"Fly, rookie, fly!"
"We face victory together, and we face defeat together as well!"
"Rookie, I’m sorry, I have a request, here’s the thing, I have a friend..."
"Even if this is a battle destined to end, I want to fight to the end."
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t tell my mom, alright? She’ll be mad."
"Welco to my funeral!"
"I’m afraid of being forgotten, I’m afraid that after I disappear, I will cease to exist."
"I don’t dare face Annie, I don’t dare..."
"If the ga isn’t over, then nothing is over, right?"
"An undefeated season, don’t rush, take it step by step at our own pace."
"Co on, rookie, why so serious? Let’s have so fun together!"
From fearing being forgotten to calmly facing the Death God, from being a paper tiger bluffing to a true warrior smiling through storms, from being helpless before birth, aging, sickness, and death to not forgetting humor even before death’s arrival.
mories, like tides, inundated and swallowed Li Wei in an instant.
Felix Gray, he was not a hero nor a warrior; he was just an ordinary person, an ordinary person afraid of pain, death, and the possibility of being forgotten, an ordinary person who loved football, yearned for campus life, fought against illness, grounded yet striving to stay alive, an ordinary person who chased dreams full of hope but withered before even reaching adulthood.
He was imperfect.
He had his weaknesses, fear and cowardice, fragility and anger; yet, at the sa ti, he faced his imperfections calmly, igniting the vibrant spirit of Arrowhead Stadium with an ordinary yet extraordinary soul, illuminating the path forward for the Kansas City Chiefs in darkness and quagmire, achieving a brilliant life.
Yet, everything ca to an abrupt halt so suddenly, simply, brutally, and harshly waking reality.
On the journey to dreams, reality was far crueler and more terrifying than imagined.
Whether an undefeated season or a three-peat, Felix would never witness it.
Standing before life and death, Li Wei felt unprecedented smallness and helplessness; those slogans, those pep talks, and those comforts were utterly devoid of warmth.
Even now, Li Wei still cannot accept the facts—
He knows it happened, his logic and mind prove as much; yet in his subconscious, he still believes it hasn’t ended.
Annie, it’s like that.
Felix, also the sa.
Li Wei admits his cowardice; he doesn’t dare to go to the funeral, he refuses to attend the funeral.
Thalia, with bitterness in her mouth, quietly watched the shattered Li Wei in front of her, yet such Li Wei seed unprecedentedly resilient and strong, bravely bearing the weight of life and death, steadfastly stepping toward his dreams.
"You’re still fighting."
Thalia finally found her voice.
Li Wei suddenly looked up at Thalia.
Thalia bravely t Li Wei’s gaze, "You are still keeping your promise, you are still moving forward, bearing the dreams of Felix and Annie."
"That’s the only thing that matters."
"Indeed, from a physiological perspective, Felix and Annie have left us; but from a spiritual and social perspective, they are still with us."
"They are there, quietly guarding Arrowhead Stadium, facing all challenges."
"This isn’t feel-good talk, it’s the spirit and soul of the Kansas City Chiefs, a strength you have gathered through every ga, every step."
"It has nothing to do with championships, nothing to do with victory, only with you, with us, with every person living in Kansas City, and with those silently supporting the players from different corners of the world."
A deep breath.
Thalia looked at Li Wei, body slightly leaning forward, gaze bright as she looked into Li Wei’s eyes.
"So, keep fighting, keep chasing dreams, keep believing in hope."
"But, Li Wei, don’t face it alone."
"Don’t leave behind Felix and Annie, don’t leave your teammates behind, don’t leave behind; let’s face the challenges together, face the storm together."
"That’s why we ca to love the Kansas City Chiefs and sincerely believe we belong to the Kansas City Chiefs."
Sentence after sentence, so sincere and so burning, filling Li Wei’s chest, almost making it impossible to breathe.
Li Wei took a deep, deep breath, clenching his fists tightly, the pain of his nails digging into his palms barely gripping so reason, regaining clarity—
In these past few days, his body felt dull and stiff, as if losing all sensation, feeling neither tired nor in pain, everything sinking into chaos.
But now, the familiar sting returned, and the heart seed to feel the weight of gravity once more, plumting from high in the air as if in free fall.
Sorrow, pain... despair.
All beca clear.
This feeling, hateful, but at the sa ti, it made one feel real and alive, vitality seed to flow through the veins once again.
With a bitter mouth, a heart unable to bear the soreness, the heart felt again that heavy, swollen, and sour force, almost suffocating.
Yet, so incredibly real.
Li Wei forced himself to put on a big smile, masking his embarrassnt and awkwardness. "So, is this why you ca all the way from New York to Kansas City?"
Thalia did not hesitate, replying straightforwardly, "Yes."
Because it was so direct and clear, even the one who asked the question, Li Wei, was stunned for a mont, "So serious? I was just trying to make a joke."
Thalia shook her head, "But I wasn’t. So, now you know, I wasn’t acting on impulse, everything I said at the airport was serious, right? I know what I’m doing, and I’m proving with actions, I’m not a child, I have independent thinking."
"So, are you a little moved?"
Li Wei was at a loss for words, "...Thalia."
Thalia smiled, playfully blinking, "Ha, caught you, right? I was just joking, why so serious?"
Li Wei: ...
Thalia truly laughed this ti, curling herself into a ball, nestled into the couch’s pillow, "Haha, haha, it’s rare to see you like this."
Thalia pulled out her phone from her pocket, and while Li Wei wasn’t paying attention, she clicked the shutter, capturing Li Wei’s helpless expression at this mont.
Li Wei genuinely... didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, montarily startled.
Usually faced with paparazzi’s relentless pursuit and close attacks, he’s never flustered, always calm and even playful in the gas he plays with the paparazzi, so much so that now when the paparazzi hear Li Wei’s na, they don’t really want to co forward—
Didn’t you notice? Now there are very few flies buzzing around Li Wei because those paparazzi know Li Wei is tough.
Yet today, he let his guard down, stumbled in front of an amateur "paparazzi", and the corners of Li Wei’s mouth couldn’t help but lift slightly.
"What, are you going to sell it to TMZ?"
TMZ, North Arica’s largest gossip paparazzi website.
Thalia slightly lifted her chin, "How could it be, this precious mont, I must keep it for myself, rest assured, your secret is very safe with ."
While saying this, she continued to hold her phone, scrolling through photos, and just as Li Wei wasn’t paying attention, she clicked the shutter a few more tis, boldly capturing more monts.
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