The Li family had lunch in the cafeteria at the training base. As soon as they entered, all four of them, except for Li Nan, were stunned.

They saw that every window in the cafeteria had a display screen in front of it, showing the food sold at each window. There were no prices listed, only various trace elements and labels categorizing the food.

For example: 【Muscle Gain】, 【Weight Loss】, and so on.

Li family members: Stunned.jpg

No, although we know you’re professionals, the cafeteria being like this—does it leave anyone with an appetite?

“Athletes are very strict with their food. For instance, eating animal organs is prohibited year-round. The menu for our figure skating team’s cafeteria is strictly based on international athlete dietary standards—scientific and healthy. There are also professional nutritionists who help with meal planning. Once you join the team, I suggest you eat all your meals here in the cafeteria. The risks of outside restaurants are just too high.” Ding Jianguo now saw Li Nan as his own child. He was eager to impart all this basic knowledge in one go, his gaze filled with affection.

Li Nan: “….”

Although this was all information he already knew, why did it feel so strange?

Shen Xudong glanced at the food for a few moments and realized that it looked unappetizing. It was either steamed or boiled, and there didn’t seem to be much seasoning. His face turned slightly green.

Ding Jianguo swiped his card to buy five coach meals for the Li Nan’s family. The coach meals were slightly different from the athletes’ meals; they contained more sugar and oil, making them look a little tastier.

Shen Xudong’s expression improved slightly. “I’m sorry for making you pay for us. How much is it? I can pay directly.”

Ding Jianguo waved his hand. “No, no need. Coaches and athletes don’t have to pay for meals in the cafeteria. Our team provides subsidies. Once Li Nan joins, we’ll get him an internal card. That card not only allows entry and exit, but it’s also used to buy food in the cafeteria and make reservations for various facilities within the base.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xudong didn’t insist on paying. He glanced at the scattered kids sitting nearby and noticed that their trays were filled with food that didn’t look very appetizing. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do athletes really have to eat such awful food? Li Nan won’t have to eat this kind of thing, right?”

Honestly, food without sugar or oil can hardly be considered food!

Ding Jianguo replied, “Not necessarily. Every athlete’s meal plan is different each week. The nutritionists adjust the menu based on the coach’s instructions. For example, if the coach wants the child to gain muscle this week, the menu will be higher in protein. If the coach wants the child to lose weight, the menu will be designed around weight loss.”

Shen Xudong nodded. “I see. So athletes really have it tough.”

At this moment, the four heads of the Li family all had the same thought: Maybe it’s better to forget it.

Being an athlete… maybe it’s not worth it after all.

If you can’t enjoy good food, what’s the point of living?

Even Li Hongguo, who had always supported Li Nan in bringing honor to the country, fell silent.

The older generation had lived through hardships and never had the luxury of eating anything good. Now that times had improved and the family had become wealthier, they were letting their children eat even worse. How could this be?

Of course, this wasn’t to say the figure skating team’s cafeteria served bad food, but to the older generation, if there wasn’t any meat, it couldn’t be considered a good meal.

How could athletes possibly eat high-calorie foods like braised pork? Those boiled chicken breasts were, in Li Hongguo’s eyes, really too poor.

Li Nan, however, was eating heartily, not at all concerned about what he would be eating next.

He had maintained this eating habit for over a decade and wasn’t picky at all. Moreover, in his previous life, his dietary requirements were even stricter.

The Li family finished their meal in silence, and then Ding Jianguo led them to the figure skating team’s training facility.

The ice training would start in half an hour.

Considering that they would be on the ice in the afternoon, Li Nan didn’t eat much at lunch. Now, he was jumping around to help with digestion, casually doing some warm-up exercises for the ice training.

Lin Chunya had originally wanted to teach him the warm-up exercises, but to her surprise, he had already started doing them on his own.

“This kid actually knows how to warm up?” Lin Chunya looked at Ding Jianguo. “Did you teach him?”

Ding Jianguo smiled and shook his head. “No, he figured this out on his own.”

Lin Chunya looked at him in surprise. Was it common for young athletes to be so self-aware about their warm-ups?

None of the young athletes they coached had this kind of awareness; they always needed to be reminded before they would do their warm-up exercises.

After finishing the ice warm-up, Lin Chunya took Li Nan to find a pair of skates. These were the public-use skates provided by the figure skating team for trial athletes.

Lin Chunya told Li Nan, “Every figure skater needs to have their own pair of personalized skates. Only once you’re fully accustomed to your own skates can you truly perform at your best on the competition floor.”

“Ice skates are consumables, but don’t worry, the team provides subsidies for them. You get one pair per year. When the time comes, just report it to your coach and apply. There are some brand restrictions, though. If you want higher-end, custom-made skates, the team might not cover all of the cost.”

As she spoke, Lin Chunya glanced at Li Nan’s clothes and silently shook her head. As a woman, she was more familiar with clothing brands. Unlike the two other rough men, she could immediately tell that Li Nan’s clothes, although seemingly plain, were actually from an expensive children’s clothing line.

The outfit Li Nan was wearing probably cost her half a month’s salary. His family dressed very modestly, and the prices were reasonable. It seemed they weren’t lacking the money to buy skates.

But she wasn’t sure if they were willing to send their child to the figure skating team.

Thinking about the Li family’s reaction, Lin Chunya felt that Ding Jianguo would likely be disappointed once again.

