Chapter 97 96: Childhood Sweethearts
Sprint, and sprint again!
After more than half a year of daily training, Lu Ke had gradually adapted to the rhythm and intensity of interval endurance running. Now, for him, changing pace wasn't difficult at all; the real challenge was increasing the frequency of the changes and pushing the speed limit during those changes. Today, Lu Ke was letting loose, pushing himself to the absolute limit.
As he flew like the wind, the sound of rushing air whistled past his ears. He ran faster and faster, fully entering a hundred-meter dash state. Although he was three seconds behind, catching up wasn't easy, but Lu Ke was still closing the distance bit by bit. After about ninety meters, the girl was almost within reach.
Lu Ke slowed down slightly and, after catching up, ran shoulder-to-shoulder with her.
This small action seemed to ignite the girl's determination to challenge her limits. She gritted her teeth and began to accelerate again. But this was clearly an impossible challenge. How could an ordinary girl possibly compete with a professional college football player?
Lu Ke just picked up his pace slightly, easily keeping up with the girl. He neither fell behind nor pulled ahead. The two of them ran side by side, and no matter how hard the girl tried, she couldn't shake Lu Ke. After a short burst, her speed gradually slowed. After about 1,500 meters, her endurance and stamina hit their limit, and she finally had to stop.
Interval running was no easy task.
But Lu Ke didn't stop. He just turned his head, gave the girl a look and a smile, and then continued running forward. He still hadn't finished his ten-kilometer run for the day.
The girl stood where she was, walking slowly to regulate her breathing. She watched Lu Ke's retreating back and looked up at the sky in resignation. She let out a long breath, and her azure eyes rolled dramatically, full of helplessness. Then she pouted and grumbled, "Little Deer Bambi, that beast."
'On second thought, Little Deer Bambi *is* a wild animal. So, that works.'
Lu Ke's rhythm wasn't broken. He continued according to plan, completed another lap, and returned to the training field, meticulously finishing his running workout for the day. This time, however, he didn't head for the field but walked slowly toward the stands.
In the stands, the girl was leaning forward, her right elbow propped on her knee and her hand cupping her chin. A look of curious inquiry filled her face, her soft lips slightly pouted, glowing with a pinkish luster. The sheen of sweat on her forehead, not yet fully dry, radiated a healthy, vibrant energy. With her bright eyes and pearly teeth, her every glance was captivating.
A golden sunlight bathed her from behind, making it seem as if all light and splendor had gathered in her azure eyes, which shimmered dazzlingly.
At this moment, she was looking down at the sweat-drenched Lu Ke, the corners of her full lips curling into a lovely arc. "Finished your training?" It seemed she wasn't at all surprised by Lu Ke's determined running; she was long used to it. "Is it just me, or have you increased your training load?"
"To adapt to higher-intensity games, I have no other choice." Lu Ke spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
But the girl wasn't having it. She made a "tch" sound and retorted, "I think you enjoy it. You must be a masochist." Her certain tone, laced with teasing and a hint of disdain, combined with the roll of her eyes, vividly expressed her feelings.
Lu Ke still had a smile on his face. He didn't get flustered or try to explain, simply stating calmly, "Says the girl who trained until she was dehydrated and didn't even realize it."
"One time! That was only one time!" The girl's shoulders slumped, and she even stuck out her tongue dramatically, making a "Heavens above!" expression. She sighed heavily. "Can't we just turn the page on that? Bambi, this world is already hard enough. Let's not hurt each other, okay?" Her quirky and mischievous expression was irresistibly amusing.
Her antics, however, made Lu Ke shake his head and frown. He backed away repeatedly. "Ew, do we know each other?" His expression of wanting to distance himself was so genuine that the girl secretly gritted her teeth. In the end, looking at Lu Ke, she could only raise her hands in surrender. "Truce, how about it?"
"Truce, are you sure? Why do I feel like I won a landslide victory today?" Lu Ke was pushing his luck. Then he saw her glare, and he knew when to quit while he was ahead. "Truce. Of course, truce. It's a tie today."
The girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her expression seeming to say, 'You'd better quit while you're ahead.'
This time, Lu Ke didn't say another word. He dutifully shut his mouth, walked around the track, and went up into the stands. He sat down next to the girl and handed her the towel that had been tied around his waist, adding, "It's clean."
Watching the girl take the towel, Lu Ke chuckled. "When did you get back to Los Angeles? You didn't mention it in your last email. Otherwise, I would have driven to the airport to pick you up."
