Brady felt a tightness in his chest.
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It seemed now, regardless of Brady's wishes, the entire League was waiting to sit back and enjoy the show, the spotlight shadowing him and Li Wei until they came face to face.
Actually, Brady understood.
But Brady had thought Li Wei would come to him; why should he, the great Brady, stoop so low as to seek out Li Wei? Shouldn't the rookie be the one to come over?
Following the direction, Brady saw Li Wei talking with Gronkowski.
However, Li Wei had no intention of coming over to show off to Brady. His posture and movements clearly indicated he was preparing to leave the stadium.
Taking a deep breath, Brady still started to walk over. No matter what Li Wei was like, he had a reputation as the number one in the League to maintain. The more he lost, the more gracious he needed to be—that was the attitude of a true champion, otherwise he'd face chatter about being a sore loser—
The first thing the live camera did was aim at Brady, fully rousing expectations.
All the stuff about Belichick and Reed, Brady and Smith, was now boring as hell; it was the storylines like the rookie and the Goat that were attractive.
Brady stopped in front of Li Wei, Gronkowski tactfully made room for them.
Li Wei also saw Brady. Brady didn't speak as if he was gathering his strength; but Li Wei didn't mind, so he spoke first.
Li Wei pointed to his jersey, "If you're looking to exchange jerseys, sorry, this one's already been claimed. I promised my mother I'd keep it for her."
Brady: ...Fuck off. Who wants your jersey?
The breath caught in his chest, his blood boiling, Brady was almost spitting blood.
Almost, Brady's smile nearly broke, a severe internal injury; but he managed to keep control with his deep discipline, extending his right hand graciously.
Li Wei also took Brady's right hand in response.
Then, Brady stepped forward to pretend to hug Li Wei, gently patted his back, and whispered near Li Wei's ear, a volume the live cameras couldn't catch, "I've won so many times, letting you win once is fine."
Just as Brady was about to walk away after dropping the harsh words, Li Wei grabbed his right hand, smiling as he whispered back into Brady's ear, "From your expression, it's definitely not a 'let'. But since Uncle Tom likes to dwell on the past, indulging in past glories he can't escape from, I don't need to be mean and burst your bubble."
Then, Li Wei released his right hand, slightly distancing himself and tossing one more line.
"People always say that winners look forward, losers look back. Now I finally understand; thanks for the vivid lesson, Uncle Tom."
Without waiting for Brady to respond, Li Wei had already completely distanced himself, not giving Brady a chance to hit back.
Brady's face showed bewilderment, watching the still sunshine-smiling Li Wei. He could barely conceal his expression, incredulously looking around at the others:
Did you hear that? That's the true face of Li Wei, an absolute devil, right?
The surrounding TV crew and swarming reporters all looked at Brady and Li Wei with puzzled expressions, unclear on what had transpired.
Brady found himself unable to justify.
Turning to look at Li Wei again, Li Wei displayed a smile, saying gracefully and openly, "Looking forward to the next matchup."
Then, he turned and walked away with style, leaving a figure behind.
Brady looked left and right, then, pulling his good buddy Gronkowski aside, "Did you just hear that?"
Gronkowski, "You hear that, rookie? Looking forward to our next real face-off. Tom, we will beat him on the field."
Brady: No, Li Wei just said his name, exactly, "Tom", so that guy pretending not to remember the name is totally fake, he was clearly provoking earlier, so how can he prove it?
But seeing Gronkowski's calm face, Brady felt like his chest was about to explode. He knew he had no evidence, and if he made a fuss now, everyone would think he couldn't take a loss, treating him as a narrow-minded madman. So, he had to swallow his pride, grind his teeth, and swallow it whole.
Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!
Brady took a deep look at Li Wei's departing figure. He would remember this grudge.
"You'll regret this, rookie. You'll regret waking a beast. This isn't over."
Brady took a deep breath to control himself and turned to leave.
This scene was broadcast live to the whole world.
Clearly, the center of attention!
Goodell wasn't the only one looking forward to Li Wei and Brady's next encounter, Nantz agreed and voiced the thoughts of millions of viewers.
"Before the 2017 season started, some discussed the 'rookie vs. Goat' showdown, many scoffed at it, thinking it was just a gimmick."
"After all, such a matchup had no point for discussion; the two players were not on the same level. But now, the facts have proved me wrong."
"Li Wei proved himself, not only as the season's most outstanding running back but also as one of the top players at the peak of the League. He fully deserves to stand on the same level as Brady and compete."
"Not only does he deserve it, but he also achieved victory."
"With two consecutive wins against Brady in the regular season and playoffs, Li Wei has stopped Brady's dream of defending the championship; the New England Patriots' six-year streak of advancing to the American League finals has come to an end, with Belichick and Brady missing out on the seventh consecutive Conference Championship after losing a division game for the first time since the 2010 season."
"Wow, such a season progression was totally unexpected."
"But do you believe it?"
"This is not the end, but the beginning. There will be more encounters between Li Wei and Brady in the future, and we will wait and see."
Noisy, lively, sensational—
The game had just ended, and a landslide of heated discussion was already erupting everywhere.
Not just among fans, spectators, and professionals—the Kansas City Chiefs, from top to bottom, were no exception. As they saw Li Wei take off his helmet and leave Gillette Stadium amid a roar of curses, composed and with an easygoing expression, one after another, they came up to pat Li Wei on the shoulder to congratulate him.
This day, the Kansas City Chiefs had waited far too long, a full twenty-four years.
Tonight, they had almost lost hope, comforting themselves with the thought of battling again next year, for they had the future. But unexpectedly, this time they changed the story, carrying home a thrilling victory from Gillette Stadium.
From a distance, Li Wei noticed Lilith Rosen standing at the entrance of the locker room behind the bustling crowd. She didn't speak, just stood there quietly, hands clasped at her chest, silently watching the scene unfold.
Looking around, Li Wei believed that Lilith's gaze was on him.
Holding off the constant stream of teammates coming to celebrate, Li Wei raised his voice and said, "I need to get ready for the press conference. Otherwise, if the League fines me, day after tomorrow's practice will double for us, how does that sound?"
"As if anyone didn't know you're a beast."
"Go on, that's your problem, don't drag us into it."
Amidst the jostling complaints, Li Wei stepped forward toward the locker room, stopping in front of Lilith to reveal a big smile.