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ntranslator: baumkuchen editors: serefina, glitterypanda

nBut Dong Feihong quickly snapped out of his weird mood.

nHe asked, “Do you want me to ask your parents to come and watch the competition?”

nChi Xiaochi paused as he was drinking his soup.

nDong Feihong said gently, “I’ll go give them a call. This is your first competition, they should be there.”

nSince Dong Ge left, his relationship with his parents gradually cooled.

nHe became the country’s Dong Ge, but was no longer the Dong family’s Dong Ge.

nAfter Dong Ge was crippled, it was them, the already aging couple, who took him home and put their hearts into taking care of him.

nThey had gotten old, and their temper much milder. They’d thought through many things in retrospect, but it was already too late. Dong Ge had already completely closed himself off.

nStanding outside the barrier Dong Ge had built, they begged, they beat on it, hoping to open up a door and bring their son out, rescue him.

nHowever, these parents who had hardly ever praised him since he was young weren’t trusted by Dong Ge at all, and absolutely couldn’t become Dong Ge’s emotional support. On the contrary, they made Dong Ge’s gradually crumbling mind become even more nervous.

nOnly when they had no other options left did his parents tearfully send Dong Ge to a sanatorium, placing him in the care of professionals.

nBut what they got back was a corpse, frozen from spending tens of hours in freezing water at sub-zero temperatures.

nUpon seeing her son’s body, something inside of Madam Dong broke.

nShe began watching the videos of her son’s performances over and over.

nThis job, which had been “not a proper job”, where “in the future you won’t have any way out”, and “you’ll be so impressive after you’ve gotten old and given yourself a body full of injuries” when her son was alive, became the sole sustenance of this old lady who was over half a century old and had lost her only child.

nHer favourite video was the one of Dong Ge’s very first competition, where he only won fifth place due to nerves.

nThe child in that video was the closest to the Dong Ge in her memories, silent, quiet, and still had a little shyness from his longing for recognition in his eyes.

nOne day, she and her husband were once again watching the video side by side.

nThe woman seemed to think of something. Hair slightly disheveled, eyes red and swollen, she turned to her husband. “……Back then, why didn’t we ever go watch Xiao Ge’s competitions?”

nBack to the present.

nChi Xiaochi said, “……The competition will be held in another city, they’ll think it’s too far away. Besides, they have their jobs.”

nIn response to Chi Xiaochi’s, or rather, Dong Ge’s question, Dong Feihong didn’t answer him, instead replying with another question, “Do you want them to come?”

nDong Ge’s long, soft eyelashes trembled uncontrollably for a while. He spoke hesitantly, “……Yes.”

nDong Feihong smiled, “Drink your soup. If you take any longer, it’ll get cold.”

n“But they……”

nDong Feihong gently interrupted him, “That’s not for you to worry about. Leave it to me, let me deal with it, okay?”

nDong Ge looked up at him from the still-steaming thermos. Some of the vigilance and unease had faded from his features.

nHe slowly nodded, letting out a rare smile his face wasn’t used to making. “Okay.”

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nThe face before him was clearly Dong Ge’s face, but the moment he thought about the other soul in his body, Dong Feihong couldn’t quite keep the corners of his mouth from curving up.

nHe said, “Go back and think about what you want to eat when you come home this week. Let me know by text.”

nFor the next three months, Chi Xiaochi led a very simple life. On-ice training, dance training, cultural studies, everything was arranged in an orderly, unhurried way.

nHe even had the mind to set aside an hour every day especially for moon-gazing, for watching fireflies, for looking at the streetlight, for watching the far-away fireworks. As his eyes followed the dancing lights, sometimes, he would be thinking about something, and sometimes, he wouldn’t be thinking about anything at all.

nIt had been a very long time since the last school team wide mandated haircut, and his hair had grown a lot, nearly brushing his shoulders.

nAs it so happened, Chi Xiaochi himself didn’t like cutting his hair all that much.

nHe’d recently spent an afternoon facing a mirror, teaching Dong Ge how to tie his mid-length hair up in a half-crown braid so it looked nice, and how to tie it into a half-bun that was both good-looking and long-lasting.

nBut when he was practicing dancing or practicing skating, Chi Xiaochi would hand total control over his body back to Dong Ge himself, letting him go crazy.

nDong Ge liked to train on his own. Especially when there was a competition coming up, even late at night, he would often still be in the dance classroom, training.

nDing, da, da, da, the metronome rang out in four beats. Bam, boom, boom, boom, his feet stepped firmly on the plastic floor.

nThe sports school’s rules allowed family in the city to visit the school.

nDong Feihong went to the school to apply for a temporary pass so he could come by and watch Dong Ge’s practice often.

nWhen Dong Ge practiced his dancing, he had something to keep himself busy.

nHe took out a sketchbook, sketching a silhouette of a little person dancing on the paper with a brush pen.

nDong Feihong said, “Uncle will draw you a manga. I’ll give it to you on your coming-of-age ceremony.”

