Chapter 585 - Accident in the Competition
When Kelov left the villa, he was distraught. His meeting with Ivanov was akin to a resounding slap on his face and the shame that was burrowed into his bones emerged.
He naturally knew that the man that humiliated him was currently in Russia.
That shocking assassination attempt in Russia shocked everyone, and at the same time, it also pulled everyone's attention over. Kelov even made use of his relations to find information about Su Tao's current condition, which he was left in disappointment. Su Tao took a total of three bullets, but he was still alive.
Kelov initially intended to get his friend to help and make a mistake in Su Tao's surgery, but the surgery was done by a specialist from China, which ruined his plan.
However, he never forgot about his hatred for Su Tao.
"Why is that despicable fellow not dead?!" Kelov's eyes flashed with enmity.
Finally calming himself down, his finger tapped on the car seat before a vicious scheme slowly formed in his heart.
The stadium was completely filled with people, which showed how much Russian loved gymnastics. At the same time, it was also mainly due to the passionate support of the president and his wife.
Then again, this was also a unique cultural foundation of Russian. Gymnastics combined young girls, music, dance, fitness, and art together. Hence, it was a mutual resonance amongst everyone.
As gentle western music rang out, participants took turns to enter. Although Su Tao knew nothing about gymnastics, he was still taken aback by the gentle beauty of the participants. As he felt the blood rising to his head, he muttered to himself and commented on them. Sitting beside him, Shui Junzhuo couldn't help finding it funny and she would occasionally look at his somewhat pale face and commented in her heart that men were all the same. They would be captivated by women the moment they see one.
Ivanov specially booked an entire area for his friends, so other than Stefan, everyone here was also influential figures.
"That man sitting in front of you is Stefan!" Shui Junzhuo whispered as she continued, "If there's an opportunity, take a look at him and see if you can find out about his condition."
"I'll try my best!" Su Tao inwardly sighed. Although his diagnosis skills have already reached the pinnacle, it didn't mean absolute success. However, he already made up his mind that if there's an opportunity, he could try and talk to Stefan to see if he could make a diagnosis.
"Try and create an opportunity later. You can try chatting with him, and I'll examine his condition from the side."
Nodding her head, Shui Junzhuo smiled. "No problem!"
Russians had high inner quality. If it's in China, everyone would be cheering by now. But when the music sounded, the audience all remained silent as everyone watched the performance, fearing that they might disrupt the participants' performance.
When the music stopped, everyone passionately clapped. Basking in this atmosphere, it gave Su Tao a deep experience in gymnastics.
The athlete in the centre's positioning wasn't perfect, in which the ball fell onto the ground and made a huge mistake.
However, the audience still clapped as a form of encouragement and comfort for the participant. There wasn't any jeering. The athlete also swiftly recovered and her upcoming performance was perfect and she beautifully finished her movements.
Finally, it was Natasha's turn to perform, the host's voice was much higher when he announced as applause echoed like a booming thunder that instantly brought that atmosphere to the peak.
"This is Natasha's influence. Although she went hiatus for some time and even had her sudden increment in weight revealed by the media that caused controversy, her ability to rally supporters is still there." Shui Junzhuo smiled.
When Natasha came to the centre of the stage, she held a ribbon in her hand. She tiptoed and looked like an elegant swan.
She wore a custom-made white costume with a butterfly collar on her slender neck. Her outfit was made entirely of silk gauze that covered her chest and arms, faintly showing her jadeite skin. Her chest was covered with a white fan-shaped cloth with some creases on top of it that brought out her sweetness and charm. There's also a Chinese styled violet flower embedded on her waist that might seem contrast to her age, but it was a perfect fit in terms of artistic sense.
The song that Natasha chose was Bolero, created by Maurice Ravel. Although there's only a theme in this piece and lacked impact, the first note of the music instantly, deeply captivated everyone. The music rang magically with an irresistible charm to the point that everyone's breathing went along with the rhythm.
