Lying on the bench, Lu Ke exhaled at a steady pace. His hands gripped the barbell firmly, and his arms slowly bent, feeling the weight, heavier than his body, press down on him little by little. It felt like a thousand pounds of rock crushing his chest, as if even the air was being compressed and the entire space around him was frozen in ti.
He took a sharp breath, trying to straighten his arms again to complete the full bench press movent, but his arms sank slightly. The barbell felt like a mountain, and lifting it seed like an impossible task. This made the anger in Lu Ke's chest start to boil over, an unrestrainable rage. He gritted his teeth, readjusted his breathing, gathered his strength again, and pushed.
This ti, he lifted the barbell with ease, even holding it in the air for three seconds. The power deep within him seed to have erupted, and all the weight was firmly in his hands. It wasn't until the joints in his hands began to tremble slightly that he repeated the cycle of bending and pushing.
He knew he was just a backup. From being a practice player to a backup, the past five months had been an unimaginable leap. He knew that a good performance in one ga—to be precise, one quarter—was still not enough to prove that he was a qualified starting quarterback. He knew that Kevin Prince had been the quarterback for the entire season. Although he didn't have any amazing performances, he also didn't make any major mistakes. Now that his injury was confird to be minor, it was only natural for him to return to the starting position.
He also knew that as a Chinese-Arican athlete in this immigrant country, he had to face more difficulties, more challenges, and more tests. Others might only need to be at an eight out of ten to receive cheers and recognition, but he had to be at a twelve out of ten to even be noticed by the coaches.
This was the world of sports, where everything was about skill. In the face of absolute skill, any barrier could be broken, any doubt could be answered, and any conflict could be resolved. But before having absolute skill, this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak and only the fittest survived. It was probably the closest human society ca to its primitive, natural state.
In the football food chain, Asian players were at the very bottom.
What did all this an? It ant that the coaching staff had made a conservative but correct choice. He was still the third-string backup quarterback.
But, he had missed the entire season, spent a lot of ti diligently honing his skills, and finally got a chance in the last ga of the season. He seized the opportunity and shone on the stage. This should have been the first ti he had ever been noticed by scouts!
He needed more opportunities, more space, more stages to continue to show what he could do! The Rose Bowl was the best choice and also the last chance, because the rookie training camp would start in March. The countdown was already ticking. For an unknown player, for a Chinese-Arican player, to win the favor of a team and get into the league through the draft, he needed to continue to prove himself at the Rose Bowl.
Now, a backup roster had killed all those possibilities.
Before any player entered the draft, scouts would review and re-evaluate them. The golden boys were noticed in high school and walked into college and then the professional league with their heads held high. Despite his initial disadvantages, with the help of the system, he had finally made it this far, only to have it all co to a sudden stop.
No ga, no performance. No performance, no scout report. No scout report, no future in the draft.
Unwillingness, anger, frustration, oppression, bitterness. All these emotions welled up on his tongue, a complicated mix that was impossible to distinguish.
He straightened his arms, then bent them. He straightened, he bent... All the ssy thoughts in his mind gradually faded away as he focused on the bench press movent, feeling his muscles burn, feeling the complicated emotions in his chest burn. First, it was the bench press, then squats, then sit-ups, pull-ups, and finally, his regular passing drills.
For a full ninety minutes, Lu Ke threw himself into his daily training without any distractions. As he sweated, it felt as if all his pores had opened, and the whole world beca comfortable again.
He wouldn't give up, and he wasn't going to give up! For every athlete, as long as the ga wasn't over and the final whistle hadn't blown, anything was possible. Giving up early ant surrendering. He wasn't going to surrender or compromise. He would fight until the very last mont!
He was ready to stand up again, clench his fists again, and get back into the fight! More importantly, he was ready to win again, not just for football, but for himself!
anwhile, Anthony Jefferson was leaning on the conference table with his hands, fire in his eyes. "Rick, you're making a mistake. I know it, Norm knows it, and you know it!"
"Anthony!" Defensive coach Chuck Broh called out, trying to stop Anthony. Challenging the head coach's authority wasn't a wise choice, but Rick shook his head. He raised his hand to stop Chuck and motioned for Anthony to continue.
