On her first day, Qiao Nan’s main purpose was just a quick visit and a simple workout. No matter how much she longed for the equipment, she only took a few extra glances before being taken home by Xie Luoying, who was waiting at the door. 

But that short visit didn’t stop her from getting up bright and early the next morning. By just after seven, she was already sitting obediently at the dining table, waiting for the housekeeper to bring breakfast, much to Qiao Li’s surprise. 

“What’s going on? Did our little sleepyhead have a personality switch?” Qiao Li mumbled through a bite of a steaming custard bun. “It’s Sunday—you don’t even have school.” 

Even though Qiao Li had the title of ‘young master,’ when Qiao You’an threw him into the family company, he was assigned a role that matched his education level. 

Lately, the branch office he worked at had landed a big contract, so even on weekends he had to go in to help keep things on track. 

Qiao Nan took a small sip from the glass of milk the housekeeper set in front of her. “I’m going to the provincial training team.” 

Even though Coach Cheng had promised to focus on helping her build stamina, time was tight—getting there earlier meant she’d get more time on the equipment. 

Still, she didn’t want to trouble her mom with another early morning drive. 

“Brother, can you give me a ride?” Under Qiao Li’s watchful gaze, she took the last custard bun from the small basket in front of him, then started to smile innocently at him. 

The training center and Qiao Li’s office were in opposite directions, but if he left now, dropping her off and still making it to work on time would cut it close—but doable. 

Which made Qiao Li start to suspect that his mischievous little sister had calculated everything perfectly. 

“You really are a handful,” he clicked his tongue and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. “Hurry up and eat. If we’re late, I’m leaving you behind.” 

Sunday mornings in Beijing weren’t too busy traffic-wise. Qiao Li dropped his sister off right at 7:30. Watching her bounce up to the entrance of the training center with her backpack and little suitcase, he chuckled and hummed a tune while backing the car out to head to work. 

If he didn’t work hard, how else was he going to support his sister? As a seasoned sis-con, he was well aware of his responsibilities. 

✵✵✵ 

When Qiao Nan stepped into the training hall, the place was so empty she thought she might’ve walked into the wrong building. 

Sure, it was the weekend—but completely empty? 

She gently pushed open the half-closed equipment room door, thinking she’d get to test her limits without interruption, only to come face-to-face with a girl sporting a high ponytail. 

“Sorry!” Yan Yijin hadn’t expected anyone at the door either. She quickly wiped the sweat off her forehead with a white towel and offered a brief apology before hurrying off. 

Qiao Nan caught a glimpse of the packed schedule Yan Yijin was holding, and even though she was used to intense training, she couldn’t help but be a little surprised by how detailed it was. 

In comparison, the simple plan she had carefully written for today now seemed a bit lazy. 

She’d only met Yan Yijin once, but it was enough to make Qiao Nan question whether all her hard work really measured up. The pressure she thought she’d left behind after her last competition quietly crept back in. 

Shaking off her surprise, she focused and began warming up. 

Before she could try any complex routines like the double loop jump, she needed to build up strength and get her body moving properly. Jumping into it cold just wasn’t an option. 

The room didn’t stay quiet for long. Soon, the door opened again, and this time it was someone she actually knew. 

“Qiao Nan?” Lu Guangji looked puzzled as he saw her holding a plank position. “Didn’t Coach Cheng say you should come in around ten? Why are you here so early?” 

“I’m just warming up.” Qiao Nan relaxed her arm strength when the timer beeped on the dot and lay flat on the yoga mat. “Aren’t you here too?” 

“And I’m not even that early,” she added, sounding a little frustrated. “When I came in, there was already a girl finishing her warm-up and heading to another area.” 

She let out a long sigh. “Is the provincial team always this intense at rolling?” 

“Rolling? What’s that mean?” Lu Guangji, unfamiliar with the popular term from years later, didn’t know. But he had quite an impression of the older sister Qiao Nan mentioned. 

“You mean Senior Yan Yijin, right?” he said, picking up a dumbbell to start his arm exercises. “She’s training hard lately for the national team tryouts.” 

“She only just recovered from a fracture. Coach He’s been trying to talk her out of pushing so hard, since the provincial team has slots they can promote internally. Based on her ranking, she’s basically guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals.” 

Qiao Nan had heard of the national team tryouts—an alternative selection system outside the usual provincial nominations. 

It was harder than the normal path, but everyone wanted in. In a country with so few competitions, this rare selection was a precious chance to train and prove yourself. 

Qiao Nan’s curiosity was definitely piqued. 

“Wasn’t she joining the competition to gain experience?” 
“Why was she told to quit?” 

“I heard her family had a medical emergency recently. Someone was hospitalized and they needed money for treatment,” the girl stretching nearby looked at him with a rather intense gaze, which caused the boy—who had loosened up a bit during the warm-up—to momentarily lose composure. 

