In the Kiss & Cry, figure skating’s waiting area, Xi Ming and Zhao Zhengchang sat there after leaving the ice, waiting for the score of Xi Ming’s short program that had just concluded.
Xi Ming’s right hand gripped his left wrist, as if he wanted to rotate it, but then, remembering the camera in front of him, he waved both hands at the lens instead. Lowering his hands, Xi Ming noticed Zhao Zhengchang’s gaze on him and shook his head to reassure him. “It’s nothing.”
Zhao Zhengchang said nothing. The two of them fell silent and looked at the screen as Xi Ming’s score appeared.
For his short program, The Nutcracker, due to the fall on his first jump, Xi Ming earned a technical score of 39.51 and a program component score of 33.46, for a total of 71.97.
“Not a bad score,” Xi Ming said with a light laugh as he left the Kiss & Cry, speaking to Zhao Zhengchang. “Honestly, after falling on the first jump, I thought the short program was done for.”
Xi Ming’s final score for the short program was indeed far from terrible. Though it didn’t match what he’d earned at the Japanese stop, it was by no means at the bottom of the rankings in this year’s final. In fact, if his competitors hadn’t performed so well, Xi Ming could have placed in the top three with that score.
“Typical Xi Ming you can never let your guard down around him,” Chris remarked to his coach from the stands after seeing Xi Ming’s score.
If Lanzik had only worried about Xi Ming inwardly when he saw him fall, Chris had worn that concern plainly on his face. Of course, after watching the second half of Xi Ming’s program, Chris realized it was still too early to worry about him.
He’d better focus on preparing for his own event, so he wouldn’t lose to Xi Ming and Lanzik in the short program again.
Chris felt he was in top form today and couldn’t wait to take the ice.
Although, after Xi Ming skated toward the center of the rink, the next to perform was Takahashi Shohei. Chris had drawn sixth in the order, skating last.
“Sigh, guess I’ll just wait patiently.”
Having finished his own competition for now, Xi Ming and his group weren’t watching Takahashi Shohei. Instead, they were backstage tending to Xi Ming’s wrist.
As they’d left the Kiss & Cry, Zhao Zhengchang hadn’t responded to Xi Ming’s comment about his total score. Instead, he’d asked whether his wrist was bothering him. Xi Ming admitted it readily, when he’d fallen on the ice, he’d instinctively braced himself with his hand, so his left wrist was slightly sprained and now a bit red and swollen.
Still, Xi Ming figured it wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t hurt that much, and rotating his wrist only produced a dull ache.
The team doctor’s examination afterward confirmed Xi Ming’s assessment.
“It looks worse than it is. It should be mostly better by tomorrow. I’ll massage it for you again when we get back tonight.”
The national team doctor who’d come along, Jiang Yucheng, was a reliable adult though he kneaded Xi Ming’s wrist in silence, causing some pain. After spraying the wrist with a cooling mist, the swelling visibly subsided, and Doctor Jiang earned looks of trust from the onlookers.
“So, there’s really no problem. Don’t worry.”
Seated, Xi Ming looked up at the people gathered around him in a circle, focusing on Zhao Zhengchang and Qi Yu. “So, can you give me back the air above my head?”
Xi Ming meant that having several people standing in front of him was quite effective at blocking the light.
“Good to hear you’re fine. At your age, you need to take care of your body that’s how you extend your career,” Qi Yu said in the tone of someone speaking from experience.
Though at twenty-five, Qi Yu was still young by ordinary standards, among figure skaters he was truly a veteran. Qi Yu had always been physically resilient, but after years of competition, he’d experienced his share of injuries, big and small. His knee still carried an old injury that flared up from time to time, making its presence known.
“Yeah, I know,” Xi Ming naturally nodded obediently to show he understood, then looked up at Qi Yu standing beside him and changed the subject. “Good luck tonight, Senior.”
“No problem. I’ll show you a great performance it’ll make up for the China stop.”
Qi Yu was referring to the promise Xi Ming had made when he’d first joined the team, to come watch Qi Yu’s live performance at the China stop. That promise had never come to fruition because it happened to clash with school exams. Though Xi Ming rarely attended school during the competition season, he still tried to sit for whatever exams he could.
So Xi Ming had only watched Qi Yu’s performance afterward on screen. At the China stop, Qi Yu had taken first place, and even through a screen, Xi Ming could imagine how spectacular it must have been live.
“I’ll cheer for you with everything I’ve got, Senior.” Remembering that broken promise and feeling a pang of guilt for not keeping his word, Xi Ming spoke to Qi Yu again.
Xi Ming only called Qi Yu “Senior Brother” when he was being especially serious, and Qi Yu, upon hearing that title, would immediately slap a hundredfold adorable filter onto his junior disciple. With those two “Senior Brother” calls from Xi Ming, Qi Yu was instantly floating on cloud nine, his eyes seeing nothing but his adorable junior disciple.
“Why don’t you just take this student off my hands?” Yang Wu said to Zhao Zhengchang, too lazy to look at his own embarrassing student.
