Chapter 701: 700 Dare to Dream
The small chemotherapy room was bustling with noise.
In the room, sofas were neatly arranged against the wall, stretching along, leaving the entire space in the center completely empty.
On each sofa sat a child, with an IV drip beside the armrest; some sofas were accompanied by adults looking like parents, but most were not, because chemotherapy is a long and tedious process, and today was a Monday workday, not everyone could afford to take time off work.
At this moment, every child’s gaze, filled with excitement and enthusiasm, was concentrated on the door; but no one left their seat, because the IV drip would trip them if they stood up and rushed forward, turning the scene into a bumper car scenario, so they restrained themselves.
Still, only Felix stood in the middle, his IV drip to his right.
Li Wei flashed a smile and said, “Hey, Felix.”
Rustling sounds followed, and all eyes in the room swarmed toward Felix, filled with envy, admiration, and joy.
But it was Felix who was stunned, his eyes wide as he looked at Li Wei—
Even though he knew Li Wei wouldn’t break his word, seeing him actually appear, so close at hand, that happiness and bliss exploded in an instant.
Li Wei entered the room, took a few steps forward, and looked around.
“Hey, good morning. I’m Li Wei, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, and I specifically came to visit my friend Felix and brought two of my friends, the quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the tight end Travis Kelce, who play for the Kansas City Chiefs with me.”
No one spoke, but the air was palpably filled with joyful agitation, as everyone sitting on the sofas couldn’t control their blood boiling.
The gazes, eagerly and fervently, revolved around the trio of Li Wei.
“Of course, Felix’s friends are my friends, and also Patrick and Travis’s friends, so, who here is a fan of the Chieftain?”
One by one, they quickly raised their left hand, and their butts slightly lifted off the sofas, trying to stretch their arms higher, as if reaching higher signified greater loyalty.
But Li Wei noticed, not everyone did, there were a couple of children who hesitated, looked around at others, and then raised their arms too.
Li Wei looked at those few children and said, “It’s okay if you’re not, not everyone has to like football, not everyone has to like the Chiefs. You can like baseball, you can like hockey, you might not even like any sports at all, I’m not sad, not at all sad, I just need a little time…”
Li Wei looked up, took a deep breath, as if trying to come to terms with this—
The children’s cheerful laughter bounced through the air.
Then, Li Wei looked down and flashed a big smile, “So, who here owns a Chieftain’s jersey?”
A few children reacted quickly, immediately raising their arms high.
Li Wei intentionally raised both hands, each making a praying gesture with the index and middle fingers crossed, “Please say no, please say you don’t, absolutely not.”
“Because the gifts I brought today are jerseys.”
Li Wei looked at those few children and said, “Sorry. You already own them, it seems today…”
The few children instantly froze, their faces filled with sorrow, looking at Li Wei helplessly.
Li Wei shifted his tone and continued, “Would you mind jerseys of the same kind, but with signatures from the three of us? I know it’s not a priceless gift, but I really hope you’ll like it.”
One second, two seconds.
Ah ah ah. Ah ah ah. Joy and happiness erupted throughout the chemotherapy room, completely boiling over.
Felix watched in disbelief at what was unfolding before him, somewhat overwhelmed—
Chemotherapy was not just boring; it was painful, nauseating, dizzying, and agonizing—truly a disaster.
Occasionally, he would feel his veins turning ice cold, as if his vitality were being slowly drained away, yet he could only sit there paralyzed, unable to move.
That feeling of powerlessness was frustrating.
So, the days of undergoing chemotherapy were always tough, starting right from the moment he woke up in the morning, every single cell in his body resisting the process.
Until they started listening to the Kansas City Chiefs games, drawing energy from the sounds of battle, chemotherapy seemed a bit less unbearable—
at least there was some fun in the suffering.
Now, looking at the laughter and joy in the room, Felix felt no sense of reality.
Smiles slowly climbed up his lips; yet, for some reason, his eyes welled up with warmth.
A face appeared before him—it was Levi.
Felix jumped, clumsily rubbing his eyes with his sleeve and hastily revealing a big smile.
“Hey, Levi. I didn’t expect… Thank you for being willing… I mean, thank you,” he said.
His words were jumbled, not quite capturing his intent.
“Thank you for inviting me here, Felix,” Levi said.
Levi squatted down, looked Felix in the eye, his gaze filled with sincerity, “I’m serious. This city has welcomed me in your way and accepted me into your lives. I appreciate it. Thank you for wanting to introduce me to your friends.”
Felix felt a warm surge in his chest, happiness and joy inflating like a balloon, almost ready to soar.
Felix shook his head, “No, I should thank you. You’ve made me believe that dreams still exist and can indeed be realized.”
Levi gently lifted his chin, “So, what is your dream?”
“Running,” blurted Felix, “Running on the Football field like you, like an Edgerunner, tearing a gap in the tight defense.”
But having said that, Felix showed a bitter smile, “It’s a ridiculous dream, isn’t it?”
Bone cancer had cost Felix one of his legs, and although he now had a prosthetic and could stand and walk, appearing normal at first glance, Felix knew it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t just move freely, let alone run like he used to.
That was one of the reasons Felix admired Levi.
He liked watching Levi race across the field.
“Hahaha, I’m just joking,” Felix quickly changed the topic, “Actually, my dream is to form a band, to perform at the school graduation dance, and maybe one day, I could even perform at an Arrowhead Stadium home game, how does that dream sound?”
Levi smiled at Felix, “Great, absolutely perfect.”
“Whether it’s running on the field or performing on the stage at Arrowhead Stadium, it’s all good, these are perfect dreams.”
“Felix, you must have dreams, what if they come true?”
“I believe in you, and I believe in the power of dreams. Look, a complete outsider to Football can start as a Running Back in the Professional League; what can’t be done?”
Felix, seeing Levi’s smile, couldn’t help but smile himself, his mouth curving upwards.
With some hesitation, some reluctance, some timidity, but… it still blossomed, then, he nodded firmly.