nAccompanied by Dong Feihong, three months flew by quickly.

nIt was unknown how many rounds of discussion Dong Feihong had to go through, but the day before the competition, Dong Ge’s friends and family supporters group gained a new member.

nThe skating rink couldn’t run itself, so Mister Dong decided to stay behind, while Madam Dong and Dong Feihong took the high-speed railway together and arrived at the competition rink in Beijing.

nThe entire way there, Madam Dong’s mouth hadn’t stopped even once, constantly asking Dong Feihong about how Dong Ge’s grades in his cultural classes were, and if he would be able to get into a good university when he graduated from the sports school.

nDong Feihong remained good-natured and patient, reassuring her, “Dong Ge’s grades aren’t bad, and his results in practice are really outstanding. Otherwise, why would the school let him, a new student who’s only joined the school for half a year, compete in such a big competition?”

nMadam Dong’s lip curled. “A student, but he doesn’t know to study. Skating is just playing, can it still put food on the table, huh?”

nDong Feihong’s attitude was incredibly gentle. “Have you seen a skating competition before?”

nMadam Dong, “Watched some before on the television. It’s all young people leading each other along and hugging, then ga-bam, they throw the other, then crash, they fall onto the ice. I say, this is just too dangerous, such sharp ice blades, just one cut on the body and it’s over, but that brat just didn’t listen.”

nDong Feihong guided her along patiently and systematically, “Dong Ge participating in this competition is like the first time a lady gets on the sedan chair, if you don’t understand the rules, and the judges just anyhow watch, and mess up his score, wouldn’t our Dong Ge lose out?”

nMadam Dong’s thoughts instantly went off in that direction. “Bullying outsiders, ha?”

nDong Feihong pushed her along a little further, “More likely than not, that’ll really happen, you know?”

nWith this shot of chicken blood, Madam Dong was instantly riled up.

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nIn her mind, this was the child she gave birth to and raised, she of course could treat him however she wanted, but if he were to be bullied by someone else, she wouldn’t be able to take that.

nWith a swipe, she snatched Dong Feihong’s cellphone, and pulled up the first video. “Dong Ge’s Uncle, explain this to me.”

nBut interested or not, Madam Dong didn’t have any hopes of Dong Ge winning this competition.

nIn her mind, Dong Ge was an unfortunate child who would just make idle rounds about the ice rink, his heart not at all focused on his studies. With his skinny arms and legs, how could he possibly make any jumps?

nAs a result, during the qualifying round, when she saw Dong Ge skate out of the prepared channel, she immediately became anxious. “Why is he wearing so little? Gloves? Scarf? Won’t his joints get stiff from the cold?”

nThe moment Dong Ge appeared, he aroused discussion from the crowd.

nTo Dong Feihong’s right, someone “woah”-ed. “What a good looking kid.”

nHis girlfriend chimed in, “Like a child star.”

nTrue to how they described him, because of his slender frame, Dong Ge’s appearance had long since progressed from the category of “cute”, becoming quite the classic beauty. His temperament very much suited his blue and white skating costume. A pale gold choker was wrapped around his neck, and his black hair was tied up in a half-up crown braid.

nBut the praise of being like a “child star”, was for Chi Xiaochi.

nWhat Chi Xiaochi feared the least was the media and camera flashes, not to mention that the qualifying round was merely being broadcasted online.

nHe skated a round around the rink, doing a few exercises to loosen up. Although he took a few deep breaths, the movements of his body were clearly still following Chi Xiaochi’s relaxed rhythm.

nHe looked up at the audience, but before he could find Dong Feihong in the stands, he was called over to take his position in the centre of the rink by the referee.

nThe youth skated into the centre of the rink, assuming his starting position, arms spread and neck craned like a swan.

nFor his first song, he’d chosen Yanni’s 《Nightingale》.

nThe on-site commentary was made by an already-retired skater and a commentator whose qualifications couldn’t be considered first-class, but who had a good mouth.

nThe commentator said, “Competitor no. 5 is in pretty good condition.”

nThe retired skater nodded. “The self- confidence he has is very rare amongst children of his age, it’s very valuable.”

nThe commentator said, “Isn’t it? Just now there were two 12, 13 year olds who got all stiff, not even able to grasp the rhythm.”

nThe first lines of the music began to play, and the youth skated backwards. His hair was blown up by the ice-laden wind, whirling along with him.

nThe camera zoomed in on Dong Ge’s face.

nThere was no smile on his lips, but he didn’t appear imposing, severe or nervous, seeming somewhat melancholy, like there was a weight on his mind, yet this kind of indifference perfectly matched the mood of his performance.

nIn the beginning, the music was slow and soothing, like the cries of a nightingale. The sound of the blades of his skates hitting the ice with his every step matched perfectly to the beat. His movements were fluid, his sequences like flowing water and drifting clouds. Even though the difficulty level wasn’t very high, his every movement was both clean and proper.

