Chapter 452 291: Travis, You...
February 16th. Today was the day.
The weather in Los Angeles was a world away from New York's. Just after 7 AM, the sun was already bathing the entire city in a bright, clear light.
By the time Li Wei came out of the bathroom, the breakfast prepared by the Giants' nutritionist team was already laid out on the dining table.
Li Wei turned on the TV in his room while he ate.
Although his Silver Body left him feeling full of energy after less than two hours of sleep, he still followed the rules and stayed in his room until breakfast time to avoid anyone on a morning room check noticing anything unusual.
At this moment, there was no other news on TV. Every single channel was covering the Super Bowl.
CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC... starting this morning, the entire United States of America had only one thing on its mind: the Super Bowl.
Fox's special Super Bowl morning report featured a rather interesting story:
"According to our sources within the Mexican Ministry of National Defense and informants at the DEA, two criminal organizations in the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco have been engaged in large-scale armed conflict over the past two weeks. The sound of gunfire along the US-Mexico border has been nearly constant, and official reports state that the conflict has already resulted in at least 40 deaths."
"But," the correspondent paused, "as of last night, both sides have actually called a ceasefire."
The Fox anchorwoman put on a perfectly timed look of confusion. "A ceasefire? Did they sign an agreement? And what does this have to do with the Super Bowl?"
"No, Kelly," the correspondent replied in a subtle tone. "According to our intelligence, the leaders of both groups made a pact to watch the Super Bowl today. And from what we hear, the two bosses aren't even rooting for the same team."
"That's exactly right," the anchorwoman said, smiling as she turned to the camera. "That's the Super Bowl for you. The biggest show in the nation."
At first, Li Wei thought the news story was a bit absurd. But on second thought, it might actually be true. Every year on this day, bars were packed, supermarket shelves were empty, and even the crime rate dropped because even criminals stayed home to watch TV.
He finished his meal at 8:30 and it was time to head downstairs to assemble for departure.
Li Wei put on the standard-issue, deep blue travel suit provided by the Giants, put on his headphones, and walked out of the presidential suite with his backpack.
The elevator took him straight to the lobby. At the other elevator banks, teammates were already gathering in small groups, faces etched with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
The motorcade arranged to take them to SoFi Stadium was even more extravagant than yesterday's. It was like going to war.
Four LAPD police motorcycles and a two-car escort of black SUVs led the way, with two Giants team buses in the middle. The NFL's own security team brought up the rear, followed by two media broadcast vans.
One by one, everyone arrived. The buses slowly pulled out of the hotel driveway and onto the main street.
Even though it was just past 9 AM, the streets of Inglewood were already packed with people.
Fans in the deep blue of the Giants mingled with those in the gold and red of the 49ers. Everyone had the same destination: SoFi Stadium.
"Giants! Giants!"
"King! King! King!"
When the Giants' motorcade appeared, someone on the roadside frantically waved a giant number 1 jersey, while another chased the bus for half a block before giving up.
Watching the teeming crowds outside the window, a smile unknowingly spread across Li Wei's face.
It wasn't just his team, Anya, Elizabeth, and the others who were here to watch the game live today. His classmates were here too.
Travis, Craig, and even Michael had specially put aside their pre-med coursework and flown to Los Angeles to see him play.
As a favor to Li Wei, given his status, the PR department had reimbursed them for all their flights, hotels, and lower-level seats in the 100-section. They weren't VIP box seats, but the view and atmosphere from the lower bowl were actually better.
Looking at the dense crowds and the temporary city that seemed to have sprung up overnight, Li Wei couldn't help but think of them. 'With a crowd this thick, I wonder where they are now.'
...
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Look at this stadium! Look at all these people!" Travis yelled, one arm slung around Craig. "I can't believe I'm actually here, seeing the Super Bowl in person!"
Travis and the others had arrived earlier than most of the fans.
They were already in line waiting to get in before the team buses had even departed.
Looking at the surrounding crowd, Craig tried to loosen Travis's tight grip on his arm. "Can you keep it down? Everyone's staring at us."
"Let them stare," Travis said, adjusting the number 1 hat on his head and the deep blue number 1 Giants jersey on his back. "We played ball with Li Wei!"
Walking behind them, Michael was feeling a bit socially anxious.
He wore a simple gray hoodie, his hands stuffed in his pockets, trailing behind Craig and Travis, observing and thinking.
Michael's college life wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. Getting a full scholarship to Brown University wasn't the finish line; in fact, it was just the beginning.
Life in the medical program was unbelievably grueling. His existence was basically a straight line between three points: his dorm, the classroom, and the library.
The intensity of the Program in Liberal Medical Education far exceeded his expectations. Freshman-year organic chemistry and molecular biology had completely drained him of all social life and free time. It had been a very, very long time since he'd been in a place with so many people.
There were people everywhere, sounds everywhere, colors everywhere. He could even feel a slight sense of sensory overload.