"Kevin is a decent backup quarterback, but not an excellent starting quarterback! I don't want to say this, but he's diocre! diocre!" The veins on his neck were throbbing violently, but Anthony didn't care. "Lu Ke's performance in the last ga was clear for everyone to see! Does he have weaknesses? Of course, he has countless weaknesses, but he has one quality that we desperately need: he's a ga-changer! He has a big heart, he can make the right choices in critical monts, and he can win the ga at the last second!"
Anthony pointed toward the door as if Lu Ke was standing right there. "He trains harder than anyone, he's more focused on the ga than anyone, and he wants to win more than anyone! You should have seen his training and growth over the past two weeks. The speed of his growth is far beyond imagination! Rick, is it because of his Chinese-Arican identity? Is a Chinese-Arican quarterback in the Rose Bowl an unacceptable thing for the school board?"
"Anthony! Watch your words!" Chuck couldn't hold back and interrupted him again.
Anthony turned his head and glared at Chuck. "Did I say sothing wrong? What did I say wrong? You're going to call
out? Norm, you should be able to tell
what kind of impact the last na 'Chow' had on your career."
Norm, who was watching from the sidelines but was unfortunately dragged into it, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Anthony, you know I support Lu Ke. I also wish he could be the starting quarterback."
Norm also realized that as the offensive coordinator, he needed to speak up now. "Rick, Anthony is right about one thing. Lu Ke's determination, judgnt, and willpower are crucial. The last ga was only his first ti playing in four years of college, but his performance was enough to make other quarterbacks feel ashad. In a crucial ga like the Rose Bowl, he can lead us to victory!"
"But he can also lead us to the abyss." Faced with Anthony's and Norm's doubts, Rick finally spoke. He looked at his three colleagues. "Lu Ke's strengths and weaknesses are both very obvious. His technique and fundantals are really bad. Except for his passing, all his other skills are subpar. He has determination, perseverance, and a big heart, but this is the Rose Bowl. One small mistake could put us in a hopeless situation. The Badgers won most of their gas this year with their offense, but their defense isn't a joke. The risk is too high. I can't take that risk."
Compared to Anthony's fiery rage, Rick remained calm. He rubbed his temples. "Yes, Kevin isn't an excellent quarterback, but at least he's a decent choice."
This was his final decision, a decision he had carefully considered. Seeing that Anthony still had sothing to say, Rick raised his hand to stop him. "I know how hard and focused Lu Ke trains. That's why he's the second-string quarterback and Darius is the third-string quarterback."
Kevin Prince, starting quarterback. Lu Ke, second-string quarterback. It wasn't on the roster, but in the coaches' minds, there was a difference.
After weighing, struggling, hesitating, and deliberating, Rick ca to his final conclusion and made the best choice for the team. "Also, Anthony, Lu Ke's Chinese-Arican identity has no impact on . That's not a factor I need to consider. If he can bring
a win, I'll use him without hesitation, and I believe the school board will shut up. But this is a ga, a life-and-death ga, and I have to make the right choice. I will not ss around with my job."
After he finished, Rick didn't linger. He stood up and strode out of the eting room.
Chuck also stood up and shook his head. "This is not good, Anthony, this is very bad!" He was about to turn and leave, but his anger got the better of him, and he turned back to look at Anthony. "You should trust Rick's judgnt. You should trust our professional judgnt! Lu Ke was just a practice player five months ago! There's a reason for that!"
This ti, Chuck didn't stop. He shook his head and walked out.
"I trust my eyes! I trust that the ga doesn't lie! And I also believe you're a racist!" Anthony's temper was truly out of control. "You're refusing to believe in a genius! A genius!" Anthony kicked over a chair next to him. "You're making a mistake! This is a mistake!"
Norm tried to comfort Anthony but found he couldn't speak. His mind was a little muddled, unable to identify a specific thought. In the end, he could only shake his head and turn to leave.
Anthony was left alone in the eting room. Facing the empty room, he had no one to vent his anger on. He put his hands on his hips in frustration, breathing heavily, his face and eyes filled with disappointnt. But he was powerless.
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