CH 13

The hottest time of the year had passed. The humid, summer heat still lingered, and the air conditioner in the office of the S Mayor LongBoard Speedway Association had been turned on to 26 degrees, letting out a cool breeze.

The Association members surrounded Yu Nian, and the golden retriever was desperately wagging its tail, trying to get Yu Nian’s attention. It rubbed against Yu Nian’s legs, lifting its claws, and scratching his trousers.

Wu Zheng looked at it and was dissatisfied: “Silly dog, I usually feed him weekdays, and he doesn’t pay any attention to me.”

Yu Nian touched the dog’s head, placing his medals and trophies on the table.

The golden medals were carefully carved to reflect the magnificent scene of Tianmen Mountain, and people looked at it with mixed feelings.

A month ago, they had only hoped to break China’s zero medal streak surrounded by Europeans and Americans. As long as they were able to get a bronze medal, it was enough.

They really didn’t expect Yu Nian to win the gold medal, even with the various unfavorable factors.

Before the race, he had missed the pre-competition trial run due to the flight being delayed, and he had barely entered the Finals after being injured in the qualifying round.

The scab had not fallen off yet. It was very prominent against Yu Nian’s thin, and white wrist. Everyone felt that it was not easy to win this medal.

Wu Qian patted Yu Nian on the shoulder: “If you work too hard, it is better to spend some time relaxing for a while after the race. Otherwise, you won’t be able to train.”

Wu Qian paused and tentatively asked, “Do you have any plans to join the Association in the future? We have subsidies from the Sports Bureau here, and the treatment is pretty good.”

Deng Jingwei, who was next to Yu Nian, had been worried all the time. Seeing that Wu Qian was really starting to recruit people, Deng Jingwei immediately replied in a loud voice for Yu Nian, “No!”

Wu Qian was stunned by Deng Jingwei’s serious and nervous expression.

Deng Jingwei braved himself to explain: “Yu Nian is busy with other obligations that he must attend to.”

When he said this, Deng Jingwei himself felt guilty. He felt that Yu Nian hadn’t received any offers, and it was obvious that the resources were going to other artists. Deng Jingwei felt depressed, it was obvious that they would be idle for a while.

Deng Jingwei felt that if he went on like this, Yu Nian really couldn’t remember his identity as an artist.

Deng Jingwei couldn’t let that happen. He must cheer up and work hard.

Yu Nian glanced at Deng Jingwei and smiled at Wu Qian: “If you ever need anything, come find me.”

…….

The Speedway Association held a victory banquet for Yu Nian and they continually toasted his success. When he returned to the apartment, Yu Nian was unable to walk steadily.

Since he hadn’t returned for a while, the house was a little dusty. Yu Nian simply cleaned up, poured some water into the cup, and went to the Phoenix tail orchid potted plant in the living room.

Plucking away the yellow, withered leaves, Yu Nian saw that the dead Phoenix tail orchid had a little bud emerging from the root. It appeared that the plant still had signs of life.

After watering the plant, he had barely put down the cup when he heard the doorbell ring. A florist came to deliver the flowers.

When the florist saw Yu Nian, who opened the door, he was surprised by the outstanding appearance of Yu Nian and said, “Mr. Yu, is it? This is the celebration bouquet ordered by Mr. Deng Jingwei for you.”

The bouquet in his arms was colorful and varied. The bow was also a bit messy.

Perhaps fearing Yu Nian misunderstanding him, the florist coughed: “It was Mr. Deng himself who tied the bouquet.”

Yu Nian expressed his thanks and did not comment on Deng Jingwei’s aesthetics.

Placing the flowers on the coffee table, Yu Nian sat down on the sofa, trying to rest.

The alcohol made him feel a little drowsy.

After a while, he called out the System, wanting to check the reward for the Tianmen Mountain mission.

There was a translucent System Panel in front of him, and several lines of big text emerged.

