Figure Skating: Waltz on Ice

Despite trying to clear his mind, Du Liangchen's thoughts raced, completely out of his control. He couldn't understand why he was so unlikeable in this life, and why people harbored such malice towards him.

Haven't those people ever shared a room with a close friend? Do people living in dormitories actually like the same sex? That's really outrageous.

He had thought about committing suicide because living was so tiring, but he didn't dare to, probably because his death in his previous life was too painful and he still vividly remembered that feeling.

Just as Du Liangchen was falling into self-doubt, Mei Jing, who had returned home, received a call from head coach Jiang Weimin.

Mei Jing took a deep breath and answered the phone: "Hello, Head Coach Jiang?!"

The head coach's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mei Jing, where are you now?"

"I am at home."

"Oh, you know about what's going on online, right?"

Mei Jing's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Afraid that the head coach would misunderstand, she quickly explained, "Head Coach, please let me explain. Xiao Chen and I went on a trip and were recognized. You know that Du Liangchen often has strangers knocking on his door, so I was worried about him staying alone and let him sleep in the same room with me. We really didn't do anything! Unexpectedly, someone actually knocked on the door at night, so we called the police, and there's a record at the police station."

"Mei Jing, don't be nervous. The team is already trying to figure out how to handle it," the head coach comforted her. "However, this matter has a huge impact online. You and Du Liangchen must not be misled by the comments online. Keep a good attitude. Also, I tried calling Du Liangchen but couldn't get through. If you manage to contact him, please give him some advice and encouragement."

Mei Jing readily agreed, and after talking with the head coach for an hour, he hung up the phone with a heavy heart. He knew that this incident would definitely have an impact on his and Du Liangchen's careers.

After hanging up the phone, the head coach looked at Du Langxing and Mei Jing's coach Wang Yawen in the conference room and said, "You two heard it. This is just a small matter between two children, but it has been maliciously misinterpreted by netizens like this. It's really too much!"

"Bang—" The head coach, growing angrier with each word, slammed his fist on the table.

"Isn't this messing with our athletes' mentality?! They are the two pillars of our men's figure skating team. If they fall, there will be no one to replace them."

"These people really thrive on chaos. We are athletes, not celebrities in the entertainment industry, and we don't rely on their attention to increase our fame."

Du Liangchen and Wang Yawen exchanged a glance, then looked at Jiang Weimin, who was feeling unwell due to excitement, and were startled.

Wang Yawen quickly handed him the water: "Chief Instructor, please don't get agitated. Drink some water to calm down. Don't let this upset you and harm your health!"

Du Langxing tried to calm him down: "Yes, I always tell you that you have high blood pressure and can't get excited. Where's your medicine in your pocket?"

Seeing Jiang Weimin point to the left pocket of his coat, Du Langxing quickly took out the medicine and made him take it: "I'll teach you to take a deep breath and calm down."

"Phew~" The head coach said after feeling his heartbeat slowly return to normal, "I'm fine. Those two unlucky kids are still waiting for me to stand up for them! Now, the only way to settle this matter is for me to step in."

"You two shouldn't just sit idly by. Try to talk to Du Liangchen and Mei Jing and offer them some advice. I'm afraid this matter might affect their mood."

The younger generation hasn't matured yet, and I don't want our country to lose figure skating talent because of those ignorant people. If it weren't for those two leading the way, I'm afraid our country's figure skating would be back to what it was three years ago.

Du Langxing sighed and said, "Head Coach, I'll ask for leave to go back and see Xiao Chen in a bit. I don't know why, but these people have been targeting Xiao Chen. It was okay before, but it's gotten worse in the last two years. Even something as trivial as whether his collar was down or not when he was wearing a tracksuit can make headlines."

Wang Ya-wen: "I've felt something was off for a while now. Xiao Jing and Xiao Chen are from the same provincial team, so it's normal for them to be close. Why are they making a fuss about this? I have a bold idea, but I don't know if I should say it."

The head coach and Du Langxing exchanged a glance, then turned to Wang Yawen: "Coach Xiaowen, say whatever you want to say, there are no outsiders here."

"Master, I don't know if I'm being too conspiratorial, but things just feel very strange, so I looked up when Du Liangchen was first cyberbullied."

"It was his first time participating in an international competition and he won a prize, which caused dissatisfaction among fans of other popular players who were likely to win awards."

The head coach pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm, if I remember correctly, it should be the first race of the series."

Du Langxing frowned, puzzled, and said, "Yes, it was that match. I remember it very clearly, but what's the problem?"

Wang Yawen rolled her eyes at Du Langxing and said with some excitement, "This is a huge problem. After this incident, Du Liangchen's grades never dropped out of the top three."

“We’ve all been athletes, and no one knows better than us that there’s someone ahead of you in every competition that you can’t surpass. That feeling of helplessness, envy, and resentment, especially towards athletes from other countries, is dozens of times more intense than our own.”

"Du Liangchen has blocked too many people's way. With him in every game, everyone else is just a backdrop. Do you understand?"

"The term 'homosexuality' was introduced from abroad. In the past, it was normal for two boys or two girls to sleep in one bed, but now it's different. My intuition tells me that it is foreign countries that are maliciously inciting rumors to destroy Du Liangchen's confidence and make him leave the sports world."

Jiang Weimin and Du Langxing were both chilled to the bone by Wang Yawen's speculation, and sat up straight to listen to her continue.

Wang Yawen sounded thirsty, and Du Langxing handed her a bottle of water. She smiled and thanked him, took a sip, and continued, "It's not just Xiao Chen, but also athletes in other sports who have achieved good results, such as swimming champion Sun Yang, diving champion Chen Yuxi, and Chen Meng, etc. Their achievements are all very good, but they are subjected to cyberbullying because of a single word or glance. I don't think our people would treat athletes who have won medals for the country like that."

As soon as she finished speaking, the conference room fell silent. Wang Yawen looked at the two people who were deep in thought and took another big gulp of water.

After a long silence, Jiang Weimin said with a heavy expression, "I will report this matter to the General Administration. You all go back and attend to your own business. Make sure to comfort the two children."

Wang Ya-wen: "Yes, Head Instructor!"

Du Langxing: "Understood, Chief Instructor!"

At the same time, Du Liangchen realized that he couldn't let himself get depressed, so he started looking for things to keep himself busy.