American Football: King of the Bay Area

Two reporters materialized out of nowhere, popping up from some corner. Quick as a flash, they thrust their audio recorders high, aimed them at Lu Ke and Sophie, and shouted, ”Bambi! Bambi, is this your girlfriend?” Without any warning, they dropped a bombshell. The explosion made their heads ring.

’Girlfriend? Wait, girlfriend?’

Lu Ke and Sophie were both stunned. They reflexively exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. But then, Marcus’s joke from thirty seconds ago echoed in their ears—”Lu Ke and Sophie, sitting in a tree”—and an inexplicable panic set in. They both looked away at the same time, as if they’d been burned.

”No!” Sophie blurted out the denial instantly, but her usual quick wit suddenly failed her. ”Of course not. I mean, no!”

She kept repeating the same word over and over: ”No.” Beyond that, her mind seemed to be a complete blank, unable to form a coherent sentence. The suggestion was so absurd it caught her completely off guard, leaving her speechless.

Standing beside her, Lu Ke was also stunned at first, but he couldn’t help but smile when he noticed Sophie’s flustered state.

However, he politely suppressed his smile and answered seriously, ”Do you have to report a scandal every time you see a man and a woman standing together? By that logic, the next time you see two men standing together, I suppose you’ll report that they’re coming out of the closet? Our team would be in some danger, then.”

Sophie froze for a moment, then couldn’t hold it in and let out a snort of laughter. She couldn’t contain her smile any longer, especially when she saw the dumbfounded expressions on the two reporters’ faces. Her earlier panic vanished into thin air, as if by Magic, and she regained her composure.

Lu Ke gave the reporters a big smile. ”This is our team’s assistant press officer, Miss Sophie Brook. We were discussing work-related matters. So, please don’t jump to conclusions.”

”Miss Brook, is that correct?” The two reporters weren’t buying it and immediately pressed on.

”Yes, I am indeed the assistant press officer. You can ask me about team and game-related matters. But as for my personal life, pardon me for being blunt, but that has nothing to do with my work.” Now that she was composed, Sophie’s words became sharp again. ”May I ask which paper you’re from? You should know that for professional athletes, the proper thing to do is focus on their performance on the field. Our team is currently going through...”

This was not just an answer; Sophie was also launching a counterattack. As part of a professional team’s press department, public relations was within their purview. Maintaining the players’ reputations and the team’s prestige were all part of the job, and Sophie was now doing just that.

Sophie gradually brought the situation under control. At the same time, several other reporters surged forward near the hotel entrance. It was clear they had been lying in wait nearby, looking for a chance to get an interview—not about on-field performance, but about the players’ private lives off the field.

The San Francisco 49ers’ official itinerary wasn’t hard for reporters to find out. They knew there were still nearly two hours before the team had to leave for the airport. Moreover, Jim Hubble hadn’t forbidden them from going out, so the players were free to leave the hotel and relax as they saw fit.

Compared to San Francisco, Philadelphia is a city with a much richer history and a more ”American” feel. It was worth exploring.

In fact, many players had their own off-the-field issues. Using this two-hour window to go binge-drinking at a bar, go on a massive shopping spree, or stir up trouble on the streets—such situations were countless in the Alliance and were also the prime gossip targets for reporters.

Right now, the reporters were waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity. So, upon seeing Lu Ke and Sophie, their first reaction was to think ”scandal.” It had practically become their second nature.

Now that Sophie was commanding the spotlight, it meant Lu Ke wasn’t needed. He quietly began to shuffle his feet, trying to make himself scarce and get away from the endlessly gossiping reporters.

Before he could fully get away, the hotel doors suddenly opened, and a gust of warm air wafted out. A tall, slender Black man appeared.

A black hoodie, black sweatpants paired with red sneakers, a black San Francisco 49ers cap on his head, and a pair of large gold headphones hanging around his neck. The simple outfit exuded a strong personal style, effortlessly drawing everyone’s attention.

One second, two seconds.

The reporters hesitated for only a moment before pouncing like a pack of wild beasts, instantly engulfing the Black man. A deafening barrage of questions rose and fell.

”Colin, what are your thoughts on this game?” ”Do you think you can win the starting job?” ”What exactly happened in practice last week?” ”As the team’s fourth quarterback now, is it because you haven’t fully recovered?” ”Are you confident you’ll get to play next week?” ”The team lost this week. Do you think you have a chance?”