[Task 2 completed: Award settlement in progress. Reward: Released from shackles: Painting].

[Overfulfilling task requirements: Award settlement in progress. Reward: Any project experience course. Released from shackle: Dance]

The task was to place in the top three in the Tianmen Mountain Longboard Quick Down Open. The first award was given before the start of the task, as a benefit for receiving the task for the first time.

As for the following two extra awards, because he had won the championship, the System had judged that he had over fulfilled the task requirement.

Yu Nian asked, “What does any project experience course mean?”

[The Host can specifically request any project and conduct in-depth learning in the System Space.] The System explained.

‘I don’t need to stick to extreme sports anymore.’

Knowing this, Yu Nian felt another reward, which was another layer of shackles being lifted.

Restricted by the plot of the novel, all of Yu Nian’s artistic achievements and talents had been imprisoned. Only with the help of the System, was he able to break free from these restraints.

Yu Nian’s eyes fell on the word “dance”.

Another shackle fell, and at the same time, there seemed to be some extra changes. After moving his body, Yu Nian found that his flexibility had improved.

The range of motion in which he could move, as well as the stretching ability of his muscles and tendons had been enhanced.

He was still a little tipsy. From the corner of his eye, he saw Deng Jingwei’s undistinguished bouquet of flowers.

Between the Double lily and Platycodon grandiflorum, Yu Nian pulled out a fresh red rose, still wet with dew.

The “Soul of the Rose” flashed through his mind, a ballet choreographed by Mikhail Fogin.

Yu Nian stood up, still feeling a little tipsy. He stood on tiptoe and stretched out his arms.

The “Soul of the Rose” took place in a girl’s dream, where she dances with the rose essence. When the girl comes home from a party and falls asleep in a chair, the rose sent by her suitor falls to the ground, then the rose essence appears. The rose essence dances around her, emotional and intoxicated.

It was rare to see wonderful male solo performances in classical ballet. Classical ballet was more inclined to light and beautiful female dancers, while the male dancers often acted in foil roles, often serving as a lift.

But the “Soul of the Rose”, a short neoclassical ballet, was an absolute stage for the rare male dancers.

Yu Nian was in this small living room, dancing around the invisible girl. The sun was setting in the west, illuminating the living room in a warm, orange glow.

Deng Jingwei was holding a briefcase and saw this scene when he pushed open the door.

Deng Jingwei’s mouth was opened wide, as he saw Yu Nian’s beautiful figure in the twilight.

The swirling, smooth, brisk dance steps were sentimental, warm, and unrestrained, as Yu Nian seemed to be dancing with a lover he adored.

A light and dreamy dance, eyes full of strong love, it shocked people.

When the loving eyes glanced over, the briefcase in Deng Jingwei’s hand fell to the ground with a thud.

‘Oh, no. I can’t continue’.

Yu Nian stopped and glanced at Deng Jingwei, gasping for breath.

Deng Jingwei saw that his artist’s eyes were shiny and red, the small mole at the edge of his eyes captivated people.

Deng Jingwei had never seen Yu Nian like this.

Lively and inspiring. The Yu Nian before him, and the Yu Nian when he was longboarding, going as fast as he possibly could, were simply like two different people.

This! Who was the liar who said that Yu Nian couldn’t dance, that his dancing was so stiff, it was a joke?

That rumor had misled Deng Jingwei.

Deng Jingwei was in a trance, as he stared at Yu Nian with his mouth half-open.

After confirming the flexibility and strength of his body, Yu Nian sat back on the sofa. He poured himself a glass of water, drank two mouthfuls slowly, then saw that Deng Jingwei was still standing there foolishly and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Deng Jingwei’s face turned red. After a while, he bent down to pick up the dropped briefcase and said in an erratic voice, “I’ve got a job for you.”

Through the Longboarding competition, Deng Jingwei confirmed his artist’s athletic talent.

