In 2016, 48-year-old Liu Yelin went viral. She seldom surfed the internet, and had no idea she was one of the hot topics, until a friend showed her the news.
2016年 ，當時48歲的劉葉琳火了。她不怎麼上網，也不知道什麼是熱搜，所以對這事渾然不知。直到一個朋友給她看了有關她的新聞報道。
Right below the headline of that day were photos of her after crossing the Strait of Malacca. She was then nicknamed a "gym queen," "forever young goddess" and "hot mom." The perfect view of her back attracted loads of fans, most were women who wished to have her shape and charisma when they reach 50.
網頁上，緊跟著當天的新聞頭條，就是她橫渡馬六甲海峽時的照片。“健身達人”“凍齡女神”“最美辣媽”的稱號紛至沓來。完全看不出歲月痕跡的完美背影，讓她有了大量粉絲，其中絕大多數都是女性。她們憧憬著年近50的時候也能有劉葉琳這樣的氣質與身材。
However, Liu said she used to be like those heroines in the romantic novels by famous Chinese writer Chiung Yao. "I really enjoyed being in the beautiful white dress. I was so sentimental that even a mild criticism could make me break down in tears. I went to the movies with packs of tissues, because I couldn't stop crying at them."
但劉葉琳說自己小時候其實“和瓊瑤小說裡的女主人公一樣”：“每天穿著那種白裙子，就是那種美美的感覺。而且特別特別嬌氣，話說重一點就眼淚刷刷的那種。看電影必須要帶一堆紙巾，因為我會不停地哭。”
Things changed when she learned to swim. Liu had nightmares as she nearly drowned when she was young. Encouraged by her friends, she tried swimming for the first time at the age of 30. She went into the water with a tire as a swim ring and ropes attached to it. To her surprise, she was able to tread water. After fearing water for over a decade, Liu said she "got the feeling that I had power over it."
蛻變的契機始於游泳。因為小時候差點溺水留下的心理陰影，劉葉琳直到30歲才在朋友的勸說下第一次嘗試學游泳。她帶著輪胎和繩子全副武裝地下了水，結果竟然蹬起來了。“一個差點兒沒淹死的人，十幾年不敢碰水，那一天找到感覺了，覺得可以駕馭水了。”
Liu has fallen in love with swimming since that day. She set the bar higher and higher, and eventually became a winter swimmer. Her lifestyle and personality changed a lot. "I felt the boldness hidden in my bones aroused," she said.
這種經歷讓劉葉琳從此愛上游泳，而且給自己的目標越定越高，最後索性開始冬泳。她的生活方式和性格也從此不一樣了。“感覺是小時候骨子裡的那種勇敢被激發出來了。”
Turning 50 this year, she has swum in almost all the waters in China, and even in Lake Baikal in Russia.
今年，劉葉琳已經50歲。她已經把國內的大江大河挑戰了個遍，甚至游到了冬天的俄羅斯貝加爾湖。
Her fingers were severely frostbitten right before the challenge, yet she didn't give up: "Trying not to be amputated, I turned to every possible treatment in 35 days. For five hours a day, I went through massage, physiotherapy with low and intermediate frequencies… I saved my hand at last and took the challenge."
就在貝加爾湖冬泳前夕，她的手指嚴重凍傷。但她依舊沒有放棄：“一個要截肢的手，我用35天時間，每天照顧它五個小時，去治療，去按摩，去做中頻低頻，用我能做到的一切方法去挽救它，然後帶它再去挑戰。”
"When you immerse yourself in nature, conquering a peak or a strait, you are becoming a whole new person. Your heart grows stronger, feeling that you can accomplish anything," Liu said.
“我覺得人走進大自然以後，當你攀上一座高峰的時候，當你征服海峽的時候，真的會有一個蛻變。你的內心越來越強大。你真的無所不能。”
Beside outdoor activities, there are many other things that she's eager to try. She loves showing off her body in bikinis, and even dreams of being the oldest model in China at the age of 80. "I shall be the most charismatic one with the best shape and personality."
除了戶外挑戰之外，劉葉琳還有數不清的想嘗試的事情。她熱愛比基尼，熱愛展示自己的身材，夢想著八十歲的時候能成為中國最老的平面模特：“一定是很有範兒、氣質最好、身材最好的。”
"When people say that I'm hot, they may refer to my body shape," she said. "But I think it should have more to do with my lifestyle." No matter where she goes, Liu will always be the boldest one in the forefront. That's the essence of a "hot mom" that she pursues.
“別人說我所謂的辣，第一感覺可能是指身材火辣，”她說，“另外我覺得它跟生活觀念和生活方式也是相通的。”不管到哪裡，劉葉琳都要做最勇敢、最前衛的一個。也許這才是她形象中真正的火辣。
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