The harsh, sharp questions rained down on him like a sudden storm. Even Lu Ke, as a bystander, couldn’t help but frown, as if he could physically feel the searing heat and pain.

The person who had appeared was none other than Colin Kaepernick.

This year’s draft was widely considered a great year for quarterbacks, and the competition was incredibly fierce. Kaepernick was the thirty-sixth pick in the second round and the sixth quarterback selected in the draft, making him a player who was definitely in the spotlight.

With Alex Smith’s unexpected injury, Kaepernick was forced into the starting position. This should have been a golden opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for him to become a savior, lead the team out of its slump, and forge a bright future. But reality was incredibly cruel; not only did he lose all four preseason games, but he also lost the battle for the starting quarterback spot.

A future star from the draft had, in less than six months, been demoted to the team’s fourth quarterback, ranked even behind Scott Torsin. It was a stunning fall from grace.

Without a doubt, Kaepernick was another focal point for gossip. Especially since the San Francisco 49ers had lost this week, the quarterback controversy was bound to be brought up again. After all, the current starter was just an undrafted rookie who had only played four full games in his professional career. His foundation was still shaky.

And so, Kaepernick, who had just intended to step out for some fresh air, instantly became the target of the reporters’ relentless pursuit, looking hounded and miserable.

Lu Ke and Sophie exchanged a surprised glance. Lu Ke spread his hands, indicating he was powerless to help, but Sophie couldn’t just stand by and watch. Protecting the team’s players was her job. So, Sophie let out a resigned sigh and, without further hesitation, strode forward to start restoring order.

More and more reporters swarmed in, a continuous surging tide of people. The crowd surrounding Kaepernick was like a ball of cotton candy, swelling larger and larger with each new layer. It left Lu Ke dumbfounded; he had no idea where all these reporters were coming from. They were like ghosts.

Looking at the impenetrable wall of people at the hotel entrance, Lu Ke abandoned any thought of a frontal assault. He quickly walked down the stairs and headed around to the side street, planning to use the back entrance.

The clamor behind him was still a noisy, churning sea of sound, incredible even to witness as a bystander. The other players inside the hotel lobby had also noticed the commotion at the entrance and gathered at the floor-to-ceiling windows to watch the spectacle.

”Bambi, could you please give me your autograph?”

Suddenly, a voice rang out right in front of him. After the earlier ambush by the reporters, Lu Ke reflexively took a large step back. He turned to look straight ahead and only then realized that he’d been constantly looking back and not watching where he was going. He had almost crashed right into someone. Thank goodness he’d stopped in time.

After his relief passed, Lu Ke noticed the young woman in front of him. She was wearing an azure baseball cap that covered most of her face, but it was enough. That mouth, those shoulders, that waistline, those long legs... and most importantly, the sunny aura radiating from her entire being. It was so familiar that he recognized her in a single glance.

Candice Swanepoel. A familiar yet unfamiliar person—familiar because they had known each other for a long time, and unfamiliar because it was a surprise to run into her in Philadelphia.

”Hey, gorgeous, what are you doing here?” A brilliant smile couldn’t help but spread across Lu Ke’s lips.

Candice pouted, looked up, and gave him an inquisitive look. ”God, how did you recognize me? I’m dressed so low-key today, I bet even the photographers wouldn’t recognize me.”

”Because you’re Tangtang.” Lu Ke’s answer was so simple, and so irrefutable, that Candice’s shoulders slumped in resignation. ”Alright, I can’t argue with that. Good thing you didn’t say you’d recognize me even if I were reduced to ashes, otherwise our ’innocent childhood friends’ story would turn into ’The Sixth Sense’.”

”You sure it’s not ’The Exorcist’?” Lu Ke’s joke made Candice laugh heartily. ”Haha, I love that one. I’ll tell the other Victoria’s Secret Angels next time, haha.” Her cheerful laughter instantly made the Philadelphia sun feel even more wonderful.

Lu Ke glanced back at the dense circle of reporters. ”Come on, let’s get out of here. Otherwise, in the next second, we’re going to become honey.”

”Honey? Does that make them bears?” Candice immediately got Lu Ke’s joke, and the two of them walked ahead, talking and laughing.

Two of the reporters standing in the crowd inadvertently caught sight of Lu Ke and Candice leaving in their peripheral vision. Their pupils couldn’t help but contract slightly:

’Wait, is that... Candice Swanepoel? But why would Lu Ke and Candice know each other?’