"I came all the way back to Los Angeles just to see you, you know? How about it? Touched?" The girl casually wiped the sweat from her forehead and nudged Lu Ke's arm with her elbow, her face beaming.
The smile on Lu Ke's lips widened. "Mm, very touched."
Such a definitive answer actually made the girl pause. "Hey, if you just nod and accept it like that, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my routine?"
"Go with the flow." Lu Ke's reply left the girl speechless, a breath caught in her throat. Her stunned expression made Lu Ke burst out laughing.
The girl sitting beside him was named Candice Swanepoel. She was a model, and a rising star who was drawing immense attention.
Hailing from South Africa, Candice was discovered by a scout at the age of fourteen and entered the modeling industry. She had worked her way up from an unknown little model to her current position, and her career was finally taking off.
Candice and Lu Ke's first meeting was a chance encounter.
In the summer of 2004, after finishing the eighth grade and before officially starting high school, Lu Ke got his parents' permission to embark on a journey of self-challenge. He packed his bag and set off to hike the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
This route, also known as the Pacific Crest Trail, is one of the most difficult hiking journeys. It takes four to six months to complete the entire trail, passing through twenty-five national forests and seven national parks, making it one of the most severe endurance challenges.
For his first hiking challenge, Lu Ke naturally wouldn't overreach and attempt the entire trail. Instead, he chose the section within California, which passed through Redwood National Park and Yosemite National Park. He estimated the whole trip would take about fifteen to twenty days.
On one of the wilderness sections of the trail, Lu Ke ran into Candice and her companion. At the time, Candice's companion had sprained her ankle, and they had accidentally spilled most of their drinking water, putting them in a crisis. They were stuck, and it was Lu Ke, who happened to be passing by, who extended a helping hand.
Lu Ke first helped treat the sprained ankle, then shared some of his water and food. Afterward, he continued on the path alone until he reached an official supply station and campground, where he notified professional rescue personnel to go back and help them.
That evening, Lu Ke, Candice, and her friend met again at the campground.
Out of genuine gratitude, and because they were of similar ages, the three young people started talking.
One was a kid of Chinese descent with a dream of playing football, hoping to become the first player of Chinese descent in NFL history. Another was a country girl from a poor town in South Africa, eager to make a name for herself in the fiercely competitive modeling industry. The third was an ordinary girl from a small, underdeveloped town in the American Midwest, hoping to find her place in Hollywood.
Three young people with dreams—dreams that could even be called unrealistic and ethereal—had gathered together. Moreover, they had all come to the Pacific Crest Trail with different ideas and goals, and under the thread of fate, their chance encounter led to a very pleasant conversation.
That night, the three of them talked late into the night. Candice's companion was the first to give in to exhaustion and fall asleep. Lu Ke and Candice, however, sat outside the camp, bathed in starlight, chatting about everything under the sun for most of the night. It wasn't until the sky began to lighten that they both finally drifted off to sleep.
The next day, after waking up, Lu Ke set out on the trail again. The two girls, however, were in weaker physical condition, and one of them still had an injured ankle. They stayed at the campground to rest and recover for a few days before deciding when to continue their journey.
It was just a chance encounter. After that, they had no contact. In 2004, social media hadn't yet taken off; email and MSN were still the mainstream methods of communication. Since they didn't exchange contact information, there was no way to find each other.
Lu Ke and Candice's actual friendship began with another chance meeting.
In the spring of 2005, Candice went to San Francisco for a modeling audition and unexpectedly ran into Lu Ke at United Square. At the time, Lu Ke was working a part-time job for Valentine's Day, which paid about triple the normal rate. So, Lu Ke was dressed in a Teddy bear costume, handing out balloons and roses at United Square to attract customers into Macy's.
At that moment, Candice was being harassed by a strange man. He kept following her, demanding her phone number. Candice refused several times, but he wouldn't leave her alone. Lu Ke, pretending to be her boyfriend, appeared out of nowhere as if he had prepared a special surprise, presented her with a rose, and chased the strange man away.
This was their second meeting. This time, they exchanged email addresses and became friends.
In the blink of an eye, six years had passed.
In just the past two years, she had attracted countless eyes. In 2009, at only twenty-one, she became one of the five new Angels for Victoria's Secret. In 2010, which was last year, she officially signed a contract to become a runway model for Victoria's Secret, earning a spot in the annual fashion extravaganza. Her rise seemed almost unstoppable.
Lu Ke, on the other hand, had just gone through the draft and, unfortunately, became an Undrafted Player.