Jack Bolton pointed to the ice rink below: “Look, among those ice kids clearing the rink, the best-looking one is my sister’s child.”

Charles Smith peered through his reading glasses: “Wow! Your kid isn’t even 10 and already so sharp, got his whole life planned out?”

Jack Bolton: “…Charles, my nephew is 12 this year, his birthday is in June, so he’s only about half a year away from 13.”

Charles Smith paused, his tone growing even more exasperated: “Being short is good! Short kids have a lower center of gravity, their jumps are steadier than others. You have no idea—when Liam Sullivan hit his growth spurt, he shot up from 1.63 meters to 1.72 all at once. I was so scared, I even dreamed of him not growing any taller.”

It was obvious that Jack Bolton’s nephew wouldn’t grow past 1.7 meters even as an adult, and his body proportions were especially good-looking. Just looking at his build, you’d think he was born for figure skating.

But the kid’s reason for not wanting to be an athlete was so realistic that even the national team’s head coach couldn’t argue back. In the end, he could only wave it off, pretending he’d never heard about Jack Bolton finding such a promising talent.

Meanwhile, Chris Bolton had a very fulfilling day. He and a group of young ice kids cleared the bouquets off the ice, and after the competition, he helped the staff resurface the ice, picking up the skill of ice patching in the process.

Besides that, since he left the venue late, he took the chance to skate a bit on this competition-level rink. Competition rinks are always spacious, and when the ice is frozen, they even mix in milk, making the surface silky smooth. After just a short while, Chris Bolton was completely hooked.

With a swish, the young boy leapt into his most familiar jump—the back outside loop, also known as the Salchow (S jump).

He started with the relatively simple 2S, a jump many ice kids could do, then moved on to 3S. Chris Bolton did them in sets of ten, practicing his jumps on the same ice where the national-level competition had just ended.

The feeling that this whole silver-white world belonged to him alone was simply amazing. Chris Bolton imagined the seats around him filled with spectators who had come just for him—not the half-empty stands of the national championships, but a venue packed with skating fans, all watching his every jump, cheering for each successful landing.

The flashbulbs sparkled, as if he were a superstar.

On his eleventh 3S, Chris Bolton tried crossing his hands overhead during the jump.

Most athletes tighten their upper bodies during jumps to make their axis slimmer and spin faster, which also stabilizes their axis in the air and increases their success rate.

But in that instant, Chris Bolton broke the rule of tightening his upper body, and his posture in the air was as graceful as ballet.

A crisp clap sounded as the boy landed steadily, his skate tracing a beautiful arc as he glided out with momentum.

That light, effortless jump caught the eye of Liam Sullivan as he entered the rink, leaving him so amazed he was momentarily speechless.

Then he saw the boy’s skate catch on an unpatched rut, sending him tumbling across the ice, clutching his ankle and howling like a mischievous kid.

“Ow! That hurts like hell!”

For some reason, Liam Sullivan suddenly remembered what the coach used to repeatedly tell the kids the first time they got on the ice.

“Remember, jumping is a very dangerous move. You must only do it when a coach is watching. Never practice jumps alone. If you break your leg, no one will help you. Repeat after me: No sneaking off to practice jumps alone, got it!”

Chapter 6: Snowy Night

Winter was bitterly cold. Seeing the kid sprawled on the ice, covered in ice shavings, Liam Sullivan couldn’t help but laugh and cry. He took off his jacket to wrap him up, helped him to the edge of the rink, and as soon as they got off the slippery ice, he picked him up and carried him to a bench.

This national team’s top men’s singles skater was very down-to-earth, kneeling in front of Chris Bolton.

“It’s your left ankle that’s hurt, right?”

Chris Bolton wiped away his tears—of course it hurt. He bent down, untied his skate, then took off his sock, revealing a red, swollen ankle.

Wrapping joints with athletic tape can effectively prevent sports injuries. He had tape on his calf and knee.

Liam Sullivan asked, puzzled, “Why didn’t you tape your ankle?”

Chris Bolton replied, a bit embarrassed, “I always feel like if I tape my ankle too, it’s hard to push off when I skate.”

Actually, he was already starting to regret it, because if he’d taped his ankle today, maybe he wouldn’t have sprained it.

“You can’t leave it swollen like this. Where are your parents?”

After finding out who Chris Bolton’s uncle was, Liam Sullivan immediately asked the staff to help find him, then went to the ice resurfacing machine to collect some crushed ice, put it in a bag, and gave Chris Bolton an ice pack.

So, the impression Chris Bolton had of the top skater instantly changed from “focused performer” to “this guy’s really nice.”

It wasn’t long before Jack Bolton rushed over. Seeing his nephew’s ankle, he was heartbroken. Liam Sullivan pressed the ice pack on, chatting with Jack Bolton, and Chris Bolton realized they actually knew each other.

Liam Sullivan had also come from the H Province team, and he and Jack Bolton had trained under the same coach.