeared.
A passing young boy spotted Yu Jinghui, grinned as he sidled over, then looked down at the skates in his hands. “Laces broken? I have spares I can lend you some.”
“Thank you, but I don’t need them.” Even after just crying, Yu Jinghui was still a polite child. “I, I’m going to withdraw.”
“Oh, what a shame.” Little Xi Ming, bold as ever, plopped down next to Yu Jinghui. “I noticed you earlier today, we’re the only two our age. I wanted to see you skate. They say you’re amazing, way better than others your age.”
“I don’t know.” Yu Jinghui lowered his head. Though everyone around him said he was talented, Yu Jinghui, who disliked monotonous training, wasn’t sure if he really was.
“Heh heh, they say I’m amazing too.” Little Xi Ming shook his head cheerfully, continuing to chat with the dejected Yu Jinghui. “So, I think we should compete against each other. They say rivals make competition fun, right? Everyone else is way older than us.”
“Rival?”
“Yeah, look we’re the same age, and we’re both strong skaters. If we keep skating, won’t we keep competing forever? Isn’t that what adults call fated rivals?”
Xi Ming said this because he’d recently heard his new coach, Zhao Zhengchang, talk about figure skating history and mention two recent skaters as twin stars, fated rivals, and clever little Xi Ming had remembered most of it.
He also wanted to find someone like that someone who sounded impressive so he’d be impressive too.
Though Yu Jinghui only half-understood Xi Ming’s words, he felt it sounded impressive and widened his eyes in response. “Can I? Be your rival?”
“Of course you can.” Xi Ming stood up, pulled a spare lace from his bag, and handed it to Yu Jinghui. “Then it’s settled we’re fated rivals.”
Before Yu Jinghui could nod, Xi Ming suddenly pulled out a tissue and wiped his still-damp tears, a big grin leaning in close to Yu Jinghui’s face.
“So, don’t cry anymore. My brother said real men don’t cry. And besides, with me as your rival, you’ll be happy, right? I’m super happy.”
Xi Ming walked a few steps with his backpack, then turned back to the stunned Yu Jinghui and said seriously, “And if someone bullies you, hit them back, or get your brother to hit them back!”
This time, before Yu Jinghui could answer that he didn’t have a brother, Xi Ming dashed off with his backpack in a flash.
Even though he didn’t know Xi Ming’s name, this sudden companion who came to comfort him lifted Yu Jinghui’s spirits a lot. When his parents returned, he told them he would keep competing.
Because his rival was out there too they had made a promise.
As for what happened afterward, Xi Ming knew without Yu Jinghui having to say it.
Yu Jinghui had always remembered that encounter. Even when Xi Ming was still unknown and Yu Jinghui was hailed as the rising star of men’s figure skating, he would earnestly say in interviews that his rival was Xi Ming.
Xi Ming himself, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about it.
Looking at it now, his past self had really been a simple-minded single-celled creature who had fooled an innocent little boy.
Now, facing the smiling Yu Jinghui, Xi Ming felt a rare pang of awkwardness. He’d been set up by his past self and this was something that had never happened before his rebirth.
Because in his previous life, Yu Jinghui had never existed in his world at all.
“Haha.” Xi Ming’s expression amused Yu Jinghui, who couldn’t hold back his laughter, feeling even lighter inside both because of Xi Ming and because he’d finally shared the story from his childhood. “Alright, I’m not here to blame you, A-Xi.”
“After all, you were just an eight-year-old kid back then. In your memory, you probably only comforted a crying little boy.”
“And also, for the JGP, keep up the good work.”
Xi Ming looked at Yu Jinghui, who had suddenly turned serious, and raised his hand. Yu Jinghui understood and bumped fists with him. Xi Ming curled the corner of his mouth, looking just like the Xi Ming Yu Jinghui remembered from when he was eight.
“Of course. Just wait and see.”