A "graduation yearbook"—that's a really interesting idea. Gradually, Lu Ke became less averse to the special mission. Thinking about the rewards, Lu Ke became more and more proactive.
"Man, you've either been trying to avoid me, or I look so terrible that you refuse to be my friend." A low, loud buzzing sound reached his ears. Lu Ke turned to look and saw J.J. Watt's smiling expression, his hands spread in a helpless gesture.
Lu Ke let out a dry laugh. "I'll explain it in terms of quarterback instincts. After all, not long ago, you were doing everything you could to tackle me." This time, instead of walking around him, Lu Ke walked to the spot diagonally across from Watt and sat down.
"Please, you jumped over my head." Watt sat up straight, a look of resentment on his face, as if he was still haunted by the final play of the Rose Bowl.
"Please." Lu Ke raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, simply admitting his "mistake." After all, at the Rose Bowl, he was the one who had the last laugh.
Watt was stunned for a moment, shook his head slightly, and finally laughed. Losing the Rose Bowl, and by such a narrow margin, the frustration still lingered. But seeing Lu Ke in front of him, so generous and honest, Watt couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. "What were you doing just now? I think you're the man of the hour at today's rookie camp!"
The Chinese quarterback was the center of attention, but Lu Ke took the initiative and made friends enthusiastically and kindly. Some people liked it, some didn't. Some accepted him, some resisted him. Not everyone was able to get along with Lu Ke amicably. But either way, Lu Ke was making himself known.
"I thought the Rose Bowl was enough to keep me in the spotlight." Lu Ke's humor made Watt laugh out loud. Then Lu Ke brought the conversation back. "I'm working on a project to see how many new friends I can make at the rookie training camp, given that I'm Chinese and I'm a quarterback. I'm guessing this is the worst combination."
Watt couldn't stop laughing. "So how many friends have you made so far? What's the number?"
"Uh..." Lu Ke turned on his phone and looked at the data on his photo wall. "Eighty-three. Whoa, that's a little more than I thought. I thought fifty at most. How about you take a photo with me?"
"I thought you wouldn't ask," Watt said proactively. "I'm still looking forward to intercepting your passes or getting a sack on you after we get into the league." That smiling expression, combined with the threatening words, really gave off a sweet, murderous vibe.
"Clown," a voice came from the side, taunting with disdain. Lu Ke turned his head and saw a conspicuous head full of dreadlocks.
"So you're a circus monkey?" Lu Ke fought back directly without showing any weakness. "I thought you weren't interested, but you followed us all the way? Following behind a clown... I thought... a monkey is the best bet. Or do you prefer to be a duck or a little white rabbit?"
Richard Sherman was a cornerback from Stanford's defensive unit. In the season-opening game that had just ended, Stanford had completely beaten UCLA with a zero score. Richard was one of the biggest contributors to that game.
A few minutes ago, Lu Ke was having a great conversation with Prince Amukamara, a cornerback from the University of Nebraska. As a result, Richard took the initiative to join their conversation and mocked Lu Ke with disdain. He called him "a nobody" and said, "I never heard your name in the game. However, the entire Bruins team doesn't have a name worth remembering." He believed that Lu Ke's actions today were completely sensational and despicable.
Lu Ke didn't even bother to talk to such a person, so he fought back forcefully. "If you don't like it, you can get out. If there's no space in the hotel lobby, there's still plenty of space in the parking lot in the back. You should be able to find your own place." Faced with Richard's gushing trash talk, Lu Ke replied directly, "Sorry, who are you?" An understatement, but a hard blow to Richard.
In the face of Lu Ke's powerful attack, Richard became so angry that he almost rolled up his sleeves and fought him directly, but even if there was no fight, it wasn't far off. He and Lu Ke roared at each other with foam on their foreheads for a long time.
"I'm the best cornerback in the sport! If—I mean if—you dare pass a ball in my direction, I'll promise, you'll never come back! Don't provoke the bottom line of the best, absolutely not! Or I'll shut him up soon! Right, what the hell am I talking about? You're just an undrafted rookie who came here to be a fan, and there's no way we'll have a chance to fight in the future. Really, why should I waste my time?"
After saying this, Richard ignored Lu Ke's retort and turned around and left as if he had appeared inexplicably.
Unexpectedly, after going around in a circle, Richard actually came back again. Lu Ke was baffled and completely did not understand Richard's logic. This time, without any hesitation or withdrawal, he went straight for him again.