This time, he begged nearly everyone he could for a job, hoping that Yu Nian could take advantage of this opportunity to make a comeback.

“What kind of job?” Yu Nian asked.

Deng Jingwei opened the briefcase he brought and pulled out the papers inside.

Yu Nian saw that the top page read: “The Teenager Chasing Dreams”– A job invitation for the All-Star Games.

Deng Jingwei finally came back to his senses, as he introduced the project to Yu Nian: “This is a variety show launched by Orange Entertainment in cooperation with the video platform. We have to invite more than 200 artists to participate. Basically, all of the trainees and new artists.”

“Although there are no big names, there are certain participants who are really popular. Of course, the company will also be supporting several artists that they attach a great amount of importance to, such as Ji Yu Heng.”

“Anyway, you used to try to shine. How about we try it again, give it another shot?”

With that, Deng Jingwei added: “It took me a lot of effort to even get it.”

The implication was: You must stand up for yourself.

Yu Nian: “I see.”

Deng Jingwei patted the briefcase: “Tomorrow, we have to go to the company to confirm the project.”

Yu Nian nodded, there was no objection.

Deng Jingwei was relieved. He held back for a long time, and finally couldn’t help saying, “Are you a very good modern dancer?”

Yu Nian looked at him and said, “It’s ballet.”

*

Early the next morning, Deng Jingwei picked up Yu Nien to go to the company.

Assistant Liu Chuan took a look at them and his gaze fell on Yu Nian’s face: “Yo, long time no see.”

“Xiao Deng, you’re really using this opportunity to ruin the Boss’s efforts. Why are you looking at me like that? All right, it’s in Conference Room A8 on the second floor, Brother Liu Chuan is also here.”

In Conference Room A8, the Production Team of “Chasing Dreams” along with several provincial team coaches were having a meeting.

Several veteran brokers who were good friends with Liu Chuan, who also had some weight in the company, were also there.

In the All-Star Games, more than 200 artists were asked to participate in various events. There were Track and Field events, such as the 50 Meter Dash and the 100 Meter Dash. After all, who hasn’t participated in track races at school?

However, the difficulty level for events such as Archery and Rhythmic Gymnastics was much higher. The artists competing in these events were allowed to train for at least 15 days before competing, otherwise, it would be a joke.

At this time, the first batch of artists had been training with the coaches for at least 15 days. In the meeting, everyone was going over the training results from the last 15 days.

While it was said that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the training results, the main purpose was to try and convince these coaches to cooperate with the Program Group and the company’s publicity strategy.

When the Deputy Director opened the PowerPoint presentation, the first page showed a teenager drawing a bow.

In the photo, he was slender, had handsome features, and was intently staring at the target in front of him. It was Ji Yu Heng, a new artist Liu Chuan signed on. A newcomer, whom the company attached a great amount of importance to.

“Well, Coach?” The Deputy Director looked at the Coach of the Provincial Archery Team and said, “How is this young man’s training?”

The Archery Coach glanced at the screen and said in an indifferent tone: “It’s just as the picture says, better than the others.”

“As long as it’s good! As long as it’s good!” The Deputy Director smiled twice, glanced at Liu Chuan, and asked, “When you see it, can you praise Yu Heng? Talk about his competitive spirit and archery talent?”

“What competitive spirit? What archery talent? What a joke.” The Archery Coach directly interrupted him.”All of the kids in our team can shoot targets 70 meters away. By this standard, I’m afraid that Ji Yu Heng can’t even hit the target or draw his bow!”

“The 15-meter target you used in the competition is the bare minimum. Even young children in the Beginner Class are better than him. You asked me to boast about his shooting skills. Isn’t that an insult to Archery?”

Seeing that the Archery Coach was belittling Ji Yu Heng, Liu Chuan was somewhat dissatisfied: “Coach, these players are not professional athletes. What we are doing is a variety show, to play up the celebrity image, allowing the viewers to understand these sports as well as explaining the advantage of exercising. The original intention has not been achieved!”

