CH 14

14 - Collective training

Everyone from the Program Production Team filed out of the conference room. In the blink of an eye, the huge space fell silent.

The project had certainly been confirmed.

Deng Jingwei secretly spurned his helplessness and smiled at Yu Nian: “No, we can learn…”

With that, he grabbed Yu Nian’s wrist.

Yu Nian’s wrist was very pale and thin. The light blue blood vessels could easily be seen. At this time, there was a large scab that ran from the side of the wrist and extended to the side of his palm. It was eye-catching, and caused a shocking impression.

Deng Jingwei’s face was full of heartache: “But figure skaters have to jump and spin on the ice. It’s very easy to fall and twist your ankle.”

Seeing Yu Nian fall during the longboard qualification competition, had left a psychological shadow on Deng Jingwei. Seeing that Yu Nian’s injury had not yet completely healed, Deng Jingwei felt uncomfortable and had a headache when he learned that Yu Nian had to immediately take part in such a difficult event.

There were many events in the All-Star Games. The track and field events were composed of track races and the high jump. For comprehensive events, there was archery, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming competitions, and figure skating.

Among them, the number of participants was highest in the track and field events. Archery and gymnastics also had a good amount of participants because of the fanbase for these sports.

But for figure skating, the difficulty threshold was higher. Even with half a month of training, being able to step into the ice rink and skate a few laps was already really good. Doing jumps and landing gracefully, on the other hand, was much harder.

The most important thing was that in certain countries, such as Japan and Russia, the national skill level of figure skaters was very high. But for China, it was just a niche sport, with an inherently smaller audience than the other events.

For a variety of reasons, the people who selected figure skating were those who had no other choice.

Deng Jingwei said: “I wanted to fight for the 50-meter dash and so on. After all, you have been longboarding for so long, so you should be physically fit. You should be able to compete in the track and field events.”

Who knew that Liu Chuan, the former agent, was stumbling around, and didn’t fondly think of his ex-artist.

Figure skating? Deng Jingwei couldn’t help, but sighed a long sigh.

Yu Nian removed his wrist from Deng Jingwei’s hand, glanced over, and said in a faint voice, “Do you know what figure skating is called?”

As soon as Yu Nian looked him in the eye, Deng Jingwei felt that the tip of his heart had been swept by the long and dense eyelashes, as he stammered out, “What, what?”

Yu Nian’s eyelashes casted a shadow, and no longer said anything.

Deng Jingwei had been looking at this face for several months, but he still couldn’t help being captivated by it. Seeing that there wasn’t a hint of worry on Yu Nian’s face, Deng Jingwei also was relieved.

Anyway, the required skill level was quite high. Everyone was in the same boat, and maybe if Yu Nian trained hard enough, he might be able to stand out?

At the thought of this, Deng Jingwei felt comforted. If nothing else, since Yu Nian did longboarding previously, at least his body was flexible and his coordination wasn’t that bad. At least he wouldn’t go into the sport blind.

He thought about it and comforted Yu Nian: “Although figure skating is not as popular as the track and field events, at least there will be a camera filming the event. As long as you depend on your face, and attract the camera’s attention, you will gain popularity for sure!”

Yu Nian had a faint smile on his lips.

He thought of his world, where the prima donna in the ballet company became a figure skater.

Figure skating was also called ice ballet.

This was a completely unfamiliar territory for Yu Nian. There was a strange appeal in the unknown.

…….

When Deng Jingwei and Yu Nian walked out of the conference room, they saw Liu Chuan, who left first, standing not too far away. He was talking and laughing with a young man.

Liu Chuan had all the qualities of being a good agent-except for not being able to get enough resources for his artists.

At this time, Deng Jingwei immediately recognized who the young man was and began telling Yu Nian the other party’s identity.

“That’s Xu Xing, the Head of Operations in the company called Excellence. Have you heard about them?” Deng Jingwei turned his head and asked.

Deng Jingwei didn’t know that the expensive, custom made longboard Yu Nian had ordered was from Excellence.

Yu Nian said “Yes.”

Deng Jingwei pulled Yu Nian away and slowed down his walking speed.

Deng Jingwei glanced hard at Liu Chuan and Xu Xing, then lowered his voice: “Excellence is one of the best companies among domestic sports brands, and they are also one of the sponsors of the All-Star Games this time. We must choose some good artists, in hopes of them becoming a brand spokesperson and so on.”