It seemed like they really cared about the child.

Li Nan nodded. “I’ll think about the skates when I get home today.”

He planned to discuss it with his family.

He was considering getting custom skates because the feel of custom skates was vastly different from regular ones.

Logically, Li Nan could buy a pair of regular skates for practice first. After all, skates were consumables, especially for a child his age. They were an expensive luxury.

Li Nan was currently ten years old, standing at 1.3 meters tall, wearing size 32 shoes. As he grew, his feet would continue to expand. The moment his feet changed even slightly, his skates would no longer fit properly, and he would need to replace them immediately, or it would affect the quality of his jumps.

This was also why the figure skating team provided a yearly subsidy for one pair of skates, because children were still growing, and their shoe size could change at any time.

However, Li Nan’s family had the financial means, so getting custom skates wasn’t an unaffordable expense. Moreover, Li Nan wasn’t yet demanding the most expensive pair.

He could wait until he had competed in international events and earned medals before using his prize money to customize the best pair.

After changing into his skates, Li Nan finally stepped onto the training rink.

The rink was equipped with professional ice-making machines, and the surface felt perfectly balanced underfoot—neither too soft nor too hard, very comfortable.

The figure skating team’s skates were designed specifically for the sport, unlike the speed skating skates used in amateur rinks. These skates were more suited to jumps, providing Li Nan with the familiar feeling he was used to.

“I’ll play a piece of music next,” Ding Jianguo said. “You can skate according to your own understanding. Think of it as a performance.”

“You can showcase all your jumps, glides, spins, and steps during this time. If you can do it, feel free to show it.”

“Of course, don’t be too nervous. This is just my personal request,” Ding Jianguo winked at Li Nan. “Actually, your talent is already enough to stay, but I just want to get to know you a little better.”

Li Nan quickly looked away, unable to bear it: “….”

Oh my god, this bearded uncle trying to be cute and winking at him—he could hardly handle it.

“I’ll do my best.”

Because the rink needed to be cleared for Li Nan’s trial session, Lin Chunya called over the few scattered children on the ice, “Training will pause for five minutes. Everyone, take a break.”

The other young figure skaters from the team stood outside the rink, curiously watching Li Nan as he slowly glided to the center of the ice.

“Is he here for a trial? I don’t think I’ve seen him before,” one of them commented.

“Me neither. I don’t think he’s ever competed before,” another chimed in.

“How could someone his age not have competed yet? He must be from another province, right?”

“Could be…”

The children from both the women’s singles and pairs figure skating categories whispered among themselves. There weren’t many figure skaters in total, and even fewer exceptional ones. Most of them knew each other, and if not, after participating in enough competitions, they’d at least recognize each other’s faces.

Especially at the age of ten, most kids who practiced figure skating had competed in some domestic events.

But Li Nan’s face was completely unfamiliar, which puzzled them all.

“But… he really is so beautiful,” said the youngest girl in the women’s singles group, just six years old, her eyes following Li Nan on the ice. “He kind of looks like my doll.”

“Don’t be silly, Jia Jia. Boys aren’t supposed to be called beautiful,” another girl corrected her. “He should be called handsome!”

“But he really looks like my doll,” the little girl pouted. “He’s beautiful!”

Li Nan, who had just been called a “beautiful doll,” stood at the center of the rink. Even though the rink wasn’t lit with spotlights, he became the focal point of everyone’s attention.

At this moment, Li Nan seemed to exude an aura that made it impossible for anyone to look away. His presence was magnetic, drawing everyone’s gaze and making them pause to watch.

His head was slightly lowered, his neck and shoulders relaxed and naturally hanging down. Yet his back remained straight, like a pine tree standing tall in the cold winter. Even though he was still young, he stood firm, undaunted by the chill of the wind.

“This child is something else.” Lin Chunya said to Jiang Ruidan. “I’ve seen so many kids, but this is the first one who can display this kind of momentum on the ice without ever having undergone world-class competition training. Just standing there, he can resonate with the audience. He’s practically a born performer.”

Lin Chunya was certain: “This child will definitely make it to world-class competitions in the future. His artistic score will definitely be high.”

Jiang Ruidan nodded in agreement.

If Li Nan knew what the two coaches thought of him, he would surely feel a bit embarrassed.

After all, he had once pursued acting. Though his skills weren’t exceptional, he had received professional training and even appeared on the big screen. When it came to performance skills, he was definitely one of the top figures among figure skaters.

On top of that, he now had a special buff—his shining superstar aura made every move he made a focal point for everyone’s attention!

Ding Jianguo played the music he had prepared. He hadn’t let Li Nan hear it beforehand because he wanted to see his true level. Would Li Nan surprise him with his skating after hearing the song for the first time, or would it be nothing special?

The music started to play, gently filling the air.

Li Nan opened his eyes. As soon as the prelude reached his ears, he knew exactly what the piece was.

Swan Lake.

As one of the most iconic ballet pieces, “Swan Lake” was often used in figure skating performances and was one of the most widely chosen pieces in figure skating.

Coincidentally, in his past life, Li Nan had also choreographed a performance to this music. Though its difficulty wasn’t as high as that of competition programs, it was more than enough for his ice test this time.

In an instant, with the rise and fall of the music, Li Nan, positioned in the center of the ice rink, began to move in sync with the rhythm.