"What are you looking at? You damn Asian, what score did you get? It can't be only ten points, right!" Cam's temper seemed to have gone out of control. As a golden boy, he had been smooth sailing and unstoppable for the past six months. Suddenly, he became a laughingstock in front of everyone. This feeling was heartbreaking and easily destroyed all his reason.
Facing Cam, who was red-eyed like a bull, Lu Ke remained calm. He turned to Marcus and asked seriously, "Marcus, are you sure you're not seeing things? Cam's test score isn't eleven points?"
Marcus was confused but caught the playful look in Lu Ke's eyes, so he played along. "I'm not sure. Should I check again?"
"I think you must have seen it wrong." Lu Ke nodded seriously, held up his first finger, and said with great solemnity, "Otherwise, how could he make such a stupid mistake? First, I'm from UCLA." An Ivy League school—even with an athletic scholarship, getting accepted is not easy. What's more, Lu Ke was accepted based on his own merit, not an athletic scholarship.
Then, Lu Ke held up his second finger. "Second, I'm Chinese. My SAT score was 1600, and my GPA was 3.9." The SAT is the American college entrance exam, with a perfect score of 1600. A college GPA of 4.0 is the highest, and a 3.7 is already enough to apply for graduate school at any of the top ten universities in the United States.
Just now, Cam mentioned Lu Ke's Asian identity, which actually concealed an element of racism. The biggest stereotype Americans have of Asians—especially Chinese people—is that they are great at math and school but are just bookworms who study to death. This rigid stereotype has become a part of discrimination.
And Lu Ke, as a Chinese person, showed a condescending intellectual dominance. Among professional football players, not to mention getting excellent grades, even passing the minimum NCAA standards is a struggle. If Cam hadn't lost his mind, he would have known that provoking Lu Ke about the Wunderlic Test was the most idiotic choice.
Then, Lu Ke suddenly put down his two fingers and shrugged. "Look, what am I showing off for? Maybe he doesn't even understand." That dismissive expression was like a right hook, hitting Cam's cheek so hard that even the other onlookers let out a pained "Ooh!"
Cam's entire face turned ashen. Even his dark skin couldn't hide the rigid, deathly pallor that rose in waves like a storm. His complexion looked even worse than a vampire's. His lips were tightly pressed together, and he squeezed out some fragmented words from between his teeth. "Damn it..."
But before Cam could finish his curse, Marcus deliberately said loudly, "Bambi, what score did you get?" Marcus was being intentional. He winked at Lu Ke and then said sarcastically, "You didn't get only eleven points, did you? That would be a huge joke."
Marcus's playful taunt made the other young people around them burst into laughter, and then Logan's gasp came. "Jesus Christ! Holy hell! Jehovah, and Buddha, and Allah! Lu Ke! Mr. Lu Ke!" Logan's voice was a little distorted, a high-pitched squeal that made everyone's scalp tingle. Easily, everyone turned to look, their faces full of confusion.
Lu Ke turned his head and saw Logan straighten up from behind him. Obviously, he had bent down to sneak a peek at Lu Ke's certificate. At this moment, Lu Ke could clearly see Logan's incredible shock and ecstasy, which made the smile on Lu Ke's face grow.
"Gentlemen, and gentlemen! Let's give a warm round of applause for the second player in NFL history to get a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test: Lu Ke!" Logan raised his hands high, cheering as if he had just won a championship. He also turned to look at everyone around him.
But the next second, Logan found that everyone was in shock, with astonished, dazed, and silent expressions. In the entire room, everyone was frozen in place, unable to move a single finger. They were in a state of suspended animation, with expressions of disbelief and astonishment, as if time and space had stopped.
Including Cam Newton.
Logan looked left and right, thinking that no one believed him. So he bent down, snatched the certificate from Lu Ke's hand, and held it up high. "Look, fifty points, a perfect score! Lu Ke! This guy right here, the quarterback from UCLA!"
"Whoa!" The sound of a collective gasp rushed through the room. The next second, everyone started cheering and getting excited. They all rushed over, patting and bumping Lu Ke's shoulders. "Dude, you're awesome!" "Man, how did you do that?" "Jesus Christ, are you Einstein? What in the world is going on?" "I can't believe it, I really can't believe it..."