nThe melancholy in his gaze grew deeper. He raised his hand and slightly placed it to his forehead, like he was pushing himself backwards.

nThe retired skater instantly recognised this movement. He could hardly hide the surprise in his tone, “A layback Ina Bauer?”

nThat was indeed a most proper layback Ina Bauer. Both arms were extended to the most perfect width, combined with his powerful yet soft transition, it could be said to be absolutely perfect, like a nightingale singing to the skies.

nJust as the commentator wanted to say something, he saw Dong Ge very smoothly follow up his Bauer with a jump.

nEven this inexperienced commentator could recognise it. “……2A?”

n“……Connecting a layback Ina Bauer with a 2A, that’s a GOE higher than three.”

nThe gaze the retired skater used to look at Dong Ge had completely changed.

n……GOE was one thing, but the understanding this child had towards the beauty and art of skating was on a whole level above the previous competitors’.

nHe looked down at the competitor’s profile.

n……An 11 year old child. If this wasn’t experience, then it had to be pure genius.

nThe youth on the ice had already gone into an arabesque spiral.

nPeople who understood figure skating were already shocked by the level of skill this unknown youth was displaying, but even more excited were those who actually didn’t understand it very well.

nIn the eyes of these laymen, “beauty”, “complex movements” and “many turns” were synonyms for amazing technique. Although in this performance, Dong Ge didn’t use any difficult spins, leaving them a little dissatisfied, the first two had very much been achieved.

nAt the end of his performance, Dong Ge raised his right hand, reaching out to the heavens.

nAs the final, melodious line of music fell, it was as if every ray of moonlight was shining onto his body.

nAfter he’d completed all his movements and the sound of applause rang out loudly in the stadium, Chi Xiaochi let out a long breath, finally feeling his exhaustion.

nIt was as if there was a piece of ice burning its way down his throat and into his lungs, making him unable to tell if he was feeling hot or cold.

nHe bent down, bowing to the audience, then circled around the rink, relaxing his tense muscles.

n061 immediately regulated the lactic acid constantly being secreted by his muscles, eliminating his muscle soreness from the root.

nHe said, “Good work.”

nChi Xiaochi wiped off the sweat on his forehead. He smiled to himself, “……We did pretty well, didn’t we?”

nDong Feihong wanted to stand up and give Dong Ge a round of applause, but unexpectedly, the first one to jump up was Madam Dong, straining her throat in her endless excitement, “My son! My son!”

nHer voice was drowned in the sea of discussion and cheering, but Chi Xiaochi still seemed to sense something, turning to face the stands.

nAt that moment, her seemingly forever dissatisfied face was filled with genuine joy.

nShe waved her arms wildly at Dong Ge, while Dong Ge stood stunned in place, staring at his mother, who looked twenty years younger, yelling in excitement like a young woman.

nA few seconds later, he slowly pulled his face into a smile and waved to her.

nAt the same time, 061 received a notification he found a little hard to believe.

nIn the next second, the next notification that followed close after surprised him even more. “Xiaochi……”

nChi Xiaochi also saw it.

nThe digital display before his eyes had lit up.

nThe target Lou Sifan’s goodwill level had risen by 8 points, and his regret level had risen by 8 points.

n……061 expressed that this was his first time seeing such a strange scene where the target’s goodwill level and regret level rose simultaneously.

nBut Chi Xiaochi’s attitude was very mild. “I thought he would only see my competition during the live television broadcast for the finals.”

n061, “Lou Sifan, he……”

nAfter Chi Xiaochi skated into the exit passage, he slipped off his hair tie in one smooth motion and brushed the ice off his hair. “First of all, goodwill value doesn’t necessarily mean love; and second of all, regret level also doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s reflecting on his own past wrongs.”

n061 nodded.

nChi Xiaochi said, “One of the reasons why he regards He Changsheng as his white moonlight is because the type of person He Changsheng is suits his tastes.”

n061 agreed with Chi Xiaochi’s judgement.

nFor Lou Sifan, this type of person who loved acting like the saviour of the world to exhibit his Holy Mother-like kindness, this bullied, slightly cool yet with a little artistic air perfectly matched his tastes, easily invoking his protective urges.

nBe it Li Changsheng or Zhang Changsheng or Dong Changsheng, they were all the same.

n061 asked, “Then the regret value……”

nChi Xiaochi was amused. “Another one of the reasons as to why he regards He Changsheng as his white moonlight, is that even though He Changsheng is a genius, he isn’t a single skater.”

nThe author has something to say:

nCongratulations Xiaochi on succeeding at gaining points remotely √

nThe attitude that led to Fake Lou’s regret points increasing can be explained in one sentence.

n——“I want my friends to be better off than I am, but I don’t want my friends to be better off than I am by too much.”

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nbaum: yay we’re back!! thanks everyone for your patience, and the well wishes! <3

nsere: uMM did anyone catch that 061 just called our beautiful child by his name???

nsong in this chapter:

nNightingale by Yanni

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