I Love Destroying Worlds' Plot

Chapter 1696: 23.15 Second Grey Star - Missing Pieces

An Zhe watched the performance of Yun Luan but still couldnʼt pinpoint the missing pieces Hei Anjing was talking about. Even when Yun Luan finished his piece, An Zhe still couldnʼt find it.

Yun Luan said, ”Coach, Iʼm done. Is my piece alright?” His words were a bit hesitant as he knew that he had a big weakness in him, and that is… he is expressionless. His former coach also mentioned this before. However, no matter how he tries to make an expression, as long as he forces it, it will look unnatural.

Hei Anjing smiled and said, ”Your sequence is the best at your level, but it wasnʼt perfect.”

”Is it because I donʼt have expression on my face?” Yun Luan said as he didnʼt dare to meet his new coachʼs face.

Hei Anjing and An Zhe looked stunned when they heard his words. It seems that a lot of people have told him how expressionless he is as he dances. However, being expressionless is not truly judged during the competition. The points are all about techniques, execution, and presence. As long as you dance well, even if you donʼt smile, you can win. Isnʼt that the case for Yun Luan, who won the championship against An Zhe all this time?

”Who told you that? Expressions are never the main criterion for judging in competition. If it does, you will never win against me!” An Zhe stated.

Bonk!

Hei Anjing hit the back of the arrogant An Zhe and then patted Yun Luanʼs head, making him look at him. He then said, ”AʼZhe is right. Expression is not judged in competition. Itʼs just an add-on to gain more presence or an audience impact, and that is all.”

”I didnʼt say that your sequence isnʼt perfect because you donʼt have expressions. How about I dance your sequence in my way? You two point out the pieces Iʼve mentioned you had missed.”

Yun Luan asked, ”Coach, you remembered my sequence just by seeing it once?”

”Donʼt be surprised. In a competition, if one asked him to replicate all other athletesʼ sequences, he could do it all. Moreover, it was enhanced to perfection. Letʼs watch carefully and find what he said you have missed,” said An Zhe.

Hei Anjing skated through the center and said, ”We can start now~”

Yun Luan and An Zhe looked serious as they finally played the song. They kept their eyes on Hei Anjing and noticed that, like Yun Luan before him, he had become completely expressionless, and even his demeanor had completely turned cold. The two kept watching, and the first movement of Hei Anjing made them speechless. Itʼs the same sequence, but it had a completely different presence than when Yun Luan danced it before.

Especially the first set of movements, when it was done by Yun Luan, it didnʼt feel like there was anything wrong, nor did they think that it was lacking. However, now that it was done by Hei Anjing, the feeling is completely different. These opening actions alone made them unable to move their eyes from Hei Anjing, who was dancing on ice. Hei Anjing didnʼt add much to the sequence; he also didnʼt add much speed as he skated. He only skates at the same level as Yun Luan. But unlike the first performance, the dance Hei Anjing is doing feels more solid than what Yun Luan had done.

Yun Luan and An Zhe didnʼt talk or comment as they watched. They do not have time to waste on anything else; moreover, they couldnʼt move their eyes away from him as they felt something was there, but they couldnʼt pinpoint what the difference was between this dance and Yun Luanʼs dance. In the end, the two fell into a trance until Hei Anjing finished dancing and appeared before the two of them.

Hei Anjing snaps his fingers in front of the kidʼs face and wakes them up. When the two looked at him, they were still a bit in a daze until they heard him asking a question.

”Have you found what is missing?”

Yun Luan and An Zhe nodded their heads and answered. However, the answers of the two were completely different from one another.

”Eye contact,” An Zhe said.

Yun Luan said, ”Hand gestures.”

The two young men looked at one another when they heard each otherʼs answer. Hearing a different answer, the possibility of one of them being wrong is there. However, Hei Anjingʼs response startled them.

Hei Anjing said, ”Both are correct. Thatʼs right. What is missing from Luanʼerʼs dance is his eye contact with the audience and his hand movements to match his dance.”

”The eye is a window for emotions. If your face cannot show what you want to express, then your eyes will do it for you. However, to show it, you need to look at the one you want to show it to. Look at your audience. Let them read your emotions through your eyes. During the dance, the ice rink is covered in cameras. This is to capture the techniques and mistakes you will make on the stage.”