“Look at Liu Chuan’s diligence.” Deng Jingwei did not even try to hide this time, as he sneered, “He must be trying to get resources for Ji Yu Heng.”

Not far away, Liu Chuan seemed to be having a good conversation with Xu Xing.

""

After his phone rang, Liu Chuan took out his cell phone and smiled apologetically at Xu Xing. Xu Xing waved his hand and motioned for Liu Chuan to answer the phone. Liu Chuan walked to the other end of the hall before answering his phone.

Seeing Xu Xing waiting there alone, an idea flashed through Deng Jingwei’s mind.

Deng Jingwei struggled with a decision for a moment and he didn’t know when Liu Chuan would finish with his call. He thought about it, straightened up, took a deep breath, and said, “No, I have to pass out your resume. What if someone takes an interest in you because of it?”

One must make their own opportunity.

With that in mind, Deng Jingwei smiled and walked up to Xu Xing, along with Yu Nian.

Xu Xing’s eyes swept across the faces of the two people. When he saw Yu Nian, he paused and as there was a questioning look in his eyes.

Deng Jingwei took out Yu Nian’s resume that he carried with him: “Mr. Xu, I heard that your company is looking for a suitable spokesperson.”

“Sorry, we already have found the right person.” The other party did not even intend to reach out to take it, as he plastered a polite and alienated smile on his face.

For a well known company like them, people coming up and handing over their resume was the norm.

As for Xu Xing saying that he already had a suitable candidate in mind, it was not a complete lie.

In Excellence, the whole Operations Department was trying to find that person.

Their favorite candidate was, of course, the Longboarding God who won the championship at the Tianmen Mountain Open Longboard Speedway Competition.

In the Tianmen Mountain Open Longboard Speedway Competition, a Chinese person actually did the impossible and won the championship medal for the first time. This was major news in the Extreme Sports Circle, and brought a lot of attention to the sport.

However, the competition committee refused to disclose the identity of the contestants. So far, they only knew a record number, but they were unable to find anyone.

The Excellence Operations Department wanted to prepare for every scenario. If they really couldn’t find anyone, they will settle for second best and look for a different spokesperson.

This time, Xu Xing came to the All-Star Games to find high-quality idols with a good image and temperament, in case he met the right candidate.

For example, the one who he had just communicated with, Liu Chuan, was quite pleasant. The newcomer under him, Ji Yu Heng, was also pretty good, good-looking and clean. Xu Xing heard that he was the third lead in the ceremonial film, which was given as an centenarial gift to the army.

To Xu Xing, Ji Yu Heng had a good amount of popularity and his image was pretty good.

Xu Xing looked at the person in front of him. After glancing at the name on the resume, he thought ‘What type of name is ‘Yu Nian?’ Must be a not well known idol or something.’

If one were to look at Yu Nian’s appearance, it was really good. Even in the Entertainment Industry, where even the most average appearance was good looking, Yu Nian was an unparalleled, peerless beauty.

But no matter how good it was, it didn’t fit their brand image.

Seeing Xu Xing’s merciless and contemptuous refusal, Deng Jingwei had “you deserve it” written all over his face.

He still wanted to fight for an opportunity. Liu Chuan had already finished up his phone call and was making his way back.

Liu Chuan looked at the resume held in Deng Jingwei’s hand, but he held back from saying anything. He did not intend to ridicule the two in the presence of others. However, there was a humorous glint in his cold eyes, as his gaze swept past Yu Nian.

""

It was like he was saying ‘Too bad that you can’t even hand out your resume.’

Yu Nian grabbed Deng Jingwei’s hand and had a smile on his lips: “Since your company already has a candidate in mind, then we will not waste any more of your time.”

Yu Nian’s smile was decent, but he was distant.

Xu Xing looked at the young man in front of him. He sensed the other’s hidden aloofness and arrogance, which was hidden in Yu Nian’s elegant tone of voice.

Xu Xing was a little unhappy. This beautiful artist was unexpectedly not flattering him. Yu Nian even seemed to have some fire in his soul.

Yu Nian nodded to the two and walked out of the company.

Deng Jingwei hurriedly caught up with Yu Nian.

Behind him, Xu Xing looked at Yu Nian’s back, which was outlined by the warm light of the setting sun. He felt that he couldn’t look at Yu Nian’s back anymore, and whispered, “He has a lot of character.”

Deng Jingwei followed Yu Nian and noticed that his artist seemed to be in a bad mood. He thought Yu Nian would be unhappy if he didn’t get a chance to be a brand spokesperson.