“He’s your student. I’m doing just fine with Xi Ming.” Zhao Zhengchang declined, even though the person he was declining was someone he had coached during his junior division days.
“Hey, hey.” Even though Qi Yu had started chattering away with Xi Ming, he still caught the two coaches’ joke and waved his hand in protest, clearly displeased.
“It’s out. Mikhail’s score.” Xi Ming, the quietest of the group, pointed at the screen in front of him. Hearing his words, Zhao Zhengchang and the others fell silent, all watching Mikhail’s score together.
While Xi Ming had been tending to his wrist, the short programs of Takahashi Shohei and Mikhail, who had skated after him, had also been completed one after another.
Takahashi Shohei, just as Xi Ming had sensed today, seemed to carry an inescapable weight of pressure, and it showed in his short program. After his flutz on the Lutz jump, his triple Axel also popped into a double. Fortunately, his spins and footwork were solid, and the performance quality that had once won him championships was still present, so the program didn’t completely fall apart. He ended up with a score of 68.42.
As for Mikhail, who had skated third, his score was slightly higher than Takahashi Shohei’s, but his 70.92 still fell a bit short of Xi Ming’s.
So for now, Xi Ming remained in first place in the current junior men’s short program standings.
But Xi Ming knew this didn’t mean he could simply wait for victory in peace, because there were still three skaters left in the junior division who hadn’t gone yet and they were exactly this year’s title contenders.
The fourth to skate was Lucas Ozer.
Although Canada’s number one, Ethan Lee, had failed to qualify for the final after a loss at a Grand Prix stop, this sixteen-year-old Canadian rising star, Lucas of the junior division, still performed steadily, entering the final with points from two stop victories.
Lucas delivered an ice tango for his short program this season, generously pouring out his passion, and naturally received a fervent response from the entire arena.
And a total short program score of 73.21.
Following Lucas was the Czech skater Lanzik, who had also entered the final tied for first with Lucas on double victories.
Lanzik, just as Xi Ming had encountered him at the Slovenia stop, was as steady as ever, and equally lacking in a shortage of passion. Xi Ming felt Lanzik’s performance was like a deep spring calm on the surface, but concealing a silent undercurrent.
Lucas briefly surpassed Xi Ming to take first place, but was soon overtaken by Lanzik, and Xi Ming dropped to third.
The short program competition was now drawing to a close, with only one person left Chris yet to skate.
“Scary stuff, that Lanzik guy.”
Finally getting his turn, Chris, who had been itching to go, moved around in place for a moment, then glided to the center of the rink with a sigh of admiration.
After Lanzik’s short program ended, the score was instantly refreshed to above seventy-five points a personal best for Lanzik, and also a score surpassing the highest short program results across all seven Grand Prix junior stops.
Even Chris couldn’t guarantee he would definitely surpass Lanzik.
And the four skaters below Lanzik’s score, in Chris’s view, were all watching hungrily. The real competition was still in the free skate on the third day; no one would give up because of today’s scores.
But likewise, Chris had no intention of letting Lanzik sit comfortably in first place.
Whether he could surpass Lanzik or not of course, he’d only know after giving it his all. Chris snapped his head up as the music began, flashing a bold grin, and the figure in black costume began to move.
The dead awaken, dancing a Danse Macabre.
“Tsk tsk, these kids these days are something else.”
Qi Yu looked at the screen, where another high score had appeared as Chris’s result refreshed 76.14. While this wasn’t a standout score in senior competition, in the junior division it was more than enough to surpass scores from past seasons.
Qi Yu glanced at Xi Ming beside him. With Lucas, Lanzik, and Chris consecutively posting high scores, Xi Ming’s short program ranking had now fallen to fourth.
But aside from the glimpses of emotion he showed on the ice, Xi Ming always seemed calm in everyday life, and right now he showed no visible reaction to his short program deficit.
“Chris really is a late-season pusher, just like he said. His short program looks completely different from his first event.”
Not only was Xi Ming unaffected by his ranking, he actually seemed quite appreciative of Chris’s first-place short program.
Junior Brother’s positive mindset naturally delighted Qi Yu. He stretched lazily, the casual air about him vanishing as he turned serious. “Since you little ones have put on such a great show, I’ll have to work twice as hard.”
“Otherwise, if people say my performance isn’t as exciting as yours, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”
Ignoring Xi Ming’s look of wanting nothing to do with him, Qi Yu slung an arm around Xi Ming and led him toward the backstage area. “Come on, Junior Brother, let’s go get ready together.”
Perhaps Qi Yu still wanted to keep him close so he wouldn’t overthink things. Though Xi Ming truly felt nothing having long anticipated falling behind in the short program he still accepted Qi Yu’s concern and followed him backstage.
Another reason was that there were no teammates of theirs in the Junior Women’s Singles, so Xi Ming had no reason to pay attention for now, merely waiting for the Senior Men’s Singles to begin.
Regarding Qi Yu’s performance, there were some things he wanted to see with his own eyes.