”Use the cameras to show what you want to express. Match it with your body and hand. Also, enjoy it instead of thinking of it as a competition. Do your best. The result is something people have judged you for; it is not what makes you who you are.”

Yun Luan felt excited, as if he was enlightened by his new coachʼs words. No one had pointed out his mistake or what he was missing before. All they say is that he is expressionless and that he must at least smile or something. But his new coach is different. He didnʼt tell him to smile or scold him for being expressionless.

He showed him what he was missing and for him to realize it with his own eyes and brain. He also didnʼt execute techniques beyond his means and only showed him the possibility he can reach at his current level. He doesnʼt change the sequence he made and just shows him what he is missing. Moreover, he told him to have fun, that the result doesnʼt matter as long as he had done his best.

Hearing that the tear he had been holding on to finally fell, catching Hei Anjing and An Zhe by surprise. Seeing him like this, Hei Anjing hugs Yun Luan, who immediately hugs him back as he cries. Hei Anjing had this childʼs past investigated. It is more than a tragedy. Everything he used to have was stolen from him one by one. His parentsʼ attention and care. His partner, his coach, his techniques, his position. One at a time, each one that was important to him was taken away. What made it worse, the one who stole it was his twin brother, Yun Hun.

Every time he complains, no one listens to him and thinks he is throwing a tantrum. Because he is expressionless, he canʼt show when he is in pain, when he is sad, or when he is happy. Thatʼs why he is always alone. Hei Anjing knew that this was the doing of this starʼs heavenly laws, and it can move anything aside from him and his family, as well as those who are connected to him.

The old butler is the oldest servant he and his family have. His standing had long been broken free from the clutches of the Heavenly laws; thatʼs why, despite his connection to Yun Luan, he wasnʼt influenced to like only Yun Hun and instead liked Yun Luan among the twins.

Hei Anjing gently pats Yun Luanʼs head like how the latter did when he was first born as his child. Gentle and careful, yet at the same time warm.

”Donʼt cry. You have done your best. Itʼs the fault of the people who donʼt appreciate it. You are not the one in the wrong. Those who have left, let them leave. Only when one is gone does a new one come,” Hei Anjing whispered with a gentle voice.

An Zhe was also stunned. What it was like to see a beautiful yet expressionless man suddenly shed tears. It was like seeing a robot gain human emotions. It was surprising and fascinating. It was a scene to behold. It made him realize that his iceberg was completely made of cold ice. It was a human being who didnʼt learn properly how to show his expression on his face. After a while, Yun Luan finally stopped crying and saw a hand offering a clean handkerchief to him.

”You look ugly like this. Donʼt cry in the future.”

This man is of his age, and his tone and words are full of arrogance, but the meaning of his actions is different from his words.

Yun Luan hesitated for a moment and finally accepted the handkerchief. His usual cold voice resounded and said, ”T-Thank you.”

However, these cold-sounding words shocked An Zhen. He never expected that this iceberg could be grateful for the rumors saying that he is a heartless one who loves to bully his twin brother. He had spent two days in a row watching and interacting with Yun Luan. He is the opposite of everything the rumors about him are.

Hei Anjing said, ”Alright, you two, donʼt waste any more time. Keep practicing. Luanʼer, try adding hand gestures and imagine looking at the audience as you practice.”

”I will coach,” said Yun Luan.

An Zhe tried to escape, as he knew that after Yun Luan, the one who would be tested would be him. Unfortunately, he hasnʼt completed his sequence yet, and if Hei Anjing learned about it, he would definitely get scolded. However, it was already too late for An Zhe to leave, as his back collar was caught before he could sneak away.

Hei Anjing with an angelic smile and not his usual mischievous one. An Zhe knew that when Hei Anjingʼs face showed an angelic smile, it meant that he was angry. The more angelic and gentle his smile is, the angrier he is.

”Where do you think you are going, AʼZhe?~”

”B-B-Bathroom?”

”Bathroom, your ass! Show me your sequence!” Hei Anjing said as he twisted the bratʼs ear.

Ouch!

”Yes, sir!”

Not far from them, Yun Luan was watching with mirth and didnʼt even notice that the corner of his lips had curled for a moment before casually returning to his expressionless self.