Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1654 - 1653: Walking Alone

Pff.

Thalia couldn’t hold it back and snickered.

Li Wei’s annoyed voice came through the phone, "Oh, God, I think I dug a hole for myself."

A small joke made Thalia laugh even more joyfully, her bright laughter echoing in her chest, "Aren’t you? Stop pretending to be an old man, please, JJ will be sad."

"Ha ha." This time it was Li Wei’s turn to laugh heartily.

But Li Wei didn’t forget the main point and brought the topic back.

"It’s a story about growth, four twelve-year-old boys, each with their own problems and worries. One day, they decide to follow the railway upstream to find the body of a twelve-year-old boy. When they actually see the body, everything changes."

"At the end of the movie, the protagonist says, ’Although I haven’t seen him in ten years, I know I will always miss him. I’ve never made friends as good as those I had at twelve. Who hasn’t?’"

Bzzz, bzzz.

Thalia didn’t respond, only the rustling sound from the phone filled the silence. She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath.

Forgetting laughter, forgetting teasing, everything seemed temporarily forgotten.

Then Li Wei said, "Thalia, I’m glad we met each other so early."

The voice lingered at her ears, lingered by her lips.

Thalia only heard Li Wei’s low voice from the phone, hoarse with a touch of emotion, "Thalia, I hope you have a wonderful night."

The voice, like a breeze, gently brushed the heart, a tingling sensation, stirring up shallow ripples, surrendering before realizing.

The call ended.

Thalia stood there dumbfounded, her heart racing, thumping wildly, pounding against her chest, as if it would burst through her throat the next moment.

The world spun, dizziness overwhelmed.

...Wait, did Li Wei just... confess to her?

A kind of crazy joy surged through her body, almost exploding, the impulse and flood like a volcano continually erupting.

Finally, unable to control herself, she buried herself in the pillow, screaming—

"Ah!"

"Aaaaaah!"

So this is what it’s like to walk on clouds and dance.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the call, Li Wei’s heart was racing just the same.

Despite the difficulty, he had finally said it, but didn’t know if Thalia understood the meaning, suddenly frustrated again, wondering if he had been too vague? Should he have been more direct?

But...

A mix of emotions, uneasy and restless.

With a long exhale, he turned back to continue strolling, walking unsteadily along the field sideline, quietly starting to count sheep.

One sheep, two sheep, three sheep...

Slowly, slowly, the tangled emotions settled, regaining peace.

Li Wei turned and walked towards the locker room, pondering whether he should watch the game footage tonight or temporarily clear his mind for the night, allowing thoughts to settle, before watching the game footage, when his peripheral vision caught a fleeting silhouette.

Who?

Reflexively glancing towards the silhouette, he vaguely saw someone peering from behind a pillar.

Stopping in his tracks, with a slight frown, he examined closely.

"Patrick?"

Li Wei didn’t hide his surprise as he called out.

Sure enough, Mahomes came awkwardly from behind the pillar, scratching his head, seemingly undecided whether to surprise Li Wei or reveal his real intentions. Conflicting thoughts collided in his mind, finally deciding to raise a cheer with both hands.

"Oh yeah."

Li Wei: ???

Li Wei stared wide-eyed at Mahomes, "What’s this for?"

Mahomes realized his cheer was abrupt, sheepishly put down his hands, his expression awkward again, unsure how to explain. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The whole situation was truly perplexing.

Li Wei chuckled, "Weren’t you just with Travis and the others, heading back?"

Mahomes raised the sneakers in his hand, "Oh. I forgot them, so I ran back."

Li Wei gently raised his chin, eyes showing a bit of confusion, "If I’m not mistaken, these sneakers were deliberately left at the training base, right? At home, you have other pairs, three, four, five, six, seven pairs?"

Mahomes paused, the awkward smile lingering on his mouth, "...Yes. Indeed. I forgot, you helped me assemble the shoe cabinet, right?"

Li Wei burst into laughter, "Patrick, what’s going on? We’ve known each other for so long, speak plainly, don’t worry, I really don’t hit people."

Mahomes also started laughing.

Li Wei seemed to realize something, "Wait, did you get kicked out again? My key is still in the usual place, you can let yourself in..."

Mahomes waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no no no..." Seeing Li Wei’s inquisitive look, Mahomes was caught between laughter and tears, "I’m serious."

Li Wei raised both hands in surrender, "I’m serious too."

Mahomes couldn’t hold it anymore, heading directly to the point, "I’m worried about you."

Li Wei, "Worried? What’s there to worry about me?"

Mahomes, "It’s because there’s nothing to worry about that makes it more worrying."

Li Wei laughed directly, "Patrick, what are you saying?"

Mahomes thought about it, then realized he might have gotten tangled up, carefully organizing his thoughts, "I mean I’m worried about you."

"You always carry all the responsibilities and pressures alone..."

Li Wei, "No, I’m not, we’re a team, without you all, how could we win?"

Mahomes, "Really?"

Li Wei was momentarily speechless.

Mahomes, "I know you don’t mean to play the superhero, on the field we’re a team, you totally trust us, we completely trust you; but psychologically? You always bear all the pressure alone, face all the doubts and attacks alone."

"Last year was like this, when rumors of locker room discord came out, the world was attacking you alone, you stood in front, allowing us to focus on preparing."

"Now it’s the same, we lost, God, ooh la la, Kansas City Chiefs finally lost, next everyone will start attacking you, you’re prepared once again to stand in front as a shield, blocking all attacks."

"I’m worried about you."

The words finally came out, even though they weren’t exactly as organized in his mind, the meaning was still conveyed.

Mahomes looked at Li Wei quietly.

"Rookie, you’re the captain, you always lead us forward, no matter good or bad, you’re guiding us forward. I just want to show you with action that you’re not alone."

"There’s me, there’s Travis, there’s Chris, and all the others, we’re all your support, we’re always on your side."

"Today’s loss is our team’s responsibility, remember? We fight together, we strive together, we embrace victory together, we face defeat together. This was something you said to me after the team lost to New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium because of my interception."

"Now, I want to tell you those words."