Chapter 908: 907 Last Farewell
In February, the sky over Kansas City was coated in soft shades of blue and gray, stretching high and far. Gazing into the expanse above, it seed endless, extending all the way to the horizon’s edge, where the imagination of the world kept expanding, limitless and boundless.
Not a cloud in sight, a gentle sunlight spilled slowly across the land—not searing, not burning, and yet neither cold nor biting. The body involuntarily relaxed just a little.
“Weather like this, so calm and tranquil, makes it truly hard to imagine the storms of last month. The day of the Arican League Championship, that should be unforgettable for a lifeti.”
“Let tell you a secret. That day, I realized for the first ti how little control we actually have over the ga. Even when we lost before, I never felt that sense of powerlessness.”
“Like the weather, there are indeed things we can’t control. Just like illnesses, right?”
“It was then, for the first ti, that I truly understood how you and Felix felt. You were fighting with everything you had, harder than anyone could ever imagine. Even the everyday acts of breathing, walking, running—things people take for granted—you had to put every ounce of strength into fighting for them.”
“So when people praise for how great I am, I often think to myself, I’m not that extraordinary. Truly, every ordinary person working diligently day after day, living with earnest effort, has their own greatness.”
“I’m just an ordinary guy running around with a football, that’s all.”
As he spoke, laughter gently bubbled up from his chest. Calm, lighthearted.
The cetery was serene and peaceful. Only Li Wei lay on the grass, one leg crossed over the other, a sprig of foxtail grass between his lips as he mumbled softly to himself.
Behind him rested Annie Galas in her eternal slumber.
Li Wei wasn’t really talking to himself. He was chatting with Annie—complaining, joking, having the ti of his life. It was as if nothing had changed, as if they were still sitting on the steps, lounging in the chemo room, standing outside the training grounds, bantering and laughing, sharing the little snippets of their daily lives.
Outside, the world was still buzzing.
All of Kansas City remained in party mode, recklessly celebrating back-to-back Super Bowl victories. The revelry might just carry on into March.
But that vibrant joy and bustling splendor had nothing to do with this tranquil place.
Li Wei thought Annie probably wouldn’t like it here. She was such a lively person, always full of joy and laughter, always playful and mischievous, never able to stay still for long.
Just like now.
Annie’s stillness felt like a ga of hide-and-seek. Maybe, just maybe, at this very mont, she was covering her mouth, stifling giggles, waiting for Li Wei to let his guard down—
And then.
“Boo! Gotcha!”
“How about that? Still think I’m impressive, huh? I knew I’d catch you eventually.”
“Hahaha.”
Bright, carefree, unrestrained.
Li Wei felt an illusion, as if he could still hear Annie’s laughter, as if all this—everything before him—was just one big joke Annie and everyone else were in on.
He knew, though, that it was an illusion.
Annie was gone. The unrelenting illness had taken her life and energy away from her. And yet, she no longer had to endure chemo, no longer had to have her physical trics scrutinized by doctors, no longer had to fear all her hair falling out or the sleepless nights wracked by pain.
In this mont, lying on the cetery grass, with the gravestone behind him, Li Wei felt entirely conscious, both physically relaxed and ntally lucid. Rational, clear-eyed. He knew it was all just in his imagination. Yet he still couldn’t stop wondering—
What if?
What if Annie were still here?
Ti seed to freeze on that early winter afternoon in Kansas City. They had finished training and stood by the back door, where fans had gathered to cheer them on. Annie was among them, and they ended up laughing and chatting there, other players joining in, creating an atmosphere of lighthearted camaraderie.
“Hey, Annie, can I tell you a secret?”
“To be honest, I’ve never liked football.”
“Not exactly hate, either. It’s more like… indifference. I didn’t know anything about football.”
“Coach Burns scouted out of sheer desperation. The team had no substitutes left.”
“The only reason I agreed to join Crimson Tide Storm was because I accidentally tackled and broke a robber’s arm. The school offered to smooth out the legal trouble for on the condition I joined the team.”
“See? It’s that simple. No dreams, nothing romantic about it.”
“I kept playing football just because I could. Plus, it seed to pay well. It’s just a job, really.”
“That’s why I can stay calm. Because I’ve never truly cared.”
“But…”
The words stopped there.
Li Wei gazed quietly at the sky, emotions surging. It took effort just to calm himself down again.
“But you made realize it’s more than just a ga.”
“It’s a hope, a belief, and, yes, a dream. I should thank you, just as I should thank the Old Oak Tavern.”
“You made team spirit real. You gave the ga aning. You made it possible for dreams to co true.”
“Annie, honestly, I’m not that great, and I’m nothing special. I can’t bear the weight of everyone’s dreams. I’m really afraid of ssing it all up.”
The Arican League Championship—that was the first ti Li Wei truly felt things were spiraling out of control. It was the first ti he was genuinely scared. Scared of disappointing Annie’s dreams. Scared of not being able to face the results of the ga, even after giving it everything he had. Scared of carrying that regret forever.
He shut his eyes sharply as a wave of warmth surged through him. In the darkness, flashes of that ga played repeatedly in his mind, his heart pounding violently, almost ready to burst apart.
And yet, it was precisely at that mont that Li Wei felt, for the first ti, the uniqueness of this sport. He was no longer just a passerby, no longer soone who had ended up in football by circumstance. He had beco a part of football itself.
It was the weight of dreams, and it was the weight of belief.
For the first ti ever, Li Wei felt connected to this city and to the fans—
They were moving forward together, battling side by side.
“Now, when I’m running down the field, I’m no longer alone.”
This was a secret, one he had kept in his heart, never daring to say aloud. As the team captain, Li Wei believed he had to bear such pressures and face such challenges—
To wear the crown, one must bear its weight.
Not until today, not until the season had fully ended, did Li Wei quietly share the secret with Annie.
In that instant, a ray of sunlight fell on Li Wei, tender and warm, as if wrapping him in an embrace. A gentle breeze swept past, brushing his shoulder lightly, almost as though it were comforting him.
Suddenly, Li Wei opened his eyes wide, staring dazedly at the sunlight in the sky. It was as if he could see Annie again, still laughing, still running, still shouting.
“Rookie, you’ll never walk alone.”
And in that mont, Li Wei finally realized—clearer than ever before:
That Annie was gone. The girl who had used every ounce of energy in her life to light up a small corner of the world, the girl who had looked forward so eagerly to attending her own graduation, had withered away before she could turn twelve.
This thought gripped Li Wei’s heart tightly, squeezing it with rciless force.
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