Chapter 96

One more update, and there are two more to come! Today's extra update, wishing the moderator Xiao Ying a happy birthday! May all your wishes come true! Thank you, Xiao Ying, for your hard work in managing the book review section and drawing the main character Liu Meng's avatar. I am deeply grateful!

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For many years, it has been a tradition at Bingcheng University of Technology that after freshmen enroll, senior students come to sell ice skates. To support the seniors, everyone in the dorm bought them. Liu Meng chose the advanced type of ice skates, confident that he could protect himself well, given his experience.

Liu Meng excitedly took the ice skates and headed straight for the ice rink. After putting on the skates, he realized he had somewhat overestimated his experience.

For sports that require body adjustments, the body must remember the feeling. Even though he used to skate quite well, after many years, his body had long forgotten that feeling.

It was very difficult to walk from the edge to the center of the ice rink because his body was already accustomed to normal walking. The long iron blade under the ice skates required him to keep his feet parallel to the ground and move by lifting his knees with his thighs.

After many years, standing on the ice again with advanced skates, which offered no ankle support, made it hard to even stand. He wobbled and felt like he would fall with every movement.

Seeing so many classmates swiftly pass by, looking so cool, and then looking at himself, who could barely stand, made him a bit envious.

Liu Meng remembered that when he first learned to skate, he fell and bruised all over. If he couldn't stand steadily, he would fall; if he couldn't lift his legs, he would fall. But he managed to skate in a straight line on his first try, turn on his second, and skate backward on his third.

No matter how time changes, one's inherent personality doesn't change. Liu Meng was a person who never gave up. The worse the situation, the more determined he was to do well, even if it meant getting bruised and bloody.

Liu Meng was about to start his second "falling and learning" plan. He boldly took a step forward and, as expected, fell directly onto the ice.

The friction coefficient between the iron blade under the ice skates and the ice surface is very low. The key to ice skating is to keep your center of gravity stable, whether you are standing still, walking, or sliding. If you lose balance, you will fall immediately.

Even when you fall for the first time, it's very hard to get up!

Fortunately, Liu Meng had experience and could still get up without much trouble.

After getting up, he took another step and fell again. After falling five times, his body began to regain its balance and he could slowly walk on the ice.

He walked step by step toward the beginner area in the middle, wearing advanced skates, which was quite embarrassing.

Those who dare to wear advanced skates on the ice rink are usually very skilled, gliding like butterflies on the ice, with very graceful postures, especially when skating backward in circles, which is very beautiful.

After walking for a while and getting closer to the beginner area in the middle, he finally walked more smoothly. After falling a few times, he finally got a feel for it.

Just then, a shadow flashed behind him, skating so fast that it even created a breeze. He was hit by someone's arm. Liu Meng was wearing advanced skates, which had even less friction with the ice. The impact sent him flying.

Without the necessary skills, being pushed and sliding at high speed on the ice is both thrilling and dangerous. In such a situation, if you get injured, you might break a leg.

After all, the blades under the ice skates are real iron, and any injury would be serious!

While sliding at high speed, Liu Meng quickly calmed down from his panic and tried to control his balance. Any change in his center of gravity would result in a fall, and since this was a track, other advanced skaters were also sliding at high speed. If he fell, he might be trampled.

The temperature was below zero, but Liu Meng still broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he managed to stabilize himself, but he didn't dare to shift his center of gravity backward to brake. His skills were not proficient enough, and he might end up falling backward, which is a very dangerous situation. Most students choose to fall sideways when they can't brake.

He could only wait for himself to slow down and stop. However, the friction on the ice is very low, and he had been sliding at high speed due to the impact. It would take at least half a lap to come to a complete stop.

As his speed gradually slowed, Liu Meng breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves and body began to relax.

Just then, he noticed several deep grooves in the ice, created by high-speed skating. He quickly tried to avoid them by lifting his right foot to change lanes, but this caused him to lose his balance and fall to one side.

Fortunately, Liu Meng reacted quickly and instinctively protected his head to avoid serious injury. He waited for the impact with the ice, but it never came. Instead, a shadow quickly approached from behind and grabbed him, making a beautiful circle with his legs in a compass shape, pressing the outer edge of the ice, and stopping smoothly and elegantly.

