The countdown to the preseason has reached its final day.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. The second and hour hands seemed to be spinning faster and faster, and the sense of urgency was becoming clearer. Yesterday, Lu Ke signed his contract and officially became a member of the San Francisco 49ers. Tomorrow, the preseason will officially begin, which means the new season is just around the corner.
Everything happened so fast. The "World Journal" hadn't even had time to publish Lin Shuyuan's interview, and Lu Ke hadn't even had time to get used to the pace of life on a professional team before the new season was almost here.
With the preseason fast approaching, the sands of time were running out for Lu Ke. He still had a lot of things to do. The playbook alone was a huge priority, but Lu Ke had only had it for one night. He hadn't even had time to skim through it, let alone understand and apply it.
No one was going to help Lu Ke, and no one had the time to help him. Even Logan, Marcus, and Aldon felt the same way, but they were powerless to do anything. Lu Ke had to work hard on his own; it was the only way.
At five in the morning, just as the sky was breaking, Lu Ke was already up and starting his new day.
Before five-thirty, he drove to the training facility and started his warm-up and basic training.
At six, after a quick breakfast, he spent an hour continuing to read the playbook, catching up on his homework from the night before.
At seven, Lu Ke was back to training, starting with thirty minutes of yoga, followed by passing drills and footwork drills.
Around 8:05 or 8:10 AM, the team's rookies started to arrive at the training facility and found that someone had arrived earlier than them and had already started their day of training, sweating profusely. A little later, most of the veteran players also arrived, laughing and relaxed, getting ready to start training.
For those seasoned veterans, there wasn't much tension the day before a game, even during the regular season. They were more focused on relaxing, let alone a meaningless preseason game.
In their eyes, Lu Ke was more of a laughingstock. He was either a slow learner trying to get a head start or someone putting on a show, but either way, he was not worth mentioning.
Despite the back-and-forth glances, Lu Ke calmly finished his daily training. He looked at his watch, and it was already 8:25 AM. Lu Ke then ended his first round of morning training and went back to the locker room to take a shower, change his clothes, and then join the team's regular practice.
He walked into the locker room, and the sound of lively chatter and conversations filled the air. On a table to his left, there was a neat stack of brand-new helmets, shiny and bright. The dark gold base and bright red stripes created a stark contrast but were in perfect harmony, easily drawing everyone's attention.
The San Francisco 49ers' home uniform was a red jersey and gold pants. It was grand and luxurious, and it was undoubtedly one of the best-designed and most beautiful uniforms in the league. During home games, Candlestick Park would turn into a vast sea of red and gold, a spectacular sight to behold.
At this moment, the veteran players were gathered around the table, chattering and discussing. Lu Ke didn't go over to join them. Although he was very curious about the helmets—he hadn't seen them when he came to the locker room this morning, so they must have just been put there—he didn't have enough time. If he didn't want to be late for the official practice, he had to hurry.
So, Lu Ke suppressed his curiosity and quickly went into the shower room, took a quick shower, and then came out to change into a fresh, dry uniform. But then, Lu Ke couldn't find his helmet.
When Lu Ke arrived at the locker room this morning, he saw his helmet in his locker. It was the first time since college that he had seen his name on a helmet and jersey. "14, LU." Although it wasn't his dream number, eleven, it was still a milestone. The novelty and pride made Lu Ke want to keep his jersey and helmet with him all the time.
However, during his solitary training earlier, there was no contact, so Lu Ke didn't wear a helmet. He was just in his workout clothes. But now, the helmet was gone.
"Logan, have you seen my helmet?" Lu Ke looked around and asked loudly.
Logan was tying his shoelaces. He looked up, his face full of confusion. "What? You didn't wear a helmet during your morning practice?" He was already used to Lu Ke's hard work and dedication and wasn't surprised at all.
Lu Ke shrugged. "No, I left the helmet where it was." After that, Lu Ke started walking around the locker room, looking for his helmet. When he saw an empty helmet, he would ask the other players, "Is that your helmet?" But there was no number fourteen helmet.
After walking around twice, Lu Ke still couldn't find his helmet, and the players were already starting to leave the locker room one after another. The nine o'clock practice was counting down.
"Bambi, do you need help?" Marcus came over and patted Lu Ke on the shoulder.