There were several coaches who accepted the invitation-only after recognizing this point.

Now that the focus on sports was how entertaining it is, what was the point of a show that focused on competitions? After all, they were a variety show. Their publicity and marketing strategy were done in accordance with variety shows.

Liu Chuan wanted to praise Ji Yu Heng in this program, giving him the label of an athletic teenager and a high-quality idol. Who knew that this group of coaches were not as good as he had expected, and were extremely difficult to communicate with.

The Archery Coach’s expression was not good: “The original intention is good, and popularizing programs is also a good thing, but you can’t make me say things against my will. Those who are new to this sport will think that Archery is an easy sport, and easy to pick up. They don’t realize how much effort and training goes into it, and I will not belittle the efforts of these hard-working athletes.”

Seeing that the two men were still not convinced, the Deputy Director hastened to make a more convincing argument: “Coach, the popularity of this sport is not dependent on how much money and energy our country has invested in popularizing science. The key point is: How many handsome guys will be in this project!”

He made a joke that he thought was humorous and appropriate.

The Archery Coach looked pale and sneered for a while: “Screw you.”

Deputy Director: “?” How did it turn out like this?

He didn’t realize that his words had offended several coaches in the room.

To some extent, what he said did reflect a part of the status quo.

But these coaches had watched their players grow, watching them train in the cold weather and hot summer. This simple sentence of judging someone by their appearance was absolutely insulting and taboo.

The Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach sitting next to him said, “It’s okay for you to invite us over and train these children. But you can’t make us say anything against our will that will mislead the public.”

The Figure Skating Coach also nodded: “It’s okay to have an attitude of merely playing sports for fun, but you can’t put it in the same category as a professional competition.”

There was some helplessness in his words: “I think they have been practicing well for 15 days, but their posture on the ice is really… Even if you’re doing it for fun, it can’t be like this.”

“Figure skating is a combination of techniques and artistry. For celebrities, there isn’t as much emphasis on technical skills, but what’s wrong with their expressions? The girls and boys of our provincial team are all learning ballet to improve their expression. How could they not have a background in basic ballet?”

“If you say that you are a celebrity, why is your expression so stiff? You can’t even watch a few people practicing ballet, so how can you figure skate?”

When the coaches talked to each other, they were not satisfied with the training results.

The head of the Production Team had a lot of power. Seeing that the discussion was about to turn into an argument, he quickly put a stop to it.

When the meeting ended, several provincial coaches got up and left.

As soon as they went out, they saw Yu Nian and Deng Jingwei approaching, shaking their heads once again.

What kind of competitive spirit is there in someone who looks that fair and delicate?

Yu Nian walked into the conference room and Liu Chuan was still angry with these coaches.

Looking at Yu Nian, Liu Chuan smiled at Deng Jingwei and said, “Xiao Deng, you are still very concerned about Yu Nian. Who did you ask for this opportunity?”

Deng Jingwei gave a dry laugh.

Liu Chuan looked at the Deputy Director and flipped through the project roster: “The project that Yu Nian will participate in, has not been decided yet, right?”

Deng Jingwei hurriedly said, “Brother Liu Chuan, I think there are several events in Track and Field that are very suitable.”

“Figure Skating.”

Deng Jingwei’s voice stopped abruptly.

Liu Chuan threw the project roster onto the table: “I think he is quite suitable for this.”

“Add his name to this project.”

Naturally, the Production Team will not upset Liu Chuan because of such a trivial matter, like assigning a project. They immediately added Yu Nian’s name to the Figure Skating roster.

Seeing that it was done, Liu Chuan patted Deng Jingwei on the shoulder and walked out of the conference room.

Deng Jingwei stayed where he was.

Figure Skating? Figure skating?

Deng Jingwei turned to look at Yu Nian: “Can you skate?”

Yu Nian shook his head.