Recently, after learning about his background from the streets and his lack of money, his professor had suddenly offered Michael a job. However, the job was currently quite dangerous and demanded a high degree of mental fortitude, so he was still considering it.
"Hey! Michael! Hurry up!" Travis's voice broke through Michael's thoughts. "What are you thinking about? You look like you're walking to your own execution."
"I'm not," Michael said, picking up his pace. "I'm just not used to so many people."
"What's not to be used to?" Travis pulled Michael over to walk alongside him and Craig. "You know, Michael, ever since I told people at Pace University that I was Li Wei's high school teammate, the whole school knows who I am. In my Latin dance class last semester, guess who the most popular guy was?"
"You?"
"Of course," Travis said smugly. "It's because I'm handsome, charming, and enthusiastic that all the girls were fighting to get close to me."
Craig rolled his eyes. "Man! Last time you told me it was because you posted a picture with Li Wei on Instagram that they finally believed you were his classmate."
"But don't you know why Li Wei is friends with me in the first place?" Travis argued, full of self-righteousness. "Isn't it also because of my charm? Because he was captivated by my good looks?"
"I just can't believe Li Wei actually made it to the Super Bowl..." Craig, ignoring him, turned his head to look at SoFi Stadium. "I never doubted him, I just didn't think it would be this fast..."
He was wearing Li Wei's number 1 jersey, his eyes fixed on the silver-gray, spaceship-like SoFi Stadium in the distance.
The Super Bowl stage, watched by 170 million people. This was his ultimate dream.
His good friend, Li Wei, was about to stand in the center of that field, wearing his armor and proving to the world that he was the best NFL player on the planet.
'And what about me?'
It wasn't that he was bitter or jealous, just a little doubtful.
'It's like something I could fight for my whole life and never get is as easy as eating and drinking for someone else.'
Li Wei was on the verge of lifting the Super Bowl trophy, while he was still struggling to get by in the D1-level ACC.
He used to think he was talented, but once he entered the NCAA, he found himself surrounded by even more monstrously gifted players.
The Quarterbacks from Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio—every single one of them had a quicker release, a longer arm, and a sharper ability to read the defense than he did.
He worked harder than anyone else, but it was just enough to barely keep from falling behind.
When he graduated from high school, he felt the gap between him and Li Wei was big, but not *that* big.
Now he understood the saying, "watching the mountain makes the horse run to its death." He had given it his all, only to realize that Li Wei's starting point might be a finish line he could never reach in his entire life.
"Hey, Craig," Travis said suddenly. "I watched a live stream of your game at Syracuse University recently. You played well. Even got a rookie nomination in the ACC, didn't you?"
"It was alright," Craig said, forcing a smile. "Better than some, worse than others."
"There you go with the fancy words again. I bet you're the most cultured Quarterback in D1," Travis said, slapping him hard on the back. "Playing at Pace University, I keep thinking how great it would be if I could make it to D1 too."
"If you went D1, you'd probably die from all the drugs you take," Craig said, shaking his head. "Besides, the drug testing in D1 is way stricter than in D3."
"I'm not juicing anymore. I found out I don't need it for D3," Travis said, patting his chest. "I only do TRT now—Testosterone Replacement Therapy. It's legal! I have a prescription!"
The three of them continued walking toward the stadium, talking and laughing.
Next to them was a father with his five- or six-year-old son. The boy was riding on his father's shoulders, waving a small flag with a "1" printed on it.
The father was rattling off all sorts of football trivia and inside stories to his son. Some of the gossip was so obscure that even Craig had never heard it before. The man was clearly a die-hard fan.
The little boy, impressed by his father's amazing knowledge, shouted excitedly, "Dad! Dad! When I grow up, I'm going to play football too! I want to be a great player like Tom Brady and Li Wei!"
"Okay, okay!" the father said, bouncing his son on his shoulders. "But you have to finish your vegetables first."
"I bet Li Wei doesn't eat his vegetables either!" the boy declared confidently.
"Trust me, Li Wei eats a lot more vegetables than you do," the father laughed.
"Actually, Li Wei really doesn't like vegetables," Travis, the big mouth, chimed in. "Back in high school, Li Wei told us he rarely bought vegetables."
If Li Wei were here, he'd probably be rendered speechless by Travis's idiocy. Back then, he was dirt poor, and vegetables in New York were ridiculously expensive. On top of that, his stats were improving, which meant his appetite was huge. If he had spent money on vegetables, he probably would have starved to death.
"Uh, you guys are...?"
The father paused, clearly taken aback by this stranger who had a complete disregard for personal space.
"We're Li Wei's high school classmates and teammates," Travis announced proudly. "I play for Pace University now, and this guy next to me is Craig. He won the New York City championship with Li Wei. He's in the D1 ACC now, and he's gonna make it to the NFL someday!"
For a moment, a blush appeared on Craig's dark face. "Travis, you—"