"No, you guys go ahead. I'll be right there." Lu Ke gestured to Marcus and Logan. He also saw Aldon looking at him with a questioning look in the distance, and Lu Ke made an "OK" gesture to let him know he was fine. Then he went back to looking for his helmet.
After another round, the veteran players had also started to leave. Lu Ke walked over to the table where the helmets were, and there was a Black player busy next to him.
Lu Ke recognized him from yesterday's practice. He was the running back, Kendall Hunter, and also a first-year rookie. "Hey, Kendall, what's with all these helmets?"
Lu Ke was thinking that maybe his helmet got mixed up in there and the equipment manager had put it in the wrong place. Or maybe he could borrow a helmet from here to get through the morning practice.
Kendall looked up. "These helmets are for charity, you know."
Every year, each team holds a charity event where they prepare all kinds of souvenirs, including jerseys, helmets, and footballs, or other items like scarves and photos. After the players sign them, they donate them to a charity organization for a fundraising event.
This kind of event wasn't just for professional teams; college leagues also had similar activities.
"You haven't signed yours yet, have you? Hurry and sign it." Kendall suddenly remembered. Since Lu Ke had asked a question, he must not have signed it yet. He then picked up a permanent marker and handed it to him.
Lu Ke remembered the big crowd of veteran players gathered here earlier, and the reason was explained. They weren't excited about the new helmets. "Do rookies have to sign them, too?"
"Of course. Every member of the team has to sign them," Kendall said with a chuckle. "They said we have to sign them this morning, and they'll be shipped out at noon." Kendall even pointed to his own helmet, which he had just finished signing.
So, Lu Ke took the marker, found the number fourteen helmet, and quickly signed his name in a blank space. He put the helmet back down. "Have you seen any extra helmets? I can't find mine."
"Have you looked on the field? Maybe another player accidentally took it without checking the number?" Kendall suggested.
Lu Ke looked around and nodded helplessly. It was a possibility. What's more, practice was about to start, and he had to hurry out and report. With a sigh, Lu Ke left the locker room with Kendall and ran to the field.
On the field, the coaches had already arrived and were gathered in small groups, talking quietly.
Logan saw Lu Ke and mouthed, "Where's your helmet?"
Lu Ke spread his hands and gave a wry smile. He knew it was possible that a player had accidentally taken his helmet, but it was more likely that this was a prank. But at this moment, he was helpless. He could only shake his head and join the team, standing with his offensive teammates.
"Huddle!" Jim Harbaugh walked to the front, holding a folder, and shouted. All the players lined up in an orderly fashion, and then Jim started his speech, outlining today's practice plan.
Lu Ke looked around with the corner of his eye, hoping to find his helmet one last time. But that bubble of hope was quickly popped. "Lu Ke?" A voice from outside the huddle called out, interrupting Jim's speech.
In an instant, everyone on the field looked over. The person was none other than the equipment manager, holding a helmet. "Lu Ke? This is your helmet."
On the brand-new, shiny helmet, the signature in black permanent marker was so obvious: Lu Ke. Almost everyone could see it.
Whoosh. All eyes were on Lu Ke. They were sharp, biting, and full of sarcasm and ridicule. In that moment, Lu Ke wished he could disappear into the ground. Then, Parys's mocking voice came through. "Lu Ke, it looks like you've found your most loyal fan—yourself."
With a loud roar, everyone burst into laughter.
Lu Ke opened his mouth, trying to argue, but Jim cut him off. "Lu Ke, come get your helmet. Don't be a clown trying to get attention."
Lu Ke clenched his fists. He knew that whatever he said now would just be humiliating. So, the best option was to shut up and quickly end this farce.
Logan and Marcus looked at him with concern. Lu Ke shook his head, gesturing that he was fine, and then walked out of the line. He took the helmet from the equipment manager, who also said in a serious tone, "There's a difference between a souvenir and a piece of equipment. Pay attention next time. Also, your souvenir hasn't been signed yet. Remember to come to the locker room later and sign it."
It was a disgrace, a real disgrace.
Lu Ke gritted his teeth. "Okay, I understand." He took his helmet. The signature on it was so glaring, constantly reminding him of his embarrassment and humiliation.
He quietly told himself: the little tricks off the field don't matter. What truly decides the winner is the performance on the field. The one who laughs last, laughs best. It's still anyone's game.
He was going to remember this day.
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