Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1652 - 1651: Starting Anew

"... Oh. You picked up."

As soon as the phone connected, there was a surprised gasp from the receiver, like a startled rabbit, and the next second they clammed up tightly, even holding their breath, as if a curse word was on the tip of their tongue ready to slip out. Though unseen, the mental image had already formed.

Li Wei couldn’t help but chuckle, the corners of his mouth curling gently upwards, "My friend, wasn’t it you who called me?"

Thalia quickly realized she’d revealed her emotions and muttered begrudgingly, "I thought you were probably getting post-match massage therapy, or in a post-match strategy meeting, busy, so I was expecting voicemail. I already had a script prepared to leave a voicemail on the phone."

"But you..."

The smile in Li Wei’s eyes became even more pronounced, "No worries, just treat it as voicemail. I’ll stay silent and listen here."

Thalia exploded, "How is that the same? You’re right there, saying some things out loud is really embarrassing, okay?"

Li Wei couldn’t help but laugh softly, "Should I hang up now so you can continue leaving your voicemail?"

Thalia: ... "You’re laughing behind my back, aren’t you? Go ahead and laugh."

Li Wei, "No, no, no, I’m not. Carry on, carry on."

Thalia, "Just laugh if you want to. Anyway, my purpose in leaving the voicemail was to make sure you laugh out loud."

Li Wei froze for a moment, "Are you worried about me?"

Thalia didn’t hesitate, "Of course I’m worried about you. Dear professor, I’ve confessed 108 times now, haven’t I made it clear? If not, I can confess again. By the way, did I tell you? I’ve already turned eighteen, and for several months now."

Confident and bold.

Those youthful words hit Li Wei hard, laughter bubbling gently in his throat, "Thank you for caring."

Thalia let out a long breath, "So, was I rejected again? No problem, I’ll try again another day." She said while pumping her fist for encouragement, "Thalia, you’ve got this, I believe in you, you’re doing great, keep it up."

The laughter from Li Wei on the other end eased Thalia’s tense and anxious mood.

Hesitating for a moment, Thalia still asked, "Are you okay?"

Rarely, Li Wei didn’t answer immediately but thought seriously for a bit, "I’m not sure."

"Don’t get me wrong, I hate losing; the feeling of defeat is simply awful. I thought I’d be sad, angry, annoyed, depressed, maybe even throw a tantrum..."

Thalia, "I’d like to see the raging professor. A bloody professor?"

Li Wei, "Haha, that scene might be bloody; I wouldn’t recommend it."

Thalia, "So you’re saying you’re not angry now?"

Li Wei pondered for a moment, "No. I’m not angry. In fact, I seem to be relieved... Sorry, this shouldn’t be..."

Thalia, "You don’t need to apologize to anyone; you haven’t done anything wrong, and you’re not indebted to anyone. You are you, always upright."

Li Wei chuckled softly, "I understand. But precisely because of that, I’m struggling to adapt... Sorry, I don’t even know what I’m saying, I don’t even get myself, this is a whole new experience of not understanding myself, haha."

Even now, maintaining a humorous self-mockery, as expected, Li Wei is still Li Wei.

Thalia, "No, actually you understand, it’s because you understand that you’re afraid of facing it. But I don’t think you’re wrong."

Going around in circles, like talking in riddles.

The magic is, Li Wei understood.

Li Wei took a deep breath, "I’m kind of relieved we finally lost, the streak finally came to a halt, those counting voices can finally stop. Sorry, this sounds so pathetic, God, I can’t believe myself."

Thalia, "But it’s normal, and it’s reasonable."

"People see the brilliance and glory of a streak, they marvel, praise, and put you on a pedestal, as if you’re not ordinary people, not normal people; you’re expected to win, to dominate, you’re not allowed to fluctuate, to make mistakes, to lose."

"They simply treat you like deities."

"But the reality is, you’re also ordinary people, you also have fluctuations, have difficulties, have fears, have anxieties, those mounting pressures will inevitably collapse one day. Although no one wants to face such facts, regrettably, this is reality, this is life."

"So now, we can finally put the pressure of the streak behind and start anew."

On the other end of the call, Li Wei didn’t speak.

Thalia felt a bit worried, "Li Wei?"

The taste at Li Wei’s tongue was a complex mix, after the game ended, everyone seemed cautious and tiptoeing around, no one knowing how to face this loss or how to face Li Wei, not just the players but even Reed and the coaching staff were at a loss.

Even Li Yi and Jiang Yin were the same.

No one would have thought, it’d be Thalia who saw through it all.

Bittersweet, a touch of sorrow, but also a sense of relief, the rock on his chest finally seemed to have dropped, leaving Li Wei a bit off-kilter.

He carefully covered up, jokingly said, "Li Wei? So now it’s just my name?"

Thalia bravely quipped, "Would you prefer me calling you dear?"

Li Wei, "Jesus Christ."

Thalia laughed heartily, not caring about her lady-like image at all.

Li Wei laughed along, "A new start?"

Thalia, "Yeah. Starting from zero. The streak is all reset, now begins a new Chapter, just write another story from here. No pressure, no expectations, just light-heartedly move forward."

"I think it’s a good thing, at least better than losing in playoffs, right?"

Li Wei laughed heartily, "The day of losing in playoffs will come sooner or later, we can’t always keep winning."

The Rock got a Super Bowl three-peat, an achievement, if possible, Li Wei also hoped for four-peat, five-peat, six-peat ongoing, but obviously that’s impossible.

Just as the regular-season streak eventually comes to an end, the undefeated playoff streak will too.

Thalia, "Then it means there’s even greater challenges ahead, doesn’t it? The Li Wei I know is all about challenging the impossible."

Softly yet heavily, a wave of warmth hit Li Wei’s heart, causing his heartbeat to suddenly become chaotic, an indescribable happiness about to overflow.

Li Wei didn’t speak, but Thalia thought he was worried about the fans—

Fans, not everyone could stay rational, in fact, most were crazy.

They could put the team in heaven when winning, or push them into hell when losing, if even Li Wei faced such pressure, how would Kansas City’s fans react?

In nearly three years, Arrowhead Stadium lost for the first time, for the residents of Kansas City, it’s probably hard to digest such a fact right away.

Even though everyone understands logically, emotions are still uncontrollable.

It’s hard to imagine the chaos on social networks right now.

Thalia, "If anyone’s dissatisfied, let them get lost, you’ve given enough to this team and this city, you don’t owe anyone anything."