In hindsight, Deng Jingwei remembered that in addition to producing regular sports equipment, Excellence also made longboards.

Deng Jingwei thought: ‘I should have explained that to Yu Nian just now. I should have also mentioned that he is an amazing Longboard athlete. Maybe I can fight for the spokesperson role by relying on this information?’

Deng Jingwei was secretly depressed upon realizing that he forgot about such an important thing.

He looked carefully at Yu Nian’s face: “Yu Nian, don’t be too disappointed. …After all, Excellence is such a well known brand, and it’s normal to be rejected.”

Yu Nian slowed down a bit and turned to Deng Jingwei.

He always treated people with courtesy and gentleness. This was embedded in his bones.

Deng Jingwei could not figure out from where Yu Nian had this type of temperament instilled in him. This was something that could not be faked and nurtured in a short period of time. This time however, Deng Jingwei felt the sharpness under Yu Nian’s gentle exterior for the first time.

“No.” Yu Nian smiled at Deng Jingwei with an indifferent and pleasant voice. “I’m not disappointed.”

Deng Jingwei looked at Yu Nian, his back was straight, giving off a reserved, and elegant feel.

Deng Jingwei thought to himself, ‘How could such a person not shine brilliantly?’

Yu Nian should be someone who is looked up to. He doesn’t care about this endorsement opportunity.

*

The next day, Yu Nian came to the where the All-Star Games figure skating training event was being held.

This was the ice rink where the local figure skaters trained. The summer sun gently shone through the window, illuminating the snow white ice.

In front of Yu Nian, were more than a dozen other male artists who had already arrived. They were putting on ice skates and protective gear under the guidance of the coaches. They were holding onto the guardrail, and were having difficulty getting on the ice.

When they saw Yu Nian coming over, everyone glanced up, but didn’t bother to say hello. There were also a few Orange Entertainment artists in their group, who naturally knew that Yu Nian had been getting the cold shoulder recently. They didn’t bother getting to know him.

The coach in charge couldn’t help, but place his hand on his forehead, feeling exasperated: “Don’t always hold on to the guardrail. It’s slippery, but try to find your footing. It’s okay to fall, you’re all wearing protective gear, so falling won’t hurt!”

This was Chen Hua, the figure skating coach of the local team. When he saw Yu Nian coming, he pointed to the cabinet to the side, where the ice skates were stored: “Pick a pair of skates that fit, and I’ll teach you how to correctly lace them up later.”

Yu Nian said thank you and went to the cabinet.

Like the others, he was the second batch to come for training.

In half a month, the trainees were expected to not only master the basic techniques, but also needed to learn a choreographic sequence. The timeline was relatively tight.

In order to accommodate this group of artists, who had just stepped on the ice, the choreographic sequence will not be very difficult. Of course, even the simplest choreographic sequence was difficult to do on ice. It required an immense amount of grace, being able to move one’s body in time with the music.

As for the technical content, such as the jumps, don’t even think about it.

Chen Hua shouted beside Yu Nian: “Originally, in figure skating, skaters are required to prepare two programs: a short program and a free skate. However, your Program Team said that it is too difficult to learn two programs in half a month.”

“So when it is your turn, everyone will pick a piece and perform a short program. We also have a teacher to help with the choreographic sequence. If you have any ideas, you can discuss it with them.”

There was a hint of helplessness in Chen Hua’s tone, as he discussed the programming schedule with everyone.

The artists breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing they did not have to prepare two programs. It has only been 15 days, who could learn it all that quickly??

""

Yu Nian picked up a pair of skates. Seeing that Yu Nian had already picked out his skates, Chen Hua came to teach him how to tie up his shoelaces.

“When you tie it like this, the shoelace goes through the hole from the outside to the inside, as you lace up. The middle is tight and the sides are loose. You want enough support, but not too much to kill circulation.”

Looking at Yu Nian’s slender white fingers tightening black shoelaces, Chen Hua sighed again.

‘This idol with such thin skin and tender meat, can you bear the bitter, intense training?’

Just then, a young voice sounded from the side: “Is that Coach Chen?”

The artists, who were trying to glide on ice while holding the railing, all turned their eyes to the newcomer. A look of surprise crossed their faces.

“Yu Heng, why are you here?”

“Didn’t you sign up for the archery event?”

The Protagonist in the original book, fate’s favorite child, was clean, handsome, and upright.

Ji Yu Heng amicably greeted everyone and said with a smile, “They are also practicing over there. I was interested in figure skating, so I signed up for an extra event.”

In the All-Star Games, key artists like him had the right to choose. If there were extra spots available, they could apply to more than one event.

The other people present were jealous, but they had no problem with him joining the figure skating event.

After all, Ji Yu Heng’s recent development was very good. He had connections, the company was also willing to promote him, and he had a huge fan base. They didn’t know when they could also be that popular.

With him participating, they may also be able to bring up their own popularity in this figure skating event. The camera was bound to follow Ji Yu Heng, and they were all hoping to appear on camera a few more times.

When Yu Nian looked up at Ji Yu Heng, Ji Yu Heng also happened to look at Yu Nian and nodded slightly.

Ji Yu Heng had heard some comments about Yu Nian in the company. He knew that Yu Nian was also managed by Liu Chuan, but there seemed to be some contradictions lately.

Whenever Liu Chuan mentioned Yu Nian in front of him, there was a nasty expression on Liu Chuan’s face. He often said that Yu Nian was brainless, had no vision and was terribly arrogant.

Ji Yu Heng stopped looking at Yu Nian’s beautiful face, and turned to the coach: “My mother was born in a troupe, and I learned modern dance from her.”

When Chen Hua heard this, he raised his eyebrow and nodded to Ji Yu Heng: “If you have a good foundation in dance, and you practice well, you should see some results.”

Looking at the time, Chen Hua greeted a teacher: “Everyone will practice gliding across the ice, and the teacher will guide you. I have children from the provincial team to train. I will leave first and come back later to see your progress.”

The training of the provincial team was important, and Chen Hua could not be away for too long. This teacher was arranged by the Program Team to assist the artists in learning the basics and learning the choreographic sequence. The provincial team’s coach was just there as an instructor.

When he left, the teacher came and clapped his hands. He signaled for everyone to gather around: “I have a brief understanding of the situation. My name is Yu Zhi. I am mainly in charge of your training on the ice.”

“We are running out of time, so today we will select the music for the short program. Afterwards, we’ll try to choreograph the movements while practicing gliding.”

With that, Yu Zhi took out the prepared whiteboard and placed it on the table. Everyone saw a list of classical music to choose from.

All of the music tracks had a clear storyline and emotional expression. As long as one has a good interpretation, it will add more depth to the short program.

However, for all of the people present, it didn’t make much difference when selecting a song. For them, it all depended on personal preference.

“I guess I’ll choose “The Nutcracker”? I’ve seen the stage play before, and I like it. ”

“Then I’ll choose “Turandot.”

“”Sleeping Beauty”, I’ll take this one.”

Soon, the artists chose their favorite songs, one after another.

Yu Zhi recorded their selections one by one.

Yu Nian looked at the whiteboard and glanced at the “Invitation to the dance-The Soul of the Rose”.

His eyes were soft and he said, “The Soul of the Rose.” Yu Zhi nodded and wrote down Yu Nian’s name next to the song.

While Ji Yu Heng was just about to open his mouth, he frowned slightly when he heard Yu Nian’s selection, and awkwardly said, “I also want to choose “The Soul of the Rose”.”

He thought there would be no candidates for the neoclassical ballet.

Yu Zhi waved his hand carelessly and smiled at Ji Yu Heng: “if you want to choose, you can choose. There are often collisions in the field.” Anyway, it all came down to skill in the end.

Ji Yu Heng originally thought that Yu Nian would select a different piece. After all, he chose the same song, which would inevitably lead to their performances being compared.

Ji Yu Heng had heard some of the comments and rumors in the company, saying that Yu Nian was not good at singing and dancing.

He felt a little sorry for Yu Nian, but he also liked “The Soul of the Rose”. This was an outstanding ballet performance, in which the strength and flexibility of the male dancers were shown.

Ji Yu Heng was fascinated by the romantic dance and looked forward to bringing such a masterpiece to the ice rink.

Ji Yu Heng was not a person who liked to give in to others. He had to ask for what he wants and likes.

So at this time, he can only apologetically say that he also wanted to choose “The Soul of the Rose”.

However, Yu Nian did not have any special reaction, nor did he want to change the song at all.

Yu Nian raised his eyelashes and looked at Ji Yu Heng. Yu Nian’s eyebrows were raised, but his eyes were very light.

The white ice rink was reflected in his eyes.