"It's you!" Seeing that he didn't fall and with the help of the person, Liu Meng regained his balance. He recognized his savior as Gu Pan, who looked very casual and graceful on the ice. Her circle and braking action were even more flexible than running on the ground.

Gu Pan had noticed Liu Meng when he first got on the ice and had been quietly following him. She watched him slowly walk to the middle of the ice rink, finding it amusing to see a beginner wearing advanced skates. She felt happy to have found someone even less skilled than herself.

When Liu Meng was suddenly pushed, she didn't have time to help him but tried to slide forward to protect him. When she saw that Liu Meng had managed to control his balance, she stayed a short distance behind him.

Liu Meng was so focused on himself that he didn't notice Gu Pan following him.

"Your skills are so poor, yet you dare to wear advanced skates and skate on the track. You really don't care about your life," Gu Pan said with a light laugh, feeling very happy to mock Liu Meng.

Liu Meng was indeed overconfident, thinking he could walk on the ice as easily as on the ground, like a fish in water. He felt a bit embarrassed but didn't want to show weakness in front of Gu Pan. He said stubbornly, "I just got on the ice and haven't adapted yet. After a couple more laps, I'll be fine."

Liu Meng wasn't lying. After controlling his balance with all his might, his already strong body gradually found a feel for it. He could now start and skate slowly, but he still couldn't brake at high speed or perform single-leg edge pressure.

When skating at high speed, you must lift your outside leg and support yourself on one leg for a brief moment, then continuously press the outer edge to complete a turn.

Seeing his stubbornness, Gu Pan just hummed lightly, turned gracefully, and left a message as she skated away like a proud butterfly.

"Take your time to adapt, but be careful of the people behind you. There are many who don't like you."

Gu Pan had seen clearly that the person who pushed Liu Meng did it on purpose!

Liu Meng watched Gu Pan glide like a butterfly in the air, and his temper flared. He had solved a difficult math conjecture and even written a classical English poem. How could a little ice skating be a problem for him?

Moreover, he had a foundation and knew the technical points. He just needed his body to naturally adapt to the feeling on the ice. He was determined to master it today!

Gu Pan quickly skated up and saw the student who had pushed Liu Meng. She accelerated and skated alongside him, saying, "Which college are you from, classmate?"

The student, seeing a beautiful girl who had been skating well and often seen around, thought she was admiring his skills. He replied while skating, "Hello, classmate. I'm from the Microelectronics College. My name is Chen Jian. Nice to meet you."

Gu Pan smiled slightly but didn't give her name. She continued, "I'm from the Electrical Engineering College. Do you know Liu Meng from our college?"

At the mention of this name, Chen Jian's lips curled into a sneer, but he quickly covered it up, thinking the girl was nearby. He said sarcastically, "Who doesn't know Liu Meng, the famous one in the Basic Studies Department? This morning, I read his classical English poem again. To be honest, I read it every morning now."

"Wow, you like that poem so much? I've read it a few times, but it seems quite ordinary to me, just a showy piece." The fleeting expression on his face was caught by Gu Pan, who became even more interested. She thought, "This guy definitely knows Liu Meng and has a grudge against him. I wonder what Liu Meng did to offend him. I'll try to get more information."

"You are my soulmate, classmate. To be honest, I found it very disgusting on my first read. It's flashy and insincere, a clear attempt to win popularity. But he got lucky, with a teacher's strong support. I heard that Nanhuairen from the Foreign Languages College is extremely appreciative."

Chen Jian, sensing that Gu Pan also had a grudge against Liu Meng, was very happy and spoke his mind.

His words were full of dissatisfaction and jealousy. He continued, "Hey, even our deputy dean in the Basic Studies Department has been influenced by him, calling on us to learn from him. I, Chen Jian, am determined to win back my honor. Reading it every morning is a way to motivate myself."

"Classmate, you must be very excellent to be overshadowed by Liu Meng. It's really a pity. To be honest, I've also been annoyed by him for a long time," Gu Pan added.

"Hmph, my English essay is the best, but without a teacher's support, I was even deducted 3 points. I can recite it to you right now. It has profound thoughts and a lofty vision, much better than the classical poem. It's just dressed up in a flashy way, but the inner ideas are plagiarized. The college should have punished him, not praised him so much. It's really unfair," Chen Jian said, still full of jealousy.

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