Whether or not persimmons are easy to squeeze, Wan Huzhong didn’t know—but he had truly come to understand one thing: Qiao Nan was not someone to mess with. 

The skinny little girl didn’t complain at all after seeing what event she signed up for. Instead, right after the class meeting ended, she quietly grabbed her deskmate’s hand and walked straight up to the stage, right over to the homeroom teacher. 

Under Wan Huzhong’s panicked gaze, Qiao Nan briskly and clearly explained the situation to a somewhat confused Ning Jiwen, and requested that her deskmate be added to the event list. 

Since it was a mostly fun sports day, the lineup could be changed as long as both sides agreed—and the 400-meter race for Class 1-1 wasn’t full yet. 

Qiao Nan didn’t need much effort to convince Ning Jiwen to add her deskmate’s name. 

After all, as he himself said, it was for “getting some exercise.” 

Kids really should move around more, and even Qiao Nan thought Wan Huzhong had a point. 

“So your deskmate really hates you?” 

On the way to pick up her daughter from training, Xie Luoying wasn’t surprised to hear what happened during the afternoon’s class meeting. 

Though her kid didn’t seem too bothered, Xie Luoying clearly caught onto the hint of some school bullying beneath Qiao Nan’s casual tone. 

Only, the bully hadn’t found a victim to succeed with. Instead, Qiao Nan’s overwhelming strength had completely reversed the situation. 

If Qiao Nan wasn’t an athlete, or if she really was weak, Xie Luoying didn’t even want to think about what might have happened next. 

After thinking it over, she gently asked, “Do you want Mom to talk to the teacher about switching seats?” 

“I don’t know.” Qiao Nan honestly didn’t know why Wan Huzhong had targeted her. But regarding her mom’s suggestion, she hesitated, then shook her head. “The teacher already knows about it, and he doesn’t dare bully me now. Sitting next to him at least means the other kids won’t get picked on.” 

The more she spoke, the more Qiao Nan felt like she was the mountain that pinned down the Monkey King, rendering him powerless. She waved her hands and feet animatedly. 

“Besides, I just want him to experience what running 400 meters really feels like. I didn’t do anything wrong.” 

She paused, then added softly, “If the high jump and long jump spots weren’t already full, I would’ve made sure he realized just how weak he really is.” 

From what Qiao Nan saw from grabbing onto Wan Huzhong these past few times, even though her deskmate was built like a tank, he was still so weak that she felt she could flip him over on her own. 

The elementary school was close to the provincial team training center, and soon their car stopped right across the closed gates. 

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll definitely show him how awesome I am at the sports day.” 

Qiao Nan grabbed her little backpack, smiled at Xie Luoying, gave a quick fist pump, then put her serious face back on and practically ran up the steps. 

Showing off was one thing—but when it came to training, she wouldn’t dare slack off. 

✵✵✵ 

But before Qiao Nan had a chance to show her skills, a message from Marlon arrived first. 

That night, after training, prompted by a reminder from Xie Luoying, Qiao Nan finally pulled out the phone she had ignored for a long time. As soon as she turned it on, she saw a string of messages from Marlon Connor, all the way from the distant West. 

Because her training time with him had dropped significantly after she entered elementary school, Qiao Nan transferred to the provincial team. With the unique competition structure in China, Marlon had voluntarily resigned after the Volin Memorial. 

While he sometimes checked in with her parents about her progress, Marlon wouldn’t be flying in anymore just to see her training. 

Still, they kept in touch pretty regularly. Marlon often shared updates about his own students and their students’ growth. 

Those updates gave Qiao Nan a clearer picture of the world’s average level in the sport. 

This time, he had sent her a message containing contact information from Aurora. 

[Qiao, the competition video from the Volin Memorial has been uploaded to the official website. You may not understand Russian, but there’s someone who can help you.] 

[Here’s Aurora’s contact info. I imagine you two will have something to talk about.] 

“Competition videos?” Qiao Nan’s first thought was of the double embarrassment when Qiao Li and the system tallied the results before—but she totally forgot about this official follow-up. 

Who knew there’d still be a surprise in store two months later? 

[Okay.] 

Qiao Nan replied obediently to Marlon, then used the info he gave her to message a +7 phone number. 

[Hi Aurora, it’s Qiao. Long time no see.] 

The other side seemed to be waiting for her reply—soon after, her phone lit up again. 

[Qiao, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.] 

Qiao Nan and Aurora mostly communicate using a mix of Chinese-style English and Russian-style English. Even though they sometimes stumble over words when they talk, Aurora types messages super fast. 

Without Qiao Nan even having to ask, the Russian girl quickly rattled off all the comments she’d seen on the official website. 

Kids who learn figure skating usually don’t care much about international texting fees, and Aurora is definitely one of those. 

She typed so fast that by the time Qiao Nan stepped out to grab a glass of milk and came back, her screen was flooded with message notifications. 

[Qiao, you’re such a little fairy! Do you know how many people have watched your performance? I even saw that Carl praised you!] 

[Everyone says you’re a real gem. Especially that tiny little shake you do at the end —everyone found it absolutely adorable!] 

[Everyone’s listened to Jasmine Flower so many times, but Qiao, your expressiveness is still amazing. Even though there were a few flaws later and the footwork got a bit messy, we could still see a tiny petal fluttering in the air] 

[Is this girl taught by the same coach as Aurora? Even the leg shake during jumps is exactly the same. But you’re doing great, keep it up!] 

[Mr. Black definitely trained this kid. The GOE shifts for Elena, Aurora, and Qiao all look the same—low scores with negatives, high scores with positives. That’s definitely his style.] 

[This girl doesn’t look too well physically. In Park Jin-Ah’s previous video, she was even curled up in the audience seats. Do athletes get sick too?] 

Aurora’s nonstop chatting seemed unstoppable even over the phone. Just as Qiao Nan was scrolling through the first batch of messages, more kept coming. 

Luckily, most were just comments from the official video page, all pretty similar and focused on their programs. 

Qiao Nan had a very traditionally Eastern appearance, yet somehow managed to fit perfectly into Russian beauty standards. 

Her delicate, well-defined features stand out, and to top it off, someone had deliberately edited in a clip at the end of her performance where she almost tripped as she exited the rink. 

Her sweet yet slightly clumsy demeanor instantly won over many viewers’ affection. 

But the more comments she read, the more Qiao Nan’s expression turned to disbelief and awkwardness. 

“Is this really how popular I am in Russia?” she repeated quietly, her face full of question marks. 

Why do these comments all seem… kinda weird? 

Just then, she got a reply from Tuan Tuan, who was watching the whole thing unfold nearby. 

⌈ Yep, Qiao Qiao. Ever since you came back from Russia, your popularity has been climbing steadily. You’re well on your way to surpassing Avrora in fame over there. ⌋ 

⌈ Everyone calls you the little panda from the Eastern exotic lands. ⌋ 

Everyone knows pandas are cute, but they’re kinda clumsy. 

In China, pandas have another nickname: 

They’re called “Gun Gun”—which basically means “rolling” or “tumbling.” 

Author’s note: 

Aurora: “Little panda 🐼 is already good enough. Do you know how much I envy that name?! Because I fell and cried during my first competition, they call me ‘Little Conch Horn’ now.” 😖 

✵✵✵ 

Even though everyone seems to be indirectly pointing out Qiao Nan’s flaws, in the end, it’s still the original group of fans who gush the hardest over her. 

Searched on Baidu how Russians compliment people. 

Baidu: “Russians praise dancing girls as ‘strong and full of power.’” 

Me: (imagining Qiao Nan) 

Me: No way!!!