"Wow, wow, wow, Li Wei is awesome."
"Rookie mode smashing through Gillette Stadium, the defending champion hits a snag, so brutal, so merciless... So damn spectacular, I love it."
"He's here, he's there, he's everywhere, he's the Edgerunner, Li Wei, Li Wei, Li Wei!"
Social media exploded immediately.
According to statistics, the opening game of the 2017 season attracted countless viewers due to the clash between two strong teams, the "rookie vs. Goat" hype, and the debut of the first Hua Xia running back, reaching a total of thirty million live viewers.
In the Hua Xia Continent, which was still in the early stages of opening its market, Penguin Live also created a peak of fifty million online viewers, effortlessly triggering explosions across major social media platforms on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
The noise, the buzz, the enthusiastic melon-eating masses dominated the screens with a crazy rate of four thousand comments per second, pushing Li Wei to the top of the trending search list immediately.
Everything was as Goodell had expected—
Four months of fermentation and groundwork, now finally the moment to reap the rewards had come.
Although some said that Brady had been used by Goodell as a stepping stone, the real focus was on Li Wei seizing the opportunity to showcase himself on this globally broadcasted, highly anticipated stage; otherwise, even if Brady was willing to play a supporting role, A'Dou couldn't have grasped the opportunity if he couldn't afford it.
Meanwhile, the game was ongoing.
Over here, the frequency of posts on social media had already exploded into a hot topic.
Li Wei became famous in one battle!
However, the real frenzy was yet to come, as the media main force had not yet engaged.
The press room for the visiting team of the New England Patriots was filled to the brim, with people packed in layers inside and out, making the small room swell almost as if too much yeast had been added to the dough.
Journalists had really been waiting far too long.
Last year at the University of Alabama, Saban issued a ban that kept all media at bay, so journalists always had no way to get close to Li Wei.
This year, during the off-season training camp, Reed rigorously protected Li Wei, and although journalists surrounded him every other day, they still did not get a formal interview opportunity.
We have never seen a rookie ; although he's always right there in front of our eyes, nobody can really get close enough to have a proper conversation:
It's already 7012, and what fool still practices secrecy!
Yet, not only did Li Wei do so, but all the media had no choice but to bite, so is this what they mean by "the fisherman of Jiang Taigong fishing"?
Finally, finally the season had started.
According to NFL League rules, players are required to attend the post-game press conference; to prevent some players from appearing briefly and then disappearing, the League also stipulated that unless journalists explicitly state there are no further questions, players must stay for at least twenty minutes.
All of this was enforced.
The most notorious troublemaker in the NFL is Seattle Seahawks Running Back Marshawn Lynch, renowned for his lack of media savviness.
In the 2013 season, Lynch was fined fifty thousand US dollars by the League after repeatedly refusing to attend post-game press conferences, causing widespread media grumbling.
In 2014, after a game where the Seahawks lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and Lynch failed to attend the post-game press conference, the League fined him one hundred thousand US dollars.
Thereafter, Lynch started giving perfunctory responses to the media.
In week 13 of the 2014 season, after the Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals, Lynch attended the press conference but responded with "yeah" to all twelve questions.
In week 16, after the Seahawks had beaten the Cardinals again, Lynch switched all his responses to "thank you for asking".
Also that season, during the Super Bowl Media Day, Lynch repeated the same phrase to satisfy all questions, "I came, so I won't get fined".
It was because of this that the League introduced a series of provisions to regulate post-game press conferences.
Now, it was Li Wei's turn—
The media was somewhat excited and also curious. As another running back who rarely interacts with the media, could Li Wei be the next Lynch?
Of course, with numerous players on each NFL team, it was impossible for all players to attend press conferences, which were decided by both parties involved.
One part was the team, who would select a coach and three players to attend the press conference.
The other part was the media, who would submit a list of players they wished to interview before the press conference.
Today, right after the game had ended, reporters immediately submitted Li Wei's name; clearly, the Kansas City Chiefs had also realized this, and Reed along with Smith and Li Wei attended the postgame media interview.
Here he comes, rustling and bustling, Li Wei finally appeared in view.
Flashes and shutter sounds roared down like a silver waterfall, the bright lights momentarily blinding everyone, plunging the room into darkness, even causing a stinging sensation on the skin's surface from the boiling heat wave.
With such an array, such treatment, undoubtedly, he was a superstar!
Professional League, after all, is a Professional League, exhibiting a whole different level.
In the midst of the rolling air waves, people had thought Li Wei would be nervous or awkward; rookies embarrassing themselves in front of the media wasn't a new sight. But unexpectedly, Li Wei remained calm throughout, not only was he not nervous, but there was also a sense of familiar coziness about him.
Wait, is this normal?
The interview hadn't even started, but it was the reporters who began to lose their footing first.
Nevertheless, the reporters quickly regained their composure, eager to throw the first hardball.
"Li Wei, do you know Brady now?"
No small talk, no courtesies, just a straight punch aimed at Li Wei's face right from the start.
This small detail revealed how desperate the reporter was.
Feigning innocence, "Who?"
In the press room, silence fell like a curtain.
Even the boldest and craziest reporter had not anticipated that Li Wei would dare to provoke Brady right in Gillette Stadium; so shocked by the unexpected defiance, even seasoned reporters were left stunned.
Li Wei seemed oblivious to the fact he had just dropped a bombshell and continued to up the ante, "Sorry, I never remember the names of losers."
The entire room drew in a sharp breath, reporters began to doubt their own ears—
Reporters who thrived on chaos were now thrown into disarray by Li Wei.
Complete silence filled the room.
It wasn't until Li Wei's smile grew, shining like sunlight after rain, "I thought this was the effect the media wanted to create, with a rookie speaking recklessly and disrespectfully, issuing challenges."
"Hey, I'm not a caveman, I too know how the Earth orbits and rotates."
The subtext was that he had watched the past few months as reporters incited and fanned flames; now that he was provoking as they wished, why had the reporters turned chicken?
That look, that smile, that composed demeanor, he wasn't attacking Brady; he was clearly attacking the reporters.
All the reporters, simply dumbfounded—
They had seen the daring, but never anyone so wildly audacious.