After a disagreement, Richard clenched his fists and rushed forward. But Lu Ke did not flinch and suddenly stood up, meeting him with a fearless momentum.
In terms of height, Lu Ke was even two fingers taller than Richard, but in terms of body shape, Richard was stronger. That kind of street gangster-style violence and thuggery was rampant and hit hard. However, Lu Ke showed no signs of weakness, clenched his fists, and was ready to fight at any time.
At this moment, Watt, who was sitting next to him, also stood up, his sturdy figure like a tall tower, standing before Richard like a wall—condescending and unstoppable. The momentum turned around the entire field.
Richard gauged the situation, took a little step back, then looked at Watt and muttered, "He's a piece of crap. Standing by your side, this is a piece of trash no one knows, a grandstanding clown, a clown!" As he spoke, he stepped back, and at the end, he raised his hands high and shouted, "Garbage!"
People in the entire hotel lobby looked at Richard and Lu Ke in confusion.
"What the hell is going on with this guy?" Watt put his hands on his waist, his face filled with confusion. He apparently didn't understand what was going on.
The problem is, Lu Ke didn't understand what was going on either. "You know, the side effects of being the man of the hour? Someone likes it, someone hates it. I think I'm starting to experience life as a top superstar right now."
"You mean, he's jealous?" Lu Ke couldn't help but be stunned by Watt's question and then realized that Watt was serious. Lu Ke laughed dumbly. "Although I don't know what he would be jealous of me for, but yes, I think he is jealous of me."
First Cam Newton, then Richard Sherman. Even before the rookie camp had started, the friction had already begun. Lu Ke had originally thought he was an underdog, but now it seemed that he was a powder keg. Lu Ke felt more and more that the special task was not to make him a popular figure, but to make him a hedgehog.
"Where did we just say that?" Lu Ke brought the topic back into focus.
Watt appreciated Lu Ke's smile and snapped his fingers. "The photo!"
Lu Ke and Watt stood side by side. The tough guy on the court actually stuck out his tongue and made a face before the shutter was pressed. It really made people laugh.
After sitting on the sofa and completing the photo upload, Lu Ke casually opened the system in his mind and looked at the task page. Now the completion progress had become "22/30." There was clearly a need for continued efforts to complete the task, but the point was that the task progress just now was "21/30," and what did that mean?
Lu Ke looked up at Watt in front of him. So, Watt was a potential future superstar recognized by the system?
"What's wrong?" Watt noticed Lu Ke's strange gaze and asked in confusion.
Lu Ke opened his mouth, then raised the corners of his mouth and chuckled. "I was thinking, maybe in the next few days of training camp, you will become the man of the hour. I'm now seizing the last moment before reporters surround you."
Now, he thought back to the Rose Bowl, the last pass. He was able to pull off a pass despite Watt's relentless pursuit. It was absolutely phenomenal! Maybe he still had a chance at the rookie camp, even if his physical fitness still needed to improve.
Lu Ke tapped Watt on the shoulder. "I'm ready to go ahead and finish the task of taking pictures. What about you? What are your plans?" Lu Ke couldn't wait to complete his special mission.
"Uh, the hotel has a gym, and there's a training ground next to it. I thought I'd go do some simple basic training in a minute," Watt said seriously. That serious look didn't seem like a joke at all.
Lu Ke paused for a moment. "You know what? I'm also going to the training ground for some basic training. Can you wait for me? You know, some quarterback training needs a partner. I'm sure some defensive end training needs a training partner too." Lu Ke hadn't fallen behind on his daily training missions and was still doing them every day. He had just been worrying about how to complete today's daily training.
"Really?" Watt's smile was genuine, and he nodded repeatedly. "Of course! Of course! You're welcome anytime. Training with two people is always more fun than training alone." Watt looked around. "Uh, I'll just sit here. After you're done, come and find me, okay?"
"No, you go to the gym first. After I'm done, I'll meet you at the gym." Lu Ke shrugged. "I can guarantee that my training volume is definitely not as big as yours. Maybe you'll need a little more time." That teasing tone made Watt laugh happily.
After a busy afternoon, Lu Ke had taken and uploaded photos with a total of 133 players and finally completed all the requirements of the special mission. But he didn't have time to claim his rewards. He jogged all the way to the gym, met up with Watt, and started today's daily training mission.
NOTE:
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