Figure Skating: Waltz on Ice

The National Junior Figure Skating Championships, 2016-2017 season, had 129 participants.

Du Liangchen and his grandparents are heading to Shanghai today to participate in this year's junior figure skating competition. There are still three days until the competition, so they need to familiarize themselves with the venue beforehand.

We packed our bags yesterday, and the whole family went to the station early this morning after breakfast.

The station was bustling with people. Grandpa Du looked after the luggage, while Grandma Du took care of Du Liangchen. Since there were no seats for the three of them to sit next to each other, they had to sit separately.

Originally, Brother Du and his second brother also wanted to go and cheer for their younger brother, but they had to go to class and couldn't go.

Du Liangchen's father, Du Langyu, returned home for a few days about six months ago, and then disappeared again. His mother, Tian Zhixi, has been busy performing at various theaters and hasn't had time to accompany Du Liangchen to his matches. However, Zhixi happens to be in Shanghai this time, so she should be able to watch the competition.

"What are you thinking about, Xiao Chen? Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?" Grandma Du called out to Du Liangchen when she saw him lost in thought and not saying anything.

"Grandma, I'm not thirsty."

Du Liangchen came to his senses and looked around. He found that many people were watching him. Even when Du Liangchen caught him, they did not dodge and even gave him a friendly smile.

"Grandma, is this your grandson? He's so handsome, so adorable."

Suddenly, a simply dressed young woman walked over and sat down next to Grandma Du.

"He's not afraid when people are staring at him. How old is he?"

Du Liangchen ignored him.

When Grandma Du heard someone praising her grandson, her eyes crinkled with joy, but she still humbly said:

"Girl, please don't praise him. This child is shy and gets embarrassed."

Then the woman started chatting with Grandma Du, and to outsiders they seemed as close as mother and daughter.

Du Liangchen listened from the side. This woman said she was going to Shanghai for medical treatment. She had been married for many years but had no children. Seeing how handsome Du Liangchen was, she couldn't help but take a liking to him. Then she started asking Du Liangchen how old he was and what grade he was in...

Grandma Du, perhaps being a woman herself, empathized with the woman in front of her and began to feel sorry for her, advising her not to rush and to relax.

However, this woman kept subtly inquiring about Du Liangchen's whereabouts, or rather, about his parents. This made Grandma Du wary, while Du Liangchen found the woman strange from the beginning, and the more he listened, the more suspicious she became.

"Grandma, my stomach hurts and I need to go to the bathroom."

Grandpa Du was sitting diagonally opposite them, across an aisle. The station was noisy, and he couldn't hear what we were saying.

Du Liangchen didn't want this woman to get close to Grandma Du, so he clutched his stomach and looked at her.

"Okay, okay, let's go to the restroom." Grandma Du looked at Du Liangchen worriedly, felt him squeeze her hand twice, understood what he meant, and turned to the woman, saying:

"Miss, let's go to the restroom first."

The woman smiled and kindly said, "Aunties, you should go ahead. I'll watch the seats for you."

As they passed Grandpa Du, Du Liangchen whispered, "Grandpa, that woman is suspicious. Be careful."

On their way to the restroom, Grandma Du and Du Liangchen looked around warily, with Du Liangchen covering half of his face with a scarf.

Two tall, burly men were smoking around the bathroom, their eyes secretly glancing at Du Liangchen, and they even exchanged a subtle glance.