The excited exclamations were endless. Before Lu Ke could even react, he was in the middle of a storm. He hadn't had time to prepare and was already standing in the spotlight.
JJ Watt pushed open the test room door, holding his own certificate. He saw a scene that looked like a party, blinked, and was completely stunned, not understanding what was happening.
He looked around and saw a stunned player standing on his right. He was the only one in the room who wasn't jumping, shouting, or screaming. It was a face he recognized: Cam Newton. Watt naturally knew the new Heisman Trophy winner, so he gave Cam a friendly bump on the shoulder. "Dude, what's going on in here?"
Cam suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp and menacing, staring at Watt as if they were mortal enemies.
"Fifty points! Haha! More than double twenty-one points!" Marcus ran over triumphantly, constantly circling in front of Cam. "Oops, wait, that's stupid. You can't compare it that way. One is just passing, and the other is a perfect score. That's a real world of difference. Twenty-one points is only suitable for a running back. Hmm, you're definitely born to be a running back!"
After saying that, Marcus ignored Cam and skipped away.
The next second, Watt realized that Cam's gloomy eyes were giving off a man-eating glare, as if he was about to tear everyone in front of him to shreds. The confused Watt frowned. "Bro, what's with that expression? If you don't feel well, go see a doctor." It was a simple statement without any edge, but it still expressed Watt's displeasure.
Cam puffed out his chest and clenched his fists, only to find that Watt was even stronger than him. They were the same height, but Watt weighed a full 289 pounds (131 kg), making him one size bigger than Cam. Those mountain-like muscles brutally pushed back Cam's momentum.
Cam gnashed his teeth, feeling ashamed and helpless. He angrily punched the wall and then heavily kicked a nearby iron rack before storming off. He had to leave, to get away from this room full of humiliation and embarrassment. Otherwise, he didn't know what he would do.
In the crowd, Cam glanced back and saw Lu Ke, who was being idolized by everyone, with a friendly, approachable smile on his face, high-fiving every player. The atmosphere was lively. A burst of anger came from the pit of his stomach, and a hint of hatred, an unresolvable hatred, showed in his eyes. It was at this moment that their rivalry began.
He then turned and left.
Watt frowned, looking at Cam's retreating back, still confused. He then walked over to Lu Ke and gave him a friendly warning. "Bro, do you have some kind of beef with Cam Newton? He doesn't look too happy. You'd better be careful. In rookie training camp, some players with poor character can pull any dirty trick they want."
Lu Ke looked around, couldn't find Cam, and looked back. He gave Watt a smile. "Thanks for the warning. It's hard to guard against a conniving person. Although I don't really understand why the Heisman Trophy winner has a problem with me, I hope it's not because of a race issue." His humorous tone made Watt laugh.
On the football field, you're either a teammate or an enemy. Clearly, Cam was the latter.
"So, what are you guys celebrating?" Watt finally realized and looked around. In just this short time while he was talking, others had come over to high-five Lu Ke, which made Watt even more confused.
Lu Ke shrugged and said lightly, "I just got a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test."
Watt raised an eyebrow, then patted Lu Ke's shoulder with great force. His palm, like a fan, was so powerful that it made Lu Ke grimace. "Wow, you're the legendary genius! Are you sure you don't want to check out Harvard?"
"If this draft doesn't work out, I'll pay them a visit," Lu Ke said seriously, which made Watt laugh again.
In just a short morning, the entire rookie training camp had heard that this year, the second player in history to get a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test had appeared, and he was a quarterback. Now, team managers, scouts, and journalists were all buzzing with excitement and began to inquire about him.
The name "Lu Ke" appeared in front of everyone at the rookie training camp in such an unexpected way for the first time. Combined with his identity as a Chinese quarterback, the rumors began to increase:
The key player who helped UCLA beat USC for the second time in ten years; the key player who brought the Rose Bowl back to UCLA after twenty-five years; he served as the team's practice player until his first official game; he only participated in two games in college...
All of this had a mythical and miraculous feel to it. Whether people liked it or not, whether they approved or not, there was no denying that this Chinese quarterback, who had no data, no records, and no history, was becoming the center of attention.
NOTE:
New chapters drop five times a day, every Monday through Saturday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release five bonus chapters for every 100 votes! Let's get this story moving together.