“The provincial team’s allowance isn’t much, so she wanted to aim higher.” 

He quickly ended the topic with just a few sentences, put down the dumbbells, and started doing push-ups. 

Even though he didn’t look at Qiao Nan at all, from her angle, she could clearly see Lu Guangji’s ears were slightly red. 

Why is Lu Guangji always so… reserved? 

Qiao Nan sighed and took the initiative to start a new topic with him. 

“Coach said your axis is a bit unstable?” She hadn’t really paid much attention to Lu Guangji’s moves yesterday, but she’d caught a glimpse of one of his jumps while looking for the coach. The form looked a bit off, but technically it still counted as a completed move. 

Of course, to someone with a bit of perfectionist tendencies like Qiao Nan, there were definitely things that needed fixing. 

“Can you show me?” she asked cheerfully, her outgoing personality shining through. 

For a moment, the air in the equipment room seemed to freeze. 

“Sure,” Lu Guangji replied, a bit shy. “I’m not that good at it though.” 

He got up and demonstrated a jump on the ground facing Qiao Nan. 

Compared to his movements on the ice, Lu Guangji’s actions off the ice were clearly much more graceful, which made Qiao Nan see his problem more clearly. 

⌈ Qiao Qiao, here’s the footage from yesterday. ⌋ 

Tuan Tuan helped Qiao Nan pull up the footage she had seen of Lu Guangji jumping on the ice. Compared to his performance on land, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. 

As Fang Longze had said, Lu Guangji was one of the top performers on the provincial team. But because of his naturally cautious personality, even after all his practice, he still instinctively tensed up and leaned forward every time he landed, messing up his form. 

“Although your axis was a bit off, you did great,” the little girl was almost done with her warm-up. She picked up the note she had placed on the small table nearby, thought for a moment, and suggested, “Try to control your body and avoid shrinking inward.” 

“Don’t be scared of falling.” She smiled at Lu Guangji, pulled out a towel with her name embroidered on it from her bag, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and gave a very classic motivational speech: “So what if it hurts a little? It’s nothing compared to not being able to land a new double jump.” 

✵✵✵ 

Cheng Cheng had come to the provincial team early on purpose today. He had explained the warm-up routines and equipment layout to Qiao Nan yesterday, but still, when he walked into the rink and saw her already skating laps, it deepened his respect for her self-discipline. 

Having previously trained with Marlon Connor and being influenced by the veteran’s fully automated warm-up methods and expensive coaching, Qiao Nan had long developed the habit of finishing her warm-up before her coach arrived. So, when she finished a lap and saw her coach leaning on the boards, she greeted him sweetly. 

“Good morning, coach!” Her hardworking mindset kicked in the second she saw him. “Has the harness coach arrived yet?” 

She had been practicing double toe loop takeoffs on dry land again earlier. Even though her muscles were getting the hang of it, she didn’t want to risk doing it on the ice without supervision. 

After all, her last bone fracture had come from secretly attempting a double toe loop (2T) and falling badly. She definitely didn’t want to relive that painful month. 

“Yeah, Coach Ma’s here,” Cheng Cheng looked her up and down. “But are you sure you don’t need any protective gear?” 

“Protective gear?” Qiao Nan tilted her head and looked at him suspiciously. “I’m not that heavy, am I?” 

Cheng Cheng had already briefed the harness coach on her situation yesterday. The coach arrived quickly and was very skilled with the setup. 

Ten minutes later, he and Fang Longze were silently watching the fully-geared-up girl prepare for her first jump on ice. 

Qiao Nan wasn’t aiming to land cleanly on her first try. The main purpose of the harness was to help her get a feel for her center of gravity during mid-air rotations and understand the proper takeoff and landing postures. 

Her goal was clear, and her movements were crisp and clean. After confirming with Coach Ma, she jumped without hesitation. Although she lost balance on the landing, most of her movements before that were fairly successful. 

From Coach Ma’s point of view, aside from giving her a little tug toward the end, he hardly needed to intervene at all. 

To be able to outline the basic motion on the first jump, with the only major issue being poor axis adjustment that affected the landing—this kind of talent was a first for Fang Longze. And this girl was only seven years old. 

Fang Longze hadn’t seen natural talent like this in a while. And she was only seven. 

If she stuck with this path, her future looked incredibly bright. 

“Old Cheng, did your ancestors’ graves start smoking with luck or something?” Fang Longze, who had stayed up last night digging through Qiao Nan’s background, looked enviously at his colleague, who appeared calm and composed. 

To achieve this level at age seven—never mind the national team, this kind of speed could already rival the Russians. 

Author’s note: 

Cheng Cheng: I’m humbled. Really, it’s nothing. 😌