As for Natasha's movements, they were practically perfect and would draw the heartbeat of the audience with her performance. At the same time, her outburst was strong and her leaps would take her into the air, imprinting images in everyone's minds.
Although Su Tao knew nothing about gymnastics, he could clearly feel that the flow and combination of Natasha's movements far surpassed other participants.
Trying to get a smooth flow on movements wasn't easy, nor did it require any difficulty movements, but an entire dance that expressed a story. Although Natasha was performing alone, it told a story of the romantic and bashful emotions of a young girl.
Along with Natasha's steps, she performed continuous tumblings with the white ribbon drawing an arc in the sky before she stepped on it. As the music came to an end, everyone started clapping to cheer for Natasha's perfect performance.
At the same time, Su Tao sighed and felt that he lived his life in vain. It felt utterly different seeing gymnastics performed live or through the television.
He felt a little guilty for all the lewd thoughts like wondering if the participants would experience a wardrobe malfunction with their large movements.
The reason why gymnastics couldn't be developed in China was mainly that it paled in comparison to sports like soccer or volleyball. Furthermore, it was also because of the lack of inner quality of the populace.
China might emphasise well-rounded education, but the moment students reached junior high school or senior high school, it would turn into exam-orientated education instead. In the country, most athlete-based students would experience a fall in their studies, and most of them were forced to take shortcuts as athlete-based students.
Athletes emphasised on their inner quality since their spirits could be tempered. However, sports was a test on your EQ, IQ, and willpower.
After Natasha left the stage, and the next participant started her performance, Su Tao moved over to Shui Junzhuo's ear and whispered, "Follow me to take a look at Natasha!"
"What's wrong?" Shui Junzhuo was baffled.
"You'll know later!" Su Tao replied.
Shui Junzhuo knew that there must be a reason for Su Tao's action; hence, she turned to leave.
In the resting area, Natasha wiped her sweat with a towel and replenished herself with water. The participants' resting area was separated from the audience, so when Natasha heard someone calling her, she turned her head to the source. When she saw Shui Junzhuo and Su Tao, she waved her hand with a smile.
Taking advantage while the security wasn't noticing, Su Tao leapt down from the spectator's grandstand to the ground, causing the security guards to yell out when they saw him.
"It's fine. He's my friend!" Natasha immediately explained.
Standing to the side, Shui Junzhuo was sweating when she saw Su Tao's action. He was still injured, so what would happen if his injuries tore open by jumping down from such a height?
Seeing Su Tao's bizarre actions, Ivanov and his wife also immediately stood up and rushed to the resting area.
"What's wrong?" Irina asked. The moment she appeared, the security no longer obstructed Su Tao and Shui Junzhuo, allowing them into the resting area.
"Natasha is injured!" Su Tao sighed and continued, "She just sprained her leg, and she must have been enduring it to finish her performance."
"Is that true?" Irina was shocked as she looked at Natasha. "Don't force yourself. We're more concerned about your body."
Nodding her head, Natasha squeezed out a smile. "It's just a light sprain, and it's nothing. This is my first competition after my return, and I can't give up. I must succeed!"
"Physician Su, can she still hold on?" Ivanov nervously asked Su Tao since a doctor's judgement held more authority at this moment.
When Su Tao saw the determination burning in Natasha's eyes, he sighed. Her injury wasn't serious, initially; but after her performance with jumps and runs, her injury worsened.
Getting Natasha to sit, Su Tao removed Natasha's shoe and gently massaged her foot, which Natasha had straightened her feet with groans escaping her lips.
"Her foot has some serious swelling, but fortunately, only her muscles are injured. There's no injury to her bones, or she would have to withdraw from the competition." Su Tao spoke as he continued to massage Natasha's foot.
In the beginning, it felt painful to Natasha, but as a warm current spread out from her foot, she gently breathed out and her furrowed brows loosened up.