Blade of Glory [Figure Skating]

"Alek...? Where are you now? Alek? ​​Would you speak a word?"

Hearing that the phone was finally picked up, Qing Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief and called Alek's name, but he couldn't get the usual response.So Qing Yue kept saying something again, but after the phone was picked up and he said "Hello", he could only hear... the whistling of the cold wind on the other end of the phone...

So Qing Yue stopped as if thinking of something, and said hoarsely, "Alek? ​​I'm... worried about you."

This time, Qing Yue finally heard a voice belonging to Alek.It was... a heart-wrenching chuckle.

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about."

There was a heavy breathing sound from the other end of the phone, which made Qing Yue not know how to speak.He knew that before this evening, the number one player in the country of Jia who was ranked number one in the ice world... After the Olympics, he might have lost everything and become nothing in the eyes of the Ice Association... ...an outdated player.

He could understand the despair, the struggle and helplessness in his heart, but he couldn't do anything.

In this icy and snowy land, he could only aimlessly search for that ... lover who was more proud than anyone else in his bones until late at night.

Perhaps, he could call that person his lover...?

"Alek, it's snowing."

"kindness."

"But, I didn't bring an umbrella. Did you...have you?"

Hearing Qing Yue's words, helpless laughter came from the other end of the phone.After a long time, Alek asked, "Where are you? I'll come to you."

Hearing this sentence, Qing Yue immediately revealed his current location.Not long after, the tall man in a black coat finally appeared in Qing Yue's sight in the chaotic night.

He didn't even wear a hat, just a scarf and gloves when he left in a hurry, his hair was covered with white snow, Qing Yue who saw him immediately ran over to pat the snow off his head.However, patting and patting, the fear that he had been looking for Alek alone for a long time without seeing anyone attacked Qingyue again. He messed up Alek's hair as if venting, and He didn't stop planning to continue filming until...Alek hugged him violently into his arms.

So... in the world that belonged to the cold wind and the flying snow, there was an additional atmosphere that belonged to each other.Each other... Gradually blending breath.

"Will it be cold?"

Alek unbuttoned his coat, and wrapped Qingyue in his own body temperature in the cold wind.He put his lips next to Qingyue's ear and asked like this.The warm breath and extremely magnetic deep voice made Qingyue's body tremble uncontrollably. At the same time, he also stretched out his hand and hugged Alek tightly, as if he wanted to distribute his courage to him again. Some, so that he can... face everything that comes his way like every day before.

"I... I'm going to skate until I'm 27. How about you, Alec? Can you skate with me until I'm 26?"

Hearing Qing Yue's cautious words, Alek smiled helplessly.

"You're not skating for me, Qingyue. If I say I'm retiring this year, will you retire with me because of that?"

Alek's words made Qing Yue frowned and struggled silently.After a long time, he looked up at Alek stubbornly and said, "No!"

Unexpectedly, when Alek saw Qing Yue's performance, he bit his lips heavily and said: "Idiot, you should have said without hesitation after I asked that sentence, no meeting."

Qing Yue never expected... After Alek experienced such a huge frustration on the ice rink, he could still say such words to him with a gentle and heart-wrenching attitude.A kind of hot and humid burning rushed to his eyes, he could hardly raise his head to look at Alek stubbornly, but could only...buried his face heavily in Alek's chest.Or to put it another way... It would be more appropriate to use the word "bump" to describe Qingyue's actions.

His actions made Alek take a small step back with a muffled grunt, then forcefully pulled Qingyue's face up, and kissed the end of his eyes helplessly.

"Do you feel that the roles we two are playing now seem to be reversed?"

Alek's words made Qing struggle more violently, as if he didn't want the other party to see his embarrassing appearance at the moment, but how could he know...Alek didn't let go of his hand no matter what.He grabbed Qingyue forcefully, and hugged his waist tightly, making Qingyue, who slid out of the shocking performance of the audience today, close to him, making the body temperature of each other smudge with each other.

"Don't move, let me hold you for a while."

"Be happy, today... you won the runner-up in the Olympic Games."

Alek kept talking in Qingyue's ear, but it made Qingyue even more unable to control his emotions.He's known Alek's name almost since he entered the figure skating empire.

He still remembered that he, who could barely jump, was brought to his home in Jia country by Sauron and saw on TV...Alek's amazing performance in the pre-season invitational tournament.That was a top figure skating men's singles player in the world who was only three years older than himself, but...he had more than ten years of ice time than himself.A well-known...hard worker who hit the ice before he could walk.

Qingyue once thought that Alex and himself were people from two worlds.Of course, so did Frere.Maybe...he will always remember the helplessness he felt when he won the third place in the Xishu National Championships, but was sent to the World Youth Championship.I will always remember the frustration I felt when I jumped out of the quadruple jump in the long program of the World Youth Championships, but watched the adult competition that followed.

Yes, it was only at that time that he discovered how far he was from those world-class figure skaters.The self who has just entered this world... is so insignificant.

Three years on, however, and he's shattering the myth that his figure skating career was a "flash in the pan."He won the gold medal at the World Championships.Tonight, he won another Olympic silver medal.

As a men's singles player who only started to learn skating at the age of 13, and won the Olympic silver medal after six years on the ice, perhaps no one can expect him to do better.

But... what about Alec?

As a figure skater who has been with huge ice blocks for nearly 20 years and worked harder than anyone.What he deserved...has he already got it?

Perhaps, this world is not so fair.You can't expect to get as much back as you give.But... would such an ending be too cruel for Alek...?

He could have done better.As long as... the ice fans in Jia Country don't put him under such a burden.

He could have picked up a silver medal.As long as... the Ice Association no longer gives him such a rigid order before the game.

However, the person who contributed to this, the person who suffered the most was Alek, why do you want to put all the blame on him?

He even... only won No.6, and he didn't even get the qualification to participate in the post-competition performance skating.

How many people can see his frustration and everything he has lost?

As the son of an...Olympic champion who once dominated the world ice, Alek has shouldered more burdens along the way than anyone else.

Therefore, this defeat in the Olympic Games was no ordinary setback for him.Rather... the defeat of his 20 years of hard work and the denial of all reasons for his existence in the past 20 years.

So he was confused and couldn't see the way ahead.I don't even know how I should continue walking with the doubts and even the blame of the Chinese people on my shoulders.

"Keep skating, alek? You still have an Olympic gold medal left."

After a long time, Qing Yue said slowly.Seeing Alek's dazed look, he put his arms around Alek's shoulders and put his hand on the back of Alek's head. Under Alek's astonished eyes, he kissed He held him, making the cold lips of the two touch each other.

He kissed so earnestly, as if he wanted to convey to Alek all the things he didn't know how to express in words in the future.

Yes, Qing Yue and Chu Xuan, the two top men's singles players in the world who allowed Xishu to occupy a place in the world ice circle, although they were figure skaters in the same period as Alec and Freire.But in a sense, Alek and Freire can be called their predecessors in the ice world.

Frere made his name at the Olympics four years ago.Freire, who was only 17 years old at the time, won the bronze medal in the Olympic Games beyond everyone's expectations.

Alek, who rose to prominence in the World Championships four years ago, jumped into the eyes of ice fans all over the world almost at the same time as Frere.Moreover, since that year, they have quickly dominated the major international competitions, changing the world ice circle.

As for Qing Yue and Chu Xuan, when they became the real top players in the world, the ice world had already been dominated by Alek and Freire for three years.

Freire is two years older than Qing and one year older than Chu Xuan.Alek was three years older than Qing and two years older than Chu Xuan.

And this age gap, although slight, already doomed Alek and Frere to retire earlier than Qing Yue and Chu Xuan, who debuted later than them.Then I watched Qing Yue, Chu Xuan, and some other top players of the same period dominate the ice world together, until two years later... New players will replace them...

This is the world of figure skating, cruel and fascinating.

However, Qingyue... No matter what, he adapts to the ice world without Alek.It's a terrible habit.Ever since he entered this ice and snow empire, he has been looking up at that person's back.Therefore, he couldn't accept that... such a person would just disappear from his sight.Even in that world of ice